So he … found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him … and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 1 Kings 19:19.
When Elijah saw Elisha in the field with the servants, plowing with his twelve yoke of oxen, he went to the field of labor, and while passing by he unfastened his mantle and threw it upon the shoulders of Elisha. During the three and a half years of barrenness and famine, the family of Shaphat became familiar with the work and mission of Elijah the prophet. The Spirit of God impressed the heart of Elisha in regard to the meaning of this action. This was his signal that God had called him to be the successor of Elijah. It was similar to the commission of Christ to the young ruler to leave all—houses, lands, friends, riches, comforts, and ease, “and come and follow me.”
Elijah passed on as if that were the end of the matter. But he knew that Elisha had understood the significance of the action, and he left him, without speaking a word, to decide whether he would accept the call or reject it. Elisha hastened after the prophet and, overtaking him, asked permission to take leave of his parents, and bid farewell to his family.
The answer of Elijah was “Go back again: for what have I done unto thee?” This was not a repulse, but a test, a trial. If his heart clung to his home and its advantages, he was at liberty to remain there. But Elisha was prepared to hear the call of God. He had not been disorderly, running before the call had come, and when he was called he revealed that he would not hesitate, nor relent, nor draw back….
Had Elisha asked Elijah what was expected of him, what would be his work, he would have answered, God knows; He will make it known to you. If you wait upon the Lord He will answer your every question. You may come with me if you have evidence that God has called you; if not, forbear. Come not simply because I called you. Know for yourself that God stands back of me, and that it is His voice you hear. If you can count everything but dross that you may win the favor of God, Come.
Let all bear in mind that the Lord will not accept halfhearted service. Those who love to do the will of God can do perfect service…. If we follow on to know the Lord, willingly, gladly, we shall know that “his going forth is prepared as the morning.” …
Elisha immediately left all to commence his ministry.—Letter 12, 1897.
Christ Triumphant p. 167
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Shelly who has stage three breast cancer. Brenda
—-update—Mike was transferred to ICU approximately 2:00 am following his heart transplant. He is critically ill requiring a high level of support. Cardiac function itself is now excellent but there are many other concerns requiring prayer so for simplicity, I will list them. -Mike is on immunosuppressant drugs so that his body will not reject the heart.-Due to a shortage of Mike’s blood type, he was intentionally switched to different red blood cells which could represent future risks which they’ll have to monitor.
-Mike is currently on a ventilator receiving extra oxygen to protect his lungs.
-The doctors are working to correct metabolic acidosis in his body before extubation.
-Insulin is given as needed to maintain adequate glycemic control.
-There is concern for blood clots so they are monitoring him closely to prevent an embolism. -His urinary output is worsening despite lasix, so they may have to put Mike on temporary dialysis to protect his kidneys.
As you can see, Mike is in need of more prayer. The first hours, weeks, and months post transplant are crucial. Roberta
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago when Ronnie Jay had moved back home, he discovered that the heavy rains we had been having that year had caused water damage in his bedroom. (Whether it came from the roof that was in the process of being replaced, or from the large window above the window seat, I do not know.) The stuff he had stored in his window seat was soggy, moldy, and ruined. Most had to be thrown away. Now Ronnie Jay has always liked to keep things, so this was very upsetting for him.
As if that was not enough, that evening he noticed that his thirty-gallon aquarium had sprung a leak and there was water damage in his living-room as well. He spent until almost bedtime cleaning up that mess. He was very distressed as it brought back memories of last spring when he lost nearly everything when his basement apartment flooded.
