BBD 12.11.17 Surprise! (Classic)

#1 · December 11, 2017, 11:47 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on December 11, 2017, 11:47 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2010

Burning Bush Devotional

11 December 2017

Surprise!



There was a
certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously
every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was
laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich
man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the
beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man
also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades (hell - KJV), he
lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he
cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in
this flame.” But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you
received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is
comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there
is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot,
nor can those from there pass to us.” - Luke 16:19-26 NKJV.

In North Conway, New Hampshire, Jeff Allard got a surprise when he took out the
trash. Jeff threw his trash into the trash dumpster and a 300lb black bear
popped out swinging his paw. The bear did manage to give Allard a wound that
needed 16 stitches. Normally, the dumpsters in the area have a bar on top that
prevents bears from opening them. However, this bear was able to squeeze inside
anyway, and then was unable to get back out. After taking a swing at Jeff with
his paw the bear ran away.

What a surprise to take out the trash, and suddenly you are face to face with a
bear! Life has a way of giving us some surprises along the way and all of us
have encountered surprises in some form or another. However, are you prepared
for the ultimate surprise? There are those who will die and wake up in…hell!
Surprise! Where's the fun in that? Actually there will not be any fun at all in
that, only misery. The rich man in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus has
experienced the ultimate surprise. As good as life was for him here on Earth,
he surely was surprised that the non-life he has now in hell can be so bad.

The Rich Man must have been surprised to find out that there actually was a
hell. There will be some who are living today who will be just as surprised.
Even though the New Testament mentions the place 23 times (KJV) many try to
explain it away. Then there are those who think that because they are living a
somewhat moral life that a good God will send them to Heaven. Others believe
that God is sending everyone to Heaven regardless. Won't they be surprised! No
one will be in Heaven because of their good works. Ephesians
2:8-9 makes that clear, “For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast.” Only by believing in Jesus
Christ as their personal Savior, while still living and breathing, will anyone
go to Heaven. Jesus is the only way as He says in John 14:6, “I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me.”

Not only was the Rich Man surprised by there actually being a place called
hell, but he must have also been surprised that there was no escape possible,
and that it lasts forever. We have enough surprises in this life without having
another one when we die. Do you know where you are going when you die? There
are only two destinations possible: Heaven or Hell. You choose by deciding to
believe in Jesus or reject Jesus. It's your choice. Which place do you want to
be in for eternity?

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 12,000
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, Brandy, Beverly
(Jeanie’s sister), Amy Carroll, Vivian, Henry 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 (Update: Nearly
every Sunday in 2017 I have been preaching at Fairview Baptist Church in Elk
City, OK while they are without a pastor.) 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

11 December 2017

Surprise!

There was a
certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously
every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was
laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich
man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the
beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man
also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades (hell - KJV), he
lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he
cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in
this flame.” But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you
received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is
comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there
is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot,
nor can those from there pass to us.” - Luke 16:19-26 NKJV.

In North Conway, New Hampshire, Jeff Allard got a surprise when he took out the
trash. Jeff threw his trash into the trash dumpster and a 300lb black bear
popped out swinging his paw. The bear did manage to give Allard a wound that
needed 16 stitches. Normally, the dumpsters in the area have a bar on top that
prevents bears from opening them. However, this bear was able to squeeze inside
anyway, and then was unable to get back out. After taking a swing at Jeff with
his paw the bear ran away.

What a surprise to take out the trash, and suddenly you are face to face with a
bear! Life has a way of giving us some surprises along the way and all of us
have encountered surprises in some form or another. However, are you prepared
for the ultimate surprise? There are those who will die and wake up in…hell!
Surprise! Where's the fun in that? Actually there will not be any fun at all in
that, only misery. The rich man in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus has
experienced the ultimate surprise. As good as life was for him here on Earth,
he surely was surprised that the non-life he has now in hell can be so bad.

The Rich Man must have been surprised to find out that there actually was a
hell. There will be some who are living today who will be just as surprised.
Even though the New Testament mentions the place 23 times (KJV) many try to
explain it away. Then there are those who think that because they are living a
somewhat moral life that a good God will send them to Heaven. Others believe
that God is sending everyone to Heaven regardless. Won't they be surprised! No
one will be in Heaven because of their good works. Ephesians
2:8-9 makes that clear, “For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast.” Only by believing in Jesus
Christ as their personal Savior, while still living and breathing, will anyone
go to Heaven. Jesus is the only way as He says in John 14:6, “I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me.”

Not only was the Rich Man surprised by there actually being a place called
hell, but he must have also been surprised that there was no escape possible,
and that it lasts forever. We have enough surprises in this life without having
another one when we die. Do you know where you are going when you die? There
are only two destinations possible: Heaven or Hell. You choose by deciding to
believe in Jesus or reject Jesus. It's your choice. Which place do you want to
be in for eternity?

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 12,000
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, Brandy, Beverly
(Jeanie’s sister), Amy Carroll, Vivian, Henry 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 (Update: Nearly
every Sunday in 2017 I have been preaching at Fairview Baptist Church in Elk
City, OK while they are without a pastor.) 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