The Devotional – 1416 – Another sign of the time

The Devotional – 1416 – Another sign of the time

Proverbs31:10-12 – Who can find a virtuous (valor and excellence) wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil, all of her days.

 

 Comments and challenges

If you feel besieged by life today, lean on the God of peace -- the God of hope and the future. The same God who has a plan for Israel has a plan for you. Trust that He will direct your path (Dr. David Jeremiah’s daily devotional dated 1/31/2014).

Being overwhelmed is not foreign to anyone; a sudden intrusion of privacy or a seven year old with a knife and anger in his or her heart. During the years of being an EMT we had occasion to go to a shelter for troubled children. Children: who for a variety of reasons were taken from their homes and placed under the care and protection of people who have the credentials to provide the therapies and drugs to keep them calm. When these children rebelled or acted independently of the controlled environment, they could be as evil as any normal adult bent on destruction of whatever may be in their way. Their strength and cunning demeanor would overwhelm any untrained person.

In the nation around us these days we are either connected to these children and their malicious malefactions as someone related or we are eye-witnesses of the results. It is not the weapon of choice that is available to the child that is the cause of any death or injury resulting from one of these emotional melt-downs. And to just add another thought to this overwhelming problem in our society. It is not the various actions or reactions of people in a local community when these events override the normal daily life and liberty that was so overwhelmingly snatched from them.

Yesterday we discussed the political position of the nation and I would like to insert a comment from a very close brother in Christ and friend. I suppose I should ask his permission; but I trust he will be okay with this since I will keep his name private.

((I did not listen (or, forbid, watch) the President's SOTU speech, but did read some reviews and excerpts.

It seems to me that it was very good - it stated exactly what the state of our union is! And that is very discouraging (would be frightening if we were not aware of God's sovereignty). There are cases where God protected essentially all of His people when He brought judgment (Egypt) and others where innocents among His people suffered (Assyria and Babylon) (Tribulation saints) when God judged the nation(s). So, I think, we must be ready to suffer when our country comes under His judgment, but even if that suffering is ahead for you and I, we still have His sure promises of a joyous eternity with Him.

The question, I think, that individual believers and that our local church must ask is this: How do we best prepare for what may be impending judgment that we may experience prior to the rapture? And how do we best prepare the coming generation of believers? The first I suppose is to make known the very clear possibility of a coming judgment on our country . . . then . . .)).

I agree with the statement above fully and I believe in my heart that the pending judgment of God for this nation or nations is imminent and while seeking to inform ALL, I also seek to encourage the saints of God to get up off their duffs and get on their knees. Those of us who are believers of God through the sacrifice of the LAMB (Jesus the Messiah) and involved in a local assembly must be prepared for national judgment. In saying this; it is not if it comes, but when it does there will be persecution – not on those who are unbelieving but on the believing.

In the past we have talked about the five cycles of discipline recorded in the Old Testament that are statutes (unchangeable law) of God to Israel or any nation who identifies The God of the Holy Bible as the Creator, but rejects Him along the way. While we do not have time today to search out these wonderful statutes (well maybe you do) so here is the scripture for you to follow up on. Leviticus 26:14-39, these are the judgments. Yet the whole of the chapter speaks to the reader in three parts. Verses 1 – 13 explain national prosperity for the nation when that nation follows after God; and verses 40-46 promise restoration of the nation when they as a whole confesses and forsakes their sin.

 

Only (now listen up you unbelieving) ONLY those men, women, children and those not accountable (young children and those who are not capable of understanding the gospel) who believe the gospel (The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the LAMB) will be saved from the final judgment explained by Jesus Himself in the gospel of John; lets read it together.

John 11:25 -26 – I am the resurrection and the Life, He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.

Now this is not the whole of those two verses of scripture and does not explain the context around this statement of Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. The contexts begins in verse 1 and continues to verse 27, also please note; when you read this whole segment that you will see what Jesus said to Martha in verse 26 after the statement above. “Do you believe this?”

What would be your response? Well if you say YES I believe as Martha did in verse 27 you can know that while the judgment on our beloved nation may be fulfilled and while we may see overwhelming things increased to the final hour; those who say yea and amen to the gospel of God have a promise from The God of the Bible, John 14:1-6. And of course if you reject this TRUTH you will be overpowered with a promise from The God of the Bible (a promise to His saints; but explains the final justice or judgment of God for the unbelieving), found in the epistles of Peter. 2 Peter 3:10-13.