Daily Devotional

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Too Many Soldiers


And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to
give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine
own hand hath saved me. Judges 7:2.


It had been made a law in Israel that before they went to battle the following proclamation
should be made throughout the army: “What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath
not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man
dedicate it. And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him
also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. And what
man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his
house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.” And the officers were to speak further
to the people, saying, “What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return
unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart” (Deuteronomy 20:5-8).


Because his numbers were so few compared with those of the enemy, Gideon had refrained
from making the usual proclamation. He was filled with astonishment at the declaration that his
army was too large. But the Lord saw the pride and unbelief existing in the hearts of His people.
Aroused by the stirring appeals of Gideon, they had readily enlisted; but many were filled with
fear when they saw the multitudes of the Midianites. Yet, had Israel triumphed, those very ones
would have taken the glory to themselves instead of ascribing the victory to God.

Gideon obeyed the Lord’s direction, and with a heavy heart he saw twenty-two thousand, or
more than two thirds of his entire force, depart for their homes.

The Lord is willing to do great things for us. We shall not gain the victory through numbers,
but through the full surrender of the soul to Jesus. We are to go forward in His strength, trusting
in the mighty God of Israel. There is a lesson for us in the story of Gideon’s army.... The Lord is
just as willing to work through human efforts now, and to accomplish great things through weak
instrumentalities.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
No Generation Gap

And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. 1 Samuel 3:1.


Young as he was when brought to minister in the tabernacle, Samuel had even then duties to
perform in the service of God, according to his capacity. These were at first very humble, and
not always pleasant; but they were performed to the best of his ability, and with a willing heart....


If children were taught to regard the humble round of everyday duties as the course marked
out for them by the Lord, as a school in which they were to be trained to render faithful and
efficient service, how much more pleasant and honorable would their work appear. To perform
every duty as unto the Lord, throws a charm around the humblest employment and links the
workers on earth with the holy beings who do God’s will in heaven.

The life of Samuel from early childhood had been a life of piety and devotion. He had
been placed under the care of Eli in his youth, and the loveliness of his character drew forth the
warm affection of the aged priest. He was kind, generous, diligent, obedient, and respectful.
The contrast between the course of the youth Samuel and that of the priest’s own sons was very
marked, and Eli found rest and comfort and blessing in the presence of his charge. It was a
singular thing that between Eli, the chief magistrate of the nation, and the simple child so warm
a friendship should exist. Samuel was helpful and affectionate, and no father ever loved his child
more tenderly than did Eli this youth. As the infirmities of age came upon Eli, he felt more
keenly the disheartening, reckless, profligate course of his own sons, and he turned to Samuel for
comfort and support.

How touching to see youth and old age relying one upon the other, the youth looking up to the aged
for counsel and wisdom, the aged looking to the youth for help and sympathy. This is as it should be.
God would have the young possess such qualifications of character that they shall find delight
in the friendship of the old, that they may be united in the endearing bonds of affection to those
who are approaching the borders of the grave.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Preparing To Lead

When there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after
him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I
caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 1 Samuel 17:34, 35, R.V.

David was growing in favor with God and man. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord,
and he now set his heart more fully to do the will of God than ever before. He had new themes
for thought. He had been in the court of the king and had seen the responsibilities of royalty. He
had discovered some of the temptations that beset the soul of Saul and had penetrated some of
the mysteries in the character and dealings of Israel’s first king. He had seen the glory of royalty
shadowed with a dark cloud of sorrow, and he knew that the household of Saul, in their private
life, were far from happy. All these things served to bring troubled thoughts to him who had been
anointed to be king over Israel. But while he was absorbed in deep meditation, and harassed by
thoughts of anxiety, he turned to his harp, and called forth strains that elevated his mind to the
Author of every good, and the dark clouds that seemed to shadow the horizon of the future were
dispelled.

