BBD 12.28.09 Begin Again - Part 1 (New)

#1 · December 28, 2009, 11:30 am

Quote from Forum Archives on December 28, 2009, 11:30 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

Welcome to the 1343 new subscribers since January 1, 2009

12.28.09

Begin Again - Part 1

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable (.stand firm. Let
nothing move you. - NIV), always abounding (Always give yourselves fully -
NIV) in the work of the Lord, knowing (because you know - NIV) that your
labor is not in vain in the Lord. - 1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV.

Life is made up of beginnings and endings and more beginnings. Winter ends
and spring begins. Spring ends and summer begins. Summer ends and winter
begins. We are ending one year and starting a new year with the challenges
of the past year behind and the challenges of a new year ahead. We end
childhood and begin young adulthood. We end being young adults and enter
middle age. We end middle age and become senior adults. We are born, we
live, we die, and then if we know Jesus as our Savior, we live again.

I have found that the older I become the harder it is to begin again, the
harder it is to move forward, and not to stop. The older I am, the harder it
is to try something new. The older I am, the easier it is to do nothing. The
older I am, the easier it is to think I have done enough. The older I am,
the easier it is to plan for dying instead of for living. The older I am,
the harder it is to continue with life when bad things happen - to begin
again.

How do you begin again, how do you move forward with life, how do you really
live as long as you are living? This verse in 1 Corinthians 15:58 gives us
some direction as to how to do that. The first instruction that the apostle
Paul gives us about how to begin again, how to live is this: ".stand firm.
Let nothing move you.." He is saying that we should let nothing in this
world deter us, keep us from living the abundant life that Jesus came to
give us (John 10:10b). We should let no bad thing, no evil thing, not even a
good thing keep us from living our lives for the Lord.

For the early Christians, there were some obstacles to living the Christian
life, especially in Corinth. Corinth was an evil place, a wicked place. If
you were a Christian in Corinth you could count on feeling out of place, out
of step with most of the people who lived there. If you were a Christian in
Corinth you could count on encountering persecution in one form or another.
Paul was telling them don't let that stop you from living like you should
".stand firm. Let nothing move you.."

Paul from the context of this verse, the preceding verses, was also talking
about the discouragement caused by death. The discouragement caused by
knowing that we all will someday die and the discouragement that comes from
the deaths of those that we love. The fact of death looming ahead of us is
something that we all have to deal with. Both of my parents passed away in
2007 and there is something about your parents no longer being alive that
changes your perspective - it makes you more aware of your own mortality.
This year there have been so many that I know who are around my age who have
passed away. Last Monday one more of my high school classmates passed away.
It makes you wonder sometimes if you are next. We have seen so many of our
young people in this area who have died at an early age, and it is
particularly hard when you are close to them.

What is it that Paul would say to me? What is it that Paul would say to you?
".stand firm. Let nothing move you.." Not even death ".stand firm. Let
nothing move you.."

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. 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
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 (now Tangle) 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

Welcome to the 1343 new subscribers since January 1, 2009

12.28.09

Begin Again - Part 1

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable (.stand firm. Let
nothing move you. - NIV), always abounding (Always give yourselves fully -
NIV) in the work of the Lord, knowing (because you know - NIV) that your
labor is not in vain in the Lord. - 1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV.

Life is made up of beginnings and endings and more beginnings. Winter ends
and spring begins. Spring ends and summer begins. Summer ends and winter
begins. We are ending one year and starting a new year with the challenges
of the past year behind and the challenges of a new year ahead. We end
childhood and begin young adulthood. We end being young adults and enter
middle age. We end middle age and become senior adults. We are born, we
live, we die, and then if we know Jesus as our Savior, we live again.

I have found that the older I become the harder it is to begin again, the
harder it is to move forward, and not to stop. The older I am, the harder it
is to try something new. The older I am, the easier it is to do nothing. The
older I am, the easier it is to think I have done enough. The older I am,
the easier it is to plan for dying instead of for living. The older I am,
the harder it is to continue with life when bad things happen - to begin
again.

How do you begin again, how do you move forward with life, how do you really
live as long as you are living? This verse in 1 Corinthians 15:58 gives us
some direction as to how to do that. The first instruction that the apostle
Paul gives us about how to begin again, how to live is this: ".stand firm.
Let nothing move you.." He is saying that we should let nothing in this
world deter us, keep us from living the abundant life that Jesus came to
give us (John 10:10b). We should let no bad thing, no evil thing, not even a
good thing keep us from living our lives for the Lord.

For the early Christians, there were some obstacles to living the Christian
life, especially in Corinth. Corinth was an evil place, a wicked place. If
you were a Christian in Corinth you could count on feeling out of place, out
of step with most of the people who lived there. If you were a Christian in
Corinth you could count on encountering persecution in one form or another.
Paul was telling them don't let that stop you from living like you should
".stand firm. Let nothing move you.."

Paul from the context of this verse, the preceding verses, was also talking
about the discouragement caused by death. The discouragement caused by
knowing that we all will someday die and the discouragement that comes from
the deaths of those that we love. The fact of death looming ahead of us is
something that we all have to deal with. Both of my parents passed away in
2007 and there is something about your parents no longer being alive that
changes your perspective - it makes you more aware of your own mortality.
This year there have been so many that I know who are around my age who have
passed away. Last Monday one more of my high school classmates passed away.
It makes you wonder sometimes if you are next. We have seen so many of our
young people in this area who have died at an early age, and it is
particularly hard when you are close to them.

What is it that Paul would say to me? What is it that Paul would say to you?
".stand firm. Let nothing move you.." Not even death ".stand firm. Let
nothing move you.."

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. 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
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 (now Tangle) 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.