For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. 2 Corinthians 8:12.
Бо якщо спочатку є охочий розум, то він приймається відповідно до того, що людина має, а не за тим, чого вона не має.
Bo yakshcho spochatku ye okhochyy rozum, to vin pryymayetʹsya vidpovidno do toho, shcho lyudyna maye, a ne za tym, choho vona ne maye.
Pure religion has to do with the will. The will is the governing power in the nature of man, bringing all the other faculties under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the deciding power which works in the children of men unto obedience to God or unto disobedience….
You desire to make your life such as will fit you for heaven at last. You are often discouraged at finding yourself weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits and customs of your old life in sin…. Your promises are like ropes of sand….
You will be in constant peril until you understand the true force of the will. You may believe and promise all things, but your promises or your faith are of no value until you put your will on the side of faith and action. If you fight the fight of faith with all your will power, you will conquer. Your feelings, your impressions, your emotions, are not to be trusted, for they are not reliable….
But you need not despair…. It is for you to yield up your will to the will of Jesus Christ; and as you do this, God will immediately take possession and work in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. Your whole nature will then be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ, and even your thoughts will be subject to Him. You cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as you may desire; but you can control the will, and you can make an entire change in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, your life will be hid with Christ in God and allied to the power which is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from God that will hold you fast to His strength; and a new light, even the light of living faith, will be possible to you. But your will must cooperate with God’s will….
Will you not say, “I will give my will to Jesus, and I will do it now,” and from this moment be wholly on the Lord’s side?
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7 NKJV
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:5.
David often triumphed in God, and yet he dwelt much upon his own unworthiness and sinfulness. His conscience was not asleep or dead. “My sin,” he cried, “is ever before me.” Psalm 51:3. He did not flatter himself that sin was a matter with which he had nothing to do, and that should not concern him. As he saw the depths of deceit in his heart, he … prayed that God would … cleanse him from secret faults.
It is not safe for us to close our eyes and harden our consciences, that we shall not see or realize our sins.
The humble heart will not think confession beneath him. He will not feel it a disgrace to confess if he has in any way, even in thought, hurt his brother or hindered God’s work through him.
Sins not repented of are sins not forgiven. Those who think themselves forgiven for sins of which they have never felt the sinfulness and over which they have never felt contrition of soul, only deceive themselves…. Our strength lies in our conscious weakness…. In self-distrust we cry to God for help, and work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Casting away all confidence in the arm of flesh, we cling with firm grasp to Jesus….
Heaven will never be reached by an easy-going people merely professing to be Christians. God calls for thorough work on the part of every one of His followers….
By resolute self-denial, By constant watchfulness, By earnest prayer, By the diligent use of every means of grace, And by the help of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, We shall come off victorious. The rest in heaven is for the weary, The crown for the brows of the warriors.
Women can be the instruments of righteousness, rendering holy service. . . . If there were twenty women where now there is one, who would make this holy mission their cherished work, we should see many more converted to the truth.
Europe is in deep trouble. Not just because of the conflict in Ukraine and pervasive economic challenges, but also because of its deep spiritual problem. The continent once known as the center of Protestantism has fallen into the deadly pit of humanism. Churches are empty; more than half of all young people don’t believe. Put frankly, Christianity in Europe is dying.
At one time, countries like England, France, Switzerland, and Germany sent thousands of missionaries into jungles worldwide. Now, the tide has shifted; today, it’s the “the old continent” that desperately needs Christian missionaries.
But now, through technology in the sky, you can be a media missionary to Ukraine and all of Europe, reaching a treasure trove of lost souls buried deep in Satan’s domain.
Share the Truth – Set Someone Free
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”—John 8:32
Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Isaiah 41:9.
Many have confused ideas as to what constitutes faith, and they live altogether below their privileges. They confuse feeling and faith, and are continually distressed and perplexed in mind; for Satan takes all possible advantage of their ignorance and inexperience…. We are to accept of Christ as our personal Saviour, or we shall fail in our attempt to be overcomers. It will not answer for us to hold ourselves aloof from Him, to believe that our friend or our neighbor may have Him for a personal Saviour, but that we may not experience His pardoning love. We are to believe that we are chosen of God, to be saved by the exercise of faith, through the grace of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit; and we are to praise and glorify God for such a marvelous manifestation of His unmerited favor. It is the love of God that draws the soul to Christ, to be graciously received, and presented to the Father. Through the work of the Spirit the divine relationship between God and the sinner is renewed. The Father says: “I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. I will exercise forgiving love toward them, and bestow upon them my joy. They shall be to me a peculiar treasure; for this people whom I have formed for myself shall show forth my praise.”
