Saturday, December 31, 2022
Friday, December 30, 2022
We Shall Live in a New Creation, December 30
Be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. Isaiah 65:18.
“Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” Isaiah 65:17.
There, immortal minds will contemplate with never-failing delight the wonders of creative power, the mysteries of redeeming love. There will be no cruel, deceiving foe to tempt to forgetfulness of God. Every faculty will be developed, every capacity increased. The acquirements of knowledge will not weary the mind or exhaust the energies. There the grandest enterprises may be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations reached, the highest ambitions realized; and still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of mind and soul and body.
All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s redeemed. Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar,—worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the spectacle of human woe, and rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a ransomed soul. With unutterable delight the children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. They share the treasures of knowledge and understanding gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of God’s handiwork. With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation—suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator’s name is written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed.—The Great Controversy, 677.
Thursday, December 29, 2022
We Shall Have Unending Joy, December 29
The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:10.
The prophet caught the sound of music there, and song, such music and song as, save in the visions of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind conceived. “The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” “Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” “As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there.” “They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord.”—Prophets and Kings, 730.
There the redeemed shall “know, even as also they are known.” The loves and sympathies which God Himself has planted in the soul, shall there find truest and sweetest exercise. The pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious social life with the blessed angels and with the faithful ones of all ages, who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, the sacred ties that bind together “the whole family in heaven and earth“—these help to constitute the happiness of the redeemed.—The Great Controversy, 677.
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Pleasures Forevermore in Our Father’s Kingdom, December 28
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32.
In comparison with the millions of the world, God’s people will be, as they have ever been, a little flock; but if they stand for the truth as revealed in His Word, God will be their refuge. They stand under the broad shield of Omnipotence. God is always a majority. When the sound of the last trump shall penetrate the prison-house of the dead, and the righteous shall come forth with triumph, exclaiming, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”—standing then with God, with Christ, with the angels, and with the loyal and true of all ages, the children of God will be far in the majority....
In this world their minds were consecrated to God; they served Him with the intellect and with the heart; and now He can place His name “in their foreheads.” “And they shall reign forever and ever.” They do not go in and out as those who beg a place. They are of that number to whom Christ says, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” He welcomes them as His children, saying, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”—The Acts of the Apostles, 590.
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
We Shall Enjoy the Work of Our Hands, December 27
They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. Isaiah 65:21, 22.
In the earth made new, the redeemed will engage in the occupations and pleasures that brought happiness to Adam and Eve in the beginning. The Eden life will be lived, the life in garden and field. “They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.... For as the days of a tree are the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” ...
The prophets to whom these great scenes were revealed longed to understand their full import. They “inquired and searched diligently: ... searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify.... Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you.”
To us who are standing on the very verge of their fulfilment, of what deep moment, what living interest, are these delineations of the things to come,—events for which, since our first parents turned their steps from Eden, God’s children have watched and waited, longed and prayed!—Prophets and Kings, 730, 731.
Monday, December 26, 2022
No Sorrow or Sadness, December 26
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. Isaiah 65:19.
We are homeward bound. He who loved us so much as to die for us, hath builded for us a city. The New Jerusalem is our place of rest. There will be no sadness in the city of God. No wail of sorrow, no dirge of crushed hopes and buried affections, will evermore be heard. Soon the garments of heaviness will be changed for the wedding garment. Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King. Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.—Testimonies for the Church 9:287.
The will of God is to be done on earth, as it is done in heaven. Then the nations will own no other law than the law of heaven. All will be a happy, united family, clothed with the garments of praise and thanksgiving—the robe of Christ’s righteousness. All nature, in its surpassing loveliness, will offer to God a constant tribute of praise and adoration. The world will be bathed in the light of heaven. The years will move on in gladness. The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold greater than it is now. Over the scene the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy, while God and Christ will unite in proclaiming, “There shall be no more sin, neither shall there be any more death.”—Testimonies for the Church 8:42.
Sunday, December 25, 2022
The City of the Lord, December 25
Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Isaiah 60:15.
“They shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” Verse 14.
There are homes for the pilgrims of earth. There are robes for the righteous, with crowns of glory and palms of victory. All that has perplexed us in the providences of God will in the world to come be made plain. The things hard to be understood will then find explanation. The mysteries of grace will unfold before us. Where our finite minds discovered only confusion and broken promises, we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. We shall know that infinite love ordered the experience that seemed most trying. As we realize the tender care of Him who makes all things work together for our good, we shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Pain cannot exist in the atmosphere of heaven. In the home of the redeemed, there will be no tears, no funeral trains, no badges of mourning. “The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. Isaiah 33:24. One rich tide of happiness will flow and deepen as eternity rolls on.—Testimonies for the Church 9:286.
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Friday, December 23, 2022
Vanity or vexation of spirit!
"Vanity of vanity, all is vanity," What does this mean?
Hello Readers, ************* We have written about sports previously, and all those ideas are found below, entitled “Sports amiss for Christians”. Now we are expanding this to include entertainment of all types. As the wisest man of all times has declared, “vanity of vanity, saith the preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” Not only is entertainment included in this expansion, but all activity is included, everything except spending time reading Gods word. This addendum will include all things except for dedication to prayer and meditation that the human being should be focused on. Self-examination, as the people of God were encouraged to do in ancient times was to be the preparatory work for cleansing the soul temple. During the day of atonement, especially as we are now living in the “anti-typical day of atonement”, or when Gods people are to be forsaking all sin and evil, and living at one with Christ, at-one-ment with God. In many of the articles and videos posted previously, there is clear evidence that we are living in the End of time, or the anti-typical day of atonement. ************* Most human beings believe that we are nearing a time of devastation such as, has never been seen before in human history. This is indeed true, so we humans need to cease to focus on insignificant issues. Remember that the wisest man said that everything is vanity. This simply means that any plans the human heart focuses on, is non-essential and should be religated to the trash heap of thinking or planning. The only thing the human heart should focus on is asking God to forgive us our sins in every form, and begging Him to lead us in the only way of salvation, so that we can be judged as perfected in Jesus Christ and sealed. This is the way that we will be permitted to walk on the sea of glass in the Heavenly Kingdom. May we all see that all is indeed vanity except for Life Eternal with Jesus Christ and God. May God Bless us all in this, the only endeavor that matters!
What does Gods Word say about liars, deceivers, etc.? See Revelations 22:15-21
Sports? Is it for our Best good?
The Garden of Eden, December 23
The Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51:3.
The garden of Eden remained upon the earth long after man had become an outcast from its pleasant paths. The fallen race were long permitted to gaze upon the home of innocence, their entrance barred only by the watching angels. At the cherubim guarded gate of Paradise the divine glory was revealed. Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God. Here they renewed their vows of obedience to that law the transgression of which had banished them from Eden. When the tide of iniquity overspread the world, and the wickedness of men determined their destruction by a flood of waters, the hand that had planted Eden withdrew it from the earth. But in the final restitution, when there shall be “a new heaven and a new earth,” it is to be restored more gloriously adorned than at the beginning.
