It was to answer the accusation of the scribes and Pharisees to the effect that Jesus chose the companionship of sinners that He spake the parables concerning the lost sheep, the lost silver, and the prodigal son, and in these presentations showed that His mission to the world was not to make miserable, not to condemn and destroy, but to recover that which was lost…. These were the very ones that needed a Savior….

The prodigal son was not a dutiful son, not one who would please his father, but one who desired his own way…. The tender sympathy and love of his father were misinterpreted, and the more patient, kind, and benevolent the father acted, the more restless the son became. He thought his liberty was restricted, for his idea of liberty was wild license, and as he craved to be independent of all authority, he broke loose from all the restraint of his father’s house, and soon spent his fortune in riotous living. A great famine arose in the country in which he sojourned, and in his hunger he would fain have filled himself with the husks that the swine did eat….

He had no one now to say: “Do not do that, for you will do injury to yourself. Do this, because it is right.” … Starvation stared him in the face, and he joined himself to a citizen of the place. He was sent to do the most menial of work—to feed the swine. Although this to a Jew was the most disreputable of callings, yet he was willing to do anything, so great was his need….

He is suffering keen hunger, and cannot fill his want, and, under these circumstances he remembers that his father has bread enough and to spare, and resolves to go to his father…. Having made this decision, he does not wait to make himself more respectable…. “When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” …

The home looks just as it did when he left it; but what a difference there is in himself…. The father does not give him a chance to say, “Make me as one of thy hired servants.” The welcome he receives assures him that he is reinstated to the place of son.—Signs of the Times, January 29, 1894.
From the Heart p. 127
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Prayer Requests
—-update and request—Harley came through his pacemaker fine. He went home and told his mother that he needed to go to the hospital. His chest felt like it was on fire. The hospital said that he may have to go to a bigger hospital out of town. M
—-Please pray for our president. Jerry
—-I am asking for your prayers right now for my dad, Larry. His condition has taken a serious turn today. He is running a high fever and his blood pressure has dropped significantly. The doctors are moving him into the ICU at this moment. Aaron
—-My son is in a psychiatric hospital with extreme paranoia. Please pray for him Anonymous
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Dear Friends,

When my grandfather, Ed Harmon, moved to Washington, DC to learn the bookbinding trade, he fell in love with a beautiful, young lady by the name of Rose Muderspach. She returned his love. They were quite the opposite in many ways. He had many “rough edges” from all the years he spent as a hobo wandering up and down the East Coast; yet his heart was tender and he craved someone to really care for him. She was beautiful inside as well as outside and could have won the affections of any of the young men in the area; but she looked past Ed’s roughness and saw the softness within.

Sadly, sometime after they started courting, Rose contracted tuberculosis and died. All of Ed’s hopes and dreams died with her. All of their plans came to an end. He was devastated. He thought that he could not go on. Everything around him reminded him of her. As soon as he finished his apprenticeship with the Review and Herald Publishing Association, he left the area. Unfortunately, he never again found someone that could take the place of his first love.

Just as my grandfather lost his first love through her death, so we can lose our first love through carelessness that causes us our spiritual life flicker and die, and we settle for a lesser relationship. Our religion then becomes only an unsatisfying routine, yet we hold onto it and assure ourselves that all is well. (Matt 7:21-27)

God’s Holy Word speaks of this losing of our first love. In His message to the seven churches, our Dear Saviour says, “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Rev 2:1-5

How our Loving Saviour yearns for us to return to that first love experience. He pleads, “Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.” Mal 3:7 With tears in His eyes, He laments. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Matthew 15:8 “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Eze 33:11

May we, therefore, be diligent to keep our love for God alive, to put Him first in our life, to center our thoughts and affections upon Him, to commune with Him, to meditate upon His goodness, to so live that others will be drawn to His Great Heart of Love is my prayer. Amen.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/the-prodigal-son.html

By comparing the kingdom of heaven to a pearl, Christ desired to lead every soul to appreciate that pearl above all else. The possession of the pearl, which means the possession of a personal Savior, is the symbol of true riches. It is a treasure above every earthly treasure.