Just as our house needed some quick attention to keep the damage from getting any worse, so our spiritual house can get wet and moldy from time to time and in need of cleansing. If we neglect the problem, it will only get worse. Jesus is coming soon! If we have neglected the necessary preparation, we will lament, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Jer 8:20
Now is the time to rid our mind of the “damaged clutter” that has accumulated, so that it will not be found there at His appearing. Now is the time to clean out the “window seat” of our heart that it may be pure and clean. Now is the time to make the necessary preparations that we “may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” Peter advises us, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:14; 1:10,11 Now is the time to pray as did David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps 139:23, 24
Paul urged us to do that spiritual housecleaning when he said, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:12, 13 And if we find things within us that must be put out of our hearts, we have the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”1 John 1:9-2:2 Praise God! He offers us the forgiveness we need! We can be cleansed from all iniquity! Our Great Redeemer “shall supply all [our] need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19,20
“To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” Heb 3:15
Today, He is knocking at your heart’s door pleading for entrance therein. “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 Precious promise! May we allow our Loving Saviour to do the rearranging necessary to make us ready for that Great Day of His Appearing is my prayer.
Rose

And he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 1 Kings 19:4.
In all our afflictions, Jesus was afflicted. The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering. In this life we shall be proved whether we bear the test of God. When Satan’s temptations come, we shall have a trial. Shall we be overcome by the bewitching power of Satan or shall we overcome Satan’s temptations as Christ overcame them? Shall we have the mind stored with the heavenly treasures of truth, that we may be enabled to meet the adversary of souls with “It is written” as did Christ, and not with any of our impetuous speeches? Satan understands more of what “is written” than many a professed Christian, for he is a diligent student of the Scriptures, and his work is to pervert the truth of God, to lead people to disobedience and to neglect the searching of God’s Word….
It is a great mistake to dictate to God. Elijah knew not what he said when he told God that he had enough of life and asked to die. The Lord did not take him at his word, for he had a work to do before he would be exalted and translated to heaven. Have we forgotten that Jesus, the Majesty of heaven, suffered being tempted? Jesus did not allow the enemy to pull Him into the mire of unbelief, or crowd Him into the mire of despondency and despair….
God hates sin. Satan’s work is to allure to works of evil. How adroitly Satan worked with his bewitching power to fascinate the mind to choose sin rather than righteousness. The influence of one person on another had become dangerous because of Satan’s leading and controlling the mind and pressing this influence of one over another in his own service. But the Lord Jesus, by the agency of His Holy Spirit, changes the order of things and takes the sins and guilt of the human race upon Himself, and draws people to Himself, and sanctifies and employs the human agent as His instrumentality to engage his powers to do an entirely opposite work than Satan advised….
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” How precious to the tempted soul is this positive promise. If those in trouble and temptation keep their eyes fixed on Jesus and draw nigh to God, talking of His goodness and mercy, Jesus draws nigh to them, and the annoyances that they thought almost unbearable vanish….
Troublous times are before us, but this is not to worry us. To be worried is to be unbelieving, but Christ invites you saying, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”—Letter 43, 1892.
Christ Triumphant p. 164
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Prayer Requests
—-One of our church member’s granddaughter had surgery this morning. They think it’s cancer. Please pray for healing and for the family. M
—-I have an unspoken prayer request. CD
—-My best friend, Daniel, and I really need your prayers for guidance as to how God wants us to proceed. Danita
—-Please continue praying that Mike will soon receive the heart he needs. Roberta
—-A dear friend and her husband lost their 19 mo old baby girl to a tragic accident yesterday. Please pray for them as they navigate their grief and all the decisions they have to make while being present for their other children. Eudine
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, my mother and I travelled to Wisconsin for a vacation. While there, we went to a cave called Cave of the Mounds. As we walked through that cave, I was awe-struck by the beauty there was inside the earth. It looked like a fairyland. That began a love for caves that has lasted throughout the years. Until I got too old to do so, no matter where I went, I always tried to go to a nearby cave if I possibly could. Some of the caves were much like the first cave we visited. Others are very plain limestone caves without any beauty at all. Those are somewhat of a disappointment but still interesting.
Ron doesn’t like caves much, but he went because I enjoyed them. His biggest complaint about any cave tour is that the guide nearly always got us down in the depths of the earth and then turned out the lights. The guide usually tells everyone in the tour group to be silent. There is not one tiny ray of light. The blackness is so dark that it can be felt. After what seemed like an eternity to Ron, the guide turns on a small flashlight. It is a relief to be able to see something again. After turning on the light switch, the cave is once more flooded with light and the beautiful formations are again visible.
