“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”(Ephesians 2:4, 5, 8-10...
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Revelation 22:12. – Was Christ a false prophet when He uttered these words? More than eighteen hundred years have passed since John heard this great truth, and the Lord has not yet come to reign. But shall we give up looking for His appearance? Shall we say, “My Lord delayeth his coming”? “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints” (Jude 14)…. The doctrine of Christ’s coming was made known at this early date to the man who walked with God in continual communion. The godly character of this prophet is to represent the state of holiness to which the people of God must attain who expect to be translated to heaven…. Shall we say we have been deceived in regard to the doctrine of Christ’s near coming? … Shall we say that all our work to make ready a people prepared for His coming has been for nought? Never…. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; … and let us consider one another to provoke”—unto doubts and unbelief, and apostasy? No, but “unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, … but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25). – We must have a knowledge of the Scriptures, that we may trace down the lines of prophecy and … see that the day is approaching, so that with increased zeal and effort we may exhort one another to faithfulness…. Give up our faith? lose our confidence? become impatient? No, no. We will not think of such a thing…. See how the specifications of the prophecies have been and are fulfilling. Let us lift up our heads and rejoice, for our redemption draweth nigh. It is nearer than when we first believed. Shall we not wait patiently, filled with courage and faith? Shall we not make ready a people to stand in the day of final reckoning? – {TMK 348.5} That I May Know Him: Ellen G...
“The fact that we are called upon to endure trial shows that the Lord Jesus sees in us something precious which He desires to develop. If He saw in us nothing whereby He might glorify His name, He would not spend time in refining us. He does not cast worthless stones into His furnace. It is valuable ore that He refines. The blacksmith puts the iron and steel into the fire that he may know what manner of metal they are. The Lord allows His chosen ones to be placed in the furnace of affliction to prove what temper they are of and whether they can be fashioned for His work.” – {HDL 9.2 Help in Daily Living by Ellen G....
“But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” (Isaiah 64:8 KJV) God Can Use Cracked Pots God doesn’t require us to be perfect, He made us, and He knows we’re human and will make mistakes. Our job is to get up every day and do our best to use the keys He has provided for us. And when we fail, we must get right with God, receive His forgiveness and go on. Many people feel that God can’t use them because they’re not perfect, but this is a lie. God (the Potter) uses cracked pots (that’s us) to do His work. As Christians, we are containers that God wants to fill with His goodness and light. Then we’re to carry that goodness and light to a dark world, sharing it with people everywhere we go. Don’t be afraid of your flaws; acknowledge them and allow God to use you anyway. Quit worrying about what you’re not and give God what you are. As a cracked pot, you can accomplish wonderful things. You can make somebody happy. You can encourage, edify and exhort those around you. You can use your gifts and talents to serve God. Prayer Starter: God, I may be a ‘cracked pot,’ but You are the Potter and You can use me for Your purposes despite my flaws. Fill me with Your goodness and light so that I can carry it into the world around me.-Joyce Meyer:Promises For Your Everyday...
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” (Ephesians 6:14.) “The enemy is on the track of every one of us, and if we would resist temptations which assail us from without and from within, we need to make sure we are on the Lord’s side, that His truth is in our hearts, that it keeps watch in our souls, ready to sound an alarm and summon us to action against every enemy. Without this defense amid unseen foes we shall be like the willow bending to blast, driven of the wind and tossed. But if Christ abides in the soul we may be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might…. The mind can be expanded and ennobled and should be made to dwell upon heavenly things. Our powers must be cultivated to the uttermost, else we shall fail of meeting God’s standard. Unless…[the mind] flows in a heavenward direction it becomes an easy prey to the temptation of Satan to engage in worldly projects and enterprises that have no special connection with God…. All zeal and devotion and restless energy and feverish desire are brought into this work, and the devil stands by and laughs to see human effort wrestling so perseveringly for an object that it will never gain, which eludes its grasp…. To be independent and self-reliant in some respects is [a] duty that we owe to ourselves. But here, where the enemy will come in with his delusive snares, pride takes the place of humility. And when you or I trust to our own resources, our own wisdom, and seek counsel of our own heart, then certain disappointment, shame, and confusion will be our portion at last. We are in a fair way to triumph only when we are closely connected with God, and have on the whole armor of righteousness…. It is essential that you feel the power of the truth as well as to believe it. It should have a steady, abiding influence upon the mind. But dreamlike projects are favored and bar the way to deep and thorough heavenly principles. The things of this life have the precedence of the interest pertaining to the future, immortal life. The common and earthly deaden the sense of the eternal.” “There is one safeguard against Satan’s deceptions and snares—that is the truth as it is in Jesus. The truth planted in the heart, nourished by watchfulness and prayer, nourished by the grace of Christ, will give us discernment. The truth must abide in the heart, be felt in its power in spite of all the alluring enchantments of Satan, and your experience and...
“For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15.) The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. From the beginning it has been God’s plan that through His church shall be reflected to the world His fullness and His sufficiency. The members of the church, those whom He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light, are to show forth His glory. The church is the repository of the riches of the grace of Christ; and through the church will eventually be made manifest, even to “the principalities and powers in heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10), the final and full display of the love of God…. The church is God’s fortress, His city of refuge, which He holds in a revolted world…. During ages of spiritual darkness the church of God has been as a city set on a hill. From age to age, through successive generations, the pure doctrines of heaven have been unfolding within its borders. Enfeebled and defective as it may appear, the church is the one object upon which God bestows in a special sense His supreme regard. It is the theater of His grace, in which He delights to reveal His power to transform hearts. – As the rays of the sun penetrate to the remotest corners of the globe, so God designs that the light of the gospel shall extend to every soul upon the earth…. At this time, when the enemy is working as never before to engross the minds of men and women, we should be laboring with increasing activity. Diligently, disinterestedly, we are to proclaim the last message of mercy in the cities—in the highways and byways. All classes are to be reached. As we labor we shall meet with different nationalities. None are to be passed by unwarned. The Lord Jesus was the gift of God to the entire world—not to the higher classes alone, and not to one nationality, to the exclusion of others. His saving grace encircles the world. Whosoever will, may drink of the water of life. A world is waiting to hear the message of present truth.” – {AG 338 } From Gods Amazing Grace by Ellen G....