26 September 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, Recently someone shared with me this quote from J.N. Loughborough from the October 8, 1861 Review and Herald. The first step of apostasy is to get up a creed, telling us what we shall believe. The second is, to make that creed a test of fellowship. The third […] Source: https://atoday.org/aunty-should-we-have-28-fundamental-beliefs/
Tuesday: Mysterious Ingratitude
Read Ezekiel 28:12-19. What can we learn from this passage about the mysterious origin of sin?
Much of the book of Ezekiel was written in end-time symbolic language. In many instances, specific entities (like persons, animals, and objects) and local events are used to represent and describe broader cosmic and/or historical realities. In Ezekiel 28:1-10, the Lord spoke of the king of Tyre (Tyre itself was a prosperous ancient Phoenician port city) as a rich and proud ruler who was only a “man” but who claimed to be a god and who even sat (he claimed) in the throne of the gods.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com
Then, in Ezekiel 28:12-19, this historical reality becomes an analogy to describe the original fall of Lucifer in the heavenly courts. So, the king of Tyre, who was a human being living “in the midst of the seas” (Ezekiel 28:2, Ezekiel 28:8, NKJV), now represents “the anointed cherub who covers,” (Ezekiel 28:14, NKJV) living “in Eden, the garden of God,” (Ezekiel 28:13, NKJV) and “on the holy mountain of God” (Ezekiel 28:14, NKJV).
A crucial statement in the whole account is found in Ezekiel 28:15, which says, “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you” (NKJV). Hence, and importantly, Lucifer’s perfection included the potential for evil, the potential to do wrong, and that was because, as a moral being, Lucifer possessed free will, part of what it means to be a perfect being.
In reality, Lucifer was created perfect — which included his ability to choose freely. However, abusing that perfection by the misuse of his free will, he became corrupted by considering himself more important than he actually was.
No longer satisfied with how God had created and honored him, Lucifer lost his thankfulness to God and wished to receive more recognition than he actually deserved. How this could happen with a perfect angelic being living in a perfect universe is, as already mentioned, a mystery.
“Sin is a mysterious, unexplainable thing. There was no reason for its existence; to seek to explain it is to seek to give a reason for it, and that would be to justify it. Sin appeared in a perfect universe, a thing that was shown to be inexcusable.” — Ellen G. White, The Truth About Angels, p. 30.
| In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul says that “in everything” (NKJV) we should give thanks. How can these words help us to overcome any feelings of ingratitude and self-pity, especially in trying times? |
Amen!
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/tuesday-mysterious-ingratitude/
ADRA’s Mariupol Office Bombed During Recent Fighting
26 September 2022 | The Europe office of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) recently announced the bombing of ADRA’s office in Mariupol, Ukraine, during the ongoing conflict in the country. The August 27, 2022 Facebook update by ADRA Slovenia stated: Only ruins remained from the ADRA office in Mariupol in #Ukraine. However, our […] Source: https://atoday.org/adras-mariupol-office-bombed-during-recent-fighting/
Matthew 28:20
… And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
The post Matthew 28:20 appeared first on Daily Bible Promise.
Source: https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/jL28dc7E3KCQzJAUlmvNocqq6eZJzUh9
Monday: Free Will, the Basis for Love
Read 1 John 4:7-16. What does this passage tell us about free will as a condition to cultivating love?
Artificial flowers can be gorgeous, but they do not grow and bloom as do real ones. Robots are pre-programmed to talk and to perform many tasks, but they have neither life nor emotions. In reality, life and free will are indispensable conditions for someone to receive, cultivate, and share love.
Image © Jeff Preston at Goodsalt.com
So, our loving God created angels (including Lucifer) and human beings with freedom to make their own choices, including the possibility of following a wrong path. In other words, God created the whole universe as a perfect and harmonious environment for His creatures to grow in love and in wisdom.
In 1 John 4:7-16, the apostle John underscores that “God is love,” and that He manifested His love to us by sending His own Son to die for our sins. As a result, we should express our gratitude for His infinite love by loving one another. Such love, divinely originated, would be the most convincing evidence that God abides in us and that we abide in Him. This appeal to reflect God’s love to one another makes sense only if addressed to creatures who can choose to cultivate and express that love or, in contrast, to live a self-centered life. However, freedom of choice can easily be misused, a sad fact demonstrated in the tragic rebellion of Lucifer in heaven.
Even recognizing the importance of free will, some people still wonder, If God knew that Lucifer would rebel, why did God create him? Does the creation of Lucifer not make God ultimately responsible for the origin of sin?
That can be a very difficult question to speculate about, because it depends upon many factors, including what exactly is meant by the word “responsible.” The origin and nature of sin are mysteries that no one can fully explain.
Even so, God did not ordain sin to exist; He only allowed its existence, and then, at the cross, He took upon Himself the ultimate punishment for that sin, thus enabling Him, ultimately, to eradicate it. In all our painful musings about evil, we must never forget that God Himself paid the highest price for the existence of sin and of evil (see Matthew 5:43-48, Romans 5:6-11), and that He has suffered from them more than any of us ever will.
| Free will, a gift from God, is sacred, but comes heavy laden with powerful consequences, not only for yourself but for others, as well. What important decisions are you, using this gift, about to make, and what will be the consequences of whatever choices you make? |
Amen!(0)
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The post Monday: Free Will, the Basis for Love appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/monday-free-will-basis-for-love/
