Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John 4:11.
The world is looking with gratification at the disunion [seen] among Christians. Infidelity is well pleased. God calls for a change among His people. Union with Christ and with one another is our only safety in these last days. Let us not make it possible for Satan to point to our church members, saying, “Behold how these people, standing under the banner of Christ, hate one another. We have nothing to fear from them while they spend more strength fighting one another than in warfare with my forces.”
After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the disciples went forth to proclaim a risen Saviour, their one desire the salvation of souls. They rejoiced in the sweetness of communion with saints. They were tender, thoughtful, self-denying, willing to make any sacrifice for the truth’s sake. In their daily association with one another they revealed the love that Christ had commanded them to reveal. By unselfish words and deeds they strove to kindle this love in other hearts….
But the early Christians began to look for defects in one another. Dwelling upon mistakes, encouraging suspicion and doubt, giving way to unkind criticism, they lost sight of the Saviour and of the great love He had revealed for sinners. They became more strict in regard to outward ceremonies, more particular about the theory of the faith, more severe in their criticisms. In their zeal to condemn others, they themselves erred. They forgot the lesson of brotherly love that Christ had taught. And, saddest of all, they were unconscious of their loss. They did not realize that happiness and joy were going out of their lives, and that soon they would walk in darkness, having shut the love of God out of their hearts.
The apostle John realized that brotherly love was waning in the church, and he dwelt particularly upon this point. Up to the day of his death, he urged upon believers the constant exercise of love for one another….
In the church of God today brotherly love is greatly lacking. Many of those who profess to love the Saviour neglect to love those who are united with them in Christian fellowship….
Harmony and unity existing among men of varied dispositions is the strongest witness that can be borne that God has sent His Son into the world to save sinners. It is our privilege to bear this witness. But in order to do this, we must place ourselves under Christ’s command. Our characters must be molded in harmony with Christ’s character; our wills must be surrendered to His will.—Manuscript 143, December 10, 1903, “Unity.”
The Upward Look p. 358
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Mary that God will give her wisdom in a certain situation. Rose
—-Please continue to pray for Esther. Rose
—-I need urgent prayer I’m being terminated without any investigation from my shelter with my 2 kids .i need a prayer agreement for God to intercede in Jesus Christ name. Tasha
—-Please pray for the family and friends of Pastor Dave who passed away because of Covid. B
—-Please pray for Shannon who has a ministry for truckers. He is hospitalized with Covid. Shawn
—-Please pray for my son, Ron. Going to Dr. this am for Hyperthyroid. Pray for Dr’s giving him the Right medication. Ann
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Dear Friends,
It seems that there are so many people that I know or know of that are dying of the illness. Troubles and trials are on every hand in so many families. It brings to mind Peter’s statement, “For 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 How fragile is life. It can be gone in a moment. How important, then, to be sure of our standing with our Great Creator, “in whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:10 In view of this fact, John bids us, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:15-17
Truly, now is the time to make sure of our standing before God. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor 6:2 Think of it! We have assurance but of this moment. We know not what the future holds. Yet, how often we live as if we have an eternity of “the good life” before us. How often we seek the things of this world with scarcely a thought heavenward. Jesus told a parable concerning the futility of this tendency of ours, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21
May we daily “give diligence to make (our) calling and election sure.” 2 Peter 1:10 May we seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; for we have the promise that if we do all our needs will be supplied. (Mat 6:33) May we daily open our heart’s door to our Loving Saviour, Who, because of His great love for us, left the glories of Heaven and the adoration of all the unfallen beings of the universe, to live a life filled with all of the hardships, troubles, and trials that the evil one could heap upon Him, and finally to die upon the cruel cross; that we might dwell with Him throughout all eternity partaking of the joys of that fair land where “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Cor 2:9
Rose

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20.
As Christ ascended, His hands outstretched to bless His disciples, a cloud of angels received Him and hid Him from their sight. As the disciples looked with straining eyes for the last glimpse of their ascending Lord, two angels from the rejoicing throng stood by them and said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11)….
The disciples were filled with great joy. Over and over again they repeated the words Christ had spoken to them in His last lessons, as recorded in the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of John; and every one had something to say about the instruction, especially with regard to the words of the fourteenth of John … [verses 1-3, quoted]….
The promise that He would come again, and also the thought that He had left them His peace, filled their hearts with joy….
