From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sun Jan 27 10:35:53 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:35:53 -0500
Subject: The Battlefield
Message-ID: <001101c86113$739fbb20$0501a8c0@thompsondm90>

The Battlefield 

We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places. Eph. 6: 12.

The fallen world is the battlefield for the greatest conflict the heavenly
universe and earthly powers have ever witnessed. It was appointed as a
theater on which would be fought out the grand struggle between good and
evil, between heaven and hell. Every human being acts a part in this
conflict. No one can stand on neutral ground. Men must either accept or
reject the world's Redeemer. All are witnesses, either for or against
Christ. Christ calls upon those who stand under His banner to engage in the
conflict with Him as faithful soldiers, that they may inherit the crown of
life. 

Battles are to be fought every day. A great warfare is going on over every
soul, between the prince of darkness and the Prince of life. . . . As God's
agents you are to yield yourselves to Him, that He may plan and direct and
fight the battle for you, with your cooperation. The Prince of life is at
the head of His work. He is to be with you in your daily battle with self,
that you may be true to principle; that passion, when warring for the
mastery, may be subdued by the grace of Christ; that you come off more than
conqueror through Him that hath loved us. Jesus has been over the ground. He
knows the power of every temptation. He knows just how to meet every
emergency, and how to guide you through every path of danger. 

God will have a people zealous of good works, standing firm amid the
pollutions of this degenerate age. There will be a people who hold so fast
to the divine strength that they will be proof against every temptation.
Evil communications in flaming handbills may seek to speak to their senses
and corrupt their minds; yet they will be so united to God and angels that
they will be as those who see not and hear not. They have a work to do which
no one can do for them, which is to fight the good fight of faith, and lay
hold on eternal life. . . . 

The youth may have principles so firm that the most powerful temptations of
Satan will not draw them away from their allegiance. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 35


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Mon Jan 28 05:22:18 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:22:18 -0500
Subject: Loyalty a Must
Message-ID: <000001c861b0$d3ab81f0$7b0285d0$@org>

Loyalty a Must

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Tim. 2:
3. 

We are soldiers of Christ; and those who enlist in His army are expected to
do difficult work, work which will tax their energies to the utmost. We must
understand that a soldier's life is one of aggressive warfare, of
perseverance and endurance. For Christ's sake we are to endure trials. We
are not engaged in mimic battles. 

Resolve, not in your own strength, but in the strength and grace given of
God, that you will consecrate to Him now, just now, every power, every
ability. You will then follow Jesus because He bids you, and you will not
ask where, or what reward will be given. . . . 

When you die to self, when you surrender to God, to do His work, to let the
light that He has given you shine forth in good works, you will not labor
alone. God's grace stands forth to cooperate with every effort to enlighten
the ignorant and those who do not know that the end of all things is at
hand. But God will not do your work. Light may shine in abundance, but the
grace given will convert your soul only as it arouses you to cooperate with
divine agencies. You are called upon to put on the Christian armor and enter
the Lord's service as active soldiers. Divine power is to cooperate with
human effort to break the spell of worldly enchantment that the enemy has
cast upon souls. 

The Lord has honored us by choosing us as His soldiers. Let us fight bravely
for Him, maintaining the right in every transaction. Rectitude in all things
is essential to the warfare of the soul. As you strive for the victory over
your own inclinations, He will help you by His Holy Spirit to be circumspect
in every action, that you may give no occasion for the enemy to speak evil
of the truth. 

We are soldiers of Christ. He is the Captain of our salvation, and we are
under His orders and rules. We are to wear His armor; we are to be marshaled
only under His banner. . . . We are to keep on the whole armor of God, and
work as in view of the universe of heaven.

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 36


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Tue Jan 29 06:00:49 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:00:49 -0500
Subject: Marching Orders
Message-ID: <000a01c8627f$5ba02650$12e072f0$@org>

Marching Orders 

Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. Ex. 14: 15. 

The history of the children of Israel is written for the instruction and
admonition of all Christians. When the Israelites were overtaken by dangers
and difficulties, and their way seemed hedged up, their faith forsook them,
and they murmured against the leader whom God had appointed for them. . . .
The divine command was: "Go forward." They were not to wait until the way
was made plain, and they could comprehend the entire plan of their
deliverance. God's cause is onward, and He will open a path before His
people. . . . 

There are times when the Christian life seems beset by dangers, and duty
seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before, and
bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly above all
discouragements: "Go forward." We should obey this command, let the result
be what it may, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness and
though we feel the cold waves about our feet. . . . 

Those who think it impossible for them to yield to the will of God and have
faith in His promises until all is made clear and plain before them, will
never yield at all. Faith is not certainty of knowledge; it "is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:
1). To obey the commandments of God is the only way to obtain His favor. "Go
forward" should be the Christian's watchword. 

Continual progress in knowledge and virtue is God's purpose for us. His law
is the echo of His own voice, giving to all the invitation, "Come up higher;
be holy, holier still." Every day we may advance in perfection of Christian
character. 

Putting our trust in God, we are to move steadily forward, doing His work
with unselfishness, in humble dependence upon Him, committing to His
providence ourselves and all that concerns our present and future, holding
the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end, remembering that we
receive the blessings of heaven, not because of our worthiness, but because
of Christ's worthiness and our acceptance, through faith in Him, of God's
abounding grace.

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 37


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Wed Jan 30 05:23:46 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:23:46 -0500
Subject: The Victory
Message-ID: <1391e9a20801300523y938be88yf095c1676748a682@mail.gmail.com>

The Victory

Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. 1 Cor. 15: 57.

Victories are not gained by ceremonies or display, but by simple
obedience to  the highest General, the Lord God of heaven. He who
trusts in this Leader will  never know defeat.

The largest share of the annoyances of life, its daily corroding
cares, its  heartaches, its irritation, is the result of a temper
uncontrolled. . . . The  government of self is the best government in
the world. By putting on the  ornament of a meek and quiet spirit,
ninety- nine out of a hundred of the  troubles which so terribly
embitter life might be saved. . . . The natural man  must die, and the
new man, Christ Jesus, take possession of the soul, so that  the
follower of Jesus may say in verity and truth: "I live; yet not I, but
 Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2: 20).

Self is difficult to conquer. Human depravity in every form is not
easily  brought into subjection to the Spirit of Christ. But all
should be impressed  with the fact that unless this victory is gained
through Christ, there is no  hope for them. The victory can be gained;
for nothing is impossible with God. By  His assisting grace, all evil
temper, all human depravity, may be overcome. . .  . You may be
overcomers if you will, in the name of Christ, take hold of the  work
decidedly.

The temptations of Satan are greater now than ever before, for he
knows that  his time is short, and that very soon every case will be
decided, either for  life or for death. It is no time now to sink down
beneath discouragement and  trial; we must bear up under all our
afflictions, and trust wholly in the  Almighty God of Jacob. . . . His
grace is sufficient for all our trials; and  although they are greater
than ever before, yet if we trust wholly in God, we  can overcome
every temptation and through His grace come off victorious. . . .

When temptations and trials rush in upon us, let us go to God and
agonize  with Him in prayer. He will not turn us away empty, but will
give us grace and  strength to overcome, and to break the power of the
enemy.

>From God's  Amazing Grace - Page 38

From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Thu Jan 31 07:25:43 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:25:43 -0500
Subject: Adam and Eve-- Rulers in Eden 
Message-ID: <000001c8641d$95968d00$c0c3a700$@org>

Adam and Eve-- Rulers in Eden 

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them. And God blessed them and God said unto
them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and
have dominion over . . . every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen.
1: 27, 28. 

Adam was crowned king in Eden. To him was given dominion over every living
thing that God had created. The Lord blessed Adam and Eve with intelligence
such as He had not given to any other creature. He made Adam the rightful
sovereign over all the works of His hands. { AG 40.2} 

Created to be "the image and glory of God," Adam and Eve had received
endowments not unworthy of their high destiny. . . . Every faculty of mind
and soul reflected the Creator's glory. Endowed with high mental and
spiritual gifts, Adam and Eve were made but "little lower than the angels." 

Our first parents, though created innocent and holy, were not placed beyond
the possibility of wrongdoing. God made them free moral agents, capable of
appreciating the wisdom and benevolence of His character and the justice of
His requirements, and with full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience.
They were to enjoy communion with God and with holy angels; but before they
could be rendered eternally secure, their loyalty must be tested. At the
very beginning of man's existence a check was placed upon the desire for
self- indulgence, the fatal passion that lay at the foundation of Satan's
fall. The tree of knowledge, which stood near the tree of life in the midst
of the garden, was to be a test of the obedience, faith, and love of our
first parents. . . God placed man under law, as an indispensable condition
of his very existence. He was a subject of the divine government, and there
can be no government without law. . . . 

While they remained true to God, Adam and his companion were to bear rule
over the earth. Unlimited control was given them over every living thing.
The lion and the lamb sported peacefully around them, or lay . . . Together
at their feet. The happy birds flitted about them without fear; and as their
glad songs ascended to the praise of their Creator, Adam and Eve united with
them in thanksgiving to the Father and the Son.

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 39



From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Fri Feb  1 06:16:53 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 09:16:53 -0500
Subject: The Rulership Forfeited 
Message-ID: <000701c864dd$262f6750$0201a8c0@thompsondm90>

The Rulership Forfeited 

The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he
will. Dan. 4: 17. 

Among the lower creatures Adam had stood as king . . . ; but when he
transgressed, this dominion was forfeited. The spirit of rebellion, to which
he himself had given entrance, extended throughout the animal creation. Thus
not only the life of man, but the nature of the beasts, the trees of the
forest, the grass of the field, the very air he breathed, all told the sad
lesson of the knowledge of evil. 

Not only man but the earth had by sin come under the power of the wicked
one. . . . At his creation Adam was placed in dominion over the earth. But
by yielding to temptation, he was brought under the power of Satan. "Of whom
a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage" (2 Peter 2: 19).
When man became Satan's captive, the dominion which he held, passed to his
conqueror. Thus Satan became "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4: 4). He had
usurped that dominion over the earth which had been originally given to
Adam. 

When Satan declared to Christ, The kingdom and the glory of the world are
delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it, he stated what was
true only in part, and he declared it to serve his own purpose of deception.
Satan's dominion was that wrested from Adam, but Adam was the vicegerent of
the Creator. His was not an independent rule. The earth is God's, and He has
committed all things to His Son. Adam was to reign subject to Christ. When
Adam betrayed his sovereignty into Satan's hands, Christ still remained the
rightful king. . . .

By the one who had revolted in heaven the kingdoms of this world were
offered Christ, to buy His homage to the principles of evil; but He would
not be bought. . . . 

Jesus gained the victory through submission and faith in God, and by the
apostle He says to us, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you . . ." (James 4: 7, 8). We cannot save
ourselves from the tempter's power; he has conquered humanity . . . ; but
"the name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and
is safe" (Prov. 18: 10). 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 40


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sat Feb  2 06:54:43 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 09:54:43 -0500
Subject: Christ the Second Adam
Message-ID: <000101c865ab$8d7112f0$0201a8c0@thompsondm90>

Christ the Second Adam 

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Cor.
15: 22. 

The fall of man filled all heaven with sorrow. . . . The Son of God,
heaven's glorious Commander, was touched with pity for the fallen race. His
heart was moved with infinite compassion as the woes of the lost world rose
up before Him. But divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be
redeemed. The broken law of God demanded the life of the sinner. In all the
universe there was but one who could, in behalf of man, satisfy its claims.
Since the divine law is as sacred as God Himself, only one equal with God
could make atonement for its transgression. None but Christ could redeem
fallen man from the curse of the law, and bring him again into harmony with
Heaven. Christ would take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin-- sin so
offensive to a holy God that it must separate the Father and His Son. Christ
would reach to the depths of misery to rescue the ruined race. . . . 

The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; . . .
yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield up His
son to die for the guilty race. . . . Oh, the mystery of redemption! the
love of God for a world that did not love Him! . . . Through endless ages
immortal minds, seeking to comprehend the mystery of that incomprehensible
love, will wonder and adore. 

Christ is called the second Adam. In purity and holiness, connected with God
and beloved by God, He began where the first Adam began. . . . 

