Woody Posted April 9, 2009 Posted April 9, 2009 Woven into Paul’s great hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13 is a strand of truth we often hurry by in our eagerness to enjoy the apostle’s promise that we shall soon see the Lord “face to face.” Four times in four verses Paul asserts that what we now know is only “in part”—limited, incomplete, not fully comprehending the great reality of either God’s plan or His love. This isn’t merely a humble affirmation of our creatureliness. No sane Christian really doubts that the mortal can scarcely grasp the notion of immortality, nor the finite understand the infinite. Paul’s reminders of the incompleteness and the partialness of what we know—about the world, about the church, even about one another—underscore how crucial the habit of “charity,” or “love,” is for the church in these “in between times.” Because I don’t know what it feels like to be a persecuted believer in a totalitarian state, I must ask the Spirit for a love that drives me to my knees to intercede for those whose burdens are truly great and terrible. Because I don’t know what it is like to wonder, as thousands of believers do each day, from where my next meal will come or if I will find shelter before night, I must pray for a willingness to help fellow Adventists displaced by war, by famine, by natural disasters. Because I don’t know what it feels like to be a woman in a male-dominated culture, frequently denied a voice in the life of both home and church, I must pray that my church will listen well when godly women plead for the opportunity to use the gifts given them by the Spirit for the spreading of the gospel. Because I don’t know the bigotry and prejudice still wounding thousands of my fellow believers who sometimes feel excluded by their race, ethnicity, or language, I must pray for a heart to include and empower all who wait for Christ’s appearing. There is so much we do not know—and cannot know—until what is perfect comes. The gospel’s answer for our ignorance is a love that humbles us before one another and a watching world. — Bill Knott http://www.adventistworld.org/article.php?id=513 Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology.
Members phkrause Posted April 9, 2009 Members Posted April 9, 2009 Still waiting for my issue. pk Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Woody Posted April 9, 2009 Author Posted April 9, 2009 I need to speak with that post person of your's. Do you know if he/she has been getting bonuses? That may explain it. Or ... did they receive an Obama bail out? Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology.
Members phkrause Posted April 9, 2009 Members Posted April 9, 2009 It seems it always takes longer to sent stuff to the Northeast. pk Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 9, 2009 Members Posted April 9, 2009 pk Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
carolaa Posted April 10, 2009 Posted April 10, 2009 How does that go? Neither rain nor snow.... Quote
carolaa Posted April 10, 2009 Posted April 10, 2009 Still waiting for my issue. pk No need to wait. Just go to adventistreview.org. Quote
Members phkrause Posted April 10, 2009 Members Posted April 10, 2009 Oh I know, thanks carolaa. pk Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
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