The Devotional – 1450 – Are you Friendly?

The Devotional – 1450 – Are you Friendly?

Proverbs 16:24 – a man (or woman) who has friends must himself (or herself) be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. A superficial reading of this verse does not reveal the message as the word “must” in Hebrew means; “may come to ruin”. Therefore we must be careful with our friendships.

Comments and challenges

On Wednesday we were discussing sin and the way God destroyed the effects of sin in the world. Do you remember? Well in the Words of the Holy Bible sin and death, or death and sin was defeated by the Son of God who became the Lamb of God, He died to all SIN (the entire sin of the world). Also, He was raised from that death, back to life, so that all who die believing this truth will be raised up with Christ, just as He is raised up. Luke 24:36; John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 15:56; Colossians 1:13-18 and 2 Peter 2:24.

Today we will look at what God has not destroyed at the present time and that would be “evil”. There are three great destroyers of mankind, we have learned from God that two of the three are rendered now “without opinion or voice” at the judgment seat of Christ. In other words if you believe in Jesus for salvation, that “faith” renders you and me as “saved” from the penalty of sin, which is “death”, 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11 and 2 Peter 2:24-25.

In contrast; we learn and believe of the fall of Satan from heaven, sometime before the fall of mankind on earth. Isaiah 14:12-19; Ezekiel 28:14-19 and Luke 10:18; Evil has and is PRESENT on the earth. Some people, who read this, do not believe the existence of Lucifer, the fallen angel of God, renamed SATAN (deceiver), otherwise known as the devil. Like most of mankind many believe that Satan is not an angel but a man, or a god, or some other false expression. Hogwash! These people are (guess what?) deceived. Satan does exist and he is the author of EVIL. 

If I may! If God were a professional baseball pitcher, Satan has two strikes against him. It is the bottom of the ninth; two outs and two strikes.

Sin… defeated at the cross; Jesus died for all sin. Out: number One.

Death… defeated at the tomb; Jesus rose from the grave. Out: number Two.

Evil… Strike one, Jesus saves… John 3:16, Strike two, millions of men, women and children have believed this truth by faith… Hebrews 11:1-40. The third strike is future, the NEAR future. Out: number Three. (Revelation 19:11-21).

There is NO EASTER in the Holy Bible… only VICTORY over SIN, DEATH and SATAN. Revelation 21 and 22. After all major wars there is the need of “mob up operations. Revelation 20:7-10.