Christ was tempted by Satan in a hundredfold severer manner than was Adam,
and under circumstances in every way more trying. The deceiver presented
himself as an angel of light, but Christ withstood his temptations. He
redeemed Adam's disgraceful fall, and saved the world. . . . He lived the
law of God, and honored it in a world of transgression, revealing to the
heavenly universe, to Satan, and to all the fallen sons and daughters of
Adam that through His grace humanity can keep the law of God. . . . 

Christ's victory was as complete as had been Adam's failure. So we may
resist temptation, and force Satan to depart from us. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 41


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sun Feb  3 08:46:37 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 11:46:37 -0500
Subject: Israel's Invisible King
Message-ID: <000101c86684$588e5be0$0201a8c0@thompsondm90>

Israel's Invisible King 

Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven,
and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and
commandments. Neh. 9: 13. 

All through the pages of sacred history, where the dealings of God with His
chosen people are recorded, there are burning traces of the great I AM.
Never has He given to the sons of men more open manifestations of His power
and glory than when He alone was acknowledged as Israel's ruler, and gave
the law to His people. Here was a scepter swayed by no human hand; and the
stately goings forth of Israel's invisible King were unspeakably grand and
awful. 

In all these revelations of the divine presence, the glory of God was
manifested through Christ. Not alone at the Saviour's advent, but through
all the ages after the Fall and the promise of redemption, "God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" (2 Cor. 5: 19). Christ was the
foundation and center of the sacrificial system in both the patriarchal and
the Jewish age. Since the sin of our first parents, there has been no direct
communication between God and man. The Father has given the world into the
hands of Christ, that through His mediatorial work He may redeem man and
vindicate the authority and holiness of the law of God. All the communion
between heaven and the fallen race has been through Christ. It was the Son
of God that gave to our first parents the promise of redemption. It was He
who revealed Himself to the patriarchs. . . . It was He who gave the law to
Israel. Amid the awful glory of Sinai, Christ declared in the hearing of all
the people the ten precepts of His Father's law. It was He who gave to Moses
the law engraved upon the tables of stone. . . . 

Jesus was the light of His people-- the light of the world-- before He came
to earth in the form of humanity. The first gleam of light that pierced the
gloom in which sin had wrapped the world, came from Christ. And from Him has
come every ray of heaven's brightness that has fallen upon the inhabitants
of the earth. In the plan of redemption Christ is the Alpha and the Omega--
the First and the Last.

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 42


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Mon Feb  4 04:36:27 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 07:36:27 -0500
Subject: Our Ruler in the Heavens
Message-ID: <000001c8672a$9030be20$0201a8c0@thompsondm90>

Our Ruler in the Heavens 

The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth
over all. Ps. 103: 19. 

The three Hebrews were called upon to confess Christ in the face of the
burning fiery furnace. They had been commanded by the king to fall down and
worship the golden image which he had set up, and threatened that if they
would not, they should be cast alive into the fiery furnace, but they
answered, "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so,
our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,
and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known
unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden
image which thou hast set up" (Dan. 3: 16- 18). 

To bow down when in prayer to God is the proper attitude to occupy. . . .
But such an act was homage to be rendered to God alone . . . , the Ruler of
the universe; and these three Hebrews refused to give such honor to any idol
even though composed of pure gold. In doing so, they would, to all intents
and purposes, be bowing to the king of Babylon. . . . They suffered the
penalty. . . . But Christ came in person and walked with them through the
fire, and they received no harm. 

This miracle produced a striking change in the minds of the people. The
great golden image, set up with such display, was forgotten. The king
published a decree that anyone speaking against the God of these men should
be put to death. . . . 

These faithful Hebrews possessed great natural ability, they had enjoyed the
highest intellectual culture, and now occupied a position of honor; but all
this did not lead them to forget God. Their powers were yielded to the
sanctifying influence of divine grace. . . . In their wonderful deliverance
were displayed, before that vast assembly, the power and majesty of God.
Jesus placed Himself by their side in the fiery furnace, and by the glory of
His presence convinced the proud king of Babylon that it could be no other
than the Son of God. . . . By the deliverance of His faithful servants, the
Lord declares that He will take His stand with the oppressed and overthrow
all earthly powers that would trample upon the authority of the God of
heaven. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 43


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Wed Feb  6 16:38:27 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2008 19:38:27 -0500
Subject: The Kingdom Threatened
Message-ID: <000001c86921$c2776160$0201a8c0@thompsondm90>

The Kingdom Threatened 

When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force,
to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. John 6:
15. 

Seated upon the grassy plain, in the twilight of the spring evening, the
people ate of the food that Christ had provided. . . . No human power could
create from five barley loaves and two small fishes food sufficient to feed
thousands of hungry people. And they said one to another, "This is of a
truth that Prophet that should come into the world" (John 6: 14). . . . He
can conquer the nations, and give to Israel the long- sought dominion. 

In their enthusiasm the people are ready at once to crown Him king. They see
that He makes no effort to attract attention or secure honor to Himself. . .
. They fear that He will never urge His claim to David's throne. Consulting
together, they agree to take Him by force, and proclaim Him the King of
Israel. . . . Jesus sees what is on foot, and understands, as they cannot,
what would be the result of such a movement. . . . Violence and insurrection
would follow an effort to place Him on the throne, and the work of the
spiritual kingdom would be hindered. Without delay the movement must be
checked. Calling His disciples, Jesus bids them take the boat and return at
once to Capernaum. . . . 

Jesus now commands the multitude to disperse; and His manner is so decisive
that they dare not disobey. . . . The kingly bearing of Jesus, and His few
quiet words of command, quell the tumult, and frustrate their designs. They
recognize in Him a power above all earthly authority, and without a question
they submit. 

When left alone, Jesus "went up into a mountain apart to pray.". . . He
prayed for power to reveal to men the divine character of His mission, that
Satan might not blind their understanding and pervert their judgment. . . .
In travail and conflict of soul He prayed for His disciples. . . . Their
long- cherished hopes, based on a popular delusion, were to be disappointed
in a most painful and humiliating manner. In the place of His exaltation to
the throne of David they were to witness His crucifixion. This was to be
indeed His true coronation. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 45


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Thu Feb  7 05:33:54 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 08:33:54 -0500
Subject: A Kingly Procession
Message-ID: <000001c8698e$17d3d410$0201a8c0@thompsondm90>

A Kingly Procession 

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold,
thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation lowly, and
riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. Zech. 9: 9. 

Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Zechariah thus
foretold the coming of the King to Israel. . . . Christ was following the
Jewish custom for a royal entry. . . . No sooner was He seated upon the colt
than a loud shout of triumph rent the air. The multitude hailed Him as
Messiah, their King. . . .They could lead the triumphal procession with no
royal standards, but they cut down the spreading palm boughs, Nature's
emblem of victory, and waved them aloft with loud acclamations and hosannas.
. . . 

Never before in His earthly life had Christ permitted such a demonstration.
He clearly foresaw the result. It would bring Him to the cross. But it was
His purpose thus publicly to present Himself as the Redeemer. He desired to
call attention to the sacrifice that was to crown His mission. . . . 

Never before had the world seen such a triumphal procession. It was not like
that of the earth's famous conquerors. No train of mourning captives, as
trophies of kingly valor, made a feature of that scene. But about the
Saviour were the glorious trophies of His labors of love for sinful man.
There were the captives whom He had rescued from Satan's power, praising God
for their deliverance. The blind whom He had restored to sight were leading
the way. The dumb whose tongues He had loosed shouted the loudest hosannas.
The cripples whom He had healed bounded with joy. . . . Lazarus, whose body
had seen corruption in the grave, but who now rejoiced in the strength of
glorious manhood, led the beast on which the Saviour rode. . . . 

That scene of triumph was of God's own appointing. It had been foretold by
the prophet, and man was powerless to turn aside God's purpose. 

As well might the priests and rulers attempt to deprive the earth of the
shining face of the sun, as to shut from the world the beams of glory from
the Sun of Righteousness. In spite of all opposition, the kingdom of Christ
was confessed by the people. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 46


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Fri Feb  8 06:00:29 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 09:00:29 -0500
Subject: Jerusalem's King 
Message-ID: <000101c86a5a$f87cd2b0$0c01a8c0@thompsondm90>

Jerusalem's King 

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the
sides of the north, the city of the great King. Ps. 48: 2. 

>From the crest of Olivet, Jesus looked upon Jerusalem. Fair and peaceful was
the scene spread out before Him. . . . The rays of the setting sun lighted
up the snowy whiteness of its marble walls and gleamed from golden gate and
tower and pinnacle. "The perfection of beauty" it stood, the pride of the
Jewish nation. What child of Israel could gaze upon the scene without a
thrill of joy and admiration! But far other thoughts occupied the mind of
Jesus. "When he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it" (Luke
19: 41). Amid the universal rejoicing of the triumphal entry, while palm
branches waved, while glad hosannas awoke the echoes of the hills, and
thousands of voices declared Him King, the world's Redeemer was overwhelmed
with a sudden and mysterious sorrow. He, the Son of God, the Promised One of
Israel, whose power had conquered death and called its captives from the
grave, was in tears, not of ordinary grief, but of intense, irrepressible
agony. 

His tears were not for Himself.... He wept for the doomed thousands of
Jerusalem-- because of the blindness and impenitence of those whom He came
to bless and to save. . . . 

Though rewarded with evil for good, and hatred for His love, He had
steadfastly pursued His mission of mercy. Never were those repelled that
sought His grace. . . . But Israel had turned from her best Friend and only
Helper. The pleadings of His love had been despised, His counsels spurned,
His warnings ridiculed. . . . 

When Christ should hang upon the cross of Calvary, Israel's day as a nation
favored and blessed of God would be ended.... As Christ looked upon
Jerusalem, the doom of a whole city, a whole nation, was before Him-- that
city, that nation, which had once been the chosen of God, His peculiar
treasure. 

The long- suffering of God toward Jerusalem only confirmed the Jews in their
stubborn impenitence. . . . Her children had spurned the grace of Christ. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 47


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sat Feb  9 05:55:19 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 08:55:19 -0500
Subject: King of Glory
Message-ID: <000001c86b23$68ac5150$0401a8c0@thompsondm90>

King of Glory 

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and
the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong
and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Ps. 24: 7, 8. 

Christ came to earth as God in the guise of humanity. He ascended to heaven
as the King of saints. His ascension was worthy of His exalted character. He
went as One mighty in battle, a conqueror, leading captivity captive. He was
attended by the heavenly host, amid shouts and acclamations of praise and
celestial song. 

The disciples not only saw the Lord ascend, but they had the testimony of
the angels that He had gone to occupy His Father's throne in heaven. . . .
The brightness of the heavenly escort, and the opening of the glorious gates
of God to welcome Him, were not to be discerned by mortal eyes. Had the
track of Christ to heaven been revealed to the disciples in all its
inexpressible glory, they could not have endured the sight. . . . 

Their senses were not to become so infatuated with the glories of heaven
that they would lose sight of the character of Christ on earth, which they
were to copy in themselves. They were to keep distinctly before their minds
the beauty and majesty of His life, the perfect harmony of all His
attributes, and the mysterious union of the divine and human in His nature.
. . . His visible ascent from the world was in harmony with the meekness and
quiet of His life. 

What a source of joy to the disciples, to know that they had such a Friend
in heaven to plead in their behalf! Through the visible ascension of Christ
all their views and contemplation of heaven are changed. . . . They now
looked upon it as their future home, where mansions were being prepared for
them by their loving Redeemer. Prayer was clothed with a new interest, since
it was a communion with their Saviour. . . . 

They had a gospel to preach-- Christ in human form, a Man of sorrows; Christ
in humiliation, taken by wicked hands and crucified; Christ resurrected, and
ascended to heaven, into the presence of God, to be man's Advocate; Christ
to come again with power and great glory in the clouds of heaven. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 48


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sun Feb 10 11:54:43 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:54:43 -0500
Subject: Ruler Over All Nations
Message-ID: <000101c86c1e$c82d2680$0401a8c0@thompsondm90>

Ruler Over All Nations 

That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high
over all the earth. Ps. 83: 18. 

