If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:13.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:7.

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:21.
We each need the help we can receive from other minds. God will work in other minds than ours. The various gifts given to different ones are to blend for the “perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12)….
The Lord Jesus Christ will heal our infirmities and our weaknesses. He owns us. We are His by creation and by redemption. We must all be united in Him. He is the only source of healing. All restoring power comes from Him. He has opened a fountain “to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” He gives each one an invitation to come and be healed, and to drink of the water of life. Let us not trust in ourselves, but in Jesus.
There will always be obstacles before us, but we are to follow our Leader, and meet our difficulties unitedly, hand in hand. There is only one way to heaven. We must walk in the footsteps of Jesus, doing His works, even as He did the works of His Father. We must study His ways, not man’s ways; we must obey His will, not our own. Walk carefully. Do not go ahead of Christ. Make no move without consulting your Leader. Ask in humble prayer, and “ye shall receive.” He is the Way, the Truth, the Life.
Read and study carefully the prayer that Christ offered just before His trial, recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John. Follow its teachings, and you will be brought into unity. Our only hope of reaching heaven is to be one with Christ, and then, in and through Christ, we shall be one with one another. No one is called to walk alone. In Christ life and immortality are brought to light. He has opened the way to the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in Him, but He assigns to no one a path different to that which all must travel. He calls for unity, and unity we must have. God asks us to sink self in Christ. For the natural man this is not easy. But through the power of the incarnation of Christ, God manifest in the flesh, the strength of God is revealed in gentleness and beauty. To “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” By this power we may overcome our evil tendencies and so modify our imperfect dispositions that the will of God may be fulfilled in us.—Letter 79, May 7, 1903, to J. A. Burden and wife. (Elder Burden was engaged in sanitarium work in Australia.)
The Upward Look p. 141
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray my daughter and son quit fighting, that they make up and speak to each other again. Eva
—-My mother-in-law has stage 4  pancreatic cancer. Please pray for her. Ashley
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Dear Friends,
Since he was in his teen years, Ron has had an interest in astronomy. When we lived out in the country in Washington state, he bought a used telescope. The skies were spectacular on cold, clear nights, so he would bundle up and spend many hours looking at planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies.
When the atmosphere was not good for stargazing, he would read astronomy magazines by the hour. One day, he showed me an article that explained how a reflecting telescope works. The picture I remember the clearest was one of several men polishing a huge mirror for some observatory. Ron explained that in order to reflect the image perfectly, ever flaw had to be rubbed out.
How often we feel as if we are a mirror being polished as our Maker rubs and polishes our character to remove our flaws. Many times during this process, we feel as did David when he sang, “LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people.” Ps 3
The experiences that we must pass through to make our reflection of His character clearer, are not pleasant. Our Loving Saviour rubs and polishes us until we are molded into His likeness. He says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Rev 3:19 “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” Isa 48:10
Paul advises, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Heb. 12:5-11
Through these trials that our Merciful Creator uses to polish us, we become a light to the world, reflecting the True Light even more clearly than a telescope mirror reflects the light of some distant star. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” John 8:12; Mat 5:14-16
May we “shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life.” Phil 2:15,16 May we say like Job, “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10 May Daniel’s prophecy be fulfilled in us, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” is my prayer. Dan 12:3

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. Deuteronomy 30:19.
Those who are carrying forward the work of God must stand firm and steadfast, as faithful sentinels in the Lord’s army. They must stand under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel…. The last message of mercy is to be proclaimed. Men and women are to be aroused to prepare for the great issues before them….
The reason why men and women today do not believe the truth is because it condemns their life practices. They see that the truth calls for a reform, and they fight it because they hate the work involved in sanctification….
He whose conscience is a sure guide will not stop to reason [i.e., rationalize away] when light shines upon him out of God’s Word. He will not be guided by human counsel. He will not allow worldly business to stand in the way of obedience. He will lay every selfish interest at the door of investigation, and will approach the Word of God as one whose eternal interest is hanging in the balance.
There is a right side—the side of Him who declared, “I have kept my Father’s commandments” (John 15:10). “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalm 19:7). There is a wrong side—the side of the one who in heaven rebelled against God. With his sympathizers he was expelled from the heavenly courts, and from his action we may understand that no matter how high a position a man may occupy in the church or in the world, if he is disloyal to God, if he accepts human laws instead of the laws of Jehovah, he can never enter heaven, for he is living in direct opposition to God. He will receive punishment in accordance with the power of influence which instead of being placed on the side of God was placed on the side of Satan. The greater the talents and influence given him, the greater will be his punishment. God will require at his hands the souls he has turned aside from truth to falsehood. Instead of leading them to God, he led them away from God, and their blood will be charged to him….
