Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 2.
God wants each one of us to find his place, and when each one is in his place, doing the work that God has given him, there will be perfect unity….
We need to make it plain to the world that God sent His Son into the world to save sinners. How are we to do this? By putting forth every effort for unity. Each one is to feel that there is need for him to confess his own mistakes and errors, not the mistakes and errors of someone else….
We need to come together as men who are amenable to God. We have been bought with a price. We have only one Judge, the Man Christ Jesus. We have not been given the work of measuring one another’s characters. It is our own characters that we are to measure, by the truth contained in the Scriptures. God can enable us to do this, and can impress on our minds what we must do in order to inherit eternal life….
God loves His people, and He wants them to make their peace with Him. He wants everyone to stand in that relation to others that he is willing to make any sacrifice in order to save the souls of his brethren. They may not have done right. But God wants us to work earnestly to help them, that His name may not be dishonored before the world. God does not give us promises because we have always done right, but that His name may be glorified.
Let no one endeavor to cover up his own sins by revealing the mistakes of someone else. God has not given us this work to do. We are to leave others to humble their own hearts, that they may come to the light of the knowledge of God….
There are those who have been loading themselves down with responsibilities that the Lord has forbidden them to carry. For years light has come to them, but they have not heeded it. What shall be done? Shall we leave these men to sink under the responsibilities that they have chosen to take upon themselves? No; we are to help them out of their difficult position. It rests upon us to do the very best we can to lift the pressure from these burdened souls….
Let each one ask himself the question, How is it with my soul today? And tomorrow let him ask himself the question, How is it with my soul today? Thus, day by day, let each one humble his heart before God.—Manuscript 56, May 23, 1904, a morning talk given at Berrien Springs, Michigan.
The Upward Look p. 156
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-they just found this young lady she is blue and passed out they don’t know what happened she is not a druggie a real nice woman. they don’t know what happened to her
her name is kaleigh .please pray for her. thank you . M.
—-Please pray for your friend my brother in law for healing. Diana
—-Please pray for me I am very sick with a cold…sorethroat…body aches and fever plus gallbladder pain. Connie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
When we lived in Washington state, a new family moved in at the end of the road. They had two children about the same age as Ronnie Jay and Esther Marie. My children were so happy to have someone to play with. Since Ronnie Jay and the girl liked each other (like it is normal for children to do) the four children often played like they were having a wedding ceremony.
(I giggled as I watched them and remembered doing the same when I was about their age. A little boy down the street from my grandparents house and I often talked about what we would do when we grew up and got married. Since Gary wanted to become an architect when he grew up, he even drew up plans for our house. Everything seemed to be perfect. I was so happy.)
My son had the same feelings I had had so long before. He was full of hopes and dreams that their future would be intertwined. After the summer was over, the four children went to church school together. Suddenly his little friend changed completely. Instead of being his friend, she began to ridicule him in front of the other children. He was heartbroken.
When he tearfully came home and told me what happened, I shared with him a similar experience (hoping that it would make him feel better) that I had had about a year before I went to live with my mother and her new husband. One day as Gary and I were at the playground of the school across the street from my grandparents’ house, he saw some girls he knew. He began talking to one girl in particular. When she asked Gary who I was, he introduced me as his cousin. Gary knew I was not happy with what he had said, and after the girls left, tried to rationalize his actions. It did no good: I knew that he was ashamed of me.
How often we treat Jesus in the same way. How many times do we act as though we are ashamed of our Best Friend? Do we introduce Him to 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 Solemn words—words that have eternal consequences. Many times, we do not know ourselves and think that we would never deny our Lord anymore than Peter thought he would deny Christ. 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 and break His Great Heart of Love. May we confess that we know Him no matter what the consequences might be. May we ask Him to dwell with us and in us each day is my prayer.
Rose