If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5.
There are so many who, when they are in trouble, … forget the invitations God has abundantly given, and begin to look and plan for human help. They go to human beings for aid, and this is the way in which their experience becomes feeble and confused. In all our trials we are directed to seek the Lord most earnestly, remembering that we are His property, His children by adoption. No human being can understand our necessities as Christ [can]. We shall receive help, if we ask Him in faith. We are His by creation; we are His by redemption. By the cords of divine love we are bound to the Source of all power and strength. If we will only make God our dependence, asking Him for what we want, as a little child asks his father for what he wants, we shall obtain a rich experience. We shall learn that God is the source of all strength and power….
God has been greatly dishonored by His people leaning upon human beings. He has not told us to do this. He has told us that He will teach us, He will guide us. We may come to Him and receive help….
What did Christ promise His disciples if they would believe in Him as their personal Saviour? “Lo, I am with you alway,” He said, “even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). Again He says, “I am at thy right hand to help thee” (see Psalm 16:8). Think of how many promises He has given us, which we may grasp by the hand of faith. When we go to the Source of power, we know that we shall receive that intelligence and wisdom which comes from a pure source, which is not mixed with anything of humanity. As we pray, it is our privilege to know that God wants us to pray, to ask Him for help. “Ask, and ye shall receive” (John 16:24). It is for you to believe that you will receive. He wants us to become acquainted with Him, to speak to Him, to tell Him of our difficulties, and obtain an experience in asking of One who never misjudges and never makes a mistake….
We dishonor God by striving to get someone who we think understands our case to help us. Has He not given us His only begotten Son? Is not Christ close beside us, and will He not give us the help we need? …
We forget that the threshold of heaven is flooded with the glory proceeding from the throne of God, that the light may fall directly on those who are seeking the help that Christ alone can give.—Manuscript 144, April 3, 1901, “Early Morning Meeting.”
The Upward Look p. 107
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Prayer Requests
—-Would appreciate prayers for Maxx. I thought after 1 1/2 weeks of not feeling well he was getting better. Not! He hasn’t been eating for two days. Didn’t take meds today because he didn’t want to throw them up. He threw up anyway. He has no fever but he’s pale and miserable. He did hold down liquids the rest of the day but he laid down all day too. I dont like having sick kids. Carol
—-Pls pray for my boy Lee. He is having his wisdom teeth pulled today. Praying all goes well. Donnell
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Dear Friends,
The parable of the prodigal son so truly illustrates our Heavenly Father’s great love and care for us. It is found in Luke 15:11 and onward. Often, as we read this parable, we think of this for the overt sinner and fail to realize that we, ourselves, are that prodigal son. While we may outwardly comply, how often we rebel inwardly against our loving Heavenly Father’s commands. How many times we want our own way even though it leads us far from home. We soon find ourselves in the same condition as the prodigal son. Yet, even when we are so far from our Loving Redeemer, He is seeking us. He is watching with longing desire for the first indication that we are sorry and want to come back to Him.
Even while we are still a long way off, He runs to us, embraces us, removes our filthy garments from us and wraps us in the pure spotless robe of His righteousness. Praise God! “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18, 19
Think of it! No matter what the sin, we can return to our Loving Heavenly Father. He will wrap us in His loving arms and lead us Homeward. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 1:9-2:2
Our Loving Heavenly Father does not scold us about our former waywardness. Instead, He rejoices when we come to Him. He assures us, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37 He greatly desires a closeness with us that is “closer than a brother.” (Prov 18:24) Indeed, He longs to fellowship with us every moment. He is pleading with us now, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Rev 3:20
Moreover, if we open our heart’s door to Him, He will develop within us His own perfect character, that we may be like Him and show His glory to others. He promises, ” A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” Eze 36:26,27
May we open our heart’s-door to our Loving Saviour. May our prayer be the words of a song Esther Marie wrote many years ago. “Lord, give me a clean heart, A kind and a true heart. Lord, through me please show, Others that You care. Lord, give me a new heart, A loving and pure heart, So others may find You And know that You care. Though this world is rough and dirty, A new heart is waiting for you. Though your sins may be many, Jesus is waiting for you. Lord, give me a new heart And keep me in Your care.”
Rose

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32.
“If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother” (Matthew 18:15). This is the way in which misunderstandings are to be settled. Speaking alone, and in the spirit of Christ to the one who is in fault, will often remove the difficulty. Show Christlike love for your brother by seeking to adjust the difficulty “between thee and him alone.” Talk quietly together. Let no angry words escape your lips. Present the subject in a way that will appeal to his best judgment. And if he will hear you, you have gained him as a friend.
