For the Son of man is a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Mark 13:34.
The angels of God are ready and waiting to go with humble men who with their Bibles in their hands will go to those who have not had this light, and read to them a “Thus saith the Lord.”
Those who have the gift of song are needed. The melody of praise is the atmosphere of heaven. Often by the words of sacred songs, the springs of penitence and faith have been unsealed. Song is one of the most effective means of impressing spiritual truth upon the heart.
Let little companies of workers go out as the Lord’s missionaries, and do as Christ commissioned the first disciples to do. Let them go into the different parts of our cities, two and two, and give the Lord’s message of warning. Tell the people the story of Creation, and how at the close of His work the Lord rested upon and blessed the Sabbath day, setting it apart as a memorial of His work.
Church members young and old should be educated to go forth to proclaim this last message to the world. If they will go in humility, angels of God will go with them, teaching them to lift up the voice in prayer, how to raise the voice in song, and how to proclaim the gospel message for this time. We have not a moment to lose….
Who will take up this work of teaching Bible truth to old and young? Who will carry the message, following Christ’s plan of labor? … Many there are in every city who feel the need of gospel shepherds. We need men who will read the truth, practice the truth, and explain the truth.
Brethren, Christ calls you. Will you heed His voice? Will you become His messengers? Will you seek the sheep that are lost? Will you teach the Word in all humility and earnestness to those who will hear?
Young men and women, take up the work to which God calls you. Tell the wondrous story of the cross. Christ will lead you, and teach you to use your abilities to good purpose. As you receive the quickening influence of the Holy Spirit, and you seek to teach others, your minds will be refreshed, and you will be enabled to present words that are new and strangely beautiful to your hearers. Pray, and sing, and speak the word….
Spiritual freedom will come to those who consecrate themselves unreservedly, and the quickening grace of Christ will bring light and peace and joy. The saving influence of truth will sanctify the soul of the receiver.—Letter 108, March 18, 1907, to “Our Brethren in Graysville, Tennessee.”
The Upward Look p. 91
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Prayer Requests
—-My husband fell at work and injured his leg that was partially amputated. Requesting prayers. Laurie
—-I ask prayer for my son Evenezer to have a permanent job where he can utilize his course and that he surrender his life fully to the Lord. Sally
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Dear Friends,
A normal part of a child’s development is to think of what they will be and who they would like to marry when they grow up. I was no exception. Even though I lived in a neighborhood where most of the people were elderly, there was a boy named Gary, who lived several blocks away who used to come to my house and play. Over the years, our friendship deepened until we used to plan that when we grew up, we would marry. His goal was to be an architect and often drew floor plans of what our house would look like. It was a completely normal part of growing up. It was all in innocence.
Our friendship even survived my moving to the other side of town when my mother got married again. We didn’t see each other as often, but we did keep in contact. When he was in his late teens, however, I no longer heard from him. A mutual friend explained the reason. Gary had become acquainted with an older man who led him down the wrong path. He had changed completely. He no longer had the same goals and desires. He dropped out of college and drifted farther and farther from his old self until he hardly seemed like the same person. It was very sad. I called him a few years ago. Instead of
becoming an architect, he does telephone sales. After talking with him for a few minutes, it became apparent the he was a miserable person. The friendship he had made as a teenager, ruined his life.
Amos asked, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed? How careful we must be in choosing our friends. How discerning we must be in deciding which voice to listen to. How vital to our present and future happiness it is that we follow the path our Great Leader speaks about, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 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.” Matt 7:13-20
Paul advises, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hat said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Cor 6:14-7:1
May we choose our friends well, for they can draw us closer to Jesus or farther away from Him. May we allow our Best Friend to change us into His Image. May we “give diligence to make [our] calling and election sure: for if [we] do these things, [we] shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto [us] abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10, 11
Rose

[He] was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15.
Christ, at an infinite cost, by a painful process, mysterious to angels as well as to men, assumed humanity. Hiding His divinity, laying aside His glory, He was born a babe in Bethlehem. In human flesh He lived the law of God, that He might condemn sin in the flesh, and bear witness to heavenly intelligences that the law was ordained to life and to ensure the happiness, peace, and eternal good of all who obey….
