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may 18th, 2018

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Learn why chickens may be the most abused animals on Earth.

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How to Live the Bible - The Word That Saves

THE WORD THAT SAVES

Living the Bible is a blessing, not a burden. It is a gift, not a loss. To “live the Bible” is to draw close to our Creator, not to scale a ladder to God.

Living the Bible is an organic process, like the seed of God’s word landing in rich soil, sprouting, growing, and bringing a harvest. Life from life. Or, as John 1 puts it, speaking of Christ the Word, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4). Living the Bible is not about worshiping a book. It is about having the word of the living God—in Christ and in Scripture—go in deep, and make us different.


To be more precise, what we mean by “living the Bible” is continual life transformation through the work of the Holy Spirit using the implanted word of God. Let’s take that definition one phrase at a time.

Continual life transformation. Whenever we look around at life or inside ourselves and have a proper sense of dissatisfaction, that sense that things should be different, we are longing for transformation. We’d like to reshape painful circumstances, or harmful people, or sin in ourselves. This is appropriate. God wants to reshape things. Things can be different. They must be different. That is the meaning and the promise of transformation. In 2 Corinthians Paul says: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (3:17-18). Paul does not say: “try to transform yourselves,” or “when you die you’ll be transformed,” or “you have been transformed.” Instead, he proclaims a process, which is what makes perfect sense: “you are being transformed.” That means with every passing year we can become wiser, more mature, more loving, more forgiving, more honest. It means that we become more like Christ (“transformed into his image”) as we “contemplate the Lord’s glory.” And how exactly do we “contemplate the Lord’s glory”? Not with vague imaginings, but with careful scrutiny of the life and teachings of Jesus found in Scripture.

Through the work of the Holy Spirit. Studying the Bible does not lead to transformation in and of itself. A work of God’s Spirit is necessary. Many scholars who become experts in the texts of the Bible know all the words, the history, the culture of the Bible, but remain untouched if there is no acceptance by faith. The Holy Spirit is involved on the front end and the back end of Scripture. Inspiration on the front end; illumination on the back end. The authors of Scripture were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and now we must be illumined by the Holy Spirit in order to comprehend the truths it holds. Living the Bible, in other words, is a supernatural accomplishment—on both ends.

Using the implanted word of God. The epistle of James speaks powerfully about living the Bible, which we will cover in the weeks ahead. In chapter 1 James uses the phrase “the implanted word of God.” This is consistent with the teaching of Jesus, the idea of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31, and many other biblical touchstones. James says we are to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (ESV; in NIV “humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you”).

We should not miss this little word: “save.” The “implanted word” can “save” us. Forget every cliche you’ve ever heard, every oversimplification of “saved.” To be saved is to be rescued. Sooner or later most people realize they cannot rescue themselves. We have all fallen overboard and need someone to throw us a life ring. We are all like people who have broken both legs and need a doctor to put the bones back together and other people to rehab us when we’re on crutches. We all must say: “I once was blind, but now I see.” And so this little word “save” is the order of the day. Pure and simple. The world is in trouble; our society is in trouble; we are in trouble. We need to be saved. And we will be, if we “humbly accept the implanted word.”

This does not contradict the biblical truth that we are “saved” by the sacrificial death of Jesus. The wider truth is that “saving” is a God-driven action that has many layers and phases. We have been saved (Eph. 2:. We are being saved (21 Cor. 2:15). We will be saved in the future (1 Cor. 3:15).

Disintegration, decay, and destruction does not need to have the final word. We can be rescued and healed, persevered and protected, freed and empowered. There is a word that saves—if we humbly receive it.

Prayer: Lord, this day I humbly accept your word. Plant it deeply. Transform me thoroughly. Save me from anything that wants to injure me today.

[If you believe this series will be helpful, this is the perfect time to forward this to a friend, a group, or a congregation, and tell them they too may sign up for the weekly emails HERE. ]

How to Live the Bible - Voice of Conscience

VOICE OF CONSCIENCE

For daily thoughts follow Mel Lawrenz and The Brook Network on FACEBOOK or TWITTER.

_________________________

We all know, deep inside, that we need some basic values that can keep our lives on track, keep us out of trouble, and lead us toward virtue rather than vice. In the modern world one value that sometimes is raised above all others is “be true to yourself.” Or “let your conscience be your guide.” In some ways in the modern world “conscience” is given an ultimate value. Even a substitute for the voice of God.


All that matters, many say, is that you follow your conscience, and no one can tell you you’re wrong if you do that. But we all know of times when people we know or we ourselves did something with a clear conscience that was completely wrong. We need the voice of conscience, but we should not consider it infallible.

The Bible speaks of an inner voice or awareness that can guide us toward what is good and righteous. There is no one word for it in the Hebrew Old Testament, but in the New Testament a word does emerge—syneidesis. There are 28 occurrences of the word in the New Testament, two-thirds of them in Paul’s writings.

