The steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” John 2:10, NRSV.
The joyous festivities of a Jewish wedding were preceded by solemn religious ceremonies. In preparation for their new relationship, the parties performed certain rites of purification and confessed their sins.
A most interesting part of the ceremony took place in the evening when the bridegroom went to meet his bride and bring her to his home. At the house of the bride a company of invited guests awaited the appearance of the bridegroom. As he approached, the cry went forth, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” The bride, clothed in pure white, her head encircled with flowers, received the bridegroom, and, accompanied by the guests, they went from her father’s house. By torchlight, with impressive display, with sounds of singing and instruments of music, the procession slowly proceeded to the house of the bridegroom, where a feast was provided for the guests.
For the feast the best food that could be secured was provided. Unfermented wine was used as a beverage. It was the custom of the time for marriage festivities to continue several days. On this occasion, before the feast ended it was found that the supply of wine had failed. When a call was made for more wine, Jesus’ mother, thinking that He might suggest something to relieve the embarrassment, came to Him and said, “They have no wine.” … The active part that Mary took in this feast indicates that she was not merely a guest, but a relative of one of the parties. As one having authority, she said to the servants, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” …
Jesus said unto them, “Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast.” … The action of Christ at this time was left on record for all ages, that we might see that Christ did not fail even in such a perplexity as arose on this occasion. Yet He never worked a miracle to help Himself. A few days before this He had refused to satisfy His own hunger by changing a stone into bread at Satan’s suggestion.—Manuscript 126, 1903.
Christ Triumphant p. 229
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for travelling mercies for Esther and her children and Ken and Jamie and their children. Rose
—-Prayer please for my brother Shem.. pain in chest, kidney and vomit when eating. He has been in hospital for months. Other problems are not known, doctors working hard to find out. Please keep him in prayer for complete recovery. Daniel
—-Pray for me. I gave in to lust and let an abusive man into my life. Today I told him we were done and I wanted to leave and he began beating me. anonymous
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
I’ve been looking at old photos lately. One was taken when Ronnie Jay was outside on the deck holding a caddis fly that had landed on him. Somehow, this insect had flown away from its natural habitat and visited our yard.
How often we, like that caddis fly, wander far from the path that leads to Heaven. How many times we stray from the narrow way that leads to eternal life. Jesus bids us, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matt 7:13,1
How much we need a Shepherd to keep us from straying. Praise God! We have such a One. Jesus assures us, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:11-15
David desired to be led by his Heavenly Shepherd. He prayed, “Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth,and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD. Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great. What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.” “Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path.” “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Ps 25:4-12; 27:5; 61:1-4
Our Great Redeemer tells us, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.” 32:8-10
May we allow our Good Shepherd to lead us in the straight and narrow way. May we cooperate with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth. (John 16:13) May we daily give our Dear Saviour our whole heart for He desires to fit us to dwell with Him forevermore.
Rose

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. John 1:10.
All that the world could endure of their Redeemer was the few years He was with them upon the earth, and they wanted to get rid of Him almost as soon as His mission commenced…. The question that every one of us has to settle is: Am I prepared for the coming of the Son of man? If you have accepted your Saviour by living faith, if you have repented of your sins, then you are in a position of acceptance with God so that if Christ should come you would meet Him in peace….
Let us notice the steps that the Son of man had to take in order to carry out the plan of salvation. He stepped down from the royal throne, laid aside His royal robes, clothed His divinity with humanity, and consented to come to this world. This world—right here—was to be the field of battle where Christ and Satan, the prince of this earth, should engage in conflict. And the question to be settled was How could God be just and true to His law and yet justify the sinner? This could be done only by the sacrifice of the Son of God….
It was difficult to uproot Satan from the affection of the angels in heaven. He took the position that the law of God was against the heavenly intelligences, and the warfare and controversy between Christ and Satan was started in heaven and is going on in the earth to the present day. The controversy between Christ and Satan was witnessed not only by the heavenly intelligences but by all the worlds that God had created. Here the power arises that claims to have the right to change times and laws—it is the man of sin. But does he have power to change times and laws? No; because God’s law is written in the tables of stone, engraven with His own finger, and placed in the temple of God in heaven. That great moral standard will be the criterion that will judge every being upon the face of the earth, both dead and living….
