As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” John 15:9, 10.
Christ came to reveal God to the world as a God of love, full of mercy, tenderness, and compassion. The thick darkness with which Satan had endeavored to enshroud the throne of Deity was swept away by the world’s Redeemer, and the Father was again manifest to men as the light of life.
When Philip came to Jesus with the request, “Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us,” the Saviour answered him, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?” Christ declares Himself to be sent into the world as a representative of the Father. In His nobility of character, in His mercy and tender pity, in His love and goodness, He stands before us as the embodiment of divine perfection, the image of the invisible God.
Says the apostle, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” Only as we contemplate the great plan of redemption can we have a just appreciation of the character of God. The work of creation was a manifestation of His love: but the gift of God to save the guilty and ruined race, alone reveals the infinite depths of divine tenderness and compassion…. What love, what matchless love, that, sinners and aliens as we are, we may be brought back to God, and adopted into His family! We may address Him by the endearing name, “Our Father,” which is a sign of our affection for Him, and a pledge of His tender regard and relationship to us. And the Son of God, beholding the heirs of grace, “is not ashamed to call them brethren.”—Testimonies for the Church 5:738-740.
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Prayer Requests
—-I had to take Jimmy, my husband, to the hospital last night and they kept him. Please pray. Vanessa
—-Please pray for rami a friend of mine,…..he has organ problems and might undergo surgery because he made poor health choices in the past, and makes it seem as if he might die. Isaac
—-Please pray for my 79 yo mother, she is in a lot of pain. She fell and her back is very swollen. It hurts her to sit and walk. The Ortho Dr. can’t see on the x-ray if anything is broken because she is so swollen. She was already very depressed and lonely and this had made her feel even more discouraged. Janelle
—-Please add me to your prayers. My brother passed away suddenly. I found out on a Facebook post. I hadn’t talked to him in awhile and don’t know if he was right with God. His lifestyle was not good. Jill
—-Please pray that I can stop smoking. Cora
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Dear Friends,
The nice thing about Kansas is the fact that winter temperatures are usually in the forties or fifties during the day and in the twenties or thirties at night. Next week, however, the temperatures are supposed to dip down into the twenties in the daytime and in the teens at night. It makes we so thankful to live in a house instead of a trailer. Most of our married life, we lived in a trailer and it seemed like we were constantly battling frozen pipes when the temperature got below twenty. During those nights, we would leave the water dripping to prevent having frozen pipes. Although it made our water bill higher, it was worth it just to have the water was still flowing freely in the morning despite the frigid temperatures outside.
One time, some years ago, when an extra cold night was forecast, we each thought the other had left a faucet dripping. We each went to bed sure that all was well, but the next morning, I discovered that the water pipes had frozen. They stayed frozen until the middle of the day when the temperatures rose above freezing. Thankfully, no pipes burst.
How much like those water pipes we are. If we allow our Great Creator’s blessings to flow though us, all is well; but if we keep them to ourselves, we become frozen and rigid and on the verge of bursting. Jesus speaks of this flowing, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37,38 Our Dear Saviour longs to use us to bring His love, His truth, His blessings to those around us. He commands, “freely ye have received, freely give.” Matt 10:8
Yet, how often we are in danger of becoming useless like those frozen pipes, because we hoard God’s gifts for ourselves with scarcely a thought for the perishing souls all around. To help us remember this principle, Jesus illustrated it two other ways. “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Mat 5:13-16
Think of it! He has commissioned us to be His ambassadors to a perishing world! “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.” Isa 43:10-12 What a privilege! The Great King of the Universe desires that we shall represent His character to a dying world. He, Who left all the glories of Heaven that we might live, promises to work through us to save those suffering in darkness. He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
May we daily allow ourselves to be a channel through which the Water of Life may flow. May we reflect His character as the moon reflects the light of the sun sharing the blessings that He has showered upon us, that those around us may accept the Good News of Salvation is my prayer.
Rose

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16.
All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean, when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible, and meditate upon the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to our understanding more and more….
It is Satan’s constant study to keep the minds of men occupied with those things which will prevent them from obtaining the knowledge of God…. The Son of the Highest has strength to fight the battle for us; and through “Him that loved us,” we may come off “more than conquerors.”—Testimonies for the Church 5:740.
