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The Spirit Finally Withdrawn

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He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Revelation 22:11.

When the third angel’s message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The people of God have accomplished their work. They have received “the latter rain,” “the refreshing from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19), and they are prepared for the trying hour before them. Angels are hastening to and fro in heaven. An angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done; the final test has been brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received “the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2).

Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, “It is done,” and all the angelic host lay off their crowns as He makes the solemn announcement: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11). Every case has been decided for life or death. Christ has made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The number of His subjects is made up; “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven” (Daniel 7:27), is about to be given to the heirs of salvation, and Jesus is to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. God’s longsuffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn.—The Great Controversy, 613, 614.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 160
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Prayer Requests
—-Prayer request for Robert who had shoulder surgery and they discovered he had stomach cancer and his sister Carol is in a coma my neighbor is asking prayer for them both they are her cousins. M
—-Please pray for the family of a dear friend of mine. Her 5 month old grandson passed away this morning very unexpectedly. He had some medical problems, and had a couple of surgeries in his first month of life, but everything seemed to be under control and he was doing well! They are of course devastated. Mary
—-Please keep my friend Dwight’s mom in prayer. She is 92 years old, may have a detached retina and doesn’t want to have surgery if all possible. Heidi
—-Please continue to pray for E and children. R
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Dear Friends,

For years, I would pass an apartment house beside a bar on the way home from work each day. On the steps of this brick building, a woman, obviously poor, waited for the school bus to drop off her small son. As I’d wait behind the bus, I would smile. Although she lived in an area not conducive to raising a child, she had much love in her heart. As soon as she would see her son get off from the bus, her face would light up and she would give him and hug and a kiss and take him inside.

One day when I came back from a vacation, this apartment house began to be torn down. What a surprise it was to see its crumbled remains. My thoughts immediately went to this woman and her son. Where were they now? Were their living conditions better or worse? It is for sure that they will not be able to live in the building that is being constructed in its place. This building is a part of the city’s beautification project and looks like the apartments will be very expensive.

How often we feel as if we are that old apartment building. We can become wrecked physically, materially, emotionally, or spiritually or any combination thereof. We feel like the man who had built his house upon the sand with our “house” crumbling all around us. Praise God! There is a Chief Cornerstone Who can keep our building from crumbling! Jesus, Himself, is “the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Luke 20:17,18 No matter what happens to us, if we have Jesus as our Cornerstone, we have a Firm Foundation upon which to rely.

When we have the Cornerstone in our spiritual house, our solid foundation contains all the great truths of the Bible. Every one of these truths are critically important to the soundness of our “building.” Without any one of those “stones of truth” our structure would crumble and fall just as surely as all the buildings on that city block were torn down. David asks a question—a question that we would do well to ponder. He asks, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Ps 11:3

There are some who try to remove a foundation stone here and there, but that has caused disastrous results. After the question in this psalm, Paul gives the answer to those who would remove these stones of truth. “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure.” 2 Tim 2:19 We have “an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.” Heb 6:19 We have a foundation that is solid. We do not have to waver and be in perplexity by the teachings of men that attempt to undermine the Truth, for Jesus has said, “in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Mark 7:7

We do not have to be as a “wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” if we will take the Bible just as it reads. James 1:6 Moreover, if we have found ourselves on a shaky foundation because we have listened to others as they have attempted to pull the foundation out from under us, the Master Builder can rebuild us just like that city block is being rebuilt.

May we build upon the Solid Rock keeping in place every stone of the foundation of truth, that we may be like the “man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon” the Rock. Matt 6:48

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/the-spirit-finally-withdrawn.html

Dispelling Darkness

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Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Isaiah 60:1, 2.

