For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 2 Corinthians 4:17. UL
We profess to be the repositories of God’s law, and as a people professing [to have] greater light and to live up to a higher standard than any other people upon earth, we should show greater perfection of character and a deeper devotion, exalting sacred and eternal things. A most solemn message has been entrusted to those who have received the light of truth, and our light should shine forth in clear beams to brighten the pathway of those who are in darkness, and thus daily glorify God in our lives.
Every member of the church has an individual responsibility as a member of the visible church, and a worker in the vineyard of the Lord, and should do his utmost to preserve harmony, union, and love in the church….
The evidence that the world cannot withstand and controvert, that God has sent Jesus into the world as its Redeemer, is in the oneness of the church. Their unity and harmony is the convincing argument. Satan is therefore constantly at work to prevent this harmony and union, that in witnessing the bickerings, strifes, and dissension, unbelievers shall become disgusted with Christianity, and fastened in unbelief and infidelity. God is dishonored by those who profess the truth while they are at variance with one another.
If our profession … [to have] greater truths than other denominations [have] does not lead to deeper consecration, and purer and holier lives, of what advantage is this truth to us? It would be better for us if we had never seen the light of truth, than to profess to accept it, and not be sanctified by it.
To determine how great a matter is involved in the conversion of a soul from error to truth, we must appreciate the value of immortality, we must sense the pains of the second death. We must comprehend the honors and glory awaiting the ransomed, and understand what it is to live in the presence of Him who died that He might elevate, ennoble, and give to the overcomer a royal diadem.
The worth of a soul cannot be fully estimated. How gratefully will the ransomed and glorified ones remember those who were instrumental in their salvation. Not one will forget his self-denying labors, his persevering efforts, his patience, perseverance, and earnest heart yearning for these souls who might have been lost to Jesus Christ, had he neglected his duty or became weary in well doing.—Manuscript 1, February 18, 1880, “Church Difficulties.”
The Upward Look p. 63
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my daughter Kristi. Her husband recently passed away unexpectedly and she is all alone, far away from family. Some years ago she suffered a brain aneurysm which left her with serious problems, including an inability to make wise decisions. She really should not be living alone, but she doesn’t seem to want anyone’s advice right now. Please pray that the Lord will comfort and guide her and keep her safe. Pam
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Dear Friends,
When our children were little and it was time for Ron to come home from work, Esther and Ronnie Jay liked to stand at the corner of our yard and wait for him. They were not allowed to go any further, so they would go to the limit and stretch up as tall as they could trying to be the first one to see him.
One day, they got the idea that if they climbed in the pine tree that grew beside the spot where they always stood, they could see their daddy sooner. Just as they started to climb, I happened to look out of the window and saw them. Rushing outside, I shouted for them to get down. Then I explained that they should not climb pine trees because the sap that was flowing heavy that time of year would get on their clothes and in their hair and make a terrible mess.
For a few days, they obeyed. Finally, the temptation to climb that tree became too strong and up they went when I wasn’t looking. Soon they saw Ron coming around the corner. Down the tree they went and over to the car they ran to give their daddy a big hug. Then they followed him into the house.
When they got inside, Eileen noticed that her four-year-old sister’s long, reddish-brown hair was messy and got a brush to brush it. Try as she might, it was impossible to get the brush through her little sister’s hair. Eileen was puzzled and brought her to me. It was evident that she had disobeyed. Her hair matted with sticky pine tar, her clothes were dirty and spotted with that sticky stuff.
Washing her hair did no good. I called my mother, who suggested butter. I had to work the butter into her hair. That helped somewhat, although Esther Marie was not at all happy about being covered with grease. After shampooing her hair several more times to get the butter out, we again tried to comb it. Globs of sticky sap remained. I wasn’t sure what to do.
I asked some of the ladies at church. One suggested peanut butter. Esther Marie was even less happy with that suggestion! I was not very happy either as it made even a worse mess than the butter had, but it worked. After several more shampooings the peanut butter came out, and her hair was pine-tar free and able to be combed. She learned her lesson and did not climb in that tree again.
How often we find ourselves in the same situation that Esther Marie did. Our Great Creator, through His Holy Word warns us what we should avoid so that we will not get into difficulty, but we yield to the temptation anyway and do the very thing that we know we should not do. Soon we become covered and spotted and filthy with the pine-tar on sin. “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 putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 64:6; 1:5,6 Like Paul, we cry, For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Rom 7:15-24
Praise God, we do not have to stay in that condition! We have a Loving Saviour Who will cleanse us from all of our sin. Zechariah was given a vision of this very thing. “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” Zec 3:1-4 John tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9
Let us come to our Dear Saviour now for the cleansing and forgiveness we so much need. Let us hide His Word in our heart that we might not sin against God. Let us refrain our feet from every evil way, that we might keep His word. Ps 119:11, 101

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:9.
