For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Ephesians 3:14, 15.
In the church, officers are appointed as co-workers with God for the edification of the body of Christ. Mothers and fathers who are doers of the Word of God are a part of the body of Christ. They nurture and admonish their children in accordance with God’s Word, raising up a little army to stand under Christ’s banner. They are God’s witnesses, showing to the world that they are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christ is their pattern and they educate their children to know God.
In the prayer Christ offered in behalf of His disciples just before His betrayal and crucifixion, He said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Should not every family on earth be a symbol of the family in heaven? In each household should there not be heard songs of praise and thanksgiving?
The family whose members love God and one another, who do not get provoked, who are longsuffering, forbearing, kind, is a symbol of the family above. The members realize that they are a part of the great firm of heaven. They are taught by the laws of mutual dependence to rely upon the great Head of the church. If one of the members of such a family suffer, all the rest suffer. The suffering of one entails suffering on the other. This should teach the youth to take care of their bodies, and to pray to be preserved in health, because when they suffer from disease, the whole family partakes of their suffering.
Those men and women who have determined to serve God will seek to govern their families so that they may correctly represent the religion of Christ. The children will be taught to be tidy and useful, to share the burdens of the home, not allowing the parents to bear any [burden] which they can carry. Thus the lot of mother and father is made much easier. The whole family shares the blessing of the helpfulness of its members.
Why do not parents come to Jesus just as they are, asking for His forgiving grace and healing power? Why do they not plead to be endowed with capabilities that will enable them to rule their households aright?…
God is robbed when men and women do not connect with Him in such a way that mind, soul, and strength may be controlled by the Holy Spirit. The family of God here below should cooperate in the most perfect harmony with God’s appointed agencies in the work of molding the human character after the divine similitude.—Manuscript 1, January 19, 1899, “Unity, Courtesy, Love.”
The Upward Look p. 33
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Caden’s son, Landon. He has surgery today. Buddy
—-Please pray for my sister Michelle. She was T-boned in a tragic car accident July 25. She is in critical condition in ICU with a traumatic head injury. She was the driver with no passengers. The other car occupants are ok I understand. Shelley was visiting my mother Carolyn who is mourning the loss of her husband, who was tragically killed on May 13 when a whole tree fell over. God is still in control! David
—-Update on the Knutson family—. . . . Trinity who is the youngest at 3 years old. She suffered a femur fracture during the accident and after being transferred to ___, was placed in traction last night until she could go to the operating room this morning. She underwent a closed reduction of her femur this morning and was placed in a spica cast. She will endure a period of immobility, which will be difficult as she is a normal, healthy, and very active child. Whitney is the second youngest at age 6. She had the best outcome of all who were in the accident. Though physically she was ok and able to extricate herself from the vehicle, she informed the first responders to the accident that her sister was dead. What a tragedy for her, I do not know what Sierra looked like, but it was enough for this six-year-old girl to know instantly that her sister was dead. Bryson, the second oldest, was not in the car during the accident but at home with his cousins and his Aunt Rebekah. He is now faced with filling the role of being the oldest sibling and not having his older sister to look up to. Sierra, age 9, was the oldest of their four children and she is the one who died in the car accident. . . . MaryAnn suffered terribly in the accident. She sustained a C6 spinal fracture and presented to the ER with only limited movement of her upper extremities and no movement of her lower extremities, which remains largely unchanged at this time. She too was transferred to ___ where she immediately was taken to the OR last night for stabilization of her fracture. She is still intubated in the ICU and we are unsure when exactly she will be extubated but hoping sometime this week. . . . For TJ I don’t know where to start. . . . His faith in God’s goodness is unwavering, amidst the many prayers we’ve had he still will remember and pray for other people in need as well. He’s entrusted their family to God completely and can do no more then take things one day at a time. There is so much for him to think about, and many considerations about both the present and future of his family. He and is family need your continued prayers and support as words cannot describe the pain that he is in.
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Dear Friends,
Due to the length of the above prayer request, I will only include “It is Well With My Soul” which was written by Horacio Spafford, a father who experienced great loss of all those he held dear.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7.
