Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, … who made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:5-7.
The Son of God … left His riches and honor and glory, and clothed His divinity with humanity, that humanity might take hold of divinity and become a partaker of the divine nature. He came not to live in the palaces of kings, to live without care and labor and be supplied with all the conveniences which human nature naturally craves. The world never saw its Lord wealthy. In the council of heaven He had chosen to stand in the ranks of the poor and the oppressed, … to learn the trade of His earthly parent. He came to the world to be a reconstructor of character, and He brought into all His work the perfection which He desired to bring into the character He was transforming by His divine power.
Nor did He shun the social life of His countrymen. That all might become acquainted with God manifest in the flesh, He mingled with every class of society, and was called the friend of sinners. In Himself Christ possessed an absolute right to all things, but He gave Himself to a life of poverty that we might be rich in heavenly treasure. Commander in the heavenly courts, He took the lowest place on earth. Rich, yet for our sake He became poor….
For a little time the Lord allows His people to be His stewards, that He may test their character. In that time they decide their eternal destiny. If they work in opposition to the will of God, they cannot belong to the royal family….
Evidence of the work of grace in the heart is given when we do good to everyone as we have opportunity. The proof of our love is given in a Christlike spirit, a willingness to impart the good things God has given us, a readiness to practice self-denial and self-sacrifice in order to help advance the cause of God and suffering humanity. Never should we pass by the object that calls for our liberality….
The Lord will use all who will give themselves to be used. But He requires heart service…. When the heart is given to God, our talents, our energy, our possessions, all we have and are, will be devoted to His service.—The Review and Herald, May 15, 1900.
From the Heart p. 86
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my good friend Vicki. She is back in the hospital getting her lungs drained again. She has been suffering from throat cancer for a very long time. M
—-My cousin Norm has pancreatic cancer. Please pray for him. Mike
—-Ron’s blood pressure is better but still quite high. Please pray that it will get back to normal soon. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Many years ago, I worked in the physical therapy department in an army hospital. It was very easy and interesting work. Often the soldiers would come in for treatment when they just wanted a day off. They would complain of a stiff neck or a sore back, but when giving them the treatments, it seemed that they were perfectly fine. The captain that was the head of the department didn’t care whether the soldiers had a legitimate complaint or not, he was more interested in having a good time. He made working there a lot of fun. –
After I had worked there about a year, Captain Meyer was transferred to another base and we got a major in there as head of the department. He was much different. He was tall, very quiet, stern, and quite unapproachable. The fun stopped. He had the opinion that all of the people who came through that office were there because they just didn’t want to work that day. He gave them painful examinations and hard exercises.
One day a young soldier walked into our department. He had some rather unusual complaints about pain and weakness. The major felt that he was only there to get out of work and treated him very harshly. The young man took it all in a gentle and smiling way. I felt sorry for him because I knew that even if he were exaggerating his condition, the major’s treatment was painful.
Several times a week the young man came back. Each time he told of more symptoms. Each time he seemed to get worse. Finally, the young man was transferred to a different hospital by his doctor.
A few weeks later, Major W. came into the department with a more solemn look on his face than usual. He asked me if I remembered that young man. I said that I did. He told me that he had been talking with the young man’s doctor and that the other hospital had tested him and they had found a tumor on that soldier’s upper spine. Major Wheeler had been giving him exercises and treatment the were contrary to what that young man needed. He was now very sorry that he had done so, but it was too late.
How easy it is to misjudge another. How easy to be sure that we know someone’s motives and yet be so wrong. Jesus says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matt 7:1-5 “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24
How can we judge righteously? He gives the answer, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matt 7:20 We cannot judge another person’s motives, but we can know them by their fruits. Does the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance Gal 5:22) show forth in the life? Yet even then, we must be very careful. We must remember that “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” Rom 14:10
Let us hide God’s word in our hearts that we may be able to have that discernment we must have in these last days that we will not be deceived. Let us pray for, rather than gossip about, those we feel have wrong motives. Let us determine to be so close to our Loving Saviour that we keep our eyes only on Him.
Rose
Liberality and Love for God’s Work
“Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing. Exodus 36:6.
Under the Jewish system, the people were required to cherish a spirit of liberality, both in sustaining the cause of God and in supplying the wants of the needy. At the harvest and the vintage, the firstfruits of the fields—corn, wine, and oil—were to be consecrated as an offering to the Lord. The gleanings and the corners of the fields were reserved for the poor. The firstfruits of the wool when the sheep were shorn, of the grain when the wheat was threshed, were to be offered to the Lord; and at the feast it was commanded that the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the strangers should be invited. At the close of every year all were required to make solemn oath whether or not they had done according to the command of God.