With God at Dawn p. 34
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Tony who has blood clots in his lungs and leg. Pray also for Amber as she is not able to be at the hospital with him due to covid rules. Rose
—-Was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. Please pray for healing. Patricia
—-Please pray for healing for David’s mind and that he will be converted. Buck
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Dear Friends,
When Esther was six, we had moved from Utah to Washington. We had travelled through an area that was having an epidemic of meningitis and somehow Esther contracted the disease. She eventually recovered from the illness and seemed to suffer no ill effects. I was so very thankful as meningitis can have some very serious consequences. How happy she was when she and Ronnie Jay could play in the fields behind the house that we had rented. There were lots of tall weeds in that field and they pretended they were in a jungle. Although they loved to play there, Esther kept getting prickers from those weeds in her eyes. Over and over, I admonished her that she needed to close her eyes when she saw the weeds coming close to her eyes. At the time we did not realize that the meningitis had left her very far-sighted, so she couldn’t see the weeds when they got close to her eyes.
Many times I had to remove those tiny specks from her eyes while reminding her to close her eyes when she saw a weed coming too near. Removing them was no easy task. They were very hard to see as they were a very pale tan and when they were wet from her tears, they became almost invisible. One particular time I could not get one of those nearly microscopic prickers out. It had stuck into her eyeball. I immediately took my crying child to the emergency room. By using a strong magnifying glass, the doctor was able to find and remove the offending object. Then he prescribed some ointment to put into Esther’s eye.
How she hated that ointment! She was only six at the time and did not fully understand why she needed it. All she knew was that it stung and she couldn’t seem to understand why I was insisting that she have it. She would run away from me and hide whenever it was time to put it into her eye. It was quite a challenge to find her. She was very good at hiding. She could curl up into a tiny ball in some out-of-sight place, hold very still, and be very quiet becoming almost as invisible as those prickers had been. Hiding did her no good, however. Eventually I would find her and put the medicine in despite her protests.
Just as that eyesalve was necessary for Esther’s recovery, so our Great Physician counsels us to receive Heavenly eyesalve from Him. He pleads, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Rev 3:18 The eyesalve that He offers sometimes hurts and stings as we see our true condition—“wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” but it is so needful. Rev 3:17 It gives us the discernment we need in order to detect the snares of the evil one. It helps us to see and avoid the weeds he puts in our path.
How much we need the Heavenly eyesalve to see the true path. The devil uses many ways to counterfeit the genuine. He has his agents to lead people into the wrong paths. Our Dear Saviour warns us, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matt 7:15 He explained that in the last days there would be many deceivers, many deceptions. “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” 24:24 How much we need the spiritual eyesalve that the True Witness offers, that we might not be taken in by one of these deceivers.
It is of the utmost importance to be able to discern truth from error. Our whole future depends upon it. Jesus gives us the key. “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God” John 7:17 Just before going to the cross, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy Word is truth.” 17:17 Think of it! The same Holy Spirit Who inspired men of God to write the Scriptures, will give us the spiritual discernment that we so much need. (2 Peter 1:21) He is the Heavenly Eyesalve! He is our Comforter and Guide! Jesus says of Him, “He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. . . . 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 show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” John 16:7-15
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” Ps 119:9-11, 104 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Ps 19:7-11 Through the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the Word of God gives us what we need to see clearly the way in which we should go. Praise His Holy Name!
May we daily ask the Faithful and True Witness for the eyesalve that He so freely offers. (Rev 3:14-21) May we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us completely with His light that we may discern truth from error. May we daily read and obey His Holy Word, that we may stand true to Him in these last days is my prayer.
Rose

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Titus 1:9.
The Lord has often made manifest in His providence that nothing less than revealed truth, the Word of God, can reclaim man from sin or keep him from transgression. That Word which reveals the guilt of sin, has a power upon the human heart to make man right and keep him so. The Lord has said that His Word is to be studied and obeyed; it is to be brought into the practical life; that Word is as inflexible as the character of God,—the same yesterday, today, and forever.—Testimonies to Ministers, 80, 81.
But however much one may advance in spiritual life, he will never come to a point where he will not need diligently to search the Scriptures; for therein are found the evidences of our faith. All points of doctrine, even though they have been accepted as truth, should be brought to the law and to the testimony; if they cannot stand this test, “there is no light in them.”