Conscience is an inner awareness about the rightness or wrongness of our thoughts, words, and deeds. The Greek word literally means “the self that knows itself.” This is obvious when you see it: the person who is consistently self-aware, who cares about others, who has the courage to admit when he or she is wrong, but does not take on guilt that is undeserved. This is a good place to live: having a healthy conscience that is loud when it should be loud and quiet when it should be quiet.

The Bible does not describe the conscience as the voice of God, otherwise it would not be described as fallible. Neither does the Bible say that the conscience is a complete internal library of morality that all people possess.

Romans 2 is helpful here: “when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.”

Everyone has a conscience. People who have never heard about the law of God are frequently aware of it in their hearts. This is why some moral standards are nearly universal, like the wrongness of murder or theft. But in Romans 1 and 2 Paul also makes it clear that simple moral sensitivity is not sufficient on its own.

So the best case scenario is when God the Holy Spirit enlivens and shapes conscience, making it a reliable voice as we make one decision after another throughout the day. The conscience is where the commands of God and love and faith converge: “the goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience, and a sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5).

Paul is able to say that his conscience testified that he was conducting himself in the world and in his relationships with integrity and sincerity, but only because of the grace of God (2 Cor. 1:12). In his first letter to the Corinthians he had talked about being harshly judged by others, and says: “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Cor. 4:3-4). Note the details here. 1) He is rejecting the judgement of others; 2) because he has a clear conscience; 3) but he knows his conscience is not infallible; 4) so he admits he’s not always right; 5) but rests in the reality that he ultimately will be evaluated by God for his actions. This is a full and balanced view of the voice of the conscience.

What do we do when our conscience tells us something is acceptable, but another person’s conscience tells them differently? This happens all the time. Sincere believers differ on whether it is okay to drink alcohol, or go to certain movies, or participate in events which are ethically complicated. Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 8 when he advises believers split over whether it was okay to eat food that was associated with pagan temples. Some believers in Corinth believed food is food and had no pangs of conscience about it; others with “weak consciences,” as Paul put it, believed the practice was wrong. Paul’s advice? Don’t precipitate a faith crisis by flaunting the freedom of conscience you have, though that freedom is important.

There will always be differences of opinion on matters of conscience. This should force us to grow in our knowledge of Scripture, because the conscience must be trained by the truth of God.

And we should be on guard against false teachers whom Paul described to Timothy as people “whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:2).

How to Live the Bible - How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture

HOW TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE IN SCRIPTURE

______________________

Some years back, I did a survey of our church’s congregation with the simple question: “If you could ask God one thing, what would it be?” I was not surprised that the most frequent response had to do with the problem of evil in the world, but I was struck by the next most common question: “How can I hear the voice of God?” The various wording people used indicated some were facing important decisions, others wanted to know if their lives were “on track” with God, some were in crisis, and still others expressed feelings of spiritual isolation and just wanted to “hear” from God.

There is a long history and many debates about how God “speaks” to us. Our concern in this lesson is how God speaks in and through Holy Scripture. This must be the believer’s major conviction, that we find the voice of God in Scripture, and that the authority of the Bible trumps all other claims about hearing God. Throughout Scripture, God is talking. Creation took place at the verbal command of God. The Hebrews became a nation when they met their God at Mount Sinai and he spoke to them through Moses. The prophets’ oracles often began with: “This is what the Lord says.”

Man Praying
And the Gospels proclaim a whole new form of the voice of God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Or, as the opening words of the book of Hebrews puts it: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:1-2).

Whenever we find ourselves longing to hear the voice of God—wanting to know if we’re doing the right thing, or yearning to know that we are not alone—we must remember this: We have in Scripture thousands and thousands of expressions of the will and the ways of God. We have an analysis of life that is complex and refined, giving us concrete moral instruction and wisdom-based ethics. We have “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). We have the “wisdom from above” (James 3:17 ESV). We have “Spirit-taught words” (1 Cor. 2:13). Do you want to hear God’s voice? Then take in what he says in his Word. Drink deeply. Study well. Meditate slowly. Keep starting over.

It may be that the most relevant question for us is not “Where can we find the voice of God?” but “What prevents us from taking in the voice of God?” Many biblical passages speak to that.

Listening to the voice of God is risky. At Mount Sinai the people said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die” (Ex. 20:19). Moses replied that the fear of God would be good for them; it would keep them from sinning, although it will sting at times.

There are many passages that say we resist listening to God because we know obedience is the next step. In the parable of the soils, Jesus analyzes why the word of God (the seed) does not take root. Shallow acceptance (the rocky ground), and the competition of worries and money (the thorny soil) get in the way. But simple lack of understanding (the path) thwarts a person’s spiritual life.

How can we hear God’s voice in Scripture? It isn’t really complicated. We need to read it. We need to do the work to understand it (which is the point of this whole book). And we need to have the right heart attitude, which is more challenging than anything else. We have to honestly admit that we will resist being obedient to God, and that we will be tempted to make the Bible mean what we want it to mean. That prospect should terrify us. Putting our words into the mouth of God is the height of arrogance.

