And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach. Mark 3:14.
In these first disciples was presented a marked diversity. They were to be the world’s teachers, and they represented widely varied types of character. There were Levi Matthew the publican, called from a life of business activity, and subservience to Rome; the zealot Simon, the uncompromising foe of the imperial authority; the impulsive, self-sufficient, warm-hearted Peter, with Andrew his brother; Judas the Judean, polished, capable, and mean-spirited; Philip and Thomas, faithful and earnest, yet slow of heart to believe; James the less and Jude, of less prominence among the brethren, but men of force, positive both in their faults and in their virtues; Nathanael, a child in sincerity and trust; and the ambitious, loving-hearted sons of Zebedee….
Of the twelve disciples, four were to act a leading part, each in a distinct line. In preparation for this, Christ taught them, foreseeing all. James, destined to swift-coming death by the sword; John, longest of the brethren to follow his Master in labor and persecution; Peter, the pioneer in breaking through the barriers of ages, and teaching the heathen world; and Judas, in service capable of pre-eminence above his brethren, yet brooding in his soul purposes of whose ripening he little dreamed.
In order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been called, these disciples, differing so widely in natural characteristics, in training, and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, thought, and action. This unity it was Christ’s object to secure…. The burden of His labor for them is expressed in His prayer to the Father, “that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us” (John 17:21).
In the apostles of our Lord there was nothing to bring glory to themselves. It was evident that the success of their labors was due only to God. The lives of these men, the characters they developed, and the mighty work that God wrought through them, are a testimony to what He will do for all who are teachable and obedient.
Conflict and Courage p. 288
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Prayer Requests
—–I have a few matters of importance for joint prayer..
(1) A 3yr. old little girl; Harley, is having severe kidney complications!! Please Keep this little one in your continued daily prayers. (2) A an elder neighbor lady; fell and hurt her arm.
(3) I am asking for deliverance and physical healing for an obese depressed woman. I want JESUS to take hold of her & not let her go. That she will respond to HIM..(4) Residence neighbors to be wooed to JESUS; and have their life renewed. Katherin
—–My nephew Dezmond needs prayers for safety and my sister Mary needs prayers for comfort, peace and her finances. God knows the details. Danette
—–Please am desperately needing prayer for one of my sons who is on drugs right now and he is totally out of his head. I don’t know where he is right now. He is in another town on foot. he is very suicidal so please pray for Gods intervention in this. Please pray that God will clear his mind and keep him safe that he wont do anything stupid. The devil has been trying to destroy him his whole life. Please pray for his eternal salvation. Connie
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Dear Friends,
My grandmother had a favorite punishment for me when I was a little girl. Whenever I disobeyed, she would make me sit on my little, wooden chair in the kitchen. She would have the chair facing the clock that was on the wall and would say, “When the little hand is on the 3 and the big hand is on the 6, it’s 3:30 . That’s when you can get up.” I was in that chair so often, that by the time I was five years old, I could tell time easily. It also had another result that she had not expected. I became very interested in knowing what the time was. I think that sometimes she probably wished that she had thought of a different punishment.
My favorite clock was the wooden one on the mantle in the living-room. It was dark and smooth and chimed every fifteen minutes. It had just the normal Westminster chimes, but they fascinated me. Just by listening to those chimes, I could know exactly what time it was no matter where I was in the house. I liked that.
Just as I knew the time by the sound of the chimes, so God has given us signs that His coming is near. During the time that Jesus was upon the earth, the Sadducees and Pharisees were constantly working against Him. One day they came to Him and tried to disrupt the gathering. They saw Jesus healing the sick, bringing comfort to the downhearted, raising the dead, preaching the Word, yet they did not discern that here in front of them was the Saviour of the world. They refused to realize that Isaiah’s prophecy was being fulfilled before their eyes. “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn, To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” Isa 61:1-3
Even though they saw prophecy being fulfilled before their eyes, the Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus for a sign of His authority. Sadly, Jesus turned to them and said, “When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.” Matt 16:2-4
Sometimes we become so busy that we are in a similar condition. Prophecy is fulfilling all around us, yet we hardly notice. We become so wrapped up in the “cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in,” that we are in danger losing out on the most important thing of all—-being right with God, being ready to meet Him.
Let us pray for the eyesalve that the True Witness freely offers us, that we may discern the signs of the times. < Rev 3:18 > Let us “study to show approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 Let us allow the Holy Spirit the freedom to work in our life that we may be ready for that final and soon-coming event, the coming of our Great Redeemer.
Rose

Unity in Diversity