God was teaching David lessons of trust. As Moses was trained for his work, so the Lord
was fitting the son of Jesse to become the guide of His chosen people. In his watchcare for his
flocks, he was gaining an appreciation of the care that the Great Shepherd has for the sheep of
His pasture.

The lonely hills and the wild ravines where David wandered with his flocks were the lurking
place of beasts of prey. Not infrequently the lion from the thickets by the Jordan, or the bear from
his lair among the hills, came, fierce with hunger, to attack the flocks. According to the custom
of his time, David was armed only with his sling and shepherd’s staff; yet he early gave proof of
his strength and courage in protecting his charge....

His experience in these matters proved the heart of David and developed in him courage and
fortitude and faith.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Satan’s Stealthy Work

For 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. Ephesians 6:12

The Bible has little to say in praise of men. Little space is given to recounting the virtues of
even the best men who have ever lived. This silence is not without purpose; it is not without a
lesson. All the good qualities that men possess are the gift of God; their good deeds are performed
by the grace of God through Christ. Since they owe all to God the glory of whatever they are
or do belongs to Him alone; they are but instruments in His hands. More than this—as all the
lessons of Bible history teach—it is a perilous thing to praise or exalt men; for if one comes to
lose sight of his entire dependence on God, and to trust to his own strength, he is sure to fall....

It is impossible for us in our own strength to maintain the conflict; and whatever diverts the
mind from God, whatever leads to self-exaltation or to self-dependence, is surely preparing the
way for our overthrow. The tenor of the Bible is to inculcate distrust of human power and to
encourage trust in divine power.

It was the spirit of self-confidence and self-exaltation that prepared the way for David’s
fall. Flattery and the subtle allurements of power and luxury were not without effect upon him.
Intercourse with surrounding nations also exerted an influence for evil. According to the customs
prevailing among Eastern rulers, crimes not to be tolerated in subjects were uncondemned in the
king; the monarch was not under obligation to exercise the same self-restraint as the subject. All
this tended to lessen David’s sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. And instead of relying in
humility upon the power of Jehovah, he began to trust to his own wisdom and might.

As soon as Satan can separate the soul from God, the only Source of strength, he will seek to
arouse the unholy desires of man’s carnal nature. The work of the enemy is not abrupt; it is not,
at the outset, sudden and startling; it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
A Late Awakening

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I
had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no
profit under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:11.

By his own bitter experience, Solomon learned the emptiness of a life that seeks in earthly
things its highest good. He erected altars to heathen gods, only to learn how vain is their promise
of rest to the spirit. Gloomy and soul-harassing thoughts troubled him night and day. For him
there was no longer any joy of life or peace of mind, and the future was dark with despair.

Yet the Lord forsook him not. By messages of reproof and by severe judgments, He sought
to arouse the king to a realization of the sinfulness of his course.... At last the Lord, through a
prophet, delivered to Solomon the startling message: ... “I will surely rend the kingdom from
thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy
father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.”

Awakened as from a dream by this sentence of judgment pronounced against him and his
house, Solomon with quickened conscience began to see his folly in its true light. Chastened
in spirit, with mind and body enfeebled, he turned wearied and thirsting from earth’s broken
cisterns, to drink once more at the fountain of life.... He could never hope to escape the blasting
results of sin; he could never free his mind from all remembrance of the self-indulgent course
he had been pursuing; but he would endeavor earnestly to dissuade others from following after
folly....

The true penitent does not put his past sins from his remembrance. He does not, as soon as he
has obtained peace, grow unconcerned in regard to the mistakes he has made. He thinks of those
who have been led into evil by his course, and tries in every possible way to lead them back into
the true path. The clearer the light that he has entered into, the stronger is his desire to set the
feet of others in the right way.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
A Voice In The Wilderness

And Elijah the Tishbite, ... said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before
whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 1
Kings 17:1.

