And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28.
Jesus appreciates the efforts of every tried and tempted soul. Please take in the precious words of invitation that have been spoken to you by Jesus. Christ alone can place a proper estimate upon the human soul. Those who strive for the crown of immortal life will find that the forces of Satan are arrayed against them, but remember that we are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). We are living in the last time, and Satan is now working with masterly power in order that with subtle temptations he may overcome those who believe in Jesus. But we are to be “kept by the power of God”; therefore, in temptation give glory to God who is able and will keep the believing soul so that he shall not be overcome by the wily foe….
The crafty deceiver has been found to be an accuser, a liar, a tormentor and a murderer; but whatever he may have led others to say concerning you, the Lord can say to him as He said to Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” He can say to him, “You shall not come in between this soul and Me. You shall not interpose yourself between Me and the soul for whom I died a ransom.” It is for you, my tempted sister, to dismiss Satan with his temptations, and to take Jesus. Press close to Jesus, and place your hand in His, and He will firmly hold your hand, and never let go of the soul who maintains his faith in Him….
Living faith in the power of Jesus Christ, not in your own efficiency and wisdom, will bring you through every difficulty and temptation. Patiently wait, watch, and pray, and hold fast to the promises. However much your enemies have bruised and wounded your soul, forgive them, and by maintaining faith in Christ, you will find Him to be to you as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary land…. Endure the pressure. Submit to wrong, bear the suffering part of religion for Christ’s sake, rather than sin against God by seeking to deliver yourself….
Cannot you be a partaker with Christ in His sufferings? Cannot you endure to have your name cast out as evil, and suffer the loss of temporal interest? You may be falsely accused, but bear in mind that Jesus bore all this for you, and faint not at tribulation. Overcome evil with good. Do not become bitter and estranged from Jesus. He loves you. Put your trust in Him….
Jesus sees the soul who is tempted, and to the broken and contrite heart, the submissive spirit, He imparts grace and soothing consolation.—Letter 32, January 28, 1894, to “Miss Hartman.”
The Upward Look p. 42
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my dear elderly mother. She’s not feeling good but she cannot describe why. I will probably be taking her to the ER again soon if she doesn’t start feeling better. She is very depressed and says it’s because she cannot see anything today. But this happens pretty often and the next day she can see a little better. Please pray for her depression to leave right away. Thank you for your much needed prayers. She is also hallucinating off and on again seeing people who are not there. Connie
—-Please pray for baby Amara who is still having seizures. Rose
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
My grandfather had a younger brother, Harold, who when he was barely old enough, joined the merchant marines. Their father was so abusive, that they had both fled from home at an early age to escape. But Harold suffered far more there than he had at home. He returned a few years later full of a certain parasite that was in the South Pacific. How he wished he had obeyed orders. The men had been told not to swim in the nearby water. One hot day, Harold was looking at that clear pool, that was just inviting him to swim, and thought to himself, “My commanding officer just doesn’t want us to have any fun. I’ll just take a very short swim and he’ll never know.” That short swim cost Harold his life. In that water was a parasite that ate holes in his intestines. This was the reason for the no swimming rule.
Sometimes we think of God’s law in much the same way that Harold thought of his commanding officer’s prohibition. We are tempted to think that God just doesn’t want us to enjoy the “pleasures” of life. But the very opposite is true. God’s commandments are for our benefit: they bring true joy. He, Who made us, knows what is best for us. One pastor compared the Ten Commandment to the owner’s manual one gets with a new car. The manufacturer puts in that manual all that the owner needs to know in order to get the best service out of that new car. If obeyed, the car will last longer and be more problem free than if we treated it carelessly. When problems do arise, we realize from that manual that we need to go to a knowledgeable mechanic to fix it. Just so, the Ten Commandments contain the rules for a happy and successful life both here and in eternity. If obeyed, it will keep us from becoming entangled in the devil’s snares, and, if we do fall, it is like a mirror pointing out our sin that we may run to Jesus, our Master Mechanic for forgiveness and cleansing.