Satan has made men and women his prisoners, and claims them as his subjects. When Christ saw that there was no human being able to be man’s intercessor, He Himself entered the fierce conflict and battled with Satan. The First begotten of God was the only One who could liberate those who by Adam’s sin had been brought in subjection to Satan.
The Son of God gave Satan every opportunity to try all his arts upon Him. The enemy had tempted the angels in heaven, and afterwards the first Adam. Adam fell, and Satan supposed he could succeed in ensnaring Christ after He assumed humanity. All the fallen host looked upon this engagement as an opportunity to gain the supremacy over Christ. They had longed for a chance to show their enmity against God. When the lips of Christ were sealed in death, Satan and his angels imagined that they had obtained the victory.
It was the thought of standing under the guilt of the whole world that brought the inexpressible anguish to Christ. In the death struggle the Son of God could rely only upon His heavenly Father; all was by faith. He Himself was a ransom, a gift, given for the freeing of the captives. By His own arm He has brought salvation to the children of men, but at what a cost to Himself! …
What a spectacle was this conflict! It resulted in demonstrating to the heavenly universe the justice of God.—Manuscript 125, December 9, 1901, “The Unchangeable Law of God.”
The Upward Look p. 357
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Prayer Requests
—-My ex is in the hospital with COVID and quite sick. Pray for him. Ann
—-Please pray for me I am sinking into a deep depression. Connie
—-Pray For My Brother Inlaw Thomson… He is very sick on life support. Daniel
—-Please pray for my Uncle Joe , he has a Mass on his Kidneys . Alicia
—-Please pray for my niece, Elaine. A tumour has reocurred in her brain. Please pray that she will live and not die to proclaim the works of the Lord. Please pray that she will be cancer free. Jean
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, my grandfather, Edwin Harmon, was the most important person in my life. Every night, when it was time for him to come home from his work as a bookbinder, I would hide between the stove and the cellar door. Every night he would hunt for me, looking everywhere but the place he knew I was. Finally he would enter the kitchen and after “looking” under the table and not finding me, he would peek over the stove at me and proclaim that he had found me at last. I would always squeal with delight
Every evening he would tell me stories, play drawing games with me, make shadow pictures, or ask me to sing to him. When he sat at his large diningroom table and made leather change purses to sell, I was there. He would explain all about Morrocan leather and the advantages of goat leather instead of that made from cows or pigs. When he cleaned the fish that he had caught, he taught fish’s anatomy. I can still see the poor creature’s heart beating after he had cut off its head.
Every night he had a snack before bedtime. Sometimes he would eat strong cheese and crackers: sometimes ketchup and bread. Of course, I had to have some too. I didn’t like the taste of the spicy ketchup or of the strong cheese, but I loved my grandfather, so I would eat it anyway. That habit was very bad for health and for sleeping. I’m sure that is why I had such a hard time falling to sleep at night, but my grandfather did it, so it had to be right.
Just as I followed my grandfather everywhere, trying to imitate his every move, listening to his every word; so our Dear Father in Heaven longs for us have close fellowship with Him. He says to us, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jer 33:3 David declared, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.” “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.” Psa 123:1,2;145:15-19; 103:13
“Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” is such a wonderful sentence. Just as a parent has some special gift in his hand and asks his child, “which hand do you take?” so our Heavenly Father opens His Hand to supply not only our all needs but also delightful things that our happiness may be full.
Jesus taught His disciples to call His Father, their Father. He explained the trust we should have in His tender care. “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?..for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mat 6:25-33
How anxious our Great Creator is in our welfare! He wants us to ask Him for the blessings that are just waiting for our command. “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:9-13 Think of it! The Great King of the Universe, the Creator of all, loves us as if there were no other person in the world. He greatly desires our fellowship. He longs to shower us with blessings. Jesus says, “I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” John 16:26-27 He loves to answer our prayer of faith. He desires us to have the simple trust and faith in Him that an unspoiled child has in his beloved father. Jesus tells us, “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Luke 18:17 Paul explains, “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 love our Heavenly Father with our whole heart placing all of our trust and confidence in Him. May we listen to His voice through His Holy Word and willingly obey His commands. May we follow Him wherever He leads us is my prayer.
Rose

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:1, 2.
How precious is the knowledge that we have a faithful Friend, One who will impart to us a noble, elevated character that will fit us for the companionship of the heavenly angels in the courts above! His guardianship is over all His children. They have a peace that the world can neither give nor take away. The loss of earthly treasures does not make them hopeless or homeless….
