The Greatest Gift:  LOVE 1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become  a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  5. does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  6. does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7.  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love 1 Corinthians 13 NKJV New King James Version ...

A Psalm of David.  A Contemplation. 1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. 7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. 9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. 10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. 11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart! Psalm 32 New King James Version...

The disciples before Pentecost also had an attitudes  of selfish ambition.. Prompted by her sons desire for supremacy, the mother of James and John appealed to Jesus that each of them have a prominent place in what they believed was His soon earthly kingdoms. “She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” (Matthew 20:21). This request, of course led to jealousy and disunity among the other disciples. They simply were not ready for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Pentecostal power. This is one of the main reasons why Jesus urged them to spend ten days in praying together in the Upper Room. For unity must  precede the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As the sought God in prayer,the Holy Spirit knit their hearts together in christian love. The Acts account record, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” Acts 1:14) the record continues in  Acts 2:1) ” Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” The disciples discovered that “unity with Christ establishes a bond of unity with one another. This unity is the most convincing proof to the world of the majesty and virtue of Christ, and of His power to take away sin”  Ellen G White Comments, The Seventh ay Adventist Bible Commentary, vol.5, p 1148).   Excerpt from 10 Days in the Upper Room by Mark A. Finley Day 5: Loving Unity pp...

Confession of sin has always characterized genuine revival. Confession opens the heart and clears the way for the mighty outpouring of God’s Spirit. If the channels of the soul are clogged by sin, the Spirit cannot flow through us to impact the world. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) We will not “prosper” spiritually unless we are honest with ourselves and God. Unconfessed sin is cancer to the soul. Before the Holy Spirit fills us and empowers us, He convicts us and instructs us. Unless we confess the sins the Holy Spirit points out, our hearts will become barren. “As the disciples waited for the fulfillment of the promise, they humbled their hearts in true repentance and confessed their unbelief” (The Acts of the Apostles,p.36) Confession was always very specific.”True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.” (Steps to Christ, p. 38). Sin clogs the arteries of our spiritual hearts. It corrodes the channels of the soul. It blocks the blessing God longs to pour out through us. The answer is confession. Confess to God and others we have wronged or hurt and ask for forgiveness..   Excerpt from  10 Days in the Upper Room  by Mark A. Finley   Day:4 (pp.36-38) Steps to Christ by Ellen G, White Acts of the Apostles by Ellen G....

In genuine repentance, no excuse is made for sin because it is “the goodness of God” that leads each one of us to repentance (Romans 2:4) It is impossible  to genuinely repent of our sins unless Jesus gives us the gift of repentance. In Acts 5, the apostles proclaim the Jesus whom “God has exalted to His right hand to be the Prince and Savior, to give repentance  to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (verse 31) Ellen White reminds us that  “We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ. Christ is the source of every right impulse. He is the only one that can implant in the heart enmity against sin. Every desire for truth and purity, every conviction of our own sinfulness, is an evidence that His Spirit is moving upon our hearts.”  (Steps to Christ. p 26). Repentance Defined Repentance is an attitude of deep sorrow for sin. We do not want to hurt the One who loves us so much by our sinful actions, attitudes, and choices. Recognizing His enormous love for us, we turn in abhorrence from anything that grieves Him in any way. But repentance involves even more than turning away from sin. I t involves a change of heart. Things we once enjoyed, we now loathe. With David we  cry out ” Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51: 10,11)  The truly repentance heart longs to please Jesus in every aspect of life. Throughout the book of Acts, repentance and the reception of the Holy Spirit are closely linked. At the conclusion of his sermon on Pentecost, Peter admonished his hearers to “repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). In Acts 3:19,he appeals to us as well as his immediate audience, to ” repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,” Ellen White defines this refreshing from the presence of the Lord  as the latter rain  ( Early Writings,p.86). As we enter into repentance–a deep heartfelt sorrow for sin–God prepares our hearts for the reception of the Holy Spirit. Excerpts from (Day 3 p.30) 10 Days in the Upper Room by Mark A. Finley Steps to Christ by Ellen G. White Early Writings by Ellen G....

Walk in Unity 1 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:1-6 New King James Version...