Our Great Law-Giver summed up the Ten Commandments by explaining that to truly keep them we must love God supremely and love our fellow man as much as we love ourselves. (Matt 22:37-40) And so it is. The first three commandments deal with our love to God and urge us to worship our Great Creator and to rightly represent Him in everything we do or say or think. The Great King of the Universe gives us life and supplies all of our needs. Every breath that we take, each beat of our heart, is a blessing from Him. He is “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” Ex 34:6-8 He, alone, deserves our worship and adoration, our obedience, our all.
The fourth commandment points us to our Loving Creator Who made heaven and earth and all things therein. (Acts 17:24) He has set aside a special time to remember this event. Genesis 2:1-3 tells us that after He was finished creating this world, He set aside the seventh day as a memorial so that we might remember that all things were made by Him and that we did not just evolve. Even more than that, He made holy the day as a time to spend with Him in communing with Him and drawing closer to Him. “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: (set it aside for holy use) because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” The first angel of Revelation 14 has a message for us living today, to bring us back to Creator of Heaven and earth. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Rev 14:6,7
The last six commandments deal with our love to others. We are told to love and obey our parents. Paul expands on this commandment, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Eph 6:1-4
Jesus explained in greater detail the next two commandments when He said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matt 5:21-24 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” vs 27,28
So with the commandments prohibiting lying, stealing, and coveting. From these three sins spring much unhappiness. A person who violates any of these, violates our trust, makes us feel unsafe and unsure. Nothing and no one is safe around those who break these commandments.
May we always remember to keep God’s commandments out of a heart filled with love for Him, not because we think that by keeping them we will be saved. (Only Jesus’ great sacrifice can save us, not the keeping of the Law.) May we obey our Loving Saviour because He, alone, knows what is best for us. May our obedience to Him bring us the happiness that He so greatly desires for us to have is my prayer.
Rose

The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Exodus 34:6, 7.
How grateful we should be that the Lord is slow to anger! What a wonderful thought it is, that Omnipotence puts a restraint upon His mighty power! But because the Lord is forbearing and long-suffering, the human heart often manifests a tendency to venture presumptuously to add sin to sin! … “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Instead of God’s patience hardening the sinner to continual transgression, it should lead him to determine to seek God’s forgiveness, in order that the figures standing against his account in the heavenly record may be canceled….
Satan is the originator of evil. He swerved from his allegiance to God. Those who persisted in sympathizing with him in his disaffection were, with him, shut out of heaven. Implacable hatred against God fills Satan’s mind. Persistently he has used his influence to efface from the human family God’s image, and in its place to stamp his own satanic image. His effort to deceive our first parents was successful. Made in the image of God, the human family lost their innocence, became transgressors, and as disloyal subjects began their downward career. Satan gained control of man’s power of action. Through the senses he influenced the mind.
Thus it has been from the beginning of the world. Instead of remaining under God’s influence, in order that he might reflect the moral image of his Creator, man placed himself under the control of Satan’s influence and was made selfish. Thus sin became a universal evil. And what a dreadful evil is sin!
Yielding to Satan’s suggestions, our first parents opened the floodgates of evil upon the world. The questionable principles of the father and the mother of the human race influenced some of those with whom they associated. The evil that began in Paradise has extended down through the ages. Although Adam and Eve related with sorrow to their children the sad story of the Fall, their family became a divided family. Cain chose to serve Satan, Abel to serve God. Cain killed his brother Abel, because he would not follow his example.
That the world might not be destroyed because of its moral pollution, God undertook His great work of salvation, sending His Son to this earth to redeem mankind.—Manuscript 55, January 27, 1902, “The Long-Sufferance of God.”
