The Glory of God

[Sean James]

Simple yet satisfied--what a great way to describe how the Father worked the miracle through Christ to provide for the thousands who had gathered to hear the word of God as Christ preached and were in need of food. From a small lunch given in humble faith, all the multitude were able to eat to satisfaction. After all had their fill, nothing was wasted, as they took up "twelve baskets full" (Mark 6:43) of the remaining food to then share with others!

If men today were simple in their habits, living in harmony with nature's laws, as did Adam and Eve in the beginning, there would be an abundant supply for the needs of the human family. There would be fewer imaginary wants, and more opportunities to work in God's ways. But selfishness and the indulgence of unnatural taste have brought sin and misery into the world, from excess on the one hand, and from want on the other. DA

If we can be content with the simple provision God makes for our needs and let Him weed all vanity from our lives, giving us strength and grace to do God's will as He leads, it can be a witness to others to experience "godliness with contentment" in which there is "great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be manifest in our lives as long as we are fully surrendered to God and cheerfully obedient to all of the truth God has revealed to us!

[Sean James]

You are fully known by Someone. Let Christ's loving knowledge of you lead you to completely trust Him and accept His plans for your life, heed His warnings, and graciously appreciate the way He will help you learn what is needed to be kept from falling into temptation. May we all learn to be humble and teachable so Jesus can do in and through us what He longs to do! When we yield our whole heart to Him and abide in His love, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will flow through our lives in unselfish blessing of others, as Christ enthroned on our hearts enables us to obey the royal law of love, the Ten Commandments!

Jesus read the character of His disciples. He knew how sorely their faith was to be tried. In this incident on the sea He desired to reveal to Peter his own weakness,—to show that his safety was in constant dependence upon divine power. Amid the storms of temptation he could walk safely only as in utter self-distrust he should rely upon the Saviour. It was on the point where he thought himself strong that Peter was weak; and not until he discerned his weakness could he realize his need of dependence upon Christ. Had he learned the lesson that Jesus sought to teach him in that experience on the sea, he would not have failed when the great test came upon him.

The trials we face are for growth of character and benefit to prepare us for future trials. Jesus Himself modeled this by His experience, as we see from Hebrews 5:8: "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which He suffered." Had Peter remembered that he could only be kept from sin by keeping his eyes on Jesus and trusting fully in His grace, Peter would have been able to resist the temptation to deny Jesus three times, and could have had a much happier experience with Jesus. Oh, let us realize that all that God tells us is really to deepen our loving relationship with Him and to make us happier as we abide in His holiness! Praise the Lord!!

[Sean James]

What a blessing to know that by virtue of uniting with Christ by faith, we can have no fear of death, for all who sleep in Christ will rise again! We can be one spirit with Him today!

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.” Through the beloved John, who listened to these words, the Holy Spirit declared to the churches, “This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life.” 1 John 5:11, 12. And Jesus said, “I will raise him up at the last day.” Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave,—not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal.

We get to experience eternal life starting now--as through a complete surrender to Christ, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be manifest in our lives as He empowers and motivates us to obey Him up to the light of His law He has revealed!

[Sean James]

Keeping the main focus of the everlasting gospel does not mean neglecting essential points of present truth relating to the high priestly ministry of Christ in the most holy place of the sanctuary, the non-immortality of the soul, the seventh day Sabbath, the soon second coming of Jesus as our King upon completion of His work of judgment, or any other Bible doctrine. But as we see Jesus by faith ministering for us in heaven above to prepare a place for us while He is guiding us by the Holy Spirit to prepare our characters for heaven, it is so essential that we do not get distracted by side issues that are not important. Satan often uses distraction to keep souls away from experiencing the power of the gospel whereby a sinner who yields fully to Christ is made a saint to partake of all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing, empowered to obey the law of God up the light revealed!

Whenever the message of truth comes home to souls with special power, Satan stirs up his agents to start a dispute over some minor question. Thus he seeks to attract attention from the real issue. Whenever a good work is begun, there are cavilers ready to enter into dispute over forms or technicalities, to draw minds away from the living realities. When it appears that God is about to work in a special manner for His people, let them not be enticed into a controversy that will work only ruin of souls. The questions that most concern us are, Do I believe with saving faith on the Son of God? Is my life in harmony with the divine law? “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life.” “And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” John 3:36; 1 John 2:3.

As we learn the enemy's tactics, we can go right to Jesus and His word for a sure foundation of truth and experience that is in harmony with HIs will. Whatever temptations you are facing, come to Christ and let His word abide in you so you can reveal the power and simplicity of the gospel! "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Let's experience this true conversion each day by walking in the truth as it is in Jesus!

