John 21 came to mind while writing an entirely different idea early morning a few days ago. Particularly Simon Peter's response when Jesus probed the depth of his love. After all, before leaving for Gethsemane, Simon had pledged, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.... Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you" Matthew 26:33, 35.
Now...on his third appearance to the seven disciples after his resurrection, Jesus interrogated that boast. Did Simon "truly love" Jesus more than the other ten, that is, with Agape love—the love of will, not emotion? In reply Simon admitted to having –friendship love for Jesus—of the emotion, not agape. This happened twice more, with the same interrogation—"love me agape", answered by, "love you as a friend". Then, the third time, Jesus asked, "Simon, are you sure you have friendship love for me"? At this point, Simon Peter found the humility that made him worthy of being an apostle. For he claimed only friendship love for Jesus. Gone the boasting of his "eternal loyalty to death" that characterized his earlier self. Now he claimed only that he loved Jesus as a learning disciple. Important point...we can claim MORE now than Simon claimed THEN only if we have experienced life-changing challenges to our Faith in Christ that proved we have deeper than friendship faith and love for Jesus. We may freely criticize Simon for previously boasting of love he thought he had, but didn't. We appreciate his honesty in claiming only the friendship love his denial of Jesus proved he had. Do we ever find ourselves thinking we love Jesus more only to discover that our response to problems, challenges, doubts and temptation prove we really love him less? I understand Simon from sometimes humiliating personal failures. These truths for sure come from this account. One, Simon Peter would never again boast except, with the apostle Paul, in the cross of Christ Galatians 6:14. Two, God will never condemn us for admitting, and asking forgiveness, for being sinful, failing him, falling miserably short of even our intentions, let alone of Christ's perfection. Three, God will never exonerate us if we claim a loyalty, commitment and perseverance to Christ's righteousness that we have no fixed intention of proving; and, if we have the intent, find our humanity overtaking even our best intentions.
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As a new wave of Covid-19 battered Nepal's population, Mount Everest's brutal death zone claimed the lives of two veteran mountaineers May 12, 2021. One died on the ascent below the summit, the other while descending after reaching it. And...BTW...with Everest being his seventh ascent of the highest seven summits in the world. San Diego UT, 5/14/21
Mount Everest is Creation's warning to Nature-Lovers. That nature has no feelings and is subject only to wind, air, heat and cold, and never to the needs of mortals exploring, or "finding peace" viewing it. Creation also warns Christians. Too many scriptures refute Calvinism to believe we can't be lost. Peter's reference to Judas in Acts 1:16-17 is the baseline scripture refuting once-in-grace-always- in-grace. Had that been the true, where Peter said Judas "was one of our number and shared in this ministry," he would instead have inserted one word: NEVER, as in Judas "was NEVER one of our number". He "NEVER shared in this ministry." The death of veterans of high places in high mountains reminds us: we can fail Jesus when we're young in faith or an experienced disciple. We are never safe from failing Jesus. I Corinthians 9:25-27 remained Paul's monitor against being spiritually over-confident. It encourages us to always seek new challenges to our discipleship. JUST SO we won't begin feeling COMFORTABLE and don't want to change, to dare, to improve, to GROW in faith. An author said no one excelled Benjamin Franklin as an innovator of change. The Genuine Article, 184. In reality, Adam—the first innovator of change—made the most of catastrophe once removed from Paradise. He and Eve continued having faith in God after being expelled from Eden. First, giving God credit for the birth of Cain. Second, giving him thanks for the birth of Seth. Third, their recovery from failure.
While being distinct, while in the Garden both Adam and Eve were known as Adam—mankind. To distinguish her as a female from his maleness, Adam gave her the name Eve—the mother of all mortals. Observe that difference as the sole relationship that constitutes marriage, whatever culture says. They had lost Paradise and been evicted from the Garden. They had also been forgiven and could therefore continue living for God, though they couldn’t return to Eden. They taught their descendants one of the great lessons of life: failure won’t defeat us if we get on with life despite it. If we learn from the mistakes that caused it and avoid them in the future. Failure can be a new beginning, not the end. And if sin has brought an end to what we cherished, we need to get started on a new life under God’s supervision and in God’s will. True, failure can be so great no further success compensates: like the German defeat at Stalingrad; like Sir John Franklin’s disaster exploring the Arctic; like the Japanese defeat at Midway. Nevertheless, failure is never final for us unless we quit. Both Robert E. Lee and William T. Sherman were failures as Generals seven months after the Civil War started: Lee the King of Spades by having his troops digging defensive works, Sherman considered insane. Nevertheless they persevered through their failures and 41 months later emerged as heroes of their side. Each of us is a “work in progress,” whatever our age. God isn’t finished with us yet, and won’t be so long as we live this side of the grave. If we’re willing to let God work his will to change us into what he envisions, even failures can be advances. For nothing is impossible with God, not even recovery from the worst failure to greater success. –Fini- New Apologetics book at: Amazon Check out Virg Hurley books at Amazon Check out Virg Hurley Digital books at: Smashwords We might think that losing Paradise, and finding work outside Eden a “jungle”, would be enough to destroy Adam and Eve’s faith in God. In reality they instead gained new faith.
Note that Eve rejoiced that “with the help of the Lord” she “brought forth a man.” This first-ever human birth in history had Jesus Christ as the obstetrician. He explained to Eve step-by-step what pregnancy entailed. Why her body began changing. What was growing inside her. And, as delivery time neared, how that great bulge in her tummy would ever get outside her without tearing her body apart. The result increased the faith in God that she had compromised when eating the fruit. Note also how the birth of Seth renewed her faith that God renewed the messianic line. She likely had little concept of its true meaning, but she knew that Satan had in Cain’s murder of Abel merely disrupted the line of Abel, not destroyed it. An English actuary told a writer for the National Geographic that humanity’s purpose was no more apparent now—1994—than previously. Indeed, he declared humanity is no closer to understanding WHY we all exist than our earliest ancestors. The man had faith in his own actuarial tables—how much insurance premiums would be, based on the age expectation of the applicant; and what could companies expect from the population in 10-20 years—but not in Almighty God. A brilliant but heathen mind. A novice in divine planning, Eve nevertheless understood that in Seth’s birth God’s ordained purpose in creation would continue. Indeed, as we know, whatever it takes in history to achieve God’s purpose, is achieved. Doesn’t matter how strong the foe against it or how weak the believer serving it. God works by his own will, power and wisdom to achieve his chosen ends. –End Part I- New Apologetics book at: Amazon Check out Virg Hurley books at Amazon Check out Virg Hurley Digital books at: Smashwords |
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