The Upward Look p. 41
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for David that God will guide his thinking. Buck
—-Please pray for grandson Phillip in the hospital with gall bladder attack. Apparently going to do surgery! Ann
—-I’m asking prayers for my daughter and family. They work for AFM, they are doing a 10-year mission in _____. They have been there for almost 2 years now. We have no contact with my daughter, for 3 weeks now. They will be deep in the mountain for 3 months. It’s my daughter Sonya, Seth son in law Luke 11 and Littlest Lily 7. Just was told my daughter and granddaughter are sick don’t know how bad they are or nothing! So please keep them in your prayers! Toni
—-Gwen had a bleeding stroke. surgery was performed to stop the bleeding. after doing another mri during recovery, it was found that the bleeding had not stopped completely. Tests are being done to determine ow much, if any damage has the other organs have endured. She is still critical, Joseph
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
My Auntie Joyce’s real name was Bessie Joyce, and like her mother’s sister Bessie, she often said something funny or embarrassing. Geography was never one of her strong subjects in school and one day when she was twelve, she made the mistake of asking if Europe was one of the United States. Everyone got a hearty laugh over that and teased her about the state of Europe. It became a family joke. It was funny to everyone else, but humiliating for her.
Another time, she came home all excited. The building that was being built a couple of blocks away finally had a sign on it. Joyce said that the sign said, “Collisions.” Everyone thought that it must be a body shop. It didn’t look like a garage, however, it looked more like it should have been a grocery store. A day or two later, as they were walking to town, they passed “Collisions” and began to laugh and laugh. No wonder it didn’t look like a body shop! It was “Collison’s Grocery!” Poor Joyce, never heard that end of that one either.
We all have things that we have done or said that we would like to forget. Some of them are embarrassing or funny like Joyce’s mistakes and really do not matter. Some of them are very serious faults and failings and have eternal consequences. Others often remember those things better than all of the good that we have done. Over and over we are reminded of that which we’d rather forget.
Moreover, our sins are recorded in Heaven. If we do not ask for forgiveness, we will have to meet them again. Indeed, ” For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 Our Dear Heavenly Father assures us, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isa 43:25 “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.” 1:18 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Heb 10:16,17
Think of it! God blots out our sins so thoroughly that He does not ever remember them. They are gone! They will not be mentioned again! (Eze 18:22) David tells us, “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. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” Ps 103:12-18 What a wonderful God we serve! “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.” vs. 10, 11
Let our heart be filled with love and gratitude for His wonderful forgiveness. Let us serve His with our whole heart. Let us praise Him for His grace which He has bestowed so freely upon us.
Rose

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16.
Men are inspired by Satan to execute his purposes against God. The Lord has said, “Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations” (Exodus 31:13). None should disobey this command in order to escape persecution. But let all consider the words of Christ, “When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another” (Matthew 10:23). If it can be avoided, do not put yourselves into the power of men who are worked by the spirit of antichrist. If the payment of a fine will deliver our brethren from the hands of these oppressors, let it be paid…. Everything that we can do should be done that those who are willing to suffer for the truth’s sake may be saved from oppression and cruelty.
We have the history of religious persecution from the fall of Adam down to the present time. How much of cruelty, perfidy, and corrupt intrigue is revealed. Satan is still leading men to strive for the mastery over other minds, and all this striving is designed to counterwork a “Thus saith the Lord.”
Christ died a victim to the mob spirit created by the religious prejudice of His own nation. Others will suffer in like manner. But they will not have to stand under the curse of the transgression of the law of God, as did Christ in behalf of the sinful world….
The Lord encourages all who seek Him with the whole heart. He gives them His Holy Spirit, the manifestation of His presence and favor. But those who forsake God in order to save their lives will be forsaken by Him. In seeking to save their lives by yielding the truth, they will lose eternal life.
Natural affection for relatives and friends should not lead any soul who sees the light to reject the light, to dishonor God the Father and Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. Every possible excuse for disobedience will be framed by men who choose, as many did in Christ’s day, the favor of men rather than the favor of God. If one chooses wife or children, father or mother, before Christ, that choice will stand through eternal ages, with all its weight of responsibility….