In the annals of human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall of
empires, appear as dependent on the will and prowess of man. The shaping of
events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or
caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold,
behind, above, and through all the play and counterplay of human interests
and power and passions, the agencies of the all- merciful One, silently,
patiently working out the counsels of His own will. . . . 

Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted to
occupy its place on the earth, that it might be seen whether it would
fulfill the purpose of "the Watcher and the Holy One.". . . While the
nations rejected God's principles, and in this rejection wrought their own
ruin, it was still manifest that the divine, overruling purpose was working
through all their movements. 

This lesson is taught in a wonderful symbolic representation given to the
prophet Ezekiel [chapters 1 and 10]. . . . A number of wheels, intersecting
one another, were moved by four living beings. . . . The wheels were so
complicated in arrangement that at first sight they appeared to be in
confusion; but they moved in perfect harmony. Heavenly beings, sustained and
guided by the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, were impelling these
wheels; above them upon the sapphire throne, was the Eternal One; and round
about the throne a rainbow, the emblem of divine mercy. As the wheellike
complications were under the guidance of the hand beneath the wings of the
cherubim, so the complicated play of human events is under divine control.
Amidst the strife and tumult of nations, He that sitteth above the cherubim
still guides the affairs of the earth. 

The history of nations that one after another have occupied their allotted
time and place, . . . speaks to us. To every nation and to every individual
of today God has assigned a place in His great plan. . . . All are by their
own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the
accomplishment of His purposes. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 49


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Mon Feb 11 10:19:47 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:19:47 -0500
Subject: Limits to God's Forbearance
Message-ID: <000001c86cda$b12f5a40$63261eac@thompsondm90>

Limits to God's Forbearance 

It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law. Ps.
119: 126. 

During a vision of the night, I stood on an eminence, from which I could see
houses shaken like a reed in the wind. Buildings, great and small, were
falling to the ground. Pleasure resorts, theaters, hotels, and the homes of
the wealthy were shaken and shattered. Many lives were blotted out of
existence, and the air was filled with the shrieks of the injured and the
terrified. 

The destroying angels of God were at work. One touch, and buildings, so
thoroughly constructed that men regarded them as secure against every
danger, quickly became heaps of rubbish. There was no assurance of safety in
any place. . . . The awfulness of the scenes that passed before me I cannot
find words to describe. It seemed that the forbearance of God was exhausted
and that the judgment day had come. 

The angel that stood at my side then instructed me that but few have any
conception of the wickedness existing in our world today, and especially the
wickedness in the large cities. He declared that the Lord has appointed a
time when He will visit transgressors in wrath for persistent disregard of
His law. . . . God's supreme rulership and the sacredness of His law must be
revealed to those who persistently refused to render obedience to the King
of kings. Those who choose to remain disloyal must be visited in mercy with
judgments, in order that, if possible, they may be aroused to a realization
of the sinfulness of their course. . . . While the divine Ruler bears long
with perversity, He is not deceived and will not always keep silence. His
supremacy, His authority as Ruler of the universe, must finally be
acknowledged and the just claims of His law vindicated. 

There are limits even to the forbearance of God, and many are exceeding
these boundaries. They have overrun the limits of grace, and therefore God
must interfere and vindicate His own honor. . . . 

When the Lord comes forth as an avenger, He will also come as a protector of
all those who have preserved the faith in its purity and kept themselves
unspotted from the world. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 50


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Tue Feb 12 06:17:32 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:17:32 -0500
Subject: Qualifying for the Kingdom 
Message-ID: <002901c86d82$02b8ca20$082a5e60$@org>

Qualifying for the Kingdom 

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a
little child, he shall not enter therein. Mark 10: 15. 

Christ does not acknowledge any caste, color, or grade as necessary to
become a subject of His kingdom. Admittance to His kingdom does not depend
upon wealth or a superior heredity. But those who are born of the Spirit are
the subjects of His kingdom. Spiritual character is that which will be
recognized by Christ. His kingdom is not of this world. His subjects are
those who are partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust. And this grace is given them of God.
Christ does not find His subjects fitted for His kingdom, but He qualifies
them by His divine power. Those who have been dead in trespasses and sins
are quickened to spiritual life. The faculties which God has given them for
holy purposes are refined, purified, and exalted, and they are led to form
characters after the divine similitude. . . . 

Christ draws them to Himself by an unseen power. He is the light of life,
and He imbues them with His own Spirit. As they are drawn into the spiritual
atmosphere, they see that they have been made the sport of Satan's
temptations, and that they have been under his dominion; but they break the
yoke of fleshly lusts, and refuse to be the servants of sin. . . . They
realize that they have exchanged captains, and they take their directions
from the lips of Jesus. As a servant looks to his master, and as a maid
looks to her mistress, so these souls, drawn by the cords of love to Christ,
constantly look unto Him who is the Author and Finisher of their faith. By
beholding Jesus, by obeying His requirements, they increase in the knowledge
of God and of Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. Thus they become changed into
His image from character to character until they are distinguished from the
world, and it can be written of them: "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth he
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God:
which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2: 9,
10). 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 51


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Wed Feb 13 10:59:52 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:59:52 -0500
Subject: Sonship 
Message-ID: <000001c86e72$9e37c000$daa74000$@org>

Sonship 

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. 

When Adam's sin plunged the race into hopeless misery, God might have cut
Himself loose from fallen beings. He might have treated them as sinners
deserved to be treated. He might have commanded the angels of heaven to pour
out upon our world the vials of His wrath. He might have removed this dark
blot from His universe. But He did not do this. Instead of banishing them
from His presence, He came still nearer to the fallen race. He gave His Son
to become bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. "The Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, . . . full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14). Christ by
His human relationship to men drew them close to God. He clothed His divine
nature with the garb of humanity, and demonstrated before the heavenly
universe, before the unfallen worlds, how much God loves the children of
men. 

The gift of God to man is beyond all computation. Nothing was withheld. God
would not permit it to be said that He could have done more or revealed to
humanity a greater measure of love. In the gift of Christ He gave all
heaven. 

Divine sonship is not something that we gain of ourselves. Only to those who
receive Christ as their Saviour is given the power to become sons and
daughters of God. The sinner cannot, by any power of his own, rid himself of
sin. . . . But the promise of sonship is made to all who believe on His
name." Every one who comes to Jesus in faith will receive pardon. 

God was to be manifest in Christ, "reconciling the world unto himself" (2
Cor. 5: 19). Man had become so degraded by sin that it was impossible for
him, in himself, to come into harmony with Him whose nature is purity and
goodness. But Christ, after having redeemed man from the condemnation of the
law, could impart divine power to unite with human effort. Thus by
repentance toward God and faith in Christ the fallen children of Adam might
once more become "sons of God." 

When a soul receives Christ, he receives power to live the life of Christ. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 52



From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Thu Feb 14 14:51:38 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:51:38 -0500
Subject: Adopted Sons and Daughters
Message-ID: <001401c86f5c$28eaccd0$7ac06670$@org>

Adopted Sons and Daughters 

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Eph. 1:
5, 6. 

Before the foundations of the earth were laid the covenant was made that all
who were obedient, all who should through the abundant grace provided become
holy in character and without blame before God by appropriating that grace,
should be children of God. 

We owe everything to grace, free grace, sovereign grace. Grace in the
covenant ordained our adoption. Grace in the Saviour effected our
redemption, our regeneration, and our adoption to heirship with Christ. 

As we fully believe that we are His by adoption, we may have a foretaste of
heaven. . . . We have a nearness to Him, and can hold sweet communion with
Him. We obtain distinct views of His tenderness and compassion, and our
hearts are broken and melted with contemplation of the love that is given to
us. We feel indeed an abiding Christ in the soul. We abide in Him, and feel
at home with Jesus. . . . We have a realizing sense of the love of God, and
we rest in His love. No language can describe it, it is beyond knowledge. We
are one with Christ, our life is hid with Christ in God. We have the
assurance that when He who is our life shall appear, then shall we also
appear with Him in glory. With strong confidence we can call God our Father.

All who have been born into the heavenly family are in a special sense the
brethren of our Lord. The love of Christ binds together the members of His
family, and wherever that love is manifest there the divine relationship is
revealed. . . . 

Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to
implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory
became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled, "Love one
another, as I have loved you" (John 15: 12); when we love the world as He
has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for
heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 53


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Fri Feb 15 07:02:34 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:02:34 -0500
Subject: The Redemption Price 
Message-ID: <000001c86fe3$d4167500$0201a8c0@thompsondm90>

The Redemption Price 

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Heb. 9:
12. 

Every soul is precious, because it has been purchased by the precious blood
of Jesus Christ. 

Some speak of the Jewish age as a Christless period, without mercy or grace.
To such are applicable the words of Christ to the Sadducees, "Ye know not
the Scriptures, neither the power of God" (Mark 12: 24). The period of the
Jewish economy was one of wonderful manifestations of divine power. . . . 

The very system of sacrifices was devised by Christ, and given to Adam as
typifying a Saviour to come, who would bear the sins of the world, and die
for its redemption. . . . 

The blood of the Son of God was symbolized by the blood of the slain victim,
and God would have clear and definite ideas preserved between the sacred and
the common. Blood was sacred, inasmuch as through the shedding of the blood
of the Son of God alone could there be atonement for sin. Blood was also
used to cleanse the sanctuary from the sins of the people, thus typifying
the blood of Christ which alone can cleanse from sin. 

Our Saviour declares that He brought from heaven as a donation eternal life.
He was to be lifted up upon the cross of Calvary to draw all men unto Him.
How then shall we treat the purchased inheritance of Christ? Tenderness,
appreciation, kindness, sympathy, and love should be shown to them. Then we
may work to help and bless one another. In this work we have more than human
brotherhood. We have the exalted companionship of heavenly angels. They
cooperate with us in the work of enlightening high and low. . . . 

Christ determined in council with His Father to spare nothing, however
costly, to withhold nothing however highly it might be estimated, that would
rescue the poor sinner. He would give all heaven to this work of salvation,
of restoring the moral image of God in man. . . . To be a child of God is to
be one with Christ in God, and to put forth our hands in earnest, self-
sacrificing love to strengthen and bless the souls that are perishing in
their sins. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 54


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sat Feb 16 05:18:06 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:18:06 -0500
Subject: Abraham and His Children
Message-ID: <000101c8709e$5ecebd50$0201a8c0@thompsondm90>

Abraham and His Children 

If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise. Gal. 3: 29. 

Of Abraham it is written that "he was called the friend of God," "the father
of all them that believe." . . . 

It was a high honor to which Abraham was called, that of being the father of
the people who for centuries were the guardians and preservers of the truth
of God for the world-- of that people through whom all the nations of the
earth should be blessed in the advent of the promised Messiah. 

Abraham was honored by the surrounding nations as a mighty prince and a wise
and able chief. He did not shut away his influence from his neighbors. His
life and character, in their marked contrast with those of the worshipers of
idols, exerted a telling influence in favor of the true faith. His
allegiance to God was unswerving, while his affability and benevolence
inspired confidence and friendship, and his unaffected greatness commanded
respect and honor. 

His religion was not held as a precious treasure to be jealously guarded and
enjoyed solely by the possessor. True religion cannot be thus held; for such
a spirit is contrary to the principles of the gospel. While Christ is
dwelling in the heart, it is impossible to conceal the light of His
presence, or for that light to grow dim. On the contrary, it will grow
brighter and brighter as day by day the mists of selfishness and sin that
envelop the soul are dispelled by the bright beams of the Sun of
Righteousness. 

The people of God are His representatives upon the earth, and He intends
that they shall be lights in the moral darkness of this world. Scattered all
over the country, in the towns, cities, and villages, they are God's
witnesses, the channels through which He will communicate to an unbelieving
world the knowledge of His will and the wonders of His grace. It is His plan
that all who are partakers of the great salvation shall be missionaries for
Him. The piety of the Christian constitutes the standard by which worldlings
judge the gospel. Trials patiently borne, blessings gratefully received,
meekness, kindness, mercy, and love, habitually exhibited, are the lights
that shine forth in the character before the world. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 55


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sun Feb 17 10:04:44 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:04:44 -0500
Subject: Citizens of Heaven
Message-ID: <000001c8718f$94c80e60$0401a8c0@thompsondm90>

Citizens of Heaven 

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow- citizens
with the saints, and of the household of God. Eph. 2: 19. 

