Jesus Himself, while He dwelt among men, was often in prayer. Our Saviour identified Himself with our needs and weakness, in that He became a suppliant, a petitioner, seeking from His Father fresh supplies of strength, that He might come forth braced for duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, “in all points tempted like as we are;” but as the sinless one, His nature recoiled from evil; He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin. His humanity made prayer a necessity and a privilege. He found comfort and joy in communion with His Father. And if the Saviour of men, the Son of God, felt the need of prayer, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of fervent, constant prayer.

Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think of poor helpless human beings, who are subject to temptation, when God’s heart of infinite love yearns toward them, ready to give them more than they can ask or think, and yet they pray so little, and have so little faith.—Steps to Christ, 94.

Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary, in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.—Steps to Christ, 93.
With God at Dawn p. 188
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Prayer Request
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Dear Friends,

July reminds me of July 2006, when my mother was taken to the emergency room because of shortness of breath. As soon as we could, Ron and I rushed to her side. She was very miserable. Two chest x-rays taken an hour apart showed that her lungs were filling up quickly. Her bronchitis had turned to pneumonia. Her already failing kidneys were also on a rapid decline. She drifted in and out of sleep.

As we were sitting there watching the monitor, things did not look good. I’ve seen enough EKG’s to know that her heart was not beating as it should. It was much too shallow and rapid. As long as she was getting oxygen, that sensor showed ok, but the minute she was without it, her oxygen saturation declined to dangerous levels. Her breathing was uneven and rapid. Finally, we left to get some rest. The last words I heard her say was “Pray for me.” and “I love you.”

During the night, I kept waking up expecting to get a phone call from the hospital. When morning came and the dreaded call had not come, I began to hope that she would recover. Ronnie Jay dropped me off at work on his way to his job. We made plans to go to visit my mother as soon as we got out of work that afternoon. How soon our plans changed. A few minutes after I started working, the nurse at the hospital called. She told me that my mother had “taken a turn for the worse” and that I needed to come there right away as she was not going to live much longer. Her pulse was down to 30 and her lips were blue. I immediately called Ron to come and get me. Then I called Ronnie Jay.

My mind went back to a time, years ago, when we had all stood around the bedside of Ron’s mother and had the agony of watching her death. That was a horrible experience for the whole family. As I was waiting for Ronnie Jay to come and get me, I was talking to the Great Life-Giver about it. I told Him that I didn’t want to have to go through the experience of watching my mother die. I just couldn’t handle it. He answered my prayer. My mother died before we got to the hospital.

How comforting it is to be able to turn to God’s Holy Word for strength, comfort, and the truth about death and the resurrection to come. Jesus called death a sleep. “He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” John 11:11-14. When we are asleep there is no awareness of the passing of time. When we sleep a deep sleep, before we know it, it is morning. So it is in death.

Death is not forever! The dead shall live again! Jesus assures us, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:28, 29

Job gives us insight into this subject, “As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.” “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” Job 7:9, 10; 12:10-14; 19:25 Isaiah had also this hope, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” Isa 26:19-21

Paul also speaks of resurrection, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”1 Cor 15:51-55 When will this trumpet sound? He gives answer, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thes 4:16-18 Peter pinpoints this great day, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” 2 Peter 3:10-12

What a glorious day that will be! May we, whether awake or asleep when Jesus comes, be ready for that grand event. May we with joy exclaim, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isa 25:9

Rose
For more information on this subject, please visit www.truthaboutdeath.com

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Enoch was a man of strong and highly cultivated mind, and extensive knowledge; he was honored with special revelations from God; yet being in constant communion with heaven, with a sense of the divine greatness and perfection ever before him, he was one of the humblest of men. The closer the connection with God, the deeper was the sense of his own weakness and imperfection.

Distressed by the increasing wickedness of the ungodly, and fearing that their infidelity might lessen his reverence for God, Enoch avoided constant association with them, and spent much time in solitude, giving himself to meditation and prayer. Thus he waited before the Lord, seeking a clearer knowledge of His will, that he might perform it. To him prayer was as the breath of the soul; he lived in the very atmosphere of heaven.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 85.

Communing thus with God, Enoch came more and more to reflect the divine image. His face was radiant with a holy light, even the light that shineth from the face of Jesus. As he came forth from these divine communings, even the ungodly beheld with awe the impress of heaven upon his countenance.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 87.

