Quote from Forum Archives on November 17, 2008, 11:55 am

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional

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11.17.08

Put Off the Old

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have
passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17.

...if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is
in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man
which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the
spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created
according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. - Ephesians 4:21-24.

In the United States a new President and his family will soon move into the
official residence for the President, the White House. The White House has a
two hundred year history but except for the outer walls, the layout of the
rooms, and some furnishings inside the building; things have changed from
what they were two hundred years ago.

Harry Truman while president of the United States in 1948 made a shocking
discovery of the condition of the White House. When the honor guard marched
him to a state dinner the crystal chandelier in his study swayed. When the
butler walked in with breakfast Truman could feel the whole floor wobble. He
called for engineers to examine the structure. The chief engineer reported
the ceiling in the state dining room was only staying up from force of
habit. Truman made a tough decision. He had the entire inside of the White
House gutted. It was all torn out and rebuilt with only the shell remaining.
When it was rebuilt it was with a steel framework which makes it as strong
as any modern building.

There are many of us who wonder about the history that must have been lost
in such a drastic reconstruction. Many were attached to the well worn floors
with the smells of decades of momentous occasions. In much the same way we
grow attached to our old lives, our old sins, our old circumstances, and
habits. So when we are born again (John 3:3), becoming a new creature in
Christ with old things passing away and all things becoming new (2
Corinthians 5:17) it is a drastic change! Our old lives have been gutted and
a complete reconstruction has taken place.

We still have choices after becoming a new creature in Christ. Truman as
President of the United States could have chosen not to live in the White
House after the reconstruction was completed. He could have lived in a tent
on the grounds but that would have been foolish. It would be foolish for us
as well to live as we used to live when we don't have to any more. Paul in
verse 22 says to put off all that old stuff and to begin to live as the new
person that we are. In verses 25 through 32 he gives very specific ways of
putting off the old and putting on the new. Paul finishes by saying in verse
32, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even
as God in Christ forgave you."

Have you been living in a tent? Why not get out of there and try out the new
place!

__________

Update from the Wrather family:

For those who have not heard, our son Nick has lost the sight in one eye
because of a detached retina and will be having surgery tomorrow to
stabilize it so that it will not have to be removed. Since the detachment
occurred many months ago it will not be possible to restore his sight in
that eye.

After we found out about this we decided that we would go ahead and take a
trip to Branson, Missouri that we had planned for later. Nick is mentally
handicapped with Down Syndrome and he has been a fan of the Oakridge Boys
since he was a little boy (He is 30 now.). We thought it would take all of
our minds off of what had happened and the surgery and I think that it did
do that.

The eye surgeon told us when he said that Nick would not have sight in that
eye that it was "Unfortunate." While listening to the Oakridge Boys they
sang a song from their Christmas album. In the song a family has some bad
things happen to them and repeatedly they say it was "Unfortunate",
"Inconvenient", and then they say, "The most inconvenient Christmas ever
was, Was the first one, when God came so far, To give himself to us, So when
stress hits each December, How it helps me to remember God is with us most
when things just can't get worse, The most inconvenient Christmas ever was.
was the first."

It spoke to my heart and to Jeanie's. I think we know why we needed to take
the trip as we found God touching our hearts once again at a critical time
in our lives.

The devotional has been written and sent on an infrequent basis for some
time. My goal for the devotional is for it to be sent five times per week
and hopefully the goal will eventually be reached on a continuous basis.

Thank you for your support, understanding, and prayers!

Ed Wrather

Copyright © 2008. 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 Nick as he has his surgery tomorrow. Please
pray for Malachi, Cody, and Mica who are young boys with cancer. 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.).

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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.

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