Whatever the character of the offense may be, this does not change the plan God has made for the settlement of misunderstandings and personal injuries. Act out the spirit of Christ. Take the recipe God has provided, and carry it to the spiritually diseased [one]. Give him the remedy that will cure the disease of disaffection. Do your part to help him. Feel that it is a duty and privilege to do this, for the sake of the unity and peace of the church, which is very dear to the heart of Christ. He does not want any wound to remain unhealed on any member of His church. All heaven is interested in the interview between the injured member and the one who has been guilty of error. After settling the difficulty, pray together, and angels of God will come to you and bless you. There is music in heaven over this union.
As the erring one accepts the testimony borne, and gives evidence of true repentance, the sunshine of heaven fills his heart. Hearts are drawn together. The healing oil of love removes the disease and soreness of the wrong. The Holy Spirit binds heart to heart.
Those who have been united in Christian fellowship offer prayer to God, and pledge themselves to deal justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. If they have wronged others, they continue the work of repentance, confession, and restitution; and the disease is healed. They are fully set to do good to one another. This is the fulfilling of the law of Christ.
Repentance, confession, and restitution are all required. But these cannot atone for the sin, for God has been wronged in the person of His saints. The Lord Jesus alone is able to atone for sin, by the application of His blood, shed for the guilt of the sinner. His blood cleanses from all sin.—Manuscript 47, April 2, 1902, “Lessons From the Eighteenth of Matthew.”
The Upward Look p. 106
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for me I may be calling 911 soon because my throat feels like it is swelling and closing up. I have taken Benadryl but I cannot find my epi pen. Connie
—-pray for a young man in my church, Joe. Joe has Pancreatic Cancer and the Doctors have given him no hope because the treatments are not working.
Joe has a young wife and a little girl. Susie
—-I have an unspoken request. LS
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Dear Friends,

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap. Malachi 3:2.
Those who profess to be sons and daughters of God should represent Him in character…. Opportunity is now given us to form characters that will fit us for an entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Those who keep the commandments of God will have a right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city. In love, God has given us a law, that we may know and put away those traits of character that cannot be tolerated in heaven. No one can enter there to whom is charged robbery, adultery, evil-speaking, or false dealing, for this would lead to another war in heaven. The law of God was given to lead men away from these practices, that their characters might be fashioned after the character of God.
To follow the ever-changing fashions of this world is the chief study of many today. Should we not be as diligent to fashion our characters after the pattern given us in the Word of God? Do not think that you can conform to the world now, [laying] up your treasures here below, and then, merely because you have made a profession of faith, be among those who enter the City of God. We cannot be in harmony with the laws that govern the kingdom of heaven, unless we first conform to those laws here below. It is high time for us all to give our hearts unreservedly to God, and serve Him intelligently, as obedient children. His Holy Spirit can mold and fashion us after the divine similitude. UL 105.3
The members of the heavenly family are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ—heirs to the treasures of heaven. They will not follow the ambition and madness of this world, to heap up treasures here below, at the loss of a Christian character that would insure them a life that measures with the life of God—a life free from sin, sickness, sorrow, and death.
Many are today being led away from the simplicity of true religion by the study of so-called science. There is a true science, the science of eternal life. When Jesus came to our world, He might have opened to the minds of men a vast storehouse of scientific knowledge. But He did not do this. He devoted His life to the teaching of those truths that pertain to the salvation of the soul….
God has claims upon every power of our being. His service demands the action of the whole man—all the heart, all the soul, all the strength, and all the mind. How to render this complete service to God is the only subject of any value in this life.—Manuscript 38a, April 1, 1905, “Who May Abide the Day of His Coming?”
The Upward Look p. 105
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Neal who had a stroke that he will recover completely. Mike
—-Pls pray for my son Lee. Today he is taking his final in Calculus II this is for his Engineering degree and is going to be a tough challenge for him. He is a diligent student and has been studying hard. Pls pray for him to recall what he needs to remember and for a calm spirit while testing. Pls pray for my niece Tiffanie also who started a new job as a correctional office and has been tough on her. Donnell
—-Please pray for my friend Rhonda. For her ankle to be healed and for her to be hired at the best job. Jenny
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Dear Friends,
When my mother was about 10, she and her little sister were watching their mother getting the dessert ready to serve. As she saw her mother laying a slice of cake and a scoop of ice cream on one of the plates that she was sure was for her little sister, my mother asked, “All of that for her?” My grandmother said, “No, dear, this is for you.” My mother exclaimed, “Oh, what a little bit.”
