The time has come for a thorough reformation to take place. When this reformation begins, the spirit of prayer will actuate every believer and will banish from the church the spirit of discord and strife. Those who have not been living in Christian fellowship will draw close to one another. One member working in right lines will lead other members to unite with him in making intercession for the revelation of the Holy Spirit. There will be no confusion, because all will be in harmony with the mind of the Spirit. The barriers separating believer from believer will be broken down, and God’s servants will speak the same things. The Lord will cooperate with His servants. All will pray understandingly the prayer that Christ taught His servants: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

As I hear of the terrible calamities that from week to week are taking place, I ask myself: What do these things mean? The most awful disasters are following one another in quick succession. How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of seemingly disorganized, unregulated forces, but in them God’s purpose may be read. They are one of the means by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger.

The coming of Christ is nearer than when we first believed. The great controversy is nearing its end. The judgments of God are in the land. They speak in solemn warning, saying: “Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44).—Testimonies for the Church 8:251, 252.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 285
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Prayer Requests
—-Pls pray for my 2 days old granddaughter, she in on oxygen in hospital. Peggy
—-Please pray for several people I know who need prayer. Anon
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Dear Friends,

Some years ago, I was attending a concert when I noticed so many of the choir members were not watching the conductor. Those who were looking elsewhere simply were not ready to start in time and in harmony with their leader.

It reminded me of a Bible story of another group some of whom were not earnest in their work for God and their leader Gideon. You can read the entire story in Judges 6 and 7. Because of the Israelites’ idolatry, God had allowed the Midianites to conquer them. They were in abject poverty and distress. Many cried unto the Lord for help. Our Merciful Redeemer’s Great Heart of Love was touched with their distress. He sent His angel to Gideon, a young man who was secretly threshing wheat. While working, Gideon was thinking about the plight of his people and the miracles God had done in the past. How he longed for God to work in behalf of Israel again. When bidden to be the one through whom God worked, he felt unworthy, but after several signs that God would be with him, he called his and the surrounding tribes to his aid. Thirty- two thousand came. “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. . . .And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath. And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.”

Just like the choir members who were watching and ready for the conductor’s signal to start, it was only those Israelites who were ready to give of themselves wholeheartedly to the service of the Lord that were used to bring deliverance from the enemy of God. Those three-hundred men kept their eyes on Gideon, keep their ears open for his signal. Their entire focus was on their leader. Through them, God delivered the Israelites from their enemies.

So today, our eyes must be focused upon our Heavenly Leader Who pleads, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isa 45:22 Moment by moment, our heart must be in tune with His Great Heart of Love. We must, every moment, look upon Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, that we may ready for His leading. (Heb 12:2) How vital it is that we keep our attention on Him Who gave Himself for us, that we might gain the victory over sin and become fit to dwell with Him on High. How careful we must be that “the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in” cause us to look away from Jesus. If we do, we will not be ready for His call.

May we give turn our eyes away from the things of this world and keep our focus and attention on the Lord Jesus Christ. May we heed the words of our Great Leader Who calls, “give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” Prov 23:26 May we so live that we may be able to declare as did Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Tim 4:7, 8

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/a-thorough-reformation.html

This solemn charge to one so zealous and faithful as was Timothy is a strong testimony to the importance and responsibility of the work of the gospel minister. Summoning Timothy before the bar of God, Paul bids him preach the Word, not the sayings and customs of men; to be ready to witness for God whenever opportunity should present itself—before large congregations and private circles, by the way and at the fireside, to friends and to enemies, whether in safety or exposed to hardship and peril, reproach and loss.

Fearing that Timothy’s mild, yielding disposition might lead him to shun an essential part of his work, Paul exhorted him to be faithful in reproving sin and even to rebuke with sharpness those who are guilty of gross evils. Yet he was to do this “with all longsuffering and doctrine.” He was to reveal the patience and love of Christ, explaining and enforcing his reproofs by the truths of the Word.

