In describing His earthly mission, Jesus declared, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives; and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, 19).

Are we so closely assimilated to Christ that we can represent His work and follow His example? His work gave character to His mission, showing that it was of divine appointment. In His every word and act were revealed tender compassion, love, and mercy. The poorest and humblest were not afraid to approach Him. He always noticed the little children, and they were attracted to Him.

Our Saviour’s words were plain and decided. He did not suppress one word of truth, but spoke the truth with convincing earnestness. And as He spoke, the desponding drew nearer, and were filled with hope and courage. He was the Prince of heaven. He never spoke a word to give needless pain to any trembling, sensitive soul. He looked with sorrow upon those who rejected Him and made light of His words, and said, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40).

Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. His life on this earth was one of self-denial. He comforted and encouraged everyone who came to Him for relief, for they were all precious in His eyes. He ever bore Himself with divine dignity, yet He bowed Himself with tender regard to every member of the Lord’s family. He came to stand at the head of humanity, to give all who believe on Him power to become the sons and daughters of God. Such is the example we are to follow. If it were followed, the enemy would not receive so large a share of attention and honor as he now receives from those who profess to be followers of Christ, but who in reality are following satanic wiles. God sent His Son into the world that those who believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. His followers are to show the strictest honesty, justice, and integrity in their every transaction.

Let the work begin sincerely, through reconversion and transformation of character.—Manuscript 53, May 11, 1905, “Unto Seventy Times Seven.”

The Upward Look p. 145
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Susan… knee replacement surgery today and they can’t get a handle on the pain. Sylvia
—-please pray my husband Ray. He was unresponsive this morning I could not wake him up . Please pray he makes back to us. Linda
—-Please pray for Josh protection. he is 18 years old. His mum left him by himself. He is far away from us. And the guys living in the shared house is starting to pick on him. They are Muslims from the middle east he is the only Christian there from the Caribbean. Rosemary
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Dear Friends
When we lived by the Tennessee river, Ron and Eileen decided to float on inner tubes down to his brother Dennis’ house about a mile away. At least by road it was a mile. By river, it was five miles! They kept watching the bank and nothing looked familiar. Ron was beginning to worry. Finally a fisherman came by and gave them a ride to their destination. When fisherman told him how far it was, Ron was very glad that he had picked them up.
Meanwhile, I was at home doing some housework. Several hours went by and I was beginning to wish I had gone with them. We lived on a steep hill and it was quite far down to the river, at least in my condition it seemed far. I was very pregnant with Ronnie Jay and he was pressing on my back in such a way that I could barely move my legs. Walking was very difficult. Finally, I decided to attempt to get down to the water, take the remaining inner tube, and float down to Dennis’ too. Of course, I thought it would be a short trip since I knew it was only a mile away by the road.
I managed to slip and slide down to the river and clumsily get on the inner tube. That was not an easy task in my condition. As I floated along, the current was carrying me a little farther from the bank than I wanted it to. That worried me a little. With my legs not working very well, and my position on the tube was such that only my hands reaching the water, how would I get back to the bank when I reached Dennis’ house? When I was about a fourth of a mile from home, I became aware of a far more serious problem. That inner tube was not as full of air as it had been when I first got on. Now I was getting scared! I knew I could easily drown in the strong current! I began to pray and tried with all my might to get to shore.
God answered my prayer. At that very moment, Ron and Eileen had returned home by the road. He looked everywhere for me. With a sinking heart, he realized what I had done. Quickly, he ran down the hill to the river and looked downstream. In the distance he saw me. He let out a shout and I looked back from my now-very-squishy inner tube. As you can imagine, I was delighted to see him.
Instructing our little girl not to get into the water, Ron jumped into the river and swam faster than I had ever seen him swim. He grabbed my inner tube and began pulling me upstream to safety. In less than 24 hours, Ronnie Jay was born.
How easy it is to get ourselves into big trouble without thinking of consequences. How often we are careless and become entangled in a situation where we are in danger and helpless to free ourselves. We need Someone to help us just as much as I needed Ron to pull me back home. Our Great Redeemer bids us, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Ps 50:15 “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” Ps 34:17-19
He is our Redeemer, our Strength, a very Present Help in trouble. He sees our trials and knows our situation just as if we were the only person in the world. He brings to us deliverance. He provides a way out of our troubles. “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor 10:13
What a Wonderful Saviour we serve! How great and good He is! May we come to Him now with all our worries, all our cares. May we ask Him to untangle the threads of our tangled lives. May we trust Him completely with our very lives is my prayer.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/FlCPt_ldYWM/follow-the-great-exemplar.html

