Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19.
By a most beautiful and impressive figure, God’s Word shows the regard He places upon our physical organism and the responsibility resting on us to preserve it in the best condition….
The body is a temple in which God desires to dwell, … it must be kept pure, the abiding place of high and noble thoughts.34Education, 200, 201.
The knowledge that man is to be a temple for God, a habitation for the revealing of His glory, should be the highest incentive to the care and development of our physical powers. Fearfully and wonderfully has the Creator wrought in the human frame, and He bids us make it our study, understand its needs, and act our part in preserving it from harm and defilement.35The Ministry of Healing, 271.
Our first duty toward God and our fellow beings is that of self-development. Every faculty with which the Creator has endowed us, should be cultivated to the highest degree of perfection, that we may be able to do the greatest amount of good of which we are capable. Hence that time is spent to good account which is used in the establishment and preservation of physical and mental health. We cannot afford to dwarf or cripple any function of body or mind. As surely as we do this we must suffer the consequences.36Counsels on Health, 107.
The desire of God for every human being is expressed in the words, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2.
He it is who “forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” Psalm 103:3, 4….
“Above all things,” God desires us to “be in health”—health of body and of soul. And we are to be workers together with Him for the health of both soul and body.37The Ministry of Healing, 113, 288.
The Faith I Live By p.217
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for E that God will guide all of her decisions. R
—-Prayers for a veteran who is struggling with ptsd and has not been feeling good. He has a wife and a 1 year old baby. Vale
—-Please pray for Joyce who is having surgery on her foot this week. Rose
—-Please pray for Rui who has a weak heart, failing kidneys, and cancer. Jeri
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Dear Friends,
For many years, we have been supporters of the Amazing Facts ministry (http://www.amazingfacts.org). Doug Batchelor’s preaching strikes an answering chord within us for it is straight out of the Bible. When his biography, The Richest Caveman, came out some years ago, we read it with interest. There was one part of the story that could have ended far differently had the church members been like some of the ones I have attended over the years. When Doug was young and first becoming interested in the truth of God’s Word, one day he walked into the Covelo church wearing a pair of overalls and needing—shall we say—some grooming. Instead of turning up their noses at him, the members gave him a warm welcome. After the service, the pastor invited him home for dinner for fellowship and good spiritual conversation. Over time, that young man who had been living in a cave, became the soul-winning evangelist of today.
Think of it! How many times has God brought across our path someone who has nothing on the outside that is attractive? How often do we look at their actions, judge their motives, listen to their words, and consider them worthless, not worthy of our time. How many times we turn others away because of this attitude, when it was God’s will that we lead them to Him. We do not see what is in their heart, but God does. We do not understand the trials and heartaches that they have endured, but He has seen it all. How often they are the very ones who feel their need of something better. Yet, we do not see them as a precious soul, looking wistfully toward Heaven, longing to be delivered from the chains that bind them.
Our Great Redeemer reminds us, “the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7 It is only by looking beneath the surface, that we find the value. When He was upon this earth, our Loving Saviour attracted publicans and sinners to Himself. He did not to join them in their lifestyle; instead, He “drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love” and led them to His Father in Heaven. Hosea 11:4 They were as unattractive on the surface as Doug Batchelor had appeared on that long ago day, but Jesus saw the value in each one of them. He saw what they could become if they followed Him. Many of those publicans and sinners left their old lifestyle and followed Him. They did not stay in their sins, but came to Him for cleansing.
May we see others as our Great Creator sees them, looking past their rough exterior to a crying heart beneath. May we, through the guidance from the Holy Spirit, help those we meet to accept our Dear Saviour’s great gift of salvation as He opens the way to share with them. May we be willing to consecrate all of our actions, all of our words, all of our thoughts, all of our attitudes this day unto the LORD is my prayer.
Rose