To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. 1 Corinthians 8:6.
God is our tender, pitiful Father, and every believing child is the object of His special care.
He [Jesus] pointed … to the Ruler of the universe, under the new name, “Our Father.”
This name, spoken to Him and of Him, is a sign of our love and trust toward Him, and a pledge of His regard and relationship to us. Spoken when asking His favor or blessing, it is as music in His ears….
He invites us to trust in Him with a trust deeper and stronger than that of a child in his earthly father. Parents love their children, but the love of God is larger, broader, deeper, than human love can possibly be. It is immeasurable.
Such a conception of God was never given to the world by any religion but that of the Bible. Heathenism teaches men to look upon the Supreme Being as an object of fear rather than of love—a malign deity to be appeased by sacrifices, rather than a Father pouring upon His children the gift of His love….
It is not earthly rank, nor birth, nor nationality, nor religious privilege, which proves that we are members of the family of God; it is love, a love that embraces all humanity…. To be kind to the unthankful and to the evil, to do good hoping for nothing again, is the insignia of the royalty of heaven, the sure token by which the children of the Highest reveal their high estate.
The Faith I Live By p. 38
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Prayer Requests
—–I’d like to ask for strong prayers for a family member who is struggling terribly with alcohol addiction and some mental health issues related to this. I know that sometimes we have to touch the very bottom of our personal pit of despair before we can rise again, but I pray for his safety, for his family’s safety, and that he will come to the Lord and be saved fully. May God win this battle for him, and Satan be banished. Kelly
—–Please pray for Dick who is recovering from abdominal surgery. Pray also for Eileen. She is in great pain because of her back. Rose
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Dear Friends,
My grandfather, Edwin Harmon, would often tell me about his life in the far-off days when he was young. Winters were harsh in rural Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. The snow would be very deep and hard to walk through. Often he would speak of driving a horse and cutter over the snow. A cutter had no wheels: it had runners like huge ice skates. His favorite times would be when the snow was so deep that it would cover even the fences. The sun would melt the top of the snow and make a very hard crust. This crust was so hard that it would hold the weight of the horse and cutter. He was no longer confined to a road. He would drive over the fences and across fields and save quite a bit of time that way. He loved it!
As a little girl, I tried to imagine a crust of snow so hard that it would hold such a heavy weight. As I would look at a single snowflake that would land upon my mitten, I was amazed that this delicate, nearly microscopic, beautifully designed, bit of frozen water could be so strong.
There was a lesson in this for us, a lesson that I didn’t realize at the time. That tiny delicate snowflake, united with countless numbers of other snowflakes, had a strength that it could never have alone. Our Dear Saviour commands, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matt 28:19,20 That command can seem overwhelming for one individual. How can we accomplish such a great task? We are like a tiny snowflake obscure in the field of humanity. However, Jesus’ command is not for just one individual, but for all who have accepted Him as their Saviour. If each of us are filled with a concern for our fellow man, if each follow His leading, if each do our part to speak a word in season to those around us, this task can be accomplished rather quickly. <2 Tim 4:2>
The early church understood this principle. Paul explained this to the Corinthian believers, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 3:6-11 By each one whole-heartedly doing the work God had given them to do, they brought the gospel to the then-known world. Their enemies declared, “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.” Acts 17:6
The sun shining upon those flakes are like the trials that all must pass through to strengthen us. Paul explains, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” Heb 12:5-15
We, too, can turn the world “upside down” as did the disciples of old. We, too, can accomplish the Great Commission. If we are willing, God will give us the opportunity. But the messenger must have a message. The trumpet must give a certain sound. How shall we have a message unless we study His Great Message Book? How shall we give that “certain sound” unless we are in tune with Him.
May we dig deep within the Word, that we may be so in tune with our Great Redeemer and recognize the opportunities to witness that He places before us is my prayer.
Rose