I have kept very well since the warm weather came. I am surprised that at my age [75] I am favored with such good health. I can go up and down stairs as easily and as quickly as any member of my family. Generally, I am cheerful. I do not want to cast a shadow in my family. I desire that every word that falls from my lips shall be fragrant with Christlike love….

We have been commissioned to go forth as God’s missionaries. In the Bible we learn what work God has given us to do, and there, too, we learn how to do this work. No one can know the will of God so certainly as he who abides in Christ. There are some who are constantly inquiring and speculating and guessing, but who, instead of advancing, are retrograding. They are not united with Christ.

We are not to stumble along in uncertainty. Christ says, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). As we advance, we become used to following. The path of life shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.

How deeply grieved the Saviour is by the loss of one of the souls for whom He made so great a sacrifice. He would bring all into the kingdom of heaven. He desires all to see the King in His beauty…. Let us not keep looking at the defects of others. Let us look ever to Jesus…. There are sinners to be saved, and in word and deed we are to fulfill Christ’s purpose for them, as His agencies of healing….

I am making earnest efforts to win the crown of life which at the last great day the Judge of all will give to those who love His appearing. Let us not allow our lips to be tarnished by unbelief. Let us talk the truth. Let us refuse to be deceived by the seducing spirits that will come.

Sister [Lucinda] Hall, will it not be a blessed thing to be an overcomer, to sit with the royal family in the kingdom of heaven, to have a place in the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for those who love His appearing? Be of good courage, my sister. Let nothing discourage you. Keep cheerful. Stand under the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness.—Letter 121, June 25, 1903, to Lucinda Hall, a close friend.
The Upward Look p. 190
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for D who is still depressed and has anger issues. B
—-Please pray! My hubs and I are spiking fevers. He’s 99.2, I’m 102. Sylvia
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Dear Friends,
While Ron was in college, I worked in the physical therapy department at Lyster Army Hospital in southern Alabama. It was very easy and interesting work. Often the soldiers would come in for treatment when they just wanted a day off. They would complain of a stiff neck or a sore back, but when giving them the treatments, it seemed that they were perfectly fine. The captain that was the head of the department didn’t care whether the soldiers had a legitimate complaint or not. He was more interested in having a good time. He made working there a lot of fun.
After I had worked there about a year, Captain M. was transferred to another base. Major Win was much different. He was tall, quiet, very stern, and quite unapproachable. The fun stopped. He had the opinion that all of the patients who came to our department were there because they didn’t want to work that day. He delighted in giving them painful examinations and hard excercises. From that point I hated my job.
One day, a young soldier walked into our department. He had some rather unusual complaints about pain and weakness. The major felt that he was only there to get out of work and treated him more harshly than he normally treated the soldiers. The young man took it all in a gentle and smiling way. I felt sorry for him because I knew that even if he were exaggerating his condition, the major’s treatment was painful. Several times a week the young man came back. Each time he told of more symtoms. Each time he seemed to get worse. Finally, the young man was transferred to a different hospital by his doctor.
A few weeks later, Major W. came into the department with a more solemn look on his face than usual. He asked me if I remembered the young man. I did. He told me that he had been talking with the young man’s doctor and that the other hospital had tested him and they had found a tumor on the soldier’s upper spine. Major W. had been giving him exercises and treatment the were contrary to what that young man needed and had actually made it worse. He was very sorry that he had done so, but it was too late. The damage was irreversible.
How we treat others harshly because we misjudge them. How many times we permanently injure those around us by word or deed. How easy to be sure that we know someone’s motives, and yet be just as wrong as was Major W. Jesus warns, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matt 7:1-5
Yet, not all judging is wrong for He commands, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24 How can we judge righteously? He gives the answer, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matt 7:20 We cannot judge another person’s motives, but we can know them by their fruits. Does the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance) show forth in their life? Gal 5:22 Yet even then, we must be very careful in our “fruit inspection.”
When judging another, we must remember that “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth.” Rom 14:10, 4
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecc 12:13, 14 “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2Cor 4:5; 5:10 Until that time, let us treat others with love and kindness and leave the judging to Him.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/ws49Mu9Vmv0/preparing-for-heaven.html

Yesterday, by invitation, I spoke to the prisoners [near Salem, Oregon]. Sister Jordan, a very amiable woman in the faith, took me in her carriage…. I was surprised to see so fine a company of intelligent men. Oh, so sad! So many young men, younger than our own dear boys, so bright, and looking as though they might fill any position in society. You would not dream that they were prisoners, only as you looked upon their strange dress. And this was so neat and clean. There was nothing repulsive in their appearance.

The superintendent first ushered us in and then, at the sound of the bell, the heavy iron bolts were drawn back with a loud noise, and there swarmed from their cells one hundred and fifty prisoners. Then we were locked in with them—the warden, superintendent’s wife (a Southern lady), Brother and Sister Carter, Sister Jordan, and myself. The prisoners sang, led by Brother Carter. There was an organ. The performer was a young man, an excellent musician, a man of promise—yet oh, how sad, a convict! I engaged in prayer and every brow bowed. They sang again and then I addressed them.

