Being an Ambassador for Jesus!

Mark is my favorite of the 4 gospels! His youthfulness and accuracy shine forth in his writings as he seeks to share the many details of the life of Jesus – His Master.  Throughout his gospel, he portrays Jesus as the ultimate Servant and yet the Son of God.

Mark’s topical narrative on the life of Christ is the shortest and simplest of the four Gospels. He provides a crisp and fast-moving account of the life of Christ. The miracles of Jesus play a prominent role in the book. Mark highlights 18 miracles, demonstrating Jesus’ power and compassion. Mark show Jesus’ accomplishments and calls us to follow in His steps of servitude, even if suffering is part of the journey.

Throughout the next many blogposts, we are going to be discovering lessons from the book of Mark. May you be blessed as you read. 😊

Mark chapter 1:1-8 – The Mission of John the Baptist

Come with me in your imagination to the edge of the Jordan River, deep in the wilderness. A huge crowd has gathered around a simple, fearless, humble messenger of the Lord. We crowd closer to the front to get a better look. He is not clothed in the rich, luxurious robes of the priests, but is wearing a modest garment of camel hair with a leather belt. Wondering what he eats, we are told he is surviving on wild honey and locusts (carob pods) found in the wilderness. But why not preach in the ornate, great synagogues of the day? No, he has chosen his cathedral for preaching the vast valleys and the great Jordan River.

As we stand there listening, we heard him boldly and courageously challenging people to repent and confess their sins and prepare the way for the coming of the great Messiah. We hear him tell people to make restitution to those they have wronged and show in their heart and life that they are ready for the Messiah. Then he leads people into the Jordan River and baptizes them as the public demonstration of their death to sin and promise of a new life - ready to meet the Messiah.

We marvel at this simple prophet, (John the Baptist) fearlessly doing what God had called him to do – prepare the way for Jesus’ coming. Malachi 3:1 had predicted his coming. “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me…” John was a fulfillment of prophecy.

John was born as the miracle son to the aged parents Zachariah and Elizabeth. Luke calls them “both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” (Luke 1:6) Truly godly people! Just as God had given a son to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, so John the Baptist had been born to his aged parents. God surely still does miracles!

Obviously, Zachariah and Elizabeth faithfully taught their son about the principles and truths of God’s Word. Luke 1:80 says, “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.”

Desire of Ages, page 100 says, “John was to go forth as Jehovah's messenger, to bring to men the light of God. He must give a new direction to their thoughts. He must impress them with the holiness of God's requirements, and their need of His perfect righteousness. Such a messenger must be holy. He must be a temple for the indwelling Spirit of God. In order to fulfill his mission, he must have a sound physical constitution, and mental and spiritual strength. Therefore, it would be necessary for him to control the appetites and passions. He must be able so to control all his powers that he could stand among men as unmoved by surrounding circumstances as the rocks and mountains of the wilderness.”

We’re going to consider 7 things that John the Baptist was an example of:

1.       John the Baptist was an example of country living

Where was John living? Crowded somewhere in the busy streets of Jerusalem? No! Luke 1:80 told us, “… he was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.” That’s where John grew up – away from the noise and bustle and confusion of the busy cities.

Desire of Ages, page 101 says, “It was a lonely region where he found his home, in the midst of barren hills, wild ravines, and rocky caves. But it was his choice to forgo the enjoyments and luxuries of life for the stern discipline of the wilderness. Here his surroundings were favorable to habits of simplicity and self-denial. Uninterrupted by the clamor of the world, he could here study the lessons of nature, of revelation, and of Providence.”

We are called to follow John’s example. Selected Messages, Vol 2, pages 355, 356 says, “By beholding the scenes of nature, the works of the Creator, by studying God’s handiwork, imperceptibly you will be changed into the same image. … Get out of the cities as soon as possible and purchase a little piece of land where you can have a garden, where your children can watch the flowers growing and learn from them lessons of simplicity and purity.”

Evangelism, pages 77, 78 adds, “As God’s commandment-keeping people we must leave the cities. As did Enoch, we must work in the cities, but not dwell in them.”

John was an example of country living. As you and I are God’s end-time messengers, we are also called to live in the country.

2.       John the Baptist was an example in dress reform

How was John dressed? In the most fashionable, rich robes of his time? No! He wasn’t even dressed as a priest, though his father was one. “His dress was that of the ancient prophets, a garment of camel's hair, confined by a leather girdle.” Desire of Ages, page 102. Simplicity in dress.

