For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Ephesians 3:14, 15.
In the church, officers are appointed as co-workers with God for the edification of the body of Christ. Mothers and fathers who are doers of the Word of God are a part of the body of Christ. They nurture and admonish their children in accordance with God’s Word, raising up a little army to stand under Christ’s banner. They are God’s witnesses, showing to the world that they are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christ is their pattern and they educate their children to know God.
In the prayer Christ offered in behalf of His disciples just before His betrayal and crucifixion, He said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Should not every family on earth be a symbol of the family in heaven? In each household should there not be heard songs of praise and thanksgiving?
The family whose members love God and one another, who do not get provoked, who are longsuffering, forbearing, kind, is a symbol of the family above. The members realize that they are a part of the great firm of heaven. They are taught by the laws of mutual dependence to rely upon the great Head of the church. If one of the members of such a family suffer, all the rest suffer. The suffering of one entails suffering on the other. This should teach the youth to take care of their bodies, and to pray to be preserved in health, because when they suffer from disease, the whole family partakes of their suffering.
Those men and women who have determined to serve God will seek to govern their families so that they may correctly represent the religion of Christ. The children will be taught to be tidy and useful, to share the burdens of the home, not allowing the parents to bear any [burden] which they can carry. Thus the lot of mother and father is made much easier. The whole family shares the blessing of the helpfulness of its members.
Why do not parents come to Jesus just as they are, asking for His forgiving grace and healing power? Why do they not plead to be endowed with capabilities that will enable them to rule their households aright?…
God is robbed when men and women do not connect with Him in such a way that mind, soul, and strength may be controlled by the Holy Spirit. The family of God here below should cooperate in the most perfect harmony with God’s appointed agencies in the work of molding the human character after the divine similitude.—Manuscript 1, January 19, 1899, “Unity, Courtesy, Love.”
The Upward Look p. 33
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Caden’s son, Landon. He has surgery today. Buddy
—-Please pray for my sister Michelle. She was T-boned in a tragic car accident July 25. She is in critical condition in ICU with a traumatic head injury. She was the driver with no passengers. The other car occupants are ok I understand. Shelley was visiting my mother Carolyn who is mourning the loss of her husband, who was tragically killed on May 13 when a whole tree fell over. God is still in control! David
—-Update on the Knutson family—. . . . Trinity who is the youngest at 3 years old. She suffered a femur fracture during the accident and after being transferred to ___, was placed in traction last night until she could go to the operating room this morning. She underwent a closed reduction of her femur this morning and was placed in a spica cast. She will endure a period of immobility, which will be difficult as she is a normal, healthy, and very active child. Whitney is the second youngest at age 6. She had the best outcome of all who were in the accident. Though physically she was ok and able to extricate herself from the vehicle, she informed the first responders to the accident that her sister was dead. What a tragedy for her, I do not know what Sierra looked like, but it was enough for this six-year-old girl to know instantly that her sister was dead. Bryson, the second oldest, was not in the car during the accident but at home with his cousins and his Aunt Rebekah. He is now faced with filling the role of being the oldest sibling and not having his older sister to look up to. Sierra, age 9, was the oldest of their four children and she is the one who died in the car accident. . . . MaryAnn suffered terribly in the accident. She sustained a C6 spinal fracture and presented to the ER with only limited movement of her upper extremities and no movement of her lower extremities, which remains largely unchanged at this time. She too was transferred to ___ where she immediately was taken to the OR last night for stabilization of her fracture. She is still intubated in the ICU and we are unsure when exactly she will be extubated but hoping sometime this week. . . . For TJ I don’t know where to start. . . . His faith in God’s goodness is unwavering, amidst the many prayers we’ve had he still will remember and pray for other people in need as well. He’s entrusted their family to God completely and can do no more then take things one day at a time. There is so much for him to think about, and many considerations about both the present and future of his family. He and is family need your continued prayers and support as words cannot describe the pain that he is in.
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Dear Friends,
Due to the length of the above prayer request, I will only include “It is Well With My Soul” which was written by Horacio Spafford, a father who experienced great loss of all those he held dear.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
The Family a Symbol