Christ is ready to receive all who come to Him in sincerity. He is our only hope, our Alpha and Omega. He is our sun and shield, our wisdom, our sanctification, our righteousness. Only by His power can our hearts be kept in the love of God….

On one occasion Christ warned His disciples to beware how they cast their pearls before those who had not discernment to appreciate their value…. “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,” He said, “neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” …

When people show themselves unimpressionable, unable to appreciate the pearl of great price; when they deal dishonestly with God and with others; when they show that the fruit they bear is the fruit of the forbidden tree, beware lest, by connecting with them, you lose your connection with God….

Truth as it is in Jesus sets us right and keeps us so. The truth is an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast. But the truth is no truth to those who do not obey it. When men and women drift away from the principles of truth, they always betray sacred trust. Let every soul, in whatever sphere of action, make sure that the truth is implanted in the heart by the power of the Spirit of God. Unless this is made certain, those who preach the Word will betray holy trusts. Physicians will make shipwreck of the faith. Lawyers, judges, senators, will become corrupted, and yielding to bribery, will allow themselves to be bought and sold. Those who do not walk in the light as Christ is in the light are blind leaders of the blind, “Clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.”—The Review and Herald, August 1, 1899.

From the Heart p. 120
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Harley. He was taken to the hospital during the night. The doctor said he needs a pacemaker. He will get it done tomorrow. Pray also for his mother who is in her nineties and needs prayer for health issues. M
—- Please pray for my son. He was in a car accident and he’s in the hospital. My prayer is that this will be a spiritual awakening for him cause it’s not good. He totaled his car. Apparently he had been drinking and he ran into the front of a dollar store & put a big hole in it. And when he did that he hit a propane tank! Blessed be the Lord- it did not explode. I pray this is the start of what I’ve been praying for “a conversion.” He has been estranged from me for years… Angela
—-Please pray for James who was in a motorcycle accident and is in the hospital. Pray also for Ron who is still having problems with his blood pressure. Rose
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Dear Friends,

During this time of year, when we especially think of the death and resurrection of our Dear Saviour, I thought I would share the passage in Isaiah which so plainly prophesies of Him. “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isa 52:13-53:12

The Crucifixion (this song was written by Esther when she was about sixteen)

At the Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus felt the need to pray
And as He walked He stumbled and fellowship
Under the weight of our sin.
Soon you could hear the mob
Rushing for our Lord
And then Judas kissed the Lord
And sold Him to the crowd.
Jesus was wounded and bruised
And yet He remained so calm
And as He looked upon the crowd
Love filled His eyes.
“Crucify the Lord! Crucify the Son of Man!
“Crucify the Lord! Crucify the Son of Man!”

Jesus walked down the road
The cross was laid on His back
But soon He fell under the weight
He couldn’t bear the pain.
They reached the hill of Calvary
Jesus was laid on the cross
But when they pounded the nails through His hands
He never uttered a sound.
They raised the cross into the hole
Jesus had blood on His face
But through the storm He looked to the sky
And cried out to our God
“Father why hast Thou forsaken Me?
Father why has Thou forgotten Me!”

And then with these last words
He cried out through the pain
“It is finished!” And then He died!
His heart broke from the weight of our sin.
Then Joseph asked for His body
He gently took Him down
And then he laid Him in his tomb
That’s all he could do for his Lord.
Soldiers guarded the tomb
They didn’t want Jesus to escape
But then the angel come with a great light
And they fell to the ground as dead.
Jesus is alive! Jesus did rise again!
Jesus is alive! He saved us from our sins!
Jesus is alive! Jesus will come again!
Jesus is alive! He has saved us from our sins!

May we accept His great sacrifice for us. May we praise Him for His Great Love. May we so live that when He comes we will look up with rejoicing and exclaim, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isa 25:9

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/the-pearl-of-great-price.html

Christ taught by means of figures and symbols. On one occasion He spoke a parable in regard to the hiring of laborers to illustrate the way in which God deals with those who devote themselves to His service….

It was the custom in Judea for men to wait at the marketplaces for someone to come and employ them; and in Europe this custom is still in vogue. Those who need help go to the marketplace to find servants that they may employ. The man in the parable is represented as going out at different hours to engage workmen. Those he hired at the earliest hour agreed to work for him for a stated sum of money, while those who were hired later left the wages they were to receive wholly to the discretion of the householder.