My grandmother chuckled over that funny, little memory all of her life, but it is no laughing matter when we always think we deserve the biggest and best for ourselves. How often, we are like the Pharisees, who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” Jesus speaks of this, “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14
How many times we selfishly hold on to our blessings, not realizing that by doing so we become glutted and stagnant and good for nothing. We spend our pitifully short life amassing all of the wealth that we can, and forget that our life is as “a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14 Our Dear Saviour reminds us, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-19
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matt 6:19-24
How unlike Christ Jesus our Lord, we are “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.” Phil 2:6-8 Think of it! The Great Creator of the Universe, He, Whom all Heaven adores, left the glories of that place and came down to this dark and sinful world to live a perfect life amidst a faithless and perverse generation, and died the most painful of deaths because of His great love for even those who hated Him for His goodness.
Knowing of His great sacrifice for us, how can we be indifferent? How can we be selfish and self-centered? How can we be looking around at others and thinking that we are better than they and more disserving of God’s great blessings? How often we get so busy beholding the mote that is in our brother’s eye, that we forget to consider the beam that is in our own eye? How many times we say to our brother, “Let me pull out the mote out of you eye,” but we fail to remove that beam is in our own eye? With tears in His voice, our Loving Redeemer says, “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matt 6:1-5)
May we “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling.” May we set self aside and be loving and kind as is our Dear Saviour. May we, in lowliness of mind, each esteem others better than themselves. Phil 2:12, 3

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. Ephesians 4:12.
God is love. The love of the Father and the Son is an attribute of every believer. The Word of God is the channel through which divine love is communicated to man. God’s truth is the medium by which the intellect is reached. The Holy Spirit is given to the human agent who works in cooperation with divine agencies. It transforms mind and character, enabling man to endure as seeing Him who is invisible. Perfect love can be enjoyed only through the belief of the truth and the reception of the Holy Spirit….
Christ prayed that His disciples might realize the importance of the love that He expressed by giving His life for the world. He desired them to understand something in regard to His infinite sacrifice. If they had more fully understood His self-sacrificing love, they would never have engaged in alienation and strife.
I urge all who claim to believe present truth to practice that truth. If they do this, they will have a stronger and more powerful influence for good. The world will see that the love expressed by believers is the central and controlling principle of Christ’s followers. Christlike love blends heart with heart. The truth draws men together. It brings into harmony and unity all who have an earnest, living faith in the Saviour. Christ designs those who believe in Him to develop and become strong by association with one another. All who work unselfishly in the Master’s service bear credentials to the world that God has sent His Son to this earth.
Although a company of Christians united in church capacity have not all the same talents, yet it is the duty of everyone to work. Talents differ, but to every man is given his work. All are dependent upon Christ in God. He is the glorious Head of all grades and classes of people associated through faith in the Word of God. Bound together by a common belief in heavenly principles, they are all dependent on Him who is the Author and Finisher of their faith. He has created the principles that produce universal oneness, universal love. His followers should meditate upon His love. They should not stop short of reaching the standard set before them. If the principles of Christianity are lived, they will produce universal harmony and perfect peace. When the heart is imbued with the Spirit of Christ, there is no quarreling, no seeking for the supremacy, no striving to be reigning lords.—Manuscript 46, March 31, 1902, “Unity a Sign of Discipleship.”
The Upward Look p. 104
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Prayer Requests
—-One for my neighbors who was notified about something with his Driver License that took place in the 90’s he cannot go to work until he gets it resolved . his name ie Jess. .he is a good Christian guy . M
—-My dog has been acting strange all day. stays out in the rain. and won’t come in. that is not like her. Normally she goes.. out and runs back in. and lays near the fire.I started to take her to her vet 20 miles away. but it was too foggy and it would of been dark by the time I got out and drive 20 miles back home I have cataracts that will be taken out next month. thanks.M.
—-Please pray for Tom who is in his 60’s and is in kidney failure and possible heart failure. thanks. c.