Christ beholds the world, full of activity in seeking for earthly treasures. He sees many eagerly trying first one thing and then another in their efforts to obtain the coveted earthly treasure, which they think will satisfy their selfish greed, while in their eager pursuit they pass by the only path that leads to the true riches.
As One having authority Christ speaks to such ones, inviting them to follow Him. He offers to lead them to the riches that are as enduring as eternity. He points them to the narrow path of self-denial and sacrifice. Those who press on in this path, surmounting every obstacle, will reach the land of glory. In lifting the cross they find that the cross lifts them, and they will at last gain the imperishable treasure.
Many think to find security in earthly riches. But Christ seeks to remove from their eye the mote that obscures the vision, and thus enable them to behold the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. They are mistaking phantoms for realities, and have lost sight of the glories of the eternal world. Christ calls upon them to extend their view beyond the present and add eternity to their vision.—Letter 264, December 7, 1903, to a businessman of some means, 1-6.
There is no place on earth where treasure is secure from loss. But there is a city that has foundations, whose builder and whose Maker is God. Christ seeks to draw the attention away from unwise investments in perishable riches, warning men to lay up their treasures in heaven.—Ibid., 8.
Those who have lavished their affection on earthly treasures without regard to the heavenly riches will soon receive their reward. They will lose the earthly treasures to obtain [that for] which they have sold their souls to Satan….
Will those who have not yet fully yielded themselves to the great rebel now come over to the Lord’s side? Will they, before it is everlastingly too late, leave the works of wickedness and stand under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel?—Ibid.,
The Upward Look p. 355
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for little Charlie who has an aggressive form of cancer. Tom
—-Please continue to pray for my Pastor. He is on a respirator and is still very sick. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and healing for his body. Pray for comfort and peace for his wife, Judy, and daughters, Jenna and Erin. B
—-Please pray for Lainey and Levi who drowned and were brought back. Lainey is recovering nicely but Levi is having difficulty. Kay
—-This is an update on my Grandmother Linda. She passed away this this morning. If you all could keep Jim, her husband in your prayers as she was his wife, best friend and gift from God. Brieanna
—-Please pray for Esther as she has a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. Rose
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Dear Friends,
One Christmas morning some years ago, I decided that I would not spend hours cooking but make everything quick and easy. About an hour before we would be ready to eat, I put sweet potatoes in the oven, put the dressing from a mix I’d bought a few days before, and other things beside them a little later, and walked into the pantry to get the items for the pie. I had decided against pumpkin and opted for canned peach pie filling. To my horror, there were no graham cracker pie crusts on the shelf. Then I remembered. I had used them the week before when we were having company. It was too late to make a regular pie shell as the rest of the dinner was almost ready. Spying the Ritz crackers, I remembered how my grandmother used to make a Ritz cracker crust when she baked apple pies. Relieved that my problem was solved, I grabbed a glass pie pan and crumbled up a tube of Ritz crackers. When I had the proper ingredients mixed together and pressed in the pan, I poured the peach filling on top and stuck it in the microwave.
I thought it smelled a little strange while heating in the microwave. To my distress, I discovered the reason. Looking a little more carefully at the package of crackers, I found that I had used roasted vegetable crackers. So I had made a peach pie whose crust was flavored with a vegetable blend of carrots, onions, cabbage, tomato, parsley, and red and green bell peppers. —-not exactly tasty.
Those crackers had looked just like the regular ones but how different the result. Jesus told a parable about Christians who look like good ones but are as unfit for Heaven as those crackers were for my pie. “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Matt 13:24-30
How many times there are contentions within the church because of these look-alike Christians. Indeed, many of these do not even know that they are false followers. Jesus warns, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matt 7:15-23
How often false doctrines creep in because of these tares which the enemy has sewed. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Col 2:8 How can we discern truth from falsehood? “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa 8:20 ” If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. . . . He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” John 7:17, 18 Only by a study of God’s Holy Word can we discern truth from error, false teachers from those who speak the truth.
May we “study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman who maketh not ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 May we never try to root up the tares that the enemy has sown amongst the wheat but leave that to the Master Who judges with true judgment. May we make sure that we, ourselves, are wheat and not tares is my prayer.
Rose

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? James 2:14.
Enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, Christ was the leader of His people. He gave them statutes and laws, that by obedience to His requirements, they might be His denominated people. He bestowed upon them the bounties of heaven, but He expected them, in turn, to share their blessings with others who were less favored. So He deals with His chosen people today….
