BBD 05.08.17 Biting Off More than You can Chew (Classic)

#1 · May 7, 2017, 9:40 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on May 7, 2017, 9:40 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2010

Burning Bush Devotional

08 May 2017

Biting
Off More Than You Can Chew

When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them. Then one
in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held
in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside
for a little while. And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to
yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men…And now I say to you, keep
away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of
men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it -
lest you even be found to fight against God.” - Acts 5:33-35; 38-39 NKJV.

Whatever one is, he has been named already, for it is known that he is man; and
he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he. - Ecclesiastes 6:10 NKJV.

In the swamps of Florida, there is a growing population of Burmese pythons. One
of those pythons that was 13-foot long happened one day to see a tasty morsel
in the form of a 6-foot long alligator. The python proceeded to swallow the
whole alligator, but alas for the python the alligator did not go quietly into
the night. No, the alligator inside of that python scratched, and bit, and
fought until the side of the snake burst open. However, the alligator still
died, but the python died too. A University of
Florida wildlife professor says that, “Encounters like that are almost never seen in the wild.” Of course, the moral of the story is this: never bite
off more than you can chew!

Gamaliel had some very good advice for the Sanhedrin. He shared with them some
illustrations of previous movements led by men that had faded away. There was
Theudas, and there was Judas of Galilee, but they all came to nothing. His
advice was that the council should be careful, and not oppose that which was of
God. In other words, don't bite off more than you can chew by fighting against
God. That is the same advice the preacher of Ecclesiastes has for mankind as he says “he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.” The One who is mightier is God.

Are you one of those people who are fighting against God? Many are fighting
against God by refusing to acknowledge His existence. Some are fighting against
God by refusing to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Some fight against
God by refusing to assemble with other believers, some fight by refusing to
pray, or by refusing to read God's Word, or by refusing to serve Him in any
meaningful way, or by refusing to give to support God's work on this earth.
Many are in rebellion against God, and that is a sin which the Bible puts on
the same level as witchcraft (1 Samuel
15:23). God cannot bless a life that is in
rebellion against Him.

The apostle Paul says this in 2 Corinthians
5:9-11a, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well
pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men….” Paul says, “Knowing…the terror of the Lord.” Do
you not have any fear of God? Some day you will stand before Him. If you know
Jesus as your Savior, you will stand before Him at the “judgment seat of Christ.” That
judgment is for the determination of rewards, and not of eternal destination.
If you have never received Jesus as your Savior you will stand before God at
the Great White Throne, and when your name is not found to be recorded in the
Lamb's Book of Life, you will be judged according to your works. Since you
have rejected Jesus as your Savior, you will be cast into hell along with the
devil and his demons, because the “wages of sin
is death (Romans 6:23a).”

If you have been fighting against God, stop it! You have bitten off more than
you can chew!

Copyright © 2010 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. 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 those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
19 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Wesley Lewis, Brad, Damon D.
& wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2010

Burning Bush Devotional

08 May 2017

Biting
Off More Than You Can Chew

When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them. Then one
in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held
in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside
for a little while. And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to
yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men…And now I say to you, keep
away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of
men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it -
lest you even be found to fight against God.” - Acts 5:33-35; 38-39 NKJV.

Whatever one is, he has been named already, for it is known that he is man; and
he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he. - Ecclesiastes 6:10 NKJV.

In the swamps of Florida, there is a growing population of Burmese pythons. One
of those pythons that was 13-foot long happened one day to see a tasty morsel
in the form of a 6-foot long alligator. The python proceeded to swallow the
whole alligator, but alas for the python the alligator did not go quietly into
the night. No, the alligator inside of that python scratched, and bit, and
fought until the side of the snake burst open. However, the alligator still
died, but the python died too. A University of
Florida wildlife professor says that, “Encounters like that are almost never seen in the wild.” Of course, the moral of the story is this: never bite
off more than you can chew!

Gamaliel had some very good advice for the Sanhedrin. He shared with them some
illustrations of previous movements led by men that had faded away. There was
Theudas, and there was Judas of Galilee, but they all came to nothing. His
advice was that the council should be careful, and not oppose that which was of
God. In other words, don't bite off more than you can chew by fighting against
God. That is the same advice the preacher of Ecclesiastes has for mankind as he says “he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.” The One who is mightier is God.

Are you one of those people who are fighting against God? Many are fighting
against God by refusing to acknowledge His existence. Some are fighting against
God by refusing to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Some fight against
God by refusing to assemble with other believers, some fight by refusing to
pray, or by refusing to read God's Word, or by refusing to serve Him in any
meaningful way, or by refusing to give to support God's work on this earth.
Many are in rebellion against God, and that is a sin which the Bible puts on
the same level as witchcraft (1 Samuel
15:23). God cannot bless a life that is in
rebellion against Him.

The apostle Paul says this in 2 Corinthians
5:9-11a, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well
pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men….” Paul says, “Knowing…the terror of the Lord.” Do
you not have any fear of God? Some day you will stand before Him. If you know
Jesus as your Savior, you will stand before Him at the “judgment seat of Christ.” That
judgment is for the determination of rewards, and not of eternal destination.
If you have never received Jesus as your Savior you will stand before God at
the Great White Throne, and when your name is not found to be recorded in the
Lamb's Book of Life, you will be judged according to your works. Since you
have rejected Jesus as your Savior, you will be cast into hell along with the
devil and his demons, because the “wages of sin
is death (Romans 6:23a).”

If you have been fighting against God, stop it! You have bitten off more than
you can chew!

Copyright © 2010 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. 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 those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
19 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Wesley Lewis, Brad, Damon D.
& wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: http://www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org