There is no one who has pursued a wrong course whom Jesus will not pardon and receive and bless if he will come to Him believingly and cast himself, conscious of his weakness and helplessness, upon His sympathy and His strength….

What a comforting thought that Jesus is touched with the feelings of our infirmities! He has been tempted in all points as we are tempted, and just the right kind of help has been provided for us, that if we only put our feet in the prints of Jesus’ footsteps, we will be safe. He has hallowed the path His feet have trod. We hear His inviting voice, “Follow Me. I am the Light of the world. They that follow Me shall not walk in darkness. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (see Matthew 4:19; John 8:12; 16:33).

In actual experience Christ has overcome the world, and how great is His love to us when He invites us to come to Him in all our afflictions, distresses, heartaches, and perplexities, with the assurance that He will help us. He will bring health and brightness into our lives. If we place our hand in the hand of Jesus Christ, He will place our feet on solid rock, a better foundation than we ever had before. He will make us more strong in His strength and He will work with all our efforts.

Then when our own souls have experienced His healing touch we are brought into close fellowship with Jesus and we will be laborers together with God not only to restore the erring, to repair broken hearts and souls, but to impart courage and faith and confidence. This is the work of God’s laborers—to bring to Jesus souls who have gone away from His direct teachings and have apparently gone to pieces on the rocks and reefs of sin. These broken lives, which have been apparently hopeless, He promises to make whole.

It is more difficult to teach one who thinks he knows it all than one who feels his inefficiency and his ignorance. I speak understandingly when I say, The work of repairing souls broken down through errors, through manifest sin, is the most difficult we can do. Some pet sin has been cultivated which has taken the lines of control, one bad habit has not been vigorously fought and conquered, and oh, how hard [it is] to efface the bruises that soul has sustained….

I appeal to you to delay not, but to be a wise worker for God, to put forth every effort to redeem the time. Let nothing deter you…. The Lord will accept consecrated, devoted effort on your part.—Letter 56, May 28, 1888, to a private-practice physician who had lost his way spiritually.
The Upward Look p. 162
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for T who has the flu. B
—-Prayer request for my mother. Pray for peace and to be pain free and that we get everything completed that she wants before her time is up. She is battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Bridget
—-I need my prayer warriors again! My daughter Jessica is going to court today at 9:00 a.m for finalizing her divorce. Her husband is abusive and manipulative and is divorcing her due to her Adventist beliefs. They have two young boys together. Now last minute he told her he wants to take the boys and he is ready to go to trial if need be to get his way. My daughter is falling apart and has no representation. Her husband has a very shrewd law firm. She has no money and is in school full time. Please claim Proverbs 21:1 that the heart of the ‘judge’ is in God’s hand and He will direct it wherever He wills. Thank you prayer warriors because I know prayer can change impossible situations. Also Jessica is about to have a breakdown so she needs strength. Shari
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, Ronnie Jay was out in our yard and noticed a fairly large hole. He began exploring this hole that was about as big around as his fist. It looked like some kind of animal’s grassy nest. We were not sure what made it, but I was sure it was not from the snake he had found evidence of one summer a few years before. He had been mowing the grass then and had found part of a snakeskin about three feet long. It was incomplete so we knew the snake was longer and very large, but snakes don’t make grassy nests as far as I know, so this nest was not from it.
If Ronnie Jay had not found the small animal nest or that shed skin, we never would have known about these visitors. Just as they gave witness to something having been in our yard, so we should leave evidence wherever we go. Even though we may not realize it, we have touched the lives of those around us. Are they any closer to God because of our presence? “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” Isa 43:10,11
John the Baptist is a good example of this principle. His whole life witnessed to the work given Him by God. From his birth he was set aside for this special work. The disciple John speaks of him, “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:6-9 John the Baptist did not live a life of ease. He even separated himself from the temptations of the day and dwelt in the wilderness. Although he lived in a solitary place, people went out to the wilderness to hear him. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. . . .I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” Matt Matt 3:1-11 Jesus, speaking of John, said, “This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” Luke 7:27, 28
We, too, have the opportunity of proclaiming the coming of Jesus. Most are not called to live in such austerity as was John, but all proclaim the one who has our heart. We cannot hide the evidence of who is our master any more than the animals could hide the evidence of their presence in my yard.
May others take “knowledge of [us], that [we have] been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 May we leave evidence of our walk with God wherever we go. May we lead those we meet to the foot of the cross, that they may receive the grace and blessing and eternal life that our Great Redeemer longs to impart.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/mUI-fda2Xfs/we-cannot-do-without-god.html

The light that Daniel received direct from God was given especially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon come to pass.

Consider the circumstances of the Jewish nation when the prophecies of Daniel were given. The Israelites were in captivity, the Temple had been destroyed, their Temple service suspended. Their religion had centered in the ceremonies of the sacrificial system. They had made the outward form all-important, while they had lost the spirit of true worship. Their services were corrupted with traditions and practices of heathenism, and in the performance of the sacrificial rites they did not look beyond the shadow of the substance. They did not discern Christ, the True Offering for the sins of man. The Lord wrought to bring the people into captivity, and to suspend the services in the Temple, in order that the outward ceremonies might not become the total of their religion. The principles and practices must be purged of heathenism, the ritual service ceased, in order that the heart might be revived. The outward glory was removed, that the spiritual might be revealed.