Here is a caution. For years I sat in Bible studies where the leader read a passage and then asked the group: “What does this mean to you?” Only much later did I learn (and it made perfect sense when I did) that the meaning of Scripture does not flow from the subjective experience of the believer. The question is not “What does this mean to me?” but rather “What does this mean?”

When the apostle Paul said, “I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin” (Rom. 7:25), he meant something specific. It is our obligation to dig and dig until we learn what he meant, and then talk about how it applies to us.

There is only one way to receive the pure and powerful truth of God—and that is to seek to understand what the Bible meant so we can apply what it means to our lives today.

C.S. Lewis Daily - Today's Reading


Today's Reading
On God

It is always shocking to meet life where we thought we were alone. “Look out!” we cry, “it’s alive.” And therefore this is the very point at which so many draw back—I would have done so myself if I could—and proceed no further with Christianity. An “impersonal God”—well and good. A subjective God of beauty, truth and goodness, inside our own heads—better still. A formless life- force surging through us, a vast power which we can tap—best of all. But God Himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, king, husband—that is quite another matter. There comes a moment when the children who have been playing at burglars hush suddenly: was that a real footstep in the hall? There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (“Man’s search for God”!) suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? We never meant it to come to that! Worse still, supposing He had found us!

From Miracles
Compiled in Words to Live By

Miracles: A Preliminary Study. Copyright 1947 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Copyright renewed © 1947 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Revised 1960, restored 1996 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Words to Live By: A Guide for the Merely Christian. Copyright © 2007 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Today's Reading
What man, in his natural condition, has not got, is Spiritual life—the higher and different sort of life that exists in God. We use the same word life for both: but if you thought that both must therefore be the same sort of thing, that would be like thinking that the ‘greatness’ of space and the ‘greatness’ of God were the same sort of greatness. In reality, the difference between Biological life and Spiritual life is so important that I am going to give them two distinct names. The Biological sort which comes to us through Nature, and which (like everything else in Nature) is always tending to run down and decay so that it can only be kept up by incessant subsidies from Nature in the form of air, water, food, etc., is Bios. The Spiritual life which is in God from all eternity, and which made the whole natural universe, is Zoe. Bios has, to be sure, a certain shadowy or symbolic resemblance to Zoe: but only the sort of resemblance there is between a photo and a place, or a statue and a man. A man who changed from having Bios to having Zoe would have gone through as big a change as a statue which changed from being a carved stone to being a real man.

And that is precisely what Christianity is about. This world is a great sculptor’s shop. We are the statues and there is a rumour going round the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life.

From Mere Christianity
Compiled in A Year with C.S. Lewis

run to GOD


Where do you run when life overwhelms you, and you cannot take any more? Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances, or maybe life has hit you harder than you ever expected. I know many times life does not seem fair or just. I wish I could give you a reason for every sad and awful thing that happens on this earth. I wish I could pray away all the pain this life brings. What I do know is that our Lord feels our pain and hears our prayers and has the power to help us overcome anything in this life.

Before I became a Christian, when I was in pain, I ran to food, drugs, and alcohol to escape. As you know, it caused destruction in my life. Eventually, however, I believed I was destined for more than destruction. I wanted desperately to crawl out of the deep, dark hole of despair, but the harder I tried, the deeper I fell. I had nowhere to run.

Even after I became a Christian, I did not know how to process the pain this life brings. Somehow, I thought that following Jesus would eliminate emotional pain. So whenever I experienced emotions that did not feel godly, I ignored them. I thought if I kept my feelings covered up, they would go away. I handled my heart the same way I did before I was a Christian. I put my life in fast-forward by setting more goals and filling my schedule with excessive busyness. I did this so I would not have to feel or deal with anything emotionally difficult.

In theory, that sounds like it might work, but in real life it causes emotional meltdowns. At one point of my life, I had buried so much of my emotional pain that every part of my body was hurting. I had panic attacks, crying spells, loss of memory, and chronic depression. When I had no more strength or desire to run any longer, I finally found freedom and powerful peace. I learned to run to God and cry out to my Daddy in heaven.

I don’t know where you have been running to when you’re hurting. But I do know your Daddy in heaven is lovingly waiting for you to run into His arms. Sometimes, however, we don’t feel God’s comfort when we run to Him. Why? Because we run away from His presence too fast for Him to have a chance to reveal Himself.

Let’s do the following three things today:

1. Pray and ask God to show you the areas of your life that you are holding back from Him.
2. Write a list of hurts you want to tell your heavenly Father.
3. Be still after you do the above and trust Him to comfort you.
God's Letter to You

My Princess Warrior,

You are destined to win. I know how tired you often become, running everywhere except to Me. If you want to win this endurance race, you must let go of living your life without Me to guide you. You’ll find that My grace will lighten your step, and My favor will follow you when you draw close to Me. No one can comfort you like I can. In those times when you will stumble and fall while you run to Me, I will pick you up. I will do this as many times as it takes, and I never grow tired of picking up, My beloved girl. Make it your daily passion to run to Me and with Me, and I will carry you over the finish line of your faith. Together we will win!

