Come Quickly Lord...🙏🏻🌿🌼💞🕊

The end is near, and we must be prepared for what we will have to meet. Our lives must be hid with Christ in God. We need the education of the Holy Spirit. 

It is our privilege to be cheerful. At times I have been tempted to feel a depression of soul, as I see how blind and mistaken many of our brethren are. It makes my heart ache to think of the men who are unsettled, and who have lost their bearings. May the Lord work to remove the cloud of uncertainty, that truth and righteousness may prevail. It seems scarcely possible that the power of deception can be so strong. I pity these men, but the impression they have made on other minds is so strong that it makes me tremble. A stormy future is before us, but we have with us One who is mighty to prevail. 

At times as I see a cloud in the sky, I involuntarily exclaim, “Come, Lord Jesus, and come quickly.” Such times as this will reveal character. I long to see the deceptive power of the enemy broken. But we will not let our faith fail. The only real comfort I find is to look beyond this conflict, and see the final triumph, the glory of God reflecting brightness on the overcomers. Prophecy points out the sure result of the conflict, and by faith we may see it. I long to realize the experiences opened before me in the visions the Lord has given to me. 

The restraining power of the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth. Our work must be done quickly. We must put forth every effort in our power to save souls from death. Soon the Lord God of heaven will set up His kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. Now is the time for us to develop a pure, heavenly character. The work will increase more and more in earnestness and intensity until the end. We need an increase of faith. We must watch unto prayer. 

For weeks I have been as a cart beneath sheaves, not because I have the least question regarding the work God has given me to do, nor because of any desire to shun the responsibilities He has placed upon me; but my heart aches for those who are walking in the blindness of error, who have lost their discernment, and who cannot distinguish truth from error.

—Letter 226, July 8, 1906, to Elder G. I. Butler, a longtime associate in the work and president of the Southern Union Conference.

100% to God = 0% Compromise to the world! 

Happy and Joyful Sabbath as We are filled with this Hope that Burns within Our Heart!

We are United in Christ!  

Jesus is Coming Very Soon!  

PRAISE THE LORD!💖

IN CHRIST ALONE...🙏🏻🌿🌼💞🕊

There comes a moment in the Christian journey when many things that once seemed important begin to fade into the background. The soul gradually discovers a truth so profound, so liberating, and so satisfying that it changes everything.

That truth is simply this:

In Christ alone.

Not Christ plus something else.

Not Christ and my achievements.

Not Christ and my reputation.

Not Christ and my righteousness.

Not Christ and my religious performance.

Christ alone.

The great struggle of the human heart is that it is always tempted to look elsewhere. We look to people for what only Christ can give. We look to possessions for what only Christ can provide. We look to success, ministry, knowledge, experiences, and even blessings themselves, hoping to find the satisfaction for which our souls hunger.

Yet every road eventually leads us back to the same discovery.

The pasture is in Christ.

The rest is in Christ.

The peace is in Christ.

The wisdom is in Christ.

The life is in Christ.

The treasure is in Christ.

Indeed, Christ Himself is the treasure.

The believer who enters Christ is like a weary traveller who finally arrives home after years of wandering. The search is over. The striving ceases. The soul has found the One for whom it was created.

This is why Paul could count everything else as loss compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. He had discovered the secret hidden from ages and generations. Everything God has for us is gathered together in His Son.

To live in Christ is to live in the Father's favor.

To abide in Christ is to abide in the Father's love.

To rest in Christ is to rest in the Father's heart.

And so the cry of the mature believer becomes increasingly simple:

Not what Christ can give me.

Not even where Christ can lead me.

But Christ Himself.

For when we have Him, we discover that we possess all things.

Reflection

Am I seeking Christ Himself, or merely the blessings that flow from Him?

Prayer

Father, thank You for giving us Your Son. Teach me to find my satisfaction in Christ alone. Save me from looking elsewhere for what can only be found in Him. May He become my wisdom, my peace, my rest, my joy, and my treasure. Draw me deeper into union with Him until my heart can truly say, "Christ is enough." Amen.  -By The Gardener

100% to God = 0% Compromise to the world! 

Happy and Joyful Sabbath as We are filled with this Hope that Burns within Our Heart!

We are United in Christ!  

Jesus is Coming Very Soon!  

