Walking in His Steps

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1.
All who enter upon the new life should understand, prior to their baptism, that the Lord requires the undivided affections….The practicing of the truth is essential. The bearing of fruit testifies to the character of the tree There is need of a thorough conversion to the truth.
There are children … who have been taught from their youth to observe the Sabbath. Some of these are very good children, faithful to duty as far as temporal matters are concerned; but they feel no deep conviction of sin and no need of repentance from sin…. As there are no outbreaking sins in their own lives, they flatter themselves they are about right. To these youth I am authorized to say: Repent ye and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…. You are required to repent, believe, and be baptized. Christ was wholly righteous; yet He, the Saviour of the world, gave man an example by Himself taking the steps which He requires the sinner to take to become a child of God, and heir of heaven.
If Christ, the spotless and pure Redeemer of man, condescended to take the steps necessary for the sinner to take in conversion, why should any, with the light of truth shining upon their pathway, hesitate to submit their hearts to God, and in humility confess that they are sinners, and show their faith in the atonement of Christ by words and actions, identifying themselves with those who profess to be His followers?
All who study the life of Christ and practice His teachings will become like Christ. Their influence will be like His. They will reveal soundness of character. As they walk in the humble path of obedience, doing the will of God, they exert an influence that tells for the advancement of the cause of God and the healthful purity of His work.
The Faith I Live By p. 147
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for Brian, Esther, and the children as they are visiting Brian’s family. Rose
—-A close friend of mine was passing out several times over several days, taken to ER this AM, admitted, then transferred to ICU after heart stopped for 7 sec’s… Pacemaker being put in @7AM… Prayers for all please… She’s a wife, mother, sister, grand mother and friend.. RJL
—-Hubby’s been having a real ruff time with everything lately after his surgery he needs prayers for strength to help his anxiety and stress. Shanda
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Dear Friends,
Like all children, I used to love to play outside in my grandparents’ backyard. It had a high fence around it, so my grandmother did not have to worry about my safety. At one time, my mother had had a small fish pond back there, but that had been filled in when I was just learning to walk. They were afraid that I would stumble into it and drown. There was a large doghouse that was big enough for me to crawl inside with our dog, Sandy, and still have room to play. My mother had made that doghouse. There was a delicate vine that grew on the back fence that I often played with. It had delicate purple flowers and bright red berries. I used to “feed” them to my dolls.
One day, my grandmother was entertaining a visitor and for some reason they happened to go into the backyard. This was unusual, as my grandmother rarely went out of doors. This visitor saw the vine I liked so well and exclaimed, “You really should get rid of that nightshade plant. It is deadly poison and it is not safe for your granddaughter to be around as she might eat the berries.” Immediately my grandmother got rid of that plant.
When I went outside the next time, I looked for “my plant.” It was nowhere to be found. When I found out that my grandmother had pulled it up, I was very upset with her. I did not understand why she was so mean as to take away something that I enjoyed playing with so much. At that time, I didn’t realize that she did it to protect me from danger. Later, through her showing me the picture of nightshade in my flower children book and reading the warning poem underneath, made me understand that she got rid of the vine for my good. When the vine grew back, I left it alone and went inside and told her it was there, so she could get rid of it again. Year after year, it grew back but I never played with it again.
How often we play with the “nightshade” of sin. How often we toy with some forbidden pleasure only to find out later, that we have been playing a deadly “game.” Sometimes, we are able to realize its deadliness and never play with it again. Often, however, we find ourselves strangely attracted to that sinful pleasure. It has become an idol that we “play” with again and again. For our safety, our Heavenly Father often “pulls up” our darling idol that is so dangerous to our spiritual well being. He shakes up our life to help us to realize the danger of handling the “bait” of the evil one’s snare. Solomon advises, “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” Prov 3:11,12 Paul adds, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Heb 12:11
Moreover, our Great Creator has given us warnings in His Holy Word to help us to recognize and to avoid that which would only give us pain, sorrow, and death. His commandments are as a wall of protection around us to keep us from the evil in this world. With His own voice He declared, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.” Ex 20:3-17
One day, “a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted [Jesus], saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” Luke 10:25-28 God’s commandments are summed up in this, love to God and love to man. Indeed, an outward keeping of the law is worth nothing. It is the turning away from the “nightshade” of sin and clinging to the Living Vine, that is our only safety. It is obedience through a heart filled with love for our Dear Saviour that pleases Him.
David asks the question, “What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” Ps 34:12-14 Solomon adds, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” Prov 3:5-8
Let us allow our Dear Saviour to remove the “nightshade” of sin from our lives. We have played with it for too long. Let us obey Him out of a heart full of love and gratitude for His great love for us. Let us pray as did Jabez, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!” 1 Chron 4:10
Rose