Care Instructions for a Life Worth Living- August 31, 2023

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I'm on the Welcoming Committee When is the world going to end? In our day? In our lifetime? Who is the Antichrist? What is the mark of the beast? What will heaven be like? These and countless other questions are on the minds of followers of Christ around the world. The book of Revelation is the source of many of these questions. In fact, it would be fair to say that there is not another book of the Bible that is the subject of more curiosity, confusion, or speculation than the book of Revelation. When it comes to the book of Revelation, people in the church tend to have two primary responses. Sadly, both of these responses are unhealthy. There are those who become obsessed with the book. They treat it like a prophetic jigsaw puzzle that will give them insider information if only they can put all the pieces together. They write up intricate time lines and diagrams that impressively chart out the last days and appear to offer answers to all of our questions. Unfortunately, people who have this response often get diverted from their faith and become obsessed with speculation. When seekers hear elaborate explanations about Jesus’ second coming being given “in the name of Christ,” and these theories go unfulfilled, we do serious damage to the evangelistic potential of future generations! Jesus is very clear that none of us can know when He will return: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7, NIV). Jesus also says very clearly that He is coming back: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20, NIV). What we can’t know for sure is when He will return. Those who find themselves consumed with trying to figure out when Jesus will return can get caught up in a web that can damage not only their own faith but the faith of others as well. A second response people may have to the book of Revelation is to avoid it altogether, either out of frustration or confusion. They say, “I can’t make heads or tails of this book. It has bizarre images of strange creatures, beasts, blood, bowls of sulfur, people eating scrolls, bottomless pits, dragons, the four horses of the Apocalypse, war, pestilence, famine, and death! It just does not seem like a very happy book.” Because they can’t understand what it is saying, they prefer to set it aside for others to grapple with. Sadly, these people are missing out on some powerful life lessons God wants to teach us through the book of Revelation. Jesus does not want us to be engaged in wild speculation and date-setting for His return. Neither does He wish for us to be ignorant about any portion of the Bible, including Revelation. What Jesus wants is for us to be yielded to the Holy Spirit, to be His witnesses, to be about His work, to spread the gospel, to be spiritually awake, and to be increasingly alive to God’s presence within us. Jesus wants His followers to be on the welcoming committee when He returns; He does not need anyone on the “when and where” committee. As a matter of fact, Jesus is clear that He wants His return to be a surprise! Ask the Holy Spirit to mold and shape you into a person who is ready to meet Jesus. If it is today or a thousand years from now, you will hear the call to be ready to meet our Lord.

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Dallas Willard Daily Devotional- August 31, 2023

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We serve others in love through our discipleship Pastors are sent to make disciples of Jesus, apprentices to Jesus in kingdom living. Life is primarily devoted to work. All legitimate work is devoted to the creation of value, of what is good to a lesser or greater degree. That was God's plan. He not only creates; he creates creators—you and me. One of the saddest things in human life is the desecration of work in a loveless world. Discipleship to Jesus, properly guided by pastors, enables individuals to find in their work a divine calling and see the hand of God in their efforts to create what is good and to serve others in love. From Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge. Copyright © 2009 by Dallas Willard. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

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Copyright Information Copyright 2016 © HarperOne. Drawn from the works of Dallas Willard. Used by permission. Subscription Information This email was sent to mucomacamucomaca.muco@blogger.com by Bible Gateway, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA. This email is part of a devotional or newsletter that you signed up for on BibleGateway.com. If you have questions or comments about this email, please contact us.   Manage all Bible Gateway subscriptions — Opt Out of all Bible Gateway communication

New Testament Reading Plan: NIV- August 31, 2023

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View today's reading at Bible Gateway 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Correcting an Abuse of the Lord's Supper 17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. 33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions. New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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