“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” [Matthew 5:7.] “The heart of man is by nature cold and dark and unloving; whenever one manifests a spirit of mercy and forgiveness, he does it not of himself, but through the influence of the Divine Spirit moving upon his heart. “We love, because he first loved us.” God is Himself the source of all mercy. His name is “merciful and gracious.” He does not treat us according to our desert. He does not ask if we are worthy of His love, but He pours upon us the riches of His love, to make us worthy. He is not vindictive. He seeks not to punish, but to redeem. Even the severity which He manifests through His providences is manifested for the salvation of the wayward. He yearns with intense desire to relieve the woes of men…. All whose hearts are in sympathy with the heart of Infinite Love will seek to reclaim, and not to condemn. Christ dwelling in the soul is a spring that never runs dry. Where He abides, there will be an overflowing of beneficence. To the appeal of the erring, the tempted, the wretched victims of want and sin, the Christian does not ask, Are they worthy? but, How can I benefit them? In the most wretched, the most debased, he sees souls whom Christ died to save…. The merciful are those who manifest compassion to the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed…. He who has given his life to God in ministry to His children, is linked with Him who has all the resources of the universe at His command. His life is bound up by the golden chain of the immutable promises with the life of God. The Lord will not fail him in the hour of suffering and need. “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” And in the hour of final need the merciful shall find refuge in the mercy of the compassionate Saviour, and shall be received into everlasting habitations.” This text is taken from Sons and Daughters of God by Ellen G. White. For free access to more of her writings, please visit...

Christ in Me the Hope of Glory To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col. 1:27 “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” A knowledge of this mystery furnishes a key to every other. It opens to the soul the treasures of the universe, the possibilities of infinite development. And this development is gained through the constant unfolding to us of the character of God–the glory and the mystery of the written Word. If it were possible for us to attain to a full understanding of God and His Word, there would be for us no further discovery of truth, no greater knowledge, no further development. God would cease to be supreme, and man would cease to advance. Thank God, it is not so. Since God is infinite, and in Him are all the treasures of wisdom, we may to all eternity be ever searching, ever learning, yet never exhaust the riches of His wisdom, His goodness, or His power. Let the seeker for the salvation of God possess the same energy and earnestness that he would have for worldly treasure, and the object would be gained. . . . All who are made partakers of His salvation here, and who hope to share the glories of the kingdom hereafter, must gather with Christ. Each must feel that he is responsible for his own case. . . . If these maintain their Christian walk, Jesus will be in them the hope of glory, and they will love to speak forth His praise that they may be refreshed. The cause of their Master will be near and dear to them. . . . Every Christian must go on from strength to strength, and employ all his powers in the cause of God. The life of the true believer reveals an indwelling Saviour. . . . His whole life is a testimony to the power of the grace of Christ. From My Life Today – Page 306 by Ellen G....

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” [1 John 3:1] What love, what matchless love, that, sinners and aliens as we are, we may be brought back to God and adopted into His family! We may address Him by the endearing name, “Our Father,” which is a sign of our affection for Him and a pledge of His tender regard and relationship to us. And the Son of God, beholding the heirs of grace, “is not ashamed to call them brethren.” They have even a more sacred relationship to God than have the angels who have never fallen. All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean, when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. In all His children God beholds the image of His only-begotten Son. He looks upon them with a love greater than any language can express. He enfolds them in the arms of His love. The Lord rejoices over His people. He has redeemed us out of the careless world and has chosen us to become members of the royal family, sons and daughters of the heavenly King. He invites us to trust in Him with a trust deeper and stronger than that of a child in his earthly father. God is to us a tender, compassionate, heavenly Father. From My Life Today – Page 294 by Ellen G. White...