[Sean James]

Happy Sabbath!! God is very generous! Let us open our hearts to His unselfish love and live to bless others! All He does is for the good of the universe and those whom He loves with an infinite love! As Jesus granted the request of the Gentile woman whose daughter needed healing from demon possession, Christ was showing how He yearns to bless all! All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will come into the life that is fully yielded to Jesus, empowering the soul to affectionately obey God from the new heart given by grace through faith in the genuine experience of salvation!

Jesus longed to unfold the deep mysteries of the truth which had been hid for ages, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs with the Jews, and “partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.” Ephesians 3:6. This truth the disciples were slow to learn, and the divine Teacher gave them lesson upon lesson. In rewarding the faith of the centurion at Capernaum, and preaching the gospel to the inhabitants of Sychar, He had already given evidence that He did not share the intolerance of the Jews. But the Samaritans had some knowledge of God; and the centurion had shown kindness to Israel. Now Jesus brought the disciples in contact with a heathen, whom they regarded as having no reason above any of her people, to expect favor from Him. He would give an example of how such a one should be treated. The disciples had thought that He dispensed too freely the gifts of His grace. He would show that His love was not to be circumscribed to race or nation.

As we open our hearts to Jesus and all He longs to do, we will find new opportunities to go forth to bless others in His appointed ways! May your heart be fully knit with Christ this Sabbath as you grow in His love!

[Sean James]

Someone desires to bless you--and that is God Himself! "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord" (Psalm 119:1). The margin for "undefiled" is "sincere," and God desires to give us a sincere, undefiled character as we accept the cleansing blood of Jesus, turn from sin, surrender the whole heart to Him, and let Him lead us to glorify His name and bless others! All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will flow forth in a converted soul, leading sincerely in true affectionate obedience to all of the light of the law of God that has been revealed! Praise God for such an experience that is given us by abiding in Christ!

The religion of Christ is sincerity itself. Zeal for God's glory is the motive implanted by the Holy Spirit; and only the effectual working of the Spirit can implant this motive. Only the power of God can banish self-seeking and hypocrisy. This change is the sign of His working. When the faith we accept destroys selfishness and pretense, when it leads us to seek God's glory and not our own, we may know that it is of the right order. “Father, glorify Thy name” (John 12:28), was the keynote of Christ's life, and if we follow Him, this will be the keynote of our life. He commands us to “walk, even as He walked;” and “hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” 1 John 2:6, 3.

Walking with Jesus and reflecting His character brings true joy and contentment, for "godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). When others see that we have a consistent life in Christ--which is a great miracle--it is a powerful way to draw souls to Christ and invite them also to experience the rest and peace that alone come through complete acquiescence to God's will!

[Sean James]

With God it is totally possible! As we unite our weakness to His strength and love Him with the whole heart because He first loved us, we are enabled to become like Christ in mind and character who gave Himself for us so we can be fully saved! A complete, continual surrender to Christ is the only way to have all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing in our lives as Christ living in us empowers us to obey God's law because He writes it upon our hearts and minds!

Love for souls for whom Christ died means crucifixion of self. He who is a child of God should henceforth look upon himself as a link in the chain let down to save the world, one with Christ in His plan of mercy, going forth with Him to seek and save the lost. The Christian is ever to realize that he has consecrated himself to God, and that in character he is to reveal Christ to the world. The self-sacrifice, the sympathy, the love, manifested in the life of Christ are to reappear in the life of the worker for God.

What an incredible gift God is offering us--a character like Jesus!! Will you yield all you have and are to Him? Nothing brings greater joy to God's selfless heart than to be able to reproduce His character in His people!

[Sean James]

Let's seek to grasp what was really on Jesus' heart as He went to the mount with Peter, James and John and prayed earnestly!

Presently Christ tells them that they are now to go no farther. Stepping a little aside from them, the Man of Sorrows pours out His supplications with strong crying and tears. He prays for strength to endure the test in behalf of humanity. He must Himself gain a fresh hold on Omnipotence, for only thus can He contemplate the future. And He pours out His heart longings for His disciples, that in the hour of the power of darkness their faith may not fail. The dew is heavy upon His bowed form, but He heeds it not. The shadows of night gather thickly about Him, but He regards not their gloom. So the hours pass slowly by. At first the disciples unite their prayers with His in sincere devotion; but after a time they are overcome with weariness, and, even while trying to retain their interest in the scene, they fall asleep. Jesus has told them of His sufferings; He has taken them with Him that they might unite with Him in prayer; even now He is praying for them. The Saviour has seen the gloom of His disciples, and has longed to lighten their grief by an assurance that their faith has not been in vain. Not all, even of the twelve, can receive the revelation He desires to give. Only the three who are to witness His anguish in Gethsemane have been chosen to be with Him on the mount. Now the burden of His prayer is that they may be given a manifestation of the glory He had with the Father before the world was, that His kingdom may be revealed to human eyes, and that His disciples may be strengthened to behold it. He pleads that they may witness a manifestation of His divinity that will comfort them in the hour of His supreme agony with the knowledge that He is of a surety the Son of God and that His shameful death is a part of the plan of redemption.

