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

All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. Luke 10:22.
No man can explain the mysteries of God. His glory is hidden from the world. Of what value are the surmisings and speculations of men concerning His personality…. Christ is the representative of the Father, “the express image of his person.”
Creation speaks to us of the skill and power of God. In His goodness God has placed on the earth beautiful flowers and trees, wonderfully adapted to the countries and the climate in which they grow. And, though sin has marred the form and beauty of the things of nature, though on them there may be seen traces of the work of the prince of the power of the air, yet they still speak of God, and still reveal some of the beauty of Eden.
In the heavens above, in the earth, in the broad waters of the ocean, we see the handiwork of God. All creation testifies of His power, His wisdom, His love. Yet not from the stars, or the ocean, or the cataract can we learn of the personality of God. This Christ came to reveal….
Christ came to reveal to a fallen race the love of God. He, the Light of the world, veiled the dazzling splendor of the brightness of His divinity, and came to live on this earth as a man among men, that they might, without being consumed, become acquainted with their Creator. No man has seen God at any time, except as He is revealed through Christ.
Because of frequent triumphs, Satan is becoming more bold and defiant in his rebellion against God. The rapid development of evil, the confusion among the laboring classes, reveal that men are rapidly taking sides. They are being bound up in bundles to be burned. The labor unions are quickly stirred to violence if their demands are not complied with. Plainer and plainer is it becoming that the inhabitants of the world are not in harmony with God.
No scientific theory can explain the steady march of evil workers under the generalship of Satan. In every mob wicked angels are at work, rousing men to commit deeds of violence…. The perversity and cruelty of men will reach such a height that God will reveal Himself in His majesty. Very soon the wickedness of the world will have reached its limit, and as in the days of Noah, God will pour out His judgments.
But even when wickedness is at its height, we may know that our Helper is close by our side.—Letter 250, November 16, 1903, to J. E. White, her son, who was working among the blacks of the Southern States.
The Upward Look p. 334
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Gracie, she fell and broke her femur today, she is 92 years old. She will probably have surgery on it tonight. thank you all in advance for your prayers, Debra
—-Our next door Neighbor’s house burned down . Please pray for the family. Tammy
—-David needs prayer. Buck
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Dear Friends,
We are going to have company today. A friend of Esther’s is coming with her two-year-old son. Before she gets here, I need to make sure that our place is baby-proof. Just thinking of the task before me is overwhelming. So much clutter! I should have done more yesterday, but I failed to do so. No doubt, I will discover a few things I have been looking for but had misplaced. For a while things will look really messy and I will be a nervous wreck, but it has to be done. Eventually, everything will be clean and orderly and ready for a toddler’s arrival.
Just so, it is good for us to do a little spiritual rearranging inside us as we prepare for our Soon-coming Saviour. It might shake us up and make us a “nervous wreck,” but just as we must have all things in readiness for our guests, so more importantly, we must be ready to meet Jesus. In that process, we must pray as did David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” Ps 139:23, 24; 119:133 Paul urged us to do some spiritual housecleaning when he said, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:12, 13 He goes on to speak of a type of rearranging that our Heavenly Father does to get us ready to meet Him, “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
Jesus is coming soon and now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to “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 Peter advises us, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10,11

