Pledge of Divine Power
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8.
On the day of Pentecost the Infinite One revealed Himself in power to the church. By His Holy Spirit He descended from the heights of heaven as a rushing mighty wind to the room in which the disciples were assembled. Words of penitence and confession of sin were mingled with songs of praise for sins forgiven. Words of thanksgiving and of prophecy were heard. All heaven was bending low to behold and adore the wisdom of matchless, incomprehensible love.
The apostles and disciples were lost in wonder, and exclaimed, “Herein is love!” They grasped the imparted gift. Their hearts were surcharged with a benevolence so full, so deep, so far-reaching, that it impelled them to go to the ends of the earth testifying, God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. They were filled with an intense longing to add to the church such as should be saved. . . .
As the disciples went forth to proclaim the gospel, filled with the power of the Spirit, so God’s servants are to go forth today. All around us are fields white unto the harvest. These fields are to be reaped. We are to take up the work, filled with an unselfish desire to give the message of mercy to those who are in the darkness of error and unbelief. God will move on the hearts of believers to carry forward His work to the regions beyond. . . .
The Lord God is bound by an eternal pledge to supply power and grace to every one who is sanctified through obedience to the truth. Jesus Christ, to whom is given all power in heaven and on earth, unites in sympathy with His instrumentalities–the earnest souls who day by day partake of the living bread “which cometh down from heaven” (John 6:33). The church on earth, united with the church in heaven, can accomplish all things.
That I May Know Him p. 344
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for my daughter who is thinking of marrying an unbeliever. J
—– I have an unspoken prayer request. Prayer warriors please keep this in your prayers. BJ
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Dear Friends,
Until a few weeks before my tenth birthday, I lived with my grandparents. Although they went to church each week, there was nothing religious about that home other than they’d have me pray a prayer I learned in public school—“God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food.” When my mother got married again, it was even worse. She married another alcoholic who was a mean and immoral man. Life became unbearable for both of us. Thankfully, he left three years later. After that, my mother worked long hours to provide us with the bare necessities of life. She was exhausted all of the time. Having no connection with Jesus, she only had herself to rely on. Not recognizing God’s rules to guide her own life, she gave me no direction in life. I should have helped make her life easier, but I didn’t. She let me do what I wanted, when I wanted and that’s exactly what I did. Rarely did she protest. I needed rules. I longed for stability. I had neither. God, in His great mercy, kept me out of serious trouble during that time, although I certainly got myself into some situations that had the potential for disaster.
How important to our security and happiness are the Ten Commandments. They are the foundation upon which we are to build our life. David sang, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Ps 119:105 How true! God’s Holy Word lightens the way through this dark and evil world. How vital that we teach our children these right principles when they are young. Solomon advises, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Prov 22:6 Our greatest mission field is our children who must be taught beliefs and values based upon the Scriptures, that they have anchor for their life. Childhood is the impressionable, pliable time. Without proper instruction, they are as a wave of the sea, tossed to and fro, drifting to nowhere. Worse still, without God’s Word hidden within their heart, the evil one gains a foothold that only Jesus can break.
Our Great Creator promises, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Ps 32:8 He desires for us to do the same for our children. He commands, “Lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deut 11:18,19
Children are so important to our Dear Saviour. When He was on this earth, He always took the time to take little children upon His lap and bless them. One day, “Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” “Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 18:2-7;19:13,14
May we teach our children the truths of God’s Holy Word, to love and reverence our Great Creator, and to serve Him in truth with all their heart. May our Loving Redeemer say of us as He did of Abraham of old, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment.” Gen 18:19
Rose