It seemed to Eve a small matter to pluck of the forbidden tree; the fruit was pleasant to the eye and to the taste and seemed desirable to make one wise. But what terrible results! It was not a small matter to thus forfeit her allegiance to God. It opened the floodgates of woe to our world. Oh, the amount of evil which will come from one false step! Not to the earth must our eyes be fixed, but upward to Heaven. We must pass through dangers and difficulties, making advance at every step, gaining victories in every conflict, still rising higher and higher; the air becomes purer as the soul is brought nearer to Heaven. The earth holds no attractions now. The heavenly landscape opens with clearness and beauty. The Christian sees the crown, the white robe, the harp, the palm branch of victory; immortality is within his reach. Now the earth sinks out of sight….
If we lose everything else, we should keep conscience pure and sensitive. When asked to go where there is the least danger of offending God, doing that which you cannot do with a pure conscience, do not fear or hesitate. Look the tempter firmly in the face and say, “No; I will not imperil my soul for any worldly attraction. I love and fear God. I will not venture to dishonor or disobey Him for the riches of the world or the love and favor of a host of worldly relatives. I love Jesus who died for me. He has bought me. I am the purchase of His blood. I will be true to His claims, and my example shall never be an excuse for any to turn from the straight path of duty. I will not be the servant of Satan and of sin. My life shall be such as to leave a bright track heavenward.”
A single word for God, a firm, silent resistance even, would save not only your own souls, but hundreds of others….
The time has come when every soul must stand or fall according to his own merits. A few righteous acts, a few good impulses, may be presented to the mind as evidences of righteousness, but God requires the whole heart. He will accept no divided affections. The whole being must be given to Him or He will not receive the offering.
We must now be learning the lessons of faith if we would stand in that time of trouble which is coming upon all the world to try them who dwell upon the face of the earth. We must have the courage of heroes and the faith of martyrs.—Letter 14, January 18, 1884, to “Brother and Sister Newton,” a lay family.
The Upward Look p. 32
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Prayer Requests
—-I have a prayer request for my dear sister. She had to go to the ER last night. They told her she Copd, pneumonia and spots on her lungs. We are all very scared . She has three grown kids and a 4 yr old grandson. Please pray for her that God will heal her. Heather
—-Prayers needed for a family. They live in northern ____. . . . One of the 4 children have passed. The mom might also. Life can change within seconds. Jerrod
—-Please pray for my niece Star to receive mercy! And that she gets on a better path. Janee
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Dear Friends,
One summer we camped at a private campground for the entire summer until we could find a place to rent. Ronnie Jay, who was three at the time began to run a high fever. If we would have been home, we would have put him in a bathtub of tepid water to bring the fever down but there were no bathtubs there. We were especially worried about our little boy because just a year before a high fever had given him convulsions. That had been so frightening.
We were trying to decide what to do when, suddenly, Ron swooped up Ronnie Jay in his arms and headed for the swimming pool. Puzzled, I followed. When he got to the pool’s edge, he handed me our son and jumped in. Then Ron reached up and took our sick little boy in his arms and submerged him about chest deep in the cool water.
Poor Ronnie Jay! He could not understand why his father was being so mean to him. He cried. He screamed. He tried to get away from his father who was holding him securely. His pleading eyes looked up at me for help. I felt so sorry for him, yet I knew that this was what he needed. As expected, after 15 or 20 minutes of this “torture,” the fever broke and Ronnie Jay began to feel better.
How often our Heavenly Father must plunge us into the “pool” of troubles and trials in order to break sin’s hold upon us. How many times we, like Ronnie Jay, are perplexed, confused, and frightened as we struggle to get back to normal. We wonder why our Heavenly Father has forsaken us, not realizing that He is giving us exactly what we need. We cry. We scream. We try to get away just as Ronnie Jay did, yet our Loving Father is holding us in His great arms of love whispering in our ear, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” “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 41:10;43:1-3
Paul explains the reason for the trials we must endure, “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: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” Heb 12:5-15
James adds, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 5:7-15;1:12
May we, when troubles and trials surround us, declare as did Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” “when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 13:15; 23:10 May we cast all of our cares upon Jesus for He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7) May we look unto Jesus Who assures us, “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matt 24:13
Rose

These things I command you, that ye love one another. John 15:17.