The people of God-- the true Israel-- though scattered throughout all
nations, are on earth but sojourners, whose citizenship is in heaven. 

The condition of being received into the Lord's family is coming out from
the world, separating from all its contaminating influences. The people of
God are to have no connection with idolatry in any of its forms. They are to
reach a higher standard. We are to be distinguished from the world, and then
God says, "I will receive you as members of My royal family, children of the
heavenly King." As believers in the truth we are to be distinct in practice
from sin and sinners. Our citizenship is in heaven. 

We should realize more clearly the value of the promises God has made to us,
and appreciate more deeply the honor He has given us. God can bestow no
higher honor upon mortals than to adopt them into His family, giving them
the privilege of calling Him Father. There is no degradation in becoming
children of God. 

We are strangers and pilgrims in this world. We are to wait, watch, pray,
and work. The whole mind, the whole soul, the whole heart, and the whole
strength are purchased by the blood of the Son of God. We are not to feel it
our duty to wear a pilgrim's dress of just such a color, just such a shape,
but neat, modest apparel, that the word of inspiration teaches us we should
wear. If our hearts are united with Christ's heart, we shall have a most
intense desire to be clothed with His righteousness. Nothing will be put
upon the person to attract attention, or to create controversy. 

Christianity-- how many there are who do not know what it is! It is not
something put on the outside. It is a life inwrought with the life of Jesus.
It means that we are wearing the robe of Christ's righteousness. 

Citizens of heaven will make the best citizens of earth. A correct view of
our duty to God leads to clear perceptions of our duty to our fellow men. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 56


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Mon Feb 18 06:42:22 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:42:22 -0500
Subject: The Test of Loyalty
Message-ID: <000001c8723c$7939e260$0601a8c0@thompsondm90>

The Test of Loyalty 

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and
he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will
manifest myself to him. John 14: 21. 

It is essential that every subject of the kingdom of God should be obedient
to the law of Jehovah. . . . The fact that the law is holy, just, and good
is to be testified before all nations, tongues, and peoples, to worlds
unfallen, to angels, seraphim, and cherubim. The principles of the law of
God were wrought out in the character of Jesus Christ, and he who cooperates
with Christ, becoming a partaker of the divine nature, will develop the
divine character, and become an illustration of the divine law. . . . 

The more we study the attributes of the character of God as revealed in
Christ, the more we see that justice has been sustained in the sacrifice
that met the penalty of the law, . . . in order that man might have another
probation. . . . Those who are obedient to the law of the government of God
while in this brief probation, . . . will be pronounced in heaven loyal
children of the Lord of Hosts. . . . 

By both creation and redemption we are the Lord's property. We are
absolutely His subjects, and amenable to the laws of His kingdom. Let no one
foster the delusion that the Lord God of heaven and earth has no law by
which to control and govern His subjects. We are dependent upon God for
everything we enjoy. The food which we eat, the clothing we wear, the
atmosphere we breathe, the life we enjoy from day to day, are received from
God. We are under obligation to be governed by His will, to acknowledge Him
as our supreme ruler. . . . 

We are under a debt of gratitude to God for the revelation of His love in
Christ Jesus; and as intelligent human agents, we are to reveal to the world
the manner of character that will result from obedience to every
specification of the law of God's government. In perfect obedience to His
holy will, we are to manifest adoration, love, cheerfulness, and praise, and
thus honor and glorify God. It is in this way alone that man may reveal the
character of God in Christ to the world, and make manifest to men that
happiness, peace, assurance, and grace come from obedience to the law of
God. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 57


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Tue Feb 19 09:03:12 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:03:12 -0500
Subject: God's Claims are First 
Message-ID: <000101c87319$590ab630$83261eac@thompsondm90>

God's Claims are First 

We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5: 29. 

The message that we have to bear is not one that we need cringe to declare.
Its advocates are not to seek to cover it, to conceal its origin and
purpose. As those who have made solemn vows to God, and who have been
commissioned as the messengers of Christ, as stewards of the mysteries of
grace, we are under obligation to declare faithfully the whole counsel of
God. 

We are not to make less prominent the special truths that have separated us
from the world, and made us what we are; for they are fraught with eternal
interests. God has given us light in regard to the things that are now
taking place, and with pen and voice we are to proclaim the truth to the
world. 

The Sabbath is the Lord's test, and no man, be he king, priest, or ruler, is
authorized to come between God and man. Those who seek to be conscience for
their fellow men, place themselves above God. Those who are under the
influence of a false religion, who observe a spurious rest day, will set
aside the most positive evidence in regard to the true Sabbath. They will
try to compel men to obey the laws of their own creation, laws that are
directly opposed to the law of God. . . . The law for the observance of the
first day of the week is the production of an apostate Christendom. . . . In
no case are God's people to pay it homage. 

The banner of truth and religious liberty held aloft by the founders of the
gospel church and by God's witnesses during the centuries that have passed
since then, has, in this last conflict, been committed to our hands. . . .
We are to recognize human government as an ordinance of divine appointment,
and teach obedience to it as a sacred duty, within its legitimate sphere.
But when its claims conflict with the claims of God, we must obey God rather
than men. God's word must be recognized as above all human legislation. A
"Thus saith the Lord" is not to be set aside for a "Thus saith the church"
or a "Thus saith the state." The crown of Christ is to be lifted above the
diadems of earthly potentates. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 58


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Wed Feb 20 07:57:24 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:57:24 -0500
Subject: Above Earthly Kingdoms
Message-ID: <001701c873d9$4ba919d0$e2fb4d70$@org>

Above Earthly Kingdoms 

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall
teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but
whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5: 19. 

The qualities which shine with greatest luster in the kingdoms of the world,
have no place in Christ's spiritual kingdom. That which is highly exalted
among men, and brings exaltation to its possessor, such as caste, rank,
position, or wealth, is not esteemed in the spiritual kingdom. The Lord
says, "Them that honour me, I will honour" (1 Sam. 2: 30). In Christ's
kingdom men are distinguished according to their piety. . . . 

The kingdom of heaven is of a higher order than any earthly kingdom. Whether
we shall have a higher position or a lower position, will not be determined
by our rank, wealth, or education, but by the character of the obedience
rendered to the word of God. Those who have been actuated by selfishness and
human ambition, who have been striving to be greatest, who have been self-
important, who have felt above confessing mistakes and errors, will have no
place in the kingdom of God. Whether men will be honored as members of the
royal family of God, will be determined by the manner in which they bear the
test and proving of God that is brought to bear upon them in this life.
Those who have not been self- denying, who have not manifested sympathy for
the woes of others, who have not cultivated the precious attributes of love,
who have not manifested forbearance and meekness in this life, will not be
changed when Christ comes. . . . 

The character which we now manifest is deciding our future destiny. The
happiness of heaven will be found by conforming to the will of God, and if
men become members of the royal family in heaven, it will be because heaven
has begun with them on earth. They have cherished the mind of Christ, and
when the call comes, "Child, come up higher," the righteous will take every
grace, every precious, sanctified ability, into the courts above, and
exchange earth for heaven. God knows who are the loyal and true subjects of
His kingdom on earth, and those who do His will upon earth as it is done in
heaven, will be made the members of the royal family above. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 59


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Thu Feb 21 08:05:00 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:05:00 -0500
Subject: Blessings Through Obedience
Message-ID: <001301c874a3$838609b0$8a921d10$@org>

Blessings Through Obedience 

I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Ps. 40:
8. 

What a God is our God! He rules over His kingdom with diligence and care,
and He has built a hedge-- the Ten Commandments-- about His subjects to
preserve them from the results of transgression. In requiring obedience to
the laws of His kingdom, God gives His people health and happiness, peace
and joy. He teaches them that the perfection of character He requires can be
attained only by becoming familiar with His Word. 

The true seeker, who is striving to be like Jesus in word, life, and
character, will contemplate his Redeemer and, by beholding, become changed
into His image, because he longs and prays for the same disposition and mind
that was in Christ Jesus. . . . He longs after God. The history of his
Redeemer, the immeasurable sacrifice that He made, becomes full of meaning
to him. Christ, the Majesty of heaven, became poor, that we through His
poverty might become rich; not rich merely in endowments, but rich in
attainments. 

These are the riches that Christ earnestly longs that His followers shall
possess. As the true seeker after the truth reads the Word and opens his
mind to receive the Word, he longs after truth with his whole heart. The
love, the pity, the tenderness, the courtesy, the Christian politeness,
which will be the elements in the heavenly mansions that Christ has gone to
prepare for those that love Him, take possession of his soul. His purpose is
steadfast. He is determined to stand on the side of righteousness. Truth has
found its way into the heart, and is planted there by the Holy Spirit, who
is the truth. When truth takes hold of the heart, the man gives sure
evidence of this by becoming a steward of the grace of Christ. 

Each steward has his own special work to do for the advancement of God's
kingdom. . . . The talents of speech, memory, influence, property, are to
accumulate for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom. He will
bless the right use of His gifts. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 60


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Fri Feb 22 05:15:33 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:15:33 -0500
Subject: Stewards of God's Grace
Message-ID: <000001c87555$030f1850$092d48f0$@org>

Stewards of God's Grace 
	
s every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to
another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4: 10. 

The knowledge of God's grace, the truths of His Word, and temporal gifts as
well-- time and means, talents and influence-- are all a trust from God to
be employed to His glory and the salvation of men. Nothing can be more
offensive to God, who is constantly bestowing His gifts upon man, than to
see him selfishly grasping these gifts and making no returns to the Giver.
Jesus is today in heaven preparing mansions for those who love Him; yes,
more than mansions, a kingdom which is to be ours. But all who shall inherit
these blessings must be partakers of the self- denial and self- sacrifice of
Christ for the good of others. 

Never was there greater need of earnest, self- sacrificing labor in the
cause of Christ than now, when the hours of probation are fast closing and
the last message of mercy is to be given to the world. . . . 

All that men receive of God's bounty still belongs to God. Whatever He has
bestowed in the valuable and beautiful things of earth is placed in our
hands to test us, to sound the depths of our love for Him and our
appreciation of His favors. Whether it be the treasures of wealth or of
intellect, they are to be laid, a willing offering, at the feet of Jesus. .
. . 

Whatever we render to God is, through His mercy and generosity, placed to
our account as faithful stewards. . . . Angels of God, whose perceptions are
unclouded by sin, recognize the endowments of heaven as bestowed with the
intention that they be returned in such a way as to add to the glory of the
great Giver. With the sovereignty of God is bound up the well- being of man.
The glory of God is the joy and the blessing of all created beings. When we
seek to promote His glory we are seeking for ourselves the highest good
which it is possible for us to receive. . . . God calls for the consecration
to His service of every faculty, of every gift, you have received from Him.
He wants you to say, with David: "All things come of thee, and of thine own
have we given thee" (1 Chron. 29: 14). 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 61


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sat Feb 23 11:28:05 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:28:05 -0500
Subject: Stewards of Truth
Message-ID: <000101c87652$387d22e0$0401a8c0@thompsondm90>

Stewards of Truth 

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done
for my soul. Ps. 66: 16. 

Wherever there is life, there is increase and growth; in God's kingdom there
is a constant interchange-- taking in, and giving out; receiving, and
returning to the Lord His own. God works with every true believer, and the
light and blessings received are given out again in the work which the
believer does. Thus the capacity for receiving is increased. As one imparts
of the heavenly gifts, he makes room for fresh currents of grace and truth
to flow into the soul from the living fountain. Greater light, increased
knowledge and blessing, are his. In this work, which devolves upon every
church member, is the life and growth of the church. He whose life consists
in ever receiving and never giving, soon loses the blessing. If truth does
not flow forth from him to others, he loses his capacity to receive. We must
impart the goods of heaven if we desire fresh blessings. 

