Gathering or Scattering

Half-converted men and women make halfhearted Christians. They are fruitless trees. On them Christ looks in vain for fruit; He finds nothing but leaves….

If Christ and self could be served at the same time, a large number would join the ranks of those who are journeying heavenward. But it is not for such as these that Jesus calls. His cause does not need such adherents.

Christ’s true followers use their knowledge to make others the recipients of His grace. With their lamps filled with holy oil, they go forth to give light to those in darkness. Such workers see many souls turning to the Lord. New truths continually unfold to them, and as they receive, they impart.

Those for whom the fetters of sin have been broken, who have sought the Lord with brokenness of heart and have obtained answer to their yearning requests for righteousness, are never cold and spiritless. They realize that they have a part to act in the work of soul-saving. They watch and pray and work for the salvation of souls. Molded and fashioned by the Holy Spirit, they gain depth and breadth and stability of Christian character. They gain enduring spiritual happiness. Walking in Christ’s footsteps, they become identified with Him in His self-sacrificing plans. Such Christians are not cold and unimpressible. Their hearts are filled with unselfish love for sinners. They put away from them all worldly ambition, all self-seeking. Contact with the deep things of God makes them more and more like their Savior. They exult in His triumphs; they are filled with His joy. Day by day they are growing up to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus….

By the way in which we do the work Christ has given us to do in His absence, we decide our future destiny…. Christ, the Master of the household, has gone to prepare for us mansions in the heavenly city. We are waiting for His return. Let us honor Him in His absence by doing with faithfulness the work He has placed in our hands. Waiting, watching, working, we are to prepare for His return.—Signs of the Times, July 9, 1902.
From the Heart p. 98
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Vanessa’s grandson Manny who has been hospitalized for tests as he is having episodes of falling asleep.
—-Please pray for our pastor’s wife’s father who is in his eighties and fell 18 feet from a ladder. He has eight broken ribs and several compression fractures in his spine.
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Dear Friends,
“Nip it in the bud” is an old saying that worked quite well when raising my children. I would try to correct them the first time they did something wrong before it became a habit that would be hard to break. I had always felt that I had done a commendable job in this area.

Imagine my surprise to find that I wasn’t quite as diligent as I thought I had been. Some years ago, we were reading the text “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” (Matt 18:21, 22) when Esther remarked to Ronnie Jay, “Remember when we were kids and Mom read this text to us. We began to slap each other and say “I forgive you, I forgive you, I forgive you.” I commented that I must have stopped them in short order. “No, you laughed.” was Esther’s answer. I was stunned. As I have tried to think of a reason for my neglect, I wondered if at the time, I had thought that their acting out the verse in this way would solidify the lesson. Yet, that seems like a very weak excuse.

How often we let things pass by in our own life, just as I had failed to correct my children when their silliness was bordering on the sacrilegious. How many times we rationalize that we are doing nothing wrong. Even when our actions are questionable, we let them slip by “just this once.” Soon, that “once” becomes a habit that is hard to break.

Solomon tells us, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Prov 16:25 How important, then, that we “give diligence to make [our] calling and election sure.” 2 Peter 1:10 How vital that we “keep [our] heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Prov 4:23

May we do as did Paul when he said, “this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13, 14

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/gathering-or-scattering.html