Love
Your Eternal King

My Prayer for You
Dear God, search your daughter’s heart right now. Help her to find what she’s holding onto or what is holding her back from running to You and running her race for Your glory. Give her a glimpse of hope if needed and comfort. Silence her thoughts so she can hear Your voice. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Blessed the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things. (Psalm 103:1, 4-5 NKJV)

JESUScalling morning & evening

Morning
Try to see things more and more from My perspective. Let the Light of My Presence so fully fill your mind that you view the world through Me. When little things don’t go as you had hoped, look to Me lightheartedly and say, “Oh, well.” This simple discipline can protect you from being burdened with an accumulation of petty cares and frustrations. If you practice this diligently, you will make a life-changing discovery: You realize that most of the things that worry you are not important. If you shrug them off immediately and return your focus to Me, you will walk through your days with lighter steps and a joyful heart.

When serious problems come your way, you will have more reserves for dealing with them. You will not have squandered your energy on petty problems. You may even reach the point where you can agree with the apostle Paul that all your troubles are light and momentary compared with the eternal glory being achieved by them.
Psalm 36:9 NKJV; Proverbs 20:24; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Evening
Whenever you are feeling battered by life’s trials, remember the crown of righteousness that is stored up for you. I have promised to give it to all those who love Me—who long for My return. When I, the Chief Shepherd, come back for you, you will receive the crown of Glory that will never fade away!

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only
but also to all who have loved His appearing. —2 Timothy 4:8 NKJV

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory
that will never fade away. —1 Peter 5:4

Also read:
James 1:12; 1 Corinthians 9:25

— Before You Turn Out the Light —
Strive to do more than compete for an imperishable prize—endure,
steadfast till the end.

Jesus calling

Morning
Seek to please Me above all else. Let that goal be your focal point as you go through this day. Such a mind-set will protect you from scattering your energy to the winds. The free will I bestowed on you comes with awesome responsibility. Each day presents you with choice after choice. Many of these decisions you ignore and thus make by default. Without a focal point to guide you, you can easily lose your way. That’s why it is so important to stay in communication with Me, living in thankful awareness of My Presence.

You inhabit a fallen, disjointed world, where things are constantly unraveling around the edges. Only a vibrant relationship with Me can keep you from coming unraveled too.
Matthew 6:33; John 8:29; Colossians 3:23-24
Evening
You are being renewed day by day. My Spirit is in charge of your renewal, and He is alive within you—directing your growth in grace. Find hope through trusting that I continually hold you by your right hand—and I am preparing you for Glory!

We do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away,
our inner self is being renewed day by day. —2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. —Psalm 73:23-24

Also read:
Romans 8:9

— Before You Turn Out the Light —
Do not be weighed down by the failures and disappointments of this day.
Resolve to begin tomorrow anew, seeking to walk with Me.

Morning
I designed you to live in union with Me. This union does not negate who you are; it actually makes you more fully yourself. When you try to live independently of Me, you experience emptiness and dissatisfaction. You may gain the whole world and yet lose everything that really counts.

Find fulfillment through living close to Me, yielding to My purposes for you. Though I may lead you along paths that feel alien to you, trust that I know what I am doing. If you follow Me wholeheartedly, you will discover facets of yourself that were previously hidden. I know you intimately—far better than you know yourself. In union with Me, you are complete. In closeness to Me, you are transformed more and more into the one I designed you to be.
Mark 8:36; Psalm 139:13-16; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Evening
I refuse to dwell in people who think they are already “good enough” without Me. I have called such hypocrites whitewashed tombs: beautiful on the outside but putrid on the inside. As you ponder the miraculous truth that I live in you, let your heart overflow with Joy. I am not a short-term tenant, indwelling you only as long as your behavior pleases Me. I have come to stay—permanently.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me. —Galatians 2:20

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.” —Matthew 23:27

Also read:
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV; John 10:10 NASB

— Before You Turn Out the Light —
Yield to My ongoing renewal work within you,
and you will become more of the masterpiece I designed you to be.

lent devotional



Do This In Remembrance Of Me

Today’s Old Testament Reading: Exodus 12:1-14

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.

“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.

Today’s New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

Jesus The Servant

Today’s Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

“I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”

Today’s New Testament Reading: John 12:1-11

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

Note: beginning on Palm Sunday, this devotional's schedule will be changing. Throughout Easter Week, this devotional will feature daily Scripture readings through Easter Sunday. The next devotional after today's will be this Sunday, Palm Sunday.