The greater man’s influence for good, under the control of the Spirit of God, the more determined will be the enemy to indulge his envy and jealousy toward him by religious persecution. But all heaven is on the side of Christ, not of antichrist. Those who love God and are willing to be partakers with Christ in His sufferings, God will honor.—Manuscript 9, January 26, 1900, “Our Duty Under Persecution.”
The Upward Look p. 40
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—- please pray for a friend of mine who has a cancerous lump in the left lung. john
—-Please pray for my daughters and their families. One had cancer last year and her mother-in-law’s presently dying from cancer. The other daughter has cancer surgery next Monday and her husband’s grandmother just died yesterday. Lord, give them strength. Vickie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
A month or so ago, we had to take Eileen to the ER as she was extremely sick. They kept her and the next day they removed her gall bladder. How well I remember the years From the time I was a teenager until I was in my forties, I also suffered with gall bladder problems. Yet I was afraid of going to the hospital and getting my gallbladder removed even though I knew that would take care of the problem. All of the horror stories that I had heard about surgeries gone wrong filled me with dread. Having worked in various hospitals over the years, confirmed that those sorts of things do happen.
By the time I was 43, it was obvious that something had to be done. I could eat nothing. Still I was very sick. The thought of leaving my children and going into the hospital seemed like a trial that I could not bear. I was terrified.
One day, as I was weeding the garden, I felt so very ill, that I knew that I could not go on much longer. I prayed that God would take control of the situation. I fully expected to get better and have no more problems. Surely God would heal me. Instead of being healed, I got worse. That night my temperature dropped to 94 and I shivered uncontrollably. I felt forsaken. Why hadn’t God answered my prayer?
Ron insisted that I go to the emergency room. Despite my protests, we went. They found that I had a terrible infection in my gallbladder and would have died if I had waited much longer. The doctor on duty that night was a specialist in removing gallbladders and the surgery went well. If I had gone the next night, he would have been on vacation.
Even though my prayers were not answered exactly the way I wanted them to be, our Great Redeemer had answered them in a way that was best for me. Through this and other happenings in my life, I learned that He will take control of any situation if we will ask Him and then allow Him to work “to will and to do of His good pleasure.” He does not force His way into our lives, we must invite Him. He promises us, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Ps 32:8 Think of it! The great Creator of the Universe, He Who upholds “all things by the word of his power,” is willing to guide our life. (Heb 1:3) We will get ourselves into trouble if we try to do what we think is best without finding out God’s way. Solomon warns, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Prov 14:12
I learned that in any area of life, nothing can happen unless it is allowed by the One Who loves us more than we love ourselves. Paul assures us, “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 “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor 10:13 With David we can say, “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” Ps 145:9
I also learned that our Loving Saviour does not always answer our prayer in just the way we ask, but He answers by giving us what we need. Sometimes, in His wisdom, He allows things to get much worse before they get better; yet He promises, “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.” Isa 43:1-3 He knows just what we need to go through to refine us. These trials have a purpose: they draw us into a closer relationship to Him. He says, I “will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” Zech 13:9
Often through the trials that we experience, we become changed into His likeness. Paul admonishes, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Heb 12:5-14
May we trust our Dear Saviour no matter what our circumstances. May we place our hand in His powerful hand and allow Him to lead us on the path that leads to His Great Kingdom above. May we trust fully in the leading of the One Who loves us so.
Rose

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. Revelation 17:14.
What is life? A standing memorial of the only true God. The work of creation can never be explained by science. What intellect is there that can explain the science of life? Can we wonder that the materialist has no place for the existence of God? The fourth commandment declares to the whole universe, to the worlds unfallen and the fallen world, that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. The evidence there given does not leave standing room for skepticism….