Then they that have kept God’s commandments shall breathe in immortal vigor beneath the tree of life; and through unending ages the inhabitants of sinless worlds shall behold, in that garden of delight a sample of the perfect work of God’s creation, untouched by the curse of sin—a sample of what the whole earth would have become, had man but fulfilled the Creator’s glorious plan.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 62.
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Only Joy and Singing, December 22
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. Isaiah 35:2.
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” Only through His word can a knowledge of these things be gained; and even this affords but a partial revelation.—Education, 301.
There when the veil that darkens our vision shall be removed, and our eyes shall behold that world of beauty of which we now catch glimpses through the microscope; when we look on the glories of the heavens, now scanned afar through the telescope, when the blight of sin removed, the whole earth shall appear in the beauty of the Lord our God,” what a field will be open to our study. There the student of science may read the records of creation, and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He may listen to the music of nature’s voices, and detect no note of wailing or undertone of sorrow. In all created things he may trace one handwriting, in the vast universe behold “God’s name writ large,” and not in earth or sea or sky one sign of ill remaining.—Education, 303.
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
New Earth Delights—Sin Removed, December 21
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them: and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. Isaiah 35:1.
In the Bible the inheritance of the saved is called a country There the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to fountains of living waters. The tree of life yields its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the service of the nations. There are ever-flowing streams, clear as crystal, and beside them waving trees cast their shadows upon the paths prepared for the ransomed of the Lord. There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of beauty, and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful plains, beside those living streams, God’s people, so long pilgrims and wanderers, shall find a home.—The Great Controversy, 675.
“They come home to Sion singing,
crowned with an unending joy;
joy and gladness overtake them,
sorrow and sighs forsake them.”
“Let desert and dry land be glad,
let steppes rejoice and flower,
flowering like narcissus blooms,
and ringing with delight.”
Isaiah 35:10, 1, Moffatt.
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
We Shall Be Like Him, December 20
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2.
Those who love God will have intelligent knowledge of Him. The image of God will shine forth from the faces of His servants, and they will be openly acknowledged as sons and daughters of God. When in the world, they did not claim to be their own, and God set to His seal that they were His. Heaven will be for those who desire it with intense desire, who put forth efforts in proportion to the value of the object which they seek. The thoughts of those who will obtain heaven, will be upon heavenly things; but those who are all taken up with the excitement and pleasure of this world, will have no love whatever for God or heaven.—Review and Herald, May 13, 1890.
Those who take no pleasure in thinking and talking of God in this life, will not enjoy the life that is to come, where God is ever present dwelling among His people. But those who love to think of God will be in their element, breathing in the atmosphere of heaven. Those who on earth love the thought of heaven will be happy in its holy associations and pleasures. The prophet says, His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.”—The Review and Herald, May 13, 1890.
“Faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,” Christ presents to the Father the purchase of His blood, declaring, “Here am I, and the children whom Thou hast given Me.” “Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept.” Oh, the wonders of redeeming love! the rapture of that hour when the infinite Father looking upon the ransomed, shall behold His image, sin’s discord banished, its blight removed, and the human once more in harmony with the divine!—The Great Controversy, 646.
Monday, December 19, 2022
Sunday, December 18, 2022
We Shall Delight in Him Throughout Eternity, December 19
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isaiah 58:14.
The heritage that God has promised to His people is not in this world.... All that are Christ’s are “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise,”—heirs to “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away”—the earth freed from the curse of sin. For “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; and the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, 169.
You must be there. Whatever you lose here, be determined to make sure of eternal life. Never become discouraged.... Live for Jesus.... Seek earnestly for the crown of life.—Testimonies for the Church 8:131.
Look to Jesus, keeping your eyes fixed on the glory at the top of the ladder. Through Christ alone can you make sure of heaven, where all is purity, holiness, peace, and blessedness, where there are glories that mortal lips cannot describe. The nearest we can come to a description of the reward that awaits the overcomer is to say that it is a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. It will be an eternity of bliss, a blessed eternity, unfolding new glories throughout the ceaseless ages.—Testimonies for the Church, 8:131.
We Shall See His Glory and Honor, December 18
Glory and honour are in His presence; strength and gladness are in His place. 1 Chronicles 16:27.
Those who take Christ at His word, and surrender their souls to His keeping, their lives to His ordering, will find peace and quietude. Nothing of the world can make them sad when Jesus makes them glad by His presence.... As through Jesus we enter into rest, heaven begins here. We respond to His invitation, Come, learn of Me, and in thus coming we begin the life eternal. Heaven is a ceaseless approaching to God through Christ. The longer we are in the heaven of bliss, the more and still more of glory will be opened to us; and the more we know of God, the more intense will be our happiness. As we walk with Jesus in this life, we may be filled with His love, satisfied with His presence. All that human nature can bear, we may receive here. But what is this compared with the hereafter?—The Desire of Ages, 331.
The true Christian’s joys and consolation must and will be in heaven. The longing souls of those who have tasted of the powers of the world to come, and have feasted on heavenly joys will not be satisfied with things of earth. Their amusement will be in contemplating their treasure—the Holy City, the earth made new, their eternal home. And while they dwell upon those things which are lofty, pure, and holy, heaven will be brought near, and they will feel the power of the Holy Spirit, and this will tend to wean them more and more from the world and cause their consolation and chief joy to be in the things of heaven, their sweet home.—Early Writings, 112.
Saturday, December 17, 2022
We Shall Be Joyful to See His Countenance, December 17
Thou hast made known to Me the ways of life; Thou shalt make Me full of joy with Thy countenance. Acts 2:28.
Heaven, ... witness the high, the holy state of perfection that ever abides there—every soul filled with love; every countenance beaming with joy; enchanting music in melodious strains rising in honor of God and the Lamb; and ceaseless streams of light flowing upon the saints from the face of Him who sitteth upon the throne, and from the Lamb; ... realize that there is higher and greater joy yet to experience, for the more they receive of the enjoyment of God, the more is their capacity increased to rise higher in eternal enjoyment, and thus continue to receive new and greater supplies from the ceaseless sources of glory and bliss inexpressible.—Testimonies for the Church 2:226, 227.
Heaven is a good place. I long to be there, and behold my lovely Jesus.—Early Writings, 39.
“Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face.” 1 Corinthians 13:12.
“The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face. Revelation 22:3, 4.
Friday, December 16, 2022
We Shall Rejoice at His Appearance, December 16
Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at His word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for My name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. Isaiah 66:5.
