For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20.
As Christ ascended, His hands outstretched to bless His disciples, a cloud of angels received Him and hid Him from their sight. As the disciples looked with straining eyes for the last glimpse of their ascending Lord, two angels from the rejoicing throng stood by them and said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11)….
The disciples were filled with great joy. Over and over again they repeated the words Christ had spoken to them in His last lessons, as recorded in the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of John; and every one had something to say about the instruction, especially with regard to the words of the fourteenth of John … [verses 1-3, quoted]….
The promise that He would come again, and also the thought that He had left them His peace, filled their hearts with joy….
Satan has made men and women his prisoners, and claims them as his subjects. When Christ saw that there was no human being able to be man’s intercessor, He Himself entered the fierce conflict and battled with Satan. The First begotten of God was the only One who could liberate those who by Adam’s sin had been brought in subjection to Satan.
The Son of God gave Satan every opportunity to try all his arts upon Him. The enemy had tempted the angels in heaven, and afterwards the first Adam. Adam fell, and Satan supposed he could succeed in ensnaring Christ after He assumed humanity. All the fallen host looked upon this engagement as an opportunity to gain the supremacy over Christ. They had longed for a chance to show their enmity against God. When the lips of Christ were sealed in death, Satan and his angels imagined that they had obtained the victory.
It was the thought of standing under the guilt of the whole world that brought the inexpressible anguish to Christ. In the death struggle the Son of God could rely only upon His heavenly Father; all was by faith. He Himself was a ransom, a gift, given for the freeing of the captives. By His own arm He has brought salvation to the children of men, but at what a cost to Himself! …
What a spectacle was this conflict! It resulted in demonstrating to the heavenly universe the justice of God.—Manuscript 125, December 9, 1901, “The Unchangeable Law of God.”
The Upward Look p. 357
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Prayer Requests
—-My ex is in the hospital with COVID and quite sick. Pray for him. Ann
—-Please pray for me I am sinking into a deep depression. Connie
—-Pray For My Brother Inlaw Thomson… He is very sick on life support. Daniel
—-Please pray for my Uncle Joe , he has a Mass on his Kidneys . Alicia
—-Please pray for my niece, Elaine. A tumour has reocurred in her brain. Please pray that she will live and not die to proclaim the works of the Lord. Please pray that she will be cancer free. Jean
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, my grandfather, Edwin Harmon, was the most important person in my life. Every night, when it was time for him to come home from his work as a bookbinder, I would hide between the stove and the cellar door. Every night he would hunt for me, looking everywhere but the place he knew I was. Finally he would enter the kitchen and after “looking” under the table and not finding me, he would peek over the stove at me and proclaim that he had found me at last. I would always squeal with delight
Every evening he would tell me stories, play drawing games with me, make shadow pictures, or ask me to sing to him. When he sat at his large diningroom table and made leather change purses to sell, I was there. He would explain all about Morrocan leather and the advantages of goat leather instead of that made from cows or pigs. When he cleaned the fish that he had caught, he taught fish’s anatomy. I can still see the poor creature’s heart beating after he had cut off its head.
Every night he had a snack before bedtime. Sometimes he would eat strong cheese and crackers: sometimes ketchup and bread. Of course, I had to have some too. I didn’t like the taste of the spicy ketchup or of the strong cheese, but I loved my grandfather, so I would eat it anyway. That habit was very bad for health and for sleeping. I’m sure that is why I had such a hard time falling to sleep at night, but my grandfather did it, so it had to be right.
Just as I followed my grandfather everywhere, trying to imitate his every move, listening to his every word; so our Dear Father in Heaven longs for us have close fellowship with Him. He says to us, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jer 33:3 David declared, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.” “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.” Psa 123:1,2;145:15-19; 103:13
“Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” is such a wonderful sentence. Just as a parent has some special gift in his hand and asks his child, “which hand do you take?” so our Heavenly Father opens His Hand to supply not only our all needs but also delightful things that our happiness may be full.
Jesus taught His disciples to call His Father, their Father. He explained the trust we should have in His tender care. “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?..for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mat 6:25-33
How anxious our Great Creator is in our welfare! He wants us to ask Him for the blessings that are just waiting for our command. “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:9-13 Think of it! The Great King of the Universe, the Creator of all, loves us as if there were no other person in the world. He greatly desires our fellowship. He longs to shower us with blessings. Jesus says, “I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” John 16:26-27 He loves to answer our prayer of faith. He desires us to have the simple trust and faith in Him that an unspoiled child has in his beloved father. Jesus tells us, “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Luke 18:17 Paul explains, “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Heb 11:6
May we love our Heavenly Father with our whole heart placing all of our trust and confidence in Him. May we listen to His voice through His Holy Word and willingly obey His commands. May we follow Him wherever He leads us is my prayer.
Rose
The Price of Our Redemption