All that Jesus asks of you is to accept the truth of the gospel just as it reads. Its requirements are plain and right to the point. All God requires of you is to believe His Word, to accept a “Thus saith the Lord.” God’s requirements are His communications to His human family. He speaks to them as intelligent, reasoning agencies, who are responsible to render to Him the fruit of righteousness….

Will you take the Word of God just as it reads? Will you as a responsible agent seek to realize your accountability to God? God is the sovereign of the world. He has entrusted human beings with sacred gifts and endowed them with precious faculties. They are responsible to Him for the right use of these endowments….

We have only to come, complying with the invitation, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). “Him that cometh to me I will no wise cast out” (chap. 6:37). Every human being, as he reads these words, should feel that he is on holy ground. Remember that the life of the only begotten Son of God was offered up for you. As the Holy Spirit impresses Christ’s words on the heart and mind, man must feel that he is in the presence of superior goodness, superseding immeasurably anything that earth can afford. He must feel that he is occupying holy ground, for he is close to the living fountain of mercy and love.

To Moses, Jehovah declared, “I am that I am” (Exodus 3:14). Christ declared, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). By this declaration He laid open the resources of His infinite nature, imparting in His words assurance of pardon for the guilty race. He is the Word, conscious of power that He can take up and lay down His life as He chooses [in order] to secure the salvation of those who have fallen under Satan’s falsehoods and intrigues….

Having brought into the world the great treasures of heaven, owned and created by the eternal God, Christ can give to all eternal life. To all who believe on Him as their personal Saviour, He will give an eternal weight of glory.

To us the invitation is given, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, … and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18). Thus God has declared His covenant of obedience.—Letter 79, May 10, 1900, to a gracious businessman and his Adventist wife
The Upward Look p. 144
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Prayer Requests
—-My 43 year old son is very depressed and has lost the will to live. Please pray he will seek the Lord and find hope. Ana
—-Update again on my brother. He came through surgery ok but then was having some issues so they are keeping him overnight. Please continue to pray for his recovery. Donell
—-Pain with hiatal hernia – may have to go to the ER… please pray. Helen
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Dear Friends,

When my mother was little, she and her sister, like most siblings, were always in competition. One day the two girls were watching their mother cut a slice of cake and put it on a plate. Seeing the size of the piece she was sure was for her sister, my mother exclaimed, “All that for her?” Her mother said, “No, dear, this is for you.” At that, my mother complained, “Oh what a little bit!” My grandmother thought that was so funny that she laughed about it for years. Because she heard her mother laugh about it and tell everyone about how “cute” it was, my mother thought she had done something good. Selfishness became a large part of her character and caused her to become alienated from her best friend many years later.

How easy it is to get all wrapped up in ourselves and put our needs, our desires, our pleasure before anyone or anything. We do not want the best for those around us and care not for their needs. How unlike the King of the Universe those feelings are! He, Who created all things and upholds all things by the word of His power, He, whom all the beings in all the Universe worship and adore, did not put His needs, desires, or pleasures first. No, no! His Great Heart of Love yearned to restore us to Himself. Heaven holds no joy when even one of His children is not with Him. He could not sit by and let us come under the control of the evil one but “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16, 17 Think of it! Jesus willingly “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Phil 2:7, 8 For thirty-three years, Jesus came down to this dark, sinful planet and patiently suffered all of the hatred, all of the indignation, all of the contempt that the devil through wicked men could help upon Him. Moreover, He did not stop there, He brought both spiritual and physical healing to all who would come to Him. Wonderful Love! It is beyond comprehension!