Reverence for God’s Name “Holy and reverend is his name. Ps. 111:9 “Reverence should be shown also for the name of God. Never should that name be spoken lightly or thoughtlessly. Even in prayer its frequent or needless repetition should be avoided. Those who are brought into covenant relation with God are pledged to speak of Him in the most respectful, reverential manner…. Swearing, and all words spoken in the form of an oath, are dishonoring to God. The Lord sees, the Lord hears, and He will not hold the transgressor guiltless. He will not be mocked. Those who take the name of the Lord in vain will find it a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. By the thoughtless mention of God in common conversation, by appeals to Him in trivial matters, and by the frequent and thoughtless repetition of His name, we dishonor Him. What faint views some have of the holiness of God, and how much they take His holy and reverend name in vain, without realizing that it is God, the great and terrible God, of whom they are speaking. While praying, many use careless and irreverent expressions, which grieve the tender Spirit of the Lord and cause their petitions to be shut out of heaven. “Holy and reverend is His name.” We are never in any manner to treat lightly the titles or appellations of the Deity. In prayer we enter the audience chamber of the Most High, and we should come before Him with holy awe. The angels veil their faces in His presence. The cherubim and the bright and holy seraphim approach His throne with solemn reverence. How much more should we, finite, sinful beings, come in a reverent manner before the Lord, our Maker! From My Life Today – Page 287 by Ellen G....

Reverence for God God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. Ps. 89:7 Another precious grace that should be carefully cherished is reverence. True reverence for God is inspired by a sense of His infinite greatness and a realization of His presence. With this sense of the Unseen the heart of every child should be deeply impressed. The hour and place of prayer and the services of public worship the child should be taught to regard as sacred because God is there. And as reverence is manifested in attitude and demeanor, the feeling that inspires it will be deepened. Well would it be for young and old to study and ponder and often repeat those words of Holy Writ that show how the place marked by God’s special presence should be regarded. “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet,” He commanded Moses at the burning bush; “for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Jacob, after beholding the vision of the angels, exclaimed, “The Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” Humility and reverence should characterize the deportment of all who come into the presence of God. In the name of Jesus we may come before Him with confidence, but we must not approach Him with the boldness of presumption, as though He were on a level with ourselves. There are those who address the great and all-powerful and holy God, who dwelleth in light unapproachable, as they would address an equal, or even an inferior. There are those who conduct themselves in His house as they would not presume to do in the audience chamber of an earthly ruler. These should remember that they are in His sight whom seraphim adore, before whom angels veil their faces. God is greatly to be reverenced; all who truly realize His presence will bow in humility before Him. From My Life Today – Page 286 by Ellen G. White...

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:35. “May God help us to understand that we must be laborers together with Him. Let us begin right here to be co-workers with heaven…. Will you not unite in labor for your families and for your friends and acquaintances? Let every one of our young disciples of Christ have an unselfish love for all other disciples of Christ…. See if there is not a poor child who is not a favorite, to whom no special kindnesses are shown, and make this one the object of your unselfish attention. Those who are especially attractive will be at no loss for friends; while those who are less pleasing in appearance, who are timid and hard to become acquainted with, may have choice traits of character, and they are the purchase of the blood of Christ. We need to realize daily what a helper we have in Jesus. Let all understand that they can be co-workers with Jesus Christ. It is your privilege to receive grace from Christ that will enable you to comfort others with the same comfort wherewith you yourselves are comforted of God…. Let each one seek to do his work as he will wish he had done when the end of all things shall come. Let each try to help the next one. Thus you may have a little heaven here below, and angels of God will work through you to make right impressions…. Christ wants to use you as His servants. Seek to help wherever you can. Cultivate the best dispositions that the grace of God may rest richly upon you. Young and old may learn to look to God as the One who will heal, as One who sympathizes, who understands their necessities and who will never make a mistake. Your humanity may lay hold of the divinity of Christ by living faith, and you may learn to carry out … the principles of heaven. This will make you a blessing to all.” From Sons and Daughters of God by Ellen G. White. For free access to more of her writings, please visit...