So much is on Jesus' heart, and He prays to His Father, knowing the way to receive strength and grace to help His disciples in this time of great need. As we feel our dependence on God and deeply see our need of His help, we can go to the very place Jesus found power and comfort--the secret place of prayer! As we surrender all we have and are to Him, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will flow in our lives as we are enabled by His divine nature at work in and through us to obey all of His commandments because He abides in us! Let us never forget the agony of Calvary and the glory of Christ's kingdom (He is about to come the second time with all His glory!!), for both are essential truths relating to our salvation as we appreciate more fully all that God has done for us in Christ!

[Sean James]

Mustard seeds are pretty small. But God can take the measure of faith He has given you (however small that seems to you), and if you are willing to surrender fully to God's word and put faith into action by continual surrender to Him, He can do whatever it takes to save you and to work out His will in and through you! All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will flow through your life as long as you choose to let the seed of God's word keep your heart and mind from yielding to sin! Christ in you, the hope of glory, loves to do character miracles! The fact that a tiny mustard seed can grow to a large plant is also a promise that God can take you--no matter how small you may feel in and of yourself--and grow your character to reflect His in true obedience and power!

“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,” said Jesus, “ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove.” Though the grain of mustard seed is so small, it contains that same mysterious life principle which produces growth in the loftiest tree. When the mustard seed is cast into the ground, the tiny germ lays hold of every element that God has provided for its nutriment, and it speedily develops a sturdy growth. If you have faith like this, you will lay hold upon God's word, and upon all the helpful agencies He has appointed. Thus your faith will strengthen, and will bring to your aid the power of heaven. The obstacles that are piled by Satan across your path, though apparently as insurmountable as the eternal hills, shall disappear before the demand of faith. “Nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

When God makes promises to us, the best thing to do is to put our will on the side of His word and expect Him to do great things for the glory of His character!

[Sean James]

You are invited to value what really brings true happiness by coming to Jesus and learning to unselfishly live to bless others! Christ gives us the strength and grace to do His will as we surrender all to Him, for all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will come into our llves as we obey God from a sincere heart!

Before honor is humility. To fill a high place before men, Heaven chooses the worker who, like John the Baptist, takes a lowly place before God. The most childlike disciple is the most efficient in labor for God. The heavenly intelligences can co-operate with him who is seeking, not to exalt self, but to save souls. He who feels most deeply his need of divine aid will plead for it; and the Holy Spirit will give unto him glimpses of Jesus that will strengthen and uplift the soul. From communion with Christ he will go forth to work for those who are perishing in their sins. He is anointed for his mission; and he succeeds where many of the learned and intellectually wise would fail.

Living to bless others flows from Christ abiding in the soul. In childlike simplicity and self-forgetfulness it is a joy to find ways to seek and save others, pointing them to the Savior who has power to save us from sin and heal us into His image!

[Sean James]

Sin, selfishness, and resisting God only bring dissatisfaction, no matter how much Satan may try to deceive the soul to think that the "pleasures of sin for a season" (Hebrews 11:25) will be worth it. It never is. Don't take the bait. Look to Jesus, learn of Him, surrender fully to Him, and cooperate with Him in the formation of a character that manifests all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing in harmony with all of the Ten Commandments--for such is the evidence of genuine conversion, drinking the living water that Christ offers!

Jesus knew the wants of the soul. Pomp, riches, and honor cannot satisfy the heart. “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me.” The rich, the poor, the high, the low, are alike welcome. He promises to relieve the burdened mind, to comfort the sorrowing, and to give hope to the despondent. Many of those who heard Jesus were mourners over disappointed hopes, many were nourishing a secret grief, many were seeking to satisfy their restless longing with the things of the world and the praise of men; but when all was gained, they found that they had toiled only to reach a broken cistern, from which they could not quench their thirst. Amid the glitter of the joyous scene they stood, dissatisfied and sad. That sudden cry, “If any man thirst,” startled them from their sorrowful meditation, and as they listened to the words that followed, their minds kindled with a new hope. The Holy Spirit presented the symbol before them until they saw in it the offer of the priceless gift of salvation.

Christ longs to give us something this world cannot provide to satisfy us. Only the Holy Spirit abiding in the soul can deeply satisfy us and lead us to make a wise use of our earthly life here in preparation for heaven and the new earth!