PRAISE THE LORD!💖

Individual Preparation...🙏🏻🌿🌼💞🕊

God commands us to Love one another.   These words are not the words of man, but the words of our Redeemer; and how important it is that we fulfill the instruction that He has given! There is nothing that can so weaken the influence of the church, as the lack of love. Christ says, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16​). If we are to meet opposition from our enemies, who are represented as wolves, let us be careful that we do not manifest the same spirit among ourselves. 

The enemy well knows that if we do not have love one for another, he can gain his object, and wound and weaken the church, by causing differences among brethren. He can lead them to surmise evil, to speak evil, to accuse, condemn, and hate one another. In this way the cause of God is brought into dishonor, the name of Christ is reproached, and untold harm is done to the souls of men. 

How careful we should be, that our words and actions are all in harmony with the sacred truth that God has committed to us! The people of the world are looking to us, to see what our faith is doing for our characters and lives. They are watching to see if it is having a sanctifying effect on our hearts, if we are becoming changed into the likeness of Christ. They are ready to discover every defect in our lives, every inconsistency in our actions. Let us give them no occasion to reproach our faith. 

It is not the opposition of the world that will most endanger us; it is the evil cherished right in our midst that works our most grievous disaster. It is the unconsecrated lives of half-hearted professors that retard the work of the truth, and bring darkness upon the church of God.... 

God would have us individually come into that position where He can bestow His love upon us. He has placed a high value upon man, and has redeemed us by the sacrifice of His only-begotten Son, and we are to see in our fellow man the purchase of the blood of Christ. If we have this love one for another, we shall be growing in love for God and the truth.

—The Review and Herald, June 5, 1888.

100% to God = 0% Compromise to the world! 

Happy and Joyful Sabbath as We are filled with this Hope that Burns within Our Heart!

We are United in Christ!  

Jesus is Coming Very Soon!  

PRAISE THE LORD!💖

While Probation Lasts...🙏🏻🌿🌼💞🕊

When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have reserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and filthy will remain so forever. No work will then be done for them to remove their defects and give them holy characters. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation. It is NOW that this work is to be accomplished for us.

During probationary time the grace of God is offered to every soul. But if men waste their opportunities in self-pleasing, they cut themselves off from everlasting life. No after-probation will be granted them. By their own choice they have fixed an impassable gulf between them and their God. Many are deceiving themselves by thinking that the character will be transformed at the coming of Christ, but there will be no conversion of heart at His appearing. Our defects of character must HERE be repented of, and through the grace of Christ we must overcome them while probation shall last. This is the place for fitting up for the family above - God's Amazing Grace:Chapter 235

100% to God = 0% Compromise to the world! 

Happy and Joyful Sabbath as We are filled with this Hope that Burns within Our Heart!

We are United in Christ!  

Jesus is Coming Very Soon!  

PRAISE THE LORD!💖

Let No Man Deceive You...🙏🏻🌿🌼💞🕊

Prior to and at the first advent of Christ, religious teachers set forth strange ideas that were so mingled with portions of truth that they were full of deceptive power, and led souls away from God, although they still preserved the appearance of being His true worshipers. We find a similar condition of society in these last days, and those who depart from the faith, mingle with their belief diversities of human opinion. The Bible is brought into criticism. Is it because the Scriptures are inconsistent and contradictory that ministers differ so widely in their interpretation?—No, the trouble is that men are doing today as they did in the time of Christ, and are teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Religious teachers are in the same condition as were the Pharisees of whom He said, “Ye are both ignorant of the Scriptures and of the power of God” (see Matthew 22:29​). The very men to whom these words were spoken were presumed to teach and interpret the Scriptures to the people. 

Are the Scriptures vague and inconsistent? Is there any foundation for the conflicting opinions and various sentiments and doctrines that find credence in the religious world? If so, then we may entertain doubts of their divine origin, for it is not the inspiration of God that leads people to come to diverse opinions. Those who undertake to interpret the Bible, have corrupted the Word of God and wrested the Scripture from its true meaning, by seeking to harmonize the truth of God with the inventions and doctrines of men. The Scriptures are perverted and misapplied, and the gems of truth are set in the framework of error. These teachers are blinded, and cannot clearly discern what is the true meaning of the Scriptures.... 