—-Please pray for Rita, whose son’s funeral is tomorrow. Rose
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Dear Friends,
When my children were little, we lived in Wilmington, North Carolina. One spring day we noticed that some birds were building a nest in the decorative trim on the front of the mobile home we were renting. It was an ideal place for a nest. It would have been almost impossible for the babies to fall out of the nest. We welcomed them as a learning experience for the children as the nest was low enough that we could lift them up and they could look at the eggs.
Soon the babies hatched, and from inside the trailer we could hear them begging every time the parent bird came with a bug or a worm for them to eat. As they grew larger, the cheeps became louder, but it did not bother us. It was so exciting to be able to sneak outside when both parents were gone hunting for food and look at the baby birds.
One day, however, as I sat down on the sofa to rest, I noticed some tiny insects swarming on the back of the sofa. It was against the wall that was directly behind the bird’s nest. To my horror, I realized that these were bird mites! I checked the wall and it also was swarming with mites. Suddenly the thought of having those birds so close was not at all pleasant. I wanted those mites out of my house.
Immediately, I went to the store and bought some spray that could be used to rid pet birds of mites. I sprayed the sofa, the wall, and the baby birds. That helped for a time, but since I could not spray the parent birds, the problem soon returned. Finally, the only thing that could be done was to get rid of the nest. Thankfully, by this time, the babies were nearly ready to leave the nest anyway and stayed in the bushes nearby where their parents continued raising them. Once those birds were gone, we were able to get rid of the swarms of mites.
How often we become infested with the “mites” of this world. Sometimes we enjoy listening to music that leads us away from Christ. Sometimes we watch TV programs or read books that fill our minds with wrong thoughts. Soon we become like what we have allowed into our minds. We become alarmed and try to change, but we cannot. The allurement of the music or of the story pulls us in once again.
How much we need the help of the One Who “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” to get rid of the mite-ridden nest of sinfulness that we have allowed to stay within us. Heb 4:15 How much we need His cleansing power to “kill” every wrong thought and action! Our prayer must be, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. . . . Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . . Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Ps 51:1-13
Praise God, He answers our prayer for help! “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” “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.” Isa 1:18; Exe 36:26,27
May we each day allow our loving Saviour to cleanse us from all sin and put within us that new heart He longs for us to have. May we heed the admonition of Paul, ” Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Phil 4:8 May we continually “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” is my prayer. 3:14
Rose

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace. Ephesians 2:7.
Disobedience has closed the door to a vast amount of knowledge that might have been gained from the Word of God. In eternity we shall learn that which, if we had received the enlightenment that it was possible for us to obtain here, would have opened our understanding. And understanding means obedience to all God’s commandments. The plan of God’s government would have been understood. The heavenly world would have opened its chambers of grace and glory for exploration. Human beings would have been altogether different from what they now are in form, in speech, in song, for, by exploring the mines of truth, they would have been ennobled. The mystery of redemption, the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ in His mediatorial character, the incarnation of Christ our Redeemer, His atoning sacrifice, would not be, as they now are, vague in our mind. They would have been, not only better understood, but altogether more highly appreciated.
These themes will employ the hearts and minds and tongue of the redeemed through the everlasting ages, and new developments of them will be opened up, which Christ longed to open to His disciples, but which they did not have faith to seek and grasp. Forever and ever, new views of the perfection and glory of Christ will appear.
Men of decided piety and talent catch views of eternal realities, but they are not understood, because the things that are seen eclipse the glory of the unseen. By many, man’s wisdom is thought to be higher than the wisdom of the divine Teacher. So God’s Lesson Book, containing treasure, is looked upon as old-fashioned, so much so as to be thought tame and stale. But it is not so regarded by those who have been quickened and vivified by the Holy Spirit. They see the priceless treasure, and would sell all to buy the field that contains it….
Many drink at the low, turbid waters of the valley, having forsaken the fountain of living water, the pure, snow-water of Lebanon. But those who make the Word of God their study, those who dig for the treasures of truth, will appreciate the weighty principles taught, and will digest them. As a result, they will themselves become imbued with the Spirit of Christ, and by beholding, they will become changed into His likeness. Those who appreciate the Word will teach like disciples who have been sitting at the feet of Jesus, and have accustomed themselves to learn of Him, that they might know Him whom to know aright is life eternal.—Manuscript 45, March 30, 1898, 45, “Hidden Treasure.”
The Upward Look p. 103
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Prayer Requests
—-I just got a call that Milt situation was getting worse. We know God will heal. Please continue to pray for Him. Arlene
—-Please pray for my post open heart, she’s bleeding a lot. Emerson
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Dear Friends,