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DAY 261 or September 18. What a privilege we have!

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Our thoughts today are rooted in Nahum chapter 1 verse 15. Look, there on the mountains,

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the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace.

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And now the big picture surrounding this verse. There are two prophets who cry out to Nineveh,

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the Assyrian capital city. The first is Jonah, who visits after taking a big detour into

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a fish's stomach in the Mediterranean Sea, and the other is Nahum, who warns them from

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afar from his home in Judah about a century later. After the initial revival under Jonah,

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they slip back into their old sinful ways, and God urges Nahum to tell the inhabitants

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of Nineveh that the end is coming, and that their city will be destroyed as the empire

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of Assyria is conquered. From being a conquering nation, Assyria becomes a conquered nation,

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and it is so complete that the remains of its amazing capital city are not found until

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the middle of the nineteenth century. It is thought that Nahum's name is preserved

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in the name of the city much visited by Jesus many centuries later, Capernaum. Nahum is

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a shortened version of Nehemiah, and means comfort or consolation, which is a great name

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for a prophet who sees Judah's major enemy wiped out. This was such a comfort to them.

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And now today's action step. This verse always reminds me that we are to be eternally grateful

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to the person God used to bring us into the kingdom. My spiritual father was a young Baptist

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pastor called David Sayer, who came to be the minister of the church where I attended

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the youth activities. Sadly, he died many years ago, so I am no longer able to thank

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him in person. How about you? If you know, why not thank them now? More to the point,

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are there any who will pray a word of thanks for you bringing them to the Lord? Always

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be ready and available. Today could give you an opportunity to bring someone into God's

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kingdom. Ask the Holy Spirit to prompt you, but always be on the lookout yourself too.