This arrangement was made by the Lord to impress upon the people that in every matter He must be first. They were, by this system of benevolence, reminded that their gracious Master was the true proprietor of their fields, their flocks, and their herds, that the God of heaven sent them sunshine and rain for their seed-time and harvest, and that everything which they possessed was of His creation. All was the Lord’s, and He had made them stewards of His goods.
The liberality of the Jews in the construction of the tabernacle evinced a spirit of benevolence which has not been equaled by the people of God at any later date. The Hebrews had just been freed from their long bondage in Egypt, they were wanderers in the wilderness; yet scarcely were they delivered from the armies of the Egyptians who pursued them in their hasty journey, when the word of the Lord came to Moses, “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.” …
All gave with a willing hand, not a certain amount of their increase, but a large portion of their actual possessions. They devoted it gladly and heartily to the Lord. They honored Him by so doing. Was it not all His? Had He not given them all that they possessed? If He called for it, was it not their duty to give back to the lender His own? No urging was needed. The people brought even more than was required; and they were told to desist, for there was already more than could be appropriated.—The Review and Herald, October 17, 1882.
From the Heart p. 76
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Prayer Requests
—-Praise—Ron got out of the hospital today! Please pray for him that his blood pressure will be under control from now on. Rose
—-Please pray for the grandmother of a lady I met in the ICU waiting room. Also a man was there whose wife is in end-stage kidney disease. The man has cancer and also needs prayer. I didn’t think to get names. Rose
—-A mission team from Alaska is in a difficult situation, and needs to return home. Please pray for this team’s safety and flight home. Jeanie
—-I need prayer for healing. Lucyanne
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Dear Friends,
Not too many years ago, the man who sent out news of happenings in our highschool class. He sent out an obituary for one of the girls I had gone to school with in second grade. (We had a very large senior class, so she and I did not have any classes together.) As I looked at Lonnie’s picture and read her obituary, it reminded me of an incident many years before high school that made my seven-year-old heart break.
It was the first day of school after the Thanksgiving vacation in 1952. I was proudly wearing my new coat that my mother had bought me. It was a grayish-green wool and very warm—just what I needed for the cold winters of Michigan. I entered the second grade cloakroom and hung my coat on a hook alongside about 30 other coats, went to my desk, and sat down. Soon all thoughts of my coat vanished as Miss Kramer began teaching our lessons.
Soon it was time to go home for lunch. Some children had quite a way to get home, but not me. All I had to do was walk across the street to my house. We all walked quietly to the cloakroom to get our coats. When I got there, however, I had a hard time finding my coat. It was the first time I had worn it, and I could not remember exactly what it looked like. After searching a bit, I found it. To my surprise there was a beautiful Christmas corsage pinned to it. I looked at that corsage and wondered how it had gotten there. In my seven-year-old imaginings, I thought that maybe my mother had tiptoed into the cloakroom while no one was looking and had pinned it on my coat to surprise me. It was such a wonderful thought that I felt like crying for joy!
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain on my arm. To my horror, I saw someone’s fingernails making deep scratches on my forearm: one was so deep that it actually bled and left a scar which I had for many years. There stood Lonnie. (I was always a little afraid of this girl because she was so mean.) Now here she was looking very angry and screaming at me about stealing her coat. Gradually, I realized that she and I must have the same color coat. I looked around. There on another hook not far away was my new coat. I told her that I was sorry and reached for my coat. Then she saw that we had matching coats and her anger melted a little. She grabbed her coat and ran off, while I stood there with a bleeding arm and a breaking heart.
How easy it is for us to become just as confused as I was that day. We may think that we know what is right, but we are so wrong. Solomon observed, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Prov 14:12 Jesus urges us, “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.” Mat 7:13 ,14
The evil one is a master at deception. Peter warns, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 He, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life warns, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matt 7:15
Isaiah give us the way to tell the genuine from the false, “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
How carefully we must test everything we hear, everything we see by the Word of God. How important it is to compare what is told us that the Bible says. The Great Author of the Bible desires for us to gather all of the texts dealing with a certain subject in order to get the whole picture. “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” 28:9,10
May we pray for the Holy Spirit, Who guided those who wrote the Scriptures, to guide us in understanding them. (2 Peter 1:21) May we “study to show [ourselves] approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15
Rose
Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/liberality-and-love-for-gods-work.html
Truth Conquers Evil
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. Matthew 10:34.
