THE ADVOCATE

 

“We must always seek to be on the Lord’s side; but what good news it is to know that HE IS ON OUR SIDE.

“His powerful advocacy in our behalf is not limited to pleading our case before the Father, for “your advocate…knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted” (D&C 62:1).  It is the advocate’s role to present our case in its most favourable light, refuting the challenges of the adversary who opposes us and who presents our case in its worst possible light.

“Even in our thoughts about ourselves, we must resist the adversary’s attempts to convince us of our worthlessness by interpreting our life circumstances in a negative light; rather let us listen to him who knows our weaknesses fully yet believes in us more than we may believe in ourselves. What glorious news, not only that the greatest advocate of all is willing to represent those who are guilty, but also that he will take OUR case!

“I am the first and the last; I am your advocate with the Father….Therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice….Let the hearts of all my people rejoice.”  (D&C 110:4-6)”

-          Elder Bruce C. Hafen, “The Belonging Heart”, p 155

This should be the most comforting knowledge we could possibly have, especially for those of us who are hard on ourselves; and on those who have been damaged by life in some way and cannot lift their view of themselves onto higher ground. Know that, if not in this life, then in the next, we will be cleansed of all our sorrows and all the damage we have suffered at the hands of others will be washed away to make room for our eternal joy.

“And I John saw the holy city…and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people…and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new……I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (Revelation 21:2-6)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Our Advocate by Jay Bryant Ward)

JUDGMENT BAR

 

I had a personal moment with the powers of heaven yesterday which led me to contemplate about Him who affords the salvation to my inadequate soul, a soul which would otherwise be doomed for eternity.

As I reflected, my most favourite scripture, from Paul, came to my mind: “….I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” (Philippians 3:8-10)

Paul was ‘a real Jew, circumcised, of the stock of Israel, a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin’ (Philippians 3:5; Romans 11:1). He was highly respected in his Jewish community yet he turned his back on it and his Jewish family. He abandoned it all for the ‘excellency of the knowledge of Christ’.

Paul endured terrible hardships and paid an enormous price for his discipleship and thereby became the greatest missionary of early Christendom. Repeatedly imprisoned, thrice beaten with rods, once stoned and left for dead, survived three shipwrecks, spent a night and a day in waters' deep, dwelt in peril of robbers and of his own countrymen, lived amongst heathen, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). And this supersedes it all....he was scourged by the Jews 5 times, 39 lashes each time (2 Corinthians 11:24). And he considered it all worth it for the ‘excellency of the knowledge of Christ’.

I could write pages about Paul. What fascinates me the most about him is that he viewed his earthly troubles as dross compared to knowing and having Christ in his life. I imagine we will all one day come to see the advantage and beauty of this.

This is the truth that came to me yesterday: There will come a day when all we have ever stressed over in this life will seem as dross: our sins, our weaknesses, our worries, our inadequacies, our earthly indignities, our failings, our hurts, our lack, our embarrassments, our wrongs, our insecurities, our injustices…..

When we stand at the judgment bar of God with Christ between us and the justice of the Father, we will then see that all we have been through in this life is but dross compared to our ‘excellency of the knowledge of Christ’ and our faithfulness to Him as our personal Saviour. Nothing else will matter but this. His mercy will be extended, the debt to justice paid, the forgiveness given, the slate wiped clean. We, the penitent, will bow before Him and wash His feet with our tears and we will go free.

 

If you were not,

I would not be,

Silence would have wept at Calvary!

 

If you were not,

I would not be,

Joyless would be my eternity.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Light of the World by Douglas Bentley)