by Richard W. Coffen | 10 November 2022 | The field of theology includes a subcategory called theodicy—the defense of God in light of the existence of evil. I’ve read several books on the topic and am currently reading another. I generally find myself arguing with their arguments. After all, who authorized a mere finite […] Source: https://atoday.org/the-frustrating-study-of-theodicy/
6.Eighth Blessing in the Beatitudes (What Does Jesus Teach Us?) – Pastor Ted Wilson
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1sZ63NSDCM?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-GB&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=1280&h=720]
Jesus said in Matthew 5:10-12, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Sadly, persecution of God’s people entered this world after the Fall when Cain killed Abel. Through the centuries, many who have followed God have suffered and died at the hands of those who have rebelled against Him.
Those who have suffered “had trial of mockings and scourgings…of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned…sawn in two…tempted…slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:36-38).
Yet, they’ve found God’s promises to be true: “As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25) and “My grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Referring to Daniel and his friends, who refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, Ellen White wrote, “If you are called to go through the fiery furnace for His sake, Jesus will be by your side, even as He was with the faithful three in Babylon. Those who love their Redeemer will rejoice at every opportunity of sharing with Him humiliation and reproach. The love they bear their Lord makes suffering for His sake sweet” (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings, page 30).
Indeed, when we suffer for God, He promises us His presence and say with the Apostle Paul, “I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings…” (Philippians 3:8, 10).
Indeed, God is powerful. He has promised not only to be with us but also to bring a blessing out of suffering for His sake. He assures us, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).
To learn more about this topic, read Ellen White’s book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing and download its digital copy at https://egwwritings.org/.
The Power of Loving and Forgiving [Walking in Grace] #sermon #shorts
Are you loving and forgiving others even when it’s hard? This #short clip from the Global Campmeeting sermon, “How Do We Know Our Way To Salvation?”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okQScCqQMdc&list=PL-k2Gb-DBYo9tb9fHW_AxGxJ1R8MpNnpa&index=9 by Jill Morikone reminds us that we are His chosen and beloved children. As His children, we are encouraged to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. May we bear with and forgive one another as the Lord has forgiven us. (Colossians 3:12-13). The grace given to us will grow as we extend it to others, even when it is difficult. Watch the video to learn how love and forgiveness can help us grow in grace. ————————————————————————————
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been an established denomination since 1863. It is a global Christian family with over 21 million members who hold the Bible as the ultimate authority. We are believers who promise to help people understand the Bible to find freedom, healing, and hope in Jesus. Want to learn more about the Seventh-day Adventist Church? Visit our website at: https://www.adventist.org/ Click the notification bell so that you never miss a new video! Find us on social media by following the links below:
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Inside Story: Accepting the Word, Part 1
Accepting the Word, Part 1
By Andrew McChesney
Eulalia Rashid ran out of beer and headed to the store to buy more in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Pacific Ocean.
It was Christmas Eve. She was lonely and had no one with whom to celebrate the holiday. An alcoholic for 37 years, she had all but abandoned her four children and 13 grandchildren. She also was ill with colon cancer.
Image © Pacific Press
As Eulalia walked, a small wooden box caught her eye on the ground on the darkened street. She picked it up and shook it, thinking some money might be inside. Sure enough, a penny was inside, and she placed the box in her pocket. Minutes later, standing in the light of the store, she pulled out the box and saw words written on the top, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV).
The next morning, on Christmas Day, Eulalia read and re-read the words on the box. “What is this word?” she wondered. “What is this lamp that is to light my path?” Eulalia had always believed in Jesus, but she had never had a relationship with Him. Now she tried to translate Psalm 119:105 into her native Tomoro and Palau languages. She looked up the verse in several Bible translations. Still not understanding the words, she decided to read through the entire Bible. Maybe she would find an explanation somewhere.
One day, she reached John 1:1, which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Her eyes lit up with joy. She read on, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). “Here is the answer!” she thought. “The word is Jesus! Jesus is the Lamp that lights my path!”
By now she loved reading the Bible. She kept on reading, and she started to pray regularly. As she read and prayed, her life changed. She read that God had set aside the seventh day as Sabbath in Exodus 20:1-26, and she began to keep the Sabbath in her home. She read about clean and unclean foods in 11 and modified her diet. When she saw that God gave Adam and Eve a plant-based diet, she cultivated a garden of sweet potatoes, spinach, string beans, eggplant, tomatoes, tapioca, papaya, mangoes, lemons, dragon fruit, soursop, mulberries, and coconuts.
Her family did not understand what was going on. They were astonished to see that she had stopped drinking. She told them that one day she had simply decided not to drink, and Jesus had taken away her desire for alcohol in the twinkling of an eye.
Eulalia didn’t know it, but she was already becoming a missionary to her family by her example.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org
Amen!
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Friday: Further Thought ~ Christ’s Victory Over Death
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “In Joseph’s Tomb,” Pages 769-778; “The Lord Is Risen,” Pages 779-787; “Why Weepest Thou?
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
”, Pages 788-794; “The Walk to Emmaus,” Pages 795-801; “Peace Be Unto You,” Pages 802-808; in The Desire of Ages.
Modern sentiment doesn’t believe in something like the resurrection of Jesus. However, the historical evidence is so strong that even those who can’t accept the reality of the resurrection are forced to admit that many people believed that they had seen the resurrected Jesus. Thus, much anti-resurrection apologetics is the attempt to explain what could have caused all these different people to believe that they had seen the risen Christ.
Some have argued that all the disciples hallucinated the resurrected Jesus; others that Jesus hadn’t really died but only had swooned and then come back to life after He had been brought down from the cross, and when He had reappeared, His followers thought that He had been raised from the dead. And (believe it or not) some have argued that Jesus had a twin brother whom the disciples mistook for the risen Christ. In other words, the historical evidence is so strong for Christ’s resurrection that these are the kinds of arguments people concoct in order to try to dismiss it. With the resurrection itself so important, we should not be surprised by all the good reasons we have been given to believe it.
“The voice that cried from the cross, ‘It is finished,’ was heard among the dead. It pierced the walls of sepulchers, and summoned the sleepers to arise. Thus will it be when the voice of Christ shall be heard from heaven. That voice will penetrate the graves and unbar the tombs, and the dead in Christ shall arise. At the Saviour’s resurrection a few graves were opened, but at His second coming all the precious dead shall hear His voice, and shall come forth to glorious, immortal life. The same power that raised Christ from the dead will raise His church, and glorify it with Him, above all principalities, above all powers, above every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the world to come.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 787.
Discussion Questions:
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