The question has been asked, How can there be agreement between the statement, “I came not to send peace, but a sword,” and the song sung by the angels when Christ was born in the manger at Bethlehem, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”? The song of the angels is in harmony with the words of the prophet Isaiah, who, when he predicted the birth of Christ, declared Him to be the Prince of peace. The gospel is a glorious message of peace and goodwill to men; the blessing that Christ came to bring was that of harmony and peace. He left His throne of glory, and clothed His divinity with humanity, that He might bring back from apostasy to loyalty to God the children of men, and bind their hearts together and to the heart of Infinite Love. He came to present to a fallen world the remedy for sin, so that whosoever should believe on Him should not perish, but by becoming one with Him and the Father should have everlasting life….
The condition of the world at the time when Christ came into the walks of humanity was no exceptional condition. At that time the Scriptures had been buried beneath human traditions, and Christ declared that those who professed to interpret the Word of God were ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God….
Christ presented to His countrymen and to the world brightness, beauty, and holiness, the divine nature, by which they might be bound close to the heart of Infinite Love. He brought light into the world to dispel spiritual darkness and to reveal truth…. The truth, which was to restore and renew, is a destroyer of evil; and when evil is persistently cherished, it becomes a destroyer of the sinner also….
Sinners’ perversity, their resistance of the truth, makes the mission of Christ appear to be what He announced to His disciples—the sending of a sword upon the earth; but the strife is not the effect of Christianity, but the result of opposition in the hearts of those who will not receive its blessings.
From the first presentation of Christianity to the world, there has been a deadly warfare instituted against it…. Those who suffer for the truth know the value of a pure gospel, a free Bible, and liberty of conscience.—Bible Echo (Australia), March 12, 1894.
From the Heart p. 71
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Prayer Requests
—-We are going through various trials right now. Please pray for us. Rose
—-Gordon needs prayer. A few days ago he had surgery for A-fib. Alexandra
—-Please pray for the family of a child who died because of a car accident. Kim
—-Please pray for Bob who is in the hospital with a brain bleed. Please pray for him. Karey
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Dear Friends,
When Esther was six, we moved to Washington state. For a few weeks, while I was looking for a place to live, we lived in a hotel. While there, Eileen, who is ten years older than her sister, took Esther down to the hotel’s Jacuzzi. They really liked the warm bubbly water. Being so tiny, the force of the water caused Esther to slip under the water. Eileen quickly grabbed her little sister, and all seemed to be well. However, later all was not well. Esther got meningitis. I always wondered if it was because of swallowing some of the Jacuzzi’s water.
I was very thankful when my little girl eventually recovered and seemed to suffer no ill effects from her illness. How happy she was when she and her brother could play in the fields behind the house that we had rented. There were lots of tall weeds in the field and they pretended they were in a jungle. There was only one trouble. Esther was always getting prickers from those weeds in her eyes. At the time we did not realize that the meningitis had left her very far-sighted, so the natural inclination to blink when something gets close to the eye was not there.
Many times I had to remove those tiny specks from her eyes. One time I could not get one of those nearly microscopic prickers out. It had stuck into her eyeball. I immediately took her to the emergency room and by using a strong magnifying glass, the doctor was able to remove the offending object. Then he gave me some ointment to put into her eye. How she hated that ointment! She did not really understand why she needed it. All she knew was that it stung. She would run away from me and hide when it was time to put it into her eye. It was quite a challenge to find her. She was very good at hiding. She could curl up into a tiny ball in some out-of-sight place, hold very still, and be very quiet; but eventually I would find her and put the stuff in.
Just as that eye salve was necessary for Esther’s recovery, so our Great Physician counsels us to receive Heavenly eye salve from Him. He pleads, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Rev 3:18 The eye salve that He offers sometimes hurts and stings as we see our true condition—“wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Rev 3:17 This eye salve He longs for us to have gives us the discernment we need to detect the devises of the enemy of souls. It helps us to see the snares he lays for our feet.
How much we need the Heavenly eye salve to see the true path. The devil uses many ways to counterfeit the genuine. He has his agents to lead people into the wrong paths. Our Dear Saviour warns us, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matt 7:15 He explained that in the last days there would be many deceivers, many deceptions. “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” 24:24 How much we need the spiritual eye salve that the True Witness offers, that we might not be taken in by one of these deceivers.