[Sean James]

Happy Sabbath!! Don't be deceived! Prayerfully study the Bible with a sincere desire to conform your life to its teachings by receiving Jesus as a personal Savior! Let Him as Lord of your life renew your heart and mind, fill you with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing, and empower you to affectionately obey the Ten Commandments from the heart He keeps pure by His grace! In contemplating the deceptions at the time of Jesus' first advent, we can learn lessons to help protect us from the deceptions Satan is spreading on the verge of Christ's second advent!

Many who were convinced that Jesus was the Son of God were misled by the false reasoning of the priests and rabbis. These teachers had repeated with great effect the prophecies concerning the Messiah, that He would “reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously;” that He would “have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 24:23; Psalm 72:8. Then they made contemptuous comparisons between the glory here pictured and the humble appearance of Jesus. The very words of prophecy were so perverted as to sanction error. Had the people in sincerity studied the word for themselves, they would not have been misled. The sixty-first chapter of Isaiah testifies that Christ was to do the very work He did. Chapter fifty-three sets forth His rejection and sufferings in the world, and chapter fifty-nine describes the character of the priests and rabbis.

Jesus is soon coming in the clouds with power and great glory to receive us to His heavenly kingdom (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)! He will return from having completed the work of judgment in the heavenly sanctuary as our High Priest, and probation will close before Jesus returns. How important, then, is it for us to prayerfully study the Scriptures to allow the Holy Spirit to conform our life and character to His character so we can meet Him in the air (not on the earth--those will be false Christs!) at His second coming in peace! Jesus is coming soon! Praise God His word is our anchor of truth to help guide us safely to the heavenly home He has gone to prepare for us!

[Sean James]

Satan is the source of all sin and suffering, but God overrules all that Satan does for purposes of mercy! Let us learn of Christ and overcome sin by abiding in Jesus in complete surrender of our heart, mind and will to Him! Then all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will flow through our lives as He empowers us to obey Him from the new heart He imparts!

God had given a lesson designed to prevent this. The history of Job had shown that suffering is inflicted by Satan, and is overruled by God for purposes of mercy. But Israel did not understand the lesson. The same error for which God had reproved the friends of Job was repeated by the Jews in their rejection of Christ.

When Jesus came into the world and suffered immensely, Satan led the Jews to think that Jesus was a great sinner, which was a lie, and yet Christ went straight forward, fulfilling the will of the Father in becoming sin for us, dying the death we deserve on the cross, so we might be made the righteousness of God in Him as He rose from the dead and offers us His endless, perfect life!

[Sean James]

There is nothing in this life that you will ever face that He doesn't already know about. Even if no one else on earth understands your pain and struggle, we have a Savior who does! Jesus has a safe path for you to walk and He will guide you through every thorny, fiery trial with His divine presence if you but let Him. Let us surrender fully to the Divine Shepherd and let the Holy Spirit abide in us so all of the attributes of God's character can flow through us in true obedience from the heart!

Through all our trials we have a never-failing Helper. He does not leave us alone to struggle with temptation, to battle with evil, and be finally crushed with burdens and sorrow. Though now He is hidden from mortal sight, the ear of faith can hear His voice saying, Fear not; I am with you. “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore.” Revelation 1:18. I have endured your sorrows, experienced your struggles, encountered your temptations. I know your tears; I also have wept. The griefs that lie too deep to be breathed into any human ear, I know. Think not that you are desolate and forsaken. Though your pain touch no responsive chord in any heart on earth, look unto Me, and live. “The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” Isaiah 54:10.

God is so merciful and kind, leading us to Him if we will but come--just as we are--so He can change us to become in mind and character just like Him! By beholding God in Christ we are changed into His image by the Holy Spirit! Praise God for the gift of salvation in Christ!

[Sean James]

He had the big picture in mind. We should learn from Jesus' perspective how to face our daily trials, crucifying self, rising to fulness of life in Him by a continual surrender of the entire heart, so He can manifest through us all the fruits of the Spirit without one missing while simultaneously empowering us to affectionally obey Him up to all the light He has revealed!

Beyond the cross of Calvary, with its agony and shame, Jesus looked forward to the great final day, when the prince of the power of the air will meet his destruction in the earth so long marred by his rebellion. Jesus beheld the work of evil forever ended, and the peace of God filling heaven and earth.

Let us contemplate the peace God offers us--a peace that passes all understanding, a peace that is the result of communing with Christ who is our peace! Heaven begins in the soul, and as we meditate upon the perfection, the loveliness, and the goodness of God in how He is orchestrating all things for the eternal good of all who love Him, well may we rejoice in the Lord always and be beacons of hope and encouragement to souls that need the present truth for this time by seeing Christ live in us, the hope of glory!