Why was John like this? He was seeking to draw the attention of people away from himself and to look to Jesus. Instead of focusing on the outward, he was more concerned with the inward. We are also to follow John’s example. 1 Peter 3:3, 4 says, “Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

“There is no need to make the dress question the main point of your religion. There is something richer to speak of. Talk of Christ, and when the heart is converted everything that is out of harmony with the Word of God will drop off.” Evangelism, page 272

“Our sisters should clothe themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety. Give to the world a living illustration of the inward adorning of the grace of God.” Selected Messages, Vol. 3, page 242.

People need to see that God’s people, living at end-time are different even in how we dress. Modesty of dress will do more for helping people believe the truth than many other things.

3.       John the Baptist was an example in health reform

What did John eat? Mark 1:6 says, “…and he did eat locusts and wild honey.” Definitely a simple diet!

Desire of Ages, page 100 says, “In the time of John the Baptist, greed for riches, and the love of luxury and display had become widespread. Sensuous pleasures, feasting and drinking, were causing physical disease and degeneracy, benumbing the spiritual perceptions, and lessening the sensibility to sin. John was to stand as a reformer. By his abstemious life and plain dress, he was to rebuke the excesses of his time.”

Though locusts are considered “clean” foods to eat (see Lev. 11), I don’t believe that’s what John the Baptist was eating. Locusts are the bean (carob) pods that hang from the tree. It is safe to assume that John the Baptist was eating a plant-based diet.

We are also called to eat a plant-based diet!  “True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful.” Patriarchs and Prophets, page 562.

“God is trying to lead us back, step by step, to His original design – that man should subsist upon the natural products of the earth.” Counsels on Health, page 450.

“Many who are now only half converted on the question of meat eating will go from God’s people, to walk no more with them.” Review and Herald, May 27, 1902.

We cannot be a powerful end-time witness for the Lord if we are sickly and weak because of eating flesh foods. God is calling us to come up higher and eat a plant-based diet.

4.       John the Baptist is an example of humility

How was John humble? He was always pointing people to Jesus! He could have been proud and puffed up that he was the one to prepare the way for Jesus. But he wasn’t! John 3:30 says, “He (Jesus) must increase; I (John) must decrease.” Is that our attitude? When someone comes along and crosses us, do we think – they must increase and I decrease? When someone lower than you and less qualified than you are gets promoted to the position you should have had, how do you react? He/she must increase and I decrease? Are we seeking to attract people’s attention to us? Or are we seeking to draw people’s attention to Jesus?

And what John did, we also must do! God is calling us to be humble also!

“We must behold God, and in beholding Him, lose sight of self…. Those who are true to their calling as messengers for God will not seek honor for themselves. Love for self will be swallowed up in love for Christ.” Upward Look, page 308.

“The mind must be trained to dwell upon heavenly things. Humility will come as the result of discerning the loveliness of Jesus Christ. When we look at the cross of Calvary, we will not exalt self, but keep constantly in view our unworthiness and how much our salvation cost heaven; we will discern Christ’s love.” This Day with God, page 261

Instead of being a proud, arrogant messenger for the Lord, we need to be humble and esteem others better than others. As Philippians 2:4 says, “Look not every man on his own things, but every many also on the things of others.” That’s what I want, don’t you?

5.       John the Baptist was an example of bold, courageous witnessing

John was not afraid to speak for God. Desire of Ages, page 104 says, “God does not send messengers to flatter the sinner. He delivers no message of peace to lull the unsanctified into fatal security. He lays heavy burdens upon the conscience of the wrongdoer, and pierces the soul with arrows of conviction.”

That’s what John was called to do. He had been waiting and watching for the right time to speak. And when the time God had appointed had come, John was ready. He emerged from his solitude and began fearlessly preaching and teaching others how to get ready for the Messiah.

And John was not just willing to preach for God among the crowds of people around the Jordan. Mark 6:18 says, “John said unto Herod, ‘It is now lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.”  Imagine how much courage it would take to go into the palace of the greatest king on earth at that time and rebuke him! It was no easy task to go before that king and tell him that what he had done was wrong. Yet, John was not afraid. He went where God sent him and spoke what God asked him to.

God is calling us to be this kind of messenger too! We have the most important message of truth to share to the world! Why should we be afraid and scared to share the gospel to others?

Desire of Ages, page 822 says, “Christ gave His disciples their commission. He made full provision for the prosecution of the work, and took upon Himself the responsibility for its success. So long as they obeyed His Word, and worked in connection with Him, they could not fail. Go to all nations, He bade them. Go to the farthest part of the habitable globe, but know that My presence will be there. Labor in faith and confidence, for the time will never come when I will forsake you.”

That is our commission! Even if we are worried or scared or feel that God is calling us to share with someone “great”, He has promised to help us and bless us!

“Prayer and effort, effort and prayer, will be the business of your life. You must pray as though the efficiency and praise were all due to God, and labor as though duty were all your own.” Testimonies, Vol. 4, page 538.