To hate and reprove sin, and at the same time to show pity and tenderness for the sinner, is a difficult attainment. The more earnest our own efforts to attain to holiness of heart and life, the more acute will be our perception of sin and the more decided our disapproval of any deviation from the right. We must guard against undue severity toward the wrongdoer, but we must also be careful not to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. There is need of showing Christlike patience and love for the erring one, but there is also danger of showing so great toleration for his error that he will look upon himself as undeserving of reproof, and will reject it as uncalled for and unjust.—The Acts of the Apostles, 503, 504.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 280
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Richard who has stage three throat cancer. Pray that the treatments will be successful, and that God will use this to draw him and his family closer to Himself. Rose
—-Please continue to pray for E and children. This has been a tough week. R
—-Please continue to pray for Jaclyn. There was an opening with the doctor tomorrow for a sleep study. Since her seizures are happening during sleep she’s hopeful they will get some answers or at least get an idea for a treatment plan. Jennifer
—-Christen my nurse and her family lost their home. she was off 2 years as she had a brain tumor and has a shunt in her head.
her husband works in plumbing and heating for a company that also supplies restaurants. They have 4 daughters, the younger one is 10 years old and up to teen years. That surgery put them in a hole and they ended up losing their home. They are in a hotel trying to keep family in tack and get a place as soon as possible. I am asking for prayer for this special lady and her family. Betty
—-A really close friend/like sister of my daughter’s is very ill with double pneumonia after kemo. She is in remission from the breast cancer after a mastectomy. Please lift her up. Lord God be with Tammy as she battles these diseases and illness. Debra
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Dear Friends,

When Eileen was four, we lived in rural Pennsylvania. It snowed so much that winter that the snow was about seven feet deep on the level. Ron decided to make Eileen a snow cave in the back yard. He was sure that she would have many hours of fun in it. He worked and worked to make it a fun and safe place for her. Then he and Eileen crawled inside. They played together happily.

Eileen really liked her snow cave, but didn’t play in it like we thought that she would. Day after day, the snow cave stood empty. Ron was a little disappointed. I urged her to play in the nice cave he had made for her, so she would go outside for a few minutes. Soon she was back inside. Finally she explained that it was only fun if we were in there with her. She was lonely for our companionship.

So it is with our Great Creator, the One Who, “created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited.” Isa 45:18 “In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” in that perfect world of His creation. Ex 20:11 He, Who looked upon the work of His hands and pronounced them “very good” did not create an empty world. Gen 1:31 He created beings who could spend time with Him, who could love Him, who could appreciate the blessings that He daily showered upon them.

Each day the Great King of the Universe spent time with Adam and Eve in close fellowship. He walked through their garden with them and explained the marvels of creation to them. The fellowship and sweet harmony that they felt, filled them with joy and great happiness.

But one day when Adam and Eve “heard the voice of the LORD God [as He was] walking in the garden in the cool of the day [for their normal time of meeting]: Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” Gen 3:8 They had listened to the evil one, who wanted to spoil God’s happiness. And through that sin, they had lost that sweet communion that they had had before.

God’s Great Heart of Love was filled with unutterable grief as He saw the beings that He had created in His own image, begin to take on the characteristics of the evil one. Their sweet harmony was forever broken. Their evening walk together in close communion was a thing of the past. The worship of all of the angels and all of the unfallen beings on all of the unfallen worlds held no joy for our Creator now. He longed to have sweet harmony with these fallen children of His. He could not bear the thought that they would have to bear the consequences of their sin. Christ Jesus volunteered to make “himself of no reputation, and [take] 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” to restore us to fellowship with Him forevermore. Eph 2:7,8 What love! What sacrifice! It is beyond comprehension.

May we love Him with all of our heart, mind, and strength and show that love by spending time with Him each day and by obeying His commandments is my prayer.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/timothy.html

Nehemiah and Ezra are men of opportunity. The Lord had a special work for them to do. They were to call upon the people to consider their ways, and to see where they had made their mistake; for the Lord had not suffered His people to become powerless and confused and to be taken into captivity without a cause. The Lord especially blessed these men for standing up for the right. Nehemiah was not set apart as a priest or a prophet, but the Lord used him to do a special work. He was chosen as a leader of the people. But his fidelity to God did not depend upon his position.

