More Like Christ Every Day

Dear Husband: I received a few lines from Willie today with the cheering account of your steady improvement in health. For this we have hoped and have not ceased our earnest prayers. The Lord has a work for you to do. You must not be discouraged, even if you have days of suffering and pain and weariness….

I miss you here so much, but the Lord has not left me alone. Today has been a precious day to us in Oregon. The Spirit of the Lord was manifested in a most marked manner in the nine o’clock social [i.e., testimony] meeting. Many humble, good testimonies were borne and the melting Spirit of God rested upon preachers and people. I tried to speak to the people a short time. I told them that it is the privilege of the Christian to come to Jesus in living faith, being in earnest, claiming the promises of God, not depending upon feeling, but taking God at His word. He is a God of love, of tender compassion, of long forbearance, more kind, more beneficent that the kindest earthly parent….

While talking faith and presenting Jesus as our strong helper, my heart was broken, the tears flowed freely. I seldom weep, but the melting love of Christ melted my heart and opened the fountain of tears as I presented the great ransom Jesus had made for our souls that we might have pardon, purity, and peace, and a heaven of bliss. God would have His followers useful on earth and honored and glorified in the kingdom of God….

We sought to lead the people to reach forward to the things that are before us, seeking earnestly to attain the highest elevation of Christian character. In this we must rely simply on the merits and righteousness of our Surety. We must have awakened in us a holy jealousy of ourselves, and cultivate a spirit of vigilant prayer. We want the spirit of earnest, longing desire that Moses had when he prayed, “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory” (Exodus 33:18). And his petition was not presumptuous. God did not rebuke His servant as being bold and irreverent.

The Lord would have us day by day [become] more like Christ, keeping His words, conforming to His precepts and example, entering more and more deeply every day into the spirit and meaning of God’s requirements and gracious promises…. In God will we trust. Be of good courage in the Lord. Lean heavily upon Jesus’ all-sustaining arm…. (Signed) Your Ellen.—Letter 37, June 28, 1878, to James White, who was traveling in the Eastern United States.
The Upward Look p. 193
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Prayer Requests
—-I’m asking for prayers for my mom. She has COPD and lung issues and is really struggling. She is coughing, having a constant headache, and her oxygen is quite low. She cannot sleep. I’m asking for her complete healing spirtual, physical, emotional, and Peaceful rest every night. We serve a Mighty God Who heals. Hilary
—-Please pray for my son Lee. He lost one of his high school friends this week to cancer and is struggling to understand. Please pray for comfort and peace for Lee and his friends family as they cope with the loss of Corey. Donell
—-I have a special needs unpsoken request on behalf of my daughter as well as my wife. David
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Dear Friends,
My mother loved to garden. For several years she had a small garden at the back of our neighbor’s yard. The rich, black soil of Kalamazoo brought forth abundantly. It gave her so much pleasure to work in the soil and watch the fruit of her labor develop and grow. She grew green beans, corn, tomatoes, squash, lettuce, radishes, all the produce that she was especially fond of. She had the tomato vines staked up and was proud of the fact that the plants were over her head and full of large, juicy, red fruit.
Since her tiny garden was in the city, many in the neighborhood knew it was there. One day, some teenage boys decided to have some “fun.” They started a fire in her garden and soon the green plants were smoldering. They were too lush and green to burn well, but most of them were ruined. All of my mother’s care and hard work was for nothing. The garden was unsaveable.
My mother smelled smoke and went outside. She began crying with disappointment and all sorts of emotions filled her as she saw one of the neighborhood boys in that smoldering garden. My mother was filled with rage and started yelling and threatening him. The youth finally made my mother realize that he was trying to put out the smoldering mess. He gave her the names of the boys who had done this mischief and she contacted the police and their parents.
Just as my mother had misjudged the youth who was trying to help her, so we sometimes are quick to jump to wrong conclusions. How often we misjudge someone’s motives and cause hurt feelings that ruin a person even more than my mother’s garden was ruined. The hurt from our misjudgment can last for years and causes pain beyond our comprehension.
The Great Judge of the Universe warns us, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matt 7:1-5 “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:37,38
We all make mistakes. We all make errors in judgment. We have all sinned. (Rom 3:23) Yet, how often we never let a person rise above an error that they may have committed years ago. They are looked down upon and made to feel the effects of a misjudgment until their life is destroyed just as surely as was my mother’s garden and we are responsible for it. We will have to answer to the Great God of the Universe for our part in destroying them. Fearful position.
How important it is to our Heavenly Father that we treat each other with the kindness and forgiveness that He shows us. Jesus gives us a glimpse of His forgiveness that also serves as a warning to us. “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” Matt 18:23-35
Just as a parent wants His children to get along in harmony, so our Great Creator wants us to be happy, loving, forgiving, kind, and to enjoy being together without mentioning former words or actions. Peter tells us, “above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psa 133:1
Indeed, we must learn to live together in peace and love here in this world, if we expect to live together in the kingdom of Heaven. In that fair land there will be nothing to hurt or annoy. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” What a great and glorious time that will be! To have our Loving Creator take us in His arms and comfort us and wipe away our tears. There will be no misjudging, no irritations, no disunity there. We will live in love and harmony for there we shall know even as also we are known. May we all be in that grand and glorious land is my prayer.
Rose