Sins Blotted Out
 
        I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.  Isaiah 43:25
 
    All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life.  The Lord declares, by the prophet Isaiah: "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins" (Isaiah 43:25).  Said Jesus: "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels."  "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.  But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven" (Revelation 3:5; Matthew 0:32, 33). (The Great Controversy, 483)
 
Reflection:  What a promise!  "All who have repented of sin"...that word all, means you and me.  God has a solution for whatever we may have done to get our lives in a terrible mess.  Repent and claim the blood of Christ to wash away our sins.  God is truly in the restoration business.  Make the decision today to start on a brand new, Christ-washed slate; and through His power you can live a new life.

God Will Provide
 
        He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.  Isaiah 33:16
 
    As the decree issued by the various rulers of Christendom against commandment keepers shall withdraw the protection of government....Many will find refuge in the strongholds of the mountains.  Like the Christians of the Piedmont valleys, they will thank God for "the munitions of rocks" (Isaiah 33:16).  But many of all nations and of all classes, high and low, rich and poor, black and white, will be cast into the most unjust and cruel bondage.  The beloved of God pass weary days, bound in chains, shut in by prison bars, sentenced to be slain, some apparently left to die of starvation in dark and loathsome dungeons.  No human ear is open to hear their moans, no human hand is ready to lend them help.
 
    Will the Lord forget His people in this trying hour?  Did He forget faithful Noah when judgments were visited upon the antediluvian world?  Did he forget Lot when the fire came down from heaven to consume the cities of the plain?  Did He forget Joseph surrounded by idolaters in Egypt?  Did He forget Elijah when the oath of Jezebel threatened him with the fate of the prophets of Baal?  Did He forget Jeremiah in the dark and dismal pit of his prison house?  Did He forget the three worthies in the fiery furnace? or Daniel in the den of lions? (The Great Controversy, 626)
 
Reflection:  "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands" (Isaiah 49:16).  The Lord of hosts has said: "He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye" (Zechariah 2:8). (The Great Controversy, 626).  The obvious answer to the question of "Will Lord forget His people" is no, never.  He loves us with an everlasting love.  If we constantly keep that in our hearts, we overcome trials just as those great men and women in God's Word overcame.

Sure Foundation
 
        Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.  Isaiah 28:16
 
    "Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.  And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken."  Carried down in prophetic vision to the first advent, the prophet is shown that Christ is to bear trials and tests of which the treatment of the chief cornerstone in the temple of Solomon was symbolic.  Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste" (Isaiah 8:13-15; 28:16).
 
    In infinite wisdom, God chose the foundation stone, and laid it Himself.  He called it "a sure foundation."  The entire world may lay upon it their burdens and grief; it can endure them all.  With perfect safety they may build upon it.  Christ is a "tried stone."  Those who trust in Him, He never disappoints. (The Desire of Ages, 598)
 
Reflection:  To fall upon the Rock and be broken is to give up our self-righteousness and to go to Christ with the humility of a child, repenting of our transgressions, and believing in His forgiving love.  And so also it is by faith and obedience that we build on Christ as our foundation. (The Desire of Ages, 599)

 Fall of Lucifer
 
        How are thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How are thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  Isaiah 14:12
 
    Pride in his own glory nourished the desire for supremacy.  The high honors conferred upon Lucifer were not appreciated as the gift of God and called forth no gratitude to the Creator.  He gloried in his brightness and exaltation, and aspired to be equal with God.  He was beloved and reverenced, and he was clothed with wisdom and glory above them all.  Yet the Son of God was the acknowledged Sovereign of heaven, one in power and authority with the Father.  In all the councils of God, Christ was a participant, while Lucifer was not permitted thus to enter into the divine purposes.  "Why," questioned this mighty angel, "should Christ have the supremacy?  Why is He thus honored above Lucifer?"
 
    Leaving his place in the immediate presence of God, Lucifer went forth to diffuse the spirit of discontent among the angels.  Working with mysterious secrecy, and for a time concealing his real purpose under an appearance of reverence for God, he endeavored to excite dissatisfaction concerning the laws that governed heavenly beings, intimating that they imposed an unnecessary restraint.  Since their natures were holy, he urged that the angels should obey the dictates of their own will.  He sought to create sympathy for himself by representing that God had dealt unjustly with him in bestowing supreme honor upon Christ" (The Great Controversy, 495)
 
Reflection:  The central issue of the great controversy is Lucifer's unwillingness to submit to the authority of Jesus.  Lucifer had it made.  It is easy for us to see how pride caused Lucifer to fall from the heights of heaven to the pit that is now is domain.  The real issue for us to consider is if pride could be raising its stealthy, ugly head in our lives today.