The great plan of redemption, as revealed in the closing work for these last days, should receive close examination. The scenes connected with the sanctuary above should make such an impression upon the minds and hearts of all that they may be able to impress others. All need to become more intelligent in regard to the work of the atonement, which is going on in the sanctuary above…. By study, contemplation, and prayer, God’s people will be elevated above common, earthly thoughts and feelings, and will be brought into harmony with Christ and His great work of cleansing the sanctuary above from the sins of the people.—Testimonies for the Church 5:575.
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Prayer Requests
—-update—Annie’s surgery went well. Please pray for a good recovery. Rose
—-My daughter linda need miracle from God .she had a 5 way heart by pass. and now paralyzed cant dress. walk. sit up turn over. shes drugged. she was strong and now weak. Need her whole and strong and walking again. please need her home. Cleo
—-David needs your continual prayers. Buck
—-Pray for me — Sudden hearing loss– Difficulty understanding what folks are saying! Ann
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Dear Friends,
During the depression of the thirties, nearly everyone suffered. It was a struggle just to survive. Men left their families to wander the country looking for work. Most of them became beggars, knocking on doors till they found some kindhearted soul who would give them a little food. Although my grandparents did not have much, they felt blessed that my grandfather still had a job. My grandmother never turned away someone who came begging at her door.
One day a different kind of beggar came asking for food. Hearing something at the door, my grandmother opened it to find a pitiful looking dog. He was very skinny and weak. She felt very sorry for him and gave him the bone that she was planning on using for soup. He wagged his tail, took the bone in his mouth and weakly walked away. My grandmother saw him lay this bone at his mate’s feet. She began eagerly to gnaw it while he stood guard. What an example of love, devotion, and sacrifice!
Just as that poor, starving dog gave up the sustenance that he needed because he loved his mate unselfishly, so our Dear Saviour gave His all for us. Think of it! The King of Glory left Heaven where He was worshipped and adored by the myriads of angels and all the beings on worlds unfallen to come to this dark and sinful world to suffer all of the hatred that the devil and evil men could heap upon Him. How great is His love for us! It is beyond comprehension!
Just as our Great Redeemer gave up everything for us, so He bids us give up everything for Him. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Matt 10:37-39 Paul admonishes us, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil 2:5-8
Jesus illustrated this fact by giving two parables recorded in Matthew 13:44 He said, “the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” Perhaps the man did not realize that he would have to sell everything in order to buy that field, but it soon became apparent. His whole focus in life was to buy that field, because when he did, his whole life would change. He would have great riches, servants, and a life of ease. That thought kept him focused on his goal even when family and friends thought he had “gone off the deep end”. To his great joy, he succeeded in obtaining that which he longed for.
For emphasis, Jesus gave an almost identical parable. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” vs. 45,46 Again the moral of the story was our need to give up everything to obtain the Pearl of Great Price no matter what the cost.
Our Great Redeemer sets before us a reward that is far better than any earthly treasure. We can have eternal life! This mortal can be given the gift of immortality! We can see God face to face! We can reign with Him! We can have close fellowship with the Creator of the Universe throughout eternity! There is no greater happiness than that!
Just as it cost the men in these parables everything they possessed, so it will cost us all. We must give up our self-centeredness. We must give up our selfish desires. We must give up our own agenda knowing that He never asks us to give up what is good for us. How important it is for us to keep our eyes on Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith.” Our sweetest thoughts must be of Him. Our whole focus in life must be to please Him: not for the reward, but because of our gratitude and love to Him for His great sacrifice for us. “Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” 1 John 2:5, 6
May we daily surrender ourselves and all that we possess to the One Who loves us so. May we serve Him with all of our mind, all of our strength, all of our whole being because He first loved us. (1 john 4:19) May we “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:1, 2
Rose

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. Proverbs 3:13, 14.
Since God is the source of all true knowledge, it is, as we have seen, the first object of education to direct our minds to His own revelation of Himself. Adam and Eve received knowledge through direct communion with God; and they learned of Him through His works. All created things, in their original perfection, were an expression of the thought of God. To Adam and Eve nature was teeming with divine wisdom. But by transgression man was cut off from learning of God through direct communion, and to a great degree, through His works. The earth, marred and defiled by sin, reflects but dimly the Creator’s glory. It is true that His object-lessons are not obliterated. Upon every page of the great volume of His created works may still be traced His handwriting. Nature still speaks of her Creator. Yet these revelations are partial and imperfect. And in our fallen state, with weakened powers and restricted vision, we are incapable of interpreting aright. We need the fuller revelation of Himself that God has given in His written Word….