Indeed, even the last night before His arrest and crucifixion, our Loving Redeemer’s thoughts were not upon Himself but upon those He loved. “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: . . . I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do….I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. . . . For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. . . . And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; . . . I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; . . . that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world John 17:1-24

See the Dear Lamb of God being nailed to the cruel cross. Behold the Creator of the Universe, He Whom all Heaven adores giving His life that we might live. With every hammer blow, He prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34 “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isa 53:4-6 His pain was beyond our comprehension, yet not even one thought of anger or retaliation was in His mind. His only thoughts were for the very ones who were driving the spikes into those strong and loving hands, those very hands that had formed the worlds, that had brought health and healing to so many as He walked among the multitudes, indeed, that continues to lift us up before His Father’s throne. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” 1 John 3:1

As our Redeemer hung in agony upon the cruel cross, every breath being taken with great difficulty, His gaze rested upon His mother bowed down with sorrow at seeing her dying Son. How His Great Heart of Love yearned to comfort her. Beside her stood John, the disciple who had allowed the Holy Spirit to change him from a “son of thunder” into the most loving of His followers. Our Dear Saviour spoke but few words, but they were words full of meaning. Looking upon Mary and then upon John, He said, “Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.” John 19:26,27 Loving Saviour! Oh, what love! What wondrous love! Always thinking of others even in His hour of agony. How good and kind He is!

May our focus ever be upon Him, Who gave His life than we might live. May we give Him our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. May we, because of our love for Him, do always those things that please Him is my prayer.

Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/ch1z1oYxbak/take-christ-at-his-word.html

Those who place their names on the church book should do so with a full and intelligent understanding of what this action involves. It means that you have solemnly pledged yourself to serve God. It means that you have made a full surrender of self to Him, in order that Christ may reign where self once reigned. It means that you have given up your pet ideas and policies, and have yielded your mind to the mind of Christ. It means that your fixed purpose is to be one with God, one with His people; that you will exercise self-denial and self-sacrifice to advance the interests of His kingdom; that you will strive to overcome everything that hinders growth in grace.

The Lord leaves in darkness no man who has an ear to hear and a heart to understand. Let everyone keep the eye single to God’s glory. Be not led astray by the snares of the wicked one. “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Let the warnings that God has given in His Word be voiced by the watchmen on the walls of Zion and heeded by every soul in the Master’s service.

Every case will be tried; every soul will be proved. Let each one ask, “Am I an evil servant? Do I by precept and practice lead other souls in false paths?” Remember that your influence is affecting others for good or for evil.

I beseech the members of every church to seek now for the greatest blessing Heaven can bestow—the Holy Spirit. If in faith you seek for a greater measure of God’s Spirit, you will be constantly taking it in and breathing it out. Daily you will receive a fresh supply. Your everyday experience will be enriched by the rich current of God’s love. Before you lie vast fields of truth, vast sources of power. Let the daily prayer be, “Take from us what Thou dost choose to take, but withhold not Thy Holy Spirit from us.” We must have the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The truth of God is for us. The religion of Jesus Christ never degrades the receiver, but makes him pure, that he may see God. It gives him an intensity of desire to be like Jesus Christ, the One altogether lovely, the Chiefest among ten thousand…. Why should we not love Him and give Him our undivided service?

