Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew 7:20. UL 126.1
The law of God is the transcript of His character. Those who profess to keep this law, but who fail to show that they love God with heart, mind, and strength, who do not devote themselves unreservedly to His service, [and who] keep neither the first four commandments, which enjoin supreme love for God, nor the last six, which enjoin unselfish love for one another, are not obedient children. “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
True love for God will always manifest itself. It cannot be hidden. Those who keep God’s commandments in truth will reveal the same love that Christ revealed for His Father and for His fellow men. He in whose heart Christ abides will reveal Christ in the character, in his work in behalf of those of the household of faith, and in behalf of those who need to be brought to a knowledge of the truth. He is ever to show by good works the fruit of his faith, revealing Christ by loving words and deeds of mercy….
The doing of the law of God is the fruit of His grace in the heart. Obeying this law, we daily remember that God is the giver of all that we hold in trust. He provides us with all we have. It is because of His mercy and love that we have strength to labor. He opens ways by which we may gain earthly treasure, not that self may be exalted, not that the treasure obtained may be hoarded up, but that God’s name may be glorified, that the needy may be helped, that God’s treasury may be provided with that which He claims in gifts and offerings, that the work of raising the standard of truth in the regions beyond may not languish, but move forward and upward.
Upon all who consecrate themselves to God as laborers together with Him is laid the responsibility of guarding the interests of His cause and work. They are to live the truth which they claim to believe. They are to keep Christ constantly before them as their Pattern, and by their good works cause praise to flow forth from hearts hungering and thirsting for the Bread of Life. Not only are they to minister to the spiritual need of those they are seeking to win for Christ, [but] they are to supply their temporal necessities. This work of mercy and love is ever presenting itself, and by faithfully doing it, God’s servants are to show what the truth has done for them. They are to be faithful stewards, not only of gospel truth, but of all the blessings God has given them. Not only are they to speak words of sympathy, [but] by their deeds they are to demonstrate the reality of their sympathy and love.—Manuscript 85, April 22, 1894, untitled manuscript.
The Upward Look p. 126
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Julia who has mental problems and is missing. M
These are the prayer requests from last night’s prayer meeting.
—-Please continue to pray for Hannah. She is getting no better and the doctors have not as yet figured out what is going on.
—-Please continue praying for Kitty who is on hospice. Pray for spiritual as well as physical healing.
—-Please pray for the following that God will take control of their various situations. Sarah, Elijah, Bianca, Charlie, Emma, Jerry, LS, and missing church members.
Praises—overtime for Brian, no car accident when the roads were icy last Sabbath.
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Dear Friends,
When I was in my late teens, my mother became acquainted with a German lady at her work. As they talked day after day, they began to become friends. She shared with my mother some pastries that she had made. They were delicious! My mother wanted the recipe so this lady invited us to her house one evening so that we could learn how to make them.
While there, we noticed many photos here and there about the room. They were all of the same boy taken over a period of years. The last picture of him was when he was about eleven. Since these photos were obviously old, we knew that something must have happened. The lady, with pain in her eyes, explained that this was her only child. He had been killed many years before.
Her only son, along with several others, decided to play in a nearby gravel pit. Those high piles of gravel were so tempting to climb on. They were having a happy time pushing and shoving each other as only boys can, when suddenly, the rocks beneath them began to slide. Their shouts of laughter became screams of terror as they began to sink down into the mountain of loose stones.
Their cries of fear were heard and an alarm was sounded. Men from all over the area left whatever they were doing and rushed to rescue the boys. One of those men, was my father. As soon as he heard the gravel pit’s alarm sound, he closed his gas station, jumped into his car, and sped to the scene of the accident. By the time he and the others arrived, there was no sign of the boys. The mountains of gravel looked as if they had never been touched.
The one who had heard the boy’s cries was digging frantically. The other men joined him. It was dangerous work. The shifting stones threatened to bury them as well. Hour after hour they searched. The sun set. Still there was no sign of the boys. The night passed: the men kept digging. Sometime during the following day, the bodies were discovered. The men had done what they could, but it was too late.
When this still grieving mother realized that my dad had been one of the rescuers, she hugged us and began to cry. Over and over she thanked us for his efforts to save her boy. She was so grateful to those men who had tried their best.
