Satan had declared to his synagogue that not a single human soul would maintain his loyalty to God’s commandments. One soul saved would prove this statement to be false. One soul saved would demonstrate the righteousness of God’s government. Created in the image of God, man must not be left for Satan to rule and ruin. Christ came to this earth, and by a life of obedience showed that man could obey. He canceled the guilt resting upon the sinner. That the sinner might stand before God clothed with His robe of righteousness, He clothed Himself with the robe of sorrow.

Who can fathom the suffering of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He felt to its fullest extent the weight of the sin of the world? So keenly did He feel the sinfulness of sin that for a moment the cup trembled in His hand, and all heaven heard the agonizing cry, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). The omnipotent God suffered with His Son.

Stand before the cross of Calvary, and learn from it the cost of redemption. With breaking heart the holy Sufferer upon the cross of Calvary looks up to God, and cries, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). The angels of heaven sympathized with their loved Commander. Gladly would they have broken their ranks and gone to His assistance. But this was not God’s plan. Our Saviour trod the wine press alone, and of the people there was none with Him.

The plan of redemption was laid to bring salvation within reach of sinners. Christ has carried out His purpose. His death has brought eternal life to all who will accept Him as a personal Saviour. But many, many of those He died to save refuse to return their loyalty. The world is fast becoming as it was before the Flood….

Christ declares, “As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37-39).

Let not those who have had great light fold their hands, content to do nothing.—Manuscript 66, July 28, 1901, “Fragments: Work in the South.”
The Upward Look p. 223
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray that Ron will be able to find a job soon. Rose
—-Please pray for my post open heart patient for healing. Emerson
—-Please pray for Jennifer who is overwhelmed with life’s burdens. Let God show her He’s there. Nathan
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Dear Friends,
From the time I was a child, I had a very bad habit of “fiddling” with whatever was in or near my hands. It was as if my fingers had a mind of their own. One day when I was about 17, I was waiting for a bus on the main corners of Kalamazoo, Michigan, my home town. A postcard that I had just written was in my hand as there was no mailbox close by. I was not very happy at the moment as I had just missed my bus and had to wait for the next one. It was a long wait. Before long, my mind was deep in thought and my fingers were busy with the postcard. Rather than tearing the card, those fingers of mine were enjoying its smoothness. They rubbed and rubbed the freshly written card without my realizing it.
At last the bus arrived. I stepped aboard, paid my fare, and found a seat. It was only then that I looked at what used to be my postcard. I had rubbed it so vigorously, that it had split into three layers: the picture side, the message side, and an inner layer. I was shocked! That postcard that I had written so carefully was good for nothing but to be thrown away.
Just as I didn’t realize what my fingers were doing to that postcard so many years ago, so it is so easy for us to get so wrapped up in our own little world, that we do not think of Heavenly realities. How easy it is to go through a day, a week, a lifetime with very few thoughts heavenward, not realizing that we are speeding toward the end of all things, every day going faster and faster, more and more out of control.
Just as I have never gotten over that bad habit of playing with anything in or near my hands and even now my nervous fingers still “fiddle” with whatever is in them, so we often put off doing anything about the sins that bind us so tightly. How true is David description, “The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Ps 14:2,3 Isaiah tells us, “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 64:6; 1:5, 6
Our Dear Saviour pleads, “Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Eze 33:11 “there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.” “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” Isa 45:21,22; 43:1-3; 44:22 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matt 11:28,29
We cannot save ourselves any more than I could put that postcard back together so long ago. May we run, as a loving, trusting child, to our Great Redeemer’s outstretched arms, that we may receive the pardon and cleansing we so desperately need.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/Dm5gU7NgYsM/christs-death-brings-life.html

Dear Husband: I received your telegram….

