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. Ezekiel 36:26.
The truths of God’s Word are not mere sentiments, but the utterances of the Most High. He who makes these truths a part of his life becomes in every sense a new creature. He is not given new mental powers, but the darkness that through ignorance and sin have clouded the understanding, is removed.
The words, “A new heart also will I give you,” mean, A new mind will I give you. This change of heart is always attended by a clear conception of Christian duty, an understanding of truth. The clearness of our view of truth will be proportionate to our understanding of the Word of God. He who gives the Scriptures close, prayerful attention will gain clear comprehension and sound judgment, as if in turning to God he had reached a higher plane of intelligence.
If the mind is set to the task of studying the Bible, the understanding will strengthen and the reasoning faculties will improve. Under the study of the Scriptures the mind expands and becomes more evenly balanced than if occupied in obtaining information from books that have no connection with the Bible—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 452.
When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven. No one sees the hand that lifts the burden, or beholds the light descend from the courts above. The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to God.—The Desire of Ages, 172, 173.
With God at Dawn p. 69
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Jody, age 8 or 9, who just had brain surgery to remove a tumor. M
—-Please pray for my post open heart patient for healing. Emerson
—- My wife had bronchitis and pneumonia about a month or so ago and now seems to be coming back again as she has developed another cough/wheezing. Please pray for her health and well being. Also, I have a job interview tomorrow and and am in the process of looking elsewhere and need God’s guidance as to open and/or shut doors according to His will. David
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Dear Friends,
In the spring, the grocery stores display some types of fruit such as peaches or nectarines at greatly inflated prices. Sometimes, I will give in to the temptation to buy just a couple pieces even if the price is high. Often, I am greatly disappointed. When I got them at the store, they were firm and not yet ripe, but I knew that in a few days, they would soften and become sweet and juicy. Rarely has that happened. Often they will become wrinkled and rubbery on the outside and still hard closer to the center and totally unfit to eat. I’m always disappointed and wonder why I bought them.
The Great Master Gardener called Israel the fruit of His labors. Their fruit disappointed Him far more than the fruit that shriveled from the store had disappointed me. “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.” Isa 5:1-6
Using the illustration that He gave to Isaiah so long before, Jesus warned the nation of Israel when He was upon the earth, “There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” Matt 21:33-43
Paul also speaks of this rejection of the nation of Israel and gives warning to His church (Gal 3:29) today, “Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” Rom 11:11-21
This is a warning to us. If we as Christians don’t “ripen” correctly, we eventually will become worthless. Jesus put it this way, “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.” Matt 5:13 Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 25. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” vs 31-45 These “goats” really thought that they were “sheep.” What made the difference? Their love and concern for others, their selflessness, their daily walk with Jesus, a complete change of heart, motives, and focus.
David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” Ps 51:10-13 This also must be our daily prayer. Our Dear Saviour answers, “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
May we be careful to make our “calling and election sure” that we may not be cast aside like shriveled, moldy fruit. 2 Peter 1:10 May we be diligent to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:14 May we rely upon the Holy Spirit’s working in our life is my prayer.
Rose

And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God. Ezekiel 16:62, 63.
Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled. When upon the cross He cried out, “It is finished,” He addressed the Father. The compact had been fully carried out.—The Desire of Ages, 834.
God will not break His covenant, nor alter the thing that has gone out of His lips. His word will stand fast forever, as unalterable as His throne. At the judgment, this covenant will be brought forth, plainly written with the finger of God; and the world will be arraigned before the bar of Infinite Justice to receive sentence.—Prophets and Kings, 187.
For the disheartened there is a sure remedy,—faith, prayer, work. Faith and activity will impart assurance and satisfaction that will increase day by day. Are you tempted to give way to feelings of anxious foreboding or utter despondency? In the darkest days, when appearances seem most forbidding, fear not. Have faith in God. He knows your need. He has all power. His infinite love and compassion never weary. Fear not that He will fail of fulfilling His promise. He is eternal truth. Never will He change the covenant He has made with those who love Him. And He will bestow upon His faithful servants the measure of efficiency that their need demands.—Prophets and Kings, 164.
