3. Man Chooses

"Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching.  And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people. 

"And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve.  And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. 

"And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  And he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the multitude." Luke 22:1-6

"The third truth to keep before us is that the Bible consistently portrays people as making real choices of their own will.  There is never any suggestion in Scripture of people being mindless puppets moved by divine strings.  Furthermore, the choices people make are moral choices; that is, people are held accountable by God for the choices they make.

"The Bible teaches both the sovereignty of God and the free moral choices of men with equal emphasis. -- But just as we must not misconstrue God's sovereignty so as to make people mere puppets, so we must not press man's freedom to the point of limiting God's sovereignty."*

The chief priests were jealous (the first sin), Judas wanted to be part of, not just the in-crowd (being a disciple of Jesus'), he wanted to be part of the bosses.  He was greedy and ambitious (the second sins).  He planned and considered...premeditated planning was involved...like Herod and Pilot, Judas made the choice to take matters into his own hands.

Take care with love, especially His!  Your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene

PLEASE NOTE THE PRAYER UPDATES! AND THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO ARE FAITHFUL TO PRAY AND TO KEEP ME UPDATED ON GOD'S PROGRESS!

PS: ANY PRAYER UPDATES TODAY?  Please send updates!  For any of you who wonder if prayer is worth taking time for, just page through previous entries and see the hand of our loving Father in action!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST:   Adrian is having serious trouble with his blood pressure and they are working to adjust his medications urgently.  Thank you so much for praying for him.  Continue to pray he has the wisdom to know when to seek more medical care and that the doctors/ carers are compassionate and wise.

NEW PRAYER REQUEST:   Deepak's father passed away last week and he travelled home to Colombo (Sri Lanka) to be with his family.  Thank God, Deepak is part of the Body of Christ.

Paul NS has an important final job interview today.  We are praying for good news and that his spirits remain hopeful.

Hans needs employment where he can make an honourable contribution.

PRAISE & THANKSGIVING:  For probably a couple of years now we have been praying for God’s grace on USA & REVIVAL for His children there.  Here is what I received today from Patti:

"I just want to share what I think is a positive happening to your prayer for: God’s grace on USA & REVIVAL for His children there:

"Just recently the U S Supreme Court justices upheld the right to have prayer to open town government meetings! (An atheist and a Jew apparently protested it), and the Supreme Court voted 5-4 that it did not violate the Constitution.

"Also, just recently there has been a surge of Christian movies at the theatres across the nation! The first one (that I did see and enjoy) is "God is Not Dead", then there is "Heaven is for Real" (I read the book and saw the movie -- both very good based on a true account).

"Then coming out this weekend is "Mom's Night Out" which I don't know is necessarily Biblically based, as the other two I mentioned, but it is made by the same ones who made "Fireproof" a couple of years ago. Anyway, my hopes are up that the Christians are finally taking a stand instead of being as passive as we have in the past."   

PRAY FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS:  Pray for my brother, Tim, that his COPD (cardio-pulmonary artery disease) is manageable for him and that he will have the patience and wisdom to cope with the limitations. 

Things seem to finally be settling down for Fion and his family.  Please keep them in your prayers. 

Baby Saige faces a lifetime of surgeries, procedures and time in hospital.  Please pray for all those who care for her, especially her family.

Please pray for Deepak's wife recovering from treatment for stage-2 breast cancer.  Her chemo is over. 

David R losing his eyesight due to macular degeneration.  I hope to go home to see him before he can no longer see me.  For Audley and Beverly’s situation and his return to the ministry.  For Nancy who is growing stronger and for Fred as he cares for her. 

Pray for Raven as she regains her strength from the cancer treatments.  Patty, who lost her three year old daughter four years ago has sent a most amazing letter of thanksgiving.  She is not 100% but says she is around 85%. 

Prayer update......Scott is doing a little better, he is taking baby steps but he still needs lots of prayers for healing, and ability to think clearly,  he also needs prayers to focus on God which he is NOT doing right now.  He thinks he can do everything himself.

ONGOING JOB RELATED:   Sergio seeking new employment - is in Mexico City. 

For PJ that he may find projects to fill his needs.  Justin B and his father in India need prayer that Justin will find work in his field of BPO and voice in the Lord's perfect time. 

ONGOING PRAYER REQUESTS:  Pray the Lord’s hand is dramatically apparent in the lives of all who receive and read this devotion...that His mighty works would be worked out in each life for His purposes in surprising and wonderful ways!

Elaine and Jim in Hong Kong have begun a new ministry.  Please pray the Father keeps guiding them in their work. 

Isaias & Judith need our continued prayers for protection and good health.  They lead the efforts of Ambassadors for Christ in the Philippines.  The financial needs are so great, please consider contributing...just click on Ambassadors for Christ link above. 

For Linda and Ian.  For Rob and his daughter.  For Reg.  Pray for Annette and Lyle and their wonderful family.  Pray for wisdom for my brother as he deals with an important matter.  For David K, in his studies and Matthew K as he grows up.  

PRAY FOR THE WORLD:  For the many nations and individuals suffering from global financial mismanagement.  Pray for Birgit who is in Germany.

Please pray for the many individuals in India.  Just recently the WeakDay Devotion blog is being read by many people there!  God is mysterious! 

Pray for the Catholic Church and that the new Pope will always put Jesus first.  

* "Trusting God" is copyright protected since 1988 by Jerry Bridges.  All rights are reserved, including translations.  The ISBN is 08910-91742.  I quote carefully and respectfully from his wonderful book.