Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. 2 Peter 1:10.
He who beholds Jesus, realizing what He is to us and what we are to Him, will be diligent. He will live on the plan of addition, adding to his faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity. This is a process of growth. He who cooperates with Christ will not be found tomorrow where he is today. Every day he will follow on to know the Lord, that he may know that His going forth is prepared as the morning. Of those who live in this way it will be written at last, “Ye are complete in him.”
We are to work not merely for our own souls, but for the souls of all with whom we are connected. Parents are to keep before them the point to which they should work—the perfection of the characters of their children. They are to strive earnestly to perfect the characters of their children, because the future immortal life will show the result of the work they have done.
Those parents who educate their children aright, weeding out every unruly trait, are fitting them to become missionaries for Christ in truth, in righteousness, in holiness. He who in his childhood does service for God, adding to his faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity, is fitting himself to hear the words, “Child, come up higher. Enter the higher school.”
Do you think we shall not learn anything there? We have not the slightest idea of what will then be opened before us. With Christ we shall walk before the living waters. He will open before us the beauty and glory of nature. He will show us what He is to us and what we are to Him. There are lessons we do not know now that we shall know hereafter….
It means everything to us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. God works in us, to will and to do of His good pleasure. If we let Him work, He will work. Our reward in heaven above depends on our daily walk and conversation here below. We can be Christians here. And to be a Christian, it is not necessary that we live in depression, mourning because we cannot have our own way. If we are Christians indeed, Christ is formed within, the hope of glory.—Manuscript 102, July 9, 1899, “Remarks Made by Mrs. E. G. White in the School Chapel.”
The Upward Look p. 204
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my friends as they are having housing problems. Also please pray for my family as we are having some hurtles to overcome. LS
—-Prayer please for homeless friend with Dr appointment tomorrow after mild heart attack. Mel
—-Please put Lily in your prayers she sick with a fever of 102. Toni
—-PRAYERS PLEASE for a certain situation-God knows! Laura
—-Please be praying for my liver function and pre-scirotic condition. Dan
—-Update on my friend Sheri. The result of her phone court appointment yesterday was that her kids were ordered to live with their abusive father for the next 8 weeks. E (her oldest daughter) ended up in the ER last night. Rachelle
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Dear Friends,
Nearly twenty years ago when Esther was doing Bible work in West Virginia, she and some friends went to a nearby state to do some shopping. While they were there, it started raining. This was no ordinary rain. It was a real downpour.
With a sinking heart, she remembered that she had left the sun roof open on her car. In the back seat, she had some important papers. She prayed that it would not be raining at the church where it was parked.
As they neared home, the rain was even harder. When she told them of her concerns, one of her friends remarked that Esther was going to have two feet of water in her car. Everything inside would be ruined. Esther Marie told them that she was praying that it was not raining at the church.
When they were within a short distance, it was still raining just as hard as it had been. Her friends were sure that a mess awaited at the car. Esther was still praying. As they pulled into the church’s parking lot, they were filled with praise to God. Although it was raining hard all around, it was not raining on the church’s property! Esther jumped out of her friends’ car and closed her sun roof. Immediately the rain started pouring down!
God, in His mercy, sent this faith-building experience for them all! He bids us, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee” Jer 33:3 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matt 7:7,8 Think of it! The Great Creator of the Universe is longing to answer our prayer of faith!
However, there are conditions that we must fulfill. Isaiah exclaims, “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 James adds, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:3 Jesus assures us, “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” Luke 17:6 “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:14 “I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 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 11:9-13 James tells us, “let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” James 1:6,7 John explains, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14
Let us come to the Great Supplier of All, knowing that He loves us with an “everlasting love.” Jer 31:3 Let us be diligent to fulfill the conditions to answered prayer, that God, Who longs to give us all good things, may work mightily in our life. Let us never take our Dear Saviour for granted but remember to praise Him when He answers our petitions.
Rose