That’s what we need to be – a busy, earnest worker for the Lord, willing to speak whenever God calls!

6.       John the Baptist was an example in knowing and understanding the Scriptures

John the Baptist knew the Scriptures! During his time growing up in the wilderness, he had been carefully searching to know God’s will for his life and the nation of Israel. John 1:23 says, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah.”

Desire of Ages, page 103 says, “With awed, yet exultant spirit he searched in the prophetic scrolls [the Bible back then] the revelations of the Messiah’s coming.” He was very diligent to know and understand the prophecies found in the Scriptures.

God is calling us to follow John’s example of having a faithful devotional life! As we spend time with Jesus each day in His Word, we will be transformed to be like Him and to be a more effective witness for Him.

“None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict.” Great Controversy, page 593, 594.

“Christians should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise, and this preparation they should make by diligently studying the Word of God and striving to conform their lives to its precepts.” Prophets and Kings, page 626.

We cannot help prepare others for Jesus’ coming, if we are not ready ourselves! So, we need to spend time each day in the Word – seeking to conform our lives to its precepts.

7.       John the Baptist was an example of pointing people to Jesus

Yes, John was looking for Jesus and always sought to point the attention of the people to Jesus. John 1:29 says, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

It would have been so easy for John to reason to himself that now was his time to shine. The people had come out to see him – not Jesus. They weren’t even aware Jesus had come. Why not let him have his moment to have the attention of the people focused to him only? That was not John’s motivation. He wasn’t preaching for people to admire or flatter him, no!! He was preaching to prepare the way for Jesus to come and when Jesus came, he gladly stepped aside to made room for Jesus. What a lesson for us!

God is calling us to be lights in the world – pointing people to Jesus. Not ourselves, but to Him, the light of the world.

“It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ.” Desire of Ages, page 83. The more we spend time with Jesus and behold Him, the more we will be changed into His image.

We must learn to surrender ourselves fully and completely to Jesus and follow His leading for our lives. “One brief day is given you. As if it were your last on earth, work during its hours for the Master. Lay all your plans before God, to be carried out or given up, as His providence shall indicate.” Testimonies, Vol. 7, page 44.

1 Peter 2:9 says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you our of darkness into his marvelous light.”

As ambassadors for Jesus, Christians do indeed have a high calling! John the Baptist helped prepare people for Jesus’ first coming and God has called His people today to live holy lives as they help others prepare for Jesus’ second coming.

Are you willing to be a unique “voice in the wilderness” and witness through a godly lifestyle to prepare others for Jesus’ second coming? That’s what I want and hope you do too!

What is God to you?

What does God mean to you? Have you experienced knowing what He really is in your life? Can you testify that God is ____, _____, and ______ to you?

Psalms 71 gives us some very good ideas of who God is to us! Let’s learn about them through this time.

Verse 1 says, “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.” That’s the first thing God is to us – 1. My listening ear. He is the one we put our trust in. Why? Because He’s always listening and will not leave us alone.

Verse 2 says, “Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.” Here God is something else - 2. My Savior. Only God can save us. Not man or anything around us. We must look to Jesus for help to be free from our sins and to have victory over sins. Remember the song, there is power, power, wondering working power in the precious blood of the Lamb……

Verse 3 has 2 in it, “Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.” Here God is 3. My rock and 4. My fortress. What is the number one characteristic of a rock? It’s strength, right? Where does our source of strength come from? Only from God. How about a fortress? That’s another name of saying a castle. If you were running to hide from someone trying, the castle would be the place to run to! Who should we run to in our problems? We need to run to God.

Verse 4 and 5 says, “Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.” There we have the firth and sixth things God is to us. 5. My hope and 6. My trust. There’s a lot of things to hope for in life, but what we should really hope for is to know God in a close intimate way. That’s our true hope! And of course, we are looking for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of Jesus. And God is also our trust. What do you trust in? We need to not put our trust or hope in man but in the Lord (Ps. 118:8).

Verse 6 has another 2 things God is to us, “By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.” Here God is 7. My upholder and 8. My Creator. Who keeps us going and upholds us? It’s God! We can’t even breath without God! And God made us also!

Verse 7 says, “I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.” Here God is 9. My strong refuge. We’ll that’s similar to the fortress we talked about earlier. If you have it in your mind that anytime you are in trouble, you have somewhere to run to and turn to, would you be afraid of trouble? No! Of course not! Because you have a strong refuge to turn to.

Verse 8 then says, “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.” Here God is 10. My reason for praise.  Do you ever wonder what to be thankful for? God is the reason of our praise and all He is doing and has done for us!

Then we drop down in the chapter to verse 19, “Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!” Here God is 11. My miracle worker.  God is the one who can do such mighty miracles in our lives! Who is like unto God? No one!