They listened with the most profound attention as I spoke from these words: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). I then presented before them Adam’s sin, his fall, and the gift of God to redeem Adam’s failure; the love here manifested to save man from sin and ruin. I dwelt upon the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, the victory gained in behalf of the race, and how man may overcome the seductive snares of Satan by making Christ his trust.

I dwelt a few moments upon the nature of sin; that sin was the transgression of the law, and how through repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ the sinner might be saved with a full and free salvation. But he is not saved by the merits of the blood of Christ while he continues to transgress the Father’s law…. Christ died to evidence to the sinner that there was no hope for him while he continued in sin. Obedience to all God’s requirements is his only hope for pardon through the blood of Christ. I dwelt largely upon the great reward to be given the final overcomer—the crown of life that fadeth not away to be placed upon his brow.

The people listened with the most solemn mien, and the tearful eye and quivering lip showed that their hearts, although calloused with sin, felt the words spoken.—Letter 32, June 24, 1878, to James White, who was traveling in the Eastern United States.
The Upward Look p. 189
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Prayer Requests
—- I request for prayer for my Sis-in-law, Linda who has some blood pressure & edema & anxiety problem. With the current Corona Virus situation, she is trying to avoid going to the doctor’s clinic as much as possible and doing Alternative Treatments instead. Please pray for Divine Intervention. Becky
—-my wife has an interview tomorrow for a better position within the county that she works for. We sure could use the extra income. Also, my cousin Bridgette is ill and we’re hoping it isn’t cancer.. And my friend Buffie who is a funeral director went to New York to help out and just returned home and has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Please send a prayer up, thanks ! David
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in Washington state, our nearest neighbors to the north of us (about one-fourth mile down the road) were two families who were members of our church. The one family had children about the age of our two youngest, so that made it really nice. The other family was Mr. and Mrs. Lowry, an elderly man and his wife who, sadly, had Alzheimers.
One day, Mr. Lowry saw us walking by his place one day and asked us if we would like to have garden space in his large garden. Of course, we said that we would. Mr. Lowry had even roto-tilled our half as well as his. We hurried to the store and bought the seeds that we would need. Then we planted it anticipating an abundant crop.
After the little plants appeared, we began working to keep our garden free of weeds. At least we tried to keep the garden weed free. We soon learned that Mr. Lowry had one big problem which had now become ours. Morning glories! Up until this time, I had always thought those big purple flowers of the cultivated kind were beautiful; and before they appeared in our garden, I even thought the little white blooms of the wild kind were pretty. My opinion soon changed.
If we wanted to rid our garden of the offensive blooms, Mr. Lowry explained, we had to pull up not only the visible part of the plant, but also the vine that ran underneath the soil. This was no easy task! We pulled and pulled and worked and worked to rid that garden of those pesky morning glories. Often we would think we had them completely gone, only to find the next day more leaves appearing above the soil. All summer we battled those tough plants. In fact, in all the years that Mr. Lowry let us use that space, we never succeeded in conquering them. We had an acceptable harvest, but not like it would have been had we been able to rid the soil of those impossible weeds.
As we worked that garden, a parable of Jesus made more sense as we had to be careful not to uproot the good plants. “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matt 13:24-30
Sometimes church members look about them with a critical eye at those they consider “weeds” in the church. What trouble it causes when they begin to work hard to uproot these “weeds.” Jesus reminds us, “why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.” Luke 6:41, 42
How careful we must be, then, to “judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24 Samuel learned this lesson. When God told him that He had chosen one of the sons of Jesse to be the next king, he went to Bethlehem to meet them. “And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Sam 16:6, 7 The One Who reads the thoughts and intents of the heart is the only One Who can know what is in our heart.
Yet there are times, when we must pull up the “weeds” in the garden of the Lord lest the whole church suffer. How careful we must be in such times, for there is great danger that “precious wheat” will be uprooted as well. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Gal 6:1, 2 May we ask for wisdom from Above that we may proceed with love and care in those rare circumstances where a “weed” must be pulled up is my prayer.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/xrrQ0Mvl4RU/ye-visited-me.html

I feel an earnest interest that those who have been creating dissension and strife shall be convicted of their wrong, and shall repent and be converted. Tell this to the people: “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you” (John 12:35). Because the time is short we need to follow diligently the King’s business.

Two nights ago in visions of the night, I seemed to be addressing a company of our people…. I was saying: “I have a message for those who have been working to destroy the influence of the messages that the Lord has been giving to His servants. There are some who for years have been spreading their roots far, but their fruit-bearing for Christ is represented by the barren fig tree.” …

The lesson of the barren fig tree is one that we should keep continually before us. It is not profession of righteousness that will meet the needs of the world today and fulfill the will of God for the human family. God is looking for fruit-bearing branches. “Feed My sheep with pure provender” is the Lord’s command to those who stand as teachers of the gospel of salvation. He has made provision that the gospel’s saving power shall be represented in all places.

