My Beginning of Wisdom site
RSS icon Email icon
  • Choose Life: Peter v. Judas

    Posted on December 28th, 2012 rhonda No comments

    Early in the morning,

    all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death.  They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

    When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 

    “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” 

    “What is that to us?” they replied.  “That’s your responsibility.” 

    So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. 

    Then he went away and hanged himself.

    Matthew 27:1-5

    Earlier this evening, I had to run an errand.  It took me about 1 hour.  When I left home, all was well.   When I returned, I saw at least two ambulances, one police car and a crowd of police officers.  Someone killed himself by jumping off the roof of the building.  The EMTs rolled the deceased past me to get him into the ambulance.  His eyes were still open.

    Just before the story of Judas, we read about Peter’s betrayal of Christ (Matthew 26:69-75).  Years ago, my pastor referenced both of them in a sermon.  Both betrayed Christ.  Both felt remorse.  The only difference between the two men was that Peter turned towards Christ for forgiveness, while Judas turned away from Christ.

    I feel bad about gentleman who jumped.  I always felt sorry for Judas.  Out of all the people who were complicit in Christ’s crucifixion, Judas was the only one with enough decency to feel remorse.  If he turned to Christ, the Lord would have been pleased to heal him and save him completely.

    I decided to go online to find resources for anyone who’s thinking about taking their own life.

    Boys Town National Hotline,  http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/aboutus/Pages/default.aspx

    Broken Believers, http://brokenbelievers.com/247-crisis-lines/

    Safe Horizon, http://www.safehorizon.org/index/get-help-8/call-our-hotlines-51.html?gclid=CPHdgqa8vrQCFcyf4AodSj8AxQ

    Samaritans,  http://www.samaritansnyc.org/

    USA National Suicide & Crisis Hotlines        http://suicidehotlines.com/national.html

     Choose life!

     “But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed

    and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right,

    he will surely live; he will not die. 

    None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. 

    Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. 

    Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?”

    Declares the Sovereign Lord.

    “Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”

    Ezekiel 18:21-23

     

  • Standing in the New Year

    Posted on December 28th, 2012 rhonda No comments

    They were all trying to frighten us, thinking,

    “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”

    But I prayed,

    “Now strengthen my hands.”

    Nehemiah 6:9

    In a sermon entitled How I know you’re going to stand, Pastor said the Lord gave him a prophecy of hope to deliver.  We will not revert back to the way were before we knew Christ.  We will fulfill God’s purposes for us.

    When the children of Israel were leaving Egypt, the Egyptians decided to chase them, despite knowing they were defeated by the Lord himself.  They pursued because of their own pride and arrogance (Exodus 14:5).  All the Egyptians could hope for was to get close enough to the Israelites to yell at them and remind them of their slavery in Egypt.  When the Israelites and Egyptians were encamped at the Red Sea, the Glory of the Lord settled between them, making it impossible for the Egyptians to touch them (Exodus 14:19-20).  All the Egyptians could do was try to shake the Israelites’ confidence by speaking to them.

    So it is with Satan.  He knows he’s defeated, but he’s going to try to yell at us and shake our confidence.  Pastor said that these are all the ways we’ve been protected from Satan.

    1)    God’s word, which dispels every negative word spoken over us.

    2)    God’s presence, which stands between us and the devil.

    3)    God’s promise, which draws us and defines us, shaping us so that we can’t go back

    4)    Our testimony.  When we think of our own testimony, and how much this world needs to hear it, how could we turn back?

    5)    The Body of Christ.   (If you were crossing the Red Sea & decided you wanted to go back to Egypt, how could you with 2 million people pushing you forward?)

    6)    The works of God.  What a Mighty God we serve!

    7)    God’s authority.  In Christ, we have the power and authority to say “no” to Satan.  (Pastor said that his conversations with Satan are quite short.  He’ll just say “no”, then go back to sleep.)

    8)    After all that, we wouldn’t want to give the devil the satisfaction

    As we go into 2013, let’s all remember that Satan has fallen – and he can’t get up.

    I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

    Luke 10:18