To obtain an education worthy of the name, we must receive a knowledge of God, the Creator, and of Christ, the Redeemer, as they are revealed in the Sacred Word…. Instead of confining their study to that which men have said or written, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Let them contemplate the great facts of duty and destiny, and the mind will expand and strengthen.—Education, 16-18.
With God at Dawn p. 29
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Prayer Requests
—-I have an urgent prayer request for 3 family members. Rachel, my cousin, and her two babies were in a serious car accident. Mason is 5 months old and broke his back and neck. Braxton, his older brother, who is around 3 years old is also seriously injured and in ICU with his brother. Mom has a collapsed lung and cannot feel anything from her waist down. Please, please pray for this family!! Cora
—-Please pray for Annie who is having back surgery tomorrow. Rose
—-Just got word my great nephew is having surgery in few min. Harley JR. His boy parts did not fall down. A year old. Beverly
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Dear Friends,
We rarely get snow, and when we do, it is usually gone in a day or two. A couple of weeks ago, we got about six inches of snow and my grandchildren we so excited. After they woke up, they bundled up in their warmest clothes and rushed out to play. By afternoon, however, Emma stated, “I’ll be glad when there’s no more snow!” That gave me a good laugh, I assure you.
When my children were little, they, too, could hardly wait for that first snowfall. They would listen to each weather forecast with interest and hope. They would press their little nose against the window and watch for that first flake to drift lazily from the sky. When they would awaken to a world covered in white, their joy would know no bounds. Soon they would be bundled up and ready to play in the fluffy, white stuff. What had been a perfect blanket of whiteness, was soon cut up with their footprints. Snowballs flew, snowmen appeared, and Esther’s snow angels dotted the yard. Unlike Emma, they never got tired of that cold, frozen stuff.
A new year has been upon us for nearly a month. It, too, is like a blanket of new-fallen snow. It, too, will soon be cut up by our “footprints.” What will those “footprints” reveal? Will we have drawn closer to our Great Exemplar? Will we have grown spiritually through our co-operating with Him? Will we have gained the victory over those sins which so easily beset us? (Heb 12:1) What will our record be?
Praise God! Our record can be as white as the new-fallen snow! Our Great Redeemer bids us, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isa 1:18 John assures us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 1:9-2:1 Think of it! Whatever we had done to muddy up our life, our Dear Saviour offers to remove our filthy garments and clothe us with His Pure and Sparklingly White Robe of His Righteousness. (Zech 3:1-5;Rev 3:18-20)
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 4:9,10;5:1-4 “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” I Cor 15:57
Let us pray as did David, “purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Ps 51:7 Let us praise Him for His marvelous gift of salvation. (John 3:16,17) “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Tim 2:19 Let us daily “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18
Rose

For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. Psalm 92:4, 5.
Many are the ways in which God is seeking to make Himself known to us and bring us into communion with Him. Nature speaks to our senses without ceasing. The open heart will be impressed with the love and glory of God as revealed through the works of His hands. The listening ear can hear and understand the communications of God through the things of nature. The green fields, the lofty trees, the buds and flowers, the passing cloud, the falling rain, the babbling brook, the glories of the heavens, speak to our hearts, and invite us to become acquainted with Him who made them all.
Our Saviour bound up His precious lessons with the things of nature. The trees, the birds, the flowers of the valleys, the hills, the lakes, and the beautiful heavens, as well as the incidents and surroundings of daily life, were all linked with the words of truth, that His lessons might thus be often recalled to mind, even amid the busy cares of man’s life of toil.
God would have His children appreciate His works, and delight in the simple, quiet beauty with which He has adorned our earthly home. He is a lover of the beautiful, and above all that is outwardly attractive He loves beauty of character; He would have us cultivate purity and simplicity, the quiet graces of the flowers. If we will but listen, God’s created works will teach us precious lessons of obedience and trust…. No tears are shed that God does not notice. There is no smile that he does not mark.— Steps to Christ, 85.
With God at Dawn p. 23
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my coworker Cindy’s mom who has Covid. Wanangwa
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Dear Friends,
I thought I’d share a poem that Esther wrote for one of her classes when she was in college. It is called
Wonder