Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:9, 10.
Some workers who are depreciated by human wisdom are by God highly exalted. God will raise up men to do a certain work, and as they advance step by step, they will learn of the great I AM. As His work unfolds, they still move forward, under His leadership, performing that which He has placed in their hands.
Another man, with supposed superior abilities, may come in, and looking upon the work of these men, may think that they should be replaced by wiser men. To his imagination, their work may look all tangled and spoiled, when the Lord is leading step by step. He would advocate that a change be made. He would try to make the workers see that they are making a great mistake in trying to carry on their work. But God sees not as man sees.
The workers whom He is leading may at times be in great perplexity. It is His plan that many difficulties shall be met and mastered. He inspires the workers with the determination to make every apparent failure prove a success. They are determined to walk in the light that is shining on their pathway, and although they encounter many obstacles, yet they declare, “I will not fail or be discouraged.” UL 116.4
Often men pray and weep because of the perplexities and obstacles that confront them. But it is God’s purpose for them to meet perplexities and obstacles, and if they will hold the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the end, determined to carry forward the work of the Lord, He will make their way clear. Success will come to them as they perseveringly struggle against apparently insurmountable difficulties; and with success will come the greatest joy.
God is preparing humble, contrite men to be valuable workers. He is giving them an experience that human wisdom cannot explain. He works upon minds by His own wisdom. Supposed mistakes are permitted to appear, that in unexpected ways (which human wisdom cannot comprehend) great glory may come to God. He is accomplishing His work in His own way. He consults His own purposes, not man’s theories. The power with which He works through any man is proportionate to the man’s earnestness and sincerity. In all that He does, He seeks the highest good of those who are laborers together with Him.—Letter 162, April 12, 1903, to a conference executive.
The Upward Look p. 116
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Prayer Requests
—-A friend’s son in law passed away unexpectedly please pray for the family. Also please keep the Christians in china in prayer. M
—-Please pray. my nephew is missing. Left home with no clothes money or food. Beverly
—-Please have my friend Jeana in prayer. She’s having injections in her spine and the nerves burned in the same area. Pray this helps her chronic pain and arthritis. Connie
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, I decided to make a pie, but I didn’t want to take all that time, so I didn’t make a regular crust like I would normally do. Remembering how my grandmother used to make a Ritz cracker crust when she baked apple pies, I grabbed a glass pie pan and crumbled up a tube of Ritz crackers. When I had the proper ingredients mixed together and pressed in the pan, I poured a can peach pie filling on top and stuck my “creation” in the microwave to heat it up.
I thought it smelled a little strange while baking in the microwave. To my distress, I discovered the reason. Looking a little more carefully at the package of crackers, I found that I had used roasted vegetable crackers. So I had made a peach pie whose crust was flavored with a vegetable blend of carrots, onions, cabbage, tomato, parsley, and red and green bell peppers. —-not exactly tasty.
Those crackers had looked just like the regular ones but how different the result. Jesus told a parable about Christians who look like good ones but are as unfit for Heaven as those crackers were for my pie. “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Matt 13:24-30
How many times there are contentions within the church because of these look-alike Christians. Indeed, many of these do not even know that they are false followers. Jesus warns, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matt 7:15-23
How often false doctrines creep in because of these tares which the enemy has sewed. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Col 2:8 How can we discern truth from falsehood? “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa 8:20 ” If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. . . . He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” John 7:17, 18 Only by a study of God’s Holy Word can we discern truth from error, false teachers from those who speak the truth.
May we “study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman who maketh not ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 May we never try to root up the tares that the enemy has sown amongst the wheat but leave that to the Master Who judges with true judgment. May we make sure that we, ourselves, are wheat and not tares is my prayer.
Rose