Satan will not sift the chaff, because he gains nothing in this. He sifts the wheat. The devil will not try and tempt and persecute those whom he is sure of, because [they are] living in known transgression of the law of God. Those who have enlisted in the army of the Lord standing under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel, Satan will seek to harass and destroy. Christians will meet and have many and severe conflicts with the wily foe, who is merciless. He will bring them into the most difficult places and then exult in their distress. But, thank God, Jesus lives to make intercession for every one of us. Our safety is in committing ourselves to God and resting by faith in His merits who has said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

I rejoice that Jesus has a firm hold of us. Our grasp is feeble and easily broken, but our safety depends upon the firm hold Jesus has upon us. I rejoice in Jesus today. We have, my husband, walked for more than thirty years side by side in the trials and conflicts of life amid temptations and the buffetings of Satan, his arrows aimed at us to wound and destroy; but Jesus has been our defense. Satan has been repulsed. The Spirit of the Lord has lifted up a standard for us against the enemy. Our sun is westering, but it will not set in darkness. Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us. We will in the latter days of our pilgrimage repose in God and wait upon Him. If we walk with God, our faith will grow brighter and brighter unto the perfect day, and the reward of the faithful will be ours at last.

My spirit at times is triumphant in God. I see in prospect just before us the eternal weight of glory. We have not earned it. Oh, no, Jesus earned it for us and it is a free gift, not for any righteousness and goodness of our own. Let us, in the few probationary hours left us, walk humbly with God and do the work He has committed to our hands with fidelity.

I am glad you are in the grand old mountains [of Colorado]. I mean to be there soon. To be thus brought near to God through His created works is refreshing and inspiring…. While viewing the grand works of God’s creation, we may walk with God. We may talk with Him. To have God as our companion, as our guest, will be the most exalted honor that heaven can bestow upon us.

May the Lord bless you all is the prayer of your Ellen.—Letter 42, July 27, 1878, to James White, General Conference president.
The Upward Look p. 222
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Prayer Requests
—-I am asking for prayer for my grandson he is 30 yrs young but unable to work at his job at a hospital due to major back injury.He has had an operation prior but has not fixed the problem.He is in chronic pain and feeling depressed. Sandra
—-Please pray for my sister in Christ, she has a lot of knee pain and says it is a bad case of arthritis arthritis,…..also please pray for a very dear friend of mine. Please pray that she finds the truth and that it will set her free from bondage. Isaac
—-Please pray for David that God will give him a full conversion. Buck
—-Please pray for my cousin Larry as he prepares to move across country next month. Rose
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Dear Friends,
This holiday weekend commemorating our birth as a nation, we sat on our back porch and watched the fireworks displays large and small going on all around us. I couldn’t help thinking of the far more beautiful works of our Great Creator than any manmade fireworks we were seeing Saturday night. God’s Word reminds us, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.” “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” Ps 33:6-9; 19:1, 2; 8.
May we praise the Lord as we view His great creation. May our hearts swell with love for Him. May we someday soon leave this old earth behind and travel beyond our solar system as we journey toward His Heavenly Home is my prayer.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/JNSAd7qd1n8/hope-thou-in-god.html

The question which the lawyer put to Christ was one of vital consequence. The Pharisees who had prompted the lawyer to ask this question were expecting the Lord Jesus to answer it in such a way that they could find something against Him whereby they might accuse and condemn Him before the people. The self-possession of Christ, the wisdom and authority by which He spake, was something they could not interpret.

When this question was asked by the lawyer, Christ knew that the suggestion came from His bitterest enemies, who were setting a trap to catch Him in His words. The Lord Jesus responded to the question by placing the burden upon the lawyer to answer his own question before that crowd. “What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live” (Luke 10:26-28). Obedience to the commandments of God is the price of eternal life.