Then verse 21 says, “Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.” Here God is 12. My Comforter. Do you long for someone to comfort you and understand you? God is the greater comforter and He understands us better than anyone else does!

And then lastly verse 23 says, “My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.” And here the last one is 13. God is my Redeemer.

So there we have 13 things God is to us! And I’m sure there are more that I didn’t catch from the chapter! Look for more and see if you can find more!

Let’s remember all the things God is and does to us and learn to praise and thank Him more each day!

Lessons from the Ants

“Oh no, the Ants are back again,” I sighed as I took the ant spray and began to fight back against the Ants in our kitchen. It seems we have a never ending war against the Ants in our kitchen and definitely we don’t find them welcome there!

Today I want to share with you some fascinating facts about ants and we will also learn some lessons from them for us as soul winners too.

Did you know that there are an estimated 1-10 quadrillion ants in our world today? Now that number is not even comprehendable! The total mass of all the Ants in the entire world is equal to the entire human race!

Did you know that there are ants in every part of the world except Antarctica and a few islands like Iceland and Greenland?

Did you know that there are 22,000 species of ants in the world and 2,500 of them are in africa? Africa has the most numbers of species of ants in the whole world!

Did you know the largest ant was 6 cm long? That’s a big ant! However most ants are from .75 mm to 52 mm.

What color are most ants? Red or black but a few are green!

How long do ants live? That depends on whether it is a queen or a worker ant. Queen ants can live up to 30 years and worker ants live only 1-3 years. You can see who does most of the work!

Ants are very useful creatures in many ways – just not in the kitchen or hospital! But wait in some places in Africa, they use army ants for surgery! They pull the wound together tightly and apply army ants to it and the ant grabs one piece of each side of the wound and clamps it shut with its mighty jaws. Then they cut the Ants body off and the head and jaw keep the wound shut until it heals! Not exactly the surgery I would wish for!

The Bible talks about the ant in Proverbs. Proverbs 6:6-8 – “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”

So the Bible tells us to consider the ant and see what lessons we can learn from it! Today we want to look at 7 lessons we can learn from the ants.

     1. Ants are diligent hardworkers.

Have you ever seen a lazy ant? I don’t think so! Anytime you see an ant, they are always busy doing something, whether that’s looking for food or carrying food or whatever. The Bible reminds the sluggard (the lazy man) to consider the ways of the ant and learn to be diligent and hardworking.

Are you a diligent hardworking soul winner? Do others know you as a relaxed lazy person or as a diligent hard worker? Are you careful to use even your little moments here and there to be diligent?

“Only let the moments be treasured.... The time spent in traveling; ... the moments of waiting for meals, waiting for those who are tardy in keeping an appointment,—if a book were kept at hand, and these fragments of time were improved in study, reading, or careful thought, what might not be accomplished!” —Christ’s Object Lessons, 343, 344.

Let’s be like the diligent ant! Let’s not be like the lazy grasshopper in the story Aesop tells. The lazy grasshopper came and asked the busy ants for food when it was almost winter. They were busy storing the last food they had gathered for winter. They asked him what he was doing in the summer while they were working and he said, making music and they said sorry – none of our food is for you and left him to starve. Truly it pays to be diligent! Are you diligent in doing God’s work? Let’s learn the second lesson from the ants.

     2. Ants need no boss for they know exactly what to do.

Do the ants have a boss (or teacher) standing over them, guiding them what to do and telling them step by step the instructions? No!! They know just want to do themselves and jump into it! Are you a person who can see what needs to be done and does it without being told? Or are you someone who needs to be told step by step what to do? Remember Eccl. 9:10?

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might…”

“God has no use for lazy men in His cause; He wants thoughtful, kind, affectionate, earnest workers.”—Testimonies for the Church 4:411.

Lazy men don’t like to work. They can never see what should be done and only do it if someone tells them. Friends, let’s do our work cheerfully and diligently without being told! Now let’s learn our next lesson from the ants.

     3. Ants are not afraid to carry heavy loads.

They don’t look at a huge crumb and say – it can’t be done, it can’t be done! No!! They try to carry it if they can, and if it’s too big for them, then they call some other ants to come and help them! I have seen ants carrying food much bigger than themselves! Do you think that is easy? No! And many times they carry the food through difficult places, like up a steep wall or through tiny crevasses. They are not afraid of doing hard things.

How about us? Do we look at a task and say – oh that’s too hard! It can’t be done, it can’t be done? Or do we say – this is the work before me; I will do my best to do it the best I can? As a soul winner we may look at various areas of the world and say – oh the gospel can never go there. Or I could never go there as a missionary. But if God sends you there, then don’t look at the Giants in the land as the 10 spies did! Be a Caleb or Joshua today that will get up and do great things for God! Yes the territory may be hard, yes the people aren’t receptive, yes the people reject you, but determine I shall conquer this field for the Lord!

