From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Apr 26 13:28:46 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:28:46 -0400 Subject: The Grace of Humility In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The Grace of Humility Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isa. 57:15. The grace of humility should be cherished by every one who names the name of Christ, for self-exaltation can find no place in the work of God. Those who would cooperate with the Lord of hosts must daily crucify self, placing worldly ambition in the background. They must be long-suffering and kind, full of mercy and tenderness to those around them. . . . True humility is the evidence that we behold God and that we are in union with Jesus Christ. Unless we are meek and lowly we cannot claim that we have any true conception of the character of God. Men may think that they are serving God faithfully; their talents, learning, eloquence, or zeal may dazzle the eye, delight the fancy, and awaken the admiration of those who cannot see beneath the surface, but unless these qualifications are humbly consecrated to God, . . . they are regarded by God as unprofitable servants. God has been waiting long for His followers to manifest true humility that He may impart rich blessings to them. Those who offer Him the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit will be hidden in the cleft of the rock and will behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. As Jesus, the Sin Bearer, the all-sufficient Sacrifice, is seen more distinctly, their lips are tuned to the loftiest praise. The more they see of the character of Christ the more humble they become, and the lower their estimate of themselves. . . . Self is lost sight of in their consciousness of their own unworthiness and of God's wonderful glory. . . . Those who value a holy and happy walk with God, who prize the strength that a knowledge of Him brings; will leave nothing undone if only they may behold God. They will cherish the spirit that trembles at His word, and in every place and under every circumstance they will pray that they may be allowed to see His glory. >From That I May Know Him - Page 122 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Mon Jan 1 14:50:12 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 17:50:12 -0500 Subject: Unlock the Storehouse! In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Unlock the Storehouse! Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Eph. 3:8. In the Word of God there are rich mines of truth that we may spend our whole lifetime in exploring, and yet we shall find that we have only begun to view their precious stores. . . . There are unsearchable riches for us. It will take us all eternity to comprehend the riches of the glory of God and of Jesus Christ. . . . Christ has said: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37). Have you exhausted the fountain? No, for it is inexhaustible. Just as soon as you feel your need, you may drink, and drink again. The fountain is always full. And when you have once drunk of that fountain you will not be seeking to quench your thirst from the broken cisterns of this world; you will not be studying how you can find the most pleasure, amusement, fun, and frolic. No, because you have been drinking from the stream which makes glad the city of God. Then your joy will be full, for Christ will be in you. Jehovah Immanuel--He "in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," in whom dwells "all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:3, 9)--to be brought into sympathy with Him, to know Him, to possess Him, as the heart opens more and more to receive His attributes; to know His love and power, to possess the unsearchable riches of Christ, to comprehend more and more "what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph. 3:18, 19)--"this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord" (Isa. 54:17). There is no need for us to hunger, there is no need for us to thirst, while the storehouse of heaven is open for us and the key is given into our possession. What is the key? Faith, which is the gift of God. Unlock the storehouse; take of its rich treasures. >From That I May Know Him - Page 7 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Tue Jan 2 06:12:28 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2007 09:12:28 -0500 Subject: Where Wisdom Begins In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Where Wisdom Begins The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Prov. 9:10. There is a wide difference between what God has given men capacity to become, and the degree of excellence to which they actually attain. The Word of God presents the most potent means of education, as well as the most valuable source of knowledge, within the reach of man. The understanding adapts itself to the dimensions of the subjects with which it is required to deal. If occupied with trivial, commonplace matters only, never summoned to earnest effort to comprehend great and eternal truths, it becomes dwarfed and enfeebled. Hence the value of the Scriptures, as a means of intellectual culture. . . . They lead directly to the contemplation of the most exalted, the most ennobling, and the most stupendous truths that are presented to the mind of man. They direct our thoughts to the infinite Author of all things. We see revealed the character of the Eternal, and listen to His voice as He communes with patriarchs and prophets. We see explained the mysteries of His providence, the great problems which have engaged the attention of every thoughtful mind, but which, without the aid of revelation, human intellect seeks in vain to solve. They open to our understanding a simple yet sublime system of theology, presenting truths which a child may grasp, but which are yet so far reaching as to baffle the powers of the strongest mind. The more closely God's Word is searched, and the better understood, the more vividly will the student realize that there is, beyond, infinite wisdom, knowledge, and power. . . . If the youth will but learn of the heavenly Teacher, as did Daniel, they will know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. . . . Those who consecrate themselves to God, and who have the protection of His grace and the quickening influence of His Spirit, will manifest keener intellectual power than the mere worldling. They will be able to reach the highest, noblest exercise of every faculty. >From That I May Know Him - Page 8 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Wed Jan 3 05:46:43 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 08:46:43 -0500 Subject: Who May Know God? In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Who May Know God? Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? Job 11:7. We cannot by searching find out God, but He has revealed Himself in His Son, who is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person. If we desire a knowledge of God we must be Christlike. . . . Living a pure life through faith in Christ as a personal Saviour will bring to the believer a clearer, higher conception of God. . . . Eternal life is the reward that will be given to all who obey the two great principles of God's law--love to God and love to man. The first four commandments define and enjoin love to God; the last six, love to our fellow men. Obedience to these commands is the only evidence man can give that he possesses a genuine, saving knowledge of God. Love for God is demonstrated by love for those for whom Christ has died. While enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, Christ gave directions regarding this love. Distinctly and clearly He laid down the principles of heaven as rules that His chosen people were to observe in their dealings one with another. These principles Christ lived out in His life of humanity. In His teaching He presented the motives that should govern the lives of His followers. . . . Those who partake of God's love through a reception of the truth will give evidence of this by making earnest, self-sacrificing efforts to give the message of God's love to others. Thus they become laborers together with Christ. Love for God and for one another unites them to Christ by golden links. Their life is bound up with His life in sanctified, elevated union. . . . This union causes rich currents of Christ's love to flow continually into the heart, and then flow forth again in love for others. The qualities that it is essential for all to possess in order to know God are those that mark the completeness of Christ's character--His love, His patience, His unselfishness. These attributes are cultivated by doing kind actions with a kindly heart. >From That I May Know Him - Page 9 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Jan 4 14:11:30 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 17:11:30 -0500 Subject: Superficial Knowledge Not Enough In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Superficial Knowledge Not Enough 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. There are many mysteries in the Word of God that we do not comprehend, and many of us are content to stop our investigation when we have just begun to receive a little knowledge concerning Christ. When there begins to be a little unfolding of the divine purposes to the mind, and we begin to obtain a slight knowledge of the character of God, we become satisfied and think that we have received about all the light that there is for us in the Word of God. But the truth of God is infinite. With painstaking effort we should work in the mines of truth, discovering the precious jewels that have been hidden. . . . Jesus meant just what He said when He directed His disciples to "search the Scriptures" (John 5:39). Searching means to compare scripture with scripture, and spiritual things with spiritual. We should not be satisfied with a superficial knowledge. We do not half realize what the Lord is willing to do for His people. . . . Our petitions, mingled with faith and contrition, should go up to God for an understanding of the mysteries that God would make known to His saints. . . . An angel's pen could not portray all the glory of the revealed plan of redemption. The Bible tells how Christ bore our sins and carried our sorrows. Here is revealed how mercy and truth have met together at the cross of Calvary, how righteousness and peace have kissed each other, how the righteousness of Christ may be imparted to fallen man. There infinite wisdom, infinite justice, infinite mercy, and infinite love were displayed. Depths, heights, lengths, and breadths of love and wisdom, all passing knowledge, are made known in the plan of salvation. He who desires the truth in his heart, who longs for the working of its powers upon the life and character, will be sure to have it. Says the Saviour, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6). >From That I May Know Him - Page 10 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Fri Jan 5 12:30:04 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2007 15:30:04 -0500 Subject: Christ the Eternal Word In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Christ the Eternal Word In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:13. Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father,--one in nature, in character, in purpose,--the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." His "goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." And the Son of God declares concerning Himself: "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting. . . . When he appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by him, as one brought up with him" (Isa 9:6; Micah 5:2; Prov. 8:22-30). The Father wrought by His Son in the creation of all heavenly beings. "By him were all things created, . . . whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him" (Col. 1:16). Angels are God's ministers, radiant with the light ever flowing from His presence, and speeding on rapid wing to execute His will. But the Son, the anointed of God, the "express image of his person," "the brightness of his glory," "upholding all things by the word of his power," holds supremacy over them all (Heb. 1:3). Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. . . . The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right. . . . There are light and glory in the truth that Christ was one with the Father before the foundation of the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it resplendent with divine, original glory. >From That I May Know Him - Page 11 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sat Jan 6 06:05:36 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2007 09:05:36 -0500 Subject: The Great I Am In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The Great I Am Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. John 8:58. I AM means an eternal presence; the past, present, and future are alike with God. He sees the most remote events of past history and the far distant future with as clear a vision as we do those things which are transpiring daily. We know not what is before us, and if we did, it would not contribute to our eternal welfare. God gives us an opportunity to exercise faith and trust in the great I AM. . . . Our Saviour says, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56). Fifteen hundred years before Christ laid off His royal robe, His kingly crown, and left His position of honor in the heavenly courts, assumed humanity, and walked a man among the children of men, Abraham saw His day, and was glad. "Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am" (verses 57, 58). . . . Christ was using the great name of God that was given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence {See Ex. 3:14.} Isaiah also saw Christ, and his prophetic words are full of significance. He says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). Speaking through him, the Lord says, "I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. . . . Fear not: for I am with thee. . . . I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. . . . Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Yea, before the day was I am he. . . . I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King" (Isa, 43:3-15). . . . When Jesus came to our world, He proclaimed Himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). . . . The Lord must be believed and served as the great "I AM," and we must trust implicitly in Him. >From That I May Know Him - Page 12 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sun Jan 7 06:50:08 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 09:50:08 -0500 Subject: Co-Workers in Creation In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Co-Workers in Creation And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen. 1:26, 27. After the earth was created, and the beasts upon it, the Father and Son carried out their purpose, which was designed before the fall of Satan, to make man in their own image. They had wrought together in the creation of the earth and every living thing upon it. And now God said to His Son, "Let us make man in our image." Adam and Eve came forth from the hand of their Creator in the perfection of every physical, mental, and spiritual endowment. God planted for them a garden and surrounded them with everything lovely and attractive to the eye, and that which their physical necessities required. . . . The holy pair looked upon nature as a picture of unsurpassed loveliness. The brown earth was clothed with a carpet of living green, diversified with an endless variety of self-propagating, self-perpetuating flowers. Shrubs, flowers, and trailing vines regaled the senses with their beauty and fragrance. The many varieties of lofty trees were laden with fruit of every kind and of delicious flavor. ... Adam and Eve could trace the skill and glory of God in every spire of grass and in every shrub and flower. The natural loveliness which surrounded them, like a mirror reflected the wisdom, excellence, and love of their heavenly Father. And their songs of affection and praise rose sweetly and reverentially to heaven, harmonizing with the songs of the exalted angels, and with the happy birds who were caroling forth their music without a care. There was no disease, decay, nor death anywhere. Life, life was in everything the eye rested upon. The atmosphere was impregnated with life. . . . Adam could reflect that he was created in the image of God, to be like Him in righteousness and holiness. His mind was capable of continual cultivation, expansion, refinement and noble elevation, for God was his teacher, and angels were his companions. >From That I May Know Him - Page 13 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Mon Jan 8 06:48:15 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 09:48:15 -0500 Subject: A Sad Day for the Universe In-Reply-To: Message-ID: A Sad Day for the Universe Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Rom. 5:12. When our first parents were placed in the beautiful garden of Eden, they were tested in regard to their loyalty to God. They were free to choose the service of God, or by disobedience to ally themselves with the enemy of God and man. . . . If they disregard God's commands, and listened to the voice of Satan, as he spoke through the serpent, they would not only forfeit their claim to Eden, but to life itself. The first great moral lesson given Adam was that of self-denial. The reins of self-government were placed in his hands. Judgment, reason, and conscience were to bear sway. . . . Adam and Eve were permitted to partake of every tree in the Garden save one. There was only a single prohibition. The forbidden tree was as attractive and lovely as any of the trees in the Garden. It was called the tree of knowledge, because in partaking of that tree, of which God had said, "Thou shalt not eat of it," (Gen. 2:17) they would have a knowledge of sin, an experience in disobedience. With what intense interest the whole universe watched the conflict that was to decide the position of Adam and Eve. How attentively the angels listened to the words of Satan, the originator of sin, as he ... sought to make of none effect the law of God through his deceptive reasoning! How anxiously they waited to see if the holy pair would be deluded by the tempter, and yield to his arts! They asked themselves, Will the holy pair transfer their faith and love from the Father and Son to Satan? Will they accept his falsehoods as truth? Adam and Eve persuaded themselves that in so small a matter as eating of the forbidden fruit, there could not result such terrible consequences as God had declared. But this small matter was sin, the transgression of God's immutable and holy law, and it opened the floodgates of death and untold woe upon our world. . . . Let us not esteem sin as a trivial thing. >From That I May Know Him - Page 14 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Wed Jan 10 05:27:21 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 08:27:21 -0500 Subject: The Mystery of Sin In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The Mystery of Sin Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so. ... Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. Eze. 28:14, 15. It is impossible to explain the origin of sin so as to give a reason for its existence. Yet enough may be understood concerning both the origin and the final disposition of sin, to make fully manifest the justice and benevolence of God in all His dealings with evil. Nothing is more plainly taught in Scripture than that God was in no wise responsible for the entrance of sin. . . . Sin is an intruder, for whose presence no reason can be given. It is mysterious, unaccountable; to excuse it, is to defend it. Could excuse for it be found, or cause be shown for its existence, it would cease to be sin. Our only definition of sin is that given in the word of God; it is "the transgression of the law;" (1 John 3:4) it is the outworking of a principle at war with the great law of love which is the foundation of the divine government. Sin originated in self-seeking. Lucifer, the covering cherub, desired to be first in heaven. He sought to gain control of heavenly beings, to draw them away from their Creator, and to win their homage to himself. . . . Thus he deceived angels. Thus he deceived men. He led them to doubt the word of God, and to distrust His goodness. . . . Thus he drew men to join him in rebellion against God, and the night of woe settled down upon the world. Sin appeared in a perfect universe. . . . The reason of its inception or development was never explained and never can be, even at the last great day when the judgment shall sit and the books be opened. . . . At that day it will be evident to all that there is not, and never was, any cause for sin. At the final condemnation of Satan and his angels and of all men who have finally identified themselves with him as transgressors of God's law, every mouth will be stopped. When the hosts of rebellion, from the first great rebel to the last transgressor, are asked why they have broken the law of God, they will be speechless. There will be no answer to give. >From That I May Know Him - Page 15 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Wed Jan 10 05:30:38 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 08:30:38 -0500 Subject: Divine Enmity in the Soul In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Divine Enmity in the Soul And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Gen. 3:15. Adam and Eve stood as criminals before their God, awaiting the sentence which transgression had incurred. But before they hear of the thorn and the thistle, the sorrow and anguish which should be their portion, and the dust to which they should return, they listen to words which must have inspired them with hope. Though they must suffer . . . , they might look forward to ultimate victory. God declares, "I will put enmity." This enmity is supernaturally put, and not naturally entertained. When man sinned, his nature became evil, and he was in harmony, and not at variance, with Satan. The lofty usurper, having succeeded in seducing our first parents as he had seduced angels, counted on securing their allegiance and cooperation in all his enterprises against the government of Heaven. . . . But when Satan heard that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head, he knew that though he had succeeded in depraving human nature . . . , yet by some mysterious process God would restore to man his lost power, and enable him to resist and overcome his conqueror. It is the grace that Christ implants in the soul that creates the enmity against Satan. Without this grace, man would continue the captive of Satan, a servant ever ready to do his bidding. The new principle in the soul creates conflict where hitherto had been peace. The power which Christ imparts, enables man to resist the tyrant and usurper. Whenever a man is seen to abhor sin instead of loving it, when he resists and conquers those passions that have held sway within, there is seen the operation of a principle wholly from above. The Holy Spirit must be constantly imparted to man, or he has no disposition to contend against the powers of darkness. Shall we not accept the enmity which Christ has placed between man and the serpent? . . . We have a right to say, In the strength of Jesus Christ I will be a conqueror. >From That I May Know Him - Page 16 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Jan 11 06:05:48 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 09:05:48 -0500 Subject: A Star of Hope In-Reply-To: Message-ID: A Star of Hope Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29. To fallen man was revealed the plan of infinite sacrifice through which salvation was to be provided. Nothing but the death of God's dear Son could expiate man's sin, and Adam marveled at the goodness of God in providing such a ransom for the sinner. Through the love of God, a star of hope illumined the terrible future that spreads before the transgressor. Through the institution of the typical system of sacrifice and offering, the death of Christ was ever to be kept before guilty man, that he might better comprehend the nature of sin, the results of transgression, and the merit of the divine offering. Had there been no sin, man would never have known death. But in the innocent offering slain by his own hand he beheld the fruits of sin--the death of the Son of God in his behalf. He sees the immutable character of the law he has transgressed, and confesses his sin; he relies upon the merits of the Lamb of God. . . . In becoming man's substitute, in bearing the curse which should fall upon man, Christ has pledged Himself in behalf of the race to maintain the sacred and exalted honor of His Father's law. . . . God has given the world into the hands of Christ, that He may completely vindicate the binding claims of the law and make manifest the holiness of every principle. The sacrifice of beasts shadowed forth the sinless offering of God's dear Son, and pointed forward to His death upon the cross. But at the crucifixion type met antitype, and the typical system there ceased. . . . The Son of God is the center of the great plan of redemption which covers all dispensations. He is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). He is the Redeemer of the fallen sons and daughters of Adam in all ages of human probation. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). >From That I May Know Him - Page 17 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Fri Jan 12 04:59:38 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Darryl Thompson) Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 04:59:38 -0800 Subject: God's Character Revealed In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: God's Character Revealed But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom. 5:8. The fall of man, with all its consequences, was not hidden from the Omnipotent. Redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam, but an eternal purpose, suffered to be wrought out for the blessing not only of this atom of a world, but for the good of all the worlds that God had created. . . . When man sinned, all heaven was filled with sorrow. . . . Out of harmony with the nature of God, unyielding to the claims of His law, naught but destruction was before the human race. Since the divine law is as changeless as the character of God, there could be no hope for man unless some way could be devised whereby his transgression might be pardoned, his nature renewed, and his spirit restored to reflect the image of God. Divine love had conceived such a plan. . . . In the work of creation Christ was with God. He was one with God, equal with Him. . . . He alone, the Creator of man, could be his Saviour. No angel of heaven could reveal the Father to the sinner, and win him back to allegiance to God. But Christ could manifest the Father's love, for God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself. Christ could be the "daysman" between a holy God and lost humanity, one who could "lay his hand upon us both" (Job 9:33). . . . He proposed to take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin--sin so offensive in the sight of God that it would necessitate separation from His Father. Christ proposed to reach to the depths of man's degradation and woe, and restore the repenting, believing soul to harmony with God. Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, offered Himself as a sacrifice and substitute for the fallen sons of Adam. Through creation and redemption, through nature and through Christ, the glories of the divine character are revealed. By the marvelous display of His love in giving "his only begotten Son," . . . the character of God is revealed to the intelligences of the universe. >From That I May Know Him - Page 18 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sat Jan 13 06:12:44 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 09:12:44 -0500 Subject: Love So Amazing! In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Love So Amazing! For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. Having undertaken the work of man's redemption, the Father would spare nothing, however dear, which was essential for the completion of His work. He would make opportunities for men; He would pour upon them His blessings; He would heap favor upon favor, gift upon gift, until the whole treasury of heaven was open to those whom He came to save. Having collected all the riches of the universe, and laid open all the resources of His divine nature, God gave them all for the use of man. They were His free gift. What an ocean of love is circulating, like a divine atmosphere, around the world! What manner of love is this, that the eternal God should adopt human nature in the person of His Son, and carry the same into the highest heaven! All the heavenly intelligences were watching with intense interest the warfare that was going on upon the earth--the earth that Satan claimed as his dominion. Every moment was big with eternal realities. How would the conflict end? The angels looked for the justice of God to be revealed, His anger to be aroused against the prince of darkness and his sympathizers. But lo, mercy prevailed. When the Son of God might have come to the world to condemn, He came as righteousness and peace, to save not merely the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but all the world--every son and daughter of Adam who would believe on Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. What an exhibition of the love of Jehovah! This is love without a parallel. Our Redeemer determined on nothing less than that through His merits the love of God should be transfused through the soul that believes in Him. As our life, the vitality of God's love is to circulate through every part of our nature, that it may abide in us as it dwells in Christ Jesus. United with Christ by living faith, the Father loves us as the members of Christ's mystical body, of which Christ is the glorified head. >From That I May Know Him - Page 19 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sun Jan 14 07:12:07 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 10:12:07 -0500 Subject: Isaac a Figure of Christ In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Isaac a Figure of Christ By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Heb. 11:17, 18. The offering of Isaac was designed by God to prefigure the sacrifice of His Son. Isaac was a figure of the Son of God, who was offered a sacrifice for the sins of the world. God desired to impress upon Abraham the gospel of salvation of men. . . . He was made to understand in his own experience how great was the self-denial of the infinite God in giving His Son to rescue man from ruin. To Abraham no mental torture could be equal to that which he endured in obeying the command to sacrifice his son. ... With a breaking heart and unnerved hand, he takes the fire, while Isaac inquires, "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" (Gen. 22:7). But oh, Abraham cannot tell him now! Father and son build the altar, and the terrible moment comes for Abraham to make known to Isaac that which has agonized his soul during all that long journey--that Isaac himself is the victim. . . . The son submits to the sacrifice because he believes in the integrity of his father. But when everything is ready, when the faith of the father and the submission of the son are fully tested, the angel of God stays the uplifted hand of Abraham, and tells him that it is enough. "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me" (verse 12). Our heavenly Father surrendered His beloved Son to the agonies of the crucifixion. Legions of angels witnessed the humiliation and soul anguish of the Son of God, but were not permitted to interpose as in the case of Isaac. No voice was heard to stay the sacrifice. God's dear Son, the world's Redeemer, was insulted, mocked at, derided, and tortured, until He bowed His head in death. What greater proof can the Infinite One give us of His divine love and pity? "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32). From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Mon Jan 15 07:01:43 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:01:43 -0500 Subject: Christ the Mystic Ladder In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Christ the Mystic Ladder And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Gen. 28:12. Jacob's experience as a wanderer from his home, when he was shown the mystic ladder, . . . was designed to teach a great truth in regard to the plan of salvation. . . . The ladder represented Christ. He is the channel of communication between heaven and earth, and angels go to and fro in continual intercourse with the fallen race. The words of Christ to Nathanael were in harmony with the figure of the ladder, when He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51). Here the Redeemer identifies Himself as the mystic ladder that makes communication possible between heaven and earth. . . . In assuming humanity, Christ planted the ladder firmly upon the earth. The ladder reaches unto the highest heaven, and God's glory shines from its summit and illuminates its whole length, while the angels pass to and fro with messages from God to man, with petition and praise from man to God. . . . In the vision of Jacob was represented the union of the human and the divine in Christ. As the angels pass to and fro on the ladder, God is represented as looking down with favor upon the children of men because of the merit of His Son. . . . The gaining of eternal life is no easy thing. By living faith we are to keep on reaching forward, ascending the ladder round by round, seeing and taking the necessary steps; and yet we must understand that not one holy thought, not one unselfish act, can be originated in self. It is only through Christ that there can be any virtue in humanity. . . . But while we can do nothing without Him, we have something to do in connection with Him. At no time must we relax our spiritual vigilance, for we are hanging, as it were, between heaven and earth. We must cling to Christ, climb up by Christ, become laborers together with Him in the saving of our souls. >From That I May Know Him - Page 21 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Tue Jan 16 05:48:42 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2007 08:48:42 -0500 Subject: Christ's First Advent Prefigured In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Christ's First Advent Prefigured By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Heb. 11:24, 25. While he {Moses} was sitting under the very shadow of the throne, the Spirit of the Lord stirred his heart to lift the crushing weight that was pressing his brethren into the lowest degradation and slavery. His heart ached with sorrow, as if he himself were in slavery, laboring in the brick kiln, and sharing their degradation. They were slaves, suffering under the cruel lash. They were a reproach and a hissing to all the Egyptians, from Pharaoh down to the lowest serf. But the Lord had singled out Moses as the one to deliver the oppressed race, and by forty years of exile, under the discipline of God, he was prepared for the work. Understanding the evil disposition of his own countrymen, knowing how many would be perverse and unreasonable, understanding that they might betray him, he was yet considering ways and means to accomplish their deliverance, though supposing that he himself had forfeited all right to be the instrument. But God, in the bush which though burning was yet unconsumed by the fire, presented Himself, and selected Moses as His agent. . . . Moses was accepted as a co-worker with God. He knew that scorn, hatred, persecution, and maybe death would be his portion if he should act any part in espousing the cause of the Hebrew captives. . . . He had stood in great popularity as the general of Pharaoh's armies, and he knew that now his name would be bandied round and falsified, but he esteemed "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt" (Heb. 11:26). He laid down the prospect of a kingly crown, and took up the burdens of his oppressed and afflicted people. Moses was chosen of God to break the yoke of bondage upon the children of Israel, and . . . in his work he prefigured Christ's first advent to break Satan's power over the human family and deliver those who were made captives by his power. >From That I May Know Him - Page 22 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Wed Jan 17 06:06:39 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2007 09:06:39 -0500 Subject: The Smitten Rock In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The Smitten Rock Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Ex. 17:6. From the smitten rock in Horeb first flowed the living stream that refreshed Israel in the desert. During all their wanderings, wherever the need existed, they were supplied with water by a miracle of God's mercy. . . . It was Christ, by the power of His word, that caused the refreshing stream to flow for Israel. "They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4). He was the source of all temporal as well as spiritual blessings. Christ, the true Rock, was with them in all their wanderings. "They thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them." "They ran in the dry places like a river" (Isa. 48:21; Ps. 105:41). The smitten rock was a figure of Christ, and through this symbol the most precious spiritual truths are taught. As the life-giving waters flowed from the smitten rock, so from Christ, "smitten of God," "wounded for our transgressions," "bruised for our iniquities" (Isa. 53:4, 5), the stream of salvation flows for a lost race. As the rock had been once smitten, so Christ was to be "once offered to bear the sins of many" (Heb. 9:28). Our Saviour was not to be sacrificed a second time; and it is only necessary for those who seek the blessings of His grace to ask in the name of Jesus, pouring forth the heart's desire in penitential prayer. Such prayer will bring before the Lord of hosts the wounds of Jesus, and then will flow forth afresh the life-giving blood, symbolized by the flowing of the living water for Israel. . . . The refreshing water, welling up in a parched and barren land, . . . is an emblem of the divine grace which Christ alone can bestow, and which is as the living water purifying, refreshing, and invigorating the soul. He in whom Christ is abiding has within him a never-failing fountain of grace and strength. >From That I May Know Him - Page 23 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Jan 18 04:03:15 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 07:03:15 -0500 Subject: The Living Water In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The Living Water And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 1 Cor. 10:4. Christ combines the two types. He is the rock, He is the living water. The same beautiful and expressive figures are carried throughout the Bible. Centuries before the advent of Christ, Moses pointed to Him as the rock of Israel's salvation; the psalmist sung of Him as "my redeemer," "the rock of my strength," "the rock that is higher than I," "a rock of habitation," "rock of my heart," "rock of my refuge." In David's song His grace is pictured also as the cool, "still waters," amid green pastures, beside which the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock. Again, "Thou shalt make them," he says, "drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life." And the wise man declares, "The wellspring of wisdom {is} as a flowing brook." To Jeremiah, Christ is "the fountain of living waters"; to Zechariah, "a fountain opened . . . for sin and for uncleanness." Isaiah describes Him as the "rock of ages," and "the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." And he records the precious promise, bringing vividly to mind the living stream that flowed for Israel: "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them." "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground"; "in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert." The invitation is given, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." And in the closing pages of the sacred word this invitation is echoed. The river of the water of life, "clear as crystal," proceeds from the throne of God and the Lamb; and the gracious call is ringing down through the ages, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." References: Deut. 32:15; Ps. 19:14; 62:7; 61:2; 71:3 (margin); 73:26 (margin); 94:22; 23:2; 36:8, 9; Prov. 18:4; Jer. 2:13; Zech. 13:1; Isa. 26:4 (margin); 32:2; 41:17; 44:3; 35:6; 55:1; Rev. 22:1, 17. >From That I May Know Him - Page 24 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Fri Jan 19 04:17:20 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2007 07:17:20 -0500 Subject: God in Human Flesh In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: God in Human Flesh And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14. When we want a deep problem to study, let us fix our minds on the most marvelous thing that ever took place in earth or heaven-- the incarnation of the Son of God. Christ alone was able to represent the Deity. . . . God Himself must be revealed to humanity. In order to do this, our Saviour clothed His divinity with humanity. He employed the human faculties, for only by adopting these could He be comprehended by humanity. Only humanity could reach humanity. He lived out the character of God through the human body which God had prepared for Him. Had Christ come in His divine form, humanity could not have endured the sight. The contrast would have been too painful, the glory too overwhelming. Humanity could not have endured the presence of one of the pure, bright angels from glory; therefore Christ took not on Him the nature of angels; He came in the likeness of men. Looking upon Him, we behold the invisible God, who clothed His divinity with humanity in order that through humanity He might shed forth a subdued and softened glory, so that our eyes might be enabled to rest upon Him, and our souls not be extinguished by His undimmed splendor. We behold God through Christ, our Creator and Redeemer. It is our privilege to contemplate Jesus by faith, and see Him standing between humanity and the eternal throne. He is our Advocate, presenting our prayers and offerings as spiritual sacrifices to God. Jesus is the great sinless propitiation, and through His merit God and man may hold converse together. Christ has carried His humanity into eternity. He stands before God as the representative of our race. When