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

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Isaiah 40:26.
Pantheistic ideas regarding God in nature are framed by Lucifer, the fallen angel. The strange part of the matter is that these ideas have been accepted by so many as beautiful truth. But that which they think is light will lead them into dense darkness. It is a distinguishing feature of the experience of Seventh-day Adventists to give glory to God. When we give glory to human agencies, when we have unlimited confidence in man, speaking of the excellence that we suppose him to possess, we worship we know not what. Let God be exalted. Let frail, erring human beings humble themselves before Him….
I have had much to say of the glory of God as seen in His created works, but never have I left the impression that our God Omnipotent, who ruleth in the heavens and fills all the heavens, is to be found in flower and leaf and tree. What I have said of God’s works in nature was meant to lead the mind from nature to nature’s God, to show that all the glory should be given to Him who ruleth in the heavens….
Men are to discharge their duty to God. They are to have reverence for and a knowledge of a personal God. They are to praise and glorify His name as the One who has placed many beautiful things in this sin-corrupted earth, that from the child to the man and woman of mature years, all may see that God loves His family here below. He so loves us that He gave us a tangible proof of His love by sending His only begotten Son to bear the sin of the world, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God desires us to think of the height and depth and breadth of His measureless love, which is without a parallel, and to remember that we are His purchased possession. “Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (see 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). We are to act as in the sight of the heavenly universe, conscientiously discharging our obligations to our Creator.
The world is to be taken captive by Satan’s deceiving representations. Where then is our security? How shall we guard against Satan’s bewitching artifices? By reading the Word of God with an intensity of desire to know Him in the light of revelation which He has left on record of Himself.—Letter 253a, November 18, 1903, to Dr. J. H. Kellogg, who was entertaining pantheistic concepts.
The Upward Look p. 336
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Joyce who is having back surgery today. Rose
—-Please pray for my husband who is undergoing cancer treatment using the Car-T therapy. And that God will help him not to suffer too much with the side effects. Need prayers for full recovery. Helen
—-David need lots of prayer. So does his family. Buck
—-Please pray for baby Chris who has cancer. Samantha
—-Please pray for Sue’s daughter who is in the mission field. She fell and bumped her head and is not doing well. Eileen
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Dear Friends,
One day, when my mother was a teenager, my grandmother sent her to the mailbox to mail a letter. The mailbox was three blocks away. Van Avery’s drug store was on that corner and my mother decided to take her change purse and buy some little treat as a reward for going. As she walked along, she began to daydream. Before long she had arrived at her destination and absentmindedly mailed the letter.
Just as she closed the mail chute, she realized that she had also mailed her purse. She went inside the drugstore and asked Mrs. Van Avery what she should do. My mother was very distraught, and the storekeeper tried to comfort her but had no suggestions. Finally, my mother went home.
When she told her mother what she had done, my grandmother was not pleased but had an idea. “Geneva,” she said, “You are just going to have to go back to the mailbox and wait for the mailman.”
When it was near the pickup time, my mother trudged back to the mailbox and stood beside it. She got very tired of standing there waiting. As she waited, she was tempted to go into the store and look around, but she knew that she might miss the mailman. Then she would never get her purse.
After what seemed like an eternity, the mailman arrived! Blushing with humiliation, my mother asked him to find her change purse amidst all the letters. He couldn’t help smiling at this teenage girl standing before him. He told her not to be embarrassed, because he often had to retrieve things a lot stranger than a change purse out of mailboxes.
We also are waiting for Someone to come. This Someone is far more important than that mailman of so long ago. Our waiting will bring a far greater reward. Just as she resisted the temptation to go into the store and look at all the pretty figurines that Mrs. Van Avery had, or go to the soda fountain and talk to the neighbor boy who worked there; so we should never allow the things of this world to get our mind off our ultimate goal.
