Jesus did not receive baptism as a confession of guilt on His own account. He identified Himself with sinners, taking the steps that we are to take, and doing the work that we must do. His life of suffering and patient endurance after His baptism was also an example to us.56The Desire of Ages, 111.

Christ as the head of humanity was to take the same steps that we are required to take. Although sinless, He was our example in fulfilling all the requirements for the redemption of the sinful race. He bore the sins of the whole world. His baptism was to embrace the whole sinful world who by repentance and faith would be pardoned. “After that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.” Titus 3:4-8. Man was brought again into favor with God by the washing of regeneration. The washing was the burial with Christ in the water in the likeness of His death, representing that all who repent of the transgression of the law of God receive purification, cleansing, through the work of the Holy Spirit. Baptism represents true conversion by the renewing of the Holy Spirit.57Manuscript 57, 1900.

Those who have been buried with Christ in baptism, and been raised in the likeness of His resurrection, have pledged themselves to live in newness of life. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1, 2.58Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 258.
The Faith I Live By p. 143
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Prayer Requests
—-E needs God guidance in an important matter. R
—-Please pray for my son who recently had surgery to straighten out his leg. Jennifer
—-Please pray for Kenneth whose wife died yesterday. Adam
—-Please pray for my niece, she is losing her sight in one eye. ST
—-Please pray for a lady named Rhonda I met in a parking lot. She is homeless and her car was stolen. Her family is a mess and won’t help her. She is suicidal. Renae
—-Please pray for a lady that works at a nearby store. She sits in her walker and greets people. She has MS. I witnessed to her today. Please pray for her Salvation and that it won’t get any worse in fact that God would give her a miracle. Debra
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Dear Friends,

My grandparents lived in a neighborhood where most of the people were retired. Except for about two weeks in the summer when Mrs. Caswell’s grandchildren came to visit her, there were only one or two children to play with. Because of this, I spent most of my time playing alone. When I got really bored, my Grandmother allowed me to look at her oldest photo album. I would study each photo with care trying to imagine what the people were doing, what they were like.

One of the pictures that fascinated me, was a picture of Harold, my Grandfather’s
younger brother. He had only two pictures of him. One was taken when the two brothers were little boys. It was taken in 1890 when my grandfather was six and Harold, two. They looked so frightened sitting there on a large piece of material that had been arranged by someone with an artistic eye. It seemed unbelievable that my grandfather had ever been a tiny boy.

The other photograph of Harold was his wedding picture. He had grown to be a handsome young man and had married a beautiful girl. What a lovely couple! How happy they looked! Harold and Hattie should have had an “and they lived happily ever after” ending to their romance; but their life together was short. He had joined the merchant marines and had been sent to the South Pacific. There, he contracted a parasite which eventually ate through his intestines. They had not been married long before this parasite had multiplied enough to cause him trouble. Within a short time, he died a horrible and painful death.

We, too, are infected with a “parasite” that is eating away our life just as surely as that parasite caused Harold’s death. That “parasite” is sin. Year by year it is within us, eating out our very life, giving us pain, changing us, hardening us, causing us to lose the happy life we might have had. Strangely, we consider this “parasite” as a normal part of life. This “parasite” of sin even gives us momentary pleasure. How mixed up the evil one has made us!

Our Dear Saviour looks upon us with pity. We may hide the “parasite” of sin from others, but He sees our true condition. He knows that we are as Isaiah described— “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 1:5,6 With tears in His voice He says to us, “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die…? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” Eze 18:31,32

Our Great Redeemer has paid the price for our redemption. We can be free from the sins that are eating away at us. All we need to do is accept His great sacrifice for us. Only He can rid us of the parasite of sin. Only He can cleanse us deep within. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” 1 John 3:1-8; 1:9-2:6 With yearning desire our Loving Saviour pleads, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Isa 1:18; 55:1; Matt 11:28-30

May we come to Him now, just as we are, that we may receive cleansing from the “parasite” of sin, praying as did David, ” Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Ps 51:10

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/our-lords-example-2.html

All who have a sense of their deep soul poverty, who feel that they have nothing good in themselves, may find righteousness and strength by looking unto Jesus.29Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 8.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17. Man must be emptied of self before he can be, in the fullest sense, a believer in Jesus. When self is renounced, then the Lord can make man a new creature.30The Desire of Ages, 280.