“In the name of the Lord, with the untiring perseverance and unflagging zeal that Christ brought into His labors, we are to carry forward the work of the Lord.”—Testimonies for the Church 9:25.

Are you willing to do hard and great things for God? Let’s be like the tiny ants! Our next lesson is this one.

    4. Ants don’t give up easily

As the saying goes, if you don’t succeed at first, try, try again! Isn’t that what the ants do? If they have found food, they persist on making sure they find a way to carry it away and take it home with them. I watched ants one time trying to carry a big dead spider and it was so big and heavy for them, but they kept pulling and pushing and finally after much effort and determination, they got the spider to their home. How about us? Do we give up easily when the going gets tough? Oh, this work is not for me….. people don’t like the bible studies I’m offering. ….. it’s so hot out here…… this area is too hard….

“Courage, energy, and perseverance they must possess. Though apparent impossibilities obstruct their way, by His grace they are to go forward. Instead of deploring difficulties, they are called upon to surmount them. They are to despair of nothing, and to hope for everything. With the golden chain of His matchless love, Christ had bound them to the throne of God. It is His purpose that the highest influence in the universe, emanating from the Source of all power, shall be theirs. They are to have power to resist evil, power that neither earth, nor death, nor hell can master, power that will enable them to overcome as Christ overcame.” —Gospel Workers, 39.

We need to press forward, doing Gods work no matter how big the challenges are and not give up easily or get discouraged. God will surely help us! When the ants know there is food in a certain area, they will keep on coming back, no matter how hard you try to stop them! They know they will get something there if they are persistent.

How about us? When we think an area is unfruitful and we get little results, do we give up and quit? Or do we know that God has put us there for a reason and he will surely give us souls to win for Him? Let’s be like the tiny ant! Or next lesson is:

     5. Ants are patient

They don’t mind waiting for the food. They wait until they think you’re not around and out they come! They will be as patient as it takes to find the food they need. Are you a patient person? Patient with your interests? Patient with the mistakes or slowness of your partner? God wants us to be patient soul winners for Him!

“Work disinterestedly, lovingly, patiently, for all with whom you are brought into contact. Show no impatience. Utter not one unkind word. Let the love of Christ be in your hearts, the law of kindness on your lips.”—Testimonies for the Church 9:41.

Let’s be patient like the ants! Our next lesson is:

     6. Ants share to others the good news they find.

When one ant finds food, he doesn’t keep the good news to himself. He either carries some of it back with him to show what he found, or he hurried back to the home to tell the others the good news that food has been found! Is that what we do?

God has been so good to us in giving us the knowledge of the gospel and his truths but do we keep all this good news to ourselves? We must take it and share with others! It’s like the story of the 4 starving lepers outside the gate of Samaria who found food in the Syrian camp and enjoyed their fill of goodies and then realized they needed to go and tell others the good news! May we have the same zeal to go and tell others what Jesus has done for us and how He has helped us!

“The Lord demands that in His servants shall be found a spirit that is quick to feel the value of souls, quick to discern the duties to be done, quick to respond to the obligations that the Lord lays upon them.”—Testimonies for the Church 9:123

Let’s be like the busy ant and share to others the good news God has blessed us with! Our last lesson from the ants is:

     7. Ants work together with others well.

They don’t fight and argue over who found the food and this is my area and don’t touch it! They don’t have an independent spirit. Once they find something good, they tell it to others and encourage them to come and help them! And when they get together to move a big piece of food, there is no fighting amongst themselves for how it ought to be done – his way or my way. They all get together peacefully and work in unity to get the job done.

How about us? Do we pick and fight with our partner or people around us? Do we want to keep all the blessings and benefits to ourselves? We must be willing to share and help others and work well with others. If we can never get along with anyone and always fight and argue with them, how can god use us effectively?

“As a people we lose much by lack of sympathy and sociability with one another. He who talks of independence and shuts himself up to himself, is not filling the position that God designed he should. We are children of God, mutually dependent upon one another for happiness. The claims of God and of humanity are upon us. We must all act our part in this life. It is the proper cultivation of the social elements of our nature that brings us into sympathy with our brethren, and affords us happiness in our efforts to bless others.”—Testimonies 4:71, 72.

Let’s be like the little ant and work in unity with those around us!

So there we have the 7 lessons from the ants! May God help us to be diligent, hardworking soul winners for Him!

Birthday blessings...

Do you look forward to your birthday? Or the birthday of some dear loved one? Birthdays usually are happy occasions to celebrate another year of life that God has given someone! 