Christ’s prayer [in John 17] … is an illustration of the intercession that He is offering for us before the Father.
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth,” He prayed (Verse 17). “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me” (Verses 18-23).
Today the One who uttered this prayer is interceding before the Father in behalf of the human beings He has redeemed. He presents them to Jehovah, saying, “I have graven them upon the palms of My hands” (cf. Isaiah 49:16).
Sanctification is to come through the truth; oneness with Christ—this is God’s purpose for us. By their sanctification and their unity, Christians are to give evidence to the world that a perfect work has been done for them, in and through Christ. Thus they are to bear witness that God sent His Son to save sinners. Will you not let Christ carry on this work of sanctification in your hearts? You may all be complete in Him. You have the assurance that through the sanctification of the truth you may be made perfect in one….
The Saviour is acquainted with the mental suffering of His children. He knows how at times their hearts are wounded and bleeding. He would have the afflicted soothed and helped. He says to us, “Bear ye one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). We are to relate ourselves rightly to one another, even though to do this demands sacrifice. Christ made an infinite sacrifice for us, and should we not be willing to sacrifice for others? We are to guard carefully against wounding or bruising the hearts of God’s children, for when we do this, we wound and bruise the heart of Christ.—Letter 31, January 17, 1904, to Elder and Mrs. J. A. Burden, and Dr. and Mrs. D. H. Kress.
The Upward Look p.31
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for a family of 2 who are facing my challenges at this moment. Becky
—-Prayer request for my sister who has Lymes disease. She just got the bulls eye. She is having symptoms. Debra
—-My husband’s brother ” Patrick” had a heart attack early yesterday morning he had emergency open-heart surgery he came through the surgery. The doctor said all heart attacks are bad but the one Patrick had is the worst heart attack a person can have. He is currently in ICU in stable condition but needs prayers for a healing recovery. Jo Ann
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Dear Friends,
A few months ago, Ronnie Jay and Wanangwa came for a visit. It was so very nice to see them! Shortly after they got home, we got a call from Ronnie Jay asking if we had seen his wife’s keys. It was doubly important since she had a ten-hour trip the next day for librarian meetings. We searched here while they searched there but to no avail. Esther, Eileen, and I came together to pray to the One Who knew where the keys were located.
As soon as Esther prayed “Please put it in our mind where the keys are if they are here or put it in their minds if they are there.” the phone rang.
Ronnie Jay said “We found them! All of a sudden I remembered that she had given me something to put in my backpack when we were hiking. I looked and there they were!”
We were praising God for His watchcare over even the smallest details of life. Think of it! The great King of the Universe, He, Who upholds “all things by the word of his power,” answered our prayer at the very moment we had asked! Indeed, He is interested in every aspect of the lives of all those whom He has redeemed. “I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.” Ps 116:1,2 “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Ps 107:1
Even though life is short and full of trials, God shows in a multitude of ways His great love for us. Indeed, He loves us with an everlasting love and draws us to Himself with His loving kindness. (Jer 31:3) David assures 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 103:13-18
May we daily rejoice as we see evidence of our Dear Saviour’s love and care. May we “bless the LORD at all times: [and let His] praise… continually be in [our] mouth.” May we always recognize the blessings and goodness of God and “bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore” is my prayer. Ps 34:1;115:18
Rose

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. Ephesians 3:16.
We are still in probationary time. He that earnestly desires eternal life will strive for it. He will get it by desire and effort. Gold is hid in the earth. Desire and effort combined alone will secure the treasure. If we have aroused an interest in souls that are ready to die, we have aroused our own souls.
What a comfort it is to know that the Lord wants us in His family above. “For God 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). We need to cherish and exercise faith. Our faith must work. We must have that faith that works by love and purifies the soul. The leaven has a vital energy, penetrating and absorbing all the elements into which it is introduced. So likewise, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The Word of the Lord is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. The Word is a power as we practice it. The great change that the truth makes is inward. It begins in the heart, and works outwardly. With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. “Burnt offerings and sacrifices thou wouldest not.” The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. God is not pleased with pharisaical pretense.