we are clothed with the wedding garment of His righteousness, we become one with Him, and He says of us, "They shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy" (Rev. 3:4). His saints will behold Him in His glory, with no dimming veil between. >From That I May Know Him - Page 25 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sat Jan 20 05:58:08 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2007 08:58:08 -0500 Subject: The Babe of Bethlehem In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The Babe of Bethlehem Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Luke 2:11, 12. We cannot understand how Christ became a little, helpless babe. He could have come to earth in such beauty that He would have been unlike the sons of men. His face could have been bright with light, and His form could have been tall and beautiful. He could have come in such a way as to charm those who looked upon Him, but this was not the way that God planned He should come among the sons of men. He was to be like those who belonged to the human family and to the Jewish race. His features were to be like those of other human beings and He was not to have such beauty of person as to make people point Him out as different from others. He was to come as one of the human family, and to stand as a man before heaven and earth. He had come to take man's place, to pledge Himself in man's behalf, to pay the debt that sinners owed. He was to live a pure life on the earth, and show that Satan had told a falsehood when he claimed that the human family belonged to him forever, and that God could not take men out of his hands. Men first beheld Christ as a babe, as a child. His parents were very poor, and He had nothing in this earth save that which the poor have. He passed through all the trials that the poor and lowly pass through from babyhood to childhood, from youth to manhood. . . . The more we think about Christ's becoming a babe here on earth, the more wonderful it appears. How can it be that the helpless babe in Bethlehem's manger is still the divine Son of God? Though we cannot understand it, we can believe that He who made the worlds, for our sakes became a helpless babe. Though higher than any of the angels, though as great as the Father on the throne of heaven, He became one with us. In Him God and man became one, and it is in this fact that we find the hope of our fallen race. Looking upon Christ in the flesh, we look upon God in humanity and see in Him the brightness of divine glory, the express image of God the Father. >From That I May Know Him - Page 26 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sun Jan 21 10:29:06 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2007 13:29:06 -0500 Subject: A Light to the Young In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: A Light to the Young And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. Luke 2:40. The example of Jesus is a light to the young as well as to those of mature years, for His was a representative childhood and youth. From His earliest years His example was perfect. In both His physical and His spiritual nature He followed the divine order of growth illustrated by the plant, as He wishes all youth to do. Although He was the majesty of heaven, the King of glory, He became a babe in Bethlehem, and for a time represented the helpless infant in its mother's care. In childhood He did the works of an obedient child. He spoke and acted with the wisdom of a child and not of a man, honoring His parents, and carrying out their wishes in helpful ways, according to the ability of a child. But at each stage of His development He was perfect, with the simple, natural grace of a sinless life. Joseph, and especially Mary, kept before them the remembrance of their child's divine Fatherhood. Jesus was instructed in accordance with the sacred character of His mission. His inclination to right was a constant gratification to His parents. The questions He asked them led them to study most earnestly the great elements of truth. His soul-stirring words about nature and the God of nature opened and enlightened their minds. On the rocks and knolls about His home the eye of the Son of God often rested. He was familiar with the things of nature. He saw the sun in the heavens, the moon and the stars fulfilling their mission. With the voice of singing He welcomed the morning light. He listened to the lark caroling forth music to its God, and joined His voice with the voice of praise and thanksgiving. Quiet and gentle, He seemed as one who was set apart. Whenever He could He went out alone into the fields and on the mountainsides to commune with the God of nature. When His work was done He wandered by the lakeside, among the trees of the forest, and in the green valleys, where He could think about God and lift His soul to heaven in prayer. >From That I May Know Him - Page 27 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Mon Jan 22 10:33:11 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 13:33:11 -0500 Subject: A Child in the Temple In-Reply-To: Message-ID: A Child in the Temple Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? Luke 2:49. When Christ was twelve years old He went with His parents to Jerusalem to attend the feast of the Passover, and on their return He was lost in the multitude. After Joseph and Mary had searched for Him for three days, they found Him in the court of the Temple, "sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers" (Luke 2:46, 47). His parents listened in amazement as they heard His searching inquiries. . . . Though taking the attitude of a learner, Christ imparted light in every word He uttered. He interpreted the Scripture to the darkened mind of the rabbis, and gave them clear light in regard to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. The sharp, clear questions of the child learner brought a flood of light to their darkened understanding. The truth shone out as the clear shining of a light in a darkened place, as He received and imparted the knowledge of the plan of salvation. It is plainly stated that Christ grew in knowledge. What a lesson is found in this incident in the life of Christ for all youth! If they shall diligently search the Word of God, and through the Holy Spirit receive divine guidance, they will be able to impart light to others. . . . Mary, the mother of Jesus, . . . asked, "Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." Divine light shone through humanity as Jesus lifted His right hand and asked, "How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them" (verses 48-50). They did not comprehend the true meaning of His words. But, though He was the Son of God, He went down with His parents and came unto Nazareth, and was subject unto them. . . . At the age of twelve the Holy Spirit was abiding upon Jesus and He felt something of the burden of the mission for which He had come to our world. >From That I May Know Him - Page 28 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Tue Jan 23 06:48:29 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 09:48:29 -0500 Subject: Keep the Saviour With You! In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Keep the Saviour With You! And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. Luke 2:43. Not one act in the life of Christ was unimportant. Every event of His life was for the benefit of His followers in future time. This circumstance of the tarry of Christ in Jerusalem teaches an important lesson. . . . Jesus was acquainted with hearts. He knew that, as the crowd returned in company from Jerusalem, there would be much talking and visiting which would not be seasoned with humility and grace, and the Messiah and His mission would be nearly forgotten. It was His choice to return from Jerusalem with His parents alone; for in being retired, His father and mother would have more time for reflection, and for meditation upon the prophecies which referred to His future sufferings and death. He did not wish the painful events which they were to experience in His offering up His life for the sins of the world, to be new and unexpected to them. He was separated from them in their return to Jerusalem. After the celebration of the Passover, they sought Him sorrowing three days. . . . Here is a lesson of instruction to all the followers of Christ. . . . There is necessity of carefulness of words and actions when Christians are associated together, lest Jesus be forgotten of them, and they pass along careless of the fact that Jesus is not among them. When they are aroused to their condition, they discover that they have journeyed without the presence of Him who could give peace and joy to their hearts, and days are occupied in returning, and searching for Him whom they should have retained with them every moment. Jesus will not be found in the company of those who are careless of His presence, and who engage in conversation having no reference to their Redeemer. . . . It is the privilege of all to retain Jesus with them. If they do this, their words must be select, seasoned with grace. The thoughts of their hearts must be disciplined to meditate upon heavenly and divine things. >From That I May Know Him - Page 29 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Wed Jan 24 05:57:36 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:57:36 -0500 Subject: The Ideal for All Humanity In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The Ideal for All Humanity And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. Luke 2:52. Christ lived the life of a toiler from His earliest years. In His youth He worked with His Father at the carpenter's trade, and thus honored all labor. Though He was the King of glory, yet by His practice of following a humble employment He rebuked idleness in every member of the human family, and dignified all labor as noble and Christlike. . . . From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Jan 25 05:49:47 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:49:47 -0500 Subject: The Meaning of Christ's Baptism In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The Meaning of Christ's Baptism Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. Matt. 3:13. Many had come to him [John] to receive the baptism of repentance, confessing their sins. . . . Christ came not confessing His own sins, but guilt was imputed to Him as the sinner's substitute. He came not to repent on His own account, but in behalf of the sinner. . . . Christ honored the ordinance of baptism by submitting to this rite. In this act He identified Himself with His people as their representative and head. As their substitute He takes upon Him their sins, numbering Himself with the transgressors, taking the steps the sinner is required to take, and doing the work the sinner must do. . . . After Christ rose up from the water. . . . He walked out to the bank of Jordan and bowed in the attitude of prayer. . . . As the believer's example, His sinless humanity supplicated support and strength from His heavenly Father, as He was about to commence His public labor as the Messiah. . . . Never before had angels listened to such a prayer as Christ offered at His baptism, and they were solicitous to be the bearers of the message from the Father to His Son. But, no! Direct from the Father issues the light of His glory. The heavens were opened and beams of glory rested upon the Son of God and assumed the form of a dove, in appearance like burnished gold. The dovelike form was emblematical of the meekness and gentleness of Christ. . . . From the opening heavens came these words: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." . . . Notwithstanding the Son of God was clothed with humanity, yet Jehovah, with His own voice, assures Him of His sonship with the Eternal. In this manifestation to His Son, God accepts humanity as exalted through the excellence of His beloved Son. Christ's prayer on the banks of the Jordan includes everyone who will believe in Him. The promise that you are accepted in the Beloved comes to you. God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." . . . Christ has cleaved the way for you to the throne of the infinite God. >From That I May Know Him - Page 31 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Fri Jan 26 06:15:43 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:15:43 -0500 Subject: The Wilderness Temptation In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The Wilderness Temptation Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Matt. 4:1. Why was it that at the beginning of His public ministry Christ was led into the wilderness to be tempted? . . . He went, not in His own behalf, but in our behalf; to overcome for us. . . . He was to be tried and tested as a representative of the race. He was to meet the foe in personal encounter, to overthrow him who claimed to be the head of the kingdoms of the world. Satan met Him and tempted Him on the very points where man will be tempted. Our Substitute and Surety passed over the ground where Adam stumbled and fell. And the question was, Will He stumble and fall as Adam did over God's commandments? He met Satan's attacks again and again with "It is written," and Satan left the field of conflict a conquered foe. Christ has redeemed Adam's disgraceful fall, and has perfected a character of perfect obedience, and left an example for the human family. . . . Had He failed on one point in reference to the law of God, He would not have been a perfect offering, for it was on one point only that Adam failed. . . . Our Saviour withstood on every point the test of temptation, and in this way He has made it possible for man to overcome. Now, there is enough in this idea, in this thought, to fill our hearts with gratitude every day of our lives. As Jesus was accepted as our substitute and surety, every one of us will be accepted if we stand the test and trial for ourselves. He took our nature that He might become acquainted with the trials wherewith man should be beset, and He is our mediator and intercessor before the Father. Those who would overcome must put to the tax every power of their being. They must agonize on their knees before God for divine power. . . . Men may have a power to resist evil--a power that neither earth, nor