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“How do you keep on falling in love with Jesus over and over again?” Good question. Keith and I were pondering the state of Christianity in America… and the state of our own hearts. I guess one of the answers is conviction of sin. We realize that we have strayed and we ask God to forgive us and restore our passion. Keith has Parkinson's disease. I’ve watched it develop over the years I’ve known him. Now he has a bit of trouble just getting a bite of omelet from the plate to his mouth. “When I first got Parkinson’s I had a choice. I could choose a living death, or I could choose to really live for the rest of my life. I chose to live.” Keith said that one of the answers for him is that he came to realize just how much Jesus loves him and how much Jesus did to save him. “How can you not love someone who loves you that much?” What say you? How do you keep falling in love with Jesus?
Today's Scripture reading is 1 Kings 8:22-53; Zechariah 11; Luke 18:1-18
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Today’s thought comes from Ezekiel 38:14 "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 "Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 "You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes." 17 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them? 18 "And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel," says the Lord GOD, "that My fury will show in My face. 19 "For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, 20 ‘so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ 21 "I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains," says the Lord GOD. "Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 "And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 "Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD."’
The Northern Horde will come against the land of Israel. Thus it has been prophesied, so it will be done. A mighty army that covers the land like a cloud will advance to crush the hated Jew once and for all! The world will watch breathlessly. Every television camera and every television station will zoom in on this brazen attack. Sponge Bob will be replaced with up to the minute reports from the battle field. American Idol will be canceled so we can watch “Operation Gog!” Katie Couric, Peter Jennings and every other newsman will micro analyze the attack 24/7: their analysis? Israel doesn’t stand a chance. The Northern Horde is a mammoth sized Goliath that will squash little David with its baby toe. But what happens next surprises everyone. The armies of the north will be destroyed on the mountains of Israel! (39:4) Here’s how it happens. Just as the northern machine is about to devour the land there is a huge earthquake! This will be a tremor that is felt around the world! It will be so mighty that skyscrapers will crash to the ground and the mountains will shudder and be broken to pieces. The epicenter will be the land of Israel. This will be the mother of all earthquakes! It is powerful in and of itself to wipe out most of the army! But other events will occur which will wipe out this horde. The coalition will turn against itself (38:21)! In the ensuing confusion, this unified army will suddenly disintegrate! The entire operation will be in danger of imploding. That isn’t all. God’s not done! There will be tremors and aftershocks following the earthquake. God will bring pestilence, disease, intense rain, flooding, hail, volcanic action, fire and brimstone… and the Northern Horde will fall on the mountains of Israel. In the stunning silence that follows, the camera will pan around a vast field of battle littered with the dead. Only God could have orchestrated such a devastating defeat against such odds.
Dear Lord. The magnitude of events that are yet to come overwhelms me. The loss of life and the power of God and nature is more than I can imagine. I know you at the helm. You are the master of the winds and the waves as well as the mastermind of prophecy. I bow before your amazing power.
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
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