May we ask our Great Redeemer for the eye salve that He so freely offers, that we may obey His Holy Word is my prayer.
Rose
Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/truth-conquers-evil.html
Becoming a Child of God
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12.
If we could appreciate this great blessing, what an advantage it would be to us! We are given the privilege of being laborers together with God in the saving of our souls. Receiving and believing is our part of the contract. We are to receive Christ as our personal Savior, and are to continue to believe in Him. This means abiding in Christ, showing in Him, at all times and under all circumstances, a faith that is a representation of His character—a faith that works by love, and purifies the soul from all defilement….
We must each obtain an experience for ourselves. No one can depend for salvation on the experience or practice of any other individual. We must each become acquainted with Christ in order properly to represent Him to the world…. None of us need to excuse our hasty temper, our misshapen character, our selfishness, envy, jealousy, or any impurity of soul, body, or spirit. God has called us to glory and virtue. We are to obey the call….
How can we escape the power of one who was once an exalted angel in the heavenly courts? He was a being full of beauty and personal charm, blessed with a powerful intellect. Because of his exaltation he thought himself equal with God…. How can we discern his false theories and resist his temptations? Only through the individual experience gained by receiving a knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. Without divine aid we could not possibly escape the temptations and snares that Satan has prepared to deceive human minds….
We are to walk as He walked, following closely in His footsteps, manifesting His meekness and lowliness…. The service of Christ is pure and elevated. The path He traveled is not one of self-pleasing, self-gratification. He speaks to His children, saying, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” The price of heaven is submission to Christ. The way to heaven is obedience to the command, Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow Me. As Jesus journeyed, so we must journey. The path He followed, we must follow; for that path leads to the mansions He is preparing for us.—The Review and Herald, April 24, 1900.
From the Heart p. 64
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Prayer Request
—-Please pray for my brother-in-law who is in the hospital with colon cancer. J
—-Please pray for Rosalie whose husband died seven years ago that God will give her comfort and peace. BH
—-My sister is severely depressed and is in a very difficult situation. Please pray for her get help for her depression and for God to help her through this situation. Kathy
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Dear Friends,
As a teenager Esther wrote a piece entitled “A Mother’s Love.” I don’t remember if she had put this to music or not.
“A mother’s arms holding her child. Her tender voice warmed by her smile. A mother’s eyes brightened with her tears. She gives her wants and hopes and all her fears to God.
A mother’s strength is found in our God. He gives her hope and faith to lead her children on. She holds her child’s hands gently in her own. She shows the tiny feet the long pathway home to God.
A mother’s love is sent from our God. He gives her strength and peace to carry on. With a gentle smile and arms open wide She welcomes love from her child, then gives it back to God.”
Shortly after Solomon became king, he used a mother’s love to make a decision that would affect that mother’s child forever. “Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.” 1 Kings 3:16-27
That mother’s heart yearned over her little one. All her hopes and dreams were wrapped up in him. Yet, she was willing to give her child to the other woman than to see harm come to her little one. Truly a mother’s love is strong. A mother would rather suffer than to see her child suffer. Indeed, when her child suffers (no matter what the age or what kind of suffering) the mother suffers as much or more.
We have Someone Whose Great Heart of Love yearns over us. Indeed, He loves us even more than we could ever love our children. Beyond this, He gave His Life for us that we might live with Him throughout all eternity. He assures us, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Isa 49:15, 16; Jer 31:3 The psalmist reminds us, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.” Ps 103:13
May our heart respond with love, trust, and praise to the One Who loves us so is my prayer.
Rose
Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/becoming-a-child-of-god.html
Adding and Multiplying
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2.
We are not to trust in our faith, but in the promises of God. When we repent of our past transgressions of His law, and resolve to render obedience in the future, we should believe that God for Christ’s sake accepts us and forgives our sins.
Darkness and discouragement will sometimes come upon the soul and threaten to overwhelm us, but we should not cast away our confidence. We must keep the eye fixed on Jesus, feeling or no feeling. We should seek to faithfully perform every known duty, and then calmly rest in the promises of God….
We may not feel today the peace and joy which we felt yesterday, but we should by faith grasp the hand of Christ, and trust Him as fully in the darkness as in the light.