In the land of their captivity, as the people returned unto the Lord with repentance, He manifested Himself unto them. They lacked the outward representation of His presence, but bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness shone into their minds and hearts. When they called unto God in their humiliation and distress, visions were given to the prophets which unfolded the events of the future—the overthrow of the oppressors of God’s people, the coming of the Redeemer, and the establishment of the everlasting kingdom….

Daniel had companions, and they had a special work to do. Although greatly honored in this work, they did not become in any way exalted. They were scholars, being skilled in secular as well as religious knowledge; but they had studied science without being corrupted. They were well-balanced because they had yielded themselves to the control of the Holy Spirit. These youth gave to God all the glory of their secular, scientific, and religious endowments. Their learning did not come by chance; they obtained knowledge by the faithful use of their powers; and God gave them skill and understanding.—Letter 134, May 27, 1898, to J. H. Kellogg.

The Upward Look p. 161
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my youngest daughter she is fighting demons. Rene
—-Praise—Yesterday Ron lost his hearing aid. He had a mask on at the doctor’s office and as near as he can figure it came out when he took the mask off in the car. Praise the Lord He sent His angel to guide it into the green bag he carries his stuff in! After searching everywhere, Eileen found it there. Rose
—-A friend has sent this request asking for our prayer support for his wife. Prayers appreciated. ”
Karla had 4 strokes in the last 2 weeks. She was NOT doing well and didn’t eat for 4 days. The dr. told me I wouldn’t be taking her home alive BUT she must have been listening and has been eating like a logger since and they transported her to Sequim for rehab. Today they locked down the rehab center because of the virus and in checking Karla she had a 99.8 fever – but they think she aspirated some food and may have picked up so far a low stage case of pneumonia. they will let me know tomorrow plus the entire center was tested for the virus. KEEP HER IN PRAYER as she is very weak and needs all the prayers she can get.” Michael

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/0fp26I2zRDg/read-the-book-of-daniel.html

“Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” It does not understand the principles that underlie our course of action. We must stand before God with a conscience void of offense. There are wonderful privileges for every one of us. God never places before us a requirement without giving us the power to perform it. He never asks us to take one step in advance of Him. He leads the way, and we are to follow after. Following Him, we are in no danger of going astray. Thus only can we perfect a Christian character as stewards of the grace of God.

To us have been entrusted the truths of the gospel for this time. It is a wonderful, wonderful treasure, and the Lord desires us to have our eyes enlightened and our hearts quickened. He desires us to be nerved and strengthened by the power that He will give us if we will only be true to Him. He desires every one of us to perfect a character after the divine similitude. The Christian who does not do this casts a reflection on God. He dishonors his Saviour. Those who have access to the words written in Scripture are without excuse if they do not apply these words to themselves, if they do not thus cleanse their hearts from sin. By the lights shining from the throne of God upon our pathway, we shall be judged at the last great day….

To have light shining upon the pathway in the clearness of the gospel of Christ, as it has shone upon our pathway, is a fearful responsibility. We are to follow on step by step, with our eyes fixed upon our Leader. He will not lead us one step out of the right way.

God gave Christ to our world to save us from eternal death. Behold Him, behold Him! Keep looking upon Him till you reflect His image. Do not accept the words of any man, unless you can see that he is conformed to the divine image, because if you do, you sustain him in doing wrong; you sustain him by asking his counsel and following his directions.

What we need is the pure word from the Holy Bible. Christ has bidden us conform our lives to His life. We are to know what it means to keep the commandments of God in truth and righteousness. The love that was in the heart of Christ is to be in our hearts, that we may reveal it to those around us. We need to be daily strengthened by the deep love of God, and to let this love shine forth to those around us.—Manuscript 66, May 25, 1905, “The Need of Home Religion,” a talk.
The Upward Look p. 159
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Prayer Requests
—-A friend of mine’s son is in the hospital with serious complications due to vaping. Please keep him in your prayers. Valerie
—-Please pray for Ron and Eileen today as they both have doctor appointments that could be scary. Rose
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Dear Friends,
When the weather is nice, we used to like to walk along the river or at a local nature preserve in the evenings after work or on weekends. Ronnie Jay photographed many animals in those places—-beaver, deer, raccoon, herons, ducks, coyote, etc. On those walks, I often thought about how much more interesting it would have been taking those walks with Darlene, my best friend who died some years ago of cancer. We enjoyed the walks we took with her when we lived in Washington state as she was very knowledgeable in the things of nature. She could name the rocks, trees, plants, and flowers and would often point out different plants that were edible just in case we ever got lost in the woods. Sometimes we would sample them. They were not very tasty, but it was good to know what was edible and what was not. Our walks with Darlene was like a school to learn new things. How I miss her.
We have a better Best Friend who will never die. What blessing is ours to have the Great Creator of the Universe love us and lead us ever upward on the path to the Heavenly Kingdom. We have the privilege of walking with Him each day. He has promised, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Ps. 32:8 What a wonderful blessing! To be taught by the One Who loves us so much that He died to save us, to walk with Him each day as He unfolds new and beautiful truths from His Word.
Moreover, as we behold Him in His Word and allow Him to direct our path, we are changed into His likeness. “We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18 “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. Eze 36:26, 27
May we place our hand in our Dear Saviour and walk with Him each day is my prayer.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/01PKbV61Zok/behold-him.html