Phil. 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
If you haven't noticed, our little girl comes in handy for devotional topics. It's funny, we thought we'd be teaching her but boy, is she teaching us some great lessons!
Over the Fourth of July weekend last summer, our family enjoyed a delightful time at Chincoteague Island with some close friends. Elianna had never been to the beach before and today was her day. She'd always loved bathtime but this was like the biggest bathtub she'd ever seen and she was LOVIN' it!
We all sat around sunning, chatting, and relaxing on the beach as Elianna sat beside us playing in the sand and enjoying the inflow of bubbly white water creeping up into the little sandpit we made for her right next to our umbrella. Suddenly, with no warning, the tide shot up in one wave and swept Elianna backward, eyes, nose, mouth full of saltwater, sending her a couple of feet backward. We were absolutely horrified and scooped her up at once. It took Elianna a few seconds to get her bearings and I was sure at this point we'd need to be heading back for the day. After that experience, surely Elianna would be too traumatized to continue playing on the beach.
But to our amazement, Elianna opened her eyes, let out a cough or two, looked around, and then motioned she wanted to get right back to playing! Not even a tear! She took that wave like a pro and just kept on going, happy as before.
Sometimes life can throw us a sudden wave and knock us around a bit. But, like Elianna, we need to get right back up and keep going! Heavenly blessings await those who endure trials and keep pressing forward for the Kingdom!
Have you been sideswiped recently? Don't let it get you down! Let's get right back in there and make the best of our time here on this earth. Soon we'll be hearing the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant!"
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]An interesting parallel exists between these two passages of scripture: Isaiah 53:9 and Acts 3:15. Isaiah renders the “death” of the messiah in the plural form, “deaths” (“motav”). Acts renders the life of the Prince of Life as “lives” (“chaim”). Some scholars suggest that the plurality of the word death indicates a violent death this servant would suffer, and that making the noun plural is a way of emphasizing the terrible intensity of his experience. Jewish counter-missionaries suggest that the “death” in plural shows that the suffering servant is not an individual man, but a group of people, specifically the nation of Israel, thus denying that the passage refers to an individual messianic figure.
Proverbs says the “highway of the upright is to depart from evil”. It’s a highway — a way of life so to speak. And this proverb coincides with the central teaching of Yeshua (Jesus) — “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” What does it mean to repent? The Greek Word is “metanoia” which simply means to change your mind about sin or to depart from evil.
D.L. Moody has been influential in my personal life as I study and read about his life and ministry in the 1800’s. I remember reading a story about how D.L. Moody was preparing to lead a revival throughout England to which an elderly pastor protested and said, “Why do we need this ‘Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?”
If these really are the “Days of Noah,” we would expect to see a world filled with increasing violence. The Hebrew for “violence” is , by coincidence, the name of the terrorist organization Israel has been fighting for decades. And simply perusing my news briefs in recent years gives abundant evidence for the conclusion that this terrible season is well underway. Noah’s day was filled with violence and also false witness, which is a second meaning for the word “Hamas” [e.g., ; ]; violence and lies, then and now…
As Israel braces for retaliation from Iran, Hezbollah, and its terrorist proxies following the assassinations of two terrorist leaders in Tehran and Beirut last week, many are praying through these tense times as Tisha B’Av begins tonight (Monday night).
Tonight, Jewish people around the world will mourn through Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the fifth month on the Hebrew calendar. This day has been marked by numerous tragic events throughout history. It began with the spies returned with an evil report of Canaan, the Promised Land, as recounted in Numbers 13 and 14. This day marks the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, which occurred on the same date, separated by hundreds of years. The Crusades were launched on Tisha B’Av in 1095. In 1290, Jews were expelled from England, and in 1492, they were expelled again from Spain and Portugal on this very day. In the modern era, World War I began on the 9th of Av, and the call for the “Final Solution,” which led to the Holocaust, was announced on this date. To say that Tisha B’Av commemorates a series of horrific events is an understatement.
The Bible tells us that the last days would be like the days of Noah. As the mass of humanity witnesses the signs of increasing violence and evil manifesting in ways that seemed incomprehensible even just a decade ago, we are focusing on the peace that faith brings through the present storm. Though the ark he built for the flood was perhaps not the most luxurious boat ever made, Noah and his family were able to abide in God’s rest through the most terrible weather in human history.
Continuing from yesterday concerning storms; not sure we can place Noah’s flood, a worldwide conflagration, in that category, but if there really is such a thing as a “Perfect Storm”, that was…and Noah and his family were, anyway, prepared. And it’s been said that we are in the recapitulated, “Days of Noah”; [Matthew 24:37].