You have the Word of the living God, and for the asking you may have the gift of the Holy Spirit to make that Word a power to those who believe and obey. The Holy Spirit’s work is to guide into all truth. When you depend on the Word of the living God with heart, and mind, and soul, the channel of communication will be unobstructed. Deep, earnest study of the Word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will give you fresh manna, and the same Spirit will make its use effectual. The exertion made by the youth to discipline the mind for high and holy aspirations will be rewarded. Those who make persevering efforts in this direction, putting the mind to the task of comprehending God’s Word, are prepared to be laborers together with God.

The world acknowledges as teachers some whom God cannot endorse as safe instructors. By these the Bible is discarded, and the productions of infidel authors are recommended as if they contained those sentiments which should be woven into the character. What can you expect from the sowing of this kind of seed? In the study of these objectionable books, the minds of teachers as well as of students become corrupted, and the enemy sows his tares. It cannot be otherwise. By drinking of an impure fountain, poison is introduced into the system. Inexperienced youth taken over this line of study receive impressions which lead their thoughts into channels that are fatal to piety…. The soul is never safe unless it is under the divine guidance. Then it will be led into all truth.—Testimonies for the Church 6:163-167.
With God at Dawn p. 122
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Dr. Tan who had surgery yesterday. Also pray for Brenda who is having health issues. Rose
—-My Alan is having dental work today. He’s 4 and really stressing about it and needs prayer for peace. My cousin and her husband are ready to split. Pray for them also. Jennifer
—-Please pray for my little brother as he is in the army. Isaac
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Dear Friends,
Years ago, when I had not had a cell phone very long, as I was getting ready to go to bed, I dropped it. It landed really hard and the back flew off. I picked it up and put the cover back on. The screen was blank. I tried turning it on. Still nothing happened. I took it to Ron. He tried with the same result. With prices so high on everything, I knew we could not afford another phone, so I was feeling very disconnected from my children. (How quickly we get used to instant communication.)
We had not yet gone to sleep, when Ron suddenly asked, “Are you sure the battery is still in the phone? Could it have flown out when the back cover flew off?”
I suggested that he look around and see if he could find it as he knew what he was looking for. In moments, he had found the battery and my phone was working once again.
How often we are as powerless as my phone was without its battery. Praise God! We don’t have to stay that way. Our Dear Saviour promised, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me.” Acts 1:8 Think of it! We can have the same experience as did the apostles when it was said of them “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” 4:33
Jesus explained the work of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts. “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. . . . These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. . . . Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 14:15-17, 25, 26; 16:7-13
Moreover, our Heavenly Father is anxiously awaiting our request for His Holy Spirit. “And I say unto you, 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. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:9-13
May we receive the Promised Power that we may live a victorious life and share His love with all around is my prayer.

Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/vWh3TKdeNnY/take-hold-of-instruction.html

Eternity stretches before us. The curtain is about to be lifted. We who occupy this solemn, responsible position, what are we doing, what are we thinking about, that we cling to our selfish love of ease, while souls are perishing around us? Have our hearts become utterly callous? Cannot we feel or understand that we have a work to do for the salvation of others? Brethren, are you of the class who having eyes see not, and having ears hear not? Is it in vain that God has given you a knowledge of His will? Is it in vain that He has sent you warning after warning? Do you believe the declarations of eternal truth concerning what is about to come upon the earth, do you believe that God’s judgments are hanging over the people, and can you still sit at ease, indolent, careless, pleasure-loving?

It is no time now for God’s people to be fixing their affections or laying up their treasure in the world. The time is not far distant, when, like the early disciples, we shall be forced to seek a refuge in desolate and solitary places. As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to the Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of our nation, in the decree enforcing the papal Sabbath, will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains. And now, instead of seeking expensive dwellings here, we should be preparing to move to a better country, even a heavenly.—Testimonies for the Church 5:464.
With God at Dawn p.120
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Prayer Requests
—-Pray for our family. My brother, Vernon, passed away on Sabbath, April 24. Wanda
—-Please pray for me my life is a living hell with all the things going on that I am having to deal with. Sent from the devil himself to my life.. Connie
—-Need Special Prayer for Kaylene, Kaylene’s husband Nick and two children. Kaylene is battling Cancer. Jay
—-Please pray for Connie D. who is having problems with her shoulder after a fall. Pray that she will not need surgery. Rose
—-Pray that God will open David’s eyes to what he is doing. Buck
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Dear Friends,

My grandfather, Edwin Harmon, worked as a bookbinder all of his life. The hand press he used to bind large volumes required a lot of strength. As he used this press over the years, his elbow began to have a great buildup of fluid due to the fact that he leaned it on the table where the press was located for leverage. The more his elbow was irritated, the more fluid tried to cushion it. Eventually, it was the size of a large orange. It looked very strange. Periodically he had to go to the doctor and get it drained. Then the process would start all over again.

Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Ps 139:14 A scientist may study the human body all of his life and never fail to learn something new. Our Great Creator made us perfect. Even after 6000 years of sin, our bodies respond much as He originally designed they should. It can withstand much abuse and still adjust to like my grandfather’s elbow adjusted to the irritation he placed upon it. Moreover, it can even repair much of the damage we do to it.