But do we remember to thank God on our birthdays? Do we forget that He is the one who even keeps us alive, plus gives us everything else in our lives?

Psalms 67:19 says, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation." 

I was reading more about this concept of birthdays in context of this verse and came upon something interesting. Sons and Daughters of God, page 152 comments on this idea of birthdays.

"Under the Jewish economy, on the birth of children an offering was made to God, by His own appointment. Now we see parents taking special pains to present gifts to their children upon their birthdays; they make this an occasion of honoring the child, as though honor were due to the human being....For life, health, food, and clothing, no less than for the hope of eternal life, we are indebted to the Giver of all mercies; and it is due to God to recognize His gifts, and to present our offerings of gratitude to our greatest benefactor. These birthday gifts are recognized in heaven."

Yes that's what we do today don't we? We give gifts and praise to that person having the birthday as if they are truly the one to celebrate about. But we must remember all gratitude and praise goes to God - not to anyone else.

What if we used our birthdays to give back some amount of offering to God in gratitude for all He's done for us? What a blessing that would be to us and to God's work also!

"If Christian parents had accustomed their children to present offerings to God in acknowledgment of His great gift of salvation to men, how different would be the character of the young. Their minds would have been called away from themselves to the blessed Saviour. They would have been taught to feel that He loved them, and that He is the source of all blessing; that He is their hope of happiness and eternal life."

I heard of one young boy who did this. When his birthday came, he decided that instead of having a big part and lots of presents for himself, he would have a simple meal and tell people to bring money instead of a gift and he would give that money to a mission project. That young boy raised almost $500! What a blessing to the mission work!

"If this kind of education had been given to our children, we should today see far less selfishness, far less envy and jealousy; we should have more manly young men and womanly young women. We should see the youth coming up with moral strength, with pure principles, with well-balanced minds and lovely characters, because the Model would be ever before them; they would be impressed with the importance of copying the excellence of Jesus, the Pattern.... God wants the youth and those of mature age to look to Him, to believe in Jesus Christ whom He has sent, and to have Him abiding in the heart; then a new life will quicken every faculty of the being. The divine Comforter will be with them, to strengthen them in their weakness, and guide them in their perplexity.... It will make plain to them the path of life."

This is the kind of children we want to raise! This is the kind of young person we want to be! Let's seek in all we do to bring all the praise and gratitude back to God even in our birthdays!

What to do with depression....

Did you know what 300 million people around the world suffer with depression? That's a lot! It is estimated that 15% of all adults will experience depression at some point in their lifetime.

So are you depressed? :) I hope not! It is very easy to get depressed, especially when we start looking down at our problems instead of looking to Jesus. Let's learn today some keys for overcoming depression!

Psalms 43:5 says, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God."

Here David is saying, Why are you depressed? Why are you troubled? Then he gives the answer for depression - hope in God. Hope changes everything! Instead of focusing on the negative things of life, hope make us focus on the positive things that can and will come to us as we look to Jesus. That's the First Key - Hope in God.

This Day with God, page 305 says, "In the night season I was conversing with you. I was saying to you, . . . "Do not give way to depression, but let the comforting influence of the Holy Spirit be welcomed into your heart, to give you comfort and peace."

Isn't it so easy to give way to depression? When things start going wrong, how easy it is to give in to depression and feeling sorry for ourselves.... We need to make a positive choice not to give in to depression. That's a choice! God gives us freedom to choose what we think about and what feelings will control us. Depression doesn't have to control us and make us miserable and sad! We can choose not to be depressed!

That's the Second Key - Choose not to yield to depressing feelings.

"I am praying that the Lord will reveal Himself to you as a personal Comforter. The eyes of the soul must be kept open, in order to recognize the great mercies of our heavenly Father. Jesus is a bright and shining light. Let Him reflect His bright beams into the heart and mind. Do not forget thanksgiving. 'Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me' (Ps. 50:23). Look to Him, and lay before Him all your necessities. Is anything too hard for the Lord? He is the Great Physician. He can heal soul and body, and He would have you take hold of Him in faith. He fully understands the needs of your case. He is a very present help in every time of need. And He is pleased when we show our gratitude to Him."

Many times we get depressed because we feel like we need help that we are not getting or God isn't answering our prayers in the time or way we think He should. But God knows what's best for us! We can't see the future and all the things that God sees. Remember what Romans 8:28 says? "All things work together for good to them that love God..." So God knows our needs and He will help us in our need and it might not be the way we expect!

That's the Third Key - Surrender to Jesus and His plan for your life. If we are praying to be more like Jesus, He will place us in circumstances that will test our characters and as long as we look to Him, we will become more like Jesus through that situation. But we must keep our eyes upon Jesus and choose to think and act only in harmony with His will. He doesn't want us to be depressed! And if we focus our eyes upon Him, we will NOT be depressed either!