She explained that she had always worried about that gravel pit so near to her home. Many times she cautioned her son not to go near those mounds so tempting to active boys. Always he promised that he would never step his foot on one of them. But one day while playing with friends, he couldn’t resist their taunts of “chicken.” He didn’t want to be called a “sissy.” He must have decided that this one time would not hurt. That one time of disobedience cost him his life.
Often we are like that lady’s son. We don’t want to be different. We don’t have the courage do what is right even though we are ridiculed for it. We think that “just once” won’t hurt. That one moment of weakness can change the direction of the life. That one disobedience can pave the way for other sins. We become sucked down into a mountain of woe. “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” Ps 38:4 Our spiritual life is suffocated. Our condition becomes as Isaiah describes, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 64:6;1:5,6
How much we need Someone to save us! Praise God! We have such a One! Our Dear Saviour saw our grave danger and stopped what He was doing and came to this sinful old world to rescue us from the mountain of difficulty that we brought upon our self. He, Whom all Heaven adored, could not be happy while we were perishing in sin and woe. He, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,” “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.” Heb 1:3;Phil 2:7,8 “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.” Isa 53:5 “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:10-12 What wonderful love! We cannot comprehend it!
May we accept His great love for us and receive His free gift of salvation. May we allow Him to fill us with His Spirit that we may reflect His love to others. May we stand firmly for the right no matter what others may do or say; that we may bring glory to the One Who loves us so.
Rose

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105.
If we would work wisely and intelligently, our human passions, our hereditary and cultivated tendencies, must be brought under the control of a higher and more commanding generalship than human ability….
“Cease to do evil; learn to do well.” This is the lesson everyone should learn day by day. The training due to one’s self comes first. The influence exerted by a life of strict integrity will be a continual education to others. Those who are restrained and guided by the moral and religious principles plainly laid down in God’s Word walk in accordance with the mind and will of God, who is too wise to err and too good to do us harm.
If you would walk wisely, walk in the way of God’s commandments. The Word of God you have in your keeping, right at hand. This Word is so plain that none need go astray unless they allow themselves to be led by their hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong. Your Redeemer met Satan’s treacherous advances with the words, “It is written,” and with the imperative command, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” I counsel you to receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your soul. The Word of God is your haven. It is a tower of strength, into which you may run and be safe….
The earnest, sincere searcher for truth will not mistake truth for error. The Word of God is the bread of life, of which all may partake and obtain eternal life. Error is falsehood and deception. Those who partake of it must suffer in consequence, as did Adam and Eve in Eden. It is the privilege of all to search with prayerful, eager interest for the truth. Truth is the tree of life, the leaves of which the human family are to eat and live.
Those who try to interpret the Word according to their own ideas, who read it in accordance with their opinions, will never see the truth, and will die in their sins. Those who eat of the forbidden tree accept Satan’s fallacies in the place of “Thus saith the Lord,” and unless they repent, they will never gain that life which measures with the life of God. As did Adam and Eve, they exclude themselves from the tree of life, the fruit of which perpetuates immortality….
We are living amid the solemnities of the judgment. Our souls should be filled with awe, for we are in God’s presence continually. Each one must decide for himself whether he will obey and live or disobey and perish.
To those who obey, the Word of God is the tree of life. It is the word of salvation, received unto eternal life.—Letter 60, April 21, 1900, to a church member in Rochester, New York.
The Upward Look p. 125
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Prayer Requests
—-please pray for a teenager who was stricken down with tremors in her arms and legs while at school. her name is Jordan. she was taken to the hospital. also my great granddaughter was stricken last year while at school/ her legs started giving out she is a 4.0 average student. the DR’s cannot figure out what is wrong .she also started getting seizures too. .thank you .M.
—-Pray for my protection from the schemes of the evil one. From the behavior of my estranged husband who is desperate to hurt me in whatever way he can find. Prayers for Daniel to be awakened and freed from the chains of the principalities that have ahold of him. Please please help me. Ama
—-Please pray for my cousin, Patrick. He’s in ICU in a coma. Wanda
—-Please pray for all of those who are in the path of the volcano in the Philippines. Marsha
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Dear Friends,
Over the years, we have enjoyed the beautiful world God has made. We started camping in Michigan shortly after we were married and have continued camping wherever we have moved. When we lived out west, we were able to go wilderness camping which is far superior to any campground.
