In June 2021, a series of open letters to pastors, leaders, and church members in Chiapas, Mexico, was circulated, alleging acts of corruption by Elder Ignacio Navarro, president of Mexican Union of Chiapas (UMCH). Following the letters, say Adventist Today’s sources, UMCH administrators initiated reprisals against pastors and others they accused of spreading the story—going […] Source: https://atoday.org/allegations-of-misuse-of-church-funds-in-the-mexican-union-of-chiapas/
Tragic Adventist School Bus Crash Kills 1 Student, Injures 6
29 August 2022 | Tragedy struck Seventh-day Adventist-owned Holbrook Indian School in Holbrook, Arizona, yesterday as a three-vehicle accident on I-40, involving a school bus from the boarding school, resulted in one student dying and six being injured. The students were on a trip to Window Rock, New Mexico. A Facebook update from Ulysses Campos, […] Source: https://atoday.org/tragic-adventist-school-bus-crash-kills-1-student-injures-6/
Aunt Sevvy, did we have to wait until 1844 for the plan of salvation to be completed?
29 August 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, Why is the book of Hebrews so controversial to some Adventists? It seems pretty straightforward to me: it seems to say that Jesus accomplished our salvation once for all at the cross. It says nothing about 1844. What am I missing? Signed, Saved by Grace Dear Saved, Hebrews […] Source: https://atoday.org/aunt-sevvy-did-we-have-to-wait-until-1844-for-the-plan-of-salvation-to-be-completed/
Back ATSS PRESENTS programs now available on AT’s YouTube channel
29 August 2022 | Our apologies that we fell behind in making available all the Adventist Today Sabbath Seminar presentations. With the help of a new video editor, we’re now catching up. Please scroll down to see six ATSS PRESENTS programs that are now available on our YouTube channel. —Loren Seibold To comment, click/tap here. Source: https://atoday.org/back-atss-presents-programs-now-available-on-ats-youtube-channel/
Tuesday: Loving Those Who Hurt Us
Someone once said: “Loving our enemies, then, does not mean that we are supposed to love the dirt in which the pearl is buried; rather it means that we love the pearl which lies in the dust … . God does not love us because we are by nature lovable. But we become lovable because He loves us.”
When you look at your “enemies,” what do you normally see — the pearl or the dirt around it?
Read Matthew 5:43-48. Jesus calls us to love and pray for our enemies. What example from nature does Jesus give us there that helps us understand why we should love our enemies? What’s the point He is teaching us?
Image © David Sorensen at Goodsalt.com
In Matthew 5:45, Jesus uses the example of His Father in heaven to illustrate how we should treat those who hurt us, who perhaps put us in the worst kind of crucibles. Jesus says that His Father sends the blessing of rain to both the righteous and the unrighteous; if God gives even the unjust rain, how then should we treat them, as well?
Jesus isn’t trying to say that we should always have a warm, fuzzy feeling to everyone who causes us trouble, though this may also be possible. Fundamentally, love for our enemies is not meant to be a feeling we have for them but specific actions toward them that reveal care and consideration.
Jesus concludes this passage with a verse that often causes a lot of debate: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, NIV). But the meaning is very clear in the context: Those people who want to be perfect as God is perfect must show love to their enemies as God shows love to His. To be perfect in God’s sight is to love the opposition; and to do this takes a meekness of heart that only God can give.
| Keeping in mind our definition of meekness (“enduring injury with patience and without resentment”), list the changes you must make in order to allow the Lord to give you the kind of meekness of heart that will help you have the right attitude toward “enemies.” |
Amen!
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