The Lord will not allow His work to be hindered, even though the workmen may prove unworthy. God has men in reserve, prepared to meet the demand, that His work may be preserved from all contaminating influences. God will be honored and glorified. When the divine Spirit impresses the mind of the man appointed by God as fit for the work, he responds, saying, “Here am I; send me.”

God demonstrated to the people for whom He had done so much that He would not serve with their sins. He wrought, not through those who refused to serve Him with singleness of purpose, who had corrupted their ways before Him, but through Nehemiah; for he was registered in the books of heaven as a man. God has said, “Them that honour me I will honour” (1 Samuel 2:30). Nehemiah showed himself to be a man whom God could use to put down false principles and to restore heaven-born principles; and God honored him. The Lord will use in His work men who are as true as steel to principle, who will not be swayed by the sophistries of those who have lost their spiritual eyesight.—The Review and Herald, May 2, 1899.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 271
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray especially hard for E that God will do what is best for her and the children. R
—-Please pray for a friend who is having a multitude of trials. Rose
—-Please pray for a friend’s mother who may have had a stroke. Her name is Rita. Debra
—-Please pray for my friend Robert, He had an accident several months back and seemed to recover from wounds. But a few weeks ago suffered from rare stroke in his back and is paralyzed except for some movement in arm. He’s in his 60’s and has been very healthy He is struggling with being so helpless. Ann
—-Please pray for my new grandson. My son, Hudson married Heather Aug. 20. Keigan just turned 15. I think he has been in the hospital more than home the last month. He went home last Thursday and back to ER and admitted Friday night. He had a new gtube put in last week and a new PICC line. Now he’s been bleeding from the gtube, has had 2 transfusions and now has a blood clot at the PICC line site. Maybe in the morning they can do a scope to try to find what’s bleeding. They can’t do blood thinners because of the bleeding. He really needs your prayers. So do the parents. And they all need some sleep. So if you believe in prayer I would appreciate prayers for them all… Keigan, Heather and Hudson. Carol
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Dear Friends,

A friend of mine had an experience some years ago, that I thought I’d share with you. She lived about forty miles from the nearest big city, so she didn’t get there very often. Whether she was distracted by someone or something, or because she had been sick for several days, she ended up locking her keys in the car when she and the children went into a store in town. They had an hour in between doctor appointments, so she used her time to get some needed items. Here is their experience as she wrote it [slightly edited]: “I didn’t realize I didn’t have the keys until we tried get into the car. I told the girls it was okay, I had a spare key in my purse. Well, it wasn’t there. I had one of my girls hold up the purse so I could search every pocket and corner, no spare key for the van door. I had two spare keys, one for the VW bug and one for the Suzuki Swift and 3 padlock keys. I knew we didn’t really have time to get someone to come unlock the door and still make it to our appointments on time so I prayed out loud, “Please Lord, could you make just any key work to open the door for us,” reached in my purse, grabbed a key, shoved it in the lock and turned………….. and the lock popped up! I had grabbed one of the padlock keys. I said, “Wow, God just did a miracle for us!” We got in and drove to the orthodontist. When we got out and locked the van I told the girls to wait a minute, I wanted to know if it was a super key that could open any door or if it was a real live miracle we had just witnessed. I tried every key in my purse and not a one even turned, let alone unlocked the door. My girls eyes were wide open, they’d just seen a real miracle.” My friend has been going through some severe trials, and this event greatly encouraged her.

How good God is to help us in our time of need! Truly He is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” Ex 34:6 Our Dear Saviour assures us, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Luke 11:9, 10

God promises, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Ps 50:15 When our Gracious Redeemer grants us our request, we are not to hide it under a bushel, keeping it to ourselves. No! We are to spread His Goodness far and wide that God may be glorified. This she did. She shared it with those whom she knew needed encouragement as well. Later after they had been back home for a bit, she got a call from a friend that was really discouraged because she had so many troubles going on in her life. My friend shared the story of her experience that day, and her friend was greatly encouraged to go on in spite of her trials.

May we also be quick to recognize God’s great blessings that He daily showers upon us, dwelling upon those good things rather than the evil all around, then encourage others with the blessings we have received is my prayer.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/ezra-and-nehemiah.html