And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28.
Jesus appreciates the efforts of every tried and tempted soul. Please take in the precious words of invitation that have been spoken to you by Jesus. Christ alone can place a proper estimate upon the human soul. Those who strive for the crown of immortal life will find that the forces of Satan are arrayed against them, but remember that we are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). We are living in the last time, and Satan is now working with masterly power in order that with subtle temptations he may overcome those who believe in Jesus. But we are to be “kept by the power of God”; therefore, in temptation give glory to God who is able and will keep the believing soul so that he shall not be overcome by the wily foe….
The crafty deceiver has been found to be an accuser, a liar, a tormentor and a murderer; but whatever he may have led others to say concerning you, the Lord can say to him as He said to Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” He can say to him, “You shall not come in between this soul and Me. You shall not interpose yourself between Me and the soul for whom I died a ransom.” It is for you, my tempted sister, to dismiss Satan with his temptations, and to take Jesus. Press close to Jesus, and place your hand in His, and He will firmly hold your hand, and never let go of the soul who maintains his faith in Him….
Living faith in the power of Jesus Christ, not in your own efficiency and wisdom, will bring you through every difficulty and temptation. Patiently wait, watch, and pray, and hold fast to the promises. However much your enemies have bruised and wounded your soul, forgive them, and by maintaining faith in Christ, you will find Him to be to you as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary land…. Endure the pressure. Submit to wrong, bear the suffering part of religion for Christ’s sake, rather than sin against God by seeking to deliver yourself….
Cannot you be a partaker with Christ in His sufferings? Cannot you endure to have your name cast out as evil, and suffer the loss of temporal interest? You may be falsely accused, but bear in mind that Jesus bore all this for you, and faint not at tribulation. Overcome evil with good. Do not become bitter and estranged from Jesus. He loves you. Put your trust in Him….
Jesus sees the soul who is tempted, and to the broken and contrite heart, the submissive spirit, He imparts grace and soothing consolation.—Letter 32, January 28, 1894, to “Miss Hartman.”
The Upward Look p. 42
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my dear elderly mother. She’s not feeling good but she cannot describe why. I will probably be taking her to the ER again soon if she doesn’t start feeling better. She is very depressed and says it’s because she cannot see anything today. But this happens pretty often and the next day she can see a little better. Please pray for her depression to leave right away. Thank you for your much needed prayers. She is also hallucinating off and on again seeing people who are not there. Connie
—-Please pray for baby Amara who is still having seizures. Rose
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Dear Friends,
My grandfather had a younger brother, Harold, who when he was barely old enough, joined the merchant marines. Their father was so abusive, that they had both fled from home at an early age to escape. But Harold suffered far more there than he had at home. He returned a few years later full of a certain parasite that was in the South Pacific. How he wished he had obeyed orders. The men had been told not to swim in the nearby water. One hot day, Harold was looking at that clear pool, that was just inviting him to swim, and thought to himself, “My commanding officer just doesn’t want us to have any fun. I’ll just take a very short swim and he’ll never know.” That short swim cost Harold his life. In that water was a parasite that ate holes in his intestines. This was the reason for the no swimming rule.
Sometimes we think of God’s law in much the same way that Harold thought of his commanding officer’s prohibition. We are tempted to think that God just doesn’t want us to enjoy the “pleasures” of life. But the very opposite is true. God’s commandments are for our benefit: they bring true joy. He, Who made us, knows what is best for us. One pastor compared the Ten Commandment to the owner’s manual one gets with a new car. The manufacturer puts in that manual all that the owner needs to know in order to get the best service out of that new car. If obeyed, the car will last longer and be more problem free than if we treated it carelessly. When problems do arise, we realize from that manual that we need to go to a knowledgeable mechanic to fix it. Just so, the Ten Commandments contain the rules for a happy and successful life both here and in eternity. If obeyed, it will keep us from becoming entangled in the devil’s snares, and, if we do fall, it is like a mirror pointing out our sin that we may run to Jesus, our Master Mechanic for forgiveness and cleansing.
Our Great Law-Giver summed up the Ten Commandments by explaining that to truly keep them we must love God supremely and love our fellow man as much as we love ourselves. (Matt 22:37-40) And so it is. The first three commandments deal with our love to God and urge us to worship our Great Creator and to rightly represent Him in everything we do or say or think. The Great King of the Universe gives us life and supplies all of our needs. Every breath that we take, each beat of our heart, is a blessing from Him. He is “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” Ex 34:6-8 He, alone, deserves our worship and adoration, our obedience, our all.
The fourth commandment points us to our Loving Creator Who made heaven and earth and all things therein. (Acts 17:24) He has set aside a special time to remember this event. Genesis 2:1-3 tells us that after He was finished creating this world, He set aside the seventh day as a memorial so that we might remember that all things were made by Him and that we did not just evolve. Even more than that, He made holy the day as a time to spend with Him in communing with Him and drawing closer to Him. “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: (set it aside for holy use) because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” The first angel of Revelation 14 has a message for us living today, to bring us back to Creator of Heaven and earth. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Rev 14:6,7
The last six commandments deal with our love to others. We are told to love and obey our parents. Paul expands on this commandment, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Eph 6:1-4
Jesus explained in greater detail the next two commandments when He said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matt 5:21-24 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” vs 27,28
So with the commandments prohibiting lying, stealing, and coveting. From these three sins spring much unhappiness. A person who violates any of these, violates our trust, makes us feel unsafe and unsure. Nothing and no one is safe around those who break these commandments.
May we always remember to keep God’s commandments out of a heart filled with love for Him, not because we think that by keeping them we will be saved. (Only Jesus’ great sacrifice can save us, not the keeping of the Law.) May we obey our Loving Saviour because He, alone, knows what is best for us. May our obedience to Him bring us the happiness that He so greatly desires for us to have is my prayer.
Rose