Christ went into the wilderness of temptation to bear the severest temptations, He was tempted in all points as Adam was tempted, and He passed over the very ground where Adam stumbled and fell…. Christ was now to stand where Adam stood, bearing humanity and overcoming in behalf of the race where Adam fell. And Christ withstood the test on every point; He resisted on the point of appetite…. He was tempted upon the point of ambition, and presumption, and He overcame the enemy on these points…. The Saviour of the world overcame and obtained the victory on every point.—Manuscript 11, 1886.
Christ Triumphant p. 216
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for David who is having major health problems. RB
—-Please pray for me as I was given the wrong forms to fill out for employment and I have already quit my other job. Pray that the new paperwork that I have filled out will be accepted. JT
—-Prayers for my mom. This summer was very successful in the ministry feeing the children with sack lunches twice a week. Her pastor has signed them up to walk the neighborhoods and offer a DVD movie to each household and invite them all to church. My mom is feeling very physically drained from all the recent work and now recuperating form her eye surgery as well as getting my nephews all ready for school to start. She’s worried as there are few workers that want to volunteer for anything in the church, so it’s all on the shoulders of my mom and 3 other older ladies Jennifer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
Over the years, I’ve known people who struggle with forgiveness. They remember everything that someone has said, everything that someone has done that has hurt or annoyed them. They go over and over these misdeeds until they loom large in their thinking and fill them with the hurt or anger all over again. I know how easy it is too dwell upon such things for I have had the same struggle with those who have said or done things in the past against my children. Yet, forgiveness is so important that Jesus included it as a condition to our sins being forgiven. He taught His disciples to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Matt 6:12
How important it is to our Heavenly Father that we treat each other with the kindness and forgiveness that He shows us. Jesus gives us a glimpse of His forgiveness that also serves as a warning to us. “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” Matt 18:23-35
“Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:35-38 This is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one. Of our own selves it is well nigh impossible but in God’s strength all things are possible even forgiveness of those who have wronged us or our loved ones.
May we forgive others as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us is my prayer.
Rose

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Luke 4:1.
Why was it that at the beginning of His public ministry Christ was led into the wilderness to be tempted? It was the Spirit that led Him thence, and He went, not in His own behalf, but in our behalf, to overcome for us. There was no compulsion about it. He was led by the Spirit, His humanity to be proved, as one who had undertaken to stand at the head of the fallen race.
Christ had been, and was then, in perfect harmony with the Father. He was to be tried and tested as a representative of the race. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to meet the foe in personal encounter, to overthrow him who claimed to be the head of the kingdoms of the world.
While in the wilderness Christ fasted, but He was insensible to hunger. Engaged in constant prayer to His Father for a preparation to resist the adversary, Christ did not feel the pangs of hunger. He spent the time in earnest prayer, shut in with God. It was as if He were in the presence of His Father. He sought for strength to meet the foe, for the assurance that He would receive grace to carry out all that He had undertaken in behalf of humanity. The thought of the warfare before Him made Him oblivious to all else, and His soul was fed with the bread of life, just as today those tempted souls will be fed who go to God for aid. He ate of the truth that He was to give to the people as having power to deliver them from Satan’s temptations. He saw the breaking of Satan’s power over fallen and tempted ones. He saw Himself healing the sick, comforting the hopeless, cheering the desponding, and preaching the gospel to the poor—doing the work that God had outlined for Him; and He did not realize any sense of hunger until the forty days of His fast were ended….