Nothing gratifies the enemy more than to see the people of God at strife among themselves. We all need the daily, converting power of the grace of God, for many of our churches are backslidden. They do not reveal the genuine Christian life, and the spirit of the Master. A hundredfold more might be done than is being done to spread the gospel message nigh and afar off….
I have a message for our churches…. There is to be a deeper consecration than has yet been seen, or many will be unprepared to enter the Holy City. With some there is a desire to be first, to rule. It is right to desire to be first in good works, in attaining the Christian graces, but to many the words of Christ as recorded in the seventh chapter of Matthew are applicable today. Read and study this chapter carefully. These are the words of Christ, and it is for every individual to make diligent work for his own soul’s salvation….
We must carry on the Lord’s work unitedly. Firmly and decidedly we are to proclaim the words of God. But we must guard against creating unnecessary prejudice. Let no one, in conversation or in discourse, give sharp thrusts, for by this means doors have been closed, and opportunities have been lost.
If all our churches had been wide awake, we would not now see such poisonous influences as are now at work and many who ought to understand the truth being taken in the snares of Satan’s sophistry. Satan is at work among God’s people, even as he worked among the angels in the heavenly courts, and many are being ensnared.
The judgments of God are in the land, and our testimonies are to be given under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Now, just now, is our time to work under the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. We must give the message quickly, line upon line. Men will be forced to a decision, and it is our part that they are given an opportunity to understand the truth, so that they may take their stand intelligently on the right side.—Manuscript 101, December 3, 1906, “The Lord Loveth a Cheerful Giver.”
The Upward Look p. 351
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Kim, our neighbor, who is having surgery today to scrape out the infection from the surgery she had last week. Rose
—-Prayer for Barbara she’s coughing up blood. Arlene
—-Rich is being taken to hospital right now. They put him on oxygen. He is Having trouble breathing. That leaves Toms mo, Carol home alone. Darla
—-Please pray for my missionary friend in Africa who is sick. Emerson

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. Ephesians 6:14.
The enemy is on the track of every one of us, and if we would resist temptations which assail us from without and from within, we need to make sure we are on the Lord’s side, that His truth is in our hearts, that it keeps watch in our souls, ready to sound an alarm and summon us to action against every enemy. Without this defense amid unseen foes we shall be like the willow bending to blast, driven of the wind and tossed. But if Christ abides in the soul we may be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might….
The mind can be expanded and ennobled and should be made to dwell upon heavenly things. Our powers must be cultivated to the uttermost, else we shall fail of meeting God’s standard. Unless … [the mind] flows in a heavenward direction it becomes an easy prey to the temptation of Satan to engage in worldly projects and enterprises that have no special connection with God…. All zeal and devotion and restless energy and feverish desire are brought into this work, and the devil stands by and laughs to see human effort wrestling so perseveringly for an object that it will never gain, which eludes its grasp….
To be independent and self-reliant in some respects is [a] duty that we owe to ourselves. But here, where the enemy will come in with his delusive snares, pride takes the place of humility. And when you or I trust to our own resources, our own wisdom, and seek counsel of our own heart, then certain disappointment, shame, and confusion will be our portion at last. We are in a fair way to triumph only when we are closely connected with God, and have on the whole armor of righteousness….
It is essential that you feel the power of the truth as well as to believe it. It should have a steady, abiding influence upon the mind. But dreamlike projects are favored and bar the way to deep and thorough heavenly principles. The things of this life have the precedence of the interest pertaining to the future, immortal life. The common and earthly deaden the sense of the eternal.
There is one safeguard against Satan’s deceptions and snares—that is the truth as it is in Jesus. The truth planted in the heart, nourished by watchfulness and prayer, nourished by the grace of Christ, will give us discernment. The truth must abide in the heart, be felt in its power in spite of all the alluring enchantments of Satan, and your experience and mine must be that the truth can purify, guide, and bless the soul.—Letter 17, December 1, 1886, to “My Dear —” (addressee unknown).
The Upward Look p. 349
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for Esther as she is having a lot of contractions. Also please pray for Hannah who has many health issues. Rose
—-Please pray that Cory will come back to God before it is too late. Kathy
—-Please pray for our pastor who has covid and is on a respirator. B
—-Asking for prayers that my surgery will go good in the morning 12/2. I have Basel cell cancer in my nose. David
—-Please pray for Darcy, a two-year-old who drowned and was resuscitated but has severe brain damage. Connie
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Dear Friends,