When man has sinned against a holy and merciful God, he can pursue no course so noble as to repent sincerely, and confess his errors in tears and bitterness of soul. This God requires of him; He accepts nothing less than a broken heart and a contrite spirit.31Prophets and Kings, 435, 436.

The proud heart strives to earn salvation; but both our title to heaven and our fitness for it are found in the righteousness of Christ. The Lord can do nothing toward the recovery of man until, convinced of his own weakness, and stripped of all self-sufficiency, he yields himself to the control of God. Then he can receive the gift that God is waiting to bestow. From the soul that feels his need, nothing is withheld. He has unrestricted access to Him in whom all fullness dwells.32The Desire of Ages, 300.

The only reason why we may not have remission of sins that are past is that we are not willing to humble our proud hearts and comply with the conditions.33Testimonies for the Church 5:636.

God is very pitiful, for He understands our weaknesses and our temptations; and when we come to Him with broken hearts and contrite spirits. He accepts our repentance, and promises that, as we take hold of His strength to make peace with Him, we shall make peace with Him. Oh, what gratitude, what joy, should we feel that God is merciful! 34Testimonies for the Church 3:239, 240.

The offering most sweet and acceptable in God’s sight is a heart made humble by self-denial, by lifting the cross and following Jesus.35Evangelism, 510.
The Faith I Live By p. 136
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my husband as he presents the message about the heavenly sanctuary today and for those who are hearing the message. Kathy
—-Please pray for Joyce who is in a lot of pain. Also for Marvin who has cancer and is in a great deal of pain. Rose
—-Please pray for my daughter Cassie she’s in the beginning stages of a nasty divorce. Wendy
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Dear Friends,

When I was ten, my mother, her husband Eddie, and I often went for a drive in the country. Sometimes, I really enjoyed these outings, but other times he was not very pleasant and made things miserable. On one such occasion, I had become so preoccupied from the miserable time I was happening, that I was not paying much attention to what I was doing. When I got out of the car, I slammed the door in anger and frustration. Unfortunately, my right thumb was in the way. Worse yet, it was right in the latch. Oh! How that hurt! I nearly fainted.

It hurt so much that I did not even think of opening the door. Eddie saw what had happened and yanked open the door (which was stuck because of my thumb). Cars were much larger and heavier in the 1950’s, so my thumb was a real mess. He told me to go into a nearby drugstore and see if the pharmacist could care for it. In those far-off days, pharmacists not only filled prescriptions, they also administered first aid. When the man saw my poor thumb, he cleaned it, put some ointment on it, bandaged it, and sent me on my way. It took a long time for it to heal, but eventually it did. When my thumbnail finally grew back in, it had a heavy line running through it and most of the time, the part on the small side of the line splits off from the rest of the nail.

Just as I have that reminder of my anger and frustration with that alcoholic my mother had married, so every sin leaves its scar upon us. We are never quite the same again. Sin weakens us making it easier to sin the next time. Sin always has consequences. Sometimes we bear those consequences ourselves; other times those around us are affected.

Even so, we do not have to stay in that condition. We can find forgiveness in the One Who is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” Ex 34:6 “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Ps 103:10-14 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
May we daily pray as did David, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. . . . Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Ps 51:1-13

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/help-for-the-poor-in-spirit-2.html

The apostle says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” James 5:16. Confess your sins to God, who only can forgive them, and your faults to one another. If you have given offense to your friend or neighbor, you are to acknowledge your wrong, and it is his duty freely to forgive you. Then you are to seek the forgiveness of God, because the brother you have wounded is the property of God, and in injuring him you have sinned against his Creator….

True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.5Steps to Christ, 37, 38.

Many, many confessions should never be spoken in the hearing of mortals; for the result is that which the limited judgment of finite beings does not anticipate…. God will be better glorified if we confess the secret, inbred corruption of the heart to Jesus alone than if we open its recesses to finite, erring man, who cannot judge righteously unless his heart is constantly imbued with the Spirit of God…. Do not pour into human ears the story which God alone should hear.6Testimonies for the Church 5:645.

