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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my coworker Cindy’s mom who has Covid. Wanangwa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Psalm 33:5, 6.
From the stars that in their trackless course through space, follow from age to age their appointed path, down to the minutest atom, the things of nature obey the Creator’s will…. He who upholds the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity, at the same time cares for the wants of the little brown sparrow that sings its humble song without a fear. When men go forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor man gathers his children about the scanty board, each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father.—Steps to Christ, 85.
God is constantly employed in upholding and using as His servants the things that He has made. He works through the laws of nature, using them as His instruments. They are not self-acting. Nature in her work testifies of the intelligent presence and active agency of a Being who moves in all things according to His will…. It is not by inherent power that year by year the earth yields its bounties, and continues its march around the sun. The hand of the Infinite One is perpetually at work guiding this planet. It is God’s power continually exercised that keeps the earth in position in its rotation. It is God who causes the sun to rise in the heavens. He opens the windows of heaven and gives rain…. It is by His power that vegetation is caused to flourish, that every leaf appears, every flower blooms, every fruit develops.—The Ministry of Healing, 416.
With God at Dawn p. 22
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Today is a new day in history of our divided country. Let us pray for peace in all cities and for all leaders. Michael
—-I need prayers and I wasn’t sure where else to go. I lost my baby at 18 weeks pregnant just over 1 year ago. I finally got pregnant and am 6 weeks. I am having complications and have to go have an ultrasound in about an hour to see if I’m having an ectopic pregnancy. I could use all your prayers for me and my sweet babe Kell
—-Pray for our daughter Carrie this morning. Having surgery this morning on her leg she broke almost three weeks ago. John and Crystal
—-Please pray for my post open heart patient. Emerson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
When my children were young, we would play a guessing game called “who am I?” The person who was “it” chose a Bible character and the rest of us took turns asking questions until we guessed correctly. It was a lot of fun. Being rather competative by nature, I would choose a little-known person in order to win. One Bible character that I used was Jephthah. His was a sad story found in Judges 11.
“Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?” Jephthah became their captain “and Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” It was a rash vow that never should have been vowed. He was victorious, but what a price he paid. ” And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.”
How often when we are troubled on every side we, like Jephthah, make vows to the Lord. When our world seems to be crashing in around us, when surrounded and overwhelmed, we often promise our Great Deliverer things nearly impossible to keep if He will only deliver us; but as soon as He does, we forget our vow, or if we do keep it, we do so begrudgingly or half-heartedly. Yet, our Great Creator does not forget our promise to Him. Solomon warns us, “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?…but fear thou God.” Eccl 5:4-7 Good counsel.
May we be very careful what we vow before the Lord. And, if we do vow, may we promise as did David, “I will pay thee my vows, Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.” Ps 66:13,14 May we “offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay [our] vows unto the most High.” Ps 50:14
Rose

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. John 16:14.
The Holy Spirit exalts and glorifies the Saviour. It is His office to present Christ, the purity of His righteousness, and the great salvation that we have through Him…. The Spirit of truth is the only effectual teacher of divine truth. How must God esteem the human race, since He gave His Son to die for them, and appoints His Spirit to be man’s teacher and continual guide!—Steps to Christ, 91.
Before offering Himself as the sacrificial victim, Christ sought for the most essential and complete gift to bestow upon His followers, a gift that would bring within their reach the boundless resources of grace…. Before this the Spirit had been in the world; from the very beginning of the work of redemption He had been moving upon men’s hearts. But while Christ was on earth, the disciples had desired no other helper. Not until they were deprived of His presence would they feel their need of the Spirit, and then He would come.
The Holy Spirit is Christ’s representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth. No one could then have any advantage because of his location or his personal contact with Christ. By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high…. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.—The Desire of Ages, 668-670.
With God at Dawn p. 20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Carl who broke his shoulder. Pray that this will draw him closer to God. Rose
—-Am asking for Prayer on My Husband’s Behalf. He is going in for his 3rd Shoulder Surgery Tomarrow, & am asking through Prayer that the Surgeon Would be able to Successfully go in With a Camera & be Able to Manipulate that Shoulder to Break up the Scar Tissue, which has kept him from having Full use of His Shoulder. Cheryl
—-I need my prayer warriors more than ever my mom was rushed to the ER by ambulance.
It may possibly be a stroke we are waiting on test results tomorrow but they did admit her.