death, nor hell can master; a power that will place them where they may overcome as Christ overcame. Divinity and humanity may be combined in them. >From That I May Know Him - Page 32 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sat Jan 27 05:24:08 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 08:24:08 -0500 Subject: The Wilderness Temptation In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: A Life Without Sin We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Heb. 4:15. Let us consider how much it cost our Saviour in the wilderness of temptation to carry on in our behalf the conflict with the wily, malignant foe. Satan knew that everything depended upon his success or failure in his attempt to overcome Christ with his manifold temptations. Satan knew that the plan of salvation would be carried out to its fulfillment, that his power would be taken away, that his destruction would be certain, if Christ bore the test that Adam failed to endure. The temptations of Satan were most effective in degrading human nature, for man could not stand against their powerful influence; but Christ in man's behalf, as man's representative, resting wholly upon the power of God, endured the severe conflict, in order that He might be a perfect example to us. There is hope for man. . . . The work before us is to overcome as Christ overcame. He fasted forty days, and suffered the keenest pangs of hunger. Christ suffered on our account beyond our comprehension, and we should welcome trial and suffering on our own account for Christ's sake, that we may overcome as Christ also overcame, and be exalted to the throne of our Redeemer. . . . We have everything to gain in the conflict with our mighty foe, and we dare not for a moment yield to his temptations. We know that in our own strength it is not possible for us to succeed; but as Christ humbled Himself, and took upon Himself our nature, He is acquainted with our necessities, and has Himself borne the heaviest temptations that man will have to bear, has conquered the enemy in resisting his suggestions, in order that man may learn how to be conqueror. He was clothed with a body like ours, and in every respect suffered what man will suffer, and very much more. We shall never be called upon to suffer as Christ suffered, for the sins not of one, but the sins of the whole world were laid upon Christ. He endured humiliation, reproach, suffering, and death, that we by following His example might inherit all things. >From That I May Know Him - Page 33 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sun Jan 28 09:31:30 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:31:30 -0500 Subject: Christ Suffered, Being Tempted In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Christ Suffered, Being Tempted For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Heb. 2:16. We need not place the obedience of Christ by itself, as something for which He was particularly adapted, by His particular divine nature, for He stood before God as man's representative and was tempted as man's substitute and surety. If Christ had a special power which it is not the privilege of man to have, Satan would have made capital of this matter. The work of Christ was to take from the claims of Satan his control of man, and He could do this only in the way that He came--a man, tempted as a man, rendering the obedience of a man. Would that we could comprehend the significance of the words, Christ "suffered being tempted" (Heb. 2:18). While He was free from the taint of sin, the refined sensibilities of His holy nature rendered contact with evil unspeakably painful to Him. Yet with human nature upon Him, He met the arch apostate face to face, and singlehanded withstood the foe of His throne. Not even by a thought could Christ be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John 14:30). The storms of temptation burst upon Him, but they could not cause Him to swerve from His allegiance to God. All the followers of Christ have to meet the same malignant foe that assailed their Master. With marvelous skill he adapts his temptations to their circumstances, their temperament, their mental and moral bias, their strong passions. He is ever whispering in the ears of the children of men, as he points to worldly pleasures, gains, or honors, "All this will I give you, if you will do my bidding." We must look to Christ; we must resist as He resisted; we must pray as He prayed; we must agonize as He agonized, if we would conquer as He conquered. >From That I May Know Him - Page 34 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Mon Jan 29 05:40:18 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 08:40:18 -0500 Subject: Our Divine Redeemer In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Our Divine Redeemer Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Phil. 2:6. Jesus Christ "counted it not a thing to be grasped to be equal with God." Because divinity alone could be efficacious in the restoration of man from the poisonous bruise of the serpent, God Himself, in His only begotten Son, assumed human nature, and in the weakness of human nature sustained the character of God, vindicated His holy law in every particular, and accepted the sentence of wrath and death for the sons of men. What a thought is this! He who was one with the Father before the world was made had such compassion for a world lost and ruined by transgression that He gave His life a ransom for it. He who was the brightness of the Father's glory, the express image of His person, bore our sins in His own body on the tree, suffering the penalty of man's transgression until justice was satisfied and required no more. How great is the redemption that has been worked out for us! So great that the Son of God died the cruel death of the cross to bring to us life and immortality through faith in Him. This wonderful problem--how God could be just and yet the justifier of sinners--is beyond human ken. As we attempt to fathom it, it broadens and deepens beyond our comprehension. When we look with the eye of faith upon the cross of Calvary, and see our sins laid upon the victim hanging in weakness and ignominy there--when we grasp the fact that this is God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace--we are led to exclaim, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us" (1 John 3:1)! . . . When man can measure the exalted character of the Lord of hosts, and distinguish between the eternal God and finite humanity, he will know how great has been the sacrifice of Heaven to bring man from where he has fallen through disobedience to become part of the family of God. . . . The divinity of Christ is our assurance of eternal life. . . . He, the Sin Bearer of the world, is our only medium of reconciliation with a holy God. >From That I May Know Him - Page 35 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Tue Jan 30 06:02:14 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 09:02:14 -0500 Subject: Marvel of the Heavenly Hosts In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Marvel of the Heavenly Hosts But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. Phil. 2:7. It is important that we each study to know the reason of the life of Christ in humanity, and what it means to us--why the Son of God left the courts of heaven--why He stepped down from His position as commander of the heavenly angels who came and went at His bidding --why He clothed His divinity with humanity, and in lowliness and humility came to the world as our Redeemer. It was the marvel of the heavenly hosts that Christ should come to earth and do as He did--that His life here should be one of poverty, in such incomparable contrast with His glory in the heavenly courts. He might have come attended by the angelic throng. . . . Before the universe of heaven, Christ condescended to take upon Him the form of humanity, and stand among the lowly ones of earth, that He might reach them where they were, and by precept and example teach them, that though among the poor and oppressed they might be pure, and true, and noble. He came to reveal to the world that the life and character need not become contaminated amid poverty and lowliness. The lily that rests upon the bosom of the lake may be surrounded with weeds and unsightly debris, yet, unsullied, it opens its fragrant white blossom to the sunlight. It strikes its channeled stem down through the mass of rubbish to the pure sands beneath. Refusing everything that would defile, it gathers to itself only those properties that will develop into the spotless, fragrant flower. The lily is a representation of Christ among men. He came to a world all seared and marred with the curse, but He was not polluted by His surroundings. He was the Light, the Life, and the Way. He voluntarily became an inhabitant of earth, that He might grasp the whole world in His merciful arms and lay it in the arms of His heavenly Father. What love is manifested in this sacrifice, that the Lord Himself should come to the help of the fallen sons and daughters of Adam! >From That I May Know Him - Page 36 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Feb 1 05:55:13 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 08:55:13 -0500 Subject: The Greatness of Humility In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The Greatness of Humility And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Phil. 2:8. Christ came to this world for no other purpose than to manifest the glory of God, that man might be uplifted by its restoring power. All power and grace were given to Him. His heart was a wellspring of living water, a never-failing fountain, ever ready to flow forth in a rich, clear stream to those around Him. His whole life was spent in pure disinterested benevolence. His purposes were full of love and sympathy. He rejoiced that He could do more for His followers than they could ask or think. His constant prayer for them was that they might be sanctified through the truth, and He prayed with assurance, knowing that an almighty decree had been given before the world was made. He knew that the gospel of the kingdom would be preached in all the world; that truth, armed with the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit, would conquer in the contest with evil; and that the bloodstained banner would one day wave triumphantly over His followers. Yet Christ came in great humility. When He was here He pleased not Himself, but "humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." To His followers He says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt. 11:29). . . . From the root of true humility springs the most precious greatness of mind--greatness which leads men to conform to the image of Christ. Those who possess this greatness gain patience and trust in God. Their faith is invincible. Their true consecration and devotion keep self hidden. The words that fall from their lips are molded into expressions of Christlike tenderness and love. Having a sense of their own weakness, they appreciate the help which the Lord gives them, and they crave His grace that they may do that which is right and true. By their manner, their attitude, and their spirit, they carry with them the credentials of learners in the school of Christ. >From That I May Know Him - Page 37 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Feb 1 05:57:29 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 08:57:29 -0500 Subject: Christ the Revelation of God In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Christ the Revelation of God No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 1:18. Christ came to the world to reveal the character of the Father and to redeem the fallen race. The world's Redeemer was equal with God. His authority was as the authority of God. He declared that He had no existence separate from the Father. The authority by which He spoke and wrought miracles was expressly His own, yet He assures us that He and the Father are one. . . . Jesus had imparted a knowledge of God to patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. The revelations of the Old Testament were emphatically the unfoldings of the gospel, the unveiling of the purpose and will of the infinite Father. Through the holy men of old, Christ labored for the salvation of fallen humanity. And when He came to the world it was with the same message of redemption from sin, and restoration to the favor of God. What speech is to thought, so is Christ to the invisible Father. He is the manifestation of the Father, and is called the Word of God. God sent His Son into the world, His divinity clothed with humanity, that man might bear the image of the invisible God. He made known in His words, His character, His power and majesty, the nature and attributes of God. As legislator, Jesus exercised the authority of God; His commands and decisions were supported by the sovereignty of the eternal throne. The glory of the Father was revealed in the Son; Christ made manifest the character of the Father. He was so perfectly connected with God, so completely embraced in His encircling light, that he who had seen the Son had seen the Father. His voice was as the voice of God. . . . He says, "I am in the Father, and the Father in me." "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:11; Matt. 11:27; John 14:9). >From That I May Know Him - Page 38 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Fri Feb 2 06:58:24 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2007 09:58:24 -0500 Subject: Christ in the Home In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Christ in the Home And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. John 2:1, 2. On the occasion of the marriage feast He {Christ} desired to express His sympathy with, and approval of, those at the wedding. Christ did not come to this world to forbid marriage or to break down or destroy the relationship and influence which exist in the domestic circle. He came to restore, elevate, purify, and ennoble every current of pure affection, that the family on earth might become a symbol of the family in heaven. . . . Mothers are under the tender care of heavenly angels. How interestedly the Lord Jesus knocks at the door of families where there are little children