Some may have read the book by Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities”. It’s a story of betrayal but also magnanimous love and commitment.
There is another story with similar overtones written not 200 but 2000 years ago. It’s the story of two different disciples. They were Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter. They were both called by Jesus to be His disciples. (Mark 3:14-19) Both of these men sinned against their Lord. But like the 2 thieves on the cross their lives followed totally different pathways. We can learn from what’s written about them.
Like Peter, Judas saw the character and the miracles of Jesus, was attracted to Him, and no doubt believed that He was the promised Messiah. But instead of listening to Jesus about the timing of God’s Kingdom, Judas wanted to hasten this event. He was a man with ambitions. He wanted to force God’s hand. He saw God’s Kingdom as being a time of power and prosperity. There are recorded in the gospels times when he was very ‘close’ with money. (John 12:4-6) Perhaps this was an indicator of where his heart really lay.
Lest we feel superior and judgmental of Judas we need to remember that he was directly called by The Master Himself. (Mark 3:14-19) That means that he had wonderful opportunities of becoming a humble follower and sharer of the gospel. He told the Jewish leaders the whereabouts of Jesus, thinking that this would ‘force’ God’s hand. In his mind it would cause Jesus to assert himself and thus claim His rightful kingdom. Judas had grandiose ambitions and as far as he was concerned, Jesus was his way of achieving this. There could be a warning for us there. Beware of human emotion and grandiose sentiment.
Peter, on the other hand, was also directly called by Jesus himself. He also had an ambitious personality. He didn’t want to hear about Jesus ultimate humiliation and death. Jesus had to rebuke him severely for harboring such secret thoughts. (Matt.16:23) His sin was not only harboring secret ambitions, it was in denying his Lord with swearing and cursing. (Matt.26:69-75) This was no small thing and led to Peter’s utter humiliation. Jesus, however, saw the honesty in Peter’s heart and knew that this humiliation would ultimately strengthen and ennoble this man.
In some ways Peters sin was greater than Judas’. His humiliation led him to a total surrender at the feet of his Master. Judas, on the other hand, allowed his humiliation to destroy himself. This need not have been. He, like Peter, could have humbled his soul under the hand of God and went on to become a warrior for God. There are lessons in these 2 men’s lives.
We are all sinners. We all make mistakes. What we do with those mistakes and the ensuing guilt is what determines our eternal destiny. God is gracious. His love for us is greater than we can ever comprehend. The gift of His Son shows us this clearly. We need to come to God and thank Him for His love and His grace, not because of what we are, but in spite of what we are. Whether we are in a state of joyous victory, or what may be a state of terrible struggle within our sinful nature, we can say with confidence, “Thank-you Lord for being my Friend and my Saviour.” Even when we fail Him, we still need to utter those words. It is important that we go to God just as we are at any given time, in whatever state we are in. “Today” is our chosen time. Jesus alone is our victory.
”There’s no excuse for anyone taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for years is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. If the pillars of our faith will not stand investigation, it’s time we knew it.” Counsels to Writers and Editors p.35
Charles Spurgeon said in 1861 “The circumstance which attended Job’s restoration is that to which I invite your particular attention. “The Lord turned again the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends.” Intercessory prayer was the omen of his returning greatness. It was the bow in the cloud, the dove bearing the olive branch, the voice of the turtle announcing the coming summer. When his soul began to expand itself in holy and loving prayer for his erring brethren, then the heart of God showed itself to him by returning to him his prosperity without, and cheering his soul within. Brethren, it is not fetching a laborious compass, when from such a text as this I address you upon the subject of prayer for others. Let us learn today to imitate the example of Job, and pray for our friends, and peradventure if we have been in trouble, our captivity shall be turned.”
Oswald Chambers wrote on June 17th 1909 from Cincinnati :
“I believe more and more that this is His way—intercessory prayer, this is the way He makes us broken bread and poured out wine for other people.”
It is a part of God's plan to grant us, in answer to the PRAYER of faith, that which he would not bestow, did we not thus ask. E G White
God is prepared to do, in answer to our prayers many things He would not otherwise do. This is one of the laws He has ordained. It's purpose is to make us realize our dependence upon Him for every blessing. This sense of dependancy is in itself a tremendous blessing, and it saves us from self-confidence, the source of so much evil. Undoubtedly, even apart from the prayers of many, God works upon the hearts of unbelievers, but it is just as sure that He is prepared to do something outside the ordinary and beyond the usual in response to a believer's prayer. Dr. Des Ford
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1 Samuel 14:6 KJV - it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.
A light between two oceans
That's what this website could be considered to be. A little flickering light between the vast oceans of Protestantism and Seventh-day Adventism . Trying to harmonize what is true and important in both.
Psalm 43:3 KJV
O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
We are told not to despise the day of small things.
Zechariah 4:10 KJV - For who hath despised the day of small things?
1 Corinthians 1:27 KJV
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
2 Corinthians 12:10 KJV - for when I am weak, then am I strong.
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Rom.8:2 NRSV
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Eccl.3:11 RSV
He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man's mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Isa.30:15 RSV
"In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength."
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