As were God’s people anciently, so should we be prepared to advance when the cloud rises and moves forward, and to halt when the cloud hovers over a certain place. None can stand still, making no advancement.—Manuscript 56, May 9, 1902, “Written for Our Admonition.”
The Upward Look p. 143
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Lee’s father who has an aneurysm in his brain and is in the hospital. Also continue to pray for my mother. Brian
—-Please pray for wisdom to know whether to get a different car or not. H
—-Please pray for Stacy who has cancer and who is learning the truths in the Bible. E
—-Please pray for my immediate post open heart patient for successful recovery. Emerson
—-Please pray for my brother who is having surgery right now. Asking for prayer for all to go well and for quick healing. Donell
—-Prayer needed for a friend who is having surgery today. Her name is Mindy. Michael
—-Below are some prayer requests that just came through on my prayer net. May we lift them up to the One who can heal. Thanks.
Prayer Request for an unnamed woman, the Lord knows her name. She has had two miscarriages due to uterine fibroids and lungs to have a baby. Prayers the Lord will open her womb as she is pleading like Hannah that a miracle can occur.
Prayer for my husband Dan. Specifically for a breakthrough in his thinking and understanding about anger and the habit he has had of expressing anger all of his life. Without acknowledging an issue you cannot overcome. Prayer that he will turn his heart back to the Lord and seek Him, spend time with Him and see how desperately he needs Jesus. Prayers that no one, not even a family member will come between our marriage.
Prayer for a woman by the name of Krista. A young SDA woman in a marriage that suffers from addiction to pornography. Her anger in this issue among other things has led her to distrust God and to struggle to talk with Him. She is hurt as to why God would allow this to happen to her life. She is a young wife and very discouraged.
Prayers for Adrianna and Peter. Peter is not an Adventist but his wife is. They have two boys and it is very difficult to raise children in a home divided.
Prayers for Paul and Yvette. Another unequally yoked home where the wife is SDA and the husband is not. He has recently been coming to church and will be coming over to my house for dinner Friday night. Prayers he will feel warmth and love from the Adventists he is being welcomed by. Michael
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Dear Friends,

When Ronnie Jay was eight years old, I bought him his first gerbil. He was so happy! He took very good care of it and played with it daily. It became very tame and was a much loved pet. Gerbily-erbily knew who his family was. He never bit us, but anyone not a part of the family was “fair game.”

That little rodent lived for nearly five years. We were all very sad when he died. To soothe Ronnie Jay’s sadness at the death of his pet, we went that very day and bought another one, but it never was the same. Over the years it became a tradition, when one gerbil would die, we would go to the store and buy another baby gerbil until Ronnie Jay became too busy to play with one.

Each of these little rodents had a common trait that made us laugh. It was the way they ate M&M’s. When given one of these coated chocolate candies, they carefully shelled it and ate the chocolate inside. Not one of the gerbils he had, would eat the outside of the candy. They must have thought that the candy coating was the shell of a very sweet seed. They approached life in the way they had been taught, even though it did not always make sense.

It is the same way with us. Our thought patterns, our actions, our words are largely developed from the experiences we have gone through. They do not always make sense, but we stick to them because they are familiar. In the same way, our religious beliefs are often founded upon the beliefs of our parents or grandparents rather than a deep study of the Word of God.

How important that we study God’s Holy Word for ourselves with as much diligence as if we were seeking a rich treasure. Indeed, the Scriputures are full of spiritual riches. A good concordance is essential. I like Young’s Analytical Concordance as it groups the Hebrew or Greek words by their meaning. When testing our beliefs by the Bible, we must find all texts that deal with the subject. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” to find God’s message to us. As we gather the texts together, we may find that some commons beliefs are based on tradition rather than the Word.

Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” John 7:17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim 3:16, 17 “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jer 10:23 We must have the direction of God or we will go astray. We must pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we study. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:20, 21

May we set aside our preconceived ideas and “study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 May the words of the psalmist be the rule of our life, “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” Ps 119:98-104
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/19VJsLTejVE/pray-for-the-holy-spirit.html