Please keep Patricia in prayer, she’s a very righteous woman and I know whatever God’s will is she is very willing to accept. I can’t go to the hospital because of covid-19 and she asked for prayer!! Tina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
Many people I know have had loved ones suddenly die because of covid. I think of this one family whose father had died of this sickness and after the funeral, this man’s daughter was so upset that she died. That left the family grieving because they had lost their father and their sister. So sad.
How quickly life can end. Peter says, “all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.” 1 Peter 1:24 Even if we reach our “three score and ten,” life is way too short. (Ps 90:10)
How important that we do not put off our decision for Christ. How vital it is that we be ready at all times, for no one has the assurance that tomorrow will be theirs. James says, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:13, 14
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” Heb 2:3 “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor 6:2 May we “give diligence to make [our] calling and election sure.” 2 Peter 1:10 May we “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in [us] both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:12, 13 May we so live that if our life should end as suddenly, we would be assured of a place in God’s Heavenly Kingdom is my prayer.
Rose

Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. Acts 14:17.
Sin has marred earth’s beauty; on all things may be seen traces of the work of evil. Yet much that is beautiful remains. Nature testifies that One infinite in power, great in goodness, mercy, and love, created the earth, and filled it with life and gladness. Even in their blighted state, all things reveal the handiwork of the great Master Artist. Wherever we turn, we may hear the voice of God, and see evidences of His goodness.
From the solemn roll of the deep-toned thunder and old ocean’s ceaseless roar, to the glad songs that make the forests vocal with melody, nature’s ten thousand voices speak His praise. In earth, and sea, and sky, with their marvelous tint and color, varying in gorgeous contrast or blended in harmony, we behold His glory. The everlasting hills tell us of His power. The trees that wave their green banners in the sunlight, and the flowers in their delicate beauty, point to their Creator. The living green that carpets the brown earth tells of God’s care for the humblest of His creatures.
The caves of the sea and the depths of the earth reveal His treasures. He who placed the pearls in the ocean and the amethyst and chrysolite among the rocks, is a lover of the beautiful.—The Ministry of Healing, 410-412.
The God of heaven is constantly at work. It is by His power that vegetation is caused to flourish, that every leaf appears, and every flower blooms. Every drop of rain or flake of snow, every spire of grass, every leaf and flower and shrub, testifies of God. These little things so common around us teach the lesson that … nothing is too small for His attention.—Testimonies for the Church 8:260.
With God at Dawn p. 14
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for these dear ones she has not been able to see her husband. pray that Dewey can keep from getting covid. -19 pray for her as well thank you . My friend Christine contacted it while in the hospital last week. so now they put her in the nursing home she has cancer liver and pancreatic she just turned 78 Christmas day. M.
—-Please pray for Pastor Lacson who had open heart surgery yesterday. Emerson
—-My son Lee and two college friends are traveling home today. Pls pray for safe travel. Donnell
—-I am on my way to visit a relative who is terminally ill. It is a 4 hour trip one way and through Dallas. Please pray for traveling mercies. Jean
—-There are multiple demons in my house and we seriously need prayer! Connie
—-Please pray for BRIAN P. HE IS SERIOUSELY SICK AND ADMITED IN THE HOSPITAL AND ISOLATED AS PER YESTERDAY UPDATE, NO BODY EVEN HIS WIFE ALLOWED TO SEE HIM. Daniel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
We do not have cable because most things on regular TV are not worth watching. We do, however, have a Roku hooked up to our television. On it we enjoy watching nature webcams, creation programs, and sermons.
On one of the sermons we watched, the evangelist called a young boy of about eight to the platform. The evangelist handed him a dollar bill. The boy reached out, took it gladly, and thanked the man. The evangelist then told the boy he could go back to his seat. Clutching his dollar, the boy happily obeyed.
Then the man told the audience that he had tried to use adults for this illustration but they always stood there looking at him skeptically and asked, “What’s the catch?”
We, too, can reach out and grasp the Great Gift of Salvation as did that little boy. We do not need to be skeptical. It is ours for the asking. When the Philippian jailer asked, ” Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 16:30, 31 Was this belief a mere mental assent? No! True belief is a wholehearted belief that changes the life.
Yes, salvation is a free gift, yet it costs us everything. Jesus explains, “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. 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.” Matt 13:44-46
Isaiah urges, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Isa 55:6,7 Paul adds, “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Heb 11:6
May we give diligence to make our calling and election sure. (1 Peter 1:10) May we allow nothing to hinder us from obtaining the Gift of Salvation. May we seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; for we have the promise that if we do, all these things shall be added unto us. (Matt 6:33)
Rose