One early June, when we lived in Utah, we found a nice spot up in the mountains. It was one of those “pack it in, pack it out” places where there are no facilities and one can feel very close to nature. After we had carried all of our stuff for what seemed like way too long, we found a nice spot under the trees by the river to set up our tent.
The next morning we were delighted to see a yearling female moose very close to our camp. She had been eating water plants and had become curious to see what we were. She came within about 35 feet of our camp and stood and watched us. We, in turn, stood very still and watched her. Her curiosity satisfied, she walked on and started eating water plants again. We followed at a distance and watched her until the children grew tired.
Moose have a very bad temper, and as soon as he saw her Ron quietly reached for his gun. Thankfully, the moose was docile and did not feel threatened or that encounter could have turned out tragically. My children had learned at an early age to hold very still and be quiet when an animal was around, so it was a good experience.
God’s Holy Word tells us of a time when we will be able to interact with even the wildest of creatures. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Isa 11:6-9 “And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they 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. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I 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. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. Isa 65:21-25 What a wonderful time that will be! The animals will be gentle and friendly. We will have no fear of them and they will have no fear of us.
Moreover, no evil person will be found in that fair land. “The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Cor 6:9, 10 Jesus declares, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs (someone with an impure mind), and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Think of it! No drive-by shootings, no kidnappings, no rapes, no domestic violence, no gossips, no deception of any kind will be in Heaven. We will be safe wherever we go without worry, without fear.
Beyond all those wonderful things is the fact that our Great and Glorious Creator and Savior will be there. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their 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. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” Rev 21:1-5
May we all be there. May we meet in worship around the throne of God. May our Precious Heavenly Father meet with us individually and answer all of our questions that we may understand all that has perplexed us throughout our life is my prayer.
Rose

I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Acts 20:32.
What is genuine sanctification? Read Exodus 31. In that chapter we shall understand the term, for God Himself has defined it. The Lord Jesus had given the special directions how to build the tabernacle. As the children of Israel had been compelled to work on the Sabbath, the sacredness of the day was not preserved. As slaves in Egypt, they had largely lost the knowledge of the Sabbath. This is the reason the commandments of God were given in awful grandeur upon Mount Sinai. The Lord would guard His Sabbath in particular, and He knew the people would forget the commandment of the Sabbath, and in their zeal the workmen would say, “This work is the Lord’s, and under His supervision, and we can do His work without observing the Sabbath….” Therefore the seventh day was distinguished as God’s memorial and was to be kept holy unto the Lord that the people “may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify” them. This is genuine sanctification….
But the work must needs go deeper, take firmer hold of the life and of the character. Some have thought they could easily persuade a sinner to give up his idols, to keep God’s commandments, to believe Jesus is soon to come in the clouds of heaven. When they can awaken no interest, no desire to search the Scriptures to see if these things are indeed truth; when they see no conviction assured in the minds of those who transgress the law of God; when they are frequently met with flimsy excuses, with indifference or decided opposition and ridicule; when their hearers turn aside to heap contempt upon God’s holy law, they become discouraged. Where they looked for success, they found defeat….
Oh, how many lessons those young in the faith will have to learn in the exercise of winning souls to Christ! Some will learn in defeat and failure the lessons they would not otherwise have learned, but a few repulses have so chilling an influence that the spark of grace almost becomes extinct in their own souls and they think it does not pay to make efforts to save souls, and they no longer shine as lights in the world. The thought of turning souls from the errors of their ways, the sense of obligation to impart to others the precious light of truth, dies, and they do nothing….
These difficulties, opposition, disappointments and discouragements they must meet again in a more decided, intense manner, but they must be firm as a rock to principle. If we are Christians, we must be Christlike, we must reflect light.—Letter 19c, April 20, 1874, to W. C. White.
The Upward Look p. 124
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for Hannah who is in ICU and her family. Rose
—-Please pray that God will give us wisdom in an upcoming decision. RJ
—-I need prayers for my marriage. Kristina B
—-I pray that you all will join me in prayer that God will work in a mighty way to open my children’s hearts and minds to the need for a relationship with Him. They were raised to know God but they each have gone their own way. Pray please, that God will work in a mighty way in their hearts and minds. Kathy
—-Please pray for Dahlia and Hannah who live fifteen miles from the erupting volcano. Also please pray for the people and animals of Australia who are suffering because of the fires. Rose
—-Our dog, Zoey, has an auto-immune disease that lifts the nail off the quick and is very painful. We have been giving her medicine and sometimes she seems better but she is not up to normal yet. She still likes to run but I can tell she doesn’t feel as good as she should. Buddy
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Dear Friends,
This morning I was going through a folder on my email labled “Things to Keep” and found the words to a song that Esther wrote when she was a teenager. I thought I would share it with you this morning. May it be the prayer of our hearts.