Among the mountains of Gilead, east of the Jordan, there dwelt in the days of Ahab a man
of faith and prayer whose fearless ministry was destined to check the rapid spread of apostasy in
Israel. Far removed from any city of renown, and occupying no high station in life, Elijah the
Tishbite nevertheless entered upon his mission confident in God’s purpose to prepare the way
before him and to give him abundant success. The word of faith and power was upon his lips,
and his whole life was devoted to the work of reform. His was the voice of one crying in the
wilderness to rebuke sin and press back the tide of evil. And while he came to the people as a
reprover of sin, his message offered the balm of Gilead to the sin-sick souls of all who desired to
be healed....

To Elijah was entrusted the mission of delivering to Ahab Heaven’s message of judgment. He
did not seek to be the Lord’s messenger; the word of the Lord came to him. And jealous for the
honor of God’s cause, he did not hesitate to obey the divine summons, though to obey seemed to
invite swift destruction at the hand of the wicked king....

It was only by the exercise of strong faith in the unfailing power of God’s word that Elijah
delivered his message. Had he not possessed implicit confidence in the One whom he served,
he would never have appeared before Ahab. On his way to Samaria, Elijah had passed by
ever-flowing streams, hills covered with verdure, and stately forests that seemed beyond the
reach of drought. Everything on which the eye rested was clothed with beauty. The prophet
might have wondered how the streams that had never ceased their flow could become dry, or
how those hills and valleys could be burned with drought. But he gave no place to unbelief. He
fully believed that God would humble apostate Israel, and that through judgments they would be
brought to repentance. The fiat of Heaven had gone forth; God’s word could not fail; and at the
peril of his life Elijah fearlessly fulfilled his commission.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
The Battle Song

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and
that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say,
Praise theLord; for his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Chronicles 20:21.

It was a singular way of going to battle against the enemy’s army—praising the Lord with
singing, and exalting the God of Israel. This was their battle song. They possessed the beauty
of holiness. If more praising of God were engaged in now, hope and courage and faith would
steadily increase. And would not this strengthen the hands of the valiant soldiers who today are
standing in defense of truth?

They praised God for the victory, and four days thereafter the army returned to Jerusalem,
laden with the spoils of their enemies, singing praise for the victory won.

When we have a deeper appreciation of the mercy and loving-kindness of God, we shall
praise Him, instead of complaining. We shall talk of the loving watchcare of the Lord, of
the tender compassion of the Good Shepherd. The language of the heart will not be selfish
murmuring and repining. Praise, like a clear, flowing stream, will come from God’s truly
believing ones....

Why not awake the voice of spiritual song in the days of our pilgrimage? ... We need to study
God’s Word, to meditate and pray. Then we shall have spiritual eyesight to discern the inner
courts of the celestial temple. We shall catch the notes of thanksgiving sung by the heavenly choir
around the throne. When Zion shall arise and shine, her light will be most penetrating, and songs
of praise and thanksgiving will be heard in the assembly of the saints. Little disappointments and
difficulties will be lost sight of.

The Lord is our helper.... No one ever trusted God in vain. He never disappoints those who
put their dependence on Him. If we would only do the work that the Lord would have us do,
walking in the footsteps of Jesus, our hearts would become sacred harps, every chord of which
would send forth praise and thanksgiving to the One sent by God to take away the sin of the​
world.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
All On The Altar

No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of
God. Luke 9:62.

We are not all asked to serve as Elisha served, nor are we all bidden to sell everything we
have; but God asks us to give His service the first place in our lives, to allow no day to pass
without doing something to advance His work in the earth. He does not expect from all the same
kind of service. One may be called to ministry in a foreign land; another may be asked to give of
his means for the support of gospel work. God accepts the offering of each. It is the consecration
of the life and all its interests, that is necessary. Those who make this consecration will hear and
obey the call of Heaven....

It was no great work that was at first required of Elisha; commonplace duties still constituted
his discipline. He is spoken of as pouring water on the hands of Elijah, his master. He was
willing to do anything that the Lord directed, and at every step he learned lessons of humility
and service.... Elisha’s life after uniting with Elijah was not without temptations.
Trials he had in abundance; but in every emergency he relied on God. He was tempted to think
of the home that he had left, but to this temptation he gave no heed. Having put his hand to the
plow, he was resolved not to turn back, and through test and trial he proved true to this trust....

