Moral Independence

     Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18.

     Many today have veils upon their faces. These veils are sympathy with the customs and practices of the world, which hide from them the glory of the Lord. God desires us to keep our eyes fixed upon Him, that we may lose sight of the things of this world.

     As the truth is brought into practical life, the standard is to be elevated higher and higher to meet the requirements of the Bible. This will necessitate opposition to the fashions, customs, practices, and maxims of the world. Worldly influences, like the waves of the sea, beat against the followers of Christ to sweep them away from the true principles of His meekness and grace; but we are to stand as firm as a rock to principle. It will require moral courage to do this, and those whose souls are not riveted to the eternal Rock will be swept away by the worldly current. We can stand firm only as our life is hid with Christ in God. Moral independence is wholly in place when opposing the world. By conforming entirely to the will of God, we shall be placed upon vantage ground, and shall see the necessity of decided separation from the customs and practices of the world. We are not to elevate our standard just a little above the world’s standard, but we are to make the distinction decidedly apparent. . . .

     It is no easy matter to gain the priceless treasure of eternal life. No one can do this and drift with the current of the world. He must come out from the world and be separate and touch not the unclean. No one can act like a worldling without being carried down by the current of the world. No one will make any upward progress without persevering effort. He who would overcome must hold fast to Christ. He must not look back, but keep the eye ever upward, gaining one grace after another. Individual vigilance is the price of safety. . . .

     The end of all things is at hand. There is need now of men armed and equipped to battle for God.

Maranatha p. 47

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Prayer Requests

——Pray for my niece Theresa who was beaten up badly, Tuesday night, by the father of one of her grandsons. She has a broken nose and cuts to the face. Worse yet yesterday that grandson–Krishtan who is only a little bit over a year old, somehow pulled a pot of boiling water off the stove and had to be life lighted from the hospital in _____ to ______. The baby is badly burned with third degree burns over a large part of his body. Please pray for him too. Also Jack needs prayer. He had a seizure the first of the month. the doctors think it could have been either brain damage from the length of time that the tumors were so big he could hardly breathe for about 8 months or the tumors in his brain may have done some damage before they were shrunk. I also have a praise. My health is doing better. I haven’t been in the hospital now in the last 9 months. And since Nov., I have only been to the dr. twice for being sick and that’s a record for the last 3 years since I was diagnosed with the pancreatitis. Last year I was in the hosp every month except for 3. I am enjoying time at home and not being in the hospital. Deedee

—–My mom is dying and it so hard to see her struggle to breathe, to cry out for help and be choking and can’t help herself. Hospice will be coming in to help and do what they do. Decisions have to be made that I never want to make. . . . I thank God that my mom can honestly say I love you to me after giving me up so many years ago. Every time she says I love you she heals my heart a little more. I pray that my mom is sealed for to be with Jesus in the second coming. I pray that she does not have to suffer and that she falls asleep in Jesus peacefully. Mary

—–Unspoken Prayer request for a Very Special Friend and her Family. Thank You Laura

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Dear Friends,  

When I was a little girl, my grandfather, Edwin Harmon, was the most important person in my life.  Every night, when it was time for him to come home from his work as a bookbinder, I would hide between the stove and the cellar door. Every night he would hunt for me, looking everywhere but the place he knew I was. Finally he would enter the kitchen and after “looking” under the table and not finding me, he would peek over the stove at me and proclaim that he had found me at last. I would always squeal with delight

Every evening he would tell me stories, play drawing games with me, make shadow pictures, or ask me to sing to him. When he sat at his large diningroom table and made leather change purses to sell, I was there.  He would explain all about Morrocan leather and  the advantages of goat leather instead of that made from cows or pigs. When he cleaned the fish that he had caught, he taught fish’s anatomy.  I can still see the poor creature’s heart beating after he had cut off its head.

Every night he had a snack before bedtime. Sometimes he would eat strong cheese and crackers: sometimes ketchup and bread. Of course, I had to have some too. I didn’t like the taste of the spicy ketchup or of the strong cheese, but I loved my grandfather, so I would eat it anyway. That habit was very bad for health and for sleeping. I’m sure that is why I had such a hard time falling to sleep at night, but my grandfather did it, so it had to be right.

Just as I followed my grandfather everywhere, trying to imitate his every move, listening to his every word; so our Dear Father in Heaven longs for us have close fellowship with Him. He says to us, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jer 33:3 David declared, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.” “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.” Psa 123:1,2;145:15-19; 103:13

May we love our Heavenly Father with our whole heart placing all of our trust and confidence in Him. May we listen to His voice through His Holy Word and willingly obey His commands. May we follow Him wherever He leads us is my prayer.

Rose