We must have a living dependence upon a living God. And when there is a living connection with a living God, Christ abides in the heart by living faith, and the human agent works after Christ’s life. He is going to change our life and character, speaking the words that Christ speaks, revealing the character that Christ reveals. And if trials come to us, we will not manifest a rebellious spirit. The opportunities will present themselves to every one of us, because we see oppression and unkindness, and because we see burdens that would be thrown upon us, and let self come in and exhibit itself.
We let self arise. We want to put the trials in their right place, and where is it? Christ says to everyone that is weary and heavy laden, “Come unto me.” And what? “Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.” And notwithstanding the crush of conflict that we shall have to pass through if we accept the truth of heavenly origin, there is meekness and lowliness in every move. Hide in Jesus Christ. Our life and character is hid with Christ in God, so we cannot afford to let any impulse of passion control our words or control our actions, but we must keep the Saviour’s example ever before us, and we must do just as Jesus would have done under similar circumstances. We are not to be revengeful.
Now the work that is before us we want clearly to understand. It is a work of mercy, a work of love, a work just in Christ’s lines. Just as Christ worked. He says that the nobleman went a long journey, and to every man he gave his work. The human agent is to cooperate with the divine. To everyone his work, and this is Christ’s work. It is not the man’s work. He is not to feel that all he has to do is to attend to his own individual self. No, there is a broader field. He is to occupy “till I come,” and what is it to occupy? To be laborers together with God. Therefore, it is of the greatest consequence that we understand in clear lines what it is to be laborers together with God.
We must be imbued with the Spirit of Christ. We cannot labor with God merely from our intellect or our education. We cannot buy the grace of God with money; we cannot buy it with eloquence; we cannot buy it with the power of our intellect. It is God’s to begin with…. We are to occupy to the best knowledge that we have, and sense our responsibility, and let our light shine through us to those that are around us, and in doing that we are doing the work of God.—Manuscript 11, February 17, 1894, “Isaiah 58.”
The Upward Look p. 62
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Prayer Requests
—-My friends’ 2 year old granddaughter Kingsley has a tumor in her stomach. and is taking chemo for it.please pray for them thank you . M
—-Please continue to pray for David and his family. God knows. Buck.
—-I have been admitted in the hospital for Multiple Blood Clots in both of my lungs. May I ask you all to prayI have been admitted in the hospital for Multiple Blood Clots in both of my lungs. May I ask you all to pray. Denise.
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Note: I was unable to access my website for over a month. I am able to access it as of today, so you will start receiving the devotional again. If this ever happens again, please contact me at rosehartwell@gmail.com. Thanks.
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Dear Friends,
Our Great Creator made such a large variety of creatures for us to enjoy. One of the places we enjoy going is the local zoo. As we walk along seeing all the great variety that God has made. I can’t help thinking of a time when the animals will not have to be in cages. We will be able to interact with them without fear. The Bible speaks of that wonderful time. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.” “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind…. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.”Isa11:6-8;65:17-25
We can see in our mind’s eye that glorious day! Jesus, Himself, will lead us to living fountains of waters. We will drink deeply of its clear unpolluted refreshment. As we sit under the shade of the tree of life, a lion walks over and lays down at our side. We reach over and pet him and he purrs in contentment. A huge elephant lumbers by and we go over to him. He allows us to get on his back and we take a ride along the river. From our vantage point, we look in every direction and what meets our eyes sends a thrill of joy to our heart. All creation is at peace. The beautiful flowers are sending forth their sweet perfume. The leaves of the trees will never die and fall to the ground. The various creatures are happily playing together without even a trace of fear. The redeemed are shouting praises to the One Who gave His life that they could be there. Yet, in the heart of our Great Redeemer will be a longing for those who failed to accept His wonderful grace. As we are enjoying the pleasures that He has prepared for us, He only will remember those who could have been with Him for all eternity if they hadn’t chose to cling to sin.
May we soon enjoy all the wonders of His Kingdom where “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Cor 2:9 May we allow the Holy Spirit to fit us to dwell in that fair land, that we may bring happiness to our Dear Saviour’s Great Heart of Love. May we bring the good news of salvation to those around us that they, too, will fellowship with our Wonderful Lord throughout eternity is my prayer.
Rose

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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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