Christ is coming with power and great glory. He is coming with His own glory, and with the glory of the Father. He is coming with all the holy angels with Him. While all the world is plunged in darkness, there will be light in every dwelling of the saints. They will catch the first light of His second appearing. The unsullied light will shine from His splendor, and Christ the Redeemed will be admired by all who have served Him. While the wicked flee from His presence, Christ’s followers will rejoice. The patriarch Job, looking down to the time of Christ’s second advent, said, “Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not a stranger.” To His faithful followers Christ has been a daily companion and familiar friend. They have lived in close contact, in constant communion with God. Upon them the glory of the Lord has risen. In them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ has been reflected. Now they rejoice in the undimmed rays of the brightness and glory of the King in His majesty. They are prepared for the communion of heaven; for they have heaven in their hearts.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 420.
Thursday, December 15, 2022
We Shall Meet and See the Lord Jesus, December 15
It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God: we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord: we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. Isaiah 25:9.
Jesus is coming but not as at His first advent, a babe in Bethlehem; not as He rode into Jerusalem, when the disciples praised God with a loud voice and cried, “Hosanna;” but in the glory of the Father, and with all the retinue of holy angels to escort Him on His way to earth. All heaven will be emptied of the angels, while the waiting saints will be looking for Him and gazing into heaven, as were the men of Galilee when He ascended from the Mount of Olivet. Then only those who are holy, those who have followed fully the meek Pattern, will with rapturous joy exclaim as they behold Him, “Lo, this is our God, we have waited for Him, and He will save us.” And they will be changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump—that trump which wakes the sleeping saints, and calls them forth from their dusty beds, clothed with glorious immortality, and shouting, “Victory! Victory over death and the grave!” The changed saints are then caught up together with the angels to meet the Lord in the air, never more to be separated from the object of their love.—Early Writings, 110.
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
We Shall Look Upon the Face of God, December 14
He shall pray unto God, and He will be favourable unto him: and he shall see His face with joy: for He will render unto men His righteousness. Job 33:26.
Since sin brought separation between man and his Maker, no man has seen God at any time, except as He is manifested through Christ.
“Lord, show us the Father,” said Philip, “and it sufficeth us Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father....”
The disciples did not yet understand Christ’s words concerning His relation to God. Much of His teaching was still dark to them. Christ desired them to have a clearer, more distinct knowledge of God....
Thus it is today. Our knowledge of God is partial and imperfect. When the conflict is ended, and the Man Christ Jesus acknowledges before the Father His faithful worker, who in a world of sin have borne true witness for Him, they will understand clearly what now are mysteries to them.
Christ took with Him to the heavenly courts His glorified humanity. To those who receive Him He gives power to be come the sons of God, that at last God may receive them as His, to dwell with Him throughout eternity. If during this life they are loyal to God, they will at last “see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.” And what is the happiness of heaven but to see God? What greater joy could come to the sinner saved by the grace of Christ than to look upon the face of God, and know Him as Father?—The Ministry of Healing, 419-421.
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
To Be Counted Greater than the Sorrow and Shame, December 13
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2.
It was for the joy that was set before Him,—that He might bring many sons unto glory,—that He endured the cross and despised the shame. And inconceivably great as was the sorrow and the shame, yet greater is the joy and the glory. He looks upon the redeemed, renewed in His own image, every heart bearing the perfect impress of the divine, every face reflecting the likeness of their King. He beholds in them the result of the travail of His soul, and He is satisfied. Then, in a voice that reaches the assembled multitudes of the righteous and the wicked, He declares, “Behold the purchase of My blood! For these I suffered, for these I died, that they might dwell in My presence throughout eternal ages.” And the song of praise ascends from the white-robed ones about the throne, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.”—The Great Controversy, 671.
Monday, December 12, 2022
To Be Presented as Faultless Before the Father’s Throne, December 12
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 24, 25.
Amid the reeling of the earth, the flash of lightning, and the roar of thunder, the voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints. He looks upon the graves of the righteous, then raising His hands to heaven He cries, “Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!” Throughout the length and breadth of the earth, the dead shall hear that voice; and they that hear shall live. And the whole earth shall ring with the tread of the exceeding great army of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. From the prison-house of death they come, clothed with immortal glory, crying “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” And the living righteous and the risen saints unite their voices in a long, glad shout of victory.—The Great Controversy, 644.
There will be a re-linking of the family chain. When we look upon our dead, we may think of the morning when the trump of God shall sound, when “the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed.” A little longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty. A little longer, and He will wipe all tears from our eyes. A little longer, and He will present us “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”—The Desire of Ages, 632.
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Brings Shame to the Wicked, December 11
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, My servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, My servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, My servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed. Isaiah 65:13.
While to the wicked the advent of the Lord brings woe and desolation, to the righteous it is fraught with joy and hope.—The Great Controversy, 339.
It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance....
Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man’s hand.... The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man. In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant. Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror.... No human pen can portray the scene; no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendor.—The Great Controversy, 636-641.
Those who really love the Saviour cannot but hail with gladness the announcement founded upon the Word of God, that He in whom their hopes of eternal life are centered, is coming again, not to be insulted, despised, and rejected, as at His first advent, but in power and glory, to redeem His people. It is those who do not love the Saviour, that desire Him to remain away.—The Great Controversy, 340.
Saturday, December 10, 2022
Friday, December 9, 2022
To Know I Have Not Worked in Vain, December 10
Holding forth the Word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Philippians 2:16.
All who have borne with Jesus the cross of sacrifice, will be sharers with Him of His glory. It was the joy of Christ in His humiliation and pain, that His disciples should be glorified with Him. They are the fruit of His self-sacrifice. The outworking in them of His own character and spirit, is His reward, and will be His joy throughout eternity. This joy they share with Him, as the fruit of their labor and sacrifice is seen in other hearts and lives. They are workers together with Christ, and the Father will honor them as He honors His Son.—The Desire of Ages, 624.
The redeemed will meet and recognize those whose attention they have directed to the uplifted Saviour. What blessed converse they will have with these souls! ... What rejoicing there will be as these redeemed ones meet and greet those who have had a burden in their behalf! And those who have lived, not to please themselves, but to be a blessing to the unfortunate who have so few blessings,—how their hearts will thrill with satisfaction! They will realize the promise, “Thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”—Gospel Workers, 518.
To Complete My Heaven-Assigned Work with Joy, December 9
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24.
Has God called you to be a representative of Christ upon earth, in His stead beseeching sinners to be reconciled to God? This is a solemn, exalted work.... You are to be a living epistle, known and read of all men. Ease is not to be consulted. Pleasure is not to be thought of. The salvation of souls is the all important theme. It is to this work that the minister of the gospel of Christ is called.—Testimonies for the Church 2:705.