The Father sets His love upon His elect people who live in the midst of men. These are the people whom Christ has redeemed by the price of His own blood; and because they respond to the drawing of Christ, through the sovereign mercy of God, they are elected to be saved as His obedient children. Upon them is manifested the free grace of God, the love wherewith He hath loved them. Everyone who will humble himself as a little child, who will receive and obey the word of God with a child’s simplicity, will be among the elect of God.13The Signs of the Times, January 2, 1893.
You can prove yourself elected of Christ by being faithful; you can prove yourself the chosen of Christ by abiding in the vine.
Memory Text: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV).
Hebrews 11 and 12 are probably the most-loved chapters of the book. They describe the Christian life as a race in which we all participate and in which all who stay faithful will receive the reward. They also describe the drama of Redemption as a race in which people of faith from the past persevered, despite sufferings, but have not yet received the reward.
And that’s because the story ends with us, as well, not just them. We are the concluding act. The drama culminates with our entering and running the last part of the race, and with Jesus seated at the goal line at the right hand of God. He provides inspiration as well as the ultimate example of how the race is run. He is the ultimate Witness that the reward is true and that He is the Forerunner who opens the way for us (Heb. 6:19, 20; Heb. 10:19–23).
Hebrews 11 explains that faith is confidence in God’s promises, even if we cannot see their fulfillment yet. This lesson will explore what faith is and how it is obtained through the examples of the past and, especially and centrally, through the example of Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2, ESV).
AN AMAZING FACT: A 2004 Gallup poll indicates that the average American has nine close friends.In this same poll, 73 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with the number of friends they have, but 23 percent wish they had a few more friends. It’s interesting that the number of friends drops to seven for those in their 30s and 40s, but rises to 12 for those over 65. The researchers also discovered that the more money people made, the fewer friends they had.
In a similar study on friends and churches, Gallup found that people who have friends within their own church could more fully live out their faith than those who tended to have friends outside their church. In other words, if you don’t have friends at church, it can actually impede your spiritual growth! Being isolated or having the wrong types of friends can pull you away from God. My father used to say, “If you sleep with dogs, you’ll get fleas.”
We often think of choosing friends as a thing to do during our teen years. But while it’s true that young people can develop new friendships that will last a lifetime, the principle of choosing our friends wisely is for every age. People might move to a new community or attend a new church or begin a new job and have opportunity to forge new relationships. Good friends at any age can be a powerful influence in our lives.
For instance, I’m impressed with the positive peer influence of friends when I read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. It’s an example of how the right friends can help you withstand intense peer pressure. King Nebuchadnezzar built a golden image nearly 90-feet tall and commanded all his government officials to come for the dedication.
At the king’s command, everyone was to bow down and worship the image—or face immediate execution. The three young Hebrews didn’t bow down; they stood strong together. As a result, they were thrown into the fiery furnace together … only to be miraculously rescued by God! Choose your friends wisely, because they will influence your life. Avoid making close friendships with those who are rejecting God.
Watch out for people with hot tempers. “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go” (Proverbs 22:24). Beware of gossipers. Rather, spend time with those who have high values and stay near people with whom you can be honest. Your choices will impact your final destiny.
It’s no fairy tale! One day, you can be free from all the hurt, hunger, loneliness, crime, and chaos infecting the world today. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? But it’s not going to be some charismatic world leader who is going to deliver you—no, your deliverer is far superior! Jesus is coming soon, but there are a lot of misconceptions regarding how He’s coming back. So take a few minutes to understand what the Bible really says about the second coming so you won’t be left behind!
1. Can we be positive Jesus will return a second time?
“Christ … will appear a second time” (Hebrews 9:28). “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again” (John 14:3).
Answer: Yes! In Matthew 26:64, Jesus testified that He would come back to this earth again. Since the Scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35), this is proof positive. It is Christ’s own personal guarantee. Besides, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of His first coming—so we can be absolutely certain that He will fulfill the prophecies concerning His second coming too!
2. In what manner will Jesus return the second time?
“When He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said,
‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ ” (Acts 1:9–11).
Answer: The Scriptures promise that Jesus will return to this earth in the same manner that He left—in a visible, literal, bodily, personal manner. Matthew 24:30 says, “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” He will come in the clouds literally, as a personal being with a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:36–43, 50, 51). His coming will be visible; Scripture is clear on these facts!
3. Will the second coming of Christ be visible to everyone or only to a select group?
“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). “As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27). “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Answer: Every man, woman, and child living in the world when Jesus returns will see Him at His second coming. The staggering brightness of His appearance will stretch from horizon to horizon, and the atmosphere will be charged with brilliant glory like lightning. No one will be able to hide from it. This will be a loud, dramatic event in which even the dead are raised.