There is a very broad and deep work to be accomplished in fallen humanity. This is the true interpretation of genuine conversion. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The answer to this question, as given by the lawyer, comprehends the entire duty of man, who is seeking eternal life. The lawyer was unable to evade the question so directly and pointedly expressed as to the conditions of eternal life. He understood its bearings, and the necessity of answering the demands of the law in loving God supremely, and his neighbor as himself. He knew he had not done either of these, and the conviction of his neglect to obey the first four commandments and the last six commandments plainly specified in the words of the holy oracles of God was impressed by the Holy Spirit upon his heart. He saw himself weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and found wanting. He did not serve God supremely, because he had not loved Him supremely, with his whole heart, with all his soul, and all his strength, and with all his mind. Lacking decidedly in this requirement of Jehovah’s law, he failed decidedly to love his neighbor as himself.

Thus, before the multitude he himself had given in concise words the gospel conditions of eternal life for every member of the human family, who are standing before God today.—Manuscript 45, July 26, 1900, “What Is the Chaff to Wheat?
The Upward Look p. 221
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray that God will direction in our lives. LS
—-A woman who used to attend our church was diagnosed with metastatic cancer to the brain. Please pray for her as she begins her treatment next week. Vicki
—-I wrote back in April about my Mama who broke her neck and went into the hospital/rehab center in Hawaii. She’s 88 years old. Praise report! She’s now walking assisted and her cervical 2 bone has healed enough wheee she doesn’t need a neck brace. The sad part, she can never go home to my dad and is still isolated because of the covid 19. Nobody can visit and her dementia has gone full blown because of what happened and doesn’t know me or my siblings or husband. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise? This way she’s in her little world and not suffering too much? I want to THANK those who prayed for my Mama Barbara! Connie
—-Please help me pray for one of my nephews, who is far away from home and family and is sick. Pray that he will feel better so he can come home. Thank you. Dora
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Dear Friends,
In this day and time when times are hard, it is good to remember how God has watched over us in the past. Some years ago, Eileen and I went shopping for a new blender. The one that I had just is not strong enough to make some of the recipes that I wanted to make. As we looked at all of the blenders, we found one that had all metal parts [a rarity in this day and age]and the capabilities that we needed. It was more than twice the price of a regular blender, so I had to put it on lay away.
Each week, I paid money on that blender and looked forward to the day when it would be paid for and I could take it home. Finally, that day arrived!
Carefully, Ron put the box on the bottom shelf of the shopping cart as it was in a larger cardboard box that had been used to store it in the lay away department. When the rest of our shopping was done, we loaded our items into the van and drove home. Ronnie Jay and Ron unloaded our purchases while I made dinner.
Suddenly, Eileen asked, “Didn’t you bring in the blender?” We all stopped what we were doing. We had not put the blender in the van. It was still on the bottom shelf of the cart! Our hearts sank! Surely someone would have seen the package and stolen it by then. Thievery abounds. The store was extra crowded and parking lot full. Surely someone was even at that moment going home with a free blender in their car.
With foreboding in my heart, I called the store. Eileen went to her room and prayed. We were all praying. When someone answered, I began my story, “We just got back from your store and somehow when we unloaded the cart we left our lay away….”
He interrupted, “Was it in a cardboard box that had once held boxes of training pants?” With hope in my heart, I told him that it was! “It’s here,” he said. We were so thankful that God had kept our blender from getting stolen!
Think of it! The great King of the Universe, He, Who upholds “all things by the word of his power,” is interested in every aspect of the lives of all those whom He has redeemed. “I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.” Ps 116:1,2 “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Ps 107:1
Even though life is short and full of trials, God shows in a multitude of ways His great love for us. Indeed, He loves us with an everlasting love and draws us to Himself with His loving kindness. (Jer 31:3) David assures us, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” Ps 103:13-18
May we daily rejoice as we see evidence of our Dear Saviour’s love and care. May we “bless the LORD at all times: [and let His] praise… continually be in [our] mouth.” May we always recognize the blessings and goodness of God and “bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore” is my prayer. Ps 34:1;115:18
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/aGxMxf7buqo/obedience-is-the-price.html