As their reward, the faithful under-shepherds will hear from the Chief Shepherd, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He will then place the crown of glory upon their heads, and bid them enter into the joy of their Lord. What is that joy? It is beholding with Christ the redeemed saints, reviewing with Him their travail for souls, their self-denial and self-sacrifice, their giving up of ease, of worldly gain, and every earthly inducement, and choosing the reproach, the suffering, the self-abasement, the wearing labor, and the anguish of spirit as men would oppose the counsel of God against their own souls; it is calling to remembrance the chastening of their souls before God, their weeping between the porch and the altar, and their becoming a spectacle unto the world, to angels, and to men. All this is then ended, and the fruits of their labors are seen, souls saved through their efforts in Christ. The ministers who have been co-workers with Christ, enter into the joy of their Lord, and are satisfied.—Testimonies for the Church 2:709.
Thursday, December 8, 2022
To Share with Christ the Joy in Redeemed Souls, December 8
His lord said unto him. Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Matthew 25:21.
With unutterable love, Jesus welcomes His faithful ones to the “joy of their Lord.” The Saviour’s joy is in seeing, in the kingdom of glory, the souls that have been saved by His agony and humiliation. And the redeemed will be sharers in His joy, as they behold, among the blessed, those who have been won to Christ through their prayers, their labors, and their loving sacrifice. As they gather about the great white throne, gladness unspeakable will fill their hearts, when they behold those whom they have won for Christ, and see that one has gained others, and these still others, all brought into the haven of rest, there to lay their crowns at Jesus’ feet, and praise Him through the endless cycles of eternity.—The Great Controversy, 647.
The days of pain and weeping are forever ended. The King of glory has wiped the tears from all faces; every cause of grief has been removed. Amid the waving of palm-branches they pour forth a song of praise, clear, sweet, and harmonious; every voice takes up the strain, until the anthem swells through the vaults of heaven, “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” And all the inhabitants of heaven respond in the ascription, “Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever.”—The Great Controversy, 650.
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
The Crown of Rejoicing the Fruition of My Work, December 7
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20.
There is a future joy to which Paul looked forward as the recompense of his labors,—the same joy for the sake of which Christ endured the cross and despised the shame,—the joy of seeing the fruition of his work. “What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?” he wrote to the Thessalonian converts. “Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy.”
Who can measure the results to the world of Paul’s lifework? Of all those beneficent influences that alleviate suffering, that comfort sorrow, that restrain evil, that uplift life from the selfish and the sensual, and glorify it with the hope of immortality, how much is due to the labors of Paul and his fellow workers, as with the gospel of the Son of God they made their unnoticed journey from Asia to the shores of Europe?
What is it worth to any life to have been God’s instrument in setting in motion such influences of blessing? What will it be worth in eternity to witness the results of such a life-work?—Education, 70.
Causes Me to Choose Heavenly in Place of Earthly, December 6
For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Hebrews 10:34.
“In heaven ... neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and ... thieves do not break through nor steal.” Matthew 6:20.
Then let your property go beforehand to heaven. Lay up your treasure beside the throne of God. Make sure your title to the unsearchable riches of Christ.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 375.
Christ calls upon every one to consider. Make an honest reckoning. Put into one scale Jesus, which means eternal treasure, life, truth, heaven, and the joy of Christ in souls redeemed; put into the other every attraction the world can offer. Into one scale put the loss of your own soul, and the souls of those whom you might have been instrumental in saving; into the other, for yourself and for them, a life that measures with the life of God. Weigh for time and for eternity. While you are thus engaged, Christ speaks: “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
God desires us to choose the heavenly in place of the earthly. He opens before us the possibilities of a heavenly investment. He would give encouragement to our loftiest aims, security to our choicest treasure. He declares, “I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” When the riches that moth devours and rust corrupts shall be swept away, Christ’s followers can rejoice in their heavenly treasure, the riches that are imperishable.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 374.
Monday, December 5, 2022
This Hope Should Gladden My Heart, December 5
Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. Luke 6:23.
We are still amidst the shadows and turmoil of earthly activities. Let us consider most earnestly the blessed hereafter. Let our faith pierce through every cloud of darkness, and behold Him who died for the sins of the world. He has opened the gates of paradise to all who receive and believe on Him. To them He gives power to become the sons and daughters of God. Let the afflictions which pain us so grievously become instructive lessons, teaching us to press forward toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ. Let us be encouraged by the thought that the Lord is soon to come. Let this hope gladden our hearts.—Testimonies for the Church 9:286.
Let your imagination take hold upon things unseen. Let your thoughts be carried away to the evidences of the great love of God for you. In contemplating the object of which you are in pursuit, you will lose the sense of pain brought by the light afflictions that are but for a moment.—Testimonies for the Church 8:125.
The Christian is not left to walk in uncertain paths; he is not left to vain regrets and disappointments. If we do not have the pleasures of this life, we may still be joyful in looking to the life beyond.—Steps to Christ, 124.
Sunday, December 4, 2022
All Workers Share in the Reward, December 4
He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. John 4:36.
God designs that all shall be workers. The toiling beast of burden answers the purpose of its creation better than does the indolent man. God is a constant worker. The angels are workers: they are ministers of God to the children of men. Those who look forward to a heaven of inactivity will be disappointed; for the economy of heaven provides no place for the gratification of indolence. But to the weary and heavy-laden rest is promised. It is the faithful servant who will be welcomed from his labors to the joy of his Lord. He will lay off his armor with rejoicing and will forget the noise of battle in the glorious rest prepared for those who conquer through the cross of Christ.—Messages to Young People, 216.
The weight of the wrath of God will fall upon those who have misspent their time, and served mammon instead of their Creator. If you live for God and Heaven, pointing out the way of life to others, you will go onward and upward to higher and holier joys. You will be rewarded with the “Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”—Testimonies for the Church 4:54.
Saturday, December 3, 2022
They Will Receive a Glorious Reward, December 3
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:6.
A harvest of joy will be reaped by those who sow the holy seeds of truth.—Testimonies to Ministers, 175.
Glorious will be the reward bestowed when the faithful workers gather about the throne of God and of the Lamb. When John in his mortal state beheld the glory of God, he fell as one dead; he was not able to endure the sight. But when the children of God shall have put on immortality, they will “see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2. They will stand before the throne, accepted in the Beloved. All their sins have been blotted out, all their transgressions borne away. Now they can look upon the undimmed glory of the throne of God. They have been partakers with Christ in His sufferings, they have been workers together with Him in the plan of redemption, and they are partakers with Him in the joy of seeing souls saved in the kingdom of God, there to praise God through all eternity.—Testimonies for the Church 9:285.
Friday, December 2, 2022
The Faithful Workers are to Reap with Joy, December 2
They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5.
As faithful husbandmen in God’s great field, we must sow with tears, and be patient and hopeful. We must meet troubles and sorrows. Temptations and wearisome toil will afflict the soul, but we must patiently wait in faith to reap with joy. In the final victory God will have no use for those persons who are nowhere to be found in time of peril and danger, when the strength, courage, and influence of all are required to make a charge upon the enemy. Those who stand like faithful soldiers to battle against wrong, and to vindicate the right, warring against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, will each receive the commendation from the Master, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”—Testimonies for the Church 3:327.