In the day of judgment those who have refused the light and have led others to honor the false sabbath will see the course Satan has pursued in causing men to transgress the law of God. They will see and fully comprehend the virtue of God’s sign….
God’s people have a serious, solemn work to do. He bids them, “Lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1).—Manuscript 27, May 6, 1900, “Obedience and Disobedience.”
The Upward Look p. 140
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Prayer Requests
—-I have a special prayer request for for my sister Pat. who is semi comatose. she hasn’t eaten for several days. please pray for her salvation and for her to go to sleep in the Lord. Also pray for their distressing home situation. thanks M
—- Attained a hairline fracture in my left wrist on February 2nd. Still sore and unable to crochet and do normal things still, still sore. Please pray it heals quickly and properly or I will need to be sedated and have it broke it again to reset it! Heidi
—-Please pray for E who is greatly discouraged. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Ron’s Grandpa Taylor was an excellent gunsmith. Because he was such a fine craftsman, he had customers from all over the state. One day he was telling us a story of a man who had asked him to make a very powerful rifle for him. Grandpa Taylor was glad for the business and told that man that he would call him when the gun was ready.
The man agreed to wait.Unfortunately, the man couldn’t wait. The more he thought about that gun, the more he wanted to shoot it. He decided to visit Grandpa Taylor’s workshop and see how it was coming. When he arrived, he was told that the gun was not quite ready. It had not yet been tested. Grandpa Taylor, himself, would be the first one to shoot it. After that, adjustments would be made until it was perfect. Under no circumstances was he to touch that not-quite-finished gun.
The man seemed to understand; but as he looked at that rifle, he began to rationalize. The gun looked perfect. “Surely it is done,” he thought, “Mr. Taylor is just too fussy. I can test it as well as he can.” When Grandpa Taylor’s back was turned, the man quickly picked up the rifle, and sighted down the barrel. Everything looked fine. He aimed toward the indoor target and fired the powerful rifle. In his hurry to shoot it before Grandpa Taylor could stop him, the man did not have it sitting quite right on his shoulder. Grandpa Taylor told us that as a result of his rash action, the man lost his arm.
How often we are like that man. We think that we know best. We think that we can disobey our Great Creator’s direct commands without any consequences. We seem to think that He does not mean just what He says, that He is too loving to allow us to suffer the consequences of our sin. Yet, the life of David is an example of cause and effect. When he sinned in the matter of Bathsheba, there were very great consequences. Nathan told him, “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” 1 Sam 12:9-12 Although, David was forgiven, he and all Israel bore the consequences. As a direct result of his sin, their baby died. vs. 15-19 Moreover, David lost the respect of his subjects, lost the ability to rebuke them and his children when he saw them taking the wrong path. As a result, his son Absalom killed his half-brother Amnon for an incestuous relationship with his sister. Beyond this, Absalom attempted to take over the kingdom causing David and those loyal to him to have to flee for their lives. In the ensuing battle, Absalom lost his life. (chaptera 13-18) From that point on, there was war and bloodshed, troubles and trials, and a great weakening of the kingdom.
Jesus, Himself, obeyed. “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” Heb 5:8,9 Paul urges us, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But 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. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:5-13
When our Great Redeemer shall return in the clouds of glory with his all His mighty angels, He will take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel. (2 Th 1:7,8) How important, then, that we do as He has commanded us. Paul continues, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Rom 6:18 John adds, “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:2-4
Our Loving Saviour pleads with us today as He did so long ago, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 Let us obey His Voice. Let us be “doers of the word” from a heart filled with love for our Dear Saviour. James 1:22 Let us purify our “souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit.” 1 Peter 1:22 Let us “walk as children of light:(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” is my prayer. Eph 5:8-11
Rose

My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction. Proverbs 3:11.
Do not permit yourself to be discouraged. Do not permit yourself to be provoked, but let intelligent reason control your actions. Inquire what good it would do to be impatient. It would only gratify the enemy and confirm the opinion of those who would think evil of you. You may, by an even course of conduct, prove the words of evil-minded persons untrue. Do not enter into self-defense, but pass along doing your duty with perseverance.