As the knowledge of truth is imparted, it will increase. All who receive the
gospel message into the heart will long to proclaim it. The heaven- born
love of Christ must find expression. Those who have put on Christ will
relate their experience, tracing step by step the leadings of the Holy
Spirit-- their hungering and thirsting for the knowledge of God and of Jesus
Christ whom He has sent, the results of their searching of the Scriptures,
their prayers, their soul agony, and the words of Christ to them, "Thy sins
be forgiven thee." 

It is unnatural for any to keep these things secret, and those who are
filled with the love of Christ will not do so. In proportion as the Lord has
made them the depositaries of sacred truth will be their desire that others
shall receive the same blessing. And as they make known the rich treasures
of God's grace, more and still more of the grace of Christ will be imparted
to them. They will have the heart of a little child in its simplicity and
unreserved obedience. Their souls will pant after holiness and more and more
of the treasures of truth and grace will be revealed to them to be given to
the world.

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 62


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sun Feb 24 10:55:37 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:55:37 -0500
Subject: Stewards of Strength
Message-ID: <000101c87716$d84b79b0$0301a8c0@thompsondm90>

Stewards of Strength 

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. Mark 12: 30. 

To every man is committed individual gifts, termed talents. Some regard
these talents as being limited to certain men who possess superior mental
endowments and genius. But God has not restricted the bestowal of His
talents to a favored few. To every one is committed some special endowment,
for which he will be held responsible by the Lord. Time, reason, means,
strength, mental powers, tenderness of heart-- all are gifts from God,
entrusted to be used in the great work of blessing humanity. 

In the capital of strength a precious talent has been entrusted to men for
labor. This is of more value than any bank deposit, and should be more
highly prized. . . . It is a blessing that cannot be purchased with gold or
silver, houses or lands; and God requires it to be used wisely. No man has a
right to sacrifice this talent to the corroding influence of inaction. All
are as accountable for the capital of physical strength as for their capital
of means. . . . 

The essential lesson of contented industry in the necessary duties of life
is yet to be learned by many of Christ's followers. It requires more grace,
more stern discipline of character, to work for God in the capacity of
mechanic, merchant, lawyer, or farmer, carrying the precepts of Christianity
into the ordinary business of life, than to labor as an acknowledged
missionary in the open field. It requires a strong spiritual nerve to bring
religion into the workshop and the business office, sanctifying the details
of everyday life, and ordering every transaction according to the standard
of God's word. But this is what the Lord requires. 

Religion and business are not two separate things; they are one. Bible
religion is to be interwoven with all we do or say. Divine and human
agencies are to combine in temporal as well as in spiritual achievements. 

We are to love God, not only with all the heart, mind, and soul, but with
all the strength. This covers the full, intelligent use of the physical
powers. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 63


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Mon Feb 25 08:16:25 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:16:25 -0500
Subject: Stewards of Influence
Message-ID: <000101c877c9$c933dbd0$5b9b9370$@org>

Stewards of Influence 

Lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight
paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but
let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the
grace of God. Heb. 12: 12- 15. 

These words should teach us to be very careful how we snap the thread of our
faith by dwelling on our difficulties until they are large in our own eyes,
and in the eyes of others, who cannot read our inner, heart life. All should
remember that the conversation has a great influence for good or for ill. .
. . Do not allow the enemy so to use your tongue. . . . Do not exert an
influence that will break the hold of any trembling soul from God. . . . 

"Ye are God's husbandry" (1 Cor. 3: 9). As one takes pleasure in the
cultivation of a garden, so God takes pleasure in His believing sons and
daughters. A garden demands constant labor. The weeds must be removed; new
plants must be set out; branches that are making too rapid development must
be pruned back. So the Lord works for His garden, so He tends His plants. He
cannot take pleasure in any development that does not reveal the graces of
the character of Christ. The blood of Christ has made men and women God's
precious charge. Then how careful should we be not to manifest too much
freedom in pulling up the plants that God has placed in His garden! Some
plants are so feeble that they have hardly any life, and for these the Lord
has a special care. 

In all your transactions with your fellow men, never forget that you are
dealing with God's property. Be kind; be pitiful; be courteous. Respect
God's purchased possession. Treat one another with tenderness and courtesy.
Exert every God- given faculty to become examples to others. . . . 

Let Him who knows the heart and all its waywardness be able to deal with you
in mercy because you have shown mercy and compassion and love. . . . (Heb.
12: 13).

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 64


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Tue Feb 26 06:22:55 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:22:55 -0500
Subject: Your Royal Birth
Message-ID: <000001c87883$1504e3b0$3f0eab10$@org>

Your Royal Birth 

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not
the grace of God in vain. 2 Cor. 6: 1. 

Many who claim to be Christians are not Christians. . . . God takes none to
heaven but those who are first made saints in this world through the grace
of Christ, those in whom He can see Christ exemplified. . . . 

"The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy" (James 5: 11). . . . He
looks upon His redeemed heritage with pity. He is ready to pardon their sins
if they will surrender and be loyal to Him. In order to be just, and yet the
justifier of the sinner, He laid the punishment of sin upon His only
begotten Son. . . . For Christ's sake He pardons those that fear Him. He
does not see in them the vileness of the sinner; He recognizes in them the
likeness of His Son, in whom they believe. In this way only can God take
pleasure in any of us. "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).


Were it not for Christ's atoning sacrifice, there would be nothing in us in
which God could delight. All the natural goodness of man is worthless in
God's sight. He does not take pleasure in any man who retains his old
nature, and is not so renewed in knowledge and grace that he is a new man in
Christ. Our education, our talents, our means, are gifts entrusted to us by
God, that He may test us. If we use them for self- glorification, God says,
"I cannot delight in them; for Christ has died for them in vain." . . . 

To adorn the doctrine of Christ our Saviour, we must have the mind that was
in Christ. Our likes and dislikes, our desire to be first, to favor self to
the disadvantage of others, must be overcome. The peace of God must rule in
our hearts. Christ must be in us a living, working principle. . . . 

By your obedience to God, respect yourselves as the purchased possession of
His dear Son. Seek to be uplifted in Christ. This work is as lasting as
eternity. . . . Shall we, sons and daughters of God, forget our royal birth?
Shall we not rather honor our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? Shall we not
show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His
marvelous light? 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 65


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Wed Feb 27 05:56:37 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:56:37 -0500
Subject: A Share in Christ's Kingdom
Message-ID: <000001c87948$99ca5740$cd5f05c0$@org>

A Share in Christ's Kingdom 

I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye
may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the
twelve tribes of Israel. Luke 22: 29, 30. 

What a promise is this! Christ's faithful ones are to be sharers with Him in
the kingdom He has received from His Father. This is a spiritual kingdom, in
which those who are most active in serving their brethren are the greatest.
Christ's servants, under His direction, are to administer the affairs of His
kingdom. They are to eat and drink at His table, that is, be admitted to
near communion with Him. 

Those who search for worldly distinction and glory make a sad mistake. It is
the one who denies self, giving to others the preference, who will sit
nearest to Christ on His throne. He who reads the heart sees the true merit
possessed by His lowly, self- sacrificing disciples, and because they are
worthy He places them in positions of distinction, though they do not
realize their worthiness and do not seek for honor. . . . 

God places no value on outward display or boasting. Many who in this life
are looked upon as superior to others, will one day see that God values men
according to their compassion and self- denial. . . . Those who follow the
example of Him who went about doing good, who help and bless their fellow
men, trying always to lift them up, are in God's sight infinitely higher
than the selfish ones who exalt themselves. 

God does not accept men because of their capabilities, but because they seek
His face, desiring His help. God sees not as man sees. He judges not from
appearances. He searches the heart, and judges righteously. . . .

He accepts and communes with His lowly, unpretentious followers; for in them
He sees the most precious material, which will stand the test of storm and
tempest, heat and pressure. Our object in working for the Master should be
that His name may be glorified in the conversion of sinners. . . . 

Let us rejoice that the Lord does not measure the workers in His vineyard by
their learning or by the educational advantages they have had. The tree is
judged by its fruit. The Lord will cooperate with those who cooperate with
Him. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 66


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Thu Feb 28 10:28:51 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:28:51 -0500
Subject: Heaven's Highest Attraction
Message-ID: <02e701c87a37$c8bf7680$5a3e6380$@org>

Heaven's Highest Attraction 

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb. 4: 16. 

After pointing to Christ, the compassionate intercessor who is "touched with
the feeling of our infirmities," the apostle says: "Let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace. . . ." The throne of grace represents the
kingdom of grace; for the existence of a throne implies the existence of a
kingdom. 

God's appointments and grants in our behalf are without limit. The throne of
grace is itself the highest attraction because occupied by One who permits
us to call Him Father. But God did not deem the principle of salvation
complete while invested only with His own love. By His appointment He has
placed at His altar an Advocate clothed with our nature. As our Intercessor,
His office work is to introduce us to God as His sons and daughters. Christ
intercedes in behalf of those who have received Him. To them He gives power,
by virtue of His own merits, to become members of the royal family, children
of the heavenly King. And the Father demonstrates His infinite love for
Christ, who paid our ransom with His blood, by receiving and welcoming
Christ's friends as His friends. He is satisfied with the atonement made. He
is glorified by the incarnation, the life, death, and mediation of His Son. 

No sooner does the child of God approach the mercy seat than he becomes the
client of the great Advocate. At his first utterance of penitence and appeal
for pardon Christ espouses his case and makes it His own, presenting the
supplication before the Father as His own request. 

As Christ intercedes in our behalf, the Father lays open all the treasures
of His grace for our appropriation, to be enjoyed and to be communicated to
others. "Ask in my name," Christ says; "I do not say that I will pray the
Father for you; for the Father Himself loveth you, because you have loved
Me. Make use of My name. This will give your prayers efficiency, and the
Father will give you the riches of His grace; wherefore, 'ask and ye shall
receive, that your joy may be full' (John 16: 24)." 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 67


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Fri Feb 29 05:58:22 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:58:22 -0500
Subject: Like Mustard Seed
Message-ID: <000001c87adb$2e3bda00$8ab38e00$@org>

Like Mustard Seed 

The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, . . . which indeed
is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among
herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in
the branches thereof. Matt. 13: 31, 32. 

The germ in the seed grows by the unfolding of the life- principle which God
has implanted. Its development depends upon no human power. So it is with
the kingdom of Christ. It is a new creation. Its principles of development
are the opposite to those that rule the kingdoms of this world. Earthly
governments prevail by physical force; they maintain their dominion by war;
but the founder of the new kingdom is the Prince of Peace. . . . Christ
implants a principle. By implanting truth and righteousness, He counterworks
error and sin. . . . 

The kingdom of Christ in its beginning seemed humble and insignificant.
Compared with earthly kingdoms it appeared to be the least of all. By the
rulers of this world Christ's claim to be a king was ridiculed. Yet in the
mighty truths committed to His followers the kingdom of the gospel possessed
a divine life. And how rapid was its growth, how widespread its influence!
When Christ spoke this parable, there were only a few Galilean peasants to
represent the new kingdom. . . . But the mustard seed was to grow and spread
forth its branches throughout the world. When the earthly kingdoms whose
glory then filled the hearts of men should perish, the kingdom of Christ
would remain, a mighty and far-reaching power. 

So the work of grace in the heart is small in its beginning. A word is
spoken, a ray of light is shed into the soul, an influence is exerted that
is the beginning of the new life; and who can measure its results? . . . 

In this last generation the parable of the mustard seed is to reach a signal
and triumphant fulfillment. The little seed will become a tree. The last
message of warning and mercy is to go to "every nation and kindred and
tongue" (Rev. 14: 6- 14), "to take out of them a people for his name" (Acts
15: 14; Rev. 18: 1). And the earth shall be lightened with His glory. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 17


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sat Mar  1 07:34:56 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2008 10:34:56 -0500
Subject: Christ is Priest Upon the Throne
Message-ID: <008601c87bb1$ce05bed0$6a113c70$@org>

Christ is Priest Upon the Throne 

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Heb. 4: 14. 

In the temple in heaven, the dwelling place of God, His throne is
established in righteousness and judgment. In the most holy place is His
law, the great rule of right by which all mankind are tested. The ark that
enshrines the tables of the law is covered with the mercy seat, before which
Christ pleads His blood in the sinner's behalf. Thus is represented the
union of justice and mercy in the plan of human redemption. . . . 