Written On Our Hearts

Today’s Prayer

O Almighty God, who alone can order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men: help us to love what you command, and desire what you promise. Among the world's many distractions, may our hearts be surely fixed where true joy is found, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. - adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

Today’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”

Today’s Quote

"I slew him—this right hand struck the dagger to his heart. My deeds slew Christ. Alas! I slew my best beloved; I killed him who loved me with an everlasting love. Oh eyes, why do you refuse to weep when you see Jesus' body mangled and torn? Give vent to your sorrow, Christians, for you have good reason to do so." - adapted from "The Tomb of Jesus" by Charles Spurgeon

Something to Think About

The Spurgeon quote above echoes the sentiments of the famous Easter hymn "Ah, Holy Jesus" in claiming that we, today, bear responsibility for Jesus' death. Is this true? How so?

Do Good Through Jesus Christ

Today’s Prayer

Almighty God, who sees that we have no power ourselves to help ourselves: protect us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls. Defend us both from harm to the body and from evil thoughts which assault and hurt the soul. Do this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. — adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

Today’s Scripture Reading: Romans 7:13-25

Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Today’s Quote

"Now He is led forth to death, carrying His Cross. O what a spectacle is this! Do you see it? Lo, the government is upon His shoulders. See, here is His rod of equity, His rod of empire. Wine mingled with gall is given Him to drink. He is striped of His garments, which are divided among the soldiers; but His tunic is not rent, but passes by lot to one of them. His dear hands and feet are bored with nails; and He, stretched on the Cross, is hung up between thieves. Of God and men the Mediator, He hangs in the midst between heaven and earth; joining lowest things and highest, earthly things and heavenly; and heaven is bewildered, and earth condoles.

"And what of you? No wonder if, while the sun mourns, you mourn also; if, while the earth shakes, you tremble; if, while rocks rend, your heart is torn; if, while the women beside the Cross are all in tears, you cry aloud with them." — Anselm of Canterbury, Meditation #84

Something to Think About

What do you think it means to be a spiritual "slave" to something? What has enslaved your spirit in the past? Whose slave are you now?

Today's Reading
TO MRS. JOHNSON: On the good the dead do by dying well and by comforting us (in the Holy Spirit) afterward; and on how heaven and earth are better than we can imagine.

7 August 1956

Would you believe it!—I had recently felt anxious as to how you were getting on and in praying for you (as of course I do for all who correspond with me on religious matters) I had added a prayer that I might soon hear some good news of you. And also at once your letter . . . arrived.

All you tell me is good and very good. Your mother-in-law has done good to the whole circle by the way she died. And where she has gone I don’t doubt she will do you more still. For I believe that what was true of Our Lord Himself (‘It is expedient for you that I go, for then the Comforter will come to you’ [John 16:7]) is true in its degree (of course, an infinitesimal degree in comparison, but still true) of all His followers. I think they do something for us by dying and shortly after they have died which they couldn’t do before—and sometimes one can almost feel it happening. (You are right by the way: there is a lot to be said for dying—and being born—at home.)

No, I don’t wish I knew Heaven was like the picture in my Great Divorce, because, if we knew that, we should know it was no better. The good things even of this world are far too good ever to be reached by imagination. Even the common orange, you know: no one could have imagined it before he tasted it. How much less Heaven.

From The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III

He Is Risen

Resurrection Day!

Below is the Paschal Homily of John Chrysostom, a sermon celebrating the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is traditionally read aloud in many Orthodox churches on Easter morning.

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival.

If anyone is a grateful servant, let them, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.

If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting, let them now receive recompense.

If anyone has labored from the first hour, let them today receive the just reward.

If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast.

If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; for they shall suffer no loss.

If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let them draw near without hesitation.

If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let them not fear on account of tardiness.

For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first; He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first.

He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one He gives, and to the other He is gracious.

He both honors the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward.

O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy!

O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day!

You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today!

The table is rich-laden: feast royally, all of you!

The calf is fatted: let no one go forth hungry!

Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness.

Let no one lament their poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn their transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the Saviour's death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it!

He descended into Hades and took Hades captive!

He embittered it when it tasted His flesh! And anticipating this, Isaiah exclaimed: "Hades was embittered when it encountered Thee in the lower regions."

It was embittered, for it was abolished!

It was embittered, for it was mocked!

It was embittered, for it was purged!

It was embittered, for it was despoiled!

It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!

It took a body and came upon God!

It took earth and encountered heaven!

It took what it saw, but crumbled before what can not seen!

O death, where is thy sting?

O Hades, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!

Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!

Christ is risen, and life reigns!

Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!

For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first-fruits of them that have slept.

To Him be glory and might unto the ages of ages.

Amen.

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, the day of Jesus' arrest, trial, and execution. The reading below describes his appearance before Pontius Pilate. For the complete Good Friday story, read John 18-19 on Bible Gateway.