Christ is in the wilderness, the wild beasts His only companions, and everything around Him tending to make Him realize His humanity. Suddenly an angel appears before Him, apparently one of the angels that He saw not long since, and addresses Him with the words “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” “If thou be the Son of God” here is the insinuation of distrust. The words rankle with the bitterness in his [Satan’s] mind. In the tones of his voice is an expression of utter incredulity.—Letter 159, 1903 (Manuscript Releases 21:8, 9)
Christ Triumphant p.189
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for Mike’s doctor’s appointment this week. Rose
—–I have two prayer requests. URGENT – Family on camping trip and the following has happened. Ivan and Ethan had a head on collision on trail ride. They were 2 hours from civilization. Ethan has small brain bleed and broken cheek bone. Ivan has broken collar bone, nose, and thumb. Bleeding on the brain is dangerous. Kari, Ethan’s mom is 20 hours away and heading to where he is at in the hospital.
URGENT – An X Amish friend’s brother was in a motorcycle accident. In CRITICAL CONDITION AND COMA. Has 2 BRAIN BLEEDS, BORKEN SPINE, BROKEN COLLAR BONE. Still in a coma. His other siblings . . . are all traveling to get there and asking for traveling mercies.
Praying for a miracle and God’s will be done. MM
—-Please pray for my friend Pam. She has been sick all night and can’t keep anything down. This will probably mess with her blood sugar, making her feel even worse. Also please pray for my mom. She will be having surgery on her eyes the next 2 Mondays. She had her cataracts removed and developed adhesions, but has had to wait until her eyes healed enough from THAT surgery to do this. They say it is a very easy, outpatient procedure. Jennifer
—-Please pray for my sister Nancy as she has an aneurism on a heart vessel and not scheduled for surgery until August. Sheryl
—–Please pray for Carol who has vertigo really bad. Rose
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
Many years ago, I read a very sad story about a woman who was driving along a narrow, mountain road. Suddenly, a huge logging truck sped around the curve and forced her off the road. Her car plunged down the embankment and into the icy water of the river that ran alongside the road. This woman’s foot was caught because of the impact and although she could see that the car was not that far below the surface of the water, there was no way that she could get out. She must have tried with all of her might to free herself, but soon realized that it was useless. Her thoughts turned toward her baby beside her. She had a choice of continuing to try to free herself or saving her little one. Looking around she realized that if she held her precious baby up by stretching out her arm fully out of the open window, he would be above the water. Picking him up and giving him a kiss, she quickly raised him above the water’s surface. Hours later someone found her in that position. Although she had drowned, she was still in that outstretched position and her precious baby was alive and well.
Just as that mother loved her little child more than life itself, so God loves us more than He loves Himself! Indeed, He “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14 Think of it! He is interested in each one of us as if there were no other person in all the universe. He greatly desires a closeness with us that is “closer than a brother.” (Prov 18:24) Indeed, He longs to fellowship with us every moment to dwell within us and lead and guide us in every aspect of our life.
When our first parents sinned, the Great Creator of the Universe could not be happy until he had provided a way for us to be reconciled to Himself . “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16,17 What wonderful love He has for us! It is beyond comprehension!
Jesus gave a parable that illustrates our Heavenly Father’s great love and care for us. “A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”
How many times are we like that prodigal son. How often we rebel against our loving Heavenly Father. How often we want our own way even though it leads us far from home. We soon find ourselves in the same condition as the prodigal son. Yet, even while we are so far from our Loving Redeemer, He is seeking us. He is watching with longing desire for the first indication that we are sorry and want to come back to Him.
Even while we are still a long way off, He runs to us, embraces us, removes our filthy garments from us, wraps us in the pure spotless robe of His righteousness, and leads us Homeward. Praise God! He develops within us His perfect character, that we may be like Him and show His glory to others.
Our Loving Heavenly Father does not scold us because of all the talents, all the years we have wasted “doing our own thing.” Instead, He rejoices when we come back to Him. He is pleading with us now to open our heart’s door to Him, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Rev 3:20 May we open the door and let Him come in. May we love Him, Who gave His life for us, with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our strength, and with all of our mind is my prayer.
Rose

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18.
For forty days and nights He [Christ] fasted in the wilderness of temptation, and there Satan came to Him with great power, hoping to overcome Him in His weakness. The temptations then brought upon Christ were in every way greater than those brought upon Adam, but the Redeemer did not swerve a hairsbreadth from His allegiance to God….