As a priest, Christ is now set down with the Father in His throne. Upon the
throne with the eternal, self- existent One, is He who "hath borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows" (Isa. 53: 4), who "was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4: 15).... "If any man sin,
we have an Advocate with the Father" (1 John 2: 1). His intercession is that
of a pierced and broken body, of a spotless life. The wounded hands, the
pierced side, the marred feet, plead for fallen man, whose redemption was
purchased at such infinite cost. 

The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as
essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. . . .
Through defects in the character, Satan works to gain control of the whole
mind, and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he will succeed.
Therefore he is constantly seeking to deceive the followers of Christ with
his fatal sophistry that it is impossible for them to overcome. But Jesus
pleads in their behalf His wounded hands, His bruised body; and He declares
to all who would follow Him: "My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Cor. 12:
9). . . . Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will give
faith and grace to overcome them. 

We are now living in the great day of atonement. . . . All who would have
their names retained in the book of life should now, in the few remaining
days of their probation, afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin
and true repentance. There must be deep, faithful searching of heart. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 68


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sun Mar  2 12:52:00 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 15:52:00 -0500
Subject: Encircled by a Rainbow
Message-ID: <000101c87ca7$4378c4f0$0301a8c0@thompsondm90>

Encircled by a Rainbow 

Behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne . . . and
there was a rainbow round about the throne. Rev. 4: 2, 3. 

The rainbow of promise encircling the throne on high is an everlasting
testimony 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). It testifies to the universe that God will never forsake
His people in their struggle with evil. It is an assurance to us of strength
and protection as long as the throne itself shall endure. 

As the bow in the cloud is formed by the union of the sunlight and the
shower, so the rainbow encircling the throne represents the combined power
of mercy and justice. It is not justice alone that is to be maintained; for
this would eclipse the glory of the rainbow of promise above the throne; man
could see only the penalty of the law. Were there no justice, no penalty,
there would be no stability to the government of God. 

It is the mingling of judgment and mercy that makes salvation full and
complete. It is the blending of the two that leads us, as we view the
world's Redeemer and the law of Jehovah, to exclaim, "Thy gentleness hath
made me great" (2 Sam. 22: 36). We know that the gospel is a perfect and
complete system, revealing the immutability of the law of God. . . . Mercy
invites us to enter through the gates into the city of God, and justice is
sacrificed to accord to every obedient soul full privileges as a member of
the royal family, a child of the heavenly King. 

By faith let us look upon the rainbow round about the throne, the cloud of
sins confessed behind it. The rainbow of promise is an assurance to every
humble, contrite, believing soul, that his life is one with Christ, and that
Christ is one with God. The wrath of God will not fall upon one soul that
seeks refuge in Him. God Himself has declared, "When I see the blood, I will
pass over you." "The bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it,
that I may remember the everlasting covenant" (Ex. 12: 13; Gen. 9: 16). 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 69


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Mon Mar  3 09:22:17 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2008 12:22:17 -0500
Subject: In the Most Holy Place
Message-ID: <002901c87d53$21bd49b0$6537dd10$@org>

In the Most Holy Place 

The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
Hab. 2: 20. 

I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and the Son. I gazed on Jesus'
countenance and admired His lovely person. The Father's person I could not
behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus if His
Father had a form like Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it,
for said He, "If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would
cease to exist." . . . 

I saw the Father rise from the throne, and in a flaming chariot go into the
holy of holies within the veil, and sit down. . . . Then a cloudy chariot,
with wheels like flaming fire, surrounded by angels, came to where Jesus
was. He stepped into the chariot and was borne to the holiest, where the
Father sat. There I beheld Jesus, a great High Priest, standing before the
Father. 

Two lovely cherubs, one on each side of the ark, stood with their wings
outstretched above it, and touching each other above the head of Jesus as He
stood before the mercy seat. Their faces were turned toward each other, and
they looked downward to the ark, representing all the angelic host looking
with interest at the law of God. Between the cherubim was a golden censer,
and as the prayers of the saints, offered in faith, came up to Jesus, and He
presented them to His Father, a cloud of fragrance arose from the incense,
looking like smoke of most beautiful colors. Above the place where Jesus
stood, before the ark, was exceedingly bright glory that I could not look
upon; it appeared like the throne of God. 

Our crucified Lord is pleading for us in the presence of the Father at the
throne of grace. His atoning sacrifice we may plead for our pardon, our
justification, and our sanctification. The lamb slain is our only hope. Our
faith looks up to Him, grasps Him as the One who can save to the uttermost,
and the fragrance of the all- sufficient offering is accepted of the Father.
. . . Christ's glory is concerned in our success. He has a common interest
in all humanity. He is our sympathizing Saviour.

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 70


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Tue Mar  4 07:33:21 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 10:33:21 -0500
Subject: Guarded by Seraphim
Message-ID: <001201c87e0d$15176af0$3f4640d0$@org>

Guarded by Seraphim 

I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train
filled the temple. Isa. 6: 1. 

When God was about to send Isaiah with a message to His people, He first
permitted the prophet to look in vision into the holy of holies within the
sanctuary. Suddenly the gate and the inner veil of the temple seemed to be
uplifted or withdrawn, and he was permitted to gaze within, upon the holy of
holies, where even the prophet's feet might not enter. There rose before him
a vision of Jehovah sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, while the
train of His glory filled the temple. Around the throne were seraphim, as
guards about the great King, and they reflected the glory that surrounded
them. As their songs of praise resounded in deep notes of adoration, the
pillars of the gate trembled, as if shaken by an earthquake. With lips
unpolluted by sin, these angels poured forth the praises of God. "Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts," they cried: "the whole earth is full of
his glory" (Isa. 6: 3). 

The seraphim around the throne are so filled with reverential awe as they
behold the glory of God, that they do not for an instant look upon
themselves with admiration. Their praise is for the Lord of hosts. As they
look into the future, when the whole earth shall be filled with His glory,
the triumphant song is echoed from one to another in melodious chant, "Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." They are fully satisfied to glorify God;
abiding in His presence, beneath His smile of approbation, they wish for
nothing more. 

The world that Satan has claimed and has ruled over with cruel tyranny, the
Son of God has, by one vast achievement, encircled in His love and connected
again with the throne of Jehovah. Cherubim and seraphim, and the unnumbered
hosts of all the unfallen worlds, sang anthems of praise to God and the Lamb
when this triumph was assured. They rejoiced that the way of salvation had
been opened to the fallen race and that the earth would be redeemed from the
curse of sin. How much more should those rejoice who are the objects of such
amazing love! How can we ever be in doubt and uncertainty, and feel that we
are orphans? 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 71



From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Wed Mar  5 10:21:48 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 13:21:48 -0500
Subject: Founded on Righteousness
Message-ID: <004e01c87eed$c8899d70$599cd850$@org>

Founded on Righteousness 

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Ps. 97: 2, N. E.
B. 

In all His dealings with His creatures God has maintained the principles of
righteousness by revealing sin in its true character-- by demonstrating that
its sure result is misery and death. The unconditional pardon of sin never
has been, and never will be. Such pardon would show the abandonment of the
principles of righteousness, which are the very foundation of the government
of God. It would fill the unfallen universe with consternation. God has
faithfully pointed out the results of sin, and if these warnings were not
true, how could we be sure that His promises would be fulfilled? That so-
called benevolence which would set aside justice, is not benevolence, but
weakness. 

God is the life- giver. From the beginning, all His laws were ordained to
life. But sin broke in upon the order that God had established, and discord
followed. So long as sin exists, suffering and death are inevitable. It is
only because the Redeemer has borne the curse of sin in our behalf, that man
can hope to escape, in his own person, its dire results. 

We are to accept of Christ as our personal Saviour, and He imputes unto us
the righteousness of God in Christ. . . . "Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our
sins" (1 John 4: 10). 

In the love of God has been opened the most marvelous vein of precious
truth, and the treasures of the grace of Christ are laid open before the
church and the world.... What love is this, what marvelous, unfathomable
love that would lead Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners. What a
loss it is to the soul who understands the strong claims of the law, and who
yet fails to understand the grace of Christ which doth much more abound. . .
. Look at the cross of Calvary. It is a standing pledge of the boundless
love, the measureless mercy of the heavenly Father. 

There is a God in Israel, with whom is deliverance for all that are
oppressed. Righteousness is the habitation of His throne. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 72


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Thu Mar  6 14:18:12 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 17:18:12 -0500
Subject: Established in Justice and Judgment
Message-ID: <000001c87fd7$f90f3a00$f7271eac@thompsondm90>

Established in Justice and Judgment 

Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall
go before thy face. Ps. 89: 14. 

Through Jesus, God's mercy was manifested to men; but mercy does not set
aside justice. The law reveals the attributes of God's character, and not a
jot or tittle of it could be changed to meet man in his fallen condition.
God did not change His law, but He sacrificed Himself, in Christ, for man's
redemption. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" (2 Cor.
5: 19). . . . 

God's love has been expressed in His justice no less than in His mercy.
Justice is the foundation of His throne, and the fruit of His love. It had
been Satan's purpose to divorce mercy from truth and justice. He sought to
prove that the righteousness of God's law is an enemy to peace. But Christ
shows that in God's plan they are indissolubly joined together; the one
cannot exist without the other. "Mercy and truth are met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps. 85: 10). 

By His life and His death, Christ proved that God's justice did not destroy
His mercy, but that sin could be forgiven, and that the law is righteous,
and can be perfectly obeyed. Satan's charges were refuted. 

The grace of Christ and the law of God are inseparable. In Jesus mercy and
truth are met together.... He was the representative of God and the exemplar
of humanity. He presented to the world what humanity might become when
united by faith with divinity. The only- begotten Son of God took upon Him
the nature of man, and established His cross between earth and heaven.
Through the cross, man was drawn to God, and God to man. Justice moved from
its high and awful position, and the heavenly hosts, the armies of holiness,
drew near to the cross, bowing with reverence; for at the cross justice was
satisfied. Through the cross the sinner was drawn from the stronghold of
sin, from the confederacy of evil, and at every approach to the cross his
heart relents and in penitence he cries, "It was my sins that crucified the
Son of God." At the cross he leaves his sins, and through the grace of
Christ his character is transformed. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 73


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Fri Mar  7 04:30:52 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2008 07:30:52 -0500
Subject: Fountain of Life and Power
Message-ID: <000101c8804f$1e1678a0$0601a8c0@thompsondm90>

Fountain of Life and Power 

Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth,
and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying,
Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Rev. 5: 13. 

God desires His obedient children to claim His blessing and to come before
Him with praise and thanksgiving. God is the Fountain of life and power. . .
. He has done for His chosen people that which should inspire every heart
with thanksgiving, and it grieves Him that so little praise is offered. He
desires to have a stronger expression from His people, showing that they
know they have reason for joy and gladness. 

The dealings of God with His people should be often repeated. How frequently
were the waymarks set up by the Lord in His dealings with ancient Israel!
Lest they should forget the history of the past, He commanded Moses to frame
these events into song, that parents might teach them to their children. . .
. For His people in this generation the Lord has wrought as a wonder-
working God. The past history of the cause of God needs to be often brought
before the people, young and old. We need often to recount God's goodness
and to praise Him for His wonderful works. . . . 

The church of God below is one with the church of God above. Believers on
the earth and the beings in heaven who have never fallen constitute one
church. Every heavenly intelligence is interested in the assemblies of the
saints who on earth meet to worship God. In the inner court of heaven they
listen to the testimony of the witnesses for Christ in the outer court on
earth, and the praise and thanksgiving from the worshipers below is taken up
in the heavenly anthem, and praise and rejoicing sound through the heavenly
courts because Christ has not died in vain for the fallen sons of Adam.
While angels drink from the fountainhead, the saints on earth drink of the
pure streams flowing from the throne, the streams that make glad the city of
our God. Oh, that we could all realize the nearness of heaven to earth! . .
. In every assembly of the saints below are angels of God, listening to the
testimonies, songs, and prayers. Let us remember that our praises are
supplemented by the choirs of the angelic host above.

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 74


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sat Mar  8 05:33:19 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2008 08:33:19 -0500
Subject: Center of Worship 
Message-ID: <000001c88120$fad72740$f08575c0$@org>

Center of Worship 

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-
kindness and for thy truth. Ps. 138: 2. 

The bright and cheerful side of our religion will be represented by all who
are daily consecrated to God. . . . While we review, not the dark chapters
in our experience, but the manifestations of God's great mercy and unfailing
love, we shall praise far more than complain. We shall talk of the loving
faithfulness of God as the true, tender, compassionate shepherd of His
flock, which He has declared that none shall pluck out of His hand. The
language of the heart will not be selfish murmuring and repining. Praise,
like clear- flowing streams, will come from God's truly believing ones. . .
. 

The temple of God is opened in heaven, and the threshold is flushed with the
glory of God which is for every church that will love God and keep His
commandments. We need to study, to meditate, and to pray. Then we shall have
spiritual eyesight to discern the inner courts of the celestial temple. We
shall catch the themes of song and thanksgiving of the heavenly choir round
about the throne. When Zion shall arise and shine, her light will be most
penetrating, and precious songs of praise and thanksgiving will be heard in
the assemblies of the saints. Murmuring and complaining over little
disappointments and difficulties will cease. . . . We shall see our Advocate
offering up the incense of His own merits in our behalf. . . . 

God teaches that we should assemble in His house to cultivate the attributes
of perfect love. This will fit the dwellers of earth for the mansions that
Christ has gone to prepare for all who love Him. There they will assemble in
the sanctuary from Sabbath to Sabbath, from one new moon to another, to
unite in loftiest strains of song, in praise and thanksgiving to Him who
sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever. 

Our God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, declares: "Whoso offereth
praise glorifieth me" (Ps. 50: 23). All heaven unite in praising God. Let us
learn the song of the angels now, that we may sing it when we join their
shining ranks. Let us say with the psalmist: "While I live will I praise the
Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being" (Ps. 146: 2). 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 75


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sun Mar  9 07:55:00 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 10:55:00 -0400
Subject: Source of Compassion and Mercy 
Message-ID: <000001c881f5$8f6a2d10$ce0611ac@thompsondm90>

Source of Compassion and Mercy 

Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a
right sceptre. Ps. 45: 6. 

Though now He has ascended to the presence of God, and shares the throne of
the universe, Jesus has lost none of His compassionate nature. Today, the
same tender, sympathizing heart is open to all the woes of humanity. Today
the hand that was pierced is reached forth to bless more abundantly His
people that are in the world. . . . 

Through all our trials we have a never- failing Helper. He does not leave us
alone to struggle with temptation, to battle with evil, and be finally
crushed with burdens and sorrow. Though now He is hidden from mortal sight,
the ear of faith can hear His voice saying, Fear not; I am with you. "I am
he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore" (Rev. 1:
18). 

Those who put away iniquity from their hearts and stretch out their hands in
earnest supplication unto God will have that help which God alone can give
them. A ransom has been paid for the souls of men, that they may have an
opportunity to escape from the thralldom of sin and obtain pardon, purity,
and heaven. . . . Those who frequent the throne of grace, offering up
sincere, earnest petitions for divine wisdom and power, will not fail to
become active, useful servants of Christ. They may not possess great
talents, but with humility of heart and firm reliance upon Jesus they may do
a good work in bringing souls to Christ. . . . 

Thousands have a false conception of God and His attributes. . . . God is a
God of truth. Justice and mercy are the attributes of His throne. He is a
God of love, of pity and tender compassion. Thus He is represented in His
Son, our Saviour. He is a God of patience and long- suffering. If such is
the being whom we adore and to whose character we are seeking to assimilate,
we are worshiping the true God.

If we are following Christ, His merits, imputed to us, come up before the
Father as sweet odor. And the graces of our Saviour's character, implanted
in our hearts, will shed around us a precious fragrance. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 76


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Mon Mar 10 08:42:04 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:42:04 -0400
Subject: A Sympathizing High Priest 
Message-ID: <000101c882c5$4aa42a20$f7271eac@thompsondm90>

A Sympathizing High Priest 

Thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne
judging right. Ps. 9: 4. 

We do not understand the greatness and majesty of God nor remember the
immeasurable distance between the Creator and the creatures formed by His
hand. He who sitteth in the heavens, swaying the scepter of the universe,
does not judge according to our finite standard, nor reckon according to our
computation. We are in error if we think that that which is great to us must
be great to God, and that that which is small to us must be small to Him. .
. . 

No sin is small in the sight of God. The sins which man is disposed to look
upon as small may be the very ones which God accounts as great crimes. The
drunkard is despised and is told that his sin will exclude him from heaven,
while pride, selfishness, and covetousness go unrebuked. But these are sins
that are especially offensive to God. . . . We need clear discernment, that
we may measure sin by the Lord's standard. 

Now, while probation lingers, it does not become one to pronounce sentence
upon others and look to himself as a model man. Christ is our model; imitate
Him, plant your feet in His steps. You may professedly believe every point
of present truth, but unless you practice these truths it will avail you
nothing. We are not to condemn others; this is not our work; but we should
love one another and pray for one another. When we see one err from the
truth, then we may weep over him as Christ wept over Jerusalem. Let us see
what our heavenly Father in His word says about the erring: "If a man be
overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the
spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:
1). . . . 

Jesus cares for each one as though there were not another individual on the
face of the earth. As Deity He exerts mighty power in our behalf, while as
our Elder Brother He feels for all our woes. The Majesty of heaven held not
Himself aloof from degraded, sinful humanity. We have not a high priest who
is so high, so lifted up, that He cannot notice us or sympathize with us,
but one who was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 77


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Tue Mar 11 14:18:05 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:18:05 -0400
Subject: Christ Shares His Father's Throne
Message-ID: <004d01c883bd$66aeabc0$340c0340$@org>

Christ Shares His Father's Throne 

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool. Ps. 110: 1. 

The love of the Father toward a fallen race is unfathomable, indescribable,
without a parallel. This love led Him to consent to give His only begotten
Son to die, that rebellious man might be brought into harmony with the
government of Heaven, and be saved from the penalty of his transgression.
The Son of God stepped down from His royal throne, and for our sakes became
poor, that we through His poverty might be rich. He became "a Man of
sorrows," that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy. . . . God
permitted His beloved Son, full of grace and truth, to come from a world of
indescribable glory to a world marred and blighted with sin, shadowed with
the shadow of death and the curse. 

Since Jesus came to dwell with us, we know that God is acquainted with our
trials, and sympathizes with our griefs. Every son and daughter of Adam may
understand that our Creator is the friend of sinners. For in every doctrine
of grace, every promise of joy, every deed of love, every divine attraction
presented in the Saviour's life on earth, we see "God with us" (Matt. 1:
23). . . . 

By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by His divinity, He lays hold upon
the throne of God. As the Son of man, He gave us an example of obedience; as
the Son of God, He gives us power to obey. . . . The Child of Bethlehem, the
meek and lowly Saviour, is God "manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3: 16). . . .
"God with us" is the surety of our deliverance from sin, the assurance of
our power to obey the law of heaven. . . . 

In taking our nature, the Saviour has bound Himself to humanity by a tie
that is never to be broken. Through the eternal ages He is linked with us. .
. . "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: . . ." (Isa. 9: 6).
God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the
same into the highest heaven. It is the "Son of man" who shares the throne
of the universe. . . . In Christ the family of earth and the family of
heaven are bound together. Christ glorified is our brother. Heaven is
enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite
Love. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 78




From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Wed Mar 12 10:52:38 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:52:38 -0400
Subject: God's Law is Linked with His Throne
Message-ID: <004101c88469$dcde0730$969a1590$@org>

God's Law is Linked with His Throne 

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Ps.
119: 18. 

God has given His holy law to man as His measure of character. By this law
you may see and overcome every defect in your character. You may sever
yourself from every idol, and link yourself to the throne of God by the
golden chain of grace and truth. 

The moral law was never a type or a shadow. It existed before man's
creation, and will endure as long as God's throne remains. God could not
change nor alter one precept of His law in order to save man; for the law is
the foundation of His government. It is unchangeable, unalterable, infinite,
and eternal. In order for man to be saved, and for the honor of the law to
be maintained, it was necessary for the Son of God to offer Himself as a
sacrifice for sin. He who knew no sin became sin for us, He died for us on
Calvary. His death shows the wonderful love of God for man, and the
immutability of His law. . . . 

The glory of Christ is revealed in the law, which is a transcript of His
character, and His transforming efficacy is felt upon the soul until men
become changed to His likeness. They are made partakers of the divine
nature, and grow more and more like their Saviour, advancing step by step in
conformity to the will of God, till they reach perfection. 

The law of God was not given to the Jews alone. It is of world- wide and
perpetual obligation. . . . Its ten precepts are like a chain of ten links.
If one is broken, the chain becomes worthless. Not a single precept can be
revoked or changed to save the transgressor. 

Christ designs that heaven's order, heaven's plan of government, heaven's
divine harmony, shall be represented in His church on earth. Thus in His
people He is glorified. Through them the Sun of Righteousness will shine in
undimmed luster to the world. . . . The church, endowed with the
righteousness of Christ, is His depositary, in which the riches of His
mercy, His grace, and His love, are to appear in full and final display.
Christ looks upon His people in their purity and perfection, as the reward
of His humiliation, and the supplement of His glory-- Christ, the great
Center, from whom radiates all glory. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 79


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Thu Mar 13 07:50:32 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:50:32 -0400
Subject: Help in Resisting Temptation
Message-ID: <003201c88519$9738ae50$c5aa0af0$@org>

Help in Resisting Temptation 

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from
the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them
that dwell upon the earth. Rev. 3: 10. 

All heaven is interested in the work going on in this world, which is to
prepare men and women for the future, immortal life. It is God's plan that
human agencies shall have the high honor of acting as co- workers with Jesus
Christ in the salvation of souls. . . . They should look upon the work of
God as sacred and holy, and should bring to Him, every day, offerings of joy
and gratitude, in return for the power of His grace, by which they are
enabled to make advancement in the divine life. . . . 

It is not necessary that anyone should yield to the temptations of Satan and
thus violate his conscience and grieve the Holy Spirit. Every provision has
been made in the Word of God whereby all may have divine help in their
endeavors to overcome. 

In the religious life of every soul who is finally victorious there will be
scenes of terrible perplexity and trial; but his knowledge of the Scriptures
will enable him to bring to mind the encouraging promises of God, which will
comfort his heart and strengthen his faith in the power of the Mighty One.
He reads: . . . . "that the trial of your faith, being much more precious
than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found
unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. . . "( 1
Peter 1: 7). The trial of faith is more precious than gold. All should learn
that this is a part of the discipline in the school of Christ, which is
essential to purify and refine them from the dross of earthliness. . . . 

Summon all your powers to look up, not down at your difficulties; then you
will never faint by the way. You will soon see Jesus behind the cloud,
reaching out His hand to help you; and all you have to do is to give Him
your hand in simple faith and let Him lead you. . . . A great name among men
is as letters traced in sand, but a spotless character will endure to all
eternity. God gives you intelligence and a reasoning mind, whereby you may
grasp His promises; and Jesus is ready to help you in forming a strong,
symmetrical character. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 80


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Fri Mar 14 07:07:09 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:07:09 -0400
Subject: Where Sins May Be Blotted Out 
Message-ID: <000601c885dc$b2ef84c0$3e0aa8c0@thompsondm90>

Where Sins May Be Blotted Out 

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and
will not remember thy sins. Isa. 43: 25. { AG82.1} 

Some seem to feel that they must be on probation, and must prove to the Lord
that they are reformed, before they can claim His blessing. But they may
claim the blessing of God even now. They must have His grace, the spirit of
Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot resist evil. Jesus loves
to have us come to Him just as we are, sinful, helpless, dependent. We may
come with all our weakness, our folly, our sinfulness, and fall at His feet
in penitence. It is His glory to encircle us in the arms of His love and to
bind up our wounds, to cleanse us from all impurity. 

Here is where thousands fail; they do not believe that Jesus pardons them
personally, individually. They do not take God at His word. It is the
privilege of all who comply with the conditions to know for themselves that
pardon is freely extended for every sin. Put away the suspicion that God's
promises are not meant for you. They are for every repentant transgressor.
Strength and grace have been provided through Christ to be brought by
ministering angels to every believing soul. None are so sinful that they
cannot find strength, purity, and righteousness in Jesus, who died for them.
He is waiting to strip them of their garments stained and polluted with sin,
and to put upon them the white robes of righteousness; He bids them live and
not die. . . . 

With the rich promises of the Bible before you, can you give place to doubt?
Can you believe that when the poor sinner longs to return, longs to forsake
his sins, the Lord sternly withholds him from coming to His feet in
repentance? Away with such thoughts! Nothing can hurt your own soul more
than to entertain such a conception of our heavenly Father. He hates sin,
but He loves the sinner. . . . As you read the promises, remember they are
the expression of unutterable love and pity. The great heart of Infinite
Love is drawn toward the sinner with boundless compassion. . . . He wants to
restore His moral image in man. As you draw near to Him with confession and
repentance, He will draw near to you with mercy and forgiveness. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 81


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sat Mar 15 11:47:58 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:47:58 -0400
Subject: Where We Find Deliverance from Sin 
Message-ID: <000101c886cd$17a1da80$0401a8c0@thompsondm90>

Where We Find Deliverance from Sin 

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: 13, 14. 

The Prince of heaven has placed man in an exalted position. His life has
been valued at the cost of Calvary's cross. . . . From the depths of sin's
degradation, we may be exalted to become heirs with Christ, the sons of God,
and kings and priests unto the Most High. . . . 

When Christ bowed on the banks of Jordan, after His baptism, the heavens,
were opened, and the Spirit descended in the form of a dove, like burnished
gold, and encircled Him with its glory; and the voice of God from the
highest heaven was heard, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased" (Matt. 3: 17). The prayer of Christ in man's behalf opened the
gates of heaven, and the Father had responded, accepting the petition for
the fallen race. Jesus prayed as our substitute and surety, and now the
human family may find access to the Father through the merits of His well-
beloved Son. . . . Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14: 6).
The gate of heaven has been left ajar, and the radiance from the throne of
God shines into the hearts of those who love Him. 

The word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan. . . . embraces humanity.
God spoke to Jesus as our representative. With all our sins and weaknesses,
we are not cast aside as worthless. . . . The glory that rested upon Christ
is a pledge of the love of God for us. It tells us of the power of prayer--
how the human voice may reach the ear of God, and our petition find
acceptance in the courts of heaven. By sin, earth was cut off from heaven,
and alienated from its communion; but Jesus has connected it again with the
sphere of glory. His love has encircled man, and reached the highest heaven.
The light which fell from the open portals upon the head of our Saviour will
fall upon us as we pray for help to resist temptation. The voice which spoke
to Jesus says to every believing soul, This is My beloved child, in whom I
am well pleased. . . . Our Redeemer has opened the way so that the most
sinful, the most needy, . . . may find access to the Father. All may have a
home in the mansions which Jesus has gone to prepare. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 82


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Sun Mar 16 12:20:32 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:20:32 -0400
Subject: Accessible to All
Message-ID: <005a01c8879a$ce9e3fd0$6bdabf70$@org>

Accessible to All 

In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Eph. 3: 12. 

Many who are sincerely seeking for holiness of heart and purity of life seem
perplexed and discouraged. . . . Darkness and discouragement will sometimes
come upon the soul and threaten to overwhelm us, but we should not cast away
our confidence. We must keep the eye fixed on Jesus, feeling or no feeling.
We should seek to faithfully perform every known duty, and then calmly rest
in the promises of God. 

At times a deep sense of our unworthiness will send a thrill of terror
through the soul, but this is no evidence that God has changed toward us, or
we toward God. No effort should be made to rein the mind up to a certain
intensity of emotion. We may not feel today the peace and joy which we felt
yesterday; but we should by faith grasp the hand of Christ, and trust Him as
fully in the darkness as in the light. 

Satan may whisper, "You are too great a sinner for Christ to save." While
you acknowledge that you are indeed sinful and unworthy, you may meet the
tempter with the cry, "By virtue of the atonement, I claim Christ as my
Saviour. I trust not to my own merits, but to the precious blood of Jesus,
which cleanses me. This moment I hang my helpless soul on Christ." . . . 

Be not discouraged because your heart seems hard. Every obstacle, every
internal foe, only increases your need of Christ. He came to take away the
heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh. Look to Him for special grace
to overcome your peculiar faults. When assailed by temptation, steadfastly
resist the evil promptings. . . . Cry to the dear Saviour for help to
sacrifice every idol and to put away every darling sin. Let the eye of faith
see Jesus standing before the Father's throne, presenting His wounded hands
as He pleads for you. Believe that strength comes to you through your
precious Saviour. . . . 

If we would permit our minds to dwell more upon Christ and the heavenly
world, we should find a powerful stimulus and support in fighting the
battles of the Lord. . . . Beside the loveliness of Christ, all earthly
attractions will seem of little worth. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 83


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Mon Mar 17 06:12:40 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:12:40 -0400
Subject: Christ's Name Our Password
Message-ID: <000001c88830$acc49030$064db090$@org>

Christ's Name Our Password 

Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. John 14: 13. 

Through Christ we may present our petitions at the throne of grace. Through
Him, unworthy as we are, we may obtain all spiritual blessings. 

Make your requests known to your Maker. Never is one repulsed who comes to
Him with a contrite heart. Not one sincere prayer is lost. Amid the anthems
of the celestial choir, God hears the cries of the weakest human being. We
pour out our heart's desire in our closets, we breathe a prayer as we walk
by the way, and our words reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe.
They may be inaudible to any human ear, but they cannot die away into
silence, nor can they be lost through the activities of business that are
going on. Nothing can drown the soul's desire. It rises above the din of the
street, above the confusion of the multitude, to the heavenly courts. It is
God to whom we are speaking, and our prayer is heard. 

"Ask in my name," Christ says. . . . Christ is the connecting link between
God and man. He has promised His personal intercession. He places the whole
virtue of His righteousness on the side of the suppliant. He pleads for man,
and man, in need of divine help, pleads for himself in the presence of God,
using the influence of the One who gave His life for the life of the world.
As we acknowledge before God our appreciation of Christ's merits, fragrance
is given to our intercessions. As we approach God through the virtue of the
Redeemer's merits, Christ places us close by His side, encircling us with
His human arm, while with His divine arm He grasps the throne of the
Infinite. . . . 

Yes, Christ has become the medium of prayer between man and God. He has also
become the medium of blessing between God and man. He has united divinity
with humanity. . . . 

Pray, yes, pray with unshaken faith and trust. The Angel of the covenant,
even our Lord Jesus Christ, is the Mediator who secures the acceptance of
the prayers of His believing ones. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 84


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Tue Mar 18 06:01:19 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:01:19 -0400
Subject: Prayers Like Fragrant Incense 
Message-ID: <000301c888f8$2b5b74a0$82125de0$@org>

Prayers Like Fragrant Incense 

Another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there
was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of
all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. Rev. 8: 3.


True prayer takes hold upon Omnipotence and gives us the victory. Upon his
knees the Christian obtains strength to resist temptation. . . . The silent,
fervent prayer of the soul will rise like holy incense to the throne of
grace and will be as acceptable to God as if offered in the sanctuary. To
all who thus seek Him, Christ becomes a present help in time of need. They
will be strong in the day of trial. 

It is a wonderful favor for any man in this life to be commended of God as
was Cornelius. And what was the ground of this approval?--" Thy prayers and
thine alms are come up for a memorial before God" (Acts 10: 4). 

Neither prayer nor almsgiving has any virtue in itself to recommend the
sinner to God; the grace of Christ, through His atoning sacrifice, can alone
renew the heart and make our service acceptable to God. This grace had moved
upon the heart of Cornelius. The Spirit of Christ had spoken to his soul;
Jesus had drawn him, and he had yielded to the drawing. His prayers and alms
were not urged or extorted from him; they were not a price he was seeking to
pay in order to secure heaven; but they were the fruit of love and gratitude
to God. 

Such prayer from a sincere heart ascends as incense before the Lord; and
offerings to His cause and gifts to the needy and suffering are a sacrifice
well pleasing to Him. . . . 

Prayer and almsgiving are closely linked together-- the expression of love
to God and to our fellow men. They are the outworking of the two great
principles of the divine law," Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy
strength"; and, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Mark 12: 30,
31). Thus while our gifts cannot recommend us to God or earn His favor, they
are an evidence that we have received the grace of Christ. They are a test
of the sincerity of our profession of love. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 85


From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Wed Mar 19 07:19:31 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:19:31 -0400
Subject: Press Your Case
Message-ID: <000a01c889cc$40b0a030$c211e090$@org>

Press Your Case 

I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely. Hosea 14: 4. 

I hope that none will obtain the idea that they are earning the favor of God
by confession of sins or that there is special virtue in confessing to human
beings. . . . The Lord would have us come to Him daily with all our troubles
and confessions of sin, and He can give us rest. . . . 

Confess your secret sins alone before your God. Acknowledge your heart
wanderings to Him who knows perfectly how to treat your case. If you have
wronged your neighbor, acknowledge to him your sin and show fruit of the
same by making restitution. Then claim the blessing. Come to God just as you
are, and let Him heal all your infirmities. Press your case to the throne of
grace; let the work be thorough. Be sincere in dealing with God and your own
soul. If you come to Him with a heart truly contrite, He will give you the
victory. . . . He will not misapprehend or misjudge you. 

Your fellow men cannot absolve you from sin or cleanse you from iniquity.
Jesus is the only One who can give you peace. He loved you and gave Himself
for you. His great heart of love is "touched with the feeling of our
infirmities" (Heb. 4: 15). What sins are too great for Him to pardon? what
soul too dark and sin- oppressed for Him to save? He is gracious, not
looking for merit in us, but of His own boundless goodness healing our
backslidings and loving us freely, while we are yet sinners. He is "slow to
anger, and of great kindness" (Neh. 9: 17). 

There is a remedy for the sin- sick soul. That remedy is in Jesus. Precious
Saviour! His grace is sufficient for the weakest; and the strongest must
also have His grace or perish. 

I saw how this grace could be obtained. Go to your closet and there alone
plead with God. "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit
within me" (Ps. 51: 10). Be in earnest, be sincere. Fervent prayer availeth
much. Jacob- like, wrestle in prayer. Agonize. Jesus in the garden sweat
great drops of blood; you must make an effort. Do not leave your closet
until you feel strong in God; then watch, and just as long as you watch and
pray, you can keep these evil besetments under, and the grace of God can,
and will, appear in you. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 86



From devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org  Thu Mar 20 14:49:40 2008
From: devotional at egwlists.whiteestate.org (Daily Devotional)
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:49:40 -0400
Subject: Elijah's Example
Message-ID: <007501c88ad4$4dc70e90$e9552bb0$@org>

Elijah's Example 

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly
that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three
years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the
earth brought forth her fruit. James 5: 17, 18. 

When upon Mount Carmel he [Elijah] offered the prayer for rain (1 Kings 18:
41- 45), his faith was tested, but he persevered in making known his request
unto God. Six times he prayed earnestly, and yet there was no sign that his
petition was granted, but with a strong faith he urged his plea to the
throne of grace. Had he given up in discouragement at the sixth time, his
prayer would not have been answered, but he persevered till the answer came.
We have a God whose ear is not closed to our petitions; and if we prove His
Word, He will honor our faith. He wants us to have all our interests
interwoven with His interests, and then He can safely bless us; for we shall
not then take glory to self when the blessing is ours, but shall render all
the praise to God. God does not always answer our prayers the first time we
call upon Him; for should He do this, we might take it for granted that we
had a right to all the blessings and favors He bestowed upon us. Instead of
searching our hearts to see if any evil was entertained by us, any sin
indulged, we should become careless, and fail to recognize our dependence
upon Him, and our need of His help. 

The servant watched while Elijah prayed. Six times he returned from the
watch, saying, There is nothing, no cloud, no sign of rain. But the prophet
did not