We will hide in Jesus Christ. We will trust in His love. We will believe day by day that He loves us with a love that is infinite. Let nothing, nothing discourage you, and make you sad. Think of the goodness of God. Recount His favors and blessings.
I am laboring constantly in writing and speaking. The Lord has been my very best Friend, and you both can testify the same. Let the praise of the Lord be ever in our hearts and in our minds and upon our lips. In this way we can magnify the truth. The Holy Spirit will witness with our spirit that we are indeed children of the heavenly King. Be of good courage; Jesus is our personal Friend and Saviour. He loves us, and if He notices the little brown sparrow, how much more will He love and care for us. The memory grows weak when it is not exercised. So will our faith and hope and courage become feeble unless we look unto Jesus with all the confidence that a little child looks to its mother. By beholding Him, we become changed into His righteousness. Let not one thought of unbelief be woven into our religious experience. The Lord will be our efficiency and exceeding great reward.—Letter 20, January 16, 1898, to “Sister Kelsey.”
The Upward Look p. 30
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Ronnie Jay. His dog died this morning. Rose
—-Please pray for a lady who is in her 70’s. She fell flat on her face an broke her neck plus some bones in her back. Pray also for a lady at church who had a heart attack. and in the hospital. she is in her 80’s M
—-I have my dear mother with me now and my daughter in law started helping me again a few hours after I asked for prayer for help with my mother. Now I need prayer that I can get my dear helpless 89 year old uncle out of there ASAP with no problems and get him to my oldest sons house who is a LVN and his wife is a CNA/HHA. Please pray that God will work this out perfectly ASAP. Thank you so much for your continued prayers. Connie
—-Please keep Arthuro, my son’s uncle in your prayers they have already cut off his leg and part of his hand. now his finger is bad also. Becky
—-Please pray for Shaneen who is in ICU with dengue fever. Sally
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago before I retired, Bev (my co-worker and friend) had a little tin of various flavors of hard candy on her desk. I don’t think that I ever saw her open that tin and eat a piece of the candy herself, but she had it there just in case she got an urge for something sweet.
One day, some children visited our office. Bev noticed Rachel, who was about seven at the time, eyeing that candy tin. She opened it and allowed each child to choose a piece. Delighted, Rachel noticed her favorite flavor near the top, chose it, unwrapped it quickly, and popped it into her mouth. A minute or two later, Bev overheard the other little girl ask Rachel what flavor she had chosen. Rachel replied, “It used to be butterscotch, but I don’t think it is any more.”
Just as that candy had been in that tin for so long that it had gotten old and flavorless, so we can lose our “flavor” as Christians. If we go through life in a do-nothing state, we will become as Jesus described, ” I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 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. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Rev 3:15-19
We must never allow ourselves to do nothing for Jesus until we are as flavorless as was Bev’s candy. How vital to our present and future happiness that we have more than just a profession of faith. We must have Christ dwelling within, working in us and through us. Our Dear Saviour tells us, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” “Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” Matt 5:13; Mark 9:50 In His message to the seven churches, our Great Redeemer warns, “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” Rev 3:1 With tears in His voice, He proclaims, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Matt 15:8
How easy it is to be like the Pharisees, who professed to be godly men, but were not right in their heart. “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
Paul tells us about flavorless Christians, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16 James also speaks of those who say that they have faith, but do not act upon their faith. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:14-26
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Heb 10:22-25
Rose

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10.
Both large sums and small sums are to be looked upon by you as God’s entrusted treasure. When you are thinking of expending means, pray over the matter, in order that you may use the Lord’s goods in a way that shall please Him. The Lord would have all who claim to be His followers imitate His example. We are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. Unbelievers are watching those who profess to be the children of God to see if they are in reality that which they profess to be. Is it consistent for us to talk of Christ’s self-denial, of His self-sacrifice, and yet walk and work contrary to His example? The treasures of the world are the Lord’s. They are all His both by creation and by redemption.