With God at Dawn p. 66
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my baby granddaughter. She vomits too much and is not gaining weight. Ann
—-David is in one of his depressive spells. Please pray for him and for his family. Buck
—-Please pray for Shawnacee who has not much time to live. Vanessa
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Dear Friends,
When Esther was studying at the Amazing Facts field school (the forerunner of AFCOE) she had an experience during a Bible study she was conducting that was a little embarrassing, but upon reflection is so true. She was very tired as she had many Bible studies each week in addition to her classwork. As they were sitting around the table ready for the study, Esther started to pray. In her tired state, she prayed, “Dear Father, please bless us as we partake of this food….” As soon as she said that, she knew what she had done. So often God is merciful to us when we get ourselves into awkward situations. He brought to her mind a completion to the prayer that really impressed the lady she was studying with. She continued, “….from Your Holy Word. Let it strengthen and nourish us in Your righteousness……”
Gaye Linn, her Bible study, commented that she had never before thought of God’s Word as food for the soul. She really liked this illustration and felt the need to spend as much time studying the Bible as she spent eating. She told Esther that from that prayer she suddenly realized that just as we need to chew our food well for good digestion, so we need to spend time meditating on God’s Word so we may assimilate the message God has for us as we study.
Jeremiah exclaimed, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jer 15:16 David sang a song about this very subject that you may have sung too, “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.” Psalm 19:7-11
Job said, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12 This should be true of us as well. God’s Word should be more important to us than anything. Through God’s Word we can understand who we are and where we are going. The Scriptures show us that we have a God Who loves us more than we can even begin to understand. It possesses all of the answers to all of life’s questions. May we take the time daily to study to “show [ourselves] approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15
Rose

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.” Ephesians 2:8, 9.
Salvation is a free gift, and yet it is to be bought and sold. In the market of which divine mercy has the management, the precious pearl is represented as being bought without money and without price. In this market all may obtain the goods of heaven. The treasury of the jewels of truth is open to all. “Behold, I have set before thee an open door,” the Lord declares, “and no man can shut it.” No sword guards the way through this door. Voices from within and at the door say, Come. The Saviour’s voice earnestly and lovingly invites us: “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.”
The gospel of Christ is a blessing that all may possess. The poorest are as well able as the richest to purchase salvation, for no amount of worldly wealth can secure it. It is obtained by willing obedience, by giving ourselves to Christ as His own purchased possession. Education, even of the highest class, can not of itself bring a man nearer to God. The Pharisees were favored with every temporal and every spiritual advantage, and they said with boastful pride, We are “rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;” yet they were “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” …
We can not earn salvation, but we are to seek for it with as much interest and perseverance as though we would abandon everything in the world for it…. Abandon the idea that temporal or spiritual advantages will win for you salvation. God calls for your willing obedience. He asks you to give up your sins.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 116, 117.
With God at Dawn p. 64
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Lotti she’s now believes there is a God. And she wants the guy she is not married to out of her life, and she doesn’t want him coming over to her home anymore because his abusive too. Please pray that she will be safe and strong. Rosemary
—-please say an urgent pray for my friend who’s family’s son Ben went missing in Albany who are waiting for their nephew to be recovered from the ocean… Jeanie
—-Please keep me in prayer as I will be in surgery at 7AM PST. Please pray all goes well. Donnell
—-Please pray for my daughter, she had surgery last week, and now she is back in the hospital with a blood clot on her left lung. Tamera
—-Praise the Lord….No surgery, no pacemaker. Buddy does have to go home with a pic-line where we put the antibiotics in. (When he gets to go home.) They said he has to have the antibiotics every day for six to eight weeks. He will also have to wear a heart monitor for a month. Kay
—-Going in for shoulder surgery today. May I have some prayers please? Tracy
—-Please pray for a girl by the name of Lauramae as she’s fighting for her life right now. She’s like a little sister to me and please pray for God’s intervention and to save her. Tui
—-Please pray that Daphne who has been kidnapped will be found soon.
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Dear Friends,
About twenty years ago, when Esther lived in South Dakota, she drove down to our house so we could all go to a family reunion together. Eileen and I decided to meet her in McCook, Nebraska which was about half way. A 750 mile trip can be tiring when one is driving alone and Esther was still a teenager.