Jesus is coming soon! He has promised, “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, and, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:1-3 John proclaimed, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” Rev 1:7 Paul adds, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess 4:16,17 “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be….And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors….Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.” Matt 24:27,31-33,44-47
Our soon-coming King made a statement that causes us to think, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8 Let us determine that He will find us faithful, for He promises, “be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Rev 2:10 Let us endure unto the end for He has said, “he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matt 10:22 “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” Mark 13:35-37
Rose

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:6, 7.
Your mind may often be clouded because of pain. Then do not try to think, but just rest, and show that you have committed your soul to God as unto a faithful Creator. It is your privilege to show in your weakness and suffering that you do not doubt the love of God toward you, that you know that He is faithful who has promised, and that you trust soul and body in His hands, that He will keep that which is committed to His trust.
Let your mind dwell upon the goodness of God, upon the great love wherewith He has loved us, as evidenced in the work of redemption. If He did not love us, and consider us of value, then this great sacrifice would not have been made. He is beneficent in mercy and in grace. Let your heart and mind be at rest, like a tired child in the arms of its mother. His everlasting arms are beneath you. In all your afflictions Jesus is afflicted. What a privilege it is for you, now afflicted, to find a refuge in Jesus.
The gospel armor seems too weighty to be borne. Well, Jesus Christ is your armor. Hide in Him, and the wicked one will not harass or confuse your faith. Jesus has bequeathed His peace to you….
Praise the Lord that you have felt the cleansing efficacy of the Saviour’s blood. Upon your soul the Sun of Righteousness hath arisen with healing in His wings. How empty and unsatisfying is every earthly thing. But Jesus, the precious Saviour, is your spiritual sustenance. He has linked your life with His life. The word of His grace is manna to the believing soul. The precious promises of the Word are life, greatness, and peace.
Do not be troubled. Jesus loves you, and will care for you and bless you. The active, aggressive battle you can no more fight, but you can let Jesus fight it for you. He says to you, “Give your case entirely into My hands. Be still, and know that I am God.”
Dear Sister _____, we hope and pray that the Lord will give you help and strength under the severe taxation that is upon you. That God that saw Nathanael under the fig tree sees you and understands all your griefs and all your sorrows. The Lord Jesus will be your strength in this day of your affliction….
The Word is the living bread. Eat of it daily. It will be a sustaining power to do all that you must do. It will infuse immortal vigor into your soul, perfect your experience, and bring to you those joys which are real, and which abide forever.—Letter 16, November 17, 1896, to an aged sister.
The Upward Look p. 335
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Prayer Requests
—-Urgent prayer for Daniel please. I can’t talk about it right now. But it’s life and death situation. Lissa
—-Our daughter-in-law got bit by a black widow on sabbath. This evening she has started having multiple negative effects. Olive
—- Asking prayer for Mike who has been our window washer for years. He had COVID but recovered enough to get back to work and earn a living for a while but he hasn’t regained his strength and has to stop working again. Nancy
—-Please pray that God will heal David’s mind and emotions. Buck
—-Mama took a bad fall and hurt her chest. She is 89 years old. Please pray. Dawn
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Dear Friends,
This year has been a difficult one for everyone. Restrictions on almost every aspect of our lives have made life so different from 2019. All are perplexed and wondering why God has allowed this to happen. During these times our heart is overwhelmed within us and we stumble along in a daze not knowing which way to turn. Everyone is wishing for 2020 to be over, but will 2021 be any better? The only way that it will be, is if we are drawn closer to Jesus and allow Him to change us into His image.
Just as God’s Law is a schoolmaster to help us see our need of the saving grace of Christ, (Gal 3:24) so Our Great Creator uses trials and troubles to help us to see what is really important in our lives. Paul tells us, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Heb 12:5-11
May we, during these troublous times, cling to our Rock and our Fortress for He is Mighty to Save. ( Isa 63:1) May we keep so focused upon our Lord and Saviour, that when these or even greater troubles come in like an overwhelming flood, we will look past them and into the Face of the Mighty Deliverer is my prayer.
Rose