So it is in our spiritual life. Without Jesus, Who is “the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” we are in total darkness, darkness as complete as it is inside a cave. John 1:9 It seems that we would naturally stay close to That Light, but how often we turn from the True Light to explore the things this dark world has to offer. When we do this, the Light is behind us and the farther we go from the Source of all Light, the less we can see. We find ourselves in darkness as dark as in the depths of an unlighted cave. We begin looking around for light, any light, to show us the way. Sometimes we follow someone who says they have the light, but their light is the dim and shaky light of their own making. Their light will go out just when we have the most need of it.
Sometimes we rely on another’s light which they have only because of their connection with the True Light. We stay so close to them that it seems that we, too, have that True Light. We don’t realize that we do not until it is too late. Jesus told a parable about this very thing. “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matt 25:1-13
May we continually keep our eyes on Dear Jesus, the True Light, and follow Him all the way to His Heavenly Kingdom is my prayer.
Rose

Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense…. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. 1 Kings 13:1-5.
When Jeroboam [king of ten tribes of Israel after Solomon] saw the altar rent and the ashes from it poured out on the ground, he cried out in wrath, “Lay hold on him.”“And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.” In alarm he said to the prophet, “Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand … became as it was before.”
“And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee … for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.”
The prophet refused to receive anything from Jeroboam, but he fell under the temptation of an aged prophet living at Bethel…. To him he said, “Come home with me, and eat bread.” But the man of God answered him as he had answered Jeroboam…. The old prophet then lied to him, saying, “I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water.” He declared that the Lord had spoken through him, when He had not….
The man of God had been fearless in delivering his message of rebuke. He had not hesitated to denounce the king’s false system of worship. And he had refused Jeroboam’s invitation, even though promised a reward. But he allowed himself to be overpersuaded by the one who claimed to have a message from heaven.
When the Lord gives a person a command such as He gave this messenger, He Himself must countermand the order. Upon those who turn from the voice of God to listen to counterorders, the threatened evil will come. Because this messenger obeyed false orders, God permitted him to be destroyed….
The rent altar, the palsied arm, the fearful result of the prophet’s disobedience—these were evidences that should have led the king to turn from his evil ways and serve the Lord. But we read, “After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way.”—Manuscript 1, 1912.
Christ Triumphant p. 161
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Prayer Requests
—-update–Richard lost his battle with cancer. Please pray for Sarah Jane and the boys. Rose
—-I have bad vertigo Please pray for me Sylvia
—-Please pray for Ilene who had a mini stroke this week. Rose
—-update—Mike was able to walk the square today around the unit he is staying on!! He is getting stronger. He is even able to sit in a chair and eat meals without being dizzy! Mike remains hooked up to the impella machine but everything is stable. We are still waiting. The call could come at any time so we remain ready…please continue praying for the right heart! Also, we have made friends with the family of an elderly gentleman who is recovering from an aortic valve replacement. We promised we’d ask our friends for prayer so please pray for Mahlon and that he is able to get stronger so he can go back home to Iowa to be with his wife. His son has been faithfully visiting him everyday. Roberta
—-Please pray for my daughter, April. She’s been sick with nausea and other gastric problems off and on for several days. Pray for clear cause and treatment to clear it up. Ann
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Dear Friends,
Ronnie Jay has always loved animals of all kinds. Now that he is married and lives about one-thousand miles away, he has chickens, ducks, and turkeys. When he lived at home, he had dogs, gerbils, hamsters, and fish. I remember one time some years ago, when his pregnant female hamster had escaped from her cage. We hunted and hunted but could not find her. Then two more hamsters had disappeared.
We finally caught one, but the female and the other (a half-grown one from the last litter) eluded us. A few days later Ron and I were awakened by something gnawing on our bed! Ron grabbed the flashlight and looked but all he could see was a pile of wood shavings. The female had obviously made a nest by demolishing part of our bed frame.
Our mornings were very busy getting ready for work, so we decided to worry about catching Mrs. Hamster until we got home from work.
