Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. Philippians 1:27.
I pray that the people of God may not cast aside the peculiarities of their faith. Christ is glorified by a life of constant, well-defined faith. Paul declares, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Christ is to be glorified by the living, working faith of His people. The just shall live by faith. Christ has not left His people to stumble along in darkness. He has marked out the way before them. He says, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). It is along the path of self-denial, the royal highway cast up by the Redeemer, that God’s people are to travel.
My brother, bow in submission before Him who has brought life and immortality to light. Let your will and the will of Christ be one. Talk this, pray this, live this. God’s word to us is, “Go forward,” and this word we are to obey, though we shall meet with obstacles seemingly as insurmountable as the Red Sea. Let us trust the Lord God of heaven to open the way before His people. “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5). This patience of the soul is the rest of faith. The Lord will bless His tried, faithful people. He will not leave them to become confused.
In the last great day every word, every act, will be subjected to the crucial test of the Judge of all the earth…. The Lord calls for heartfelt repentance from those who claim to be His people. Self-indulgence is to find no place in their lives. The church of God is to be jealously guarded from every phase of dishonesty, every taint of corruption. The love of Christ is directly opposed to all avarice, all pride, all pretense. The Lord calls for humble, contrite hearts. He will work by His Holy Spirit upon all who will be worked, all who love Him and keep His commandments. And they will make the presence and power of God so manifestly to appear that the enemies of the truth will be compelled to say that God and His angels are indeed the friends and helpers of those who serve Him.
Schism and division are not the fruits of righteousness; they are of the wicked one. The great hindrance to our advancement at this time is the selfishness that prevents believers from having true fellowship with one another. The last prayer that Christ offered for His disciples before His trial was that they might be one in Him. Satan is determined that this oneness shall not be, for it is the strongest witness that can be borne that God did indeed send His Son to reconcile the world to heaven.—Letter 41, February 24, 1903, to Dr. F. E. Braucht, a physician laboring in Chicago
The Upward Look p. 69
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for R who is having trouble at work. A
—-Please continue praying earnestly for my dear mother. She is on total life support now. Please pray for her healing. Connie
—-Please pray for B, B, and F who have health problems and need God’s healing power in their lives. Buck
—-Please pray for the situation in Ecuador. Antoinette
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, my mother and I went to Wisconsin for a vacation. While there, we saw everything there was to see and did everything there was to do there at the time. That included visiting Cave of the Mounds. As we walked through that cave, I was awe-struck by the beautiful stalactites and stalagmites and other rock formations. It looked like a fairyland. That began a love for caves that has lasted throughout the years.
No matter where we would go on vacation, I would always try to find a nearby cave. Ron doesn’t like caves much, but he would go because I enjoyed them. His biggest complaint about a cave tour is that the guide nearly always gets us down in the depths of the earth and then turns out the lights. The guide tells everyone in the tour group to be silent. There is not one tiny ray of light. The blackness is so dark that it can be felt. After what seems like an eternity to Ron, the guide turns on a small flashlight. It is a relief to be able to see something again. After turning on the light switch, the cave is once more flooded with light and the beautiful formations are again visible. In the last cave we went to this past summer, Ron had an additional problem. He was the last person in line and the guide hurrying us through turned of the lights of each section before he had a chance to get into the light of the next section.
Just as that cave was totally dark without electric lights, so without God’s Word to guide us, we are in total darkness, darkness as complete as it is inside a cave. The psalmist declares, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Ps 119:105 Through study of the Scriptures, we may find the narrow path that leads to Heaven that Jesus 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.” Matt 7:13,14
Peter makes an interesting comparison between his experience upon the Mount of Transfiguration and God’s Word. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:16-21 Think of it! More sure than seeing Christ glorified among them, greater than listening to His being encouraged by Moses and Elijah, beyond hearing the voice of God declare Jesus to be His Son [Matt 17:1-9] is the study and following of God’s Holy Word.
Then Peter give warning, but there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.” 2 Peter 2:1 Jesus warns us of the same, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders.” Matt 24:24 Paul also warns, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:29, 30
How can we recognize the true from the false? Through the light of God’s Holy Word. We must compare all that we hear, all that we see, all that we read with a “Thus saith the Lord.” “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 In these last days of earth’s history, our only safety is in hiding God’s Word in our heart. (Ps 119:9-11) We must pray earnestly for guidance, take our concordance to find all that is written concerning a certain subject, and change our life accordingly.
May we “study to show [ourself] approved of God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 May we be “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving [our] own selves.” James 2:22 May we follow the Light continually is my prayer.
Rose