There's the Fourth Key - Look to Jesus, not yourself. Isaiah 45:22 says, "Look unto Me and be ye saved...." So as we look to Jesus and keep our eyes upon Him, we don't need to fall into depression! That's the good news! :)

"Christ is the light of the world. 'Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings' (Mal. 4:2). Let the light of His peace shine into your soul. He has a tender care for you, and you should praise Him with heart and soul and voice. You can please Him by manifesting a cheerful spirit. Let not one cloud of despondency or dissatisfaction hide from you the sunshine of His presence."

Darkness cannot exist where there is light. Since Jesus is the light and there is no darkness in Him, if I have Jesus in my heart, darkness and depression cannot exist in my heart! That's why we need to let His sunshine into our hearts to chase away the negative, upset, miserable feelings. And one way of keeping away those despondent feelings is to sing! That's the Fifth Key - Sing! If we would remember this more often, it would help us not to be depressed! You can't sing songs of praise to the Lord and be depressed at the same time! It doesn't work that way! :)

"It is in recognizing His light that you will conquer. You may increase in faith, by exercising the voice in speaking forth the praises of God. To the heart that recognizes Him is the promise, 'I am . . . the bright and morning star' (Rev. 22:16).

And another important element of overcoming depression is by encouraging others! Look for someone else who is worse off than yourself and seek to bring sunshine and joy to their life! 

Depression leads us to focus on ourselves and have self-pity for our trials and problems of life. We don't want to think about anyone besides ourselves, but as we look for other people to encourage and make happy, our own depression will vanish! That's our Sixth Key - Encourage someone else!

"If you would obtain precious victories, face the light that emanates from the Sun of Righteousness. Talk hope and faith and thanksgiving to God. Be cheerful, hopeful in Christ. Educate yourself to praise Him. This is a great remedy for diseases of the soul and of the body. 'I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God' (Ps. 42:11; Ps. 43:5).

That's our Seventh Key - Choose to be thankful. Being grateful and happy is not something that comes naturally to us. We must choose to do so! But as we choose to think positive, grateful, happy thoughts, depression ceases to make us troubled anymore. What a simple remedy for depression found in this simple devotional reading!

Let's review:

Key #1 - Hope in God.

Key #2 - Choose not to yield to depressing feelings.

Key #3 - Surrender to Jesus and His plan for your life.

Key #4 - Look to Jesus, not yourself.

Key #5 - Sing!

Key #6 - Encourage someone else!

Key #7 - Choose to be thankful.

We can be happy, grateful, praising Christians! Let's follow these 7 keys and avoid depression as if it's the plague! :)

Are You Praising God?

Are you praising God?

Really? Are you praising God and thanking Him for what He has done for you?

Psalms 67 is a psalm of praise and thanksgiving to God! Let's examine it and find out more! :)

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him."

A simple and profound psalm indeed! "Praise" is mentioned 4 times in this chapter! This means praise is pretty important for us to do!

I heard this story once of two angels who each had a basket. One angel was assigned to carry all the prayer requests and needs of God's people to heaven so God could answer them. The other angel was assigned to carry all the thanksgiving and praises to heaven. The first angel was very busy! Back and forth, back and forth all throughout the day, he filled and emptied his basket. The other angel had very few things in his basket and it filled up so slowly. Finally at the end of the day, his basket was full and he flew back to heaven, having made only one trip there.

So sad, right? Yes, there's nothing wrong with praying for our needs and asking God to bless and help us, but we must remember that praise is just as important as praying for our needs. In fact, it is almost more important! Because it shows God how grateful we are for what He has done for us.

In Heavenly Places, page 94 comments on this chapter from Psalms and says this, "As Christians we ought to praise God more than we do. We ought to bring more of the brightness of His love into our lives. As by faith we look to Jesus His joy and peace are reflected from the countenances. How earnestly we should seek so to relate ourselves to God that our faces may reflect the sunshine of His love! When our own souls are vivified by the Holy Spirit, we shall exert an uplifting influence upon others who know not the joy of Christ's presence."

Do we really praise God enough? Obviously not! We need to make it a habit to praise God more than we do!

"The Lord is not pleased to have His people a band of mourners. He wants them to repent of their sins, that they may enjoy the liberty of the sons of God. Then they will be filled with the praises of God, and will be a blessing to others."

When we complain and always plead with God for our troubles, it's like we are in a funeral procession - a band of mourners! Nothing to be happy about, nothing to smile about! Oh, no!!! We don't want to be thought of as that for being a Christian!

But suppose I find myself having more grumbling or prayer requests going up to God than praise! What can I do?

