I would call your attention to the precious promises in the Word of God. All who are children of God have not the same powers, the same temperaments, the same confidence and boldness. I am glad indeed that our feelings are no evidence that we are not children of God. The enemy will tempt you to think that you have done things that have separated you from God, and that He no longer loves you, but our Lord loves us still, and we may know by the words He has placed on record for just such cases as yours. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (chap. 1:9).

Now, my dear sister, I have evidence that God loves you, and the precious Saviour, who gave Himself for you, will not thrust you from Him because you are tempted and in your weakness may have been overcome. He loves you still.

Peter denied his Lord in the hour of trial, but Jesus did not forsake His poor disciple. Although Peter hated himself, the Lord loved him, and after His resurrection, He called him by name and sent him a loving message. O, what a kind, loving, compassionate Saviour we have! And He loves us though we err.

Now do not worry yourself out of the arms of the dear Saviour, but rest trustingly in faith. He loves you; He cares for you; He is blessing you, and will give you His peace and grace. He is saying to you, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” You may be depressed with bodily infirmities, but that is no evidence that the Lord is not working in your behalf every day. He will pardon you, and that abundantly. Gather to your soul the sweet promises of God. Jesus is our constant, unfailing Friend, and He wants you to trust in Him….

Jesus sees the guilt of the past, but He speaks pardon; and we must not dishonor Him by doubting His love. This feeling of guiltiness must be laid at the foot of the cross of Calvary. The sense of sinfulness has poisoned the springs of life and of true happiness. Now Jesus says, “Lay it all on Me. I will take your sins. I will give you peace. Banish no longer your self-respect, for I have bought you with the price of My own blood. You are mine. Your weakened will I will strengthen. Your remorse for sin I will remove.” Then turn your grateful heart, trembling with uncertainty, to Him, and lay hold on the hope set before you.—Letter 49, July 17, 1898, to a dear sister.

The Upward Look p. 212
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Larry who is in the hospital and is having tests today to see why his iron is so low even though he has had iron IV’s since Thursday. Rose
—-Peter (age 7) has many chigger bites in a very sensitive area. Poor boy is miserable with all the itching. The doctor said to give him Benedryl. Please pray for him. Rose
—-Please pray that Ronnie Jay and Wanangwa will have a safe trip home tomorrow. Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/PoO1AQcubeE/our-merciful-god.html

Dear Brother: I have the most tender love for you, and would that it were otherwise with you; that those pursuing you would let you alone. But, my brother, you must bear in mind that these perplexities and annoying things are included in the “all things” that work together for good to those who love God. The Lord’s eye is upon you…. If you will keep up good courage, if you will stay your soul upon God, if you will trust your heavenly Father as a child trusts its parent, and deal justly and love mercy, God can and will work with you. Then amid all your trials you will honor God, and His promise is sure, “Them that honour me I will honour” (1 Samuel 2:30).

Remember that your experience is not the first of the kind. You know the history of Joseph and of Daniel. The Lord did not prevent the wicked plottings of their enemies, but He caused all their devices to work for good to those who kept their faith and loyalty amid trial and conflict.

The furnace fires are not to … [destroy], but to refine, ennoble, sanctify. Without these trials we would not feel so much our need of God and His help. We would become proud and self-sufficient. In these trials I see evidence that the Lord’s eye is upon you, and that He means to draw your heart to Himself. It is not the whole, but the wounded, who need a physician; those who are pressed almost beyond the point of endurance, who need a Helper. Turn unto the stronghold. Learn the precious lesson, “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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus loves you. The experience which you are having makes me glad, not because you are a sufferer, but because this is evidence to me that the Lord is testing and proving you to see if you will come to Him, to see if you will put your trust in Him, if you will find peace and rest in His love….

Jesus has not left you to be surprised and amazed at the trials and difficulties you meet. He has told you all about them, and He has also told you that you should not be cast down and oppressed when trials come. You are to look to Jesus, your Redeemer, and be cheerful and rejoice…. We have a living Saviour, who so loved us that He died for us, that through Him we might have hope, strength, and courage, and a seat with Him upon His throne.—Letter 8, July 16, 1886, to Dr. J. H. Kellogg, director of Battle Creek Sanitarium.