I was shown that mistakes have been made that have left wrong impressions upon minds, because men were allowed to preside over important interests who were deficient of the saving grace of the gospel, who had not made its purity and simplicity a part of their lives, and who did not seek God often in humble, earnest prayer. Righteous, self-denying works were not considered by them to be a necessary part of Christian experience. They did not see the necessity of having the spirit of Christ and of emulating His example in their work of ministry. I heard words of warning and entreaty spoken to young men, imploring them to make a full surrender and to obtain a thorough conversion. Ministers were exhorted to make decided changes.

The Saviour was presented to me as standing before the congregation, and addressing those who had stood to discourage and hinder others. The words were spoken, “Break every yoke. You are years behind where you should be in the carrying out of the plan of redemption. Let each seek his orders from the One in whom dwelleth truth and righteousness. Let all come into right relation to God, making thorough work of repentance.”

Let us press our case to the throne of grace…. I pray that thorough conversions may now be experienced.—Letter 202, June 23, 1908, to S. N. Haskell, president of the California Conference.
The Upward Look p. 188
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Prayer Requests
—-Pray for God’s leading in several situations. B
—-I need prayer. LS
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Dear Friends,
My grandfather, Ed Harmon, spent much of his growing-up years living the life of a hobo traveling up and down the eastcoast of the USA by “riding the rails” in a boxcar. He met many interesting characters along the way. Some of these homeless men were very nice to him, shared their food with him, and taught him ways of survival. He grew up tough and wiry but kept his tender heart.
The years passed by and my grandfather grew up and worked for a time at the Review and Herald Publishing Company as a bookbinder. He met and fell in love with a beautiful young lady named Rose Mudderspach. Sadly, Rose died of tuberculosis which was rampant in those far off days. Brokenhearted, he left his job at the Review and wandered around for awhile trying to heal from his broken heart.
Since he had grown up riding the rails as a hobo, he went back to that way of life. Times had changed, however. The railroad companies had tried in vain for years to stop these hobos from hopping into the boxcars. Now they had a different strategy. They hired men to catch all who were riding for free.
One particular security guard had quite a reputation because of his size and the hard look in his face. All of the men who road the rails were afraid of him and warned my grandfather. As they would tell one another about this man, the stories grew and grew until he became something of a legend.
When my grandfather heard all of the stories about the mean security guard, he hoped that he would never meet him. He had faced many dangers throughout his life and was well able to take care of himself, but those exaggerated stories of this man’s cruelty filled him with fear.
One day, he decided to catch a ride on the particular train line where this security guard worked. He would have to be extra careful not to get caught. Sneaking into the railway yard, he grabbed the ladder that was at the end of a boxcar as the train went slowly by.
The now infamous security guard saw him. My grandfather held onto the ladder for a few moments before climbing up onto the boxcar. Just as his head was peeking over the top, he saw the dreaded guard coming his way. Immediately he ducked down, hoping that he had not been seen. In the few moments he had before the guard got to him, he had a decision to make. The train was going too fast for him to jump off without being hurt. He had to face the strong man. What should he do?
Climbing up the ladder when he was sure the guard was right above him, he sprung up onto the top of the boxcar right in front of the guard. Looking his meanest, he faced this huge strongman. The guard’s menacing look made the hair on Ed’s neck stand up, but he did not let the fear that he felt show.
The guard declared that he was going to throw him off the train which by then had picked up even more speed. Without a moment’s hesitation, my grandfather did the old trick of sticking his hand in his pocket in such a way that it looked like a gun and told the man that he was going to put an end to the guard once and for all.
Suddenly, that big guard’s attitude changed. He showed that he was a coward at heart. Even though that guard had not seen a gun, he was afraid at the mere mention of the word. The frightening look on his face turned to one of fear. His whole demeanor changed. Slowly. He backed away and left my grandfather alone for the rest of the trip.
Ed was greatly relieved but could not relax. He was sure that at the next stop this guard would have the sheriff waiting for him. As soon as the train slowed down while going up a steep grade, he jumped off.
How many times we are like that guard. We profess one thing, but we are quite different within. Jesus tells us, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matt 7:21-23 Fearful thought!
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for being all show (like that security guard) and having no real walk with God. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Matt 23:25-28
Profession does no good when there is no change in our heart. Profession is worthless without the love of God dwelling inside. How much we need to have a new heart. How much we need that cleansing that only Jesus can give. Praise God! Our Great Creator promises, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” “I will put my laws into [your] hearts, and in [your] minds will I write them; And [your] sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Eze 36:26,27; Heb 10:16,17
May we be certain that we are on the inside what we profess on the outside. May we so live that others will take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) May we pray as did David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” Ps 51:10-13
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/rjuZ1qqACME/lessons-from-the-barren-fig-tree.html