Whoever under the reproof of God will humble the soul with confession and repentance, as did David, may be sure that there is hope for him. Whoever will in faith accept God’s promises, will find pardon. The Lord will never cast away one truly repentant soul. He has given this promise: “Let him take hold of my strength, … and he shall make peace with me.”—Patriarchs and Prophets. 726.
With God at Dawn p. 185
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Prayer Requests
—-Praise—My work let me have Sabbath off. Thankyou for your prayers. Ronnie Jay
—-Please pray for my niece she has been really sick it is not COVID she has a flu virus. Carolyn
—-Please pray for David’s family this weekend. Buck
—-Please pray for my family. That they will make time for worship, everyone is too busy. We need to put God first. Rosemary
—-Please pray for Chris whose wife died of covid recently and he is having back surgery on the 14th.
—-We have lost a library book. Please pray that we find it. Rose
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Dear Friends,

Two-thousand-five was a busy time for us. Both of our daughters got married in the same year—Esther Marie in March and Eileen in July. So, this morning, I began thinking about what we were doing that July. Brian and Esther’s wedding was over. I was glad of that as I had had all the stress of preparations for it. So much to buy and do—such as items that could be used for both weddings, helping pick out a dress for Esther, picking out a dress for me that I could use for both weddings. At first I bought a very fancy, light blue sparkly dress, but after I got it home and took a picture of me in it, I could tell that it would never do. I looked like a big, blue blob. I took it back to the store. A short time before the wedding, Esther helped me pick one out that was more suited to my figure and one that after the weddings were over I could continue to wear to church.

Since I was so far away from Michigan, Mike’s mom took over the plans for it. Wisely, they had a wedding coordinator whose whole focus was getting everything ready for the wedding. Plans went much smoother for their wedding. Many church members at Mike’s church became involved in the preparations and countless hours went in to making the wedding just right. It turned out beautifully.

We, too, are to prepare for the most important wedding in all the Universe. The preparation we make for that wedding is far more important than any earthly wedding. Our future, indeed, the whole focus of our life must be in getting ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:5-10, gives us a glimpse of the glory that will take place during that time. “And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

In the parable of the king’s wedding feast, we read, “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matt 22:11-13 So it is in reality. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will not be prepared. Without our Dear Saviour’s removing the filthy rags of our righteousness from us and providing the wedding garment, the spotless robe of His Righteousness, that we may be fit to enter into His marriage supper, we will never partake of that great feast. He does not force that garment upon us, but it is necessary that we have it. Praise God! This wedding garment is a free gift purchased for us by the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is ours for the asking! Indeed, He is standing there waiting for us to claim it as our own!

May we, today, ask for that glorious wedding garment, even the spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness, while there is yet time to receive it. May we all be part of that grand and glorious wedding that is soon to take place is my prayer.

Rose

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No matter how high his profession, he whose heart is not imbued with love for God and for his fellow-men, is not a disciple of Christ. Though he should possess great faith, and even have power to work miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless. He might display great liberality, but should he from some other motive than genuine love, bestow all his goods to feed the poor, the act would not commend him to the favor of God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr’s death, yet if destitute of the gold of love he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite.—Testimonies for the Church 5:168,

There is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian. What a man is has more influence than what he says…. It is our own character and experience that determine our influence upon others. In order to convince others of the power of Christ’s grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives. The gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the gospel by which our own souls are saved. Only through a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour is it possible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. If we would draw sinners out of the swift-running current, our own feet must be firmly set upon the Rock, Christ Jesus. The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man with God.—The Ministry of Healing, 469, 470.
With God at Dawn p. 183
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for Annie. Pray also for Ronnie Jay as they are wanting him to work on Sabbath this week. Please pray that they will allow him to have God’s holy day off. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Today, I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite passages of Scripture.
“Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is 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. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isa 52:13-53:12
Yes, in times of great trial and adversity, we can find comfort in our Dear Saviour’s Sacrifice for us. He, Whom all Heaven adores, left the glories of that perfect land, left the worship of all the unfallen beings in His great universe, left the close fellowship of His Father’s side, and came to this dark and sin-laden planet to live a perfect life in the midst of all of the hatred and trials that the evil one through wicked men could heap upon Him. And if that were not enough, Jesus gave Himself as our Sacrifice for sin by dying the cruelest of deaths, even death upon the cross. In anguish He cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matt 27:46
Through times when we feel forsaken by God, He is very near. He promises, “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.” “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.” Isa 66:13; 43:1-3 Indeed, He is “the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.” 2 Cor 1:3-5
May we, when the evil one attacks us beyond our strength, cling to the One Who loves us with an everlasting love and find our strenth in Him. (Jer 31:3) May we feel His Loving Arms around us bringing us comfort and peace. May we look forward to the time when “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” Rev 21:4
Rose

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