Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

April 19
Saturday


PRETEND

READ:
John 17:6-19
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When I was a child,
I spoke as a child, I
understood as a child
... but when I became
a man, I put away
childish things.
__1 Corinthians 13:11
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Our 4-year-old grandson loves to play pretend games with grandma. He comes over to our home once a week, and Ma-Ma (that's what he calls her) takes him to the supermarket, to the botanical gardens to feed fish and turtles, and to ride the underground train--all without leaving our home! He guards this game of pretend so jealously as something between Ma-Ma and him that one day when we rode the real train, he asked, "Why are there other people in our train?"

Pretending is normal for a young child. But some carry the habit of pretending into adulthood when they attend church. What they do in church has no bearing on what they do the rest of the week. On Sunday they praise God heartily, but on Monday they become different people. What they express in worship is not seen in their behavior.

Our Lord Jesus Christ knows that we can fall into this trap easily. That is why in His prayer to His Father, He said, "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one" (John 1715).

God has placed us here to make a difference in our world. As He protects us from falling for the wiles of the evil one, He wants us to live by the same consistent standards in every aspect of our lives--not just
on Sunday. __C. P. Hia
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`````````````````Consistency! How much we need````````````````
```````````````````To walk a measured pace,````````````````````
````````````````To live the life of which we speak,`````````````````
``````````````````Until we see His face. __Anon.``````````````````
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Some people have heaaven on their tongues
but the world in their hearts.

***************Today's Bible Reading __ John 17:19***************

6 I have manifested Your
name to the men whom You
have given Me out of the
world. They were Yours, You
gave them to Me, and they
have kept Your word. 7 Now
they have known that all
things which You have given
Me are from You. 8 For I
have given to them the
words which You have given
Me; and they have received
them, and have known
surely that I came forth from
You; and they have believed
that You sent Me. 9 I pray
for them. I do not pray for
the world but for those
whom You have given Me,
for they are Yours. 10 and all
Mine are Yours, and Yours
are Mine, and I am glorified
in them. 11 Now I am no
longer in the world, but
these are in the world, and I
come to You. Holy Father,
keep through Your name
those whom you have given
Me, that they may be one as
We are. 12 While I was with
them in the world, I kept
them in the world, I kept
them in Your name. Those
whom You gave Me I have
kept; and none of them is
lost except the son of
perdition, that the Scripture
might be fulfilled.

13 But now I come to You,
and these things I speak in
the world, that they may
have My joy fulfilled in
themselves. 14 I have given
them your word; and the
world has hated them
because they are not of the
world. 15 I do not pray that
You should take them out of the
world, but that You
should keep them from the
evil one. 16 They are not of
the world, just as I am not of
the world. 17 Sanctify them
by Your truth. Your word is
truth. 18 As You sent Me into
the world, I also have sent
them into the world. 19 And
for their sakes I sanctify
Myself, that they also may
be sanctified by the truth.