Christ Sees Our Possibilities

I tell you, Simon, that her sins, many as they are, are forgiven; for she has shown me so much love. But the man who has little to be forgiven has only a little love to give. Luke 7:47, Phillips.
Mary had been looked upon as a great sinner, but Christ knew the circumstances that had shaped her life. He might have extinguished every spark of hope in her soul, but He did not. It was He who had lifted her from despair and ruin. Seven times she had heard His rebuke of the demons that controlled her heart and mind. She had heard His strong cries to the Father in her behalf. She knew how offensive is sin to His unsullied purity, and in His strength she had overcome.
When to human eyes her case appeared hopeless, Christ saw in Mary capabilities for good. He saw the better traits of her character. The plan of redemption has invested humanity with great possibilities, and in Mary these possibilities were to be realized. Through His grace she became a partaker of the divine nature. The one who had fallen, and whose mind had been a habitation of demons, was brought very near to the Saviour in fellowship and ministry. It was Mary who sat at His feet and learned of Him. It was Mary who poured upon His head the precious anointing oil, and bathed His feet with her tears. Mary stood beside the cross, and followed Him to the sepulcher. Mary was first at the tomb after His resurrection. It was Mary who first proclaimed a risen Saviour.
Jesus knows the circumstances of every soul. You may say, I am sinful, very sinful. You may be; but the worse you are, the more you need Jesus. He turns no weeping, contrite one away. He does not tell to any all that He might reveal, but He bids every trembling soul take courage. Freely will He pardon all who come to Him for forgiveness and restoration…. He is today standing at the altar of incense, presenting before God the prayers of those who desire His help.
The souls that turn to Him for refuge, Jesus lifts above the accusing and the strife of tongues. No man or evil angel can impeach these souls. Christ unites them to His own divine-human nature. They stand beside the great Sin Bearer, in the light proceeding from the throne of God.
Conflict and Courage p. 309
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Prayer Requests
—–My sister-in-law Susan passed away this morning. Please pray for the family. Laura
——So sad but we lost a dear person today–one who had cancer for the 2nd time. She is now free of pain and the next thing she will see is Jesus coming to take her home to heaven. Please pray for her husband and son. Lorraine
—–I underwent successful eye surgery on Tuesday June 27, 2017 which has restored my eyesight! I want to thank God for guiding the surgeon’s hand and for His blessing me. Wanda
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Dear Friends,
This November, Ron and I will have been married fifty years. During those years, we have lived in seven states. With each move to a different part of the country, we found a different culture, a different accent, new types of food, new things to see and do. For about ten years, we lived in a part of the USA where many of the local inhabitants had a great distrust of people from other parts of the country. Ron soon realized this and tried to blend in. He had started a little house painting business, so this was quite necessary. He had copied the accent so well, that one day as he and his dad were painting, the owner asked, “Where are you from?” Ron started to answer, but the man said, “Oh, I know that you are from around here, I want to know where the other man is from.” Ron felt quite pleased.
How often this is true in our spiritual life. We do not want to be different from those around us and try to “blend in.” How many times we are like the Children of Israel, who were told to conquer the nations of Canaan, but who desired to be like them. What a lot of sorrow that “blending in” caused their nation.
Their Great Deliverer had such wonderful plans for His people. He was especially near to them, walking with them every step of the way. “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” Ex 13:21,22 He delivered them from Egyptian bondage that they would be an example to other nations, that all the world would have the opportunity to choose Him as their Saviour.
Had the children of Israel lived up to His plans for them, what a different world we would have today. Sadly, they wanted to be like all the other nations around them. They rejected God and served idols, because they did not want to be different. He had poured out His blessings upon them, but they spurned His love. He tried to reason with them over and over again, but they would not hear. With tears, He pled, “What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?” Jer 2:5 “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Eze 33:11
So it is today. We, too, have a Great Deliverer, Who is leading us out of the world. He has planned for us to be a witness to those in our sphere of influence. Are we following His plan? Are we allowing His Light to shine brightly or do we dim that light because we want to be those around us? Can others see that we are Christians, or do we try to live so closely to the world that there is little difference? Do our lives reflect the love, the kindness, the goodness of God to our family, to our friends, to those we meet? Since we have accepted Christ’s sacrifice, His love, His changing power, has there been a change in us?
Our Great Creator has promised, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” Eze 36:26,27 He has promised to put His laws into our mind, and write them in our heart. His Great Heart of Love yearns over us with tender compassion greatly desiring a close and loving fellowship with us that spills over to all we meet just as the face of Moses shined when he came down from the mountain. We are not to keep our experience hidden. Our Dear Saviour admonishes, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Mat 5:16
May we allow our Great Redeemer to take complete control of our life. May we choose His plan for us no matter where He leads. May His life shine through us to those around us, that they, too, may turn from “the way, that leadeth to destruction” and travel the narrow “way which leadeth unto life.”
Rose