God help you, my son [Edson], to make sure work for eternity. This is your work. No one can do this work for you. Trust wholly in God. Our heavenly Father is mindful of your infirmities. I am thankful that He is acquainted with all our weaknesses and with all our temptations. He knows how to pity us and how to strengthen us if we will flee to Him, the Stronghold, for help. Do not, when your faith is tested, become reckless. Just wait and calmly submit your judgment and your will and your way and be willing to be led.
There is no other way to be saved but that devised by our Redeemer, and of which He has given us a practical illustration in His own life of self-denial and self-sacrifice. You know He submitted to insult, to scorn and mockery without retaliation. When He was reviled, He reviled not again. “I came … not,” says Christ, “to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). We must have the mind of Christ. We must walk in His footsteps.
Those who have lived for others’ good and have had an eye single to the glory of God will win eternal life. Those who will not make exertion, but drift with the current, live for self. They will never hear the “Well done” spoken to them…. Precious souls are to be saved, and we have a work to do to win them to Christ.
Remember that hardships and trials are a part of the Christian legacy. Christ, the Majesty of heaven, came to our world to show us how to bear the world’s rebuffs without fainting or without retaliation. Every trial borne wisely will be a blessing to those who have them. They will lift up, but not cast down. Those who are continually seeking to shirk the hard and stony places but are seeking an easier path, a pleasanter way, will ever meet with disappointment and adversity. But if they brace the soul for trial and for duty, march forward bravely in God, they will find the path of self-denial and self-sacrifice will lead to honor and heavenly riches in the future, immortal life…. Pray much and exercise living faith, and you will surely sing the song of victory.—Letter 24, May 5, 1874, to Edson White.
The Upward Look p. 139
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Prayer Requests
—-Update on my friend’s daughter—Jasmine’s okay. Thank GOD! They had to make a bigger incision than they expected. They had to remove her ovary and Fallopian tube from the left because the tumor had completely engulfed it. They tested the tumor and said it wasn’t cancer but they don’t know what it is. They haven’t seen anything like it. The Pathologist is gonna dissect and test it over the next two weeks and we should have answers then. She’s gonna be in the hospital for a few days for recovery.please continue to pray for Jasmine And Thank you all for your prayers. Becly
—-Please keep a family member of mine in prayers. She’s having some tests done and pray everything is negative and her issues are remedied in a natural way. Her name is Misty. Connie
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Dear Friends,
When Eileen was a little girl, the story of Queen Esther was her favorite story. Every day, she played that she was Queen Esther. When she knew that I was going to have a baby, she asked if she could name her Esther if the baby were a girl. Even as an adult, she still enjoys the story. Indeed, the story of Queen Esther holds many lessons for us today. It shows how God’s plans do not always fit into our plans, it helps us understand the plottings of the evil one and illustrates God’s swift working against our enemies.
When little Hadassah was born, her parents had know idea what her future held. When her parents died, Mordecai, her cousin, raised her as his own daughter. (Est 2:7) Being a godly man, he carefully taught Hadassah according to the admonition in Deuteronomy 6:6, 7. “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” The years rolled on. Hadassah grew to be a beautiful girl spiritually and physically. When Hadassah was taken to the king’s house because of her beauty, their future plans were shattered. No doubt, it was hard for them to understand why God allowed her to be taken to be one of a heathen king’s wives.
Although they could not see the future, God had a plan for Hadassah to become Esther, the Queen of the most powerful kingdom of the then-known world. She became the interceder, the deliverer of her people in a time of crisis. When Haman received permission from the king to destroy the Jews, it was then in that very time of crisis, that all the careful training that Mordecai had given her, helped her to be faithful. How fervently they prayed. How completely they relied upon God’s deliverance. Then, Queen Esther put her prayers into action and went before the king to ask for her life and the life of her people.
Our Great Redeemer gave Esther the wisdom to know just how to approach the king. He worked out events so that the king was so troubled by Esther’s odd behaviour that he could not sleep. He even caused the kings servant to read the very part of the king’s chronicles having to do with Mordecai. Moreover, the Great King of the Universe put it in the king of the Medes and Persians to have the very one who planned Mordecai’s demise the humiliating task of proclaiming Mordicai’s goodness throughout the entire city. “Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour. And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.” Est 6:11,12 Any beyond this, “they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.” 7:10
Even though we may never become a king or queen on this earth, our Great Creator has a plan for our life. Sometimes His plan is the exact opposite from what we had thought the future would hold. He assures us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil.” “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Isa 55:8, 9; Jer 29:11; 31:3
May we store God’s Word in our heart for we never know what the future holds. May we trust in our Saviour’s leading even though we don’t understand. May we allow ourselves to be used by God for the saving of others is my prayer.