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The Desire of Ages
The beautiful parable of the lost sheep Christ repeated. And He
carried its lesson still farther, as He told of the lost piece of silver and
the prodigal son. The force of these lessons the disciples could not then
fully appreciate; but after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as they saw
the ingathering of the Gentiles and the envious anger of the Jews, they
better understood the lesson of the prodigal son, and could enter into
the joy of Christ’s words, “It was meet that we should make merry, and
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be glad;” “for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and
is found.”
Luke 15:32, 24
. And as they went out in their Master’s name,
facing reproach and poverty and persecution, they often strengthened
their hearts by repeating His injunction, spoken on this last journey,
“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you
the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags
which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no
thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.”
Luke 12:32-34
.
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