Christ, the Commander in the heavenly courts, was accustomed to receive the attendance and adoration of angels. And at any time during His life on this earth He could have called to His Father for twelve legions of angels. But no bribe, no temptation to lead Him to manifest His divine prerogatives, could induce Him to deviate from the path of God’s appointment. Great tact and cunning were shown in the tactics which Satan followed. Three times did the enemy try to gain the victory over Christ. He assailed Him on the point of appetite. He appealed to His pride. He presented before Him the most captivating scenes of this world. He challenged Him to give evidence that He was the Son of God. Christ gave him none, but righteously maintained His dignity as One to whom God has committed all power.
Today, Satan has great power in the world. He has been permitted to have proprietorship of this earth for an appointed time. During this period, when iniquity prevails, men and women are given a chance to take sides. In every possible way, Satan tries to make the broad road attractive and the narrow road grievous, humiliating, and objectionable. He lays ingenious plans to allure men and women to indulge appetite. Cheap, unsatisfying pleasures are made all and in all in this degenerate age. Satan throws his glamour about these amusements, which eclipse eternal things. Many will sell their birthright, as did Esau, for trifling consideration by the indulgence of appetite. Worldly pleasure will appear more desirable to them than the heavenly birthright.
But Christ has overcome in our behalf. He was the only one who could be a competent Saviour. He had divine wisdom, ability, and power. He could stand before the world as a wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.—Letter 7, January 25, 1900, to W. K. Kellogg, brother of and assistant to Dr. J. H. Kellogg.
The Upward Look p. 39
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-I have a friend who really needs prayer for her marriage. Her husband used to be a SDA Christian but now he is into pornography and he is now into the violent kind of porn and my friend really needs prayer about this. The devil seems to have taken control of him. . . . Please pray for his quick repentance and conversion. Also I got a late call tonight from one of my son’s because his girlfriend had come home and . . . they had an argument and she started punching my son in his stomach over and over and her teenage son kept yelling over and over for his mom to stop punching my son. So she then went after her teenage son and my son called the cops and she was arrested and is now in jail. They have 4 beautiful children together and everything had been going so good for them lately. Now CPS will probably get involved and my son is very worried and stressed out. Please pray for my son and my grandchildren that everything will be okay for them. I hate to say it but the mom needed to be arrested this is not the first time she has attacked my son. He is a very good dad and loves his kids so much. Please pray for them all. Connie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
It has been a long time since we have gone for a little walk at Watson park (one of the local parks here in the city) but every time we do, we remember the time when we were invited to a wedding there. The bride was a friend of Eileen from the trailer park where we lived. This was her third marriage and she and the groom didn’t seem to take it all that seriously.
The pastor who was officiating, however, took it very seriously. He had some really important things to say about marriage. He spoke of the seriousness of the marriage vows that are taken before the Great King of the Universe. When he guided the bride and groom through their vows, we were surprised at how very strict they were. He stressed the point that these vows were not to be entered into lightly. Then he addressed the congregation and had them vow to do all within our power to help the bride and groom to keep the vows they had just taken. (Sadly, in a few years there marriage ended, but the pastor’s words that day stuck with me.)
The Bible speaks of an upcoming wedding that is the most important and grandest wedding that will ever take place, a wedding where the Groom is our Dear Saviour and His followers are the bride. John gives us a glimpse of that marriage. “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” Rev 19:6-9 It is a wedding where “thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” Isa 54:5 Paul used the symbol of marriage when he told his converts, “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 2 Cor 11:2
Each day, we are preparing for that great ceremony above. Just as Jesus said “He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Matt 19:4-6, so when we accept Jesus as our Saviour we begin a new life of oneness with Him. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor 5:17
Just as a man and woman become more like one another the longer they are married, so we become changed into His likeness through a closer and closer walk with Him. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18
When we join ourselves to our Loving Saviour, we are no longer the same, no longer our own. His thoughts are to become our thoughts; His will, our will; His life our life. How our Great Redeemer longs for us to have this close relationship with Him. He assures us, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”Jer 31:3 How His Great Heart of Love longs for us to fellowship with Him continuously. How He desires us to show our love for Him not only by the words we say, but also by the things that we do. Our greatest joy will be to do those things which please Him. Paul tells us, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Cor 6:19,20
May we daily invite Jesus into our heart allowing Him to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Phil 2:13 May we spend so much time with Him through Bible study and prayer that others will see Him image stamped upon our character is my prayer.
