Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruits of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3.
I have a special message to parents. I am charged to bring to parents the strict requirement of God in each family. Fathers and mothers need to be daily reconverted in the line of bringing light into their own families. Cultivate Christian politeness in your training of your children. Guard yourselves. Never allow your hand to strike a child in anger. Your children are the Lord’s property and they must be treated kindly, but not vindicated in their disrespect of righteousness and truth by your own careless irreverence. Give them righteousness. Christ is truth, the complete perfect sample of what every soul must be if he enters the heavenly courts. All the great facts are set forth. You can never cure an evil spirit by doing irreligious work….
Be kind in your speech to your children. No loud, tempestuous scolding will cure your children of any evil action. No taking your children in a passion and shaking them will convert them from the error of their ways to do God’s will. They are God’s property. As a people professing to be reformers the very best lesson that you can give your children in this age of corruption is not to indulge them to become fashionable after the worldly style. Sons and daughters are to be instructed as to what it means to be obedient to God’s requirements, what will fit you and them for a position in the heavenly kingdom.
Watch and pray, fathers and mothers, lest ye enter into temptation. Give your hearts and minds and souls to God’s service. You are not to be severe, but kneel before the Lord with your own hearts softened by the grace of God. Be converted that you may have the earnest of the Holy Spirit. What a comfort to know that the Lord will help you in every emergency, for you are laborers together with God….
Fathers and mothers, you take the responsibility of bringing children into the world. Will you consider it is not for you to work in vain? “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” … Now this takes in Christian experience. Here is large encouragement. Here are the graces we are to receive, if we comply with the conditions. Fathers, mothers, if you are not converted, will you measure your advantages if you will comply with the conditions? … Your children are the Lord’s property with which you have been entrusted, to bring up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.—Manuscript 61, October 15, 1911, “Individual Responsibility of Fathers and Mothers.”
The Upward Look p. 302
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Prayer Requests
—- Please pray for my daughter Krystal for her to come to God with her concerns of work, her living situation, school and a God-provided significant other. Kimberly
—-My baby has been pretty sick today and I’m worried about how he is breathing. Please pray for healing and that he is able to rest and his breathing is good. Haley
—-Please pray for us as we are being evacuated because of a wildfire. Betty
—-Please pray for Mike and Eileen and Larry as they travel. Please pray for Ron who is sick and the doctors cannot figure out why. Pray for all our family as there is covid-19 at Brian’s work. Rose
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Dear Friends,
One summer we lived in a campground so we could save up enough money to buy a mobile home. Ronnie Jay was five years old at the time and soon became friends with Lyndon, the campground owner’s grandson. The two boys had many good times together. The thought of many fun things to keep them occupied. Some of those things got them into trouble.
The campground had a swimming pool. Many of the campers found the cool water refreshing in the North Carolina heat and humidity. The boys decided that the toads that lived everywhere around would enjoy a swim to cool off too. They caught some and tossed them into the pool. They were surprised that the toads were not happy with their swim. They got an added benefit to their mischief. Those toads made the girls scream. That was all two little boys needed to give them entertainment. After that they occasionally tossed a few toads into the pool just to hear the screams of fright.
Those girls were afraid, too, of the bats that flew around the lights that were around the pool at night. The bats were not interested in the people; they were busy getting a nice meal of insects that were attracted to the lighted pool area. But these girls did not understand, so they were frightened.
Often times we react in the same way to a situation that we do not understand and figuratively fight and kick and scream when things go wrong in our lives. How many times we think God is unfair in His dealings with us, but that is because we do not see the whole picture. We do not see that the very thing that is so distasteful to us, is the very thing we must go through to make us ready for Heaven. Paul tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Rom 8:28
Like Job, we do not understand why troubles and trials come our way. God’s Word reveals what was going on behind the scenes in Job’s case in order to give us comfort and hope when we are going through trials. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” Prov 3:5-7 Precious Redeemer! Wonderful Friend! “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Psa 107:15
God “hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Ps 103:10-14 We can rest in His promises. “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God.” Isa 43:1-3 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jer 29:11-13
May we “trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.” Psa 37:3-7 May we allow Him to lead in our lives in the way He knows is best. May we daily look for the blessings He showers upon us and praise Him with a grateful heart.
Rose

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:41.
It is possible for men to offer the Saviour outward homage, to be Christians in profession, to have a form of godliness, while the heart, whose loyalty He prizes above all else, is estranged from Him. Such ones have a name to live, but they are dead….
To the marriage supper of the Lamb will come many who have not on the wedding garment—the robe [Christ] purchased for them with His lifeblood. From lips that never make a mistake come the words, “Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?” (Matthew 22:12). Those [thus] addressed are speechless. They know that words would be useless. The truth, with its sanctifying power, has not been brought into the soul, and the tongue that once spoke so readily of the truth is now silent. The words are then spoken, “Take them out of My presence. They are not worthy to taste of My supper” (cf. Luke 14:24).