Today’s Scripture Reading: John 18-19

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xj-zS_uUXM

satanic symbolism movie at about 1H2 satanic blakc t shirt with satanic illuminati pyramid; AND OTHER SATANIC DRAWINGS in this t shirt ;of coruse this movie is luciferian, done by demons or sluciferians or human beings possesed with evil spirits = dmeons because this is pushing lucifer's new world order of lesbiannism , homosexality ect and this was 95! imagine today! from i dont knwo 70S? 80S? the satanists illuminatis have been pushing this satanic new world order of homosexuality bisexuality lesbiannism through satanic subliminal symbolsim in fashion ads ( a woman + a woman, a man + a man in the pic, you don't know if friends? lovers? its ambiguous), movies, magazines, fashion magazines ( a man+a man in the cover or inside the maagzine, or a woman+ a woman), movies , movies like secret of bear mountain , tv series ect; where there are two guys who are friends or 2 chicks who are friends and you wonder, are they're friends or what are they???? because, they seem to have a bizzar relationship, or movies or pictures of movies where two men hold hands, or two women, suppodedly 'friends' but truly lovers; and its worse now in 2018; they haven't sotpped doing this type of abominable inmoral siful movies since decades! to make us see the unbearable the inmoral the unicceptable the condemnable as normal: because if you ask now a younk kids or teen or pre teen what do you think is homosexuality lesbiannism polygamia sexual inmorality bysexuality are these things normal?they're gonna answer yes, totlaly normal: ditto if you ask even older people int heir 40s 30e 60s ect < ! ! ! !! this means that satan and his worshippers the illuminatis who rule this planet have succedeed in making this world a new world roder, which is abominable to the eys f GOD because satan only wants t destroy the Bible teach human creatures of GOD the opposite of the Holy Scriptures= Holy Bible ; this is why when the Bible says its a sin that take speople to sheol ( hell( to be lesbian bisexual homosexual polygamous etc, any sexual sin , < satan says : it's alright, its good, its not abomianble to GDO nor to CHRIST JESUS, it aint sinful it aint condemable, it aint inmoral ect; and satan does that not just with thse sexual sins but with all sins; this is why this is called satan's new world order; because he'been trying to and he's trying to transform this world into a sinful inmoral world, in order to remove all Biblical good ideas, good doctrine, good philosohy humans of this planet have in their hearts, subconceicne, brains, spirits, souls etc, and to replace them withthe total opposite, everything against GOD's Bible ; everything agaisnt GOD; because satan wants to take every human of the earth to hell; by making them sin with, for example sexual sins, such as homosexuality, lesbiannism, polygamia, bisexuality ; because of these satanic ads, movies, magaziens etc, more and more people have a demon coming inside them called spirit of man ( demon of homosexuality), spirit of woman ( demon of lesbiannism); and more and more people are beocming bisexula lesbian homosexual because of satan's and satanists whol rule this planet's new world order; GOD forgive them !! they don't know what they're doing! Holy ABBA Father help us! Holy Lrod JESUS CHRIST help !!!! all this people! everyone! satan + these satanists who control this earth are destroying every good idea, good philosophy good doctirne we have in us mankind ; they're making us worse sinners, worse human beings they're leaving nithing good in our head;s soon we're all gonna be what? terrorist,s mruderers, rapits, everybody raping everybody, everybody murdering everybody etc!! now if you aks people if two family members are having sex, its alright! if huans have sex with animals is it wrong ? no! if people eat live animals, abuse animals, is it wrong, sinful, inmorla, cruel ? no ! if 15 people have sex with 15 women+ men, is it a sin, sinful, inmoral, xwrong condemnable ? no! let humans do what they wish, they 'll tell you! lucifer & luciferians who cotnrol this world are destroying and have been destroying our good minds or the little good we used to have in our minds, souls, hearts etc they've eben doing this for decades and decades, through the media etc ; they're turning us into monsters ! this is mad ! madness ! what a world we 're living in!! its becoming worse and worse; this is why it's smells super strong the coming of CHRIST JESUS, the punishment & judgement of GOD which lasts 7 years which is the apocalypse ; its coming; because the way were seeing the world, our new evil dirrrty evil inmorla hilosophy coming from our father satan, our new way of behaving, speaking, thene thigns = sins we do, the new dirrty little soul we have, always worse because of satan & satansits who rule this world; wow; it smeels so much f the coming of the judgement of GOD & of CHRIST; extremely very terribly soon !! because JESUS wouldn't come in a time where people are heterosexual, asexual, where people have only one sexual partner; a time where the whole worls feels like lesbiannism bisexuality homosexuality is a mosntruous disgusting dirrty little abomination ; JESUS wouldn't come in a time where men are not becoming women, women are not becoming men ; transexuality, transganderism ; no; this is why it's now, JESUS is coming now : now don't mean 2018; it can mean 2038 ; but now means so soon ; because it's in a time of decadence, totla inmorality, where more and more people are seuxaliy inmoral, more and more peope slaugheter innocent animals, every eyar more in the whole earth; a time here more and more people call good what is evil sinful and bad and wrong etc ; a time where more and more people do terible sins they've never done in the apst for they felt these were terrible things; a time where there are so much 'terrorist attacks' ( false, made by staan+ satansits who rule this world), ect ect; its in ^^^^^this time ^^^^^that JESUS CHRIST must come; not n the time where mankind is not really sinning that much, has a good sense of moral, is acting morally, well, respectefully, kindly, etc; no; this is why JESUS didn't come in 2000, or 1982, 1956 ect; but now in 2018 this human race is becoming more and more sinful so yep, JESUS could come ::::: now ::::: ; or close to now; close to the year 2018 ; because now we see tv ads with young 8 or 10 year old boys wearing women's makeup, women's bra : ?????!!!!!! we see little 7-14 year old girls teens or kids saying they want to be boys and vice versa ; now we see mroe and more humans of all age and very young having satanic tattos and satanic piercings; now we're seeing more and more veyr young kids , 8, 12 year old, 14 year old having sex and not with one aprtner; more and more pree teens teens and even children pregnant ect ect; so its now; now that the Savior of the world ( CHRIST) gotta to come; for JESU could've come in a time where this planet's people was sort of sinful, sort of inmoral no; christ MSUT COME IN A TME WHERE INMORLAITY IS EXPLOSIDNG ? A TIME WHERE good is evil evil si good, inmorlaity is seen as morality and morality as inmorality ; a time where all our moral value is destroyed by beelzebuth ( lucifer) the father pirnce master chief god of this world ; CHRIST said this in the Holy Bible ; this is why CHRIST didnt come 243 years ago, 655 years ago etc ; nor 109 years ago ; etcetera etcetera ; now we're totally living in inmorality ; we deny everything from GDO's Bible; in the past the human race would n't deny GDO's Bible that much ; actually more people used to beleive in the Bible, in GDO, in JESUS in thigns which are in the Bible ; but now people spit , vpuke on the Bible, blaspheme GOD, HOly Spirit, CHRIST JESUS, mroe and more people are satanist; now more than ever; more and more humans are atheists, now more than ever; more and more false or true Christians are becoming satanist,s atheists, budists, islamists etc etc; mroe & more people worship devils false gods in false luciferian religions inventd by beelzebth the god pirnce father chief of this world, such as islma, budism, etcetera etcetera ; this human race is so corrupted; escape this !! become a Chrsitan! dont be blesbian, sexually inmorla, dont sin sexually; dont be gay, bisexual; be a saint of GOD! escape the corurption that's int eh world! escape all these things; this is why GDO's punishemnt is ,,,,, now,,,,,, or so ::::: soon :::::::