Rose
A New Heart

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17.
Assimilation is a law of human nature. Satan works with untiring perseverance to use this law, ordained by God to be a power for good, to forward his plans. He seeks to blend together righteous and unrighteous principles in order that through this union sin may lose its offensive appearance. He mixes chaff with the wheat.
The righteous should associate with the wicked only to restore the principles of truth which have been almost obliterated. He who seeks to help and bless others must depend wholly upon the unseen yet all-essential supply of grace and strength. He must cooperate with God if he would be successful in saving the souls ready to perish. He must associate closely with divine agencies, drawing by faith the grace so much needed to resist the elements of unrighteousness.
Christ saw Satan patterning after heaven by the use of human association, thus extending the contagion of evil, and He determined to make His church a resisting element. His people are not to borrow the forms and customs of the world, but are to be instinct with the principles which make the church on earth a symbol of the church in heaven, a channel through which heaven’s rich blessings can flow.
Untold good may be accomplished by the righteous working with and for the wicked; but too often those who ought to lead sinners to God do not draw with Christ…. Church members are under a solemn pledge to form characters different in every way from the characters of worldlings. If a change does not take place in them prior to their union with the church, there is danger that, though they have joined the church, they will assimilate with worldlings. Satan triumphs when he sees the leaven of the world working in the church, to the destruction of its purity and holiness.
It is God’s plan that in His church heavenly influences shall be reinforced and stimulated by the cooperation of the members with Him. His people are to increase in strength and efficiency, knowing that the atmosphere which surrounds the souls of righteous believers is the same as the atmosphere in the heaven of purity and light and love. Through Christian fellowship they are to form their characters, assimilating them to the character of Christ. According to their faith will be their Christlike meekness and lowliness. As God’s people seek to fulfill this plan, they are answering the prayer of Christ, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”—Manuscript 27a, April 19, 1900, “God’s Purpose for His People.”
The Upward Look p. 123
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Prayer Requests
—-I have an unspoken prayer request. B
—-After a year of prayerful deliberation, our family has accepted a call to Weimar. Please pray for us as we transition! Pastor Rich
—-PLEASE PRAY FOR MY FAMILY… ALL ARE NOT WELL. PRAYERS ARE SERIOUSELY NEEDED. THING ARE OUT OF ORDER… NO SAFETY.. Daniel
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Dear Friends,
How cruel is the heart of mankind without the Spirit of God dwelling there. The news is full of tragedies too heartbreaking to mention. There is no longer any safety upon this sinful, old planet.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, how little did they realize the results of their disobedience. It seemed like such a little test. Yet, that small act of disobedience was the pivotal moment in their experience. From that small act, came a great change.
Before the fall, Adam and Eve had good fellowship with their Creator. At the time for evening worship, He came to this brand new planet in His great universe and conversed with them. But after their disobedience, just hearing Him walking in the garden brought a new feeling to their heart. It was a feeling of fear and dread. God’s Word tells us, “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” Gen 3:8-11
God knew what had happened, but He gave them opportunity to acknowledge their transgression. Instead, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent, and, ultimately they blamed God. “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.” vs 12-14
How good and kind our Loving Father is! Before He told His erring children of the consequences of their sin, He gave them the promise of a Saviour! “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” vs 3:15
“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. vs 16-19
From that point, death began. “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever” 21, 22
From that one little sin, the close communion they had had with God became a more distant one. “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” From that moment the world began to deteriorate and mankind became “worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Tim 3:13
But God does not leave us in such a pitiful state. He has provided a Way. Jesus is the “way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6 Let us thank Him for sacrificing His own life, so that we may have a restored relationship with our Creator. Let us serve Him from a heart full of gratitude and love. Let us place our hand in His and let Him lead us to His Heavenly Kingdom is my prayer.
