Work the Cities from Outposts

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 2 Corinthians 6:17.
As God’s commandment-keeping people, we must leave the cities. As did Enoch, we must work in the cities but not dwell in them.
As far as possible, our institutions should be located away from the cities. . . . It is not God’s will that His people shall settle in the cities, where there is constant turmoil and confusion. Their children should be spared this; for the whole system is demoralized by the hurry and rush and noise. The Lord desires His people to move into the country, where they can settle on the land, and raise their own fruit and vegetables, and where their children can be brought in direct contact with the works of God in nature. Take your families away from the cities is my message.
The truth must be spoken, whether men will hear, or whether men will forbear. The cities are filled with temptation. We should plan our work in such a way as to keep our young people as far as possible from this contamination.
The cities are to be worked from outposts. Said the messenger of God, “Shall not the cities be warned? Yes; not by God’s people living in them, but by their visiting them, to warn them of what is coming upon the earth.”
When iniquity abounds in a nation, there is always to be heard some voice giving warning and instruction, as the voice of Lot was heard in Sodom. Yet Lot could have preserved his family from many evils had he not made his home in this wicked, polluted city. All that Lot and his family did in Sodom could have been done by them, even if they had lived in a place some distance away from the city. Enoch walked with God, and yet he did not live in the midst of any city polluted with every kind of violence and wickedness, as did Lot in Sodom.
He [Enoch] did not make his abode with the wicked. . . . He placed himself and his family where the atmosphere would be as pure as possible. Then at times he went forth to the inhabitants of the world with his God-given message. . . . After proclaiming his message, he always took back with him to his place of retirement some who had received the warning.
Maranatha p. 184
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Prayer Requests
—–I am asking for prayer for our friend to find the cause of a kidney problem, and heal her. Evan
—–Please pray for safe travels for Ed and our son Hudson as they drive to _____ to settle his brothers affairs and for Ed’s younger brother, Howard, that is traveling. Carol
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Dear Friends, 
When I was a little girl, I had a playmate named Janie, who was a year younger than I.  She lived with her grandmother because her mother did not want to be tied down with a child. Her grandmother resented having to raise this poor little girl often beat her. Janie was never given quite enough to eat and was terribly thin. Perhaps it was because her grandmother could not afford the extra mouth to feed or was frustrated in having to care for her so did everything possible to make the child’s life miserable.
Many times a week, my grandmother would send Janie and me to the store to purchase some item that my grandfather had neglected to buy. He always did the grocery shopping. Collison’s Market was about three blocks from our house, so it was not a long way for us to go.  It was one of those old fashioned neighborhood grocery stores that is rarely seen today. Big barrels of pickles, crackers, dog food, etc. sat open near the counter. Very inviting for a seven year old girl who never got enough to eat.
Mr. Collison knew everyone in the neighborhood by name and took time to talk to each one. That was the problem. Janie and I knew every item in that store, because he took so long waiting on the customers ahead of us. One day while we were waiting for him to finish with a customer, the temptation to eat something out of one of those barrels was too strong for Janie. She reached into the dog food barrel and began to eat the chunks of the smelly, dry dog food. I was horrified! If she had eaten the crackers in the next barrel, I could have understood, but why dog food? She assured me that it tasted good. Finally, I picked up a piece and nibbled on it. It was awful!
How often we are content with the “dog food” of life, when we could have crackers instead. How often we are satisfied with the “crumbs” in life when our Heavenly Father has desires to give us a “sumptuous fare” if we will only ask Him. Jesus bids us, “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 Precious promise!
Yet, how often we ask for something and do not receive it. James explains, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.” James 4:3 Paul adds, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Rom 8:26-28
In our limited knowledge, we do not always pray for that which is best. We pray for the “dog food.” We long for the “crumbs.” Our Creator and Redeemer knows what we need to experience in order to fit us to dwell with Him on High. He always has our best interest in mind. He has better things in store for us than we can imagine. He Who sees the end from the beginning knows how to answer our prayer for our best good. He can see what would happen if He answered “yes” to our prayer, so because of His great love for us, He has to answer “no” or “wait awhile” or “here is something better.” God promises, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Isa 30:21 Yet how often we fight against His leading. How often we kick and scream and reject His way. We want our own way, even if it is not the best way, even if it will only bring us sorrow.  We forget that “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Prov 14:12
The wise man advises, “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.” Prov 3:5,6 Jeremiah adds, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jer 10:23
May we shun the “dog food” of life and receive God’s “sumptuous fare” the He so greatly desires to give us.  May we take Him at His word claiming His promises as our own. May we allow Him to take full control of our lives “being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil 1:6
Rose