The church has been appointed as the medium through which divine light is to shine into the moral darkness of this world, and the peace-giving beams of the Sun of righteousness fall upon the hearts of men. Personal labor with individuals and with families constitutes a part of the work to be done in God’s moral vineyard. The meekness, the patience, the forbearance, the love of Christ must be revealed in the homes of the land. The church must arise and shine. Radiant with the Spirit and power of the truth, the people of God must go forth to a world lying in darkness, to make manifest the light of the glory of God. God has given to men noble powers of mind to be employed to His honor; and in the missionary work these powers of mind are called into active exercise. Wise improvement and development of the gifts of God will be seen in His servants. Day by day there will be growth in the knowledge of Christ.

He who once spake as never man spake, who wore the garb of humanity, is still the Great Teacher. As you follow in His footsteps, seeking the lost, angels will draw near, and through the illumination of the Spirit of God, greater knowledge will be obtained as to the best ways and means for accomplishing the work committed to your hands….

Those who should have been the light of the world have shed forth but feeble and sickly beams. What is light? It is piety, goodness, truth, mercy, love; it is the revealing of the truth in the character and life. The gospel is dependent on the personal piety of its believers for its aggressive power, and God has made provision through the death of His beloved Son, that every soul may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Every soul is to be a bright and shining light, showing forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.—The Review and Herald, March 24, 1891.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 152
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for a mother and daughter who both have tumors. Pray that they are benign. Buck
—-Please pray for the wife of an old friend of mine. She’s been having seizures and possibly had a stroke. She was just moved TO ICU. Her name is Theresa. Mary
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Dear Friends,

Like all children do at one time or another, one day I decided to run away from home. I don’t remember why, but in my childish mind, I felt justified. I stood by the door announcing my intentions loudly to anyone who would listen. No one seemed to notice. No one seemed to care. I opened the front door, walked down the steps, walked past the tiny building where Mrs. Perry had her dry cleaning shop. As I did so, I began to think about what I was doing. Maybe running away wasn’t such a good idea, yet I stubbornly continued to walk down the sidewalk past Mrs. Caswell’s house, past Freddie’s house, past a few houses of people whom I did not know. What should I do next? Where should I go? I wasn’t allowed to cross the street by myself. Although I was walking very slowly, I soon found myself almost to the end of the long block.

I hesitated, hoping that Bonnie would come out of her house that sat back a ways from the street. Maybe she would ask her mother to take me in. Should I cross the street and walk another block to Van Avery’s Drug Store? Mrs. Van Avery was always kind to me. Maybe I could be her little girl.

As I pondered my decision, I caught a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. It was then that I got a glimpse of someone hiding behind a tree. A finger of fear crept up my spine. Was it a kidnapper? My grandfather had warned me about kidnappers. I began to be frightened. I wanted my mommy! I wanted to go home! Just then a face peered out from behind the tree. To my relief, it was my mother! All thoughts of rebellion were gone. I ran to her and hugged her. She did not scold me as we walked home together. We just talked together as if nothing had happened.

Sometimes we in our rebellion, wander far from our Heavenly Father, but we really cannot get away from His presence. Sometimes we go about our careless, self-centered way and neglect to commune with Him or to read His Word, but He does not forsake us. He is always near, yearning for our love, bringing us into situations so we may feel our need of Him and come running back to His outstretched arms. When we run away from Him, our life becomes tangled and knotted and full of trials and heartaches, disappointments and broken dreams. Those fiery trials we must endure are the result of the wrong decisions that we have made, but He does not forsake us. He is always watching, waiting, longing for us to realized our great need of Him.

Jesus told a parable that illustrates this. “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.” Luke 15:11-24 May we, if we have strayed away in any way, return to our Loving Heavenly Father that we may receive the forgiveness we so much need and bring joy to the Heart of God.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/dispelling-darkness.html

The Spirit Loves to Work With Children

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And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:2-6.