Once we met at McCook, I took over driving Esther’s car to give her a rest and soon we were busily catching up on all the “details” since we had seen each other last. Eileen drove our van. Suddenly we saw her signal that she wanted us to pull over to the side of the road. She had been listening to the radio and it was giving the area that was experiencing severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds. There were even reports of a tornado that was on the ground. We looked ahead of us and saw what we should have been able to see all along but were too busy talking. Ahead of us and to the east of us the sky was dark and foreboding. Eileen told us that the little town we were soon to be in was experiencing large hail at that very moment. We had to turn to the southeast and drive many miles around the storm. How thankful we were, however, for the warning that kept us out of the bad weather.
The Bible warns us of a “storm” that is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise. Jesus has given us ample signs of the approaching storm, so we do not have to be surprised. We may have to change some of our plans, just as we had to change our route that day, but that is a small price to pay for our future with Him. Just as He warned His disciples of His approaching death, so He says to us, “And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.” John 14:29 Then He gave a brief outline of the future to his disciples. Most of those things have been fulfilled. “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 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. . . . Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. . . . Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. . . .But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. . . .Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Matt 24
From cover to cover the Bible is full of all the instruction we need to be ready for that Great Day. Let us search the Scriptures daily that we may be prepared for the coming “storm.” Let us “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us 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 Let us heed the great warnings found in God’s Word that we may be able to stand in that fearful and glorious day is my prayer.
Rose

My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. Isaiah 51:5.
I saw the beauty of Heaven. I heard the angels sing their rapturous songs, ascribing praise, honor, and glory to Jesus. I could then realize something of the wondrous love of the Son of God. He left all the glory, all the honor which He had in Heaven, and was so interested for our salvation that He patiently and meekly bore every indignity and slight which man could heap upon Him…. He was stretched on Calvary’s cross, and suffered the most agonizing death, to save us from death; that we might be washed in His blood, and be raised up to live with Him in the mansions He is preparing for us, to enjoy the light and glory of Heaven, to hear the angels sing, and to sing with them. I saw that all Heaven is interested in our salvation; and shall we be indifferent? Shall we be careless, as though it were a small matter whether we are saved or lost? Shall we slight the sacrifice that has been made for us? Some have done this. They have trifled with offered mercy, and the frown of God is upon them. God’s Spirit will not always be grieved. It will depart if grieved a little longer.
After all has been done that God could do to save men, if they show by their lives that they slight Jesus’ offered mercy, death will be their portion, and it will be dearly purchased.—Testimonies for the Church 1:123, 124.
With God at Dawn p. 62
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Ilene whose best friend and sister-in-law passed away. Rose
—-Update: Today is the day Buddy will have the testing to see if there is any infection in the heart valve. Yesterday he got antibiotics all day. Prayer warriors keep praying that the infection is completely gone from his body. Kay
—-My wife and I are going to begin a new adventure we are going to begin a healthier lifestyle and weight loss adventure and could use prayers. Fred
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Dear Friends,
It is good to reflect daily upon the goodness and great love of God. David says, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.” Ps 63:1-7
Our Great Redeemer’s love is beyond our comprehension. He has provided His Greatest Gift, the gift of His only Son, One equal to Himself. When we look at our own children, we have such great love for them that we would never want to sacrifice one of them for the life of someone else; but “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 Think of it! “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Rom 5:8; 11:33
During those 33 years His Dear Son was upon this earth, God was tenderly watching, feeling every hurt, every disappointment, every care. Three times the Great Sovereign of the Universe spoke audibly to mortal man. At Jesus’ baptism He announced, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matt 3:17 Again on the Mount of Transfiguration He declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” 17:5 Near the end of Jesus earthly life, He told the people, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” John 12:27,28
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus began to feel, stronger than He had ever felt before, the sins of the whole world being laid upon His shoulders. As our sins threatened to crush out His very life, Jesus committed His will to His Father. God answered by sending an angel to strengthen Him to endure His Great Sacrifice. But then, He must withdraw His presence and allow Jesus to go through the sense of separation from God that the unrepentant sinner will feel in the day of executive judgment. That separation that was far worse for Jesus than the great physical pain of crucifixion. It was equally difficult for The Father to see His Son suffer so. Think of the heart-wrenching agony God the Father felt as Jesus was upon the cross. The pain that pierced His Great Heart of Love is beyond our comprehension. Yet He willingly sacrificed His All because He loves us so.