How often we treat the sin that is gnawing away at our life in the same way. We want to deal with it and be rid of it, but we put off doing anything about it. “Later, later, there’s always later” seems to be our motto. How dangerous this procrastination is! If it is continued, we will one day exclaim with weeping, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Jer 8:20
“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Luke 13:23-28
Why is it that many will seek to enter in but shall not be able? Because they did not give diligence to make their calling and election sure. (2 Peter 1;10) They have lived as if tomorrow were a more convenient time to make things right between them and their Master. The trouble is, later never comes.
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor 6:2
Rose

I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15, NRSV.
Sinners seldom feel right in regard to reproof…. How little sympathy they feel for the one who has carried the heavy load the Lord has laid upon him! They assume the role of a martyr and think they deserve great pity, because they are reproved and counseled contrary to their own ideas and feelings. They may admit some things, but with dogged persistency they hold fast to their errors, their own ideas. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” To all intents and purposes the Word of God is rejected….
How different was the character of David! Though he had sinned, when God sent him sharp rebukes he always bowed under the chastisement of the Lord. David was beloved of God, not because he was a perfect man, but because he did not cherish stubborn resistance to God’s expressed will. His spirit did not rise up in rebellion against reproof….
David erred greatly, but he was just as greatly humbled and his contrition was as profound as his guilt. There was never a person more humble than David under a sense of his sin. He showed himself a strong man, not in always resisting temptation, but in the contrition of soul and sincere penitence manifested. He never lost his confidence in God, who put the stern rebuke in the mouth of His prophet. He had no hatred for the prophet of God. He was beloved, also, because he relied upon the mercy of a God whom he had loved and served and honored.
To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much. David did not take counsel of associates who were sinning against God. This is where many fail. They are left in midnight darkness because they choose to counsel with those who walk not in the counsel of the Lord. They will excuse sin in the sinner when it is not repented of, and pass over wrongs when God has not forgiven them. David trusted in God more than in humans. The decision of God was accepted as just and merciful. Oh, how many are walking in blindness and leading others in the same path, where both must perish because they will not heed the reproofs of the Spirit of God!—Manuscript 1a, 1890.
Christ Triumphant p. 149
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for the Steve Wohlberg meetings that we are having this weekend. Rose
—-Please pray for my Sister in Christ Yvonne as she is going through some serious medical issues! Sandra
—-Please pray for Daniel that the Holy Spirit will guide him. Danita
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Dear Friends,
Names. How careful we must be when we name our helpless babe. A name can make or break the person. Sometimes what sounds so cute when they are a newborn can become a great embarrassment when they are school age. The teasing and tormenting they must endure because of their name has even turned some to a life of crime. All that pent up anger has to come out sometime, some way.
In the Bible, babies were of named according to something that happened surrounding their birth. Seeing what the various Biblical names mean makes for interesting study. For example, Isaac was named “he laughs” because Abraham and Sarah laughed when God told Abraham that she was going to have a baby. (Gen 17:17; 18:12) Esau was named “hairy” because he was covered with red hair. Jacob’s name meant “heel holder” or “supplanter” because he took hold of Esau’s heel during the birthing process. (Gen 25:25, 26)
The name of Jesus, how precious it is! His name tells Who He is: the Saviour! The angel commanded Joseph, “thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matt 1:23 Truly He is the “Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isa 9:6
Through the name of Jesus, His followers taught the people the way to eternal life, had power to heal the sick, cast out demons, even raised the dead. (Matt 10:8) Looking at the future reward of God’s people, John tells us, “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.” Rev 22:4 Will we have a visible mark tattooed across our forehead that says “Jesus”? No! His name is His character, His glory. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, he was told, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee.” As Moses was in the cleft of the rock, “the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.”
