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Day 248, or September the 5th. Real Security.

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Our thoughts today come from Hosea chapter 13 verse 14.

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I will deliver this people from the power of the grave.

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I will redeem them from death.

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Where O death are your plagues?

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Where O grave is your destruction?

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Now the big picture surrounding this verse.

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Hosea's messages come to a close as he tells the people of their God's plans for restoration.

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Despite their failure, God has remained faithful.

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The people continue to sin, but God continues to save.

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And now today's action step.

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I remember a preacher being introduced at a conference and the fact that his wife had

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recently died was mentioned.

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The chairman said, We are so sorry to hear that you have lost your wife.

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His response brought gentle laughter from the congregation.

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Oh, I haven't lost her.

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I know exactly where she is.

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Exactly.

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Death is inevitable for all of us, unless Christ returns while we are still alive.

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However, whichever way it works out, we are secure when we are in Jesus Christ.

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Our Western society doesn't like talking about death, because it reminds them of their

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own mortality.

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In ancient Egypt, the first job of a new pharaoh was to plan his own burial, and sadly, even

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with such forward planning, there wasn't enough time to complete all that had to be

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done for the funeral of Tutankhamun.

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In our civilized society, we refer to people slipping away, not being with us anymore,

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gone to the big whatever in the sky, etc., etc.

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We say anything rather than the dreaded D word.

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Hosea tells the people that God has power over death.

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Jesus proved he had by bringing people back from the dead and then, in final victory,

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coming back from the dead himself.

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Few of us want to die, because we don't want to leave our loved ones.

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But what a privilege to be certain of being with God after we die.

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Significantly, this security is free, and only has to be genuinely requested.

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Today may be a great time to listen to Day 21 again, to be certain.