I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Revelation 3:18, 19.
Our conscience must be purged from dead works to serve the living God. Sanctification means perfect love, perfect obedience, entire conformity to the will of God. If our lives are conformed to the life of Christ through the sanctification of mind, soul, and body, our example will have a powerful influence on the world. We are not perfect, but it is our privilege to cut away from the entanglements of self and sin, and go on unto perfection….
Great possibilities, high and holy attainments, are placed within the reach of all who have true faith. Shall we not anoint our eyes with eyesalve, that we may discern the wondrous things here brought before us? Why do we not with persevering earnestness, work out this prayer, advancing onward and upward, reaching the standard of holiness? We are laborers together with God, and we must work in harmony with one another and with God, “for it is God which worketh in … [us] both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” …
The Lord takes no pleasure in seeing us spiritually weak. “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” We have conflicts and trials to meet, but we need not fail or be discouraged…. UL 99.4
God can only be honored when we who profess to believe in Him are conformed to His image. We are to represent to the world the beauty of holiness, and we shall never enter the gates of the city of God until we perfect a Christlike character. If we, with trust in God, strive for sanctification, we shall receive it. Then as witnesses for Christ, we are to make known what the grace of God has wrought in us.
The greatest disquietude we can have is uncertainty. The acceptance of the blessings of God brings righteousness and peace. The fruit of righteousness is quietness and assurance forever. We must have simplicity and Godlike sincerity. We must have that wisdom which cometh from above. Our Christian experience must be animated by piety, and instinct with the divine life.—Manuscript 38, March 26, 1899, “The Will of God Concerning You.”
The Upward Look p. 99
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Prayer Requests
—-please put the 2 year old girl Kinsey back
on the prayer chain. she has big tumor in her stomach. She had one dose of chemo and did well with it. but when they gave her a second dose last moth .they discovered she was allergic to it. and if they give her a different kind of chemo she could lose her hearing. So they are giving her radiation. Also Bud is filling up with fluid and is being taken to another town for medical treatment. Mary
—-My amputee friend will have more of her leg amputated in the spring. She could use prayers. Laura
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Dear Friends,
Ronnie Jay had two gerbils that were quite entertaining to watch as well as to play with. One time, we noticed that the two rodents were both trying to run in the wheel that they use for exercise. Now this would have been just fine if they had run in the same direction, but those gerbils were trying to run in the opposite direction! Of course, that didn’t work too well. The stronger of the two soon won this little battle, and his brother was flipped out of the wheel.
Although it was funny to watch the gerbils each trying to go their own way, it is no laughing matter when Christians attempt the same. How many times have church members been “flipped out of the wheel” by those who insist that the church be run according to their direction. How often these members become disillusioned and sadly walk away.
David exclaimed, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Ps 133:1 How true! If each member is following the Bible wholeheartedly, not putting their own interpretation upon it but taking the Bible just as it reads, there will be a unity that is according to God’s order, a unity without compromising the truth. Paul speaks of this to the Ephesian believers, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. . . .And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Eph 4:1-16
In that great prayer of Christ just before going to the Garden of Gethsemane, our Blessed Redeemer pleaded for that unity that only comes from being sancified through obedience to all of God’s commands, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17:17-23
“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers.” 1 Peter 3:8-12
Rose

Our Christian Experience Must Be Animated