Isaiah 61:1-3 offers an answer, "to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified."

We need God to replace our spirit of heaviness to garments of praise! :) When He does this, we will be happy and full of praise for what God has done for us!

"'That he,' Christ Jesus, 'might be glorified.' O that this might be the purpose of our lives! Then we should have regard even to the expression of our countenance, to our words, and even to the tone of our voice when we speak."

People need to know that we are a happy, cheerful people! We wouldn't want to turn someone away from Christianity because of our gloomy, miserable faces! People watch our faces and what we look like! Oh, may we be good witnesses for Jesus!

"The melody of praise is the atmosphere of heaven; and when heaven comes in touch with the earth, there is music and song-- 'thanksgiving, and the voice of melody' (Isa. 51:3). . . . Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure and more of cheerfulness and hope and joy."

Sometimes we find our homes filled with censure and angry words.... This is not how it should be! If only we would sing more in our homes, there would be less complaining and anger and selfishness!

"As our Redeemer leads us to the threshold of the Infinite, flushed with the glory of God, we may catch the themes of praise and thanksgiving from the heavenly choir round about the throne; and as the echo of the angel's song is awakened in our earthly homes, hearts will be drawn closer to the heavenly singers. Heaven's communion begins on earth. We learn here its keynote."

In heaven, all is praise and adoration of God! If we don't learn how to praise and thank God here on this earth, we won't even make it to heaven to praise God there! If we are always complaining and grumbling here on this earth, we would surely find something to complain about up there. And that's not what God wants!

Let's ask God to help us to praise and thank Him all day long! :)

"Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee."

Keep Rising Higher

I'm sure we have all sung the famous song - "I'm pressing on the upward way, new heights I'm gaining every day....." This song reminds us to keep rising higher and higher and to keep our eyes upon Jesus.

As Isaiah 45:22 says, "Look unto Me and be ye saved..." There is a simple illustration relating to this from the example of a hawk trying to catch a little innocent dove.

"Have you ever watched a hawk in pursuit of a timid dove? Instinct has taught the dove that in order for the hawk to seize his prey, he must gain a loftier flight than his victim. So she rises higher and still higher into the blue dome of heaven, ever pursued by the hawk, which is seeking to obtain the advantage. But in vain. The dove is safe as long as she allows nothing to stop her in her flight, or draw her earthward; but let her once falter, and take a lower flight, and her watchful enemy will swoop down upon his victim. Again and again have we watched this scene with almost breathless interest, all our sympathies with the little dove. How sad we should have felt to see it fall a victim to the cruel hawk!" My Life Today, page 105.

What a lesson for us! We are the dove, being relentlessly pursued by the "hawk" - the devil. He is after us day after day after day and so often we find ourselves being "caught" or ensnared by his many temptations. If only we would follow the example of the dove!

As long as she keeps rising higher and higher above the hawk, she will NOT be captured. As long as she keeps rising higher into the sky and keeps her focus upward, she will be safe. But as soon as she begins to look downward or to the earth, that's her mistake and death will surely follow.

Psalms 61:1-3 says, "Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy."

When we feel overwhelmed with the temptations of the enemy, we need to cry to God to help us keep our focus looking up and not down on our trials and problems.

"We have before us a warfare--a lifelong conflict with Satan and his seductive temptations. The enemy will use every argument, every deception, to entangle the soul; and in order to win the crown of life, we must put forth earnest, persevering effort. We must not lay off the armor or leave the battlefield until we have gained the victory, and can triumph in our Redeemer."

We can't slide into heaven no matter how much we would wish to! In order for us to gain the victory and overcome at last, we must keep our eyes focused on Jesus and day by day battle with self and the devil's temptations. But we are not left to strive alone! That's the good news! :)

"As long as we continue to keep our eyes fixed upon the Author and Finisher of our faith we shall be safe. But our affections must be placed upon things above, not on things on the earth. By faith we must rise higher and still higher in the attainments of the graces of Christ. By daily contemplating His matchless charms, we must grow more and more into His glorious image. While we thus live in communion with Heaven, Satan will lay his nets for us in vain." My Life Today, page 105

Just as the dove cannot be captured by the hawk as long as she is higher than him, so as long as we are keeping our eyes fixed upon Jesus, we will not be overcome by the devil's temptations.

But so often we find ourselves just like Peter and we start out looking unto Jesus but then we take our eyes off of Jesus and what is the result? Yes, sinking beneath the devil's temptations.

I love the way Hebrews 12:2 says, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..." That's the only key to overcoming! Keeping our eyes upon Jesus! As the famous song says, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face..."

Today let's ask Jesus to help us keep our eyes fixed upon Him throughout the day and to keep them on Him always!