Latest / Your Daily Portion with L. David Harris / 12 15 2023 True Believers

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12 15 2023 True Believers · Your Daily Portion with L. David Harris

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  Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
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  is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
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  of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
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  us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
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  of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to
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  live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host,
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  author speaker Elle David Harris. Good morning, good morning, Good morning.
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  It is Friday, December fifteen, twenty twenty three. Hello, my name
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  is El David Harris. I am your host, and this is your Daily
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  Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is no
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  exception. We are continuing in our Lesson Studies series, God's mission My mission,
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  and on this preparation day, our caption is true Believers, True Believers.
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  Yes, we'll get into that in just a moment, but first I
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  like to just say again, happy, happy, happy Preparation Day and ask
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  you to please go over to your Daily Portion dot com join our online community.
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  Please please please let us know where you are in the world at your
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  Daily Portion dot Com and pick up the book Your Daily Portion. How many
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  times can I say your Daily Portion in a sentence? Ah? Yes,
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  all right, So this is a way that we continue to build faith and
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  fellowship. Let's not burn any more time here. Let's go ahead and pray
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  and then get underway. Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us this
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  day and for the opportunity we have to prepare for the special time that we
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  have in You and the Sabbath time. And I pray God that you will
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  give us your holy spirit and that we will be receptive to your voice in
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  all things. In Jesus' name, I pray Amen and Amen again. True
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  believers, True believers. So I'm not here wanting to start an argument about
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  whether there is a hot this month, yes or no. But the fact
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  is that there are a lot of people who are celebrating a holiday this month,
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  right. And the fact is also that during the discussion the story of
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  Jesus's birth, there was a point at which we see in the skies what
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  the Bible describes as a star as a star, right, and and we
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  understand through inspiration that this was really angels right brightening the sky to announce the
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  birth of Jesus Christ right, and so interestingly, the only people who came
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  to truly like worship Jesus were people that were not considered like from among God's
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  people. Some people say they were three wise men. I don't see three
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  in the Bible. I've never read it anywhere. I've tried to find it,
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  but I haven't seen it. But there were wise men that had three
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  gifts. And maybe that's where people get it from. But let me not
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  get too far off field here. But you had the franken, since you
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  had the mrr, you had the other gift. And so now they are
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  there and they are hearing glory to God in the highest like and then on
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  earth peace, good will toward men. And where are God's people? That's
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  what I want to know. Like these dudes were magi, Like where did
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  they come from? They came from the east. Where were God's people who
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  should have been studying the prophecies and knowing that around this time then Messiah would
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  be born in Bethlehem Ephratha? Like where were God's people? Well? May
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  I just say that the ones who were supposed to be God's people in air
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  quotes were nowhere to be found. I mean, I just say that the
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  true believers, the true believers in that moment where these magi who came looking
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  because they saw the star in the sky and they knew something special was gonna
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  happen, and they were prepared to worship. They were prepared to give the
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  best of all that they have. I think there's a song that says,
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  give up your best to the Master. So these men, whether it's two
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  or it's three, I don't know, I don't know. I thought you
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  were a Bible teacher, Dave. Well, let me just say these men
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  they came with worship because they were true believers. Now that we've gotten all
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  of that off my chest, the question that we need to answer is like,
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  am I a true believer? Am I a true believer? Well?
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  From the book Desire of Ages we get a very interesting perspective among those I'm
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  reading now. It's a quote, among those whom the people of God styled
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  heathen were men who had a better understanding of the scripture prophecies concerning the Messiah
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  than had all of the teachers among God's people. I just say that again,
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  among those whom God's people styled heathen were men who had a better understanding
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  of the scripture prophecies concerning the Messiah than had the teachers. Among God's people,
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  there were some who hoped for his coming as a deliverer from sin.
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  Philosophers endeavored to study into the mystery of the Hebrew economy. Like these people
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  are coming into the history and spiritual understanding and the scrolls. They are are
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  peering into what God people had firmly in their bosom to learn the mysteries.
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  And then the people of God themselves, a lot of them did not learn
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  the mysteries for themselves. Can you imagine? But the bigotry of the people
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  of God hindered the spread of the light. There are times, and that's
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  the end of the quote, there are times that God's people in twenty twenty
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  three, I'm not going to go way back to where Jesus was as he
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  was being born into humanity in order to save us. Like that seems so
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  far distant. Like I don't speak ancient Hebrew, like I don't speak Aramaic,
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  I don't speak Cooine Greek. I may read a few words here or
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  there, but like that was way back then, what about now? Like
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  this December fifteenth, twenty twenty three, am I like God's people of that
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  day, who did not connect with God to the degree that they didn't even
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  understand what people who came from outside of the fold did understand. They did
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  not embrace or worship in the way that even some of these men and women
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  who came from outside of the fold worshiped and connected with God. This is
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  a somber and sobering moment for the people of God, and we need to
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  be asking ourselves, do we have that kind of faith that lays hold upon
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  the promises and power of God, The kind of faith that leads people to
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  connection with Him that can overcome any temptation, trial or sin, like any
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  trial, any addiction, Like do we have the kind of faith that says,
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  you know what, I'm not into the brownie points religion. God,
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  how can I please you? Like what makes you happy? Not because I'm
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  looking for a way to get paid, but for me to just just show
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  you. I just want to show you what great a God you are to
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  me, because you have delivered me, because you have put the sun in
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  the sky, and when I was among the unjust, you caused the sun
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  to still shine on me. You did not withhold my water or my daily
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  bread. When I withheld worship from you, God, can you just show
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  me how to worship you? Let me read from January seventeen, eighteen ninety
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  three the periodical Advent Review and Sabbath Harold, which reads, The Lord Jesus,
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  the Mighty Savior, has died for these people, these souls. He
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  can arouse them from their indifference. He can awaken their sympathies. He can
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  soften their hearts. He can reveal to their souls the beauty and power of
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  the Truth. The Master Worker is God and not finite man. And yet
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  he calls upon men to be agents through whom He can impart light to those
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  in darkness. So, brothers and sisters, God has given us the privilege
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  really to lead people into right relationships and pathways to God. Isn't that wonderful?
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  God has jewels in all of the churches. And it is not for
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  us to make a sweeping denunciation of the professed religious world. But in humility
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  and love, resent to all the present, to all the truth as it
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  is in Jesus. Let men see piety and devotion. Let them behold Christ's
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  likeness of character, and they will be drawn to the truth. They are
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  to lift up Jesus, the world's redeemer. They are to hold forth the
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  word of life. Isn't it wonderful that God? And that's the end of
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  the quote. By the way, isn't it wonderful that God has given us
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  the privilege to see from among every nation kindred chung tribe or people, people
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  who are willing to keep covenant with Him. People who don't look like you,
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  who do not speak like you, who do not have your specific pedigree
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  in heir quotes, but they love god fully. And God is saying to
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  you that you can be a true believer too, and you can help others
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  get connected with God. It's a wonderful privilege. Peace. Thanks for joining
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  us listening. Friends, Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but
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  by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your
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  daily portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,