The Upward Look p. 211
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Prayer Requests
—-Prayers for my father. He’s in ICU with Covid-19. Ana
—-Please pray for Larry. He is in the hospital. Please pray that the doctors will figure out why he is so anemic and has other health issues going on. Rose
—-Please pray for my niece Audry. She had non smokers lung cancer and it has now moved to her brain and spinal cord. Debbie
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, Ronnie Jay, Esther Marie, and Brian went camping in Northern Minnesota. Even though it rained almost the entire time, they brought back a multitude of photos and videos of both animals and scenery.How much I enjoyed looking at them! There was so much beauty that I wished I had been there.
Even as I marveled at our Great Creator’s handiwork, there were signs of the enemy’s work in dead and dying flower, leaf, and animal. One poor moose that Ronnie Jay came upon as he was walking off the trail, was nothing more than a bag of bones with skin stretched thinly over them.We felt so sorry for this creature and wondered how long it would be before wolves would find her. That thought makes us look forward all the more to the time when “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Rev 1:4
Yet, even after 6000 years of sin, there are still scenes of grandeur that are breathtakingly beautiful. These places reminds us of our Great Creator. As we walk beside a river whose rushing water is splashing over great rocks worn smooth by its action, we can think of the works of the Lord upon our heart, constantly bringing about circumstances to mold us into His image. When surrounded by great snowcapped mountains dotted with evergreens nearly to their summit, we can meditate upon the Rock Christ Jesus, Who veiled His glory and majesty and came to this dark and sinful world to live a life filled with all the troubles and trials the evil one could heap upon Him. He is our “chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” He is “the stone which the builders disallowed,” Who is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient.” (1 Peter 2:6,8) As we gaze upon the colorful clouds at the close of the day, we looked forward to our Heavenly Home where all is light and beauty, “and the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Rev 21:23
David exclaimed, “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 showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.” “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; 19:1-6; 8:3-9
May we spend time viewing our Great Creator’s handiwork, that we may praise the Lord for His marvelous creation. May we meditate upon His mighty works, lifting our mind and heart up in thankfulness to the One Who loves us so.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/ym67IPpAS0A/cast-thy-burden-upon-the-lord.html

Never are you to tear one another down, for you are doing Satan’s work. Day by day you are to help one another to grow up to the full stature of men and women in Christ. In this work you close the door to the enemy. The power of speech is a great talent to bless others or a great curse to cause dissension and strife.

The one who gives himself up to finding fault with this one and that one is neglecting his own precious soul. And those who allow such a one to carry on his un-Christlike work unrebuked are themselves accountable before God of injury to their brethren….

Can we expect the blessing of God to rest upon a church when the members are cherishing bitterness against one another? … Those in whose hearts Christ abides will show in their lives the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness. Those who are controlled by the enemy will be filled with envy, strife, malice, and evil-surmising….

If one of those of whom these cruel words are spoken were tonight lying cold in death, how different would be the words spoken of him. How often this is the case: While a person is living and could be blessed by kind words, unkind, bitter words are spoken of him, but when his work is ended, and his hands are folded in death, words of love and appreciation are spoken. But the words of love fall upon ears that hear not. They are spoken to hearts that cannot be comforted. It is too late! Oh, if some of these words of love could have been spoken in life, how much better it would have been….

God desires His people to bring into their homes all the peace and joy and love that it is possible for them to have. The love that they bring into the home, they will bring into the church. My brethren and sisters, you can bring the peace of heaven into the home and into the church, if you will sanctify to God the talent of speech.—Manuscript 26, July 15, 1886, “Evil-speaking,” a sermon preached in Oslo, Norway
The Upward Look p. 210
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Prayer Requests
—-Prayer Requests from last evening’s prayer meeting: Pray for a safe reopening of our church soon.—Pray for James’ daughter, Rene, who has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma—Pray for Joyce’s young relative who was hurt seriously in an accident.—Pray for safe travel for Mike and Larry and for Larry’s health—Pray that Brian does not get a tic-borne disease from the tic that had been on him for a few days before discovered. Also pray that BG will get air conditioning so it won’t be so hot at work.—Pray for Barb’s daughter who just separated from her husband as his alcoholism is getting worse.—Sherlyn asks that the important package she sent her son overseas will arrive with no problems.—Pray for Sarah—Pray for Minnie’s son who is on the road a lot.—Pray for Dan’s father who had surgery and his mother-in-law who needs special care.
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, my mother used to take me to many enjoyable places for a little vacation. Holland, Michigan during the time of the Tulip Festival was one of those places. Holland was like stepping into a storybook or visiting the real Holland that is on the other side of the world. During the festival, the residents would dress in traditional Dutch costumes and there would be parades, craftsmen who made wooden shoes and various other articles for sale, acres of tulips to view, windmills, etc. It is a cherished memory
Just as, my mother took me to many places when I was young, so we will someday have the privilege of roaming the Universe and seeing all of the wonders of creation. We will “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” Rev 14:4 Think of it! Soon Jesus will come to take us to His Glorious Heavenly Kingdom. We will see our Dear Saviour face to face! He will embrace us and welcome us with the words, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt 25:34 Our Heavenly Father, Himself, will “wipe away all tears from [our] eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Rev 21:4 We will “sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” and hear from their own lips the way that the Lord led in their life. Matt 8:11 We will meet the angel, who has guarded us since our birth and listen to the stories of the many times he protected us even times when we did not know that we were in danger. We “shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. [We] shall not build, and another inhabit; [we] shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. [We] shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for [we] are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and [our] offspring with [us.] And it shall come to pass, that before [we] call, [our Great Creator] will answer; and while [we] are yet speaking, [He] will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat.” Isa 65:21-25 How I look forward to that time!
May we soon look up and see our Great Redeemer coming in the clouds to take us to His Heavenly Home. May we all worship together around the throne of the Great Creator of the Universe. May that time come soon is my prayer.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/xF10gB6FC08/sanctify-to-god-the-talent-of-speech.html