Thursday, December 1, 2022
God’s Purpose Ever to Bring Joy Out of Sorrow, December 1
December—An Eternity of Bliss
His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5.
It is ever God’s purpose to bring light out of darkness, joy out of sorrow, and rest out of weariness, for the waiting, longing soul.—Testimonies for the Church 5:216.
In the time of the end, the people of God will sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land. With tears they will warn the wicked of their danger in trampling upon the divine law, and with unutterable sorrow they will humble themselves before the Lord in penitence. The wicked will mock their sorrow and ridicule their solemn appeals. But the anguish and humiliation of God’s people is unmistakable evidence that they are regaining the strength and nobility of character lost in consequence of sin....
They have resisted the wiles of the deceiver; they have not been turned from their loyalty by the dragon’s roar. Now they are eternally secure from the tempter’s devices....
Christ is revealed as the Redeemer and Deliverer of His people. Now indeed are the remnant “men wondered at,” as the tears and humiliation of their pilgrimage give place to joy and honor in the presence of God and the Lamb.—Prophets and Kings, 590-592.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Companionship with Christ a Precious Experience, November 30
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love. Song of Solomon 2:3, 4.
Many, even in their seasons of devotion, fail of receiving the presence, passing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, With hurried steps they press through the circle of Christ’s loving presence, passing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, but not waiting for counsel. They have no time to remain with the divine Teacher. With their burdens they return to their work.
These workers can never attain the highest success until they learn the secret of strength. They must give themselves time to think, to pray, to wait upon God for a renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual power. They need the uplifting influence of His Spirit. Receiving this, they will be quickened by fresh life. The wearied frame and tired brain will be refreshed, the burdened heart will be lightened.
Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companionship with Him,—this is our need. Happy ... the precious experience pictured in these words from the Song of Songs:
“As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood,
So is my Beloved among the sons.
I sat down under His shadow with great delight,
And His fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting-house,
And His banner over me was love.”
—Education, 260, 261.
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
In Trusting God, November 29
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Philippians 3:1.
The Christian’s life should be one of faith, of victory, and joy in God.... Truly spake God’s servant Nehemiah, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” And Paul says: ... “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Such are the fruits of Bible conversion and sanctification.—The Great Controversy, 477, 478.
Decided perseverance in a course of righteousness, disciplining the mind by religious exercises to love devotion and heavenly things, will bring the greatest amount of happiness.
If we make God our trust, we have it in our power to control the mind in these things. Through continued exercise, it will become strong to battle with eternal foes, and to subdue self, until there is a complete transformation, and the passions, appetites, and will are brought into perfect subjection. Then there will be daily piety at home and abroad, and when we engage in labor for souls, a power will attend our efforts. The humble Christian will have seasons of devotion which are not spasmodic, fitful, or superstitious, but calm and tranquil, deep, constant, and earnest. The love of God, the practice of holiness, will be pleasant when there is perfect surrender to God.—Testimonies for the Church 2:507.
Monday, November 28, 2022
.In Contemplation of Christ, November 28
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8, 9.
Christ and Him crucified should be the theme of contemplation, of conversation, and of our most joyful emotion. We should keep in our thoughts every blessing we receive from God, and when we realize His great love, we should be willing to trust everything to the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.—Steps to Christ, 103.
When His words of instruction have been received, and have taken possession of us, Jesus is to us an abiding presence, controlling our thoughts and ideas and actions. We are imbued with the instruction of the greatest teacher the world ever knew.—Testimonies to Ministers, 389.
We have the companionship of the divine presence, and as we realize this presence, our thoughts are brought into captivity is Jesus Christ. Our spiritual exercises are in accordance with the vividness of our sense of this companionship. Enoch walked with God in this way; and Christ is dwelling in our hearts by faith when we will consider what He is to us, and what a work He has wrought out for us in the plan of redemption. We shall be most happy in cultivating a sense of this great gift of God to our world and to us personally.—Testimonies to Ministers, 388.
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Saturday, November 26, 2022
In the Spirit, November 27
We are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:3.
“God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” ... Religion is not to be confined to external forms and ceremonies. The religion that comes from God is the only religion that will lead to God. In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will purify the heart and renew the mind, giving us a new capacity or knowing and loving God. It will give us a willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship.—The Desire of Ages, 189.
The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin it means taking away our sins, and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit. It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God. It means a heart emptied of self, and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ. When Christ reigns in the soul there is purity, freedom from sin. The glory, the fulness, the completeness of the gospel plan is fulfilled in the life. The acceptance of the Saviour brings a glow of perfect peace, perfect love, perfect assurance. The beauty and fragrance of the character of Christ, revealed in the life, testifies that God has indeed sent His Son into the world to be its Saviour.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 419.
In Praising the Lord, November 26
That I may shew forth all Thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion; I will rejoice in Thy salvation. Psalms 9:14.
It is your privilege to trust in the love of Jesus for salvation, in the fullest, surest, noblest manner; to say, He loves me, He receives me; I will trust Him, for He gave His life for me. Nothing so dispels doubt as coming in contact with the character of Christ. He declares, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out;” that is, there is no possibility of My casting him out, for I have pledged My word to receive him. Take Christ at His word, and let your lips declare that you have gained the victory.—Testimonies to Ministers, 517.
You desire to please the Lord, and you can do this by believing His promises. He is waiting to take you into a harbor of gracious experience, and He bids you, “Be still, and know that I am God.” ... “Come unto Me, ... and I will give you rest.” ... “Then are they glad,” because they are privileged to rest in the arms of everlasting love.—Ibid., 516.
How pleased the Saviour would be to hear His followers talking of His precious lessons of instruction, and to know that they had a relish for holy things! ... That which is in the heart will flow from the lips. It cannot be repressed. The things that God has prepared for those that love Him, will be the theme of conversation. The love of Christ is in the soul as a well of water, springing up into everlasting life, sending forth living streams, that bring life and gladness wherever they flow.—Ibid., 88.
Friday, November 25, 2022
On the Sabbath Day, November 25
If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. Isaiah 58:1.
Great blessings are enfolded in the observance of the Sabbath and God desires that the Sabbath day shall be to us a day of joy. There was joy at the institution of the Sabbath.—Testimonies for the Church 6:349.
When the foundation of the earth was laid, the foundation of the Sabbath was laid also. When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy, God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise. In giving the Sabbath, God considered man’s spiritual and physical health.—Testimonies to Ministers, 136.
The Sabbath is not intended to be a period of useless inactivity. The law forbids secular labor on the rest-day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must cease; no labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful upon that day; but as God ceased His labor of creating, and rested upon the Sabbath and blessed it, so man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds.—The Desire of Ages, 207.
