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

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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. John 5:39.
The study book of the highest value is that which contains the instruction of Christ, the Teacher of teachers.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 389.
The words of the living God are the highest of all education.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 381.
The Author of nature is the Author of the Bible. Creation and Christianity have one God. God is revealed in nature, and God is revealed in His Word. In clear rays the light shines from the sacred page, showing us the living God, as represented in the laws of His government, in the creation of the world, in the heavens that He has garnished. His power is to be recognized as the only means of redeeming the world from the degrading superstitions that are so dishonoring to God and man….
When the Bible is made the guide and counselor, it exerts an ennobling influence upon the mind. Its study more than any other will refine and elevate. It will enlarge the mind of the candid student, endowing it with new impulses and fresh vigor. It will give greater efficiency to the faculties by bringing them in contact with grand, far-reaching truths…. Let the Bible be received as the food of the soul, the best and most effectual means of purifying and strengthening the intellect.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 395, 396.
In God’s Word only do we behold the power that laid the foundations of the earth, and that stretched out the heavens…. In the Word of God the mind finds subjects for the deepest thought, the loftiest aspirations. Here we may hold communion with patriarchs and prophets, and listen to the voice of the Eternal as He speaks with men.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 52.
With God at Dawn p. 10
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Prayer Requests
—-Pray for my friend and her family. Her nephew wants to do her harm although she is nice to them. Rosemary
—-Please pray that Ron will pass his test on Monday. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Before I retired, I worked in the court system. I really liked my job as it had a lot of variety both in the defendants we processed and also in the types of crimes, so I didn’t get bored. Often the defendants that came into our office complained that they have to wait for an interview. They did not feel that they should have to be inconvenienced. They seemed to think that they were getting picked on and did not consider the inconvenience and heartaches that they had caused others.
One time we had a defendant come in whose type of case took longer than some others, so she had a longer wait. The longer she waited, the more upset she became. As she saw defendants who had come in to the office after her, leave before her, she complained louder and longer. She was very annoying.
When her turn came for her interview, however, her whole demeanor changed. She was polite and cooperative to the court service officer. As soon as she left his presence, however, she changed back into the her old self and proclaimed that the whole thing was stupid. I am sure we all know people like that, who are nice in front of others but quite the opposite at home.
That’s what sin does. It muddles our thinking. It makes us selfish and self-centered, so that we do not consider that we have done wrong or made others’ lives unpleasant. Sin takes away our care and concern for others. We become like the Pharisees who appeared righteous to the common people but behind closed doors they were full of iniquity. Yet, their eyes were blinded to that fact. They considered themselves better and more deserving of all good things than were the common people.
Even though they fooled the people, they could not fool the Judge of all the earth. Jesus rebuked them over and over again. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? . . . . Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” Matt 23:13-38
We read of those men who lived so long ago and feel that we could never be as they, yet how often the sin in our own lives muddles our thinking, makes us selfish, causes us to have a form of godliness, but not allow the Holy Spirit to change us from within.
Let us come to Jesus for the cleansing that we so much need. (1 John 1:9-2:3 Let us remember that the Great Judge of the Universe is watching all that we do, all that we think, and all that we say.
Rose