A Goal to Reach

     The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

     When Paul wrote, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly,” he did not exhort his brethren to aim at a standard which it was impossible for them to reach; he did not pray that they might have blessings which it was not the will of God to give. He knew that all who would be fitted to meet Christ in peace, must possess a pure and holy character.

     If Seventh-day Adventists practiced what they profess to believe, if they were sincere health reformers, they would indeed be a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. And they would show a far greater zeal for the salvation of those who are ignorant of the truth.

     Greater reforms should be seen among the people who claim to be looking for the soon appearing of Christ. Health reform is to do among our people a work which it has not yet done. There are those who ought to be awake to the danger of meat-eating, who are still eating the flesh of animals, thus endangering the physical, mental, and spiritual health. Many who are now only half converted on the question of meat-eating will go from God’s people, to walk no more with them.  

     The controlling power of appetite will prove the ruin of thousands, when, if they had conquered on this point, they would have had moral power to gain the victory over every other temptation of Satan. But those who are slaves to appetite will fail in perfecting Christian character. The continual transgression of man for six thousand years has brought sickness, pain, and death as its fruits. And as we near the close of time, Satan’s temptation to indulge appetite will be more powerful and more difficult to overcome.

     Again and again I have been shown that God is trying to lead us back, step by step, to His original design–that man should subsist upon the natural products of the earth. Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, meat-eating will eventually be done away; flesh will cease to form a part of their diet. We should ever keep this end in view, and endeavor to work steadily toward it.

Maranatha p. 62

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Prayer Requests

—–Please pray for my good friend Lucian. His mother passed away Sabbath 30 minutes before he arrived at the hospital. That was very hard. Pray for him and his family as they mourn her loss. Rose

—– Pray for the people of Pateros Washington. This town is nearly gone because of fire. BJ

—– Please pray for my family member. I know that God is present and is in charge and hoping that all ends well. Please pray. Thank you! MGQ

—-Please pray for Dannie and family because of the loss of her grandpa. Rose

—– Reconstructive surgery of the ÀCL. Two months in a brace and two or three months of intense PT and strengthening then good as new! Surgery today. Please pray. Shiloh

—–Al’s sister, Sheila, had a massive heart attack last night at the nursing home.  It took the EMT’s 20 minutes to restart her heart.  She is in the hospital – not expected to live.  Her DNR says she is not to be on tubes or machines more than 2 weeks.  After that if she is not aware and breathing on her on, they are not supposed to resuscitate. They are going to check for brain activity today. If there is no brain activity, her son Mike can tell them to remove the machine and tubes.  Mike has power of attorney. I am asking for prayer for her 3 living siblings, 5 living children, grandchildren & great grandchildren.  Please agree with me in prayer.  Fran

—– Attended the memorial of a young life taken way too soon. Please pray for the family who lost a daughter and sister. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain that they are experiencing. Please, PLEASE, pray for them! Maegen

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Dear Friends,

When I was still working I had quite a few defendants who did not take their DUI conviction seriously and would fail to go to their alcohol evaluation which I had scheduled for them.  They seemed to think that when brought before the judge at sentencing time, the judge would let them get by with their disobedience. Of course the judge never did. Sometimes the judge would give him another chance to go to a rescheduled evaluation.  But if the judge felt that the defendant would not go even if given another appointment, he would put him in custody until the evaluator had seen him.  I’m sure at that point that he wished that he had gone to the evaluation the first time, for if he had, he would have been well on the way to putting it all in the past.

We, too, must stand before the judgment seat of God.  Now is the time to make sure that we are ready for that fearful time. We must get ready now. Just as ignoring the appointment in the illustration above only made things worse, so we cannot ignore our sins: we cannot hide them.  They must be dealt with.  They must be confessed and forsaken or someday we will have to meet them before the judgment seat of God. 

John writes, “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.  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”  1 John 1:9-2:6

David sang of his experience when he tried to hide his sins, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.”  Ps 32:3,4   Holding on to our sin can only bring us pain.  Clinging to our iniquity can only bring disaster.  Indeed, if we regard iniquity in our heart, the Lord will not hear our prayers.  (Ps 66:18)  Isaiah tells us, “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”  Isa 59:1,2

Praise God!  We do not have to stay in this condition.  The goodness of God leads us to repentance.  (Rom 2:4)  He has given “His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16  Therefore, “seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 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.”  Isa 55:6,7

Rose