The Lord says, “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; ... then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.” To all who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ’s creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight. Seeing Christ in it, they delight themselves in Him.—The Desire of Ages, 288, 289.
Thursday, November 24, 2022
In the House of Prayer, November 24
Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. Isaiah 56:7.
There is necessity for diligence in prayer; let nothing hinder you. Make every effort to keep open the communion between Jesus and your own soul. Seek every opportunity to go where prayer is wont to be made. Those who are really seeking for communion with God, will be seen in the prayer-meeting, faithfully to do their duty, and earnest and anxious to reap all the benefits they can gain. They will improve every opportunity of placing themselves where they can receive the rays of light from heaven.—Steps to Christ, 98.
The youth who finds joy and happiness in reading the Word of God and in the hour of prayer, is constantly refreshed by draughts from the Fountain of life. He will attain a height of moral excellence and a breadth of thought of which others cannot conceive. Communion with God encourages good thoughts, noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth, and lofty purposes of action. Those who thus connect their souls with God are acknowledged by Him as His sons and daughters. They are constantly reaching higher and still higher, obtaining clearer views of God and of eternity, until the Lord makes them channels of light and wisdom to the world.—Testimonies for the Church 4:624.
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
For Obedience Is the Test of Loyalty to God, November 22
If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:17.
“Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only.” James 1:22.
There are only two classes in the world today, and only two classes will be recognized in the Judgment,—those who violate God’s law, and those who obey it. Christ gives the test by which to prove our loyalty or disloyalty. If ye love Me,” He says, “keep My commandments.... He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me.... He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings; and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me.” “If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 283.
The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been,—just what it was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents,—perfect obedience to the law of God, perfect righteousness. If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled. The way would be open for sin, with all its train of woe and misery, to be immortalized.—Steps to Christ, 62.
Monday, November 21, 2022
For It Is Counsel for Happiness, November 21
The testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors. Psalm 119:24.
The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all intelligent beings depends upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness. God desires from all His creatures the service of love—a service that springs from an appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 34.
God’s great object in the working out of His providences is to try men, to give them opportunity to develop character. Thus He proves whether they are obedient or disobedient to His commands. Good works do not purchase the love of God; but they reveal that we possess that love. If we surrender the will to God, we shall not work in order to earn God’s love His love as a free gift will be received into the soul, and from love to Him we shall delight to obey His commandments.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 283.
Sunday, November 20, 2022
For It Is the Pledge of Eternal Life, November 20
Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. Psalm 119:111.
He [Christ] came to manifest the nature of His law, to reveal in His own character the beauty of holiness. Christ came to the world with the accumulated love of eternity. Sweeping away the exactions which had encumbered the law of God, He showed that the law is a law of love, an expression of the Divine Goodness. He showed that in obedience to its principles is involved the happiness of mankind, and with it the stability, the very foundation and framework, of human society.
So far from making arbitrary requirements, God’s law is given to men as a hedge, a shield. Whoever accepts its principles is preserved from evil. Fidelity to God involves fidelity to man. Thus the law guards the rights, the individuality, of every human being. It restrains the superior from oppression, and the subordinate from disobedience. It insures man’s well-being, both for this world and for the world to come. To the obedient it is the pledge of eternal life; for it expresses the principles that endure forever.—Education, 76.
Saturday, November 19, 2022
For the Law Reveals the Character of God, November 19
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Psalm 19:7, 8.
Because the law of the Lord is perfect, and therefore changeless, it is impossible for sinful men, in themselves, to meet the standard of its requirements. This was why Jesus came as our Redeemer. It was His mission, by making men partakers of the divine nature, to bring them into harmony with the principles of the law of heaven. When we forsake our sins, and receive Christ as our Saviour, the law is exalted. The apostle Paul asks, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law.”—Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 50.
God demands nothing less of every one of His followers than that they reveal Christ’s character to the world in their individual life, and that they bear testimony by precept and example that it is not in vain that Christ has suffered and died, that the image of God might be restored in them through His redeeming grace.—Testimonies to Ministers, 438.
God calls upon those who claim to be delegated to bear the truth to the world, to show in all places, both high and low, in public life and in the bypaths of private life, that they are in connection with God, that Christianity has done a noble work for them, that they are holier, happier, than those who do not acknowledge their allegiance to God’s commandments.—Testimonies to Ministers, 438.
Friday, November 18, 2022
For Right Doing Brings Happiness, November 18
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18.
Obedience to God is the first duty of the Christian.—Testimonies for the Church 4:610.
The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely—because he is required to do so—will never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey. When the requirements of God are accounted a burden because they cut across human inclination, we may know that the life is not a Christian life. True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right,—because right-doing is pleasing to God.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 97.
Christ lays loving claims on all for whom He has given His life: they are to obey His will if they would share the joys that He has prepared for all who reflect His character here.—Testimonies for the Church 9:284.
Of Christ it is written, “In Him was life: and the life was the light of men.” He is the fountain of life. Obedience to Him is the life-giving power that gladdens the soul.—Testimonies for the Church 8:288.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
For God Will Write It in My Heart, November 17
I will delight myself in Thy commandments, which I have loved. Psalm 119:47.
There is not a commandment of the law that is not for the good and happiness of man, both in this life and in the life to come. In obedience to God’s law, man is surrounded as with a hedge, and kept from the evil.—Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 52.
The law given upon Sinai was the enunciation of the principle of love, a revelation to earth of the law of heaven. It was ordained in the hand of a Mediator,—spoken by Him through whose power the hearts of men could be brought into harmony with its principles. God had revealed the purpose of the law when He declared to Israel, “Ye shall be holy men unto Me.”—Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 46.
The new-covenant promise is, “I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” While the system of types which pointed to Christ as the Lamb of God that should take away the sin of the world, was to pass away at His death, the principles of righteousness embodied in the decalogue are as immutable as the eternal throne. Not one command has been annulled, not a jot or tittle has been changed. Those principles that were made known to man in Paradise as the great law of life will exist unchanged in Paradise restored. When Eden shall bloom on earth again, God’s law of love will be obeyed by all beneath the sun.—Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 50.
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Delight in the Law, for Obedience Brings Joy, November 16
I have longed for Thy salvation, O Lord; and Thy law is my delight. Psalms 119:174.
What a God is our God! He rules over His kingdom with diligence and care; and He has built a hedge—the ten commandments—about His subjects, to preserve them from the results of transgression. In requiring obedience to the laws of His kingdom, God gives His people health and happiness, peace and joy. He teaches them that the perfection of character He requires can be attained only by becoming familiar with His Word.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 454.
Where there is not only a belief in God’s Word, but a submission of the will to Him; where the heart is yielded to Him, the affections fixed upon Him, there is faith,—faith that works by love, and purifies the soul. Through this faith the heart is renewed in the image of God. And the heart that in its unrenewed state is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, now delights in its holy precepts, exclaiming with the psalmist, “O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”—Steps to Christ, 63.