Satan may whisper, “You are too great a sinner for Christ to save.” While you acknowledge that you are indeed sinful and unworthy, you may meet the tempter with the cry, “By virtue of the atonement, I claim Christ as my Savior.” …
If we would permit our minds to dwell more upon Christ and the heavenly world, we should find a powerful stimulus and support in fighting the battles of the Lord…. When the mind has been long permitted to dwell only on earthly things, it is a difficult matter to change the habits of thought. That which the eye sees and the ear hears, too often attracts the attention and absorbs the interest. But if we would enter the city of God, and look upon Jesus in His glory, we must become accustomed to beholding Him with the eye of faith here….
Sanctification is a progressive work. The successive steps are set before us in the words of Peter: “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” … Here is a course by which we may be assured that we shall never fall. Those who are thus working upon the plan of addition in obtaining the Christian graces, have the assurance that God will work upon the plan of multiplication in granting them the gifts of His Spirit.—The Review and Herald, November 15, 1887.
From the Heart p. 57
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Prayer Requests
—-My 80 plus neighbor asked for prayer for her cat miracle who is very sick she may have to put her down she has no family never had kids except her cats and dogs. Please pray for miracle that she can have the strength for put her down she is 16 years old. thanks M.
—-Please pray Doyle, Bladder cancer treatment. BL
—-Please pray for Sylvia as the doctors only gave her a week to live. Pril
—-Ermise’s young sister just had a stroke and her daughter having surgery. Plus the husband’s health is deteriorating. Michael
—-Cheryl has serious health issues and needs prayers for healing. Wanda
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Dear Friends,
How I loved to listen to my grandfather’s wonderful stories of the long-ago days when he was a boy in rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He explained in detail how he was able to live off wild edibles and the fish he would catch on a fishing hook and a line always carried in his pocket wherever he went. His fishing pole was nothing more than a supple branch from a nearby tree. He told of the drainage holes along the floor of the area’s covered bridges that were just right for letting down his line into the river below but afforded him protection from the elements. Those descriptions of the covered bridges fascinated me. I had seen covered bridges, but never the kind he described.
In 1976, we were living in rural Pennsylvania, and my grandfather’s stories seemed to come alive. One day, my mother came for a visit. We decided to take her for a long drive to show her the beauties of the area around our home. As we drove farther and farther, we began speaking of Grandfather’s stories as everywhere we looked there was something to remind us of them. Soon we came to a lovely little park nestled in the mountains. My mother wanted to stop, so we pulled the car to the side of the narrow road and began to walk in among the trees.
The central attraction of this park was an ancient covered bridge. We were delighted! We walked quickly down the path and entered the bridge. As we explored every nook and cranny, my mother wondered aloud if her father had fished from there. We laughed at the thought, yet his description of this bridge was so exact that it seemed a real possibility. As we stopped by one of the rectangular drainage holes, we talked about how he had fished from ones just like it.
Suddenly my mother shouted! We had kept walking along the bridge, but she had stayed to gaze out over the water. We hurried back to see what she was so excited about. Pointing to the railing, she said, “Daddy always carved his name wherever he went. Look here!” There, carved in the railing, was the name “Ed Harmon.” Even after all those many years it was still plainly visible. The letters were about an inch and a half tall and started out very deep but became shallower toward the end. He must have gotten tired of his carving, just as any kid would. My grandfather, sometime in his early teens, had fished from that very bridge! What a precious experience!
Just so, on every tree and leaf and flower, our Great Creator has left His Name for us to discover. As we look at the beauties of this earth, even after 6,000 years of sin, we can see His tender care for every part of His creation. As we look up into the sky on a crisp cool night and see the billions of stars above us, we think of the words of the Psalmist, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.” Ps 19:1, 2 As we gaze upon those same stars and galaxies David saw, we anticipate the delightful discoveries that await us when sin and sinners shall be no more.
The majestic mountains remind us that “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” Deut 32:4 The clear flowing streams that we walk along here, are a foretaste of the “river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” The lovely trees that shade us from the sun’s rays, make us long to eat from “the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month.” Rev 22:1,2
Think of it! The “LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it,” is the very One Who gave His life that we may live eternally. (Isa 45:18) Our Loving Saviour left all the glories of Heaven, lived a life of poverty and hardship, suffered all the hatred of wicked men spurred on by demons; so that someday we may dwell in His glorious kingdom where “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” Rev 21:4 “O Praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD. Ps 117
May praise to Jesus be upon our lips as we discover the signature of our Redeemer upon His creation is my prayer.
Rose
Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/adding-and-multiplying.html
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