BBD 07.02.09 Heed the Warning

#1 · July 3, 2009, 12:08 am

Quote from Forum Archives on July 3, 2009, 12:08 am
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 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 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer
requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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

I'm now on twitter and you can find me at http://www.twitter.com/edwrather.

The Burning Bush Devotional

(A Devotional Classic from 2005)

Welcome to the 700 new subscribers since January 1, 2009

07.02.09

Heed the Warning

Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you,
O troubler of Israel?" And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you
and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of
the LORD and have followed the Baals. Now therefore, send and gather all
Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal,
and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." So
Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together
on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will
you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if
Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. - 1 Kings
18:17-21.

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation,
drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you
unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the
face of the whole earth. - Luke 21:34-35.

About ten years ago, I received a speeding ticket, and it was not my first.
My first and only other speeding ticket I received was when I was seventeen
years old and late for a date. Ten years ago, I was driving along and a few
cars came by flashing their lights, but I knew that I was driving the speed
limit and I could not see any immediate road hazard. So, oblivious to any
need to slow down, I continued on until a highway patrolman appeared in his
patrol car and immediately turned on his lights and pulled me over. I told
him I thought that I was doing the speed limit and his response was "not
here." As in, the speed limit is lower here. I had somehow missed the sign
signaling the change in speed limit. At that point, I was wishing that I had
heeded the warnings of all those passing cars flashing their lights at me.
But it was too late.

The false prophets of Baal and Asherah were brought together along with the
children of Israel on Mount Carmel by King Ahab at the request of Elijah,
who was following God's instructions. There on Mount Carmel the great
contest between the false gods and the one true God took place. We know the
result and that result was that the false gods were unable to do anything.
However, the one true God was able to burn up the offering in a terrifying
demonstration of His power. Elijah asked the people "How long will you
falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal,
follow him." Another translation says "waver between two opinions".

After the fire of God fell from Heaven upon the offering of Elijah, burning
it all up even the water, it must have looked very foolish to the people
that they had ever believed in the false gods. It must have, then, looked
foolish that they had ever wavered between those false gods and the one true
God, who was and is the creator of Heaven and earth and everything else.

The Bible warns that there is a day of reckoning coming for every person.
The Bible warns, "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with
dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close
on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on
the face of the whole earth."

Have you been wavering between obedience in serving your Lord and the
allurements of the world, the flesh, and the devil? Are you "weighed down
with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life"? Heed the warning
because there is a day of reckoning that is fast approaching.

Copyright © 2009. 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.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for Malachi, Cody, and Mica who are young boys
with cancer. Malachi is very ill and in much pain. He is paralyzed on one
side because of a tumor pressing on his brain. Many prayer needs are posted
at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post
your prayer requests there and they will be forwarded to the Burning Bush
Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for
me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

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

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube at:
www.godtube.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 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 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer
requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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

I'm now on twitter and you can find me at http://www.twitter.com/edwrather.

The Burning Bush Devotional

(A Devotional Classic from 2005)

Welcome to the 700 new subscribers since January 1, 2009

07.02.09

Heed the Warning

Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you,
O troubler of Israel?" And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you
and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of
the LORD and have followed the Baals. Now therefore, send and gather all
Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal,
and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." So
Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together
on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will
you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if
Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. - 1 Kings
18:17-21.

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation,
drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you
unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the
face of the whole earth. - Luke 21:34-35.

About ten years ago, I received a speeding ticket, and it was not my first.
My first and only other speeding ticket I received was when I was seventeen
years old and late for a date. Ten years ago, I was driving along and a few
cars came by flashing their lights, but I knew that I was driving the speed
limit and I could not see any immediate road hazard. So, oblivious to any
need to slow down, I continued on until a highway patrolman appeared in his
patrol car and immediately turned on his lights and pulled me over. I told
him I thought that I was doing the speed limit and his response was "not
here." As in, the speed limit is lower here. I had somehow missed the sign
signaling the change in speed limit. At that point, I was wishing that I had
heeded the warnings of all those passing cars flashing their lights at me.
But it was too late.

The false prophets of Baal and Asherah were brought together along with the
children of Israel on Mount Carmel by King Ahab at the request of Elijah,
who was following God's instructions. There on Mount Carmel the great
contest between the false gods and the one true God took place. We know the
result and that result was that the false gods were unable to do anything.
However, the one true God was able to burn up the offering in a terrifying
demonstration of His power. Elijah asked the people "How long will you
falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal,
follow him." Another translation says "waver between two opinions".

After the fire of God fell from Heaven upon the offering of Elijah, burning
it all up even the water, it must have looked very foolish to the people
that they had ever believed in the false gods. It must have, then, looked
foolish that they had ever wavered between those false gods and the one true
God, who was and is the creator of Heaven and earth and everything else.

The Bible warns that there is a day of reckoning coming for every person.
The Bible warns, "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with
dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close
on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on
the face of the whole earth."

Have you been wavering between obedience in serving your Lord and the
allurements of the world, the flesh, and the devil? Are you "weighed down
with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life"? Heed the warning
because there is a day of reckoning that is fast approaching.

Copyright © 2009. 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.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for Malachi, Cody, and Mica who are young boys
with cancer. Malachi is very ill and in much pain. He is paralyzed on one
side because of a tumor pressing on his brain. Many prayer needs are posted
at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post
your prayer requests there and they will be forwarded to the Burning Bush
Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for
me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

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

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube at:
http://www.godtube.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
http://www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.