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
The Word Is the Light Sought By Many, November 15
It came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received Him: for they were all waiting for Him. Luke 8:40.
The truth that we hear will save us only as we gladly accept it, showing in our lives the result of its working, growing in grace and in a knowledge of God.—Willing to Spend and Be Spent, Notebook Leaflets from the Elmshaven Library 1:13.
Christ “came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” The light of God shone into the darkness of the world, and “the darkness comprehended it not.” But not all were found indifferent to the gift of heaven.... In different nations there were earnest and thoughtful men who had sought in literature and science and the religions of the heathen world for that which they could receive as the soul’s treasure. Among the Jews there were some who were seeking for that which they had not. Dissatisfied with a formal religion, they longed for that which was spiritual and uplifting. Christ’s chosen disciples belonged to the latter class, Cornelius and the Ethiopian eunuch to the former. They had been longing and praying for light from heaven; and when Christ was revealed to them, they received Him with gladness.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 116.
Monday, November 14, 2022
Common People Can Comprehend Thy Word, November 14
David therefore himself calleth Him Lord; and whence is He then his son? And the common people heard Him gladly. Mark 12:37.
Christ’s manner of teaching was beautiful and attractive, and it was ever characterized by simplicity. He unfolded the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven through the use of figures and symbols with which His hearers were familiar; and the common people heard Him gladly, for they could comprehend His words. There were no high-sounding words used, to understand which it was necessary to consult a dictionary.
Jesus illustrated the glories of the kingdom of God by the use of the experiences and occurrences of earth. In compassionate love and tenderness He cheered and comforted and instructed all who heard Him; for grace was poured upon His lips that He might convey to men in the most attractive way the treasures of truth.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 240.
The Saviour’s voice was as music to the ears of those who had been accustomed to the monotonous, spiritless preaching of the scribes and Pharisees. He spoke slowly and impressively, emphasizing those words to which He wished His hearers to give special heed. Old and young, ignorant and learned, could catch the full meaning of His words.... The people were very attentive to Him, and it was said of Him, that He spoke not as the scribes and Pharisees; for His word was as of one who had authority.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 239.
Sunday, November 13, 2022
And Be Baptized, November 13
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 2:41.
The scene is one full of interest. Behold the people coming from all directions to hear the disciples witness to the truth as it is in Jesus. They press in, crowding the temple. Priests and rulers are there, the dark scowl of malignity still on their faces, their hearts still filled with abiding hatred against Christ.... They had thought to find the apostles cowed with fear under the strong hand of oppression and murder, but they find them lifted above all fear, and filled with the Spirit, proclaiming with power the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth.—The Acts of the Apostles, 42.
Under the influence of this heavenly illumination, the Scriptures that Christ had explained to the disciples stood out before them with the luster of perfect truth. The veil that had prevented them from seeing to the end of that which had been abolished, was now removed, and they comprehended with perfect clearness the object of Christ’s mission and the nature of His kingdom. They could speak with power of the Saviour; and as they unfolded to their hearers the plan of salvation, many were convicted and convinced. The traditions and superstitions inculcated by the priests were swept away from their minds, and the teachings of the Saviour were accepted.
“Then they that gladly received His word were baptized.”—The Acts of the Apostles, 44.
Saturday, November 12, 2022
But Be Rooted to Endure Trial and Temptation, November 12
He that receiveth the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the Word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by he is offended. Matthew 13:20, 21.
It is not because men receive the Word immediately, nor because they rejoice in it, that they fall away. As soon as Matthew heard the Saviour’s call, immediately he rose up, left all, and followed Him. As soon as the divine Word comes to our hearts, God desires us to receive it; and it is right to accept it with joy. “Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.” And there is joy in the soul that believes on Christ. But those who in the parables are said to receive the Word immediately, do not count the cost. They do not consider what the Word of God requires of them. They do not bring it face to face with all their habits of life, and yield themselves fully to its control....
Many receive the gospel as a way of escape from suffering, rather than as a deliverance from sin. They rejoice for a season, for they think that religion will free them from difficulty and trial. While life moves smoothly with them, they may appear to be consistent Christians. But they faint beneath the fiery test of temptation. They cannot bear reproach for Christ’s sake. When the Word of God points out some cherished sin, or requires self-denial or sacrifice, they are offended.... They look at the present inconvenience and trial, and forget the eternal realities.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 46-48.
Friday, November 11, 2022
For It Supplies Wisdom and Understanding, November 11
When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee. Proverbs 2:10, 11.
Every man has the opportunity, to a great extent, of making himself whatever he chooses to be. The blessings of this life, and also of the immortal state, are within his reach. He may build up a character of solid worth, gaining new strength at every step. He may advance daily in knowledge and wisdom, conscious of new delights as he progresses, adding virtue to virtue, grace to grace. His faculties will improve by use; the more wisdom he gains, the greater will be his capacity for acquiring. His intelligence, knowledge, and virtue will thus develop into greater strength and more perfect symmetry.—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 15.
Christ could have imparted to men knowledge that would have surpassed any previous disclosures, and put in the background every other discovery. He could have unlocked mystery after mystery, and could have concentrated around these wonderful revelations the active, earnest thought of successive generations till the close of time. But He would not spare a moment from teaching the science of salvation....
Our Saviour did not encourage any to attend the rabbinical schools of His day, for the reason that their minds would be corrupted with the continually repeated, “They say,” or “It has been said.” Why, then, should we accept the unstable words of men as exalted wisdom, when a greater, a certain wisdom is at our command?—The Ministry of Healing, 448.
“For it is the Eternal who supplies wisdom,
from Him come insight and knowledge....
Wisdom will be welcome to your mind, and
knowledge will be a joy to you.”
Proverbs 2:6, 10, Moffatt.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
For It Is God’s Message to Me, November 10
I rejoice at Thy Word, as one that findeth great spoil. Psalm 119:162.
We are to regard the Bible as God’s disclosure to us of eternal things,—the things of most consequence for us to know. By the world it is thrown aside, as if the perusal of it were finished; but a thousand years of research would not exhaust the hidden treasure it contains. Eternity alone will disclose the wisdom of this book; for it is the wisdom of an infinite mind.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 443.
But there is but little benefit derived from a hasty reading of the Scriptures. One may read the whole Bible through, and yet fail to see its beauty or comprehend its deep and hidden meaning.... Some portions of Scripture are indeed too plain to be misunderstood; but there are others whose meaning does not lie on the surface, to be seen at a glance. Scripture must be compared with scripture. There must be careful research and prayerful reflection. And such study will be richly repaid. As the miner discovers veins of precious metal concealed beneath the surface of the earth, so will he who perseveringly searches the Word of God as for hid treasure, find truths of the greatest value, which are concealed from the view of the careless seeker.—Steps to Christ, 90.