Even more marvelous than the way we are created is the way we are recreated. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” Eze 36:26, 27 Think of it! We can have a new heart, a clean heart where God’s law is written, so that we may do always those things that please Him. (Heb 10:16; 2 Tim 2:4)

Lord give me a clean heart, A kind and a true heart, Lord through me please show
Others You care.

Lord give me a new heart, A loving and pure heart, So others may find You And know that You care

Though this would is rough and dirty, A new heart is waiting for you. Though you sins may be many, Jesus is waiting for you.

Lord give me a clean heart, A kind and a true heart, Lord through me please show
Others You care.

Lord give me a new heart, A loving and pure heart, So others may find You And know that You care. Lord, give me a new heart And keep me in your care. (A New Heart by Esther)

May we “praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men.” Ps 107:8

Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/KjVy24SurSY/forsake-the-foolish.html

If we would escape having a sickly experience, we must begin in earnest without delay to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. There are many who give no decided evidence that they are true to their baptismal vows. Their zeal is chilled by formality, worldly ambition, pride, and love of self. Occasionally their feelings are stirred, but they do not fall on the Rock, Christ Jesus. They do not come to God with hearts that are broken in repentance and confession. Those who experience the work of true conversion in their hearts will reveal the fruits of the Spirit in their lives. O that those who have so little spiritual life would realize that eternal life can be granted only to those who become partakers of the divine nature, and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust!

The power of Christ alone can work the transformation in heart and mind that all must experience who would partake with Him of the new life in the kingdom of heaven.—Testimonies for the Church 9:155, 156.

There is a noisy zeal, without aim or purpose, which is not according to knowledge, which is blind in its operations and destructive in its results. This is not Christian zeal. Christian zeal is controlled by principle, and is not spasmodic. It is earnest, deep, and strong, engaging the whole soul, and arousing to exercise the moral sensibilities. The salvation of souls and the interests of the kingdom of God are matters of the highest importance. What object is there that calls for greater earnestness than the salvation of souls and the glory of God?—Testimonies for the Church 2:232.
With God at Dawn p. 118
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray that I trust fully in the Lord to guide me. Annie
—-Please pray that God will heal David spiritually and mentally. Buck
—-Pray for Carolyn who is having her arteries cleaned today. Also pray for the father of that little boy who is in the hospital his name is John he had an accident in the kitchen where he works and cut his hand an fingers cut with the machine. he too is in the hospital, but his son is in the children hospital, Also pray for my daughter and grandchildren. thanks M.
—-Please keep me in your prayers. Been vomiting on and off since last night and been having this really bad pain in my stomach. Leah
—-My niece has so many polyps in her sinuses she can barely breathe out of her nose. She’s had 2 surgeries and lots of tests. She may need a shot that costs $3000 a month and not sure about insurance yet. She has suffered a long time with this. Please pray for her. Her name is Tina. Debra
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Dear Friends,

For several years, my mother had a small garden at the back of our neighbor’s yard. It gave her so much pleasure to work in the soil and watch the fruit of her labor develop and grow. The rich, black soil of Kalamazoo brought forth abundantly. She grew green beans, corn, tomatoes, squash, lettuce, radishes, all the produce that she was especially fond of. She had the tomato vines staked up and was proud of the fact that the plants were over her head and full of large, juicy, red fruit.

Since her garden was in the city, many in the neighborhood knew it was there. One day, some teenage boys decided to have some “fun.” They started a fire in her garden and soon the green plants were smoldering. Most of them were ruined. The plants were too lush and green to burn well, so the boys must have used kerosene or something. All of my mother’s care and hard work was for nothing. The garden could not be saved.

My mother smelled the smoke and went outside. She began crying with disappointment and anger. All sorts of emotions filled her as she saw one of the neighborhood boys in that smoldering garden. She was filled with rage and started yelling and threatening him. The youth finally made my mother realize that he was trying to put out the smoldering mess. He gave her the names of the boys who had done this mischief and she contacted the police and their parents.

Just as my mother had misjudged the youth who was trying to help her, so we sometimes are quick to jump to wrong conclusions. How often we misjudge someone’s motives and cause hurt feelings that ruin a person even more than my mother’s garden was ruined. The hurt from our misjudgment can last for years and cause pain beyond our comprehension.

The Great Judge of the Universe warns us, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matt 7:1-5 “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:37,38

We all make mistakes. We all make errors in judgment. We have all sinned. (Rom 3:23) Yet, how often we never let a person rise above an error that they may have committed years before. They are looked down upon and made to feel the effects of a misjudgment until their life is destroyed just as surely as was my mother’s garden and we are responsible for their destruction. We will have to answer to the Great God of the Universe for our part in destroying them. Fearful position.

Just as a parent wants His children to get along in harmony, so our Great Creator wants us to be happy, loving, forgiving, kind, and to enjoy being together without mentioning former words or actions. Peter tells us, “above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psa 133:1

Indeed, we must learn to live together in peace and love here in this world, if we expect to live together in the kingdom of Heaven. In that fair land there will be nothing to hurt or annoy. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And 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: for the former things are passed away.” What a great and glorious time that will be! To have our Loving Creator take us in His arms and comfort us and wipe away our tears. There will be no misjudging in that Fair Land, no irritations, no disunity there. We will live in love and harmony for there we shall know even as also we are known. (1 Cor 13:12) May we start living a life now that will rightly represent our Great Creator is my prayer.

Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/jwio4-Yuo-A/stir-up-thyself.html