to be educated and trained! How gently he watches over the mothers' interest, and how sad He feels to see children neglected. . . . In the home characters are formed; human beings are molded and fashioned to be either a blessing or a curse. To the mother the Lord has committed the younger members of the family as they come into our world weak and helpless. Infinite wisdom and infinite love does not commit this gentle office, so pregnant with eternal results, to the fathers, full of business plans and cares. Woman's heart is full of patience and love if that woman has surrendered her heart to God. She must cooperate with God and her husband in training the precious souls entrusted to her, to grow up into Christ Jesus. And the father, relying upon the grace of God, should bear the sacred responsibility that rests upon him as the husband, which means house-band. In babyhood and childhood, when the nature is pliable, God would have the firmest impressions made for right. A battle is constantly going on between the Prince of life and the prince of this world. The question to be settled is, Whom will the mother choose as her co-worker to mold and fashion the characters of her children? If she will learn that love is the key to the souls of her children, Christ will preside in the home, filling it with heavenly sunshine. This is His work in every home that will admit Him. >From That I May Know Him - Page 39 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sat Feb 3 06:14:37 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2007 09:14:37 -0500 Subject: Lover of Little Children In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Lover of Little Children Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them. Matt. 19:13-15. Children are the Lord's heritage. The soul of the little child that believes in Christ is as precious in His sight as are the angels about His throne. They are to be brought to Christ, and trained for Christ. They are to be guided in the path of obedience, not indulged in appetite or vanity. When the disciples sought to send away the mothers who were bringing their little ones to Christ, He rebuked their narrow faith, saying, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." He was grieved that the disciples should rebuke the mothers for bringing their children to Him; that His followers should say, by word or action, that His grace was limited, and that children should be kept away from Him. . . . A great responsibility rests upon parents, for the education and training which shape the eternal destiny of children and youth are received in their early childhood. The parents' work is to sow the good seed diligently and untiringly in the hearts of their children, occupying their hearts with seed which will bring forth a harvest of right habits, of truthfulness and willing obedience. Correct, virtuous habits formed in youth will generally mark the course of the individual through life. In most cases those who reverence God and honor the right will be found to have learned this lesson before the world could stamp its image of sin upon the soul. . . . O that parents were truly the sons and daughters of God! Their lives would then be fragrant with good works. A holy atmosphere would surround their souls. Their earnest supplications for grace and for the guidance of the Holy Spirit would ascend to heaven, and religion would be diffused through their homes as the bright, warming rays of the sun are diffused through the earth. >From That I May Know Him - Page 40 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sun Feb 4 10:46:48 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2007 13:46:48 -0500 Subject: A Message for Boys and Girls In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: A Message for Boys and Girls Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Ps. 34:11. Every child and every youth should bear in mind, "I am of value in the sight of God; I am bought with a price, and I am the property of Jesus Christ. As a follower of Christ I am to practice His virtues, that I may represent my Saviour." Pray much. While at your work let your heart be uplifted to God. When you have committed to God the keeping of your soul, do not go away and act directly contrary to the prayer you have made. Watch as well as pray, lest you be overcome with temptation. Resist the first inclination to do wrong. Pray in your heart, "Jesus, help me; preserve me from evil," and then do what you know Christ would be pleased to have you do. . . . You may ask, as many others have done, How may I know that Jesus receives me and loves me? Shall I know by my feelings? No; by obedience to His Holy Word. Appropriate to yourself the rich promises of God. Believe His word that Jesus is abiding in your heart by faith. Through faith and trust in God you may have His peace, and you can then say, "I know in whom I have believed. I will listen to every whisper of His Holy Spirit." There is but one way to be victorious. Serve God with all your heart because you love Him. Seek Him daily because you love Him and know what He is to you. Be faithful in the little things, although no eye but the Lord's may review your work. Remember that you are doing service for Christ. You may now be obtaining a precious experience every day in serving God. Plant the principles of truth in your own soul, and reveal Christ in your character. Do not be satisfied with a common, low level. You can . . . resemble Christ in character. . . . Look unto Jesus constantly if you would advance step by step in the narrow path cast up for the chosen of the Lord to walk in, saying in your heart, "Thee will I seek, O God; Thee will I follow; Thee will I serve; under Thy guidance I can and will go forward." >From That I May Know Him - Page 41 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Mon Feb 5 05:38:53 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2007 08:38:53 -0500 Subject: Armies of Missionary Children In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Armies of Missionary Children Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. Prov. 20:11. God wants the children and youth to join the Lord's army. . . . The children have as strong temptations to meet, on the right hand and on the left, as do the older soldiers. Satan and his legions will work every device to ensnare the young. It is the privilege of the children to enlist in the army of the Lord and seek to persuade others to join their ranks. Children must be educated and trained for Jesus Christ. They must be trained to resist temptation and to fight the good fight of faith. Direct their minds to Jesus as soon as they can comprehend your lessons in simple words, easy to be understood. Teach them self-control. Teach them to begin the work of overcoming when young, and they will receive the precious help that Jesus can and will give, connected with prayerful efforts of parents. Cheer them with encouraging words for the battles they fight in resisting temptation and coming off conquerors through grace given them of Jesus Christ. . . . Parents should hang in memory's hall the precious sayings of Christ. The children will repeat the words they hear often on the parents' lips--of Christ, and faith, and truth. Precious truth may be spoken by children. Whole armies of children may come under Christ's banner as missionaries, even in their childhood years. Never repulse the desire of children to do something for Jesus. Never quench their ardor for working in some way for the Master. Children rightly educated will learn to love Jesus and to grieve if they think they have grieved the Saviour by any sin committed by them. Keep their hearts tender and sensitive by your own words and example. The angels of God are ever near your little ones. . . . Let love and tenderness, patience and self-control, be at all times the law of your speech. Winning love is to be like deep waters, ever flowing forth in the management of your children. All through His life, Christ performed acts of love and tenderness for the children. >From That I May Know Him - Page 42 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Tue Feb 6 06:28:58 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 09:28:58 -0500 Subject: Missionary to the Poor In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Missionary to the Poor The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Luke 4:18. The sufferings of humanity ever touched the heart and called forth the sympathy and love of Christ. He exercised pity and compassion toward those who were afflicted in soul or body. His example in the matter of treating the suffering and afflicted should teach us how to have compassion and pity for the sufferings of His creatures. Christ suffered in the flesh. . . . He knew what it was to suffer keen pangs of hunger, and He has given special lessons in regard to feeding the hungry and caring for the needy poor, and has declared that in ministering to the needy we are ministering to Himself in the person of His saints. He says, "I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat" (Matt. 25:35). He knew the discomfort and suffering of thirst, and He declared that a cup of cold water given in His name to any of His disciples should not lose its reward. Christ was an active, constant worker. He found the domain of religion fenced in by high, steep walls of seclusion as too sacred a matter for everyday life. He threw down the walls of partition, and exercised His helping power in behalf of every one who needed Him. He brought cheerfulness and hope to the desponding. . . . He did not ask, What is your creed? To what church do you belong? Active, earnest, loving interest marked His life. . . . The Lord Jesus knows what poverty means. He is the great missionary to the poor, the sick, the suffering. The King of heaven, He could have led a life of wealth and have lived among the wealthiest; but He chose poverty. And He has honored the poor who believe in Him, for He blessed them forever. Poverty with Christ is riches of the highest value. This poverty is sanctified and blessed. . . . In the humanity of Christ there are golden threads that bind the believing, trusting poor man to His own soul of infinite love. >From That I May Know Him - Page 43 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Wed Feb 7 06:56:50 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2007 09:56:50 -0500 Subject: The Pattern Man In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The Pattern Man For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Cor. 8:9. This world has been visited by the Majesty of heaven, the Son of God. . . . Christ came to this world as the expression of the very heart and mind and nature and character of God. . . . But He laid aside His royal robe and kingly crown, and stepped down from His high command to take the place of a servant. He was rich, but for our sake, that we might have eternal riches, He became poor. He made the world, but so completely did He empty Himself that during His ministry He declared, ". . . the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.". . . Christ stood at the head of humanity in the garb of humanity. So full of sympathy and love was His attitude that the poorest was not afraid to come to Him. He was kind to all; easily approached by the most lowly. He went from house to house, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting the mourners, soothing the afflicted, speaking peace to the distressed. He took the little children in His arms and blessed them, and spoke words of hope and comfort to the weary mothers. With unfailing tenderness and gentleness He met every form of human woe and affliction. Not for Himself, but for others did He labor. He was willing to humble Himself, to deny Himself. He did not seek to distinguish Himself. He was the servant of all. It was His meat and drink to be a comfort and a consolation to others, to gladden the sad and heavy-laden ones with whom He daily came in contact. Christ stands before us as the pattern Man, the great Medical Missionary,--an example for all who should come after. His love, pure and holy, blessed all who came within the sphere of its influence. His character was absolutely perfect, free from the slightest stain of sin. He came as an expression of the perfect love of God, not to crush, not to judge and condemn, but to heal every weak, defective character, to save men and women from Satan's power. He is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of the human race. >From That I May Know Him - Page 44 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Feb 8 05:09:05 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2007 08:09:05 -0500 Subject: Tender, Loving, Compassionate In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Tender, Loving, Compassionate But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Ps. 86:15. God has ordained according to the law of ministry that we should comfort one another in tenderness and love when great sorrows come upon us. No man liveth unto himself. No one dieth unto himself. Life and death both mean something to every human being. . . . God has enjoined the duty upon His human agents to communicate the character of God, testifying to His grace, His wisdom, and His benevolence, by manifesting His refined, tender, merciful love. . . . Jesus . . . was ever touched with human woe, and our hearts should be softened and subdued by His Holy Spirit, that we may be like Him. . . . Our work is to restore the moral image of God in man through the abundant grace given us of God by Jesus Christ. Everywhere we shall find souls ready to die, and how essential it is that the compassion of Christ shall be given us of Him, in order that we may never place one soul in defiance by not manifesting long forbearance and pitying tenderness. . . . I inquire, Will we ever learn the gentleness of Christ? Oh, how much we need to know Jesus and our heavenly Father that we may represent Him in character! . . . Jesus calls us to Himself not simply to refresh us with His grace and presence for a few hours, and then to send us forth from His light to walk apart from Him in sadness and gloom. No, no. He tells us that we must abide with Him and He with us. Wherever His work is to be done He is