Although it may seem that you are alone, yet you are not alone, for Christ is with you; you are in blessed company. And you have the words sounding down along the line from the prophets and apostles to encourage you in steadfastness. Many of these holy people lost their lives because of their faithfulness to God. If you suffer for the truth’s sake, remember that this is no more than others have done before you. What trials and afflictions Paul endured, and yet he says, “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” …
When difficulties arise, as they will, remember that Jesus is by your side, a very present help in time of need. To meet trial bravely is part of the Christian warfare, and in this warfare all heaven is interested. Christ knows what temptations you will meet. He knows that when one accepts the truth he or she will have a cross to lift, and He is ready to give the needed help.
Let the light of truth shine forth in your life. Do you say, How shall I let it shine? If before you accepted the truth, sanctifying influence upon your heart and character, that instead of being fretful and impatient, you are now cheerful and uncomplaining. Thus you reveal Christ to the world….
At the moment when you are offering your prayer for help, you may not feel all the joy and blessing that you would like to feel; but if you believe that Christ will hear and answer your petition, the peace of Christ will come.—Manuscript 8, 1885.
Christ Triumphant p. 205
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Prayer Requests
—-I am divourced because of my husbands’ marital infidelity and abuse. My children need a good daddy. Please pray that God will bring me a good Christian man who will be kind and gentle and lead them to Jesus. E
—-Please pray for my grandson Ayden. He’s almost fourteen, and they just found that he has diabetes.. And he also has scoliosis, and it’s getting worse quickly. He is also autistic. Debra
—-Please pray for a friend who is troubled and oppressed by spirits trying to torture her. Mel
—-PLease keep praying for healing! Buddy is still having some issues with his eye and leg. Both have improved. We go tomorrow to the eye doctor. We need prayers for his upcoming back surgery . It is still scheduled for Thursday. Kay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
My mother was an artist with an artist’s temperament—nothing satisfied her for long. Everything that she made looked real and done to perfection, but she had to be in the mood to make it. She did beautiful glass etchings for awhile and then never did them again. Then she tried Indian bead-work, but that did not satisfy her. She did pen and ink drawings for awhile, but soon tired of that. Solid embroidery held her interest the longest. For years, when she wasn’t at work, she would make the most beautiful pictures, even going to the library to look at many photos of whatever she was embroidering in order to make it appear real. Her last embroidery project was a quilt of all the (then) 48 states for which she won the golden state award.
Over the years her interest went from one thing to another, stuffed animals that looked so real that it was hard to believe that they weren’t alive, transforming her long, narrow screened porch into a jungle scene, macramé, designing and making her own clothes, plastic canvas creations…. Nothing satisfied her for long. Eventually dementia took away her love for and desire for her art projects and she sold or threw away everything including her blue ribbons and that golden award she of which she had been so proud. What a sad end to a very creative life.
How often we are as dissatisfied as was my mother. No matter how we fill our days, we feel like something is missing. We often are attracted to the pleasures of this world to try to quiet that inner longing, but we find only emptiness there. We try many different things innocent of themselves to try to find happiness, but we soon realize that they, too, leave us flat. Our restlessness increases. Life is short and soon passes away. It is amazing how quickly time flies. Peter tells us, “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.” 1 Peter 1:24 We have so few days to make the most important decision of all— “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” Matt 27:22 Our answer to that question will make our life complete and bring us the hope of eternal life, or leave us even more restless and incomplete.
Truly, without Jesus we are incomplete. He is the only answer to that inner longing that is within us. He is the only One Who can quiet our restlessness. When He dwells within our heart, all of our longings are satisfied. Jesus bids us, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev 3:20
Moreover, when we give our life completely to Jesus, He imparts to us the Holy Spirit Who implants within us His fruit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance.” Then we have a peace, a satisfaction found nowhere else. We become changed. Paul tells us, “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.”
As we behold our Dear Saviour and His great sacrifice for us, we find the answer to our longing. We have the assurance that there is Someone Who truly loves us, Someone Who really cares about us. His love is more sure than even a mother’s love for her helpless babe. He assures us, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” Isa 49:15,16 May we open our heart’s door to Jesus Who gave Himself for us.