The confession that is the outpouring of the inmost soul finds its way to the God of infinite pity.7Steps to Christ, 38.

Your sins may be as mountains before you; but if you humble your heart, and confess your sins, trusting in the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, He will forgive, and will cleanse you from all unrighteousness…. Desire the fullness of the grace of Christ. Let your heart be filled with an intense longing for His righteousness.8The Acts of the Apostles, 566.
The Faith I Live By p. 128
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Prayer Requests
—-I have an important unspoken prayer request. Buck
—-Please pray for a friend whose daughter died last night and that whatever is causing my right knee to lock up is completely healed. Mimi
—-Please pray, I’m having to take dialysis soon and I’m scared. Dean
—-my friend’s brother has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer his name is Kevin please keep him in your prayers. Cora
—-Please pray for our dog Moose.
—-Please pray for Jayne who is in the hospital. Brooks
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Dear Friends,

From the age of 10, my grandfather spent very little time at home. He had decided that living the life of a hobo was preferable to a home with an abusive father. He would come home periodically, however, as he loved his dear mother and wanted her to know that he was all right. The rest of the time, he lived off what fish he could catch and wild edibles. He often traveled up and down the east coast of the USA by riding on a train, not as a paying passenger, but hidden away in a boxcar. He met many interesting characters who taught him ways of survival that he needed to know.

Riding the rails was a very dangerous way to travel even in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. One day, the railroad company hired a man to catch all the hobos who were riding for free. This man was large and looked very tough and all the men who road the rails were afraid of him. This man’s reputation grew and grew with the telling. By this time my grandfather was a tough teenager, who had learned things the hard way. He had faced many dangers and felt well able to take care of himself. He had heard all the stories about this security guard. He hoped that he would never meet him.

One day, he decided to catch a ride on the train. He sneaked into the railway yard and grabbed the ladder that was at the end of a boxcar as the train went slowly by. He hoped that he was not seen, but the security guard he had spotted him. This security guard had captured many other men who had ridden without paying and he was sure that he would catch my grandfather also. Grabbing the ladder on a nearby boxcar, the man climbed up and onto the boxcar’s top.

As Grandpa peeked over the top of the boxcar to see if he could find a better place to ride, he saw the guard coming his way. Immediately he ducked down hoping that he had not been seen. In the several minutes he had before the man got to him, he had a decision to make. The train was going faster now and my grandfather decided that it was going too fast for him to jump off or be thrown off.

He decided that he must either fight the guard or bluff him. He chose the latter. Climbing up the ladder when he was sure the guard was right there, he sprung up onto the top of the boxcar right in front of the guard. Looking his meanest, he faced this huge strongman. The guard told him that he was going to throw him off the train. Although my grandfather was scared, he did not let it show. He told the man, in his meanest voice, that he had a gun and would blow his head off if he tried it. That big security guard showed that he was a coward at heart. Even though that guard did not see a gun, he was afraid at the mere mention of the word. He backed down and left my grandfather alone. Grandpa was greatly relieved as he knew that he was no match for that huge man.

How often, we are like that guard. We profess to be a Christian, but it is all a show. Inside we are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Rev 3:17 Isaiah strips away all of the pretense, saying, “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 64:6; 1:5, 6

Our Dear Saviour declared to the Pharisees of old, “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. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Matt 23:25-28

No matter what we profess, it is worthless without the love of God dwelling within. Jesus tells us, “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 7:21-23

How important it is to have that cleansing that only Jesus can give. He bids us, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isa 1:16-18 If we truly experience this cleansing, we will not be “all show” like that security guard. We will truly become a new creature. (2 Cor 5:17) We will have a new heart, new thoughts, new likes, new dislikes. Profession does no good without a change of heart. We cannot give it to ourselves. It comes from the Great Re-Creator Who promises, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. Eze 36:26,27

May we go beyond a mere outward appearance of religion and be true-hearted Christians is my prayer.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/sincere-confession-essential-2.html