present--tender, loving, and compassionate. He has prepared for you and me an abiding dwelling place in Himself. He is our refuge. Our experience should broaden and deepen. Jesus has opened up all the divine fullness of His inexpressible love, and He declares to you, Ye "are labourers together with God" (1 Cor. 3:9). O what meaning these words have--"Abide in me" (John 15: 4), "Take my yoke upon you" (Matt. 11:29). Will we take it? for the promise is, "Ye shall find rest unto your souls." There is rest, complete rest in abiding in Christ. From That I May Know Him - Page 45 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Fri Feb 9 06:11:15 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 09:11:15 -0500 Subject: An Attribute We May Share In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: An Attribute We May Share Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:36. Mercy is an attribute that the human agent may share with God, thus cooperating with Him. Mercy is kind, pitiful. Mercy and the love of God purify the soul and beautify the heart, cleansing the life from selfishness. . . . God's love for the angelic host is as a part of Himself, direct and positive in its divinity. God's love for the human race is a peculiar form--a love born of mercy, for the human subject is all-undeserving. . . . Mercy implies the imperfection of the object upon which it is bestowed. Because of man's imperfection, mercy was brought into active existence. Sin is not the object of God's love, but of His hatred. Yet He pities the sinner, because the guilty one bears the Creator's image and has received from Him the capabilities that make it possible for him to become a son of God, not through his own merits, but through the imputed merits of Jesus Christ, through the great sacrifice the Saviour has made in his behalf. . . . In the church militant the children of men will be ever in need of restoration from the results of sin. . . . We are all dependent on one another. Almost invariably a man who is superior to another man in some respect is inferior to him in other respects. Every human being on earth is subject to temptation. And all are in need of human influence and sympathy. . . . He who cooperates with God by showing mercy brings himself into a position where God will extend mercy to him, for he is in harmony with the divine attributes. God's love and mercy are ever extended toward sinners. Shall men who themselves have sinned against God, refuse to forgive and accept a repentant sinner? . . . God loved us while we were yet sinners. How clear and unmistakable the line of duty is made by the words, "As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (Luke 6:31). . . . Only those who walk with Christ can be truly merciful. >From That I May Know Him - Page 46 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sat Feb 10 05:16:50 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 08:16:50 -0500 Subject: The Compassionate Healer In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The Compassionate Healer And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. Matt. 14:14. Jesus, precious Saviour, never seemed to become weary of the importunities of the sin-sick souls and the sick with all kinds of diseases. "And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them" (Mark 6:34). This means a great deal to the suffering ones. He identified His interest with theirs. He shared their burdens. He felt their fears. He had yearning pity that was pain to the heart of Christ. O what love, what matchless love! He has become one with us that He might share with humanity in all their experience. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet was without sin. Humanity is not to be demerited as a cheap and common thing. Christ clothed His divinity with humanity that humanity might be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Man is the object of His solicitude and great love. Redemption--O how much is comprehended in the word! All who will consent to be redeemed are uplifted and sanctified, redeemed through Jesus Christ from all commonness and earthliness, and enabled to cooperate with God in the great work of salvation. Jesus accepted humanity and revealed in His own life and character what man may be even when, in the providence of God, he is placed in the poorest circumstances of life. He had not even a penny wherewith to pay the tax money exacted, and wrought a miracle to obtain the little sum. Jesus, precious Saviour, was homeless and often hungry. He had not where to lay His head. He was wearied oft. Humanity is honored because Jesus assumed humanity to reveal to the world what humanity may become. He came to bring life and immortality to light, to fill the commonplace, homeliest pursuits of life with brightness. Jesus is bending over us, searching into our characters to see if His own character is reflected in us. >From That I May Know Him - Page 47 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sun Feb 11 09:07:14 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:07:14 -0500 Subject: Bearer of Our Afflictions In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Bearer of Our Afflictions That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Matt. 8:17. Christ alone was able to bear the afflictions of the many. "In all their affliction he was afflicted" (Isa. 63:9). He never bore disease in His own flesh, but He carried the sickness of others. With tenderest sympathy He looked upon the suffering ones who pressed about Him. He groaned in spirit as He saw the work of Satan revealed in all their woe, and He made every case of need and of sorrow His own. No multiplicity of numbers distracted Him. No anguish overwhelmed Him. With a power that never quailed He cast out the evil spirits that possessed mind and body, while the pain of the sufferers thrilled through His whole being. The power of love was in all His healing. He identified His interests with suffering humanity. Christ was health and strength in Himself, and when sufferers were in His immediate presence, disease was always rebuked. It was for this reason that He did not go at once to Lazarus. He could not witness his suffering and not bring him relief. He could not witness disease or death without combating the power of Satan. The death of Lazarus was permitted that through his resurrection the last and crowning evidence might be given to the Jews that Jesus was the Son of God. And in all this conflict with the power of evil there was ever before Christ the darkened shadow into which He Himself must enter. Ever before Him was the means by which He must pay the ransom for these souls.... When He raised Lazarus from the dead He knew that for that life He must pay the ransom on the cross of Calvary. Every rescue made was to cause Him the deepest humiliation. He was to taste death for every man. . . . Of the suffering multitudes brought to Christ it is said, "He healed them all" (Matt. 12:15). Thus He expressed His love for the children of men. His miracles were part of His mission. . . . He knows how to speak the word "Be whole," and when He has healed the sufferer He says, "Go and sin no more." >From That I May Know Him - Page 48 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Mon Feb 12 10:18:09 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 13:18:09 -0500 Subject: Sharing Heaven's Treasures In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Sharing Heaven's Treasures Freely ye have received, freely give. Matt. 10:8. The blessed Redeemer has set us an example in living out the precepts of the law. He says to His followers, "Freely ye have received, freely give." We are to have an open heart to receive the rich treasures of heaven, and our hearts are to be opened to let those rich treasures out to others. Oh, we need to abide in Christ, then we will be a constant channel through which God will communicate to our brethren and to the world His own gracious Spirit. . . . When we have an assurance which is bright and clear of our own salvation, we shall exhibit cheerfulness and joyfulness, which becomes every follower of Jesus Christ. The softening, subduing influence of the love of God, brought into practical life, will make impressions upon minds that will be a savor of life unto life. But a harsh, denunciatory spirit, if manifested, will turn many souls away from the truth into the ranks of the enemy. Solemn thought! To deal patiently with the tempted requires us to battle with self. But God has given Jesus to us, and believing on Him as our personal Saviour, all heaven is at our command. The purchased possession of Christ is around us on every hand. There is want, there is wretchedness and sin on every side. "Freely ye have received, freely give." "Oh, hearts are bruised, dead, And homes are bare and cold, And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled, Are straying from the fold. . . . . . "The captives to release, To God the lost to bring, To teach the way of life and peace, It is a Christlike thing." >From That I May Know Him - Page 49 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Tue Feb 13 10:15:22 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:15:22 -0500 Subject: The Greatest Teacher In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The Greatest Teacher And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 1 John 5:20. The world's Redeemer did not come with outward display, or a show of worldly wisdom. Men could not see beneath the disguise of humility the glory of the Son of God.... Christ reached the people where they were. He presented the plain truth to their minds in the most forcible and simple language. The humble poor, the most unlearned, could comprehend, through faith in Him, the most exalted truths of God. No one needed to consult the learned doctors as to His meaning. He did not perplex the ignorant with mysterious inferences, or use unaccustomed and learned words of which they had no knowledge. The greatest Teacher the world has ever known was the most definite, simple, and practical in His instruction. . . . He attracted attention to purity of life, to humility of spirit, and to devotion to God and His cause without hope of worldly honor or reward. He must divest religion of the narrow, conceited formalism which made it a burden and a reproach. He must present a complete, harmonious salvation to all. The narrow bounds of national exclusiveness must be overthrown, for His salvation was to reach the ends of the earth. He rejoiced in spirit as He beheld the poor of this world eagerly accepting the precious message which He brought. He looked up to heaven and said, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes" (Matt. 11:25). . . . Men of the highest education and accomplishments have learned the most precious lessons from the precept and example of the humble follower of Christ, who is designated as "unlearned" by the world. But could men look with deeper insight they would see that these humble men had obtained an education in the highest of all schools, even in the school of the divine Teacher, who spake as never man spake. >From That I May Know Him - Page 50 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Wed Feb 14 05:00:31 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:00:31 -0500 Subject: Teaching in Depth In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Teaching in Depth The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. John 7:46. Of Christ's teaching it is said, "The common people heard him gladly" (Mark 12:37). "Never man spake like this man," declared the officers who were sent to take Him. His words comforted, strengthened, and blessed those who were hungering for that peace which He alone could give. O how tender and forbearing was Christ! how filled with pity and tenderness were His lessons to the poor, the afflicted, and the oppressed! . . . His illustrations were taken from the things of daily life, and . . . had in them a wonderful depth of meaning. The fowls of the air, the lilies of the field, the seed, the shepherd and the sheep--with these objects Christ illustrated immortal truth, and ever afterward, when His hearers chanced to see these things of nature, they recalled His words. . . . Christ's words, so comforting and cheering to those that listened to them, are for us today. As a faithful shepherd knows and cares for his sheep, so Christ cares for His children. He knows the trials and difficulties surrounding each one. "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd," declares Isaiah: "he shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom." Christ knows His sheep intimately, and the suffering and helpless are objects of His special care. . . . Christ has weighed every human affliction, every human sorrow. He bears the weight of the yoke for every soul that yokes up with Him. He knows the sorrows which we feel to the depth of our being, and which we cannot express. If no human heart is aroused to sympathy for us, we need not feel that we are without sympathy. Christ knows; and He says, Look unto Me, and live. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). I have borne your griefs and carried your sorrows. You have the deepest, richest sympathy in the tender, pitying love of your Shepherd. . . . His humanity is not lost in the exalted character of His Omnipotence. He is ever longing to pour out His sympathy and love upon those whom He has chosen, and who will respond to His invitation. >From That I May Know Him - Page 51 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Feb 15 13:58:47 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:58:47 -0500 Subject: Christ the Good Shepherd In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Christ the Good Shepherd I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14, 15. Jesus says, "I know my sheep." Let us consider this statement. We are known by God before we receive Him. "I know my sheep." How do souls become Christ's sheep? By choosing to receive Him. But Christ had first chosen them. He knew every one who would respond to His drawing, and He knew every one who would be inclined to receive Him but who, through popular opposing influences, would turn from Him, John says to all, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Those who heard the voice and did behold Jesus as the Lamb of God believed in Him and became His property from their own choice. But . . . their choosing of Christ was in response to His drawing. The love of Jesus was expressed to us before we loved Him. . . . To Jesus the whole human family is entrusted, as the flocks of sheep are entrusted to a shepherd. These sheep and lambs are to be tended with pastoral care. They will be guarded by the faithful Chief Shepherd, under the care of faithful under shepherds, and if they will obey the voice of the Chief Shepherd they will not be left to be devoured by wolves. . . . Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice, . . . and they follow me" (John 10:27). The Shepherd of Israel does not drive His flock, but He leads them. His attitude is wholly one of invitation. "My sheep hear my voice." If we are indeed sons and daughters of God we not only hear, but recognize the voice above all others. We appreciate the words of Christ, we distinguish the truth as it is in Jesus from all error, and the truth refreshes the soul, and fills it with gladness. . . . The beautiful illustration in Revelation 7 is a pastoral symbol. ". . . They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters . . ." (Rev. 7:16, 17). >From That I May Know Him - Page 52 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Fri Feb 16 05:02:28 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 08:02:28 -0500 Subject: In the Bosom of the Shepherd In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: In the Bosom of the Shepherd He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isa. 40:11. A true shepherd knows and pities and helps the sheep that most need his help--those that are bruised and lame and feeble. "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd." Far more intimately than the patriarch Jacob knew the weak, the suffering, and the lame among his sheep, does the Chief Shepherd know His flock. He knows what no one else knows. He has Himself weighed every burden. No one knows the weight like Himself, for He has borne all our griefs, and carried all our sorrows. It was this that made Him a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. . . . If there is not another soul in the universe that regards you, the Lord God of Israel is looking upon you with thoughts of compassion, tenderness, and sympathy. He sees you with your strong impulses when fainthearted and discouraged. . . . You have the deepest, the richest, the most refreshing sympathy in the bosom of the great Shepherd. We have not an high priest who cannot sympathize with us, but One who was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. . . . Not only has every provision been made that when tried and tempted you should find help and strength and grace, but also that your influence upon other minds should be fragrant. Not only does Christ know every soul, and the temptations and trials of that soul, but He knows all the circumstances that irritate and chafe the spirit. Your great danger is in being self-sufficient. This will not do for a Christian. Christ will give you His patience if you ask for it. . . . God's abounding love and presence will give you the power of self-control. He will mold and fashion your mind and character. He will direct your aims and purposes and capabilities in a channel that will give you moral and spiritual power which you will not have to leave here in this world but can carry with you and retain through eternal ages. >From That I May Know Him - Page 53 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sat Feb 17 05:38:12 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2007 08:38:12 -0500 Subject: The Sons of God In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The Sons of God But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. John 1:12. How did men treat Christ when He came? . . . "He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). Thus it is today. This history is being repeated, and will be repeated again and again before the Lord shall come in the clouds of heaven. The deceptions of Satan will be upon those who dwell on the earth.... "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God." . . . After fitting up this world as the dwelling place of man, God looked upon it, and rejoiced in it, pronouncing it very good. So He will accept of and rejoice in the reformation wrought out by those who, receiving Christ as their Saviour, have obtained power to become the sons of God. . . . The first chapter of Colossians shows us the heights to which it is our privilege to attain. We may be "filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding," walking "worthy of the Lord," "being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:9-14). Is there not woe enough in this sin-stricken, sin-cursed earth to lead us to consecrate ourselves to the work of proclaiming the message that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)? This earth has been trodden by the Son of God. He came to bring men light and life, to set them free from the bondage of sin. He is coming again in power and great glory to receive to Himself those who during this life have followed in His footsteps. >From That I May Know Him - Page 54 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Sun Feb 18 07:52:01 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2007 10:52:01 -0500 Subject: When Man Cooperates In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: When Man Cooperates For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phil. 2:13. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). Thus the world's Redeemer illustrates the work of the Holy Spirit upon the human heart. The living agent, by an act of faith of his own, places himself in the hands of the Lord for Him to work in him His good pleasure in His time. There must be a continual exercise of faith to be in Christ and keep in Christ, abiding by faith in Him. This is a training process, a constant discipline of the mind and heart, that Christ shall work His great work in human hearts. Self, the old natural self, dies, and Christ's will is our will, His way is our way, and the human agent becomes, with heart, mind, and intellect, an instrument in the hands of God to work no more wickedness but the righteousness of Christ. . . . In the divine arrangement God does nothing without the cooperation of man. He compels no man's will. That must be given to the Lord completely, else the Lord is not able to accomplish His divine work that He would do through the human agency. Jesus declared that in a certain place He could not do many mighty works among the people because of their unbelief. He wanted to do for them in that place just what He knew that they needed to have done, but He could not because unbelief barred the way. The potter cannot mold and fashion unto honor that which has never been placed in his hands. The Christian life is one of daily surrender, submission, and continual overcoming, gaining fresh victories every day. This is the growing up into Christ, fashioning the life into the divine Model. . . . Devotion, piety, and sanctification of the entire man come through Jesus Christ our righteousness. The love of God needs to be constantly cultivated. O how my heart cries out to the living God for the mind of Jesus Christ! I want to lose sight of self. >From That I May Know Him - Page 55 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Mon Feb 19 09:53:29 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:53:29 -0500 Subject: Will You Let Him In? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Will You Let Him In? The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Jer. 31:3. The work dearest to the heart of Christ is that of drawing souls to Him.... Look at Jesus, the Majesty of heaven. [FROM A PERSONAL LETTER OF APPEAL.] What do you behold in His life history? His divinity clothed with humanity, a whole life of continual humility, the doing of one act of condescension after another, a line of continual descent from the heavenly courts to a world all seared and marred with the curse, and in a world unworthy of His presence, descending lower and still lower, taking the form of a servant, to be despised and rejected of men, obliged to flee from place to place to save His life, and at last betrayed, rejected, crucified. Then, as sinners for whom Jesus suffered more than the power of mortal can portray, shall we refuse to humble our proud will? Study day and night the character of Christ. It was His tender compassion, His inexpressible, unparalleled love for your soul, that led Him to endure all the shame, the revilings, the abuse, the misapprehensions of earth. Approach nearer Him, behold His hands and His feet, bruised and wounded for our transgressions. "The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Lose no time, let not another day pass into eternity, but just as you are, whatever your weakness, your unworthiness, your neglect, delay not to come now.... The call of Jesus to come to Him, the presentation of a crown of glory that fadeth not away, the life, the eternal life that measures with the life of God, has not been of sufficient inducement to lead you to serve Him with your undivided affections. . . . Be no longer on Satan's side of the question. Make decided, radical changes through the grace given you of God. No longer insult His grace. He is saying with tears, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40). Now Jesus is inviting you, knocking at the door of your heart for entrance. Will you let Him come in? >From That I May Know Him - Page 56 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Tue Feb 20 04:13:20 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 07:13:20 -0500 Subject: The Holy Spirit Our Helper In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The Holy Spirit Our Helper For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom. 8:14. Through the ministry of the angels the Holy Spirit is enabled to work upon the mind and heart of the human agent and draw him to Christ. . . . But the Spirit of God does not interfere with the freedom of the human agent. The Holy Spirit is given to be a helper, so that man may cooperate with the Divine, and it is given to Him to draw the soul but never to force obedience. Christ is ready to impart all heavenly influences. He knows every temptation that comes to man, and the capabilities of each. He weighs his strength. He sees the present and the future, and presents before the mind the obligations that should be met, and urges that common, earthly things shall not be permitted to be so absorbing that eternal things shall be lost out of the reckoning. The Lord has fullness of grace to bestow on every one that will receive of the heavenly gift. The Holy Spirit will bring the God-entrusted capabilities into Christ's service, and will mold and fashion the human agent according to the divine Pattern. The Holy Spirit is our efficiency in the work of character building, in forming characters after the divine similitude. When we think ourselves capable of molding our own experience, we make a great mistake. We can never of ourselves obtain the victory over temptation. But those who have genuine faith in Christ will be worked by the Holy Spirit. The soul in whose heart faith abides will grow into a beautiful temple for the Lord. He is directed by the grace of Christ. Just in proportion as he depends on the Holy Spirit's teaching he will grow. The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. We do not now see Christ and speak to Him, but His Holy Spirit is just as near us in one place as another. It works in and through every one who receives Christ. Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. >From That I May Know Him - Page 57 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Wed Feb 21 05:54:36 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 08:54:36 -0500 Subject: A Hidden Treasure In-Reply-To: Message-ID: A Hidden Treasure Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Matt. 13:44. Without the kingdom of God we are lost . . . and are without hope in the world, but salvation has been provided for us through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the treasure, and when the rubbish of the world is swept away, we are enabled to discern His infinite value. . . . The divinity of Christ was as a hidden treasure. At times when He was upon earth divinity flashed through humanity, and His true character was revealed. The God of heaven testified to His oneness with His Son. At His baptism the heavens were opened and the glory of God in the similitude of a dove like burnished gold hovered over the Saviour, and a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). But the nation to whom Christ came, though professing to be the peculiar people of God, did not recognize the heavenly treasure in the person of Jesus Christ. . . . The Majesty of heaven was not discerned in the disguise of humanity. He was the divine Teacher sent from God, the glorious Treasure given to humanity. He was fairer than the sons of men, but His matchless glory was hidden under a cover of poverty and suffering. He veiled His glory in order that divinity might touch humanity, and the treasure of immense value was not discerned by the human race.... "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The treasure indeed is hidden under the garb of humanity. Christ is the unsearchable riches, and he who finds Christ finds heaven. The human agent who looks upon Jesus, who dwells by faith on His matchless charms, finds the eternal treasure. Christ does not use this parable to commend the man who hides the treasure until he can buy the field, but His object in using this illustration is to convey to our mind the value of spiritual things. To obtain worldly treasure, the man would make a sacrifice of his all, and how much more should we give for the priceless, heavenly treasure! >From That I May Know Him - Page 58 From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org Thu Feb 22 07:03:04 2007 From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Thompson, Darryl) Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 10:03:04 -0500 Subject: Have You Enrolled? In-Reply-To: Message-ID: