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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.Eph 2:9 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, June 9, 2018
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Subjecta:Amnon and Tamar (1) Bible Verse:2 Samuel 13:1-8 (NLT) "Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Amnon, her half brother, fell desperately in love with her. Amnon became so obsessed with Tamar that he became ill. She was a virgin, and Amnon thought he could never have her. But Amnon had a very crafty friend—his cousin Jonadab. He was the son of David’s brother Shimea. One day Jonadab said to Amnon, “What’s the trouble? Why should the son of a king look so dejected morning after morning?” So Amnon told him, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” “Well,” Jonadab said, “I’ll tell you what to do. Go back to bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, ask him to let Tamar come and prepare some food for you. Tell him you’ll feel better if she prepares it as you watch and feeds you with her own hands.” So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. And when the king came to see him, Amnon asked him, “Please let my sister Tamar come and cook my favorite dish as I watch. Then I can eat it from her own hands.” So David agreed and sent Tamar to Amnon’s house to prepare some food for him. When Tamar arrived at Amnon’s house, she went to the place where he was lying down so he could watch her mix some dough. Then she baked his favorite dish for him. " Message:
This doesn’t seem to be headed for a happy ending. Amnon is in love with his half-sister and seems willing to plot to be alone with her. And he has just the kind of friend nobody needs, Jonadab, a clever and unscrupulous cousin willing to help Amnon further his unholy desires. In such a dangerous situation, hanging out with the “wrong crowd” is fuel on the fire.
B
ecoming obsessed with a beautiful woman is a trap that men of all ages face. I should say, “a beautiful younger person,” for this path to hell is faced by homosexuals and, even worse, those unfortunate enough to find children sexually attractive. One of the greatest literary works of all time, Goethe’s Faust, describes this exact torment. I do not know how often women have a similar sinful urge—I suspect it is much less common—but clearly it does occur.
But we are not condemned by our urges. We are condemned by our actions. And allowing ourselves to become obsessed by a wrongful sexual urge is an action; it is the point at which we cross from “human urge” to the sin of lusting in our heart. (Matthew 5:28.)
Anyway, we shall see how this turns out next week. (Note that there are other women named “Tamar” in the Bible.)
Meditation : Prayer : Now to Him who has given me grace in accordance with His gospel, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for many ages past, but now revealed and made known by the command of the eternal God, so that all mankind might find the obedience that comes from faith; to the only God, the God of wisdom and truth, be glory forever through His only son, Jesus Christ.....Amen |
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