THE POWER OF DEVOTION

Mel Lawrenz is Minister at Large for Elmbrook Church and author of How to Understand the Bible.

_________

Devotion is the conscious commitment to doing those things that will fill our lives with what is good and right. We were designed to be filled by the God who created us. That is how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control become the shape of our character.

In its simplest form, devotion means dedication. So one person may be devoted to auto restoration, or fly fishing, or bowling. Someone else may be devoted to collecting music or dog breeding. We can be grateful for the cardiac surgeon who doesn’t take the profession half-heartedly, but is devoted to the highest level of competence when he or she takes people’s hearts apart and puts them back together.


Devotion is a word, however, that we more often use for commitments that go well beyond our vocations or avocations. And for good reason.

Devotion runs deep in the human heart. It is about commitments that arise out of the strongest affection and the deepest longing. It is an essentially spiritual motion in the direction of God himself.

Devotion patterns are those habits which develop over time and will bring our longing right to God himself, and the filling begins and continues. Those habits include prayer, worship, and reading and studying Scripture. They are the habits of devotion that the first Christians knew were the spiritual exercises that would make them strong. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

Before even beginning to talk about the specific methods of devotion, however, we need to pause and think through our motives. Actions of devotion with the wrong motives are dangerous. Any one of the following is all it takes to turn devotion into something either powerless or reckless:

1. Try to impress God. Our devotion will never be impressive to God. Devotion is supposed to be as natural to the spirit as breathing is to the body. If a kid tried to show off to an adult about how well he was breathing, the adult may be amused, but not impressed. God wants us as friends and sons and daughters, not performers.

2. Try to impress others. We could try to gain points with some people with public piety, but just a drop of pride will begin to poison our spiritual lives. That is why Jesus so absolutely insisted that we do “acts of righteousness,” like making our offerings and praying, in secret. The actor (the meaning of the word “hypocrite”) plays to the public, and receives the appropriate reward, applause on earth, but no reward, only silence, from heaven (Matthew 5).

3. Try to impress yourself. You won’t convince yourself anyway, so why try?

4. Try to make yourself feel better about yourself. It is not wrong to want to feel right with God. But we need to know as deeply as we know anything else that our relationship with God begins and ends with his loving grace and our openness through faith. Prayers do not take away sin—God does. Bible reading is not the knowledge of God; it is the way we get knowledge of God. Acts of worship do not give us joy, but are the ways we are opened to the movement of God’s Spirit, which does result in joy and, for that matter, brokenness, illumination, affection.