Rose

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13:34.
There are those who cherish a spirit of envy and hatred against their brethren, calling it the Spirit of God. There are those who go up and down as talebearers, accusing and condemning, blackening character, inspiring hearts with maliciousness. They carry false reports to the doors of their neighbors, who, as they listen to the slander, lose the Spirit of God. Not even the messenger of God, who bears to the people His truth, is spared.
This sin is worse than the sin of Achan. Its influence is not confined to those who cherish it. It is a root of bitterness, whereby many are defiled. God cannot bless the church till it is purged of this evil that corrupts minds and spirits, the souls of those who do not repent and change their course of action.
He who is renewed after the Spirit of Christ will not only love God; he will love his brethren also. Those who make mistakes are to be dealt with according to the directions given in the Word of God. “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” (Galatians 6:1).
Plainly and faithfully evil is to be reproved. But let the one who takes up this work first be sure that he is not himself separated from Christ by evil works. He must be able to restore the erring in the spirit of meekness. Unless he can do this, he should not attempt to correct or reprove his brethren, for he will make two evils in the place of curing one.
Let men be careful how they treat the purchase of the blood of Christ. Let them not forget the prayer offered by the Saviour just before He left His disciples for the long struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let them not forget the high estimate He has placed on human beings by purchasing them at the sacrifice of His life. There are many who seem willing to wound and bruise the hearts of their brethren. Are they following the example Christ has left them? Where in the record of His dealing with men do they find themselves sustained in showing so little forbearance and patience in dealing with their brethren? …
That which distinguishes Christians from worldlings is the manifestation of Christlikeness, which by its pure influence cleanses the heart from selfishness.—Manuscript 52, April 18, 1902, “Fragments.”
The Upward Look p. 122
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Prayer Requests
—-I desperately need prayer for one of my son’s safety. Someone has threatened one of my son’s life and this person has had people killed before but this person has never been caught. The police know. Please pray for this person to be arrested and dealt with for their past crimes. But especially please pray for my son’s safety and for him to be right with God at all times. Thank you so much for your prayers. Connie
—-Please pray for Scott that he will charge from his wicked ways and that he will have an encounter with the Lord before its too late. Rosemary
—-Please pray for my daughter, she will be having a duct removed from her breast and although the dr says cancer is rare, all kinds of cancer runs in our family. Sandra
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, Ron, Ronnie Jay, and I were at the store. They were at customer service returning something defective. I was getting a few items. While waiting in line, Ron started a conversation with a lady who had a beautiful little girl in the shopping cart. As they talked, this lady explained that she was babysitting the child. Her parents had died in a motorcycle accident and the grandmother was raising the child.
At this point, I came over to where Ron and Ronnie Jay were. Ron told me about the tragedy. I expressed my sympathy to the lady. She then began saying to the child “Mom and Tim are angels, aren’t they and we pray to them don’t we?.” The little girl looked at her with surprised eyes and said, “no.” I was shocked, but instead of asking the lady if she’d like to get together some time and study what the Bible says about praying, I kept quiet. On the way home from the store, I realized that I had missed an opportunity. By my silence, I had denied the truth. I had denied the Only One Who and hear and answer our prayers. How sorry I felt.
How often we do the same by our words or actions or silence. How many times we hesitate to speak a word for the One Who speaks for us. (1 John 2:1, 2) Do we share Him with others, or do we pretend that we don’t even know Him? Do we try to rationalize away our denial? Jesus said “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matt 10:32,33 Paul warns, “if we deny him, he also will deny us.” 2 Tim 2:12 Those are solemn words. Words that have eternal consequences.
Often we do not know ourselves and think that we would never deny our Lord. That was Peter’s experience. When Jesus told His disciples that they would deny Him, Peter stood up and proclaimed that although everyone else would deny Him, he never would. “But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.” Mark 14:29-31 Peter could not believe it, but when he was “backed into a corner,” he denied his Master. He denied the One Who was giving His life for him.
When Peter denied Jesus, the Bible says, “Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.” Matt 26:75 That was the start of a new life for Peter. From that moment he stood firm for his Saviour no matter what the consequences might be.
May we never deny our Dear Saviour in any way. May we pray that we will recognize opportunites for sharing the good news with others and have the courage to do so even in a store. May we “let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven.” Matt 5:16.
Rose