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,

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11.
The Bible is to be the rule of your life practice, for all who follow its teachings are made wise unto salvation.
You cannot depend on your own righteousness. If you make the Lord your trust constantly, you will not be brought into confusion. For keeping power, trust wholly in the One who understands all your spiritual necessities. God is very pitiful. Depend on Him alone. Christ’s righteousness atones for your sins. He is making intercession in your behalf. Seek to please Him by keeping all His commandments.
The more that we, individually, are acquainted with the Bible, and the more earnestly and zealously we criticize ourselves, comparing our hearts and lives with the standard of God’s requirements, the more fully will we trust only in the Wisdom that cannot err. Through faith we will accept the promise given to those who receive Christ as their personal Saviour—the promise that to them He will give power to become sons and daughters of God.
My brother, keep the perfection of Christ’s character ever before you. Whatever may be the human judgment pronounced on your case, remember that God has authorized no human agent to be judge of his fellow man. Put your trust in God at all times, and you will find Him able to keep you by His almighty power. He will be an ever-present, all-sufficient defense against the strife of tongues which Satan inspires to confuse and weaken and discourage….
The Friend of sinners knows how to help and strengthen and bless those who, having sinned, turn again unto the Lord. Those who seek God with the whole heart will find Him a present help in every time of need. He will heal the erring, instead of denouncing and crushing them. He will hear the penitential prayers, and will pardon the repentant ones, doing them good, according to the great riches of His grace….
Lift up heart and soul in praise to God because He has acknowledged you as His child. He will make you His helping hand, and will bless you in the work of trying to help other souls. The Holy Spirit will work every heart susceptible to its holy influence. Christ’s righteousness will go before such an one, and the glory of the Lord will be his rearward.—Letter 192, November 30, 1902, to W. O. Palmer, one of J. E. White’s helpers in his work for the blacks of the Southern States.
The Upward Look p. 348
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Esther. Rose
—-My mom is in operation theater, she is 67 year old, plz pray for her. N
—-Please pray for my husbands mom Carol. She was diagnosed with covid today. She only has one full functioning lung. Darla
—-David is causing his family a lot of stress. Please pray. Buck
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago when we still lived in our house trailer, the toilet in our front bathroom had been giving signs of needing repairs. We bought the needed parts fully intending on fixing it before it got any worse, however, we put off fixing it right away. Things were really busy for us right then, so fixing that “little problem” got put at the bottom of our “to do right away” list. One night a few weeks later, about bedtime, our “little problem” needed immediate attention. Water suddenly began spurting out of the back of the toilet like a geyser “washing” our walls and flooding the floor. It was totally out of control! Until Ron was able to get the water turned off and the needed repairs made, it was a very exciting few minutes at our house.
How often we neglect our spiritual life like we had neglected that minor repair. How many times the things of this world get our attention and before we know it, days or weeks have passed before we open the Word of God. We don’t consciously intend on neglecting God’s Word, we just get too busy with the affairs of life. How our forgetfulness must break the Heart of God, for He loves us with an everlasting love. Jer 31:3
There will be some who put off accepting Jesus until it is too late. They will think back on all the missed opportunities, all the time they wasted on the non-essential, all the times they said as did Felix when he said to Paul, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Acts 24:25 That convenient time never came for him, and a more convenient time will not come for us. We must not neglect the needed preparation for eternity. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” Josh 24:15 “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor 6:2
May we never be like the foolish virgins, who, although they believed in and were looking for the Bridegroom to come, neglected the extra oil they needed to keep their lamps burning. (Matt 25:1-13) May we never say those dreadful words, “the harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Jer 8:20 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, [may we] give diligence to make [our] calling and election sure: for if [we] do these things, [we] shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto [us] abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10, 11
Rose

Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Matthew 25:29.
Let not my brother … question God’s wise arrangements, for God hath said He will make His strength perfect in your weakness. Ever bear a humble, contrite heart, and you will afford God an opportunity of manifesting His love and grace to the frail instrument. Let not one moment be wasted in lamenting the opportunities you never had.
You have often thought: “If I had been in another position in life, and had had the advantages that many others have had, I might have had a larger capital to invest for my Lord.” The Lord knew all about this matter when He selected you for the work He has given you to do. In God’s beautiful arrangement, the one talent may be increased by use, even becoming ten. And ever remember that God will accept according to what a man hath, and not according to what he hath not. (see 2 Corinthians 8:12).
God has given you your talents. He has chosen you to bear responsibilities, not because you had a thorough education, not because you were an orator, or a man of brilliant intellect; He chose you because through His grace you walked humbly with God, and manifested faithfulness in that which is least.
Jesus has been delivering His goods to His servants age after age. One generation after another has been gathering up the hereditary trust; the talents have increased largely by use, and have descended to us. We are as His hired servants. He has bought us, paid the ransom money in His own blood to secure our willing service.
Some, like yourself, feel the responsibility of trading upon the goods of heaven committed to them. You long to bring a greater income to your Lord. You are unreconciled to the smallness of the largest gifts which you can lay on the altar for Christ; the utmost of time and effort you can give to the Master seems all too little, and you bemoan the imperfect service. Look to the uplifted Saviour. He is not dead and in Joseph’s new tomb, with a great stone rolled before it. He has risen! … He stands as our great high priest! He maketh intercession for you.
All He asks of you is just to use the talents entrusted. If you think that God has given you five talents, then be consoled that He does not require of you the improvement of ten. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, I bid you look up! The rainbow of promise is encircling the throne.—Manuscript 8, November 25, 1892, to a General Conference leader.
The Upward Look p. 343
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my sister, Susie. She has Covid-19. She is 79 years old. August
—-my daughter found out the heartbeat of her 13 week old fetus had stopped, well now she has complications with the miscarriage! Mary
—-Please pray for my dear friend “B” who was diagnosed with cancer just yesterday, thank you! Jodie
—-Please pray for Mike and Eileen. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Thanksgiving. A time to reflect on the many blessings that God has given us. When our Pilgrim fathers fled the old world and its religious persecution, they came to the new world unprepared for its hardships. Because of this lack of preparation, about half of them died that first winter. If it had not been for the kindness of the Indians, the rest of the Pilgrims would have perished the next year as well. In the first Autumn’s harvest, those Pilgrims saw God’s hand in their lives and they were filled with thankfulness to the Great Giver of all blessings. As they and their Indian benefactors sat down to a feast of thanksgiving, their hearts swelled with love and gratefulness.
As the years passed, an autumnal Thanksgiving celebration became a tradition in this country. It became such a part of life, that eventually it was established as a national holiday. Presidents Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt added dimensions to the day.
Sadly, this day established to remember God and His blessings has become a day filled with too much food, men sitting around the TV watching football, their wives and daughters spending much of their holiday in the kitchen preparing the meal, cleaning up from the meal, and complaining that all their husbands and sons want to do is sit around and watch football. What started out as a day to remember God’s blessings is now spent with hardly a thought Heavenward.
Let us, this Thanksgiving holiday, remember its real meaning and “in every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thes 5:18 “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Heb 13:15 “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, 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.” Amen. Phil 4:4-8
Rose

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. John 5:19.
We are safe if we do the will of our heavenly Father…. See the entire dependence of the Son on the Father, was shown in the words “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do”—mark the implicit obedience in the words—“for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19). No less entire is to be our dependence on Christ, and no less implicit our obedience. Christ’s words regarding this matter are definite….
“For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth” (verse 20). It was in our behalf that Christ came to this world to make known the will of His Father, and to show human beings what they must become before they can stand before God in the heavenly courts. It is our work to obey God—to learn and obey the laws of His kingdom.
God chose Israel to be His people, and by His mighty power He delivered them from Egyptian bondage. The Egyptians saw and felt the scourging of God. The whole land bore evidence to the power of Him who ruleth in the heavens. All Egypt was desolated before Pharaoh would submit to God’s will. Thus God worked to lead His people in all future ages to magnify His power and to look to Him as the supreme Ruler.
The Son of God, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, was the leader of the children of Israel, overseeing every phase of their experience. He educated and disciplined them, often testing their faith. Fleeing from Pharaoh’s host, they found themselves at one time hemmed in by inaccessible mountains, with the Red Sea before them and the enemy following hard after. The command came, “Go forward,” and as they obeyed, the waters parted before them. In their journey through the wilderness, the Israelites were led and protected by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night….
Moses, the visible leader of the Israelites, was admitted into the secret councils of the Most High. The people were given evidence that Moses did indeed talk with God, receiving from Him the instruction given them…. God’s divine philosophy is revealed in the experience of Israel, chosen by Him from all nations to be His peculiar people. From His dealing with them we learn that He must be obeyed, that those who are determined to exalt themselves must be blotted out.—Letter 259, November 23, 1903, to “Dear Sister Hall.”
The Upward Look p. 341
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Buddy who is hospitalized with Covid and has a blood clot in his leg. Rose
—-Please pray for my cousin, Carol! Her cancer has come back With a vengeance! Joyce
—-My step dad who is 87 is undergoing an electrical procedure to his heart tomorrow morning. He has a pacemaker and his heart is not working hardly at all. I am just asking for prayer for his peace and for God to take away all anxiety and if it is His will, to let my step dad come through this procedure and have a little more time. I am not certain of his relationship with Jesus. Joy
—-Please Pray for my daughter. Tammy. She has Covid and is on a ventilator. Delia
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Dear Friends,
Fifty-three years ago this month, Ron and I were married. This morning I was reminiscing about those years. There have been good times and bad times—times when our marriage has been strained to its limit and times when it has been solid and sweet. Most of the time, we have taken each other’s love for granted and not appreciated the little acts of kindness that make life sweet as much as we should.
Paul used the analogy of marriage when writing to the Corinthians. “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 2 Cor 11:2 Yet, how often our Heavenly Husband can say of us as He did of church of Ephesus, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” Rev 2:4 How often we deeply wound our Only Saviour by taking His love, His gifts for granted. How we bring pain to His Great Heart of Love by our words, by our actions, by our attitudes. Indeed, we deny the very One Who laid down His life for us by our unthankfulness, by our “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” 2 Tim 3:5
When we think of pleasing ourselves instead of the Lord of Glory, when our hearts do not daily swell with gratitude for His unspeakable gift, His marvelous grace and mercy, we are veritably denying Him. Our Dear Saviour warns us, “Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matt 10:33
May we appreciate the kindnesses that our Great Redeemer daily showers upon us. May we always praise Him for His great love for us. May we stick so close to Him Who loves us that all who meet us will take “knowledge of [us], that [we have] been with Jesus.”
Rose