The United States Bullion Depository, located on the Fort Knox Army post site, is said to be the most impregnable vault on Earth. The virtual fortress is built out of granite, concrete, and steel, sealed behind a 22-ton door, protected by a 109,000-acre U.S. military base, and watched over day and night by Army units with tanks, heavy artillery, and Apache helicopter gunships at their disposal.It is ringed by fences and multiple alarms, and few people have been inside the highly classified Fort Knox bunker. The depository is a top-secret facility. Visitors are not permitted, and exceptions are not made. It is easy to see why the depository’s nickname, Fort Knox, has become synonymous with total security and inspired expressions like “It’s locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”
The U.S. Mint says that the Fort Knox vault contains 147.2 million troy ounces of gold, stacked in bars measuring 7 inches long, 3 and 5/8 inches wide, and 1 and 3/4 inches thick. Each bar weighs approximately 400 ounces, or 27 and 1/2 pounds. In today’s market that’s about $238 billion. If all the pure gold were put in a single cube, it would measure 20.3 feet on a side. In total, the depository holds 2.5 percent of all the gold ever refined.
Since its construction in 1937, the treasures locked inside Fort Knox have included more than gold. During the uncertainties of World War II, other national treasures from Europe and the U.S. were also protected in the vault. These included the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, the Magna Carta, and three volumes of the Gutenberg Bible. Yes, Bibles! Those priceless copies of the Scriptures may have been the most valuable bullion ever stored in Fort Knox.
How valuable are the Scriptures in your life? King David wrote that he loved God’s commandments more than fine gold, while King Solomon said, “How much better to get wisdom than gold!” (Proverbs 16:16). If David, called a man after God’s own heart, and Solomon, the wisest king in history, valued God’s Word so highly, shouldn’t we make it our top priority as well?
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. Psalms 119:127
Freedom is not gained through having our way or doing as we please. Prisons are full of men and women who simply did as they pleased. These people certainly didn’t gain freedom; they forfeited their freedom.
Are you constantly battling with fear, lust, jealousy, hatred, bitterness, conceit, deceitfulness, lack of faith, or discouragement?
You don’t have to be imprisoned to find yourself in handcuffs or behind bars. Sin has a way of entrapping each of us, keeping us in bondage. It is only as we accept the truth that Christ died for us at Calvary that we begin to enjoy the freedom He provided. He defeated sin and death once and for all that our true freedom can be found.
The chains that had us bound are broken, and God’s freedom truly sets us free (Gal. 5:1).
Is there anything you can really trust? Where can you find real, authentic answers to life’s greatest questions? “The Great Controversy” outlines a great cosmic battle between good and evil, and it is centered around you. How can you survive? What is the answer?
Satan wants you to believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs ..
Have you ever been lost without directions or a map? What did you do next? Did you know that God has given us a roadmap to navigate our lives? In order to read God’s map, we must first understand the great controversy, a cosmic war between God and Satan.
If Christ is dwelling in our hearts, He will work in us “both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13. We shall work as He worked; we shall manifest the same spirit. And thus, loving Him and abiding in Him, we shall “grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Ephesians 4:15. Steps to Christ, p. 75
It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
Christ resisted the temptations of the enemy with the only weapon that the soldier of the cross of Christ can successfully use—“It is written.” Where? In the Old and New Testaments. With these words we are to defend ourselves and warn others, holding forth to them the Word of life.
Many have never understood that Sunday is not the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. In his subtlety, Satan has covered up this fact and has presented a common day as sacred, that the whole world may become guilty before God by transgression. Many are utterly ignorant that they are not keeping the fourth commandment. It is essential for all to seek for truth from the divine Guidebook, that they may decide what the Lord says on this question. People have said much, but we cannot build our faith on the words of any person. There are two sides to this question. The God of heaven presents His law, and Satan holds out his spurious sabbath….
Sunday is a child of the Papacy. It has been nourished and cradled by the Protestant world as a genuine requirement of Jehovah; but it has no foundation in the Word of God. The Christian world is tested by their relation to this matter. God moves upon men and women to search the Scriptures for evidence to sustain Sunday. Those who search with a desire for truth will see that in the past they have been relying on tradition and have accepted an institution of the Papacy….
We are accountable only for the light that shines upon us. The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are testing us. If we are faithful and obedient, God will delight in us and bless us as His own chosen, peculiar people. When perfect faith and perfect love and obedience abound, working in the hearts of those who are Christ’s followers, they will have a powerful influence. Light will emanate from them, dispelling the darkness around them, refining and elevating all who come within the sphere of their influence, and bringing to a knowledge of the truth all who are willing to be enlightened and to follow in the humble path of obedience.
Many have excused themselves from rendering their gifts to the service of Christ because others were possessed of superior endowments and advantages….
