The Ladder to Perfection

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:3.
Jesus is the ladder to heaven, … and God calls upon us to mount this ladder. But we cannot do this while we load ourselves down with earthly treasures. We wrong ourselves when we place our convenience and personal advantages before the things of God. There is no salvation in earthly possessions or surroundings. A man is not exalted in God’s sight, or accredited by Him as possessing goodness, because he has earthly riches. If we gain a genuine experience in climbing, … we must leave every hindrance behind. Those who mount must place their feet firmly on every round of the ladder.
We are saved by climbing round after round of the ladder, looking to Christ, clinging to Christ, mounting step by step to the height of Christ, so that He is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity are the rounds of this ladder.
Courage, fortitude, faith, and implicit trust in God’s power to save are needed. These heavenly graces do not come in a moment; they are acquired by the experience of years. But every sincere and earnest seeker will become a partaker of the divine nature. His soul will be filled with intense longing to know the fullness of that love which passes knowledge. As he advances in the divine life, he will be better able to grasp the elevated, ennobling truths of the Word of God, until, by beholding, he becomes changed, and is enabled to reflect the likeness of his Redeemer.
Child of God, angels are watching the character you develop, they are weighing your words and actions; therefore take heed to your ways, … prove whether you are in the love of God.
To love God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves is genuine sanctification.
The Faith I Live By p. 120
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for a friend who is going to _____ to seek the last hope for her metastatic cancer. Modern medicine offers no hope and she wants to be her for her family and grandchildren. She is my daughter’s mother-in-law. Vicki
—-I’d like to asked for a special prayer for our dear friend Sukvin . Who might have to stop his passion for running and be active in sport. Dr’s says he might have kidney problem, he will only get his test results this Friday. Samantha
—-Another update on Bella. She’s getting another blood transfusion. Her kidneys have improved somewhat. Prayers are working. Her mother hasn’t left hospital since she was admitted and she is exhausted. Please continue praying for Bella & her mom. Thank you for all your prayers. They’re working! Charlie
—-Would like to thank for prayers for my sis in law with leukemia. Has been on antibiotics for infection, followed by need for amphotericin for fungal superinfection, now diagnosed with MRSA, all this in the last two weeks. Has been struggling to make it to her daughter’s graduation, which she would so like to attend. The evil forces are struggling to keep her from that, for some reason. All your prayers appreciated. Wayne
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in Washington State, Ron became interested in astronomy. He watched the classified section of the newspaper until he found a used telescope. He took a class in Astronomy from the continuing education program. He called the astronomy club and was invited to visit one of their “star parties.”
One evening, we drove out to Star Butte where the club met. When we got to the top, there were about forty people waiting their turn to gaze into about 10 telescopes of various sizes. The one that caught our interest was a large telescope, 18 inches in diameter. It was built by a young man by the name of Kevin. Oh, what beauties we could see through it! As we took our turn climbing up the stepladder that he had there, we were able to see nebulae and galaxies that to the naked eye looked like pinpoints of light.
As we looked at all the wonders of God’s creation, our hearts were drawn to the Great Creator. It seemed to us that we were reliving David’s experience when he sang, “the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. . . . When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” Ps 33:5-9; 8
Although scarred from the effects of sin, this planet also has beauties and wonders that point to our loving Creator Who upholds “all things by the word of his power.” Heb 1:3 Even after 6000 years of sin, the beauty and glory of His creation is overwhelming. Each creature, every plant, man himself is so intricately made that it never could have happened by chance. As we contemplate His creative works, we can only exclaim, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Ps 139:14
As scientists study every aspect of creation, they find great mysteries. Many devise fanciful theories that try to explain the origin and continuance of all things, but these theories are faulty. In order to shut God out of their lives and out of the lives of others, they often resort to deception. Paul speaks of these very ones when he said, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” Rom 1:20-22
Even though most of mankind do not recognize it, they still receive from God the food they eat, the air they breathe, even the beating of their heart—their very life. He it is Who provides that spark of life that we all receive: He it is Who keeps it going. They may not realize that truth, but it is true nonetheless. Our Dear Saviour tells us that God “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt 5:45 What love He has for each of us!
Although He would “have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth,”
He gives us the freedom of choice. 1 Tim 2:4 He did not create us to be robots. His Great Heart of Love yearns for us to love Him—not because we have to, but because we want to. With lovingkindness and tender mercy, He provides every evidence of His existence and of His constant care. Moreover, He provided His Greatest Gift, His Only-begotten Son to die for us, that we might live eternally with Him. What a loving Creator! How good and kind He is!
“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Isa 55:6-13
Let us daily claim the promise, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jer 29:13 Let us bring joy to His Great Heart of Love. Let us follow Him throughout our lives, praising Him for His wonderful creation and care.
Rose