As they are separated from the loyal ones, Christ looks upon them with deep sorrow. They occupied high positions of trust in God’s work, but they have not the life insurance policy that would have entitled them to eternal life. From the quivering lips of Christ come the mournful words of regret, “I loved them; I gave My life for them; but they persisted in rejecting My pleadings, and continued in sin. O that thou hadst known, even thou, in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes.”
Today Christ is looking with sadness upon those whose characters He must at last refuse to acknowledge. Inflated with self-sufficiency, they hope that it will be well with their souls. But at the last great day, the mirror of detection reveals to them the evil that their hearts have practiced, and shows them at the same time the impossibility of reform. Every effort was made to bring them to repentance. But they refused to humble their hearts. Now the bitter lamentation is heard, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved” (cf. Jeremiah 8:20)….
What a scene is this! I pass over the ground again and again, bowed down in an agony that no tongue can express, as I see the end of the many, many who have refused to receive their Saviour. Justice will take the throne, and the arm strong to save will show itself strong to smite and destroy the enemies of the kingdom of God. Christ will lay bare the motives and deeds of everyone. Every hidden action will stand out as clearly before the doer as if proclaimed before the universe.—Manuscript 121, October 14, 1903, “A Solemn Warning.”
The Upward Look p. 301
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Sheryl who broke her arm recently. It is not healing properly, so the doctors are going to put a pin in this Friday. Eileen
—-I know that some of you have prayed for me and I am so grateful. I am on strong antibiotics but my sepsis numbers are still going up. Needless to say I am scared. This is not how I want to die. Nothing that they are doing in the hospital is helping this infection so I have decided to go home and do natural remedies. And I read that sunlight is one of the best remedies for this. I also have MMS……and several other really good natural remedies. Please pray urgently for me. Connie
—-Please pray for D and J as they travel today. LS
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Dear Friends,
This morning, I received an email asking if I still had the “Fifteen Steps to a Happy Marriage” that I had written some years ago. So I thought I’d share it with all of you this morning.
Fifteen Easy Steps to a Happy Marriage
1. Make Jesus the center of your life. Have morning and evening worship together each day as well as having your own private devotions. As you grow closer to Christ, you will draw closer to each other.
2. Communicate. Spend at least thirty minutes each day in meaningful conversation. Speak of your joys, sorrows, hopes for the future, and the happenings of the day while you were apart.
3. Problems will arise. When they do, pray together before you start to discuss the problem. Study to see what the Bible says in regard to the subject. Discuss the problem and find the solution together. (If you feel yourself getting angry, stop the discussion immediately, pray, and resume the discussion later.)
4. Tell each other “I love you” every day. You might think that your marriage partner knows you love him/her, but he/she might be feeling very unloved and taken for granted. (This is a good rule to remember when you are blessed with children. Even teens need to know that you love them, even though they may not admit it.)
5. Never make unkind remarks. When you say an unkind word to your mate, it hurts him/her badly and the hurt doesn’t go away easily. Even if he/she forgives you, the hurt is still there.
6. Never hit each other. Violence is not God’s way and will cause untold misery for both of you.
7. Be very tender in your intimate relations. Remember that there are holy angels watching even in your bedroom. If one of you is uncomfortable with something intimate, it would be better to avoid it than to push your desires onto the other one. There are many years ahead to spend with each other.
8. Do the finances together. By doing this, you both know what is available and can discuss purchases together. Make a budget and stick to it. As you use this budget for a few months, it may need to be revised. Revise the budget together to keep reminding yourself just what it entails.
9. Be honest with each other. For your future happiness, it is extremely important to tell each other the things in your past that may have a direct bearing on the future. This should be done before marriage.
10. Don’t be too proud to apologize. Sometimes the only thing it would take to solve an argument are two little words: “I’m sorry.” Don’t be too proud to forgive. An apology is of no effect if it is not forgiven. Make it your policy never to go to bed angry at each other.
11. Don’t forget to cuddle. When sitting together, cuddling can make a couple bond more than most other activities. Just before you go to sleep, cuddle for a few minutes—-not for sex, but for the secure feeling that it gives you.
12. Attend church together each week. Even if you move away and you aren’t familiar with the churches in the new area, make sure that you do not neglect this important part of your marriage. “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together.” Heb 10:25
13. Stay true to your marriage vows. Over the years, you may find someone who seems attractive to you. Avoid this person as much as possible and remind yourself what made you fall in love with your partner in the first place. This is very important, as being faithful to each other is the only way a marriage commitment will be successful.
14. Be best friends. Set aside a certain amount of time each week when you can spend time doing fun things together just like you did during courtship. If you do have other friends, they should be someone that both of you feel comfortable with. Don’t value these friends more highly than you value your mate.
15. When children come. If and when you do start a family, make sure your children know they are not an inconvenience to you. Let them know that you are always there to help them. Set aside time for them. As they are growing up, set an example for them. Teach them about God and how they can become like Him. Remember, “By beholding we become changed”—that works with children too. When they grow up and move out of your home, keep in close contact with them and have a good and loving relationship with them even though they are miles away. © 2003 Rosa Hartwell