As Elisha accompanied the prophet ... his faith and resolution were once more tested. At
Gilgal, and again at Bethel and Jericho, he was invited by the prophet to turn back.... But ... he
would not be diverted from his purpose.... “And ... Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do
for thee, before I be taken away from thee.”

Elisha asked not for worldly honor, or for a high place among the great men of earth. That
which he craved was a large measure of the Spirit that God had bestowed so freely upon the one
about to be honored with translation. He knew that nothing but the Spirit which had rested upon
Elijah, could fit him to fill the place in Israel to which God had called him; and so he asked, “I
pray thee, let a double portion of thy Spirit be upon me.”
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Reluctant Prophet

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up
before me. Jonah 1:2.

Nineveh, wicked though it had become, was not wholly given over to evil. He who “beholdeth
all the sons of men” (Psalm 33:13) ... perceived in that city many who were reaching out after
something better and higher.... God revealed Himself to them in an unmistakable manner, to lead
them, if possible, to repentance.

The instrument chosen for this work was the prophet Jonah.... Had the prophet obeyed
unquestioningly, he would have been spared many bitter experiences, and would have been
blessed abundantly. Yet in the hour of Jonah’s despair the Lord did not desert him. Through
a series of trials and strange providences, the prophet’s confidence in God and in His infinite
power to save was to be revived....

Once more the servant of God was commissioned to warn Nineveh.... As Jonah entered the
city, he began at once to “cry against” it the message, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown.” From street to street he went, sounding the note of warning.
The message was not in vain. The cry that rang through the streets of the godless city was
passed from lip to lip until all the inhabitants had heard the startling announcement. The Spirit
of God pressed the message home to every heart and caused multitudes to tremble because of
their sins and to repent in deep humiliation....

Their doom was averted, the God of Israel
was exalted and honored throughout the heathen world, and His law was revered.
Not until many years later was Nineveh to fall aprey to the surrounding nations through
forgetfulness of God and through boastful pride....

The lesson is for God’s messengers today, when the cities of the nations are as verily in need
of a knowledge of the attributes and purposes of the true God as were the Ninevites of old.... The
only city that will endure is the city whose builder and maker is God.... The Lord Jesus is calling
upon men to strive with sanctified ambition to secure the immortal inheritance.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Jeremiah, God’s Mouthpiece

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:26.

Among those who had hoped for a permanent spiritual revival as the result of the reformation
under Josiah was Jeremiah, called of God to the prophetic office while still a youth....

In the youthful Jeremiah, God saw one who would be true to his trust and who would stand for
the right against great opposition.... “Say not, I am a child,” the Lord bade His chosen messenger;
“for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee.” ...

For forty years Jeremiah was to stand before the nation as a witness for truth and
righteousness. In a time of unparalleled apostasy he was to exemplify in life and character the
worship of the only true God. During the terrible sieges of Jerusalem he was to be the mouthpiece
of Jehovah.

Naturally of a timid and shrinking disposition, Jeremiah longed for the peace and quite of a
life of retirement, where he need not witness the continued impenitence of his beloved nation.
His heart was wrung with anguish over the ruin wrought by sin....

The experiences through which Jeremiah passed in the days of his youth and also in the later
years of his ministry, taught him the lesson that “the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man
that walketh to direct his steps.” He learned to pray, “O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not
in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing” (Jeremiah 10:23, 24).

When called to drink of the cup of tribulation and sorrow, and when tempted in his misery to
say, “My strength and my hope is perished fromthe Lord,” he recalled the providences of
God in his behalf and triumphantly exclaimed, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not
consumed, because his compassions fail not.... The Lord is my portion, saith my soul;
therefore will I hope in him.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Faith And God’s Promises

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his
faith. Habakkuk 2:4.

