That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3.
The work begun in feebleness and obscurity has continued to increase and strengthen. Publishing houses and missions in many lands attest its growth. In place of the edition of our first paper carried to the post office in a carpetbag, many hundreds of thousands of copies of our various periodicals are now sent out monthly from the offices of publication. The hand of God has been with His work to prosper and build it up.
The later history of my life would involve the history of many of the enterprises which have arisen among us, and with which my lifework has been closely intermingled. For the upbuilding of these institutions, my husband and [I] labored with pen and voice. To notice, even briefly, the experiences of these active and busy years would far exceed the limits of this sketch. Satan’s efforts to hinder the work and to destroy the workmen have not ceased; but God has had a care for His servants and for His work.
In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.
We are debtors to God to use every advantage He has entrusted to us to beautify the truth by holiness of character, and to send the messages of warning, and of comfort, of hope and love, to those who are in the darkness of error and sin.—Life Sketches, 195, 196.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 229
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Prayer Requests
—-I have two job interviews on the 10th. Please pray that if it is God’s will that I will get one of them. RJ
—-Please continue to pray for baby Wyatt who is being sent home for palliative care. Mary
—-Please pray for Andy that the manipulative, nastersistic girlfriend will get out of his life forever. Pray that he be restored to God. Rosemary
—-Please continue to pray for E and children. R
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Dear Friends,
One of the most well-loved of Jesus’ parables is found in Luke chapter fifteen. It is a perfect illustration of our Heavenly Father’s great love for us! “A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” Luke 15:11-24
How much like that prodigal son we are for “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Rom 3:23 All have broken our Redeemer’s Great Heart of Love just as the son in this story broke his father’s heart. No, we have broken our Loving Creator’s heart even more than did he. For God so loved us that He gave Himself for us that we might be saved, yet, how often we turn away from His Great Provision by the thoughts we think, the things we watch, the words that come out of our mouth, the things that we do. How many times we go our own way, do our own thing with scarcely a thought heavenward. How often we take His Great Love for granted thinking that we can return to Him whenever we feel like it. Dangerous “game” we play!
We soon find ourselves in a “far country” full of uncleanness and as helpless to cleanse ourselves as was the prodigal when he was caring for the pigs. “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 64:6; 1:6
Day after day, our Heavenly Father yearns over us, watching with intense desire for us to make our first faltering steps toward Home. Indeed, He runs toward us with arms outstretched ready to embrace us, to welcome us, to cleanse us of our filth, and finally to lead us to His Home. “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 3:1; 4:9,10
The love of God, how great it is! It is beyond comprehension! It is beyond measure! The Great King of the Universe, the Creator of all loves us so much more than we can even understand. His love far surpasses the love of a mother for her precious babe. He assures us, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” Isa 49:15,16 Think of it! Our Loving Creator is longsuffering toward us, not willing that we should perish, but that we should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Let us give ourselves to the One Who gave Himself for us. When we give Him ourselves, what are we giving Him?—a weak, erring, self-centered person who is totally unworthy of His salvation. Yet, despite of what we are, despite what we have done, He offers us complete forgiveness. He offers us perfect cleansing from our sins, perfect restoration. “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. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well.” Isa 1:18, 16,17 Let us “praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” Ps 107: 8,9 Let us serve Him always with our whole heart and soul and mind and being from this day forth and forevermore. Amen!
Rose