If the time and effort spent in seeking to grasp the bright ideas of infidels were given to studying the precious things of the Word of God, thousands who now sit in darkness and in the shadow of death would be rejoicing in the glory of the Light of Life.—The Ministry of Healing, 440.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Receive the Word with Joy and Rejoicing, November 9
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16.
The Word of God in the Old and New Testaments, if faithfully studied and received into the life, will give spiritual wisdom and life. This Word is to be sacredly cherished. Faith in the Word of God and in the power of Christ to transform the life will enable the believer to work His works, and to live a life of rejoicing in the Lord.—Testimonies for the Church 9:279.
The life in which the fear of the Lord is cherished will not be a life of sadness and gloom. It is the absence of Christ that makes the countenance sad, and the life a pilgrimage of sighs. Those who are filled with self-esteem and self-love do not feel the need of a living, personal union with Christ. The heart that has not fallen on the Rock is proud of its wholeness. Men want a dignified religion. They desire to walk in a path wide enough to take in their own attributes. Their self-love, their love of popularity and love of praise, exclude the Saviour from their hearts, and without Him there is gloom and sadness. But Christ dwelling in the soul is a wellspring of joy. For all who receive Him, the very keynote of the Word of God is rejoicing.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 162.
Becoming Perfect through Gods Word!
Genesis 17:1 “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”
Deuteronomy 18:13 “Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.”
Matthew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
James 1:4 “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Complete Happiness, November 8
These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 1 John 1:4.
Through the study of the Scriptures, we obtain a correct knowledge of how to live so as to enjoy the greatest amount of unalloyed happiness.—Testimonies for the Church 3:374.
The teaching of the Bible has a vital bearing upon man’s prosperity in all the relations of this life. It unfolds the principles that are the cornerstone of a nation’s prosperity,—principles with which is bound up the well-being of society, and which are the safeguard of the family,—principles without which no man can attain usefulness, happiness, and honor in this life, or can hope to secure the future, immortal life. There is no position in life, no phase of human experience, for which the teaching of the Bible is not an essential preparation. Studied and obeyed, the Word of God would give to the world men of stronger and more active intellect than will the closest application to all the subjects that human philosophy embraces. It would give men of strength and solidity of character, of keen perception and sound judgment,—men who would be an honor to God and a blessing to the world.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 599.
“My very soul thrills at Thy word;
For I belong to Thee,
O Thou Eternal, God of hosts.”
Jeremiah 15:16, Moffatt.
Monday, November 7, 2022
Peace and Joy in the Spirit, November 7
The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17.
It is the privilege of every Christian to enjoy the deep movings of the Spirit of God. A sweet, heavenly peace will pervade the mind, and you will love to meditate upon God and Heaven. You will feast upon the glorious promises of His Word.—Testimonies for the Church 1:159.
When the Spirit of God controls mind and heart, the converted soul breaks forth into a new song; for he realizes that in his experience the promise of God has been fulfilled, that his transgression has been forgiven, his sin covered. He has exercised repentance toward God for the violation of the divine law, and faith toward Christ, who died for man’s justification. “Being justified by faith,” he has “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”—The Acts of the Apostles, 476.
There is peace in believing, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Believing brings peace, and trusting in God brings joy. Believe, believe! my soul says, Believe. Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to His trust. He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him who hath loved you.—Testimonies for the Church 2:319.
Saturday, November 5, 2022
A Joyous Work to Bring Glad Tidings to Others, November 5
How shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:15.
It was at the ordination of the twelve that the first step was taken in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to carry on His work on the earth.... Look upon the touching scene. Behold the Majesty of heaven surrounded by the twelve whom He has chosen. He is about to set them apart for their work. By these feeble agencies, through His word and Spirit, He designs to place salvation within the reach of all.
With gladness and rejoicing, God and the angels beheld this scene. The Father knew that from these men the light of heaven would shine forth; that the words spoken by them as they witnessed for His Son, would echo from generation to generation till the close of time.—The Acts of the Apostles, 18.
Today the Saviour calls us, as He called Matthew and Job and Peter, to His work. If our hearts are touched by His love, ... we shall rejoice to be co-workers with Christ.... If we make God our strength, we shall have clear perceptions of duty unselfish aspirations; our life will be actuated by a noble purpose ....—The Ministry of Healing, 480.
All who commune with God will find abundance of work to do for Him. Those who go forth in the spirit of the Master, seeking to reach souls with the truth, will not find the work of drawing souls to Christ a dull, uninteresting drudgery. They are charged with a work as God’s husbandmen, and they will become more and more vitalized as they give themselves to the service of God. It is a joyous work to open the Scriptures to others.—Testimonies 9:118.
Friday, November 4, 2022
Paul and Barnabas Brought Them to Antioch, November 4
We declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that He hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee. Acts 13:32, 33.
Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary. He who drinks of the living water becomes a fountain of life. The receiver becomes a giver. The grace of Christ in the soul is like a spring in the desert, welling up to refresh all, and making those who are ready to perish eager to drink of the water of life.—The Desire of Ages, 195.
During His ministry, Jesus had kept constantly before the disciples the fact that they were to be one with Him in His work for the recovery of the world from the slavery of sin. When He sent forth the twelve and afterward the seventy, to proclaim the kingdom of God, He was teaching them their duty to impart to others what He had made known to them. In all His work, He was training them for individual labor, to be extended as their numbers increased, and eventually to reach to the uttermost parts of the earth. The last lesson He gave His followers was that they held in trust for the world the glad tidings of salvation.—The Acts of the Apostles, 32.
Thursday, November 3, 2022
Jesus Took Glad Tidings from Place to Place, November 3
It came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with Him. Luke 8:1.
Christ might have occupied the highest place among the teachers of the Jewish nation; but He preferred rather to take the gospel to the poor. He went from place to place, that those in the highways and byways might hear the words of truth. By the sea, on the mountainside, in the streets of the city, in the synagogue, His voice was heard explaining the Scriptures. Often He taught in the outer court of the temple, that the Gentiles might hear His words.—The Ministry of Healing, 20.
Jesus watched with deep earnestness the changing countenances of His hearers. The faces that expressed interest and pleasure, gave Him great satisfaction. As the arrows of truth pierced to the soul, breaking through the barriers of selfishness, and working contrition, and finally gratitude, the Saviour was made glad. When His eye swept over the throng of listeners, and He recognized among them the faces He had before seen, His countenance lighted up with joy. He saw in them hopeful subjects for His kingdom. When the truth, plainly spoken, touched some cherished idol, He marked the change of countenance, the cold, forbidding look, which told that the light was unwelcome. When He saw men refuse the message of peace, His heart was pierced to the very depths.—The Desire of Ages, 254, 255.
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