Why is it that riches are called “unrighteous mammon”? It is because through riches men are made subject to temptation, to deal unjustly, to use them as they shall please in gratifying their desires, and in fulfilling that which their imagination calls for. Those who are in possession of money are in danger of putting the Lord’s goods to a wrong use, and by this means they are led to forget God…. The rich young ruler thought that he loved God until Jesus revealed his idol to him, and showed him that he was making a God of his possessions. He had come to Christ asking, “What lack I yet?” The answer was, “Sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22)….
Those who have the Lord’s talents of means are placed under a heavy responsibility. They are not to invest money merely for the gratification of selfish desires, for whatever is spent in this way is just that much kept from the Lord’s treasury. Through the sovereign goodness of God, the Holy Spirit works through the human agent, and causes him to make smaller or larger investments in the cause of God, to make them redound to the glory of God.
Whenever you think of using the Lord’s money for your own selfish gratification, remember that there are many who are in deep poverty who cannot purchase either food or clothing, and [that] they are God’s heritage. We are to do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. If those who have abundant means are God’s agents in dealing in truth, they will use their treasures wisely, so that none of the household of faith need to go hungry or naked.—Letter 90, January 15, 1895, to a Seventh-day Adventist woman of considerable means.
The Upward Look p. 29
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Prayer Requests
—-Brian has applied for a better job where he works. Please pray that he gets it unless God sees a reason why he shouldn’t. Rose
—-Please pray for our landlord and friend -Nitro has not helped and he and wife are at the Emergency room. Sylvia
—-Our neighbour, G, is into witchcraft (obeah). When he came asking us about spiritual warfare and wanting Scriptures, we thought he was getting converted, but it seems that he only wanted to find out why his devilry isn’t working as it “should.” He keeps on sneaking into our yard to do weird things, and isn’t stopping. Please plead Jesus’ blood against all satanic forces for us, and for the deliverance of all like him who want deliverance, and against all like him who do not want deliverance, but want to remain under demonic control. Antonnette
—-Prayers for my church Bro. Charles who’s in the Hospital , he had gangrene in his leg and did an operation. Pray for total healing. Arlene
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Dear Friends,
Until a few weeks before my tenth birthday, I lived with my grandparents. Although they went to church each week, there was nothing religious about that home other than they’d have me pray a prayer I learned in public school before meals—“God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food.” When my mother got married again, it was even worse. She married an alcoholic again who was a mean and immoral man. Life became unbearable for both of us. Thankfully, he left three years later. After that, my mother worked long hours to provide us with the bare necessities of life. She was exhausted all of the time. Having no connection with Jesus, she only had herself to rely upon. Not recognizing God’s rules to guide her own life, she gave me no direction in life. I should have helped make her life easier, but I didn’t. She let me do what I wanted, when I wanted and that’s exactly what I did. Rarely did she protest. I needed rules. I longed for stability. I had neither. God, in His great mercy, kept me out of serious trouble during that time, although I certainly got myself into some situations that had the potential for disaster.
How important to our security and happiness are God’s commandments. They are the foundation to build our life upon. David sang, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Ps 119:105 How true! God’s Holy Word lightens the way through this dark and evil world. How vital that we teach our children these right principles when they are young. Solomon advises, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Prov 22:6 Our greatest mission field is our children who must be taught beliefs and values based upon the Scriptures, that they have anchor for their life. Childhood is the impressionable, pliable time. Without proper instruction, they are as a wave of the sea, tossed to and fro, drifting to nowhere. Worse still, without God’s Word hidden within their heart, the evil one gains a foothold that only Jesus can break.
Our Great Creator promises, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Ps 32:8 He desires for us to do the same for our children. He commands, “Lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deut 11:18,19
Children are so important to our Dear Saviour. When He was on this earth, He always took the time to take little children upon His lap and bless them. One day, “Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” “Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 18:2-7;19:13,14
May we teach our children the truths of God’s Holy Word, to love and reverence our Great Creator, and to serve Him in truth with all their heart. May our Loving Redeemer say of us as He did of Abraham of old, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment.” Gen 18:19
Rose