Rose

<strongServe the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing…. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name. Psalm 100:2-4. Let every church member kneel before God while in His temple, and consecrate to Him His own, which He has bought with the blood of Christ…. God will bless all who will thus prepare themselves for His service. They will understand what it means to have the assurance of the Spirit, because they have received Christ by faith. The religion of Christ means much more than the forgiveness of sin. It means taking away our sins and filling the vacuum with the Holy Spirit. It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God. It means a heart emptied of self, and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ. We need the vital qualities of Christianity, and when we possess them, the church will be a living, active, working church. There will be growth in grace, because the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness pervade the chambers of the mind. Let us not bring the gloom of unbelief into the church. Let us trim our lamps, seeking a fresh supply of oil, before we step over the threshold. It is our right, our privilege, to dismiss gloomy depression. As we go to the house of worship, we may go with joyfulness, for are we not going to meet with God and His people? … Let no thought of criticism enter your mind, to torment you, for Satan is near. He will do this work without your help. Refuse to cooperate with the accuser of the brethren. Gather up every ray of light, then seek out those who need help, and give this light to them. God says, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23)…. The Lord will greatly bless His tried and chosen ones, if they will cooperate with Him. When the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost, it was like a rushing, mighty wind. It was given in no stinted measure, for it filled all the place where the disciples were sitting. So will it be given to us when our hearts are prepared to receive it…. When you meet with the Lord, say, I am in the Lord's house, and I desire all wicked thoughts, all mistrust and murmuring against my brethren, to be banished. We have met here with God, who “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).—Manuscript 2, January 24, 1899, “The Need of Greater Consecration.”
The Upward Look p. 38
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Asking for prayer for my daughter's hip pain. She has bursitis and got injection last week. Still having significant pain. Ann
—- My 22 week pregnant daughter’s water broke. Dr tried to force her to abort. She refused, Dr got angry, she gave birth to Miaveli, 1 lb. 6 oz, 11 in. Needs your prayers to survive. Bernardo
—-My Pop is in the hospital with double pneumonia. Prayers appreciated. Aaron
—-Please pray for Mary Ellen who has pancreatitis. Rose
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
One day before I retired, I decided to wear to work a pair of Esther's sandals that she had left at my house, and I had been wearing around the house. They were in such a convenient spot to slip into and they were comfortable. Out the door I went without giving those shoes another thought.
As soon as I had arrived at work, however, I was sorry that I had. When I had stepped onto the tile floor of the courthouse, loud clickety-clacks resounded throughout the foyer. There was not only the click, click, click of the heels, but also a slap, slap, slap as my heel and the shoe met with every step. Try as I might, I just could not walk quietly.
Although those sandals made my feet feel very comfortable, I was very uncomfortable. I would rather not be noticed, and everyone was noticing me no matter where I went. Throughout the day, everyone could hear me coming. I was so embarrassed. I even got a few comments about their being able to know where I was at all times. When I went on the afternoon "run" delivering and picking up paperwork from various courthouse offices, many people turned and looked in my direction. It seemed to me that they were suppressing their giggles at my loud clacking. I never wore those sandals again.
How seldom are we aware of how our "footsteps" influence those around us. Jesus declares, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt 5:14-16 Think of it. Those with whom we come in contact are waiting to see if our "walk" matches our profession as Christians. "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 2:6;1:6,7 The Pharisees of Jesus' time were like those noisy sandals. Jesus warns us not to be like them, "do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not." Matt 23:3 Because their profession did not match their "walk" with Him, Jesus pronounced many woes upon them. May we go about our Christian walk not in noisy show, but faithfully, quietly, working for our Lord and Saviour is my prayer.
Rose