Are We Prepared for Christ’s Return

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. John 1:10.
All that the world could endure of their Redeemer was the few years He was with them upon the earth, and they wanted to get rid of Him almost as soon as His mission commenced…. The question that every one of us has to settle is: Am I prepared for the coming of the Son of man? If you have accepted your Saviour by living faith, if you have repented of your sins, then you are in a position of acceptance with God so that if Christ should come you would meet Him in peace….
Let us notice the steps that the Son of man had to take in order to carry out the plan of salvation. He stepped down from the royal throne, laid aside His royal robes, clothed His divinity with humanity, and consented to come to this world. This world—right here—was to be the field of battle where Christ and Satan, the prince of this earth, should engage in conflict. And the question to be settled was How could God be just and true to His law and yet justify the sinner? This could be done only by the sacrifice of the Son of God….
It was difficult to uproot Satan from the affection of the angels in heaven. He took the position that the law of God was against the heavenly intelligences, and the warfare and controversy between Christ and Satan was started in heaven and is going on in the earth to the present day. The controversy between Christ and Satan was witnessed not only by the heavenly intelligences but by all the worlds that God had created. Here the power arises that claims to have the right to change times and laws—it is the man of sin. But does he have power to change times and laws? No; because God’s law is written in the tables of stone, engraven with His own finger, and placed in the temple of God in heaven. That great moral standard will be the criterion that will judge every being upon the face of the earth, both dead and living….
Christ went into the wilderness of temptation to bear the severest temptations, He was tempted in all points as Adam was tempted, and He passed over the very ground where Adam stumbled and fell…. Christ was now to stand where Adam stood, bearing humanity and overcoming in behalf of the race where Adam fell. And Christ withstood the test on every point; He resisted on the point of appetite…. He was tempted upon the point of ambition, and presumption, and He overcame the enemy on these points…. The Saviour of the world overcame and obtained the victory on every point.—Manuscript 11, 1886.
Christ Triumphant p. 216
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for David who is having major health problems. RB
—-Please pray for me as I was given the wrong forms to fill out for employment and I have already quit my other job. Pray that the new paperwork that I have filled out will be accepted. JT
—-Prayers for my mom. This summer was very successful in the ministry feeing the children with sack lunches twice a week. Her pastor has signed them up to walk the neighborhoods and offer a DVD movie to each household and invite them all to church. My mom is feeling very physically drained from all the recent work and now recuperating form her eye surgery as well as getting my nephews all ready for school to start. She’s worried as there are few workers that want to volunteer for anything in the church, so it’s all on the shoulders of my mom and 3 other older ladies Jennifer
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Dear Friends,
Over the years, I’ve known people who struggle with forgiveness. They remember everything that someone has said, everything that someone has done that has hurt or annoyed them. They go over and over these misdeeds until they loom large in their thinking and fill them with the hurt or anger all over again. I know how easy it is too dwell upon such things for I have had the same struggle with those who have said or done things in the past against my children. Yet, forgiveness is so important that Jesus included it as a condition to our sins being forgiven. He taught His disciples to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Matt 6:12
How important it is to our Heavenly Father that we treat each other with the kindness and forgiveness that He shows us. Jesus gives us a glimpse of His forgiveness that also serves as a warning to us. “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” Matt 18:23-35
“Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:35-38 This is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one. Of our own selves it is well nigh impossible but in God’s strength all things are possible even forgiveness of those who have wronged us or our loved ones.
May we forgive others as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us is my prayer.
Rose