Yet how easy it is for us to take that Great Sacrifice for granted. How easy it is for us to get so busy that we have hardly a thought Heavenward. How easy it is for us to be so self-centered that our needs, our desires, our momentary happiness is all that matters to us. How that must hurt our Redeemer Who sacrificed so much that we might dwell with Him throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. He Who has given His life for us desires above all else to spend every moment right beside us, communing with us, leading us, guiding us, giving us a peace that passes all understanding. In gratitude, may we daily give Him our heart, our life, our thoughts, our words, our everything is my prayer.
Rose

And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 10:12.
Let the youth be impressed with the thought that they are not their own. They belong to Christ. They are the purchase of His blood, the claim of His love. They live because He keeps them by His power. Their time, their strength, their capabilities are His, to be developed, to be trained, to be used for Him. Next to the angelic beings, the human family, formed in the image of God, are the noblest of His created works. God desires them to become all that He has made it possible for them to be, and to do their very best with the powers He has given them.
Life is mysterious and sacred. It is the manifestation of God Himself, the source of all life. Precious are its opportunities, and earnestly should they be improved. Once lost, they are gone forever.
Before us God places eternity, with its solemn realities, and gives us a grasp on immortal, imperishable themes. He presents valuable, ennobling truth, that we may advance in a safe and sure path, in pursuit of an object worthy of the earnest engagement of all our capabilities.
God looks into the tiny seed that He Himself has formed, and sees wrapped within it the beautiful flower, the shrub, or the lofty, wide-spreading tree. So does He see the possibilities in every human being. We are here for a purpose. God has given us His plan for our life, and He desires us to reach the highest standard of development. He desires that we shall constantly be growing in holiness, in happiness, in usefulness.—The Ministry of Healing, 396-398.
With God at Dawn p. 59
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Prayer Requests
—-Update: We finally had a few answers from the tests. Buddy has a cyst on his right kidney and that is where the infection is coming from. They were able to narrow the antibiotic down specifically for the type of infection he has. That is an answer to prayer. He hopefully will be released from the hospital today. They will have the results of the MRI today. Thank you all for your prayers. Kay
—-Please pray for one of my son’s. I can’t get a hold of him and I am so worried. He is living with a very evil person and I don’t know if he is dead or alive. Connie
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in Washington state, when my children were little, I worked as a home health aide. I had four elderly or disabled clients and visited their homes on different days of the week and helped with whatever they needed. Sometimes it was as simple as taking them to a doctor’s appointment, bathing them, cooking a meal, or cleaning. One day when I came home and was receiving my usual hugs of greeting from my children, when I noticed that Esther was smelling my clothes. I thought that was rather strange, so I asked her what she was doing. Esther replied that she was seeing whose house I had been to. I challenged her to tell me where I had been that day. She named it accurately. I was surprised that she had such an acute sense of smell.
Just like the smells from the places I had been had clung to my clothes, so the places we go, the things we do, what we see and hear have a lasting effect upon us. Scientific studies have shown that we take on the characteristics of those we come in contact with, even if we are with them for as little as ten minutes. How important, then, it is to choose our friends wisely. The Bible says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3 The influence of our associates changes us for good or for evil. How vital it is that we choose carefully what we watch on TV, what we listen to on the radio, what books we read. We must ask ourselves, “Will this draw me closer to Jesus or further away?” Paul advises, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Phil 4:8
We have the promise that if we behold our Loving Saviour through His Holy Word, meditating upon His life, His goodness, speaking with Him as we would to a dear friend, we will be changed into His likeness. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18 This should be our goal! To be like the One Who loved us so much that He gave Himself unreservedly for us. Daily our prayer should be, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.” Ps 119:37 And if we are careful to turn away from the bad and cling to the good, God has promised a reward beyond our greatest dreams “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.” Isa 33:125-17 Think of it! He will protect and care for us now and when He comes again He will take us to His Heavenly Home to dwell with Him forevermore. Precious promise!
May we guard carefully the avenues of the soul. May we determine as did David, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes”101:3 May our face shine with glory from our communion with our Great Redeemer just as Moses’ face shone from the time he spent with Him. (Ex 34:29)
Rose