Oh, for a clear perception of what we might accomplish if we would learn of Jesus! The springs of heavenly peace and joy, unsealed in the soul of the teacher by the magic words of inspiration, will become a mighty river of influence, to bless all who connect with Him. Do not think that the Bible will become a tiresome book to the children. Under a wise instructor the work will become more and more desirable. It will be to them as the bread of life, and will never grow old. There is in it a freshness and beauty that attract and charm the children and youth. It is like the sun shining upon the earth, giving its brightness and warmth, yet never exhausted. By lessons from the Bible history and doctrine, the children and youth can learn that all other books are inferior to this. They can find here a fountain of mercy and of love.

God’s holy, educating Spirit is in His Word. A light, a new and precious light, shines forth upon every page. Truth is there revealed, and words and sentences are made bright and appropriate for the occasion, as the voice of God speaking to them.

We need to recognize the Holy Spirit as our enlightener. That Spirit loves to address the children, and discover to them the treasures and beauties of the Word of God. The promises spoken by the great Teacher will captivate the senses and animate the soul of the child with a spiritual power that is divine. There will grow in the fruitful mind a familiarity with divine things, which will be as a barricade against the temptations of the enemy.—The General Conference Bulletin, April 1, 1898.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 141
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Emma as she has the stomach flu and is not able to take her medicine. Rose
—-Prayers for my wife and I as we travel. No delays and God’s protection and wisdom for the trip. Nathan
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Dear Friends,

When she entered her pre-teen years, my mother became more and more rebellious. As she neared the age of fifty, she began to feel her need of God and started going back to church. Her faith in God was shaky, but at least she was heading in the right direction. At church, she renewed an old friendship with Luella whose nickname was Wally. A year or two later, Wally’s husband died leaving her with two teenage children to raise. That summer, the children begged their mother to go camping like they had done when their father was alive. At last Wally consented. She asked my mother to go with her. My mother was strictly a city girl, but to please Wally, she went.

They drove out of Kalamazoo and to a nice camping spot by one lakes in the area. The children were excited and my mother was resigned to her fate of spending a whole weekend in the fresh air with spiders, mosquitoes and snakes. The very thought made her wish she had brought her own car, so she could “escape” if need be.

At last they got to the campground and picked out a site to their liking. Wally had taken their pop-up camper, so camping had nearly all the conveniences of home. She was hard at work setting the camper up, when, suddenly, the tongue of the camper slipped and pinned her hand beneath it. Wally let out a yell. Immediately mother saw her predicament. Looking around, she realized that they were alone. There was no strong man to help. The children had run off to explore their new surroundings. My mother prayed for strength to help her friend. Now, my mother has never been a very strong person, but she lifted that camper off from Wally’s hand as if it weighed nothing. She felt as if an angel had lifted it for her. She was amazed and thrilled and very grateful to God. This incident made a deep impression upon her mind. Spiders and lizards and snakes were all forgotten. All weekend long, she reveled in the manifestation of God’s power and love. Now she knew that angels attended her. Now she knew that God was “a very present help in trouble.” Ps 46:1

The next week, my mother went to church full of excitement, sharing with the people there what God had done for her. However, instead of praises to God for His goodness, she was met with explanations of how adrenalin works on the body. She was disappointed and frustrated. She had felt God’s presence helping her, and no one would believe her. The evil one took advantage of the situation and pressed upon her the thought that perhaps the people were right: it was only an adrenaline rush. Suddenly, her weak faith returned and became even weaker. Eventually she left the church never to return.

Just as the unbelief of those churchgoers, ruined a beautiful experience that God had given my mother to draw her closer to Himself; so what we say can strengthen the faith of those around us, or it can cause them to turn away from God. How careful we must be. We never know the impression our words will have on someone. James tells us, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James 1:26; 3:2-8

David prayed, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Ps 141:3 This should be our prayer as well, that we may be used to strengthen the faith of others in our Glorious Redeemer.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/the-spirit-loves-to-work-with-children.html

Very Close to the Children

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And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16.

