The rich had bestowed from their abundance, many of them to be seen and honored by men. Their large donations had deprived them of no comfort, or even luxury; they had required no sacrifice, and could not be compared in value with the widow’s mite.

It is the motive that gives character to our acts, stamping them with ignominy or with high moral worth. Not the great things which every eye sees and every tongue praises does God account most precious. The little duties cheerfully done, the little gifts which make no show, and which to human eyes may appear worthless, often stand highest in His sight. A heart of faith and love is dearer to God than the most costly gift. The poor widow gave her living to do the little that she did. She deprived herself of food in order to give those two mites to the cause she loved. And she did it in faith, believing that her Heavenly Father would not overlook her great need. It was this unselfish spirit and childlike faith that won the Saviour’s commendation.—The Desire of Ages, 615.

In order to manifest the character of God, in order that we may not deceive ourselves, the church, and the world, by a counterfeit Christianity, we must become personally acquainted with God. If we have fellowship with God, we are His ministers, though we may never preach to a congregation. We are workers together with God in presenting the perfection of His character in humanity.—Testimonies for the Church 6:13.
With God at Dawn p. 272
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Dr. Tan who has covid and went to the ER for low O2 levels. Rose
—-Please remember to pray for me and my family, I have not been well for the last one week. I am sick with rashes all over my body and headache. Jose
—-Please pray Carl is very sick, and we don’t know why. He’s been getting weaker for 3 weeks now, and almost fell tonight. Sylvia
—-The other summer I had you all praying for my preemie granddaughter who was born at 26 weeks, and only weighed 2 lbs 1 oz at birth. Thank you everyone for all of those prayers. She is two years old now, and doing good. She can sit, crawl and stand and is trying to walk. She is about 20+ lbs. But she is still tube fed and vomits a lot. Would you all pray for her to be able to eat normally, and not vomit so much? Thank you again for every single prayer for her. My son is a OTR trucker, and needs a job close to home please also. Ann
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Dear Friends,

Several days before we went up to the Black Hills on vacation some years ago, I did a search on the Internet to find a cabin for the seven of us to stay in. We had planned on camping, but the weather forecast was for cold and rainy weather. One of the requisites was a place that allowed dogs since Ronnie Jay was bringing his chihuahua and Brian and Esther were bringing their large spaniel.

After searching and calling a few places, I rented a cabin that slept seven. There was only a small picture of the outside. The woman said that it was “bare-bones” and we should plan on bringing our own linens as well as a camp stove for cooking. This seemed a little strange since it was about thirty dollars a night more than the lovely cabin Ronnie Jay had rented for our vacation to southeast Oklahoma a few months before.

When we got there, my heart sank. Looking at it from the outside, I could not imagine how seven people could fit in the place. Inside was even worse. The inside dimensions were about 15’x15.’ It was dirty and smelled of formaldehyde. Two mattresses were placed on the floor of the loft upstairs. A double bed was on the main floor with a single-sized bunk that pulled down over it for the seventh person. There was a small microwave for cooking. (This we had to use as we forgot to bring the camp stove.) There was virtually no floor space as the steps to the loft loomed large in the middle of the room. I had thought of trying to find another place, but the woman had already told me that if I did, I’d have to pay for one night anyway.

I felt trapped in a situation I could not get out of. I felt sorry for all seven of us as I was sure they were as disappointed as I was. Eileen, Esther, and I headed for the store to buy cleaning supplies and some plastic to cover the mattresses. After some cleaning, the place was sanitary even though it was barely livable.

How often the promises of this world leave us empty and disappointed. How many times we feel helpless because nothing turns out as it should. This old world is full of such disappointments, but praise God! We have promises that will not fail! Jesus assures us that He is preparing a mansion for us that will be beyond our most hopeful dreams. (John 14:1-3) There will be no disappointments there. In that glorious land, our joy will know no bounds. We will not be cramped there. Indeed, we will follow the Lamb wherever He goes in all of His vast Universe. (Rev 14:4) We will have the privilege of fellowshipping with His angels who excel in strength. We will sit down to eat with Adam, the father of our race. Jesus tells us, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 8:11 Think of it! We will hear from the lips of patriarch and prophet the story of their experience. We will be able to ask them answers to questions that we have always wanted to know. May we all be there, is my prayer.

Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/rdKS9BKfZZ8/consecration-of-the-poor-widow.html