And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:28.
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not in their sins but from their sins, and to sanctify them through the truth; and in order that He may become a perfect Saviour to us, we must enter into union with Him by a personal act of faith. Christ has chosen us, we have chosen Him, and by this choice we become united to Him and are to live from henceforth, not unto ourselves, but unto Him who has died for us. But this union can only be preserved by constant watchfulness, lest we fall into temptation and make a different choice, for we are free always to take another master if we so desire. Union with Christ means an unfailing preference for Him in every act and thought. . . .
We are to consider ourselves as constituting the family of Christ, and we are to follow Him as dear children. Adopted into the household of God, shall we not honor our Father and our kindred? . . .
We must establish an unyielding enmity between our souls and our foe, but we must open our hearts to the power and influence of the Holy Spirit. We want Satan’s darkness to be shut out and the light of Heaven to flow in. We want to become so sensitive to holy influences that the lightest whisper of Jesus will move our souls. . . . Then we shall delight to do the will of God, and Christ can own us before the Father and before the holy angels as those who abide in Him. . . .
But we shall not boast of our holiness. As we have clearer views of Christ’s spotless and infinite purity we shall feel as did Daniel when he beheld the glory of the Lord and said, “My comeliness was turned in me into corruption” (Daniel 10:8). We cannot say, “I am sinless” till this vile body is changed and fashioned like unto His glorious body. But if we constantly seek to follow Jesus, the blessed hope is ours of standing before the throne of God without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, complete in Christ, robed in His righteousness and perfection.
That I May Know Him p. 361
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Prayer Requests
—– I will be having surgery #1 on March 13, 2014 on my right hand for: De Quervain’s tenosynovitis (dih-kwer-VAINS ten-oh-sine-oh-VIE-tis) which “is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist.” Around April 24, 2014 I will have surgery #2 on the left hand for a trigger finger.Please keep me and our family in your prayers. Thank you! Yolande
—– Please pray for me that my blood pressure will get down to normal. John
—– Just talked to my dad. He is hurting really bad. He thinks the cancer has spread. Pain medicine isn’t helping. I can tell in his voice it is really bad. Keep him in your prayers please. Jami
—– Please agree with me in prayer for Drake’s foot surgery. Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have bestowed on us. Thank you for the medical professionals and the knowledge you have given them so you can work through them to heal us. Thank you for meeting us whereever we are in our faith. I pray everything will go well with surgery and that Drake will have a swift recovery. Amen, Fran
—– Update on 15 yr old cousin, JD…His doctor/surgeon at ____ wanted him to go to ___ for surgery to remove the stones when they could not be lazered at _____. However, the HMO did not approve it as of this afternoon and says he should go to ____. However, NO information on what nephrologist/urologist and neither John nor Anna could make any headway. Dr. ___ called and was quite frustrated as he says “his hands are tied” due to the decision of the ___ ____ HMO. Since putting in the stent was successful, JD is now passing fluid OK, but he does need the other surgery ASAP. We’re continuing to pray this referral to ___ can be worked out immediately. We have a doctor in our church and she is in charge of the pediatric endocrinology at ____/____ Center and I’ll talk to her tomorrow. Anna is very good in situations like this. If worse comes to worse, they can take him to the ER at _____/_____ and go from there, but they really don’t want to go that route. Thanks for your prayers. Carol
—–update 2— _____ has set me up for consultations for the lump in my breast with my surgeon Thursday and the plastic surgeon Friday….. Please keep me in prayer. Carol
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Dear Friends,
My aunt Joyce’s real name was Bessie Joyce, and like her mother’s sister Bessie, she often said something funny or embarrassing. Geography was never one of her strong subjects in school and one day when she was twelve, she made the mistake of asking if Europe was one of the United States. Everyone got a hearty laugh over that and teased her about the state of Europe. It became a family joke. It was funny to everyone else, but humiliating for her.
Another time, she came home all excited. The building that was being built a couple of blocks away finally had a sign on it. Joyce said that the sign said, “Collisions.” Everyone thought that it must be a body shop. She told them that it didn’t look like a garage it looked more like it should have been a grocery store. A day or two later, as they were walking to town, they passed “Collisions” and began to laugh and laugh. No wonder it didn’t look like a body shop! It was “Collison’s Grocery!” Poor Joyce, never heard that end of that one either.
We all have things that we have done or said that we would like to forget. Some of them are embarrassing or funny like Joyce’s mistakes and really do not matter. Some of them are very serious faults and failings and have eternal consequences. Others often remember those things better than all of the good that we have done. Over and over we are reminded of that which we’d rather forget.
Moreover, our sins are recorded in Heaven. If we do not ask for forgiveness, we will have to meet them again. Indeed, “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 Our Dear Heavenly Father assures us, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isa 43:25 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” 1:18 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Heb 10:16,17
Think of it! God blots out our sins so thoroughly that He does not ever remember them. They are gone! They will not be mentioned again! (Eze 18:22) David tells us, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” Ps 103:12-18 What a wonderful God we serve! “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” vs. 10, 11
Let our heart be filled with love and gratitude for His wonderful forgiveness. Let us serve His with our whole heart. Let us praise Him for His grace which He has bestowed so freely upon us.
Rose