Jesus, who gave His life to save men, has given us a warning as to what shall come to pass in the last days. The disciples came to Him privately to ask Him concerning the end of the world, and Jesus said: “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:4, 5).

—Signs of the Times, June 4, 1894.

100% to God = 0% Compromise to the world! 

Happy and Joyful Sabbath as We are filled with this Hope that Burns within Our Heart!

We are United in Christ!  

Jesus is Coming Very Soon!  

PRAISE THE LORD!💖

Open The Top Windows...🙏🏻🌿🌼💞🕊

Now just now is our opportunity to open the windows of the soul heavenward and to close the windows earthward. Now is the time for every church member to say, I will close my heart to everything that would hinder my communion with Christ; I will open the windows of my soul heavenward that I may understand spiritual things. 

Believers need to talk with God in regard to their individual need of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God must be their assurance. All heaven is inviting us to receive the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness into our lives. If we will talk faith and hope and courage, our souls will be strengthened, and our hope and courage and faith will increase. Let us seek this great gift of the Sun of Righteousness, that it may shine forth in our lives to others. Let us seek the Lord that we may learn how to work His works in the world. This will make us successful missionaries, able to help others to a hopeful, courageous experience. 

In our service for the Master, let not the little things be over- looked. Every human being has a life web to weave, and if the pattern is complete and perfected at last, every thread of the pattern must be carefully and faithfully worked. The grace of Christ will enable us to weave skillfully and well. Day by day we are to put forth personal diligent effort to improve. Every day we are to use our Christian intelligence in the work of strengthening the weak, and encouraging the desponding. A great test is coming to every soul. Shall we not then work and watch and pray and praise the Lord? This will give us a most precious experience. Very much has been lost to many believers because they have neglected to seek the Lord with earnestness and with a faith that will not be denied. 

Words spoken and works performed in a simple, humble, en- couraging way will inspire faith in other hearts. The Lord is soon to come, and the natural heart must be daily converted. We must learn to speak words in the meekness of Christ; our works and our spirit must testify that we are serving the Lord.

—Letter 54, March 7, 1909, to Elder S. N. Haskell, a conference president.

100% to God = 0% Compromise to the world! 

Happy and Joyful Sabbath as We are filled with this Hope that Burns within Our Heart!

We are United in Christ!  

Jesus is Coming Very Soon!  

PRAISE THE LORD!💖

God Is Faithful...🙏🏻🌿🌼💞🕊

In seasons of temptations we seem to lose sight of the fact that God tests us that our faith may be tried, and be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus. The Lord places us in different positions to develop us. If we have defects of character of which we are not aware, He gives us discipline that will bring those defects to our knowledge, that we may overcome them.

It is His providence that brings us into varying circumstances. In each new position, we meet a different class of temptations. How many times, when we are placed in some trying situation, we think, “This is a wonderful mistake. How I wish I had stayed where I was before.” But why is it that you are not satisfied? It is because your circumstances have served to bring new defects in your character to your notice; but nothing is revealed but that which was in you. What should you do when you are tried by the providences of the Lord? You should rise to the emergency of the case, and overcome your defects of character.

It is coming in contact with difficulties that will give you spiritual muscle and sinew. You will become strong in Christ if you endure the testing process and the proving of God. But if you find fault with your situation and with everybody around you, you will only grow weaker. I have seen people who were always finding fault with everything and everybody around them, but the fault was in themselves. They had need to fall upon the Rock and be broken. They felt whole in their own self-righteousness. The trials that come upon us come to prove us. The enemy of our souls is working against us continually, but our defects of character will be made manifest to us, and when they are made plain, instead of finding fault with others, let us say, “I will arise and go to my Father.”

When we begin to realize that we are sinners, and fall on the Rock to be broken, the everlasting arms are placed about us, and we are brought close to the heart of Jesus. Then we shall be charmed with His loveliness, and disgusted with our own righteousness. We need to come close to the foot of the cross. The more we humble ourselves there, the more exalted will God’s love appear.— To Be Like Jesus p. 210

100% to God = 0% Compromise to the world! 

Happy and Joyful Sabbath as We are filled with this Hope that Burns within Our Heart!

We are United in Christ!  

Jesus is Coming Very Soon!  

PRAISE THE LORD!💖