Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23, 24.
In … [our] work for the Master, self is [to be] hid. The language of the heart is, He must increase; I must decrease…. The love of self dies, the love of Jesus burns upon the altar of the soul. There is no spirit for low, common, self-seeking, or worldly ambition, because we are living in His presence, doing His work, and are in contact with Jesus Christ and His life. His character and His work are all-absorbing. The life imperceptibly becomes one with Christ as He was one with the Father. The truth and light and life are interwoven with life and character, and the aspirations are elevated, pure, unselfish, after the order of heaven….
If ever a people needed spiritual perception, vigor, and steadfast faith and power in prayer, it is the people who claim to be keeping the commandments of God and looking for the Lord Jesus Christ to come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory….
Love to Christ will always be seen in those who are laborers together with God. The common, earthly thoughts and motives are discarded as the love for Christ increases. None, however weak in faith and hope and courage, need to despair, for Christ has provided divine assistance to combine with man’s human effort. Christ works constantly to draw the soul into a pure and holy atmosphere. He is acquainted with our infirmities, and with the embarrassment we meet on every hand in the world. Assistance has been provided for every advanced step. When the earnest, struggling soul is compassed with infirmities and surrounded by foes to discourage, the Comforter draws near. The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities.
We must, if we overcome, use the means placed within our reach. We must put on the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith we must clothe ourselves with the righteousness of Christ and put no confidence in our own merits. Many are seeking to be present at the marriage supper of the Lamb in their own citizen’s dress, discarding the robe woven in the loom of heaven and prepared for all at infinite cost, as a free gift to His guests that shall eat of His supper. We must wear the livery of heaven. We must be clothed in Christ’s righteousness and go to warfare at His expense and under His bloodstained banner, or we are none of His.—Manuscript 41, October 9, 1890, “Diary: Labors at Adam’s Center.”
The Upward Look p. 296
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Prayer Requests
—-Ron had many tests yesterday and all came out ok. Please continue to pray that he will start feeling normal. Rose
—-Please pray for my dear family friend, Hannah, a very social 15 y.o. teen, who has been struggling with depression, especially made worse by the Covid lockdown. She attempted to hurt herself recently, and thankfully it was unsuccessful. Many teens I heard are also struggling with this Covid isolation. Let’s lift them up in prayers. ML
—-Please pray that God will take control of David’s life. Buck
—-Please pray for healing and comfort for Nanette who is undergoing surgery today. Andy
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Dear Friends,
When my father-in-law was in his late forties, he had a very bad accident. Because of this, he was unable to continue his painting business. Since he had many children still at home, the state of Michigan put him through college to become a teacher.
He often spoke about his experience with the various students and teachers. One of his professors used to grind on his (and all the other students) nerves. Mr. Henry had an unusual way of speaking that made him the laughing stock of the school. He repeated everything he said three times each time saying his thought in a slightly different manner. No doubt he started doing this to make sure that his students understood what he said in his lectures. In this way even the slowest writers could take notes with ease. However, it had become such a habit that even in normal conversation he still repeated everything he said three times.
The students laughed about his unusual habit, for they could see no reason for his odd behavior and thought that he was a bit eccentric. Behind his back they called him “Mr. Henry, Mr. Henry, Mr. Henry.” When they got together in the student lounge, they often thought up possible scenes in Mr. Henry’s life such as the simple act of going to the gas station. They decided that he would say to the attendant (this happened back in the days before self-serve), “Fill her up. Fill up the car with gas. My fuel tank is almost empty, fill it with gasoline.” Or if he went to the bakery, they imagined he would say, “I would like three cookies. I’ll take one-fourth dozen cookies, please. Please give me a half of a half dozen cookies.” Then the students would laugh heartily. If Mr. Henry ever knew that he was the object of their jokes, he never said. His motive was good, and although the students might not have realized it, they did have an easier time learning in his class.
Just as Mr. Henry’s redundancy had a purpose, so our Heavenly Teacher must often deal with us. Our Dear Creator leads us down paths in our experience that are hard to bear, but it is the very thing that we need. Often God brings us into the same or similar situations during this chastening process, because we failed to learn the lesson the first time. It is like learning school lessons by repetition. Having to travel the same “path” over and over again, makes us almost despair, but God has His hand in it, leading, guiding, urging us to make the right decision; so we do not have to repeat that lesson again.
Solomon advises, “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Prov 3:11,12 Paul reminds us, “despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Heb 12:5-11
May we cooperate with our Heavenly Teacher as He uses the circumstances of life to mold us into His image. May we determine to learn the lesson He has for us the first time, so we do not have to go through the same trial over and over again. May we thank Him for His patience with us, His erring children is my prayer.
Rose