At the time Josiah began to rule, and for many years before, the truehearted in Judah were
questioning whether God’s promises to ancient Israel could ever be fulfilled....

These anxious questionings were voiced by the prophet Habakkuk. Viewing the situation of
the faithful in his day, he expressed the burden of his heart in the inquiry: “O Lord, how long
shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!” ... And then, his faith reaching out beyond the forbidding
prospect of the immediate future, and laying fast hold on the precious promises that reveal God’s
love for His trusting children, the prophet added, “We shall not die.” With this declaration of
faith he rested his case, and that of every believing Israelite, in the hands of a compassionate
God....

The faith that strengthened Habakkuk and all the holy and the just in those days of deep trial
was the same faith that sustains God’s people today. In the darkest hours, under circumstances
the most forbidding, the Christian believer may keep his soul stayed upon the source of all light
and power. Day by day, through faith in God, his hope and courage may be renewed. “The just
shall live by his faith.” ...

We must cherish and cultivate the faith of which prophets and apostles have testified—the
faith that lays hold on the promises of God and waits for deliverance in His appointed time and
way. The sure word of prophecy will meet its final fulfillment in the glorious advent of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords.... With the prophet who endeavored
to encourage Judah in a time of unparalleled apostasy, let us confidently declare, “The Lord is in
his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” Let us ever hold in remembrance the
cheering message, “The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not
lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.”
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Daniel, God’s Ambassador

Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the
kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither
was there any error or fault found in him. Daniel 6:4.

Daniel, the prime minister of the greatest of earthly kingdoms, was at the same time a prophet
of God, receiving the light of heavenly inspiration. A man of like passions as ourselves, the pen
of inspiration describes him as without fault. His business transactions, when subjected to the
closest scrutiny of his enemies, were found to be without one flaw. He was an example of
what every businessman may become when his heart is converted and consecrated, and when his
motives are right in the sight of God....

Unwavering in his allegiance to God, unyielding in his mastery of self, Daniel, by his noble
dignity and unswerving integrity, while yet a young man, won the “favor and tender love” of
the heathen officer in whose charge he had been placed.... He rose speedily to the position
of prime minister of the kingdom of Babylon. Through the reign of successive monarchs, the
downfall of the nation, and the establishment of another world empire, such were his wisdom
and statesmanship, so perfect his tact, his courtesy, his genuine goodness of heart, his fidelity to
principle, that even his enemies were forced to the confession that “they could find none occasion
nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful.”

Honored by men with the responsibilities of state and with the secrets of kingdoms bearing
universal sway, Daniel was honored by God as His ambassador, and was given many revelations
of the mysteries of ages to come. His wonderful prophecies, as recorded by him in chapters 7
to 12 of the book bearing his name, were not fully understood even by the prophet himself; but
before his life labors closed, he was given the blessed assurance that “at the end of the days”in
the closing period of this world’s history—he would again be permitted to stand in his lot and
place....

We may, like Daniel and his fellows, live for that which is true and noble and enduring. And
learning in this life the principles of the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, ... we may be prepared
at His coming to enter with Him into its possession.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Knowledge Requires Action

Ezra...was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given.
Ezra 7:6.

More than two thousand years have passed since Ezra “prepared his heart to seek the law
of the Lord, and to do it,” yet the lapse of time has not lessened the influence of his pious
example. Through the centuries the record of his life of consecration has inspired many with the
determination “to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it.”

Ezra’s motives were high and holy; in all that he did he was actuated by a deep love for souls.
The compassion and tenderness that he revealed toward those who had sinned, either willfully or
through ignorance, should be an object lesson to all who seek to bring about reforms....

There is no such thing as weakening or strengthening the law of Jehovah. As it has been, so
it is. It always has been, and always will be, holy, just, and good, complete in itself. It cannot be
repealed or changed. To “honor” or “dishonor” it is but the speech of men....

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. The tremendous issues of eternity demand of us
something besides an imaginary religion, a religion of words and forms, where truth is kept in
the outer court....

