Quote from Forum Archives on February 9, 2011, 1:44 pm

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 1752 new subscribers since January 1, 2011!!
There were 4010 new subscribers during 2010!!

02.09.11

Be Yourself

For there is no partiality with God. - Romans 2:11.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. - John 3:16.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of
peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. - Jeremiah 29:11.
(The Message translates this as: I know what I'm doing. I have it all
planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you
the future you hope for.)

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10.

When I was a teenager I often heard of others who when facing arrest claimed
to be someone else to escape the potential charges. Often the claim would be
as a result of having a fake ID that was used to purchase beer, and usually
the story did not end well for those involved. In 2007 in Dallas, Texas,
Mario Miramontes was facing arrest for violation of his parole when he used
the "I'm not that person excuse." Using a name of someone he knew, he
claimed to be his cousin, Christopher Ayala. Unknown to Mario, his cousin
was also wanted by the police with a warrant out for a much more serious
charge. When Mario found out that he was facing more time in prison if he
were actually his cousin, he began to try to convince everyone that he was
actually, who he actually was; as in "Hey, I'm really Mario!" "I'm telling
the truth this time!" It took 13 months for Mario to be released from jail
compared to the possible 60 days he would have served on the parole
violation. (Dallas Morning News 1.8.2011; TrueCrimeReport.com 1.13.2011)

Have you ever wished, or thought that life would be better if only you could
be someone else? If you could only be someone who was rich, or was
beautiful, or had a better career, or was in better physical shape, or
whatever? Most people probably have had thoughts like those at one time or
another. We know that Mario Miramontes had a few thoughts like that!

The spiritual fact is that you are a unique, priceless, one of a kind
masterpiece that God has created. There is not, never has been, and never
will be another person like you. You, and you alone, are of so much value to
God that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for your sins. If it
had only been you, Jesus still would have died so that you might have life,
eternal life by believing in Him.

God has a plan, a special plan for your life. God has things for you to do
that no one else can do, at least not in the way that you can do them.
Instead of wishing that somehow you could be someone else, be yourself. Be
all that God wants you to be in His perfect plan for your life. There in the
center of God's will, is where you will find the ultimate fulfillment, the
ultimate joy, the ultimate peace, and the ultimate life.

How do you begin to implement God's plan for your life? Matthew 6:33 is the
overarching guide to living out God's plan for you: "But seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to
you."

Copyright © 2011. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals
in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first devotionals was
primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities
throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
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