And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. Matthew 4:24.
Christ’s life was one of constant self-sacrifice. His work was not confined to any time or place. It was bounded only by His love and sympathy for the souls for whom He was soon to give His life. His compassion knew no limit. On so large a scale did He conduct His work of healing and teaching, that there was no building in Palestine large enough to hold the multitudes that thronged to Him. In every town and village through which He passed was to be found His hospital. On the hillsides of Galilee, in the great thoroughfares of travel, on the seashore, in the synagogues, in every place where there were hearts ready to hear His message, Jesus healed the people and pointed them to their heavenly Father. In the evening, after the hours of toil were over, He talked with those who through the day must work to earn a pittance for the support of their families.
If we only realized how earnestly Jesus worked to sow the world with the gospel seed, we would … labor untiringly to give the bread of life to perishing souls….
Catch the spirit of the great Master-Worker. Learn from the Friend of sinners how to minister to sin-sick souls. His heart was ever touched with human woe. Why are we so cold and indifferent? Why are our hearts so unimpressible? Christ placed Himself on the altar of service, a living sacrifice. Why are we so unwilling to give ourselves to the work to which He consecrated His life? Something must be done to cure the terrible indifference that has taken hold upon us. Let us bow our heads in humiliation as we see how much less we have done than we might have done to sow the seeds of truth.
When we are converted, our desire for ease and elegance will be changed. Christ brought His desires and wishes into strict abeyance to His mission—the mission that bore the insignia of heaven. He made everything subordinate to the great work that He came to this world to accomplish in behalf of the fallen race. When in His youth His mother found Him in the school of the rabbis, and said to Him, “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing,” He answered, “How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:48, 49).—Manuscript 147, November 12, 1902, “An Appeal for More Effort.”
The Upward Look p. 330
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Prayer Requests
—-Prayer request. for Ted who is being transferred to a rehab place to get his body back to working and get him to start talking again. M
—-Asking for prayers for my son Carlos’ family. Covid has hit their home. They have 6 kids and one has asthma and the mother has it now. Appreciate all your prayers. Connie
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, we were conducting the children’s program during the evangelistic series at our church. The children’s ages ranged from three to 9 years old. After a lively song service, one little boy did not want to sit down and listen to Ron tell a Bible story. He was not at all happy when we insisted that he be quiet and stay in his chair. Loudly he proclaimed, “I hate this meeting. I think I’ll pull out my hair.”
The second time he threatened this, Ron stopped his story, came over to the boy, bent his balding head down so the boy could see it well, and said, “Go ahead. Then you will look like me and won’t have any hair.” Then Ron stood upright and continued his story. The boy’s eyes got big with surprise, grew momentarily quiet, did not threaten to pull his hair out any more, and was fairly good the rest of the evening. On the way home after the program, Ron and I chuckled at the boy’s reaction.
The more I thought about the incident, however, the less funny it appeared. How often we are like that boy, serving the Lord, but complaining every step of the way. We look at the pleasures of this world with longing desire yet we are afraid of their consequences so we outwardly obey. Yet “LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7 Outward conformity without an inward change breaks God’s Great Heart of Love. With tears in His voice He laments, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Matt 15:8
How our Great Redeemer yearns to have us love Him with our whole heart and soul and being. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Mt 22:37-40
How He longs for us to obey because we love Him, because we rejoice in His Great Salvation, His Marvellous Grace. “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Ps 107:8; 100
Let us love our Dear Saviour with our whole heart. Let us obey Him because we want to please Him for “We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 Let us ever look “unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” is my prayer.
Rose

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2.
Let those who profess to believe the truth seek most earnestly to follow in the footsteps of the Master, ministering to all who need a Saviour. Christ has plainly laid down the conditions upon which salvation depends. “If any man will come after me,” He says, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Yes, follow Christ. Let every dear soul who desires to obey God walk in the footsteps of the Redeemer. We must be meek and lowly in heart. We are to bring forth fruits of righteousness according to the capabilities God has given us.
My sister, we must have heaven. We must not let anything keep us from gaining eternal life. Be humble, meek, and lowly, kind, pitiful, and tenderhearted. Do not look at and talk of the failings of others. Remember that you become like that which you behold. Eternal life is worth everything to us. Let us talk about the goodness and power and glory of Christ.
You can be a blessing in the church if you will let your light shine. By your example you may teach others how to shine. Do not bring in darkness by exalting the power of the enemy above the power of the Lord Jesus. All you have to do is to open your heart to the bright beams of the sunshine of Christ’s grace and glory. Talk faith, pure, sacred, holy faith. Bear no discouraging testimony, for this pleases the enemy. Talk of the goodness of God. Have we not enough at every step to praise him for?
Christ says, “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it” (Revelation 3:8). Then let us not discourage others by talking of defects of character. Talk of the light. Heaven is full of light. Christ is the Light of the world. Speak hopeful words, strong, comforting words. Look away from the imperfections of others, and by your practical godliness show those around you the better way.
I want you to recover all you have lost. Do not act out your impulsive feelings to the injury of any soul. In your home show your children the way to Christ. We need to appreciate more fully the value of the education to be given in the home—a jot here in love and tenderness, and a tittle somewhere else, line upon line in love. Pleasant words will do marvelous things. May God help you, my dear sister, is my prayer.—Letter 148, November 11, 1900, to the Seventh-day Adventist wife of a prosperous but unbelieving businessman.
The Upward Look p. 329
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray that Mina will give her heart to Jesus. Peter
—-Please be praying for my friend Amjads daughter that was poked in the eye with a pencil. Dan
—-Please pray for my church brother Michael. He is having toes, and possibly a foot, amputated tomorrow due to type 2 diabetes. Jill
—-Please, pray for Apostle D. He in the hospital for severely high blood pressure. Arline
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Dear Friends,
Today is Veterans Day (Armistice Day when I was a kid.), a day that we remember those who have fought for our freedom throughout history. As I was thinking about what this day means, I thought of the many men in the Bible who were heroes in the war between good and evil.
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But 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. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 11:4-12:2
May we so live that we will be part of the heroes in the war with evil is my prayer.
Rose