If the saints of the Old Testament bore so bright a testimony of loyalty, should not those upon
whom is shining the accumulated light of centuries, bear a still more signal witness to the power
of truth?

Shall we let the example of Ezra teach us the use we should make of our knowledge of the
Scriptures? The life of this servant of God should be an inspiration to us to serve the Lord
with heart and mind and strength. We each have an appointed work to do, and this can be
accomplished only by consecrated effort. We need first to set ourselves to know the requirements
of God, and then to practice them. Then we can sow seeds of truth that will bear fruit unto eternal​
life.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
None Were Perfect

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.2 Corinthians 4:7

All the disciples had serious faults when Jesus called them to His service. Even John, who
came into closest association with the meek and lowly One, was not himself naturally meek and
yielding. He and his brother were called "the sons of thunder." While they were with Jesus,
any slight shown to Him aroused their indignation and combativeness. Evil temper, revenge, the
spirit of criticism, were all in the beloved disciple. He was proud, and ambitious to be first in the
kingdom of God. But day by day, in contrast with his own violent spirit, he beheld the tenderness
and forbearance of Jesus, and heard His lessons of humility and patience. He opened his heart
to the divine influence, and became not only a hearer but a doer of the Saviour’s words. Self was
hid in Christ. He learned to wear the yoke of Christ and to bear His burden.

Jesus reproved His disciples, He warned and cautioned them; but John and his brethren did
not leave Him; they chose Jesus, notwithstanding the reproofs. The Saviour did not withdraw
from them because of their weakness and errors. They continued to the end to share His trials
and to learn the lessons of His life. By beholding Christ, they became transformed in character....

As His representatives among men, Christ does not choose angels who have never fallen, but
human beings, men of like passions with those they seek to save....

Having been in peril themselves, they are acquainted with the dangers and difficulties of the
way, and for this reason are called to reach out for others in like peril. There are souls perplexed
with doubt, burdened with infirmities, weak in faith, and unable to grasp the Unseen; but a friend
whom they can see, coming to them in Christ’s stead, can be a connecting link to fasten their
trembling faith upon Christ.

We are to be laborers together with the heavenly angels in presenting Jesus to the world.​
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
It Has To Be Personal

If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. Matthew 9:21.

It was a poor woman who spoke these words—a woman who for twelve years had suffered
from a disease that made her life a burden. She had spent all her means upon physicians and
remedies, only to be pronounced incurable. But as she heard of the Great Healer, her hopes
revived.... Again and again she had tried in vain to get near Him.


She had begun to despair, when, in making His way through the multitude, He came near
where she was.... But amid the confusion she could not speak to Him, nor catch more than a
passing glimpse of His figure.... As He was passing, she reached forward, and succeeded in
barely touching the border of His garment. But in that moment she knew that she was healed.
In that one touch was concentrated the faith of her life, and instantly her pain and feebleness
gave place to the vigor of perfect health.

With a grateful heart she then tried to withdraw from the crowd; but suddenly Jesus stopped....
The Saviour could distinguish the touch of faith from the casual contact of the careless throng.
Such trust should not be passed without comment.... Finding concealment vain, she came forward
tremblingly, and cast herself at His feet. With grateful tears she told the story of her suffering,
and how she had found relief. Jesus gently said, "Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath
made thee whole; go in peace." He gave no opportunity for superstition to claim healing virtue
for the mere act of touching His garments. It was not through the outward contact with Him, but
through the faith which took hold on His divine power, that the cure was wrought....

So in spiritual things. To talk of religion in a casual way, to pray without soul hunger and
living faith, avails nothing. A nominal faith in Christ, which accepts Him merely as the Saviour

of the world, can never bring healing to the soul.... It is not enough to believe
about Christ; we must believe in Him. The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces
Him as a personal Saviour; which appropriates His merits to ourselves.

 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Nothing Too Costly

For the love of Christ constraineth us. 2 Corinthians 5:14.