When our Great Creator gave us the Ten Commandments, which are a transcript of His Character and a rule for our happiness, He proclaimed, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Ex 20:7 This commandment encompasses more than common swearing, for that sin can be forgiven. When we take on the name of Christ, we are to become like Him in character. Paul tells us, “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Tim 2:19 When we fail to do so, over and over again, we become hardened in our sin, “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” to gain the victory. 2 Tim 3:5 Eventually, we get discouraged and turn away from our Only Hope, our Only Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Fearful position—a position that we need not be in, for our Great Redeemer has provided us with all that we need to be saved, even giving His Most Precious Gift, His Only Begotten Son. (John 3:16)
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:5-13 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen.” Jude 24, 25
Rose

And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die. 2 Samuel 12:5.
The Bible has little to say in praise of mortals. Little space is given to recounting the virtues of even the best men and women who have ever lived. This silence is not without purpose; it is not without a lesson. All the good qualities that people possess are the gift of God; their good deeds are performed by the grace of God through Christ….
It was the spirit of self-confidence and self-exaltation that prepared the way for David’s fall…. According to the customs prevailing among Eastern rulers, crimes not to be tolerated in subjects were uncondemned in the king; the monarch was not under obligation to exercise the same self-restraint as the subject. All this tended to lessen David’s sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin…. As soon as Satan can separate the soul from God, the only Source of strength, he will seek to arouse the unholy desires of humanity’s carnal nature….
When in ease and self-security he let go his hold upon God, David yielded to Satan and brought upon his soul the stain of guilt…. Bathsheba, whose fatal beauty had proved a snare to the king, was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s bravest and most faithful officers…. Every effort that David made to conceal his guilt proved unavailing. He had betrayed himself into the power of Satan…. There appeared but one way of escape, and in his desperation he was hurried on to add murder to adultery….
Nathan the prophet was bidden to bear a message of reproof to David. It was a message terrible in its severity. To few sovereigns could such a reproof be given but at the price of certain death to the reprover…. Appealing to David as the divinely appointed guardian of his people’s rights, the prophet repeated a story of wrong and oppression that demanded redress….
Nathan fixed his eyes upon the king; then, lifting his right hand to heaven, he solemnly declared, “Thou art the man.” “Wherefore,” he continued, “hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight?” The guilty may attempt, as David had done, to conceal their crime …; they may seek to bury the evil deed forever from human sight or knowledge; but “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” …
The prophet’s rebuke touched the heart of David; conscience was aroused; his guilt appeared in all its enormity. His soul was bowed in penitence before God. With trembling lips he said, “I have sinned against the Lord.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, 717-722.
Christ Triumphant p. 147
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my dog who is needing dental surgery on Tuesday. Rose
—-Please pray for my friend Gabbie. Someone in her family had some sort of emergency a few days ago, and apparently today things are worse. Mary
—-Mike was very sick last night (vomiting) and his blood pressure was high. There are many vaccinations that are required to be on the transplant list and he received them all at once so I’m guessing in his weakened condition, this may have contributed to his setback. Roberta
—-I have an unspoken important request. Buck
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, Ron was removing some metal from the edge of our roof in preparation for re-roofing the mobile home we lived in at the time. The metal was about a foot wide and very sharp. As he was standing on the ladder putting a lot of force into its removal, he lost his footing and slipped. Ron’s throat landed right on the edge of that knife-like metal. How thankful he was that it did not cut him. A few minutes later, he did cut the end of his thumb on that same metal stripping. It was a very deep cut just as if a scalpel had done it. Then Ron realized that his throat could have been cut in the same way and much deeper, and he praised God for the miracle of His protecting care!
“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” “Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us–ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Ps 107:8; 40:5
Just as Ron was delivered from severe injury or even death that evening, so our Great Protector delivers us from the evil one many times when we do not even realize it. “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Ps 37:7, 8 “Are they [the angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Heb 1:14 In God’s Holy Word we find many examples of God’s protecting care through these agents. They are still at work today.
As important as it is to be delivered from injury or death, there is an even more vital protection we need. That is the deliverance from sin. Praise God! He has provided “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” to be our Mighty Deliverer! “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Isa 63:1 “ 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. 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
Think of it. “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 1 Cor 5:21 “God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Eph 2:4-10
May “the Lord deliver [us] from every evil work, and preserve [us] unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever” is my prayer. 2 Tim 4:18
Rose