And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 10:12.
Let the youth be impressed with the thought that they are not their own. They belong to Christ. They are the purchase of His blood, the claim of His love. They live because He keeps them by His power. Their time, their strength, their capabilities are His, to be developed, to be trained, to be used for Him. Next to the angelic beings, the human family, formed in the image of God, are the noblest of His created works. God desires them to become all that He has made it possible for them to be, and to do their very best with the powers He has given them.
Life is mysterious and sacred. It is the manifestation of God Himself, the source of all life. Precious are its opportunities, and earnestly should they be improved. Once lost, they are gone forever.
Before us God places eternity, with its solemn realities, and gives us a grasp on immortal, imperishable themes. He presents valuable, ennobling truth, that we may advance in a safe and sure path, in pursuit of an object worthy of the earnest engagement of all our capabilities.
God looks into the tiny seed that He Himself has formed, and sees wrapped within it the beautiful flower, the shrub, or the lofty, wide-spreading tree. So does He see the possibilities in every human being. We are here for a purpose. God has given us His plan for our life, and He desires us to reach the highest standard of development. He desires that we shall constantly be growing in holiness, in happiness, in usefulness.—The Ministry of Healing, 396-398.
With God at Dawn p. 59
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Prayer Requests
—-Update: We finally had a few answers from the tests. Buddy has a cyst on his right kidney and that is where the infection is coming from. They were able to narrow the antibiotic down specifically for the type of infection he has. That is an answer to prayer. He hopefully will be released from the hospital today. They will have the results of the MRI today. Thank you all for your prayers. Kay
—-Please pray for one of my son’s. I can’t get a hold of him and I am so worried. He is living with a very evil person and I don’t know if he is dead or alive. Connie
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in Washington state, when my children were little, I worked as a home health aide. I had four elderly or disabled clients and visited their homes on different days of the week and helped with whatever they needed. Sometimes it was as simple as taking them to a doctor’s appointment, bathing them, cooking a meal, or cleaning. One day when I came home and was receiving my usual hugs of greeting from my children, when I noticed that Esther was smelling my clothes. I thought that was rather strange, so I asked her what she was doing. Esther replied that she was seeing whose house I had been to. I challenged her to tell me where I had been that day. She named it accurately. I was surprised that she had such an acute sense of smell.
Just like the smells from the places I had been had clung to my clothes, so the places we go, the things we do, what we see and hear have a lasting effect upon us. Scientific studies have shown that we take on the characteristics of those we come in contact with, even if we are with them for as little as ten minutes. How important, then, it is to choose our friends wisely. The Bible says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3 The influence of our associates changes us for good or for evil. How vital it is that we choose carefully what we watch on TV, what we listen to on the radio, what books we read. We must ask ourselves, “Will this draw me closer to Jesus or further away?” Paul advises, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Phil 4:8
We have the promise that if we behold our Loving Saviour through His Holy Word, meditating upon His life, His goodness, speaking with Him as we would to a dear friend, we will be changed into His likeness. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18 This should be our goal! To be like the One Who loved us so much that He gave Himself unreservedly for us. Daily our prayer should be, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.” Ps 119:37 And if we are careful to turn away from the bad and cling to the good, God has promised a reward beyond our greatest dreams “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.” Isa 33:125-17 Think of it! He will protect and care for us now and when He comes again He will take us to His Heavenly Home to dwell with Him forevermore. Precious promise!
May we guard carefully the avenues of the soul. May we determine as did David, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes”101:3 May our face shine with glory from our communion with our Great Redeemer just as Moses’ face shone from the time he spent with Him. (Ex 34:29)
Rose
What Does God Require