Not Philosophy but Christ: Colossians 2:1-10 When Moses prayed, “Lord, show me thy glory,” the Lord took this atom of humanity, who was yet a mighty man of faith, and placed him in the cleft of the rock, and covered him with his hand, and the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.” The glory of the Lord is his goodness and love. Then do not teach your children that God frowns upon them, but that when they sin they grieve the Spirit of God, who always loves them. Draw your children to Jesus. But if you would draw your children to Jesus, you must not enter your home with cross words, with a frown upon your brow. If you come from your business weary and worn, just plead with God for his grace, for his restful spirit, that your heart may be melted into tenderness, and that your lips may be filled with words of kindness and comfort. Bind your children to your heart. Recommend your religion to them by its pleasantness. Your children are a part of you, and can you bear to have them separated from you in the day of Christ’s coming? Give them a representation of the character of Christ, by your own Christlike character, and let your home be as a heaven upon earth.”  Excerpt from ”Bible Echo and Signs of the Times by Ellen G. White Prayer. Dear Father I need Your  presence today, Lord. Help me to honor You with my thoughts and my words under the guidance of Your Holy Spirit and help me to be a blessing to those around me and those I come in contact with today....

[ John 10:10. NKJV]  “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  entire...

 The Upward Look, p 65 by E G White   “For He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”Lamentations 3:33. Our heavenly Father does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. He has His purpose in the whirlwind and the storm, in the fire and in the flood. The Lord permits calamities to come to His people to save them from greater dangers. He desires everyone to examine his own heart closely and carefully, and then draw near to God, that God may draw near to him. Our life is in the hands of God. He sees dangers threatening us that we cannot see. He is the Giver of all our blessings; the Provider of all our mercies; the Orderer of all our experiences. He sees the perils that we cannot see. He may permit to come upon His people that which fills their hearts with sadness, because He sees that they need to make straight paths for their feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way. He knows our frame, and remembers that we are dust. Even the very hairs of our head are numbered. He works through natural causes to lead His people to remember that He has not forgotten them, but that He desires them to forsake the way which, if they were permitted to follow unchecked and unreproved, would lead them into great peril. Trials come to us all to lead us to investigate our hearts, to see if they are purified from all that defiles. Constantly the Lord is working for our present and eternal good. Things occur which seem inexplainable, but if we trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him, humbling our hearts before Him, He will not permit the enemy to triumph. The Lord will save His people in His own way, by such means and instrumentalities that the glory will be returned to Him. To Him alone belongs the praise…. Every soul that is saved must be a partaker with Christ of His sufferings, that he may be a partaker with Him of His glory. How few understand why God subjects them to trial. It is by the trial of our faith that we gain spiritual strength. The Lord seeks to educate His people to lean wholly upon Him. He desires them, through the lessons that He teaches them, to become more and more spiritualized. If His Word is not followed in all humility and meekness, He brings to them experiences which, if rightly received, will help to prepare them for the work to be done in His name. God desires to reveal His power in a marked manner through the lives of His...

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” [Ephesians 2:8]  “We who have fallen through the transgression of the law of God have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. The way is open for everyone to prepare himself for the second appearing of Jesus Christ, that at His appearing we may be vindicated, having put away all evil, and having overcome through the cleansing blood of Christ. Through the intercession of Christ, the image of God is renewed in mind, and heart, and character. Through the blood of the only-begotten Son of God, we obtain redemption…. We are in this world to honor God, and from every devising that would in any way tempt us to dishonor our Redeemer, we must turn away. In Christ we have before us the Pattern of all righteousness. He has pledged Himself to be our Guide, our Preserver, our Governor…. We are transgressors of God’s law. Our only hope for salvation was in Christ taking upon Himself the guilt of our sins, bearing the penalty of transgression in His own body on the tree. He made a full oblation of sacrifice, and by that one oblation of Himself made it possible for us to live in obedience to God’s commands…. We are to become His loyal subjects, having pure and undefiled religion, and depending upon the one grand principle, “By grace are ye saved through faith.” … I beseech everyone to walk and work in the fear of God. Satan is always seeking to bring poor souls who have lost their bearings to the settled determination that they will act as they please. We must stand where we reflect light…. God’s grace is great, and those who will press closer and closer to the side of Christ will not be overcome. We shall gain everything by drawing near to God and humbling ourselves before Him. As we do this, let us remember that we are heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ; that we are to be partakers of the divine nature. I say to all, Let not one unholy thought or feeling be cherished. The power of the grace of Christ is wonderful. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up for the trusting believer a standard against the enemy. Pray, brethren and sisters, pray for your individual selves. The love and grace of Christ far surpass our finite conceptions. Plead as for your lives to be cleansed from everything that defileth. Put on Christ in deportment, and show an unselfish interest and kindness for the souls of all. We...

AN AMAZING FACT: In 1961, 21-year-old civil rights activist John Lewis got off a bus in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Upon entering a “whites only” waiting room, he was attacked and beaten bloody by a young white man named Elwin Wilson. Years later, the two met in person and Wilson apologized for his actions. Lewis responded, “I forgive you. I don’t have any ill feelings, any bitterness, any malice.”  The atmosphere in the southern United States during the Civil Rights movement was full of explosive tension. As the movement for racial equality gained momentum, non-violent demonstrations were often met with violence and even death. Young John Lewis, who would later become a senator, survived more than one brutal attack. But this situation ended differently, with resolution and forgiveness. Wilson apologized, reporting that he had found the Lord and recognized his wrong; Lewis described it as a moment of grace and forgiveness, representing what the struggle was about. In Matthew, Jesus shares a story with His disciples about an ungrateful servant who, after having been forgiven of his debts, went after a fellow servant who owed him a small sum and threw him in prison. The angry master sent the first servant back to prison. Jesus told the disciples, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” John Lewis made that difficult choice. Rather than harboring anger for how unjustly he had been treated, he chose to forgive from his heart. We might not have experienced a violent physical attack, but most of us have been wronged in some way. Will we choose to forgive? KEY BIBLE TEXTS Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.  – Matthew 18:32-35 Source: The AF Daily Devotional  These readings are taken from the Moving Mountains Daily Devotional. Click here to order your...

Definition of JOY : [a:] the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight  [b:] the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety [c:] a state of happiness or felicity : bliss [d:] a source or cause of delight    “God is the source of life and light and joy to the universe. Like rays of light from the sun, like the streams of water bursting from a living spring, blessings flow out from Him to all His creatures. And wherever the life of God is in the hearts of men, it will flow out to others in love and blessing.” From Steps to Christ p.78 –  Ellen G. White    Verses from the Bible on Joy (KJV) “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Proverbs 15:13 “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 “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:20 “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Psalm 126:5 “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”  James 1:2-4  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” Galatians 5:22 ” Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. “Luke 15:10 ” Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24 ” But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:13 ” For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”  Psalms 30:5 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his...