This is the mystery of godliness, that One equal with the Father should clothe His divinity with humanity, and laying aside all the glory of His office as Commander in heaven, [should] descend step after step in the path of humiliation, enduring severe and still more severe abasement. Sinless and undefiled, He stood in the judgment hall, to be tried, to have His case investigated and pronounced upon by the very nation He had delivered from slavery. The Lord of glory was rejected and condemned, yea, spat upon. With contempt for what they regarded as His pretentious claims, men smote Him in the face….
Pilate pronounced Christ innocent, declaring that he found no fault in Him. Yet to please the Jews, he commanded Him to be scourged and then delivered Him up, bruised and bleeding, to suffer the cruel death of crucifixion. The Majesty of heaven was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and amid scoffing and jeers, ridicule and false accusation, He was nailed to the cross. The crowd, in whose hearts humanity seemed to be dead, sought to aggravate the cruel sufferings of the Son of God by their revilings. But as a sheep before His shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. He was giving His life for the life of the world, that all who believed in Him should not perish…. UL 90.4
Christ bore the sins of the whole world. He endured our punishment—the wrath of God against transgression. His trial involved the fierce temptation of thinking that He was forsaken by God. His soul was tortured by the pressure of a horror of great darkness…. He could not have been tempted in all points like as man is tempted had there been no possibility of His failing. He was a free agent, placed on probation, as was Adam and as is man. Unless there is a possibility of yielding, temptation is no temptation. Temptation comes and is resisted when man is powerfully influenced to do a wrong action, and knowing that he can do it, resists by faith, with a firm hold upon divine power.—Manuscript 29, March 17, 1899, “Sacrificed for Us.
The Upward Look p. 90
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Ilene who just had a hysterectomy yesterday and the doctors found out that she has tumors on her thyroid. Esther
—-Please pray for my niece and her boyfriend. They are both out of work for medical related issues. Mike is having surgery today on his back. Pray all goes as planned and that his ongoing pain will disappear. Also, that he will heal quickly so he can get back to work asap.
Pray also for my niece. She just had a baby a couple days ago . I pray they will not lose the home they rent while they heal physically. Thank you. Cora
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Dear Friends,
Until I was seven, I was allowed to play anywhere on our block. That was really quite a large area, as it was a double block. Often I would be gone for hours, but my grandmother didn’t worry about me. She knew that I was safe. Rarely were there any of the crimes that plague our society today.
One day when I was a little older and had broadened my horizons, my grandfather was reading his newspaper about a kidnapping that took place in Grand Rapids, a town about fifty miles north of us. The thought that the “pride and joy” of his life was no longer safe as I played outside, filled him with fear. He began to tell me frightening tales of children being kidnapped by strangers. He went a little “overboard” and caused me to eye any stranger with suspicion. Whenever a man came toward me on the sidewalk, I quickly crossed over to the other side of the street. I can still remember the puzzled looks I got from the many innocent people who were just going about their daily business. That was what my grandfather had wanted, so he again felt safe in letting me go to the store alone to get the little items that he would always forget when he did the grocery shopping or just go play anywhere in the neighborhood.
How much our world has changed in just my lifetime. Even though there was an occasional crime back then, things remained safe for all of my growing up years. Crime began to become more frequent and of greater magnitude, until today this world is filled with violence. People shoot one another over something as simple as a parking space. There is little safety anywhere. Truly we live in the time Paul spoke of when he said that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 2 Tim 3:13,1-5
Even as bad as all the crimes that are committed, all the heartache in this world, all the strained relationships within or without our family circle, there is one on Paul’s list that is the most dangerous, namely “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” By this deception, many people are destroyed by being lulled to sleep by the evil one. They, themselves, think that they are Christians, others consider them to be Christians; but they do not have an intimate, saving relationship with their Only Saviour, nor do they do the works of Christ. As the saying goes, they “talk the talk” but do not “walk the walk.”
They are as the Pharisees of old upon whom Jesus pronounced a woe, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” “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. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Matt 23:25-27; 7:27
May we build our life upon the Rock, Christ Jesus. May we daily do our Heavenly Father’s will from a heart filled with love for Him. May we “be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” is my prayer. 2 Peter 3:14
Rose