Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17.
Assimilation is a law of human nature. Satan works with untiring perseverance to use this law, ordained by God to be a power for good, to forward his plans. He seeks to blend together righteous and unrighteous principles in order that through this union sin may lose its offensive appearance. He mixes chaff with the wheat.
The righteous should associate with the wicked only to restore the principles of truth which have been almost obliterated. He who seeks to help and bless others must depend wholly upon the unseen yet all-essential supply of grace and strength. He must cooperate with God if he would be successful in saving the souls ready to perish. He must associate closely with divine agencies, drawing by faith the grace so much needed to resist the elements of unrighteousness.
Christ saw Satan patterning after heaven by the use of human association, thus extending the contagion of evil, and He determined to make His church a resisting element. His people are not to borrow the forms and customs of the world, but are to be instinct with the principles which make the church on earth a symbol of the church in heaven, a channel through which heaven’s rich blessings can flow.
Untold good may be accomplished by the righteous working with and for the wicked; but too often those who ought to lead sinners to God do not draw with Christ…. Church members are under a solemn pledge to form characters different in every way from the characters of worldlings. If a change does not take place in them prior to their union with the church, there is danger that, though they have joined the church, they will assimilate with worldlings. Satan triumphs when he sees the leaven of the world working in the church, to the destruction of its purity and holiness.
It is God’s plan that in His church heavenly influences shall be reinforced and stimulated by the cooperation of the members with Him. His people are to increase in strength and efficiency, knowing that the atmosphere which surrounds the souls of righteous believers is the same as the atmosphere in the heaven of purity and light and love. Through Christian fellowship they are to form their characters, assimilating them to the character of Christ. According to their faith will be their Christlike meekness and lowliness. As God’s people seek to fulfill this plan, they are answering the prayer of Christ, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”—Manuscript 27a, April 19, 1900, “God’s Purpose for His People.”
The Upward Look p. 123
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Prayer Requests
—-I have an unspoken prayer request. B
—-After a year of prayerful deliberation, our family has accepted a call to Weimar. Please pray for us as we transition! Pastor Rich
—-PLEASE PRAY FOR MY FAMILY… ALL ARE NOT WELL. PRAYERS ARE SERIOUSELY NEEDED. THING ARE OUT OF ORDER… NO SAFETY.. Daniel
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Dear Friends,
How cruel is the heart of mankind without the Spirit of God dwelling there. The news is full of tragedies too heartbreaking to mention. There is no longer any safety upon this sinful, old planet.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, how little did they realize the results of their disobedience. It seemed like such a little test. Yet, that small act of disobedience was the pivotal moment in their experience. From that small act, came a great change.
Before the fall, Adam and Eve had good fellowship with their Creator. At the time for evening worship, He came to this brand new planet in His great universe and conversed with them. But after their disobedience, just hearing Him walking in the garden brought a new feeling to their heart. It was a feeling of fear and dread. God’s Word tells us, “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” Gen 3:8-11
God knew what had happened, but He gave them opportunity to acknowledge their transgression. Instead, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent, and, ultimately they blamed God. “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.” vs 12-14
How good and kind our Loving Father is! Before He told His erring children of the consequences of their sin, He gave them the promise of a Saviour! “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” vs 3:15
“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. vs 16-19
From that point, death began. “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever” 21, 22
From that one little sin, the close communion they had had with God became a more distant one. “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” From that moment the world began to deteriorate and mankind became “worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Tim 3:13
But God does not leave us in such a pitiful state. He has provided a Way. Jesus is the “way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6 Let us thank Him for sacrificing His own life, so that we may have a restored relationship with our Creator. Let us serve Him from a heart full of gratitude and love. Let us place our hand in His and let Him lead us to His Heavenly Kingdom is my prayer.
Rose