God wants every child of tender age to be His child, to be adopted into His family. Young though they may be, the youth may be members of the household of faith, and have a most precious experience. They may have hearts that are tender and ready to receive impressions that will be lasting. They may have their hearts drawn out in confidence and love for Jesus, and live for the Saviour. Christ will make them little missionaries. The whole current of their thoughts may be changed, so that sin will not appear a thing to be enjoyed, but to be hated and shunned.

Small children, as well as those who are older, will be benefited by this instruction; and in thus simplifying the plan of salvation, the teachers will receive as great blessings as those who are taught. The Holy Spirit of God will impress the lessons upon the receptive minds of the children, that they may grasp the ideas of Bible truth in their simplicity. And the Lord will give an experience to these children in missionary lines; He will suggest to them lines of thought that even the teachers did not have. The children who are properly instructed will be witnesses for the truth.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 169, 170.

Work as if you were working for your life to save children from being drowned in the polluting, corrupting influences of this life.—Child Guidance, 309.

A teacher should be employed who will educate the children in the truths of the Word of God, which are so essential for these last days, and which it is so important for them to understand. A great test is coming: it will be upon obedience or disobedience to the commandments of God.—The Review and Herald, July 2, 1908.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 140
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Prayer Requests
—-My husband has been diagnosed with vascular dementia, which finally makes sense of the downward slide into insanity that we are dealing with. It’s been horrific to watch this happen, and deal with the rages and verbal abuse. I’ve been praying for wisdom as to how to handle this in the best way possible, even though he considers me his enemy now and say all sorts of horrible things about me and about God. He is not a Christian. I have hoped and prayed that he would be saved before he dies, but he doesn’t have the wherewithall now to make that decision anymore. It is so sad. Please, I need help praying for a good place for him to be taken to. He keeps threatening to kill me, and I may have to move into my parents’ house. The problem is he is disabled from strokes, and I’ve been his caregiver for the last 10 years. I’m not sure what to do. Kathy
—-Please continue to pray that God will guide and protect E and children. R
—-please pray for our dear friend Li. She is a single mother and my sister’s housemate. She came home earlier and complained to my sister that she has a terrible headache and was throwing up. She lost consciousness while talking, my sister rushed her to hospital. And she’s in ICU now. Dr’s has informed my sister that she has massive brain aneurysm. And isn’t looking good. Please pray that she survived. He son is only 6yrs old. Samantha
—-There is a nurse in SC whose 16 y/o daughter suddenly ended up in ICU with septic shock and DIC. Being intubated and put on dialysis, RBC, plasma, etc Hospitalized yesterday. I am asking if you and your group could say prayers for her daughter. Thank you Kathy
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Dear Friends,

Happiness, peace, and love are the three things that people spend most of their life trying to find; and they don’t even realize that they are simply looking in the wrong places! How often we look for these three things in our relationship with those around us. Some spend their lifetime seeking the fleeting pleasures this world has to offer only to find that happiness eludes them. In the end, they suddenly realize that they have wasted their life. Some spend their time and energy amassing fame and fortune but have poverty of soul. Others think if they find the perfect mate, their life would be complete. Too late, they find that there really such a thing as the perfect mate. While it is true, that God has someone special in this world for each of us, but we must find happiness, peace, and love before we try to find these things in that “special someone.”

God’s Holy Word bids us, “Seek peace, and pursue it.” Ps 34:14 Yes, the Bible holds the key to where we can find the happiness, peace, and love we desire. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you.” John 14:27 Only through the Prince of Peace can we find what we are looking for!

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, experienced no peace when He dwelt upon this sinful, old planet. He was “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” Isa 53:3-11

Praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful love and sacrifice. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17 Think of it! “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

“If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. . . .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.

Jesus pleads, “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, 21 May we open our heart’s door today.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/very-close-to-the-children.html

Still Loved Though We Err

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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. 1 John 2:1.