“So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.” …

The lesson of the laborers had a bearing upon the question about which the disciples had disputed by the way—who should be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The world’s Redeemer saw the danger that would imperil His church, and sought to arouse His people to an understanding of their position; for this parable was but a continuation of the lesson taught when Peter asked, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” …

With implicit trust we are to stay upon God, and let the heart rest in Him without a question as to what is to be our measure of reward….

Jesus would have those who are engaged in His service not [be] eager for rewards nor feel that they must receive compensation for all that they do…. The Lord measures the spirit, and rewards accordingly, and the pure, humble, childlike spirit of love makes the offering precious in His sight.—The Review and Herald, July 3, 1894.
From the Heart p. 113
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Josephine whose husband died this week. Rose
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Dear Friends,

When we first moved to North Carolina, we rented a garage apartment right across the street from the church and church school. This made it so convenient for Eileen since she could just walk across the street to go to school. It had a nice playground where she and Ronnie Jay could play together. It was also convenient for us as we did not have to drive to the various church meetings. Although the apartment was small, these things made us very happy there.

One day, our land lady told us that her son was going to be staying with her for a while. She was very excited. That son and his family soon arrived with all of their belongings. It looked to us as if they were planning to stay indefinitely. One day, he told us that we would have to move. He was moving to Wilmington permanently and would be living in his mother’s house. He had decided that our apartment would be a perfect place for his mother to live. It was hard to believe that anyone could do such a thing to their mother, but there was nothing we could do but try to find another place to live. We had lost everything but the clothes we were wearing in a fire just before we had moved there and losing that apartment that was so convenient for us made me feel as if my world was crashing in upon me. I just could not understand why this was happening. I was very discouraged.

Finally, after searching diligently, I found a mobile home that was surrounded by trees and fields. Behind the trailer was a warehouse where the snack food trucks stored their food supplies. It did not take my children long to discover that if they were outside when the trucks came, the drivers would give them the day-old food that they could not sell. Every day they would come back with their arms loaded with food. It was like having our own bakery outlet store! This was such a blessing to us, as we were having a very hard time financially and this helped our grocery bill tremendously. It was true that most of the food was high in sugar, but at least our children didn’t have to go hungry anymore.

There was a magnolia tree behind our trailer that Eileen enjoyed climbing and a wisteria vine loaded with fragrant blooms. The front yard was a lovely place with tall pines that shielded us from the street. On warm evenings, we enjoyed having worship under those pines. One evening as the children and I were sitting under those trees, we had a thrilling experience. I was playing the guitar, and we were singing songs of praise to our Heavenly Father, when a little screech owl flew down and landed on a post about 10 feet from us. He watched us and we watched him. He seemed to be enjoying the music. He stayed there all the time we were having worship and would have stayed longer, but Ronnie Jay, age two, was getting sleepy and wanted to go to bed. We had to walk within inches of that little owl to get inside. That was a little too close for that little owl’s comfort and he flew away.

Suddenly, I realized that we were much happier there than we had ever been in the apartment. I then knew that what had seemed like a such a great difficulty and trial, was really a great blessing sent to us from our Great Provider. My heart filled with gratitude for His loving care.

Sometimes we cannot understand why things happen the way they do. Our trials make us feel like our world is crashing in on top of us. We feel as did Job, “When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.” Job 30:26 Yet, God has His hand over all of these things. He takes those very circumstances that seem so overwhelming and unfair and works them around for our good. “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

Moreover, He promises, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Ps 32:8 It may not happen as quickly as we would like, or in the way that we would like, but if we allow Him to, He will untangle all the tangled threads of our lives and make our path straight. Peter tells us, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:12,13; 1:7

Let us turn to our Loving Shepherd when things go wrong and when all forsake us. He is our comfort! He is our strength! He is our Fortress and our Mighty Deliverer! “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” no matter what may be happening in our life, for we know and are assured that our Loving Father has our best interest at heart. Heb 13:15 Let us pray as did David, “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defense to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. Ps 31:1-3, 24

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/the-laborers.html