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STIRRING UP THE NEST

We are creatures of habit.   We all have our routines which we cherish and protect.   Some habits are good, like reading the Bible or praying at a certain time each day; but other habits are not so good (do I really have to name them?).   Even our good habits can get in the way of God's will if we become so rigid that we will not allow anything to interfere with our routine.   Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and scribes in His day saying, "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition ." (Mark 7:6-9).   Whenever we get too set in our ways, we are in danger of quenching the Spirit in our live...
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CLEANING THE CUPS

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." (Matthew 23:25,26).   Years ago, when my children were very young, I began using flannel-graph figures to illustrate Bible stories and lessons for them.   It wasn’t long before other parents in our fellowship asked if they could bring their children to sit in on our lessons once a week.   Word got out in our neighborhood, also, and a dear friend of ours began picking up kids and bringing them to our house for "kids' meeting" every week.   We often had 20-30 children of various ages crowding our living room to hear about the miracles of the Bible and the principles of godliness.   One lesson in particular involved white porcelain mugs and mud.   I took two white mug...
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BE YE HOLY

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy ." (1 Peter 1:13-16).   We often interpret this call to holiness as a commandment:"You must be holy because I am!"   I see it as more of an invitation to excellence, however.   "Come, you are now able to be holy, because I am holy!"   It is because Christ has overcome that we can be overcomers.   It is because Christ has risen from the dead that we can know resurrection life.   He is the reason that we can be loving, patient, joyful, peaceful, gentle, wise, virtuous, kind, or temperate.   None of these things grow naturally in us.   We must attached to the Vine, Je...
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