Rose

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Matthew 4:11.
After the foe had departed, Jesus fell exhausted to the earth. He had endured the test, but He now was fainting on the field of battle. What hand was there to be put beneath His head? How was He to be given care and nourishment so that He might regain His strength? Was He to be left to perish after gaining the victory? Oh, no; the angels of heaven had watched the conflict with intense interest, and they now came and ministered to the Son of God as He lay like one dying. He was strengthened with food, comforted with the message of His Father’s love and the assurance that all heaven triumphed in His victory. He returned from the wilderness to proclaim with power His message of mercy and salvation.
What if Satan had gained the victory? What hope would we have had? Christ came to reveal to worlds unfallen, to angels, and to the human race that in God’s law there is no restriction that we cannot obey. He came to represent God in humanity. He met every requirement that we are asked to meet.—Manuscript 155, 1902 (Sermons and Talks, 2:219, 220).
In their conflicts with Satan, the human family has all the help that Christ had. They need not be overcome. They may be more than conquerors through Him who has loved them and given His life for them…. The Son of God in His humanity wrestled with the very same fierce, apparently overwhelming, temptations that assail us—temptations to indulgence of appetite, to presumptuous venturing where God has not led them, and to the worship of the god of this world, to sacrifice an eternity of bliss for the fascinating pleasures of this life. Everyone will be tempted, but the Word declares that we shall not be tempted above our ability to bear. We may resist and defeat the wily foe.
Every soul has a heaven to win and a hell to shun. And the angelic agencies are all ready to come to the help of the tried and tempted soul. He, the Son of the infinite God, endured the test and trial in our behalf. The cross of Calvary stands vividly before every soul. When the cases of all are judged, and they are delivered to suffer for their contempt for God and their disregard of His honor in their disobedience, not one will have an excuse, not one will need to have perished. It was left to their own choice who should be their prince, Christ or Satan. All the help Christ received, every person may receive in the great trial.—Letter 116, 1899.
Christ Triumphant p. 195
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Buddy who has a sore on his leg and pain in his eye. Kay
—-Please pray for a lady named Carey. She has stage 4 lung cancer and is in hospice. She is really having a hard time now (probably with her breathing). I don’t know if she is a Christian. She is probably in her mid to late 50s. Mary
—-a friend of ours is dealing with cancer and has recently been hospitalized. Please pray for God’s hand to bring healing if He so wills. Her name is Cynthia. David
—-Please pray earnestly for E and her children that the devil will leave them alone. R
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
In the 1970’s, Ron went to college to learn to be an avionics technician. Many times, over the years, he shared with me how God helped him to repair a certain piece of airplane equipment that was beyond he ability to fix. Whenever he got to the point that he had no idea how to fix the problem, his habit was to go into a quiet place and pray for wisdom and help. Praise God! He received the help that he needed and suddenly realize what to do, and the piece of avionic equipment would soon be repaired.
Just as Ron earnestly prayed for wisdom to fix a problem with the airplane equipment, so we must “pray without ceasing” for power from On High to overcome sinning. 1 Thes 5:17 Just as Ron did not give up until whatever he was working on was repaired, so we are to “give diligence to make our calling and election sure.” I Peter 1:10 Yet, how many times we become discouraged and feel like laying aside the armor and giving up fighting the fight of faith. Paul advises, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity (agape love).” 1 Cor 16:13,14 John adds, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:3-5
To be an overcomer, we must lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us, continually looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith for the help and strength we so much need. (Heb 12:1, 2) Our Dear Saviour promises, “he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matt 24:13 In our own strength, we cannot persevere for we will soon become discouraged. In our own strength, we cannot overcome. In our own strength, we cannot truly keep God’s Commandments. We might be vigilant for a time and appear to do so, but eventually we will tire and let down our guard and give up the faith. In our own strength we cannot endure unto the end “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.” Eph 6:12-18
May we remember to go to the Captain of our Faith for the help and strength we need to “follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,” and gain the victory over every sin is my prayer. 1 Tim 6:11,12
Rose