Witnessing

As God called Daniel to witness for Him in Babylon, so He calls us to be His witnesses in the world today. In the smallest as well as the largest affairs of life, He desires us to reveal to men the principles of His kingdom. Many are waiting for some great work to be brought to them, while daily they lose opportunities for revealing faithfulness to God. Daily they fail of discharging with wholeheartedness the little duties of life….

In the life of the true Christian there are no nonessentials; in the sight of Omnipotence every duty is important. The Lord measures with exactness every possibility for service. The unused capabilities are just as much brought into account as those that are used. We shall be judged by what we ought to have done, but did not accomplish because we did not use our powers to glorify God.

A noble character is not the result of accident; it is not due to special favors or endowments of Providence. It is the result of self-discipline, of subjection of the lower to the higher nature, of the surrender of self to the service of God and man….

The body is a most important medium through which the mind and the soul are developed for the upbuilding of character. Hence it is that the adversary of souls directs his temptations to the enfeebling and degrading of the physical powers….

The body is to be brought into subjection to the higher powers of the being. The passions are to be controlled by the will, which is itself to be under the control of God. The kingly power of reason, sanctified, by divine grace, is to bear sway in the life. Intellectual power, physical stamina, and the length of life depend upon immutable laws. Through obedience to these laws, man may stand conqueror of himself, conqueror of his own inclinations, conqueror of … “the rulers of the darkness of this world,” and of “spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Conflict and Courage p. 249
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Prayer Requests
—–update—Buddy says “Thank You” to all that have been praying for him. He once again got to go home the next morning after the prayer request went out. . . . Although he is back home again this appears to be an elusive causal bleeding/blood problem that leads to the effect of low blood counts. His blood count was down to 6 when he went in and it was up to 11 after 6 units of blood. This seems to be continually recurring until the problem is found and rectified if possible. Please continue to pray for wisdom and skill for the physicians and nurses involved in this case that a solution might be found. Donna
—–Please urgently needing special prayer for my youngest son. Connie
—–Please pray that God will take control of a very difficult situation we are going through. L
—–Please pray Jeff. He had requested prayers about a week ago as he was sick with pneumonia and now he is in a coma and not doing well. Prayers also for my friends Paul and Dave who are ill as well and one of them has been given two weeks to leave the place where he lives. God’s guiding hand is much needed in all of this, we want all souls to accept Christ and be saved, thanks ! David
—–Prayers for my girls and my husband come to the Lord and learn to serve HIM. Treva
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Dear Friends,
When Eileen was five, we moved to southern Alabama so Ron could go to an avionics college there. After working at a couple of unpleasant jobs, I finally was hired at the local Army base in the Physical Therapy department. I really enjoyed working there. Most of my patients needed only a little ultrasound, massage, and exercises. Some, needed whirlpool treatments. In addition, I had the pleasant task of teaching a pre-natal exercise class and then visiting the maternity ward to give the new mothers post-partum exercises. I liked that most of all as I could cuddle the newborn babies and rock them in the rocking chair.

One day, a new patient arrived in our department. A tiny, two year old girl, who was a victim of child abuse, needed whirlpool treatments for her terribly burned feet. Her father had placed her feet in a kettle of boiling water while her mother was at work. He, of course, was arrested but never admitted to wrong-doing. However, his story of how the “accident” happened just didn’t ring true. He said that his little daughter had knocked over the bucket of hot water that he was using to mop the kitchen floor. That must have been mighty hot water! Her wounds did not agree with his story, so it was obvious that he was not telling the truth. How true Solomon’s words, “the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.’ Prov 12:10

How often we are like that father in our treatment of one another. How often we “bite and devour one another” in just as cruelly a manner as that abusive father who boiled his daughter’s feet. How many times we tear one another down by our gossip. The more we repeat it, the larger it grows. James tells us, “the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:5-8

How many times we turn others away by our harshness and lack of love. We may be correct in our beliefs. We may be zealous for the Cause. We may feel that we must exercise control over others’ lives to keep them in line, but force is not God’s way. Our Great Redeemer never forces. He sets before us “life and death, blessing and cursing” and loves us enough to allow us the freedom to choose. Deut 30:19 Moreover, with lovingkindness He draws us to Himself with “bands of love” which is “an everlasting love.” Jer 31:3, Hosea 11:4

Paul explains the importance of our having this same love, without which nothing else matters. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity , I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind, charity envieth not, charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail, whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Cor 13

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 1 John 4:7 Let us be careful to teach the truth in love, giving others the right to choose for themselves, loving them in spite of some of those choices. Let us “be diligent that [we] may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” by having all our words, actions, and attitudes pleasing in the sight of the One Who loves us so. 2 Peter 3:14

Rose