5. Try to have occasional bursts of devotion. Devotion is not a matter of going to one spectacular conference a year, or going to church at Christmas and Easter. You can’t build a marriage on going out for your anniversary each year and being indifferent toward your spouse the other 364 days of the year. Devotion is the accumulating effect of many small acts. It is a rhythm in the background that keeps us in step with God.

So then, what is devotion?

To put it positively: devotion is love. The motive behind prayer and worship and all the rest has to be at its start and at its end an affectionate longing to know God better. What will move us in that direction? The inspiration, naturally, is God’s abundant love for us. This is how one of the German Pietists of the 17th century, Count von Zinzendorf, put it:

Lord, when my eye confronts my heart, and I realize that you have filled my heart with your love, I am breathless with amazement. Once my heart was so small in its vision, so narrow in its compassion, so weak in its zeal for truth. Then you chose to enter my heart, and now in my heart I can see you, I can love all your people, and I have courage to proclaim the truth of your gospel to anyone and everyone. Like wax before a fire, my heart has melted under the heat of your love.

We can be very glad that we don’t need to figure this out on our own. We can follow the lead of others who are wiser than we are, as the apostle Paul put it: “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (Philippians 3:17).

THE INDWELLING WORD

Dr. Mel Lawrenz is Minister at Large for Elmbrook Church.

Follow on Twitter: @MelLawrenz – Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebrooknetwork

________________

I love being around people who have so deeply taken the word of God into their lives that it has shaped the very way they think, their overall attitude toward life, their reactions to minor and major events, even their temperament. This is the fruit, developed by the Holy Spirit, of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. These are the signs that the word of God has truly gotten lodged into the deepest part of who we are–into the heart–where opinions are formed and motives are birthed, where emotions are sparked and decisions are set.


These are not people who look to impress others by quoting Scripture all the time, or who feel obligated to slap a verse on every event of life. They so respect Scripture that they avoid twisting it to suit their purposes. The Bible is never a weapon in their hands, and not merely a tool. It is more than an encyclopedia of spiritual knowledge. It is the voice of God– sometimes a whisper, sometimes a shout–but always a revelation of God’s own pure character. It is thus the wisdom of God, the power of God, the love of God, the light of God, the truth of God. They read the Bible because they long to know God and to have a God-filled life.

But how does the word of God get firmly planted in us?

Whenever I have run across Colossians 3:16, which says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” it has always challenged and enthused and comforted me. “Dwell in you richly.” Of course that’s what God wants! I’m not a computer hard drive whose purpose it is to collect more and more data. I’m not a student hoping against hope to get all the answers right on the final exam. I’m a member of God’s household, and I get to learn with my brothers and sisters what God’s word through the prophets and the apostles is, and to ask God to make that word go down deeply and effectively, down to a place where it won’t get blown away by the winds of today’s concerns. I can ask God to make it take root there, so it will dwell there, and nobody can take it away. And it will not lie dormant. It will, like well-planted seed, sprout and grow, and then put down roots, and finally be ready for harvesting and digesting. We take it in as seed, but it becomes a nourishing feast.

The way I look at people who have had a pattern of Scripture digestion over the years is that the word which they consume faithfully is transformed into the spiritual muscle tissue of their lives. The word of God actually becomes part of who they are.

These people do not view Scripture as a collection of magical sayings which work wonders when voiced, but they consistently act out of the truth of Scripture. Their reactions to people around them are governed by grace because they have a graduate degree in grace, as it were (in learning and in experience). They react with truth because their consciences have been trained and shaped to stay within the bounds of honest, authentic reality. Their instincts, which are as naturally fallen as any of us, have been retrained. They don’t even think: “what is the biblical thing to do or say?” because biblical ethics and ethos have become essential to who they are. It is what is promised in the new covenant when God said, “I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33).

5 december 2018 You can save my life 

I'm more than a number AnimaNaturalis - Organización Iberoamericana para la Defensa de Todos los Animales For the industry, we are just a number I was named 12070 at birth, but I prefer you to call me Linda. They're fatting me because many demand my flesh on their Christmas table. I probably won't live long after you receive this email, that's why I beg you to spend a minute in reading this. Nothing you do now can save me from death, but it's in your hands to save many others like me. I've just turned 10 months old in this farm and I've never seen sunlight. In Spain, over 700 million animals are crammed as I am, in terrible conditions... fed with a mixture of grains, corpses, antibiotics and hormones. For the industry, we are just a number. HELP US › I'm more than a numberI know we count on you, because in your heart we're not just a number. AnimaNaturalis wants to completely ban the cages and radically reduce the amount of animals that poorly live in farms. Also, they widely promote alternatives to meat, which are healthier for you... and for me are the difference between life and death. Help us to change the world once and for all for animals. Millions like me are willing for your help. Like many others have done, take the first step today. https://www.animanaturalis.org/donate?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cerdita_linda_en&utm_content=cerdida_linda_img

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