Christ delighted in the earnest desire of Mary to do the will of her Lord. He accepted the
wealth of pure affection which His disciples did not, would not, understand. The desire that Mary
had to do this service for her Lord was of more value to Christ than all the precious ointment
in the world, because it expressed her appreciation of the world’s Redeemer. It was the love of
Christ that constrained her. The matchless excellence of the character of Christ filled her soul.
That ointment was a symbol of the heart of the giver. It was the outward demonstration of a love
fed by heavenly streams until it overflowed.


The work of Mary was just the lesson the disciples needed to show them that the expression
of their love for Him would be pleasing to Christ. He had been everything to them, and they did
not realize that soon they would be deprived of His presence, that soon they could offer Him no
token of their gratitude for His great love. The loneliness of Christ, separated from the
heavenly courts, living the life of humanity, was never understood or
appreciated by the disciples as it should have been....

Their afterknowledge gave them a true sense of the many things they might have done for
Jesus expressive of the love and gratitude of their hearts.... When Jesus was no longer with them,
... they began to see how they might have shown Him attentions that would have brought gladness
to His heart. They no longer cast blame upon Mary, but upon themselves. Oh, if they could have
taken back their censuring, their presenting the poor as more worthy of the gift than was Christ!
They felt the reproof keenly as they took from the cross the bruised body of their Lord.

The same want is evident in our world today. But few appreciate all that Christ is to them.
If they did, the great love of Mary would be expressed, the anointing would be freely bestowed.
The expensive ointment would not be called a waste. Nothing would be thought too costly to
give for Christ, no self-denial or self-sacrifice too great to be endured for His sake.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Just For One Man

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south
unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose
and went. Acts 8:26, 27.

Notice how much effort was put forth for just one man, an Ethiopian.
This Ethiopian was a man of good standing and of wide influence. God saw that when
converted he would give others the light he had received and would exert a strong influence in
favor of the gospel. Angels of God were attending this seeker for light, and he was being drawn
to the Saviour. By the ministration of the Holy Spirit the Lord brought him into touch with one
who could lead him to the light.

Philip was directed to go to the Ethiopian and explain to him the prophecy that he was
reading. “Go near,” the Spirit said, “and join thyself to this chariot.” ... The man’s heart thrilled
with interest as the Scriptures were explained to him; and when the disciple had finished, he was
ready to accept the light given. He did not make his high worldly position an excuse for refusing
the gospel....

This Ethiopian represented a large class who need to be taught by such missionaries as
Philip—men who will hear the voice of God and go where He sends them. There are many
who are reading the Scriptures who cannot understand their true import. All over the world men
and women are looking wistfully to heaven. Prayers and tears and inquiries go up from
souls longing for light, for grace, for the Holy Spirit. Many are on the verge of the kingdom,
waiting only to be gathered in.

An angel guided Philip to the one who was seeking for light and who was ready to receive
the gospel, and today angels will guide the footsteps of those workers who will allow the Holy
Spirit to sanctify their tongues and refine and ennoble their hearts.

He who sent Philip to the Ethiopian councilor, Peter to the Roman centurion, and the little
Israelitish maiden to the help of Naaman, the Syrian captain, sends men and women and youth
today as His representatives to those in need of divine help and guidance.
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Saul To Paul

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the
Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Acts 9:6.

In the wonderful conversion of Paul we see the miraculous power of God.... Jesus, whose
name of all others he most hated and despised, revealed Himself to Paul for the purpose of
arresting his mad yet honest career, that He might make this most unpromising instrument a
chosen vessel to bear the gospel to the Gentiles.... The light of heavenly illumination had taken
away Paul’s eyesight; but Jesus, the Great Healer of the blind, does not restore it. He answers the
question of Paul in these words: "Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou
must do." Jesus could not only have healed Paul of his blindness, but He could have forgiven his
sins and told him his duty by marking out his future course. From Christ all power and mercies
were to flow; but He did not give Paul an experience, in his conversion to truth, independent of
His church recently organized upon the earth.