Those who are in connection with God are channels for the power of the Holy Spirit. If one who daily communes with God errs from the path, if he turns a moment from looking steadfastly unto Jesus, it is not because he sins willfully; for when he sees his mistake, he turns again, and fastens his eyes upon Jesus, and the fact that he has erred does not make him less dear to the heart of God. He knows that he has communion with the Saviour; and when reproved for his mistake in some matter of judgment, he does not walk sullenly, and complain of God, but turns the mistake into a victory. He learns a lesson from the words of the Master, and takes heed that he be not again deceived.

Those who truly love God have internal evidence that they are beloved of God, that they have communion with Christ, that their hearts are warmed with fervent love toward Him. The truth for this time is believed with sound confidence. They can say with all assurance, “We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty…. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:16-19).

The inner life of the soul will reveal itself in the outward conduct. Let the Word of God bear its testimony in behalf of the messenger whom God hath sent with a message in these last days to prepare a people to stand in the day of the Lord. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7).

The wisdom of so-called intellectual men cannot be relied upon, unless they have learned and are daily learning lessons in the school of Christ. Men, in their supposed wisdom, may plan and devise theories and systems of philosophy, but the Lord calls them vain and foolish. The Lord says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).—The Review and Herald, May 12, 1896.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 134
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Prayer Requests
—-I have a friend from a previous line of work whose daughter was admitted to the hospital with an idiopathic infection in her ear that has spread to other parts of her body and it sounds pretty serious. Please pray for both the family’s physical and spiritual well-being. David
—-PLease continue to pray for E and children. R
—-A friend of mine named Stephanie had to have a hysterectomy recently for cancer, and now she has sepsis and has had her lower legs and finger parts amputated. Please keep her in prayers. Ann
—-Please pray for coworker Jennifer that she turns to Christ in her current time of need and desperation. Nathan
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Dear Friends,

Before I was five, my aunt Joyce still lived with my grandparents. So did I as they had adopted me when I was a baby. My aunt loved all children, but I was especially dear to her. So, for those first five years, she used quite a bit of her paycheck to shower me with expensive gifts. Imagine her disappointment when as a very little girl, I played with the box instead of the toy.

As I got older, her gifts were enjoyed, but I did not appreciate the hours of work that she put in at the factory in order to buy these expensive gifts. Gilmore’s Department Store was the fanciest and most expensive store in Kalamazoo; and because Auntie Joyce loved me, she bought my presents there. One time when I was very little, she saw a portable doll house with very expensive and realistic miniature furnishings. Each week she would buy a piece of furniture, so that by the time I was old enough to enjoy playing with it, I had the complete set. How I loved that doll house! It was one of the few things that I really enjoyed playing with.

I can never remember really thanking Auntie Joyce for all the lovely things she bought me. Oh, when I was old enough to talk, I said “thank you,” because I had been taught to be polite; but I took her gifts for granted as though they were just a part of life.

How often do we do the same with our Great Creator’s gifts. How often we enjoy His wonderful blessings with scarcely a thought of the Giver. We might even thank Him politely for something special, but our heart is not filled with gratefulness. We are as He sadly described His followers of old, “this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” Isa 29:13 How often we forget that, “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17

How little we appreciate His Greatest Gift of all and take His Great Sacrifice for granted. Because of His great love for us, He sent Jesus, His only Begotten Son, to suffer and die for us. “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 Yet, how often we live our life as though we deserved such a sacrifice! We can never be worth the sacrifice He made, “but God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom 5:8

Do we daily thank Him for the great sacrifice that He made for us? Do we have love for Him welling up within our hearts? Do we respond to Him by loving obedience? Can others see His character shining through us? Are His praises continually upon our lips? “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Ps 107:8 Paul advises, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thes 5:18 May He open our eyes to His blessings each day that we will praise Him from a heart filled with love and gratitude for His marvelous grace is my prayer.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/still-loved-though-we-err.html

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Intercer is a website with biblical materials in Romanian, English, Hungarian and other languages. We want to bring the light from God's Word to peoples homes. Intercer provides quality Christian resources...[Read More]

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