The marvelous light given Paul upon that occasion astonished and confounded him. He was
wholly subdued. This part of the work man could not do for Paul, but there was a work still to be
accomplished which the servants of Christ could do. Jesus directs him to His agents in the church
for a further knowledge of duty. Thus He gives authority and sanction to His organized church.
Christ had done the work of revelation and conviction, and now Paul was in a condition to learn
of those whom God had ordained to teach the truth. Christ directs Paul to His chosen servants,
thus placing him in connection with His church. The very men whom Paul was purposing to
destroy were to be his instructors in the very religion that he had despised and persecuted....

An angel is sent to Ananias, directing him to go to a certain house where Saul is praying to be
instructed in what he is to do next.... In Christ’s stead Ananias touches his eyes that they may
receive sight; in Christ’s stead he lays his hands upon him, prays in Christ’s name, and Saul receives the Holy Ghost.​
 
Upvote 0

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Toward The Mark

This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13, 14.

Paul did many things. He was a wise teacher. His many letters are full of instructive lessons
setting forth correct principles. He worked with his hands, for he was a tent-maker, and in this
way earned his daily bread.... He carried a heavy burden for the churches. He strove most
earnestly to present their errors before them, that they might correct them, and not be deceived
and led away from God. He was always seeking to help them in their difficulties; and yet he
declares, "One thing I do." ... The responsibilities of his life were many, yet he kept always
before him this "one thing." The constant sense of the presence of God constrained him to keep
his eye ever looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of his faith.

The great purpose that constrained Paul to press forward in the face of hardship and difficulty
should lead every Christian worker to consecrate himself wholly to God’s service. Worldly
attractions will be presented to draw his attention from the Saviour, but he is to press on toward
the goal, showing to the world, to angels, and to men that the hope of seeing the face of God is
worth all the effort and sacrifice that the attainment of this hope demands.

The lowliest disciple of Christ may become an inhabitant of heaven, an heir of God to an
inheritance incorruptible, and that fadeth not away. O that every one might make choice of the
heavenly gift, become an heir of God to that inheritance whose title is secure from any destroyer,
world without end! O, choose not the world, but choose the better inheritance! Press, urge your
way toward the mark for the prize of your high calling in Christ Jesus.

Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King. Those whose lives have been hidden with
Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the
Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.​
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

EastCoastRemnant

I Must Decrease That He May Increase
Supporter
Dec 8, 2010
7,665
1,505
Nova Scotia
✟188,109.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Hitherto Hath The Lord Helped Us

O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the
people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Psalm
105:1, 2.

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. They were to gather up memorials and to lay them up in sight.
Special pains were taken to preserve them, that when the children should inquire concerning
these things, the whole story might be repeated. Thus the providential dealings and the marked
goodness and mercy of God in His care and deliverance of His people were kept in mind. We
are exhorted to "call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye
endured a great fight of afflictions" (Hebrews 10:32). For His people in this generation the Lord
has wrought as a wonder-working God.... We need often to recount God’s goodness and to praise
Him for His wonderful works.

Let us not cast away our confidence, but have firm assurance, firmer than ever before.
"Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," and He will help us to the end (1 Samuel 7:12). Let us
look to the monumental pillars, reminders of what the Lord has done to comfort us and to save us
from the hand of the destroyer. Let us keep fresh in our memory all the tender mercies that God
has shown us—the tears He has wiped away, the pains He has soothed, the anxieties removed,
the fears dispelled, the wants supplied, the blessings bestowed—thus strengthening ourselves for
all that is before us through the remainder of our pilgrimage.

We cannot but look forward to new perplexities in the coming conflict, but we may look on
what is past as well as on what is to come, and say, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.""As thy
days, so shall thy strength be" (Deuteronomy 33:25). The trial will not exceed the strength that
shall be given us to bear it. Then let us take up our work just where we find it, believing that
whatever may come, strength proportionate to the trial will be given.​
 
Upvote 0