Heavenly Treasure
 
        I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.  Isaiah 13:12
 
    Christ calls upon every one to consider.  Make an honest reckoning.  Put into one scale Jesus, which means eternal treasure, life, truth, heaven, and the joy of Christ in souls redeemed; put into the other every attraction the world can offer.  Into one scale put the loss of your own soul, and the souls of those whom you might have been instrumental in saving; into the other, for yourself and for them, a life that measures with the life of God.  Weigh for time and for eternity.  While you are thus engaged, Christ speaks: "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).
 
    God desires us to choose the heavenly in place of the earthly.  He opens before us the possibilities of a heavenly investment.  He would give encouragement to our loftiest aims, security to our choicest treasure.  He declares, "I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir" (Isaiah 13:12).  When the riches that moth devours and rust corrupts shall be swept away, Christ's followers can rejoice in their heavenly treasure, the riches that are imperishable. (Christ's Object Lesson, 374)
 
Reflection:  Better than all the friendship of the world is the friendship of Christ's redeemed.  Better than a tittle to the noblest palace on earth is a title to the mansions our Lord has gone to prepare.  And better than all the words of earthly praise will be the Saviour's words to His faithful servants, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). (Christ's Object Lesson, 374)

Heaven's Records
 
        For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.  Ecclesiastes 12:14
 
    Achan acknowledged his guilt, but when it was too late for the confession to benefit himself.  He had seen the armies of Israel return from Ai defeated and disheartened; yet he did not come forward and confess his sin.  He had seen Joshua and the elders of Israel bowed to the earth in grief too great for words.  Had he then made confession, he would have given some proof of true repentance; but he still kept silence.  He had listened to the proclamation that a great crime had been committed, and had even heard its character definitely stated.  But his lips were sealed.  Then came the solemn investigation.  How his soul thrilled with terror as he saw his tribe pointed out, then his family and his household!  But still he uttered no confession, until the finger of God was placed upon him.  Then, when his sin could no longer be concealed, he admitted the truth.  How often are similar confessions made.  There is a vast difference between admitting facts after they have been proved and confessing sins known only to ourselves and to God.  Achan would not have confessed had he not hoped by so doing to avert the consequences of his crime.  But his confession only served to show that his punishment was just.  There was no genuine repentance for sin, no contrition, no change of purpose, no abhorrence of evil. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 497)
 
Reflection:  So long as they can conceal their transgressions from their fellow men, many like Achan, feel secure, and flatter themselves that God will not be strict to mark iniquity.  All too late their sin will find them out in that day when they shall not be purged with sacrifice or offering forever. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 498)

Good Medicine
 
        A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.  Proverbs 17:22
 
    The relation that exists between the mind and the body is very intimate.  When one is affected, the other sympathizes.  The condition of the mind affects the health to a far greater degree than many realize.  Many of the diseases from which men suffer are the result of mental depression.  Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend to break down the life forces and to invite decay and death.
 
    Disease is sometimes produced, and is often greatly aggravated, by the imagination.  Many are lifelong invalids who might be well if they only thought so.  Many imagine that every slight exposure will cause illness, and the evil effect is produced because it is expected.  Many die from disease the cause of which is wholly imaginary.
 
    Courage, hope, faith, sympathy, love, promote health and prolong life.  A contented mind, a cheerful spirit, is health to the body and strength to the soul.  "A merry [rejoicing] heart doeth good like a medicine." (Proverbs 17:22). (Ministry of Healing, 241)
 
    "Rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you" (Deuteronomy 26:11)
 
Reflection:  Many of us have made it a habit to worry and be stressed.  As one day ends and the next begins, we continue the negative pattern.  When we look back, however, we don't even remember yesterday's troubles.  Let us ask God to help us get rid of this life-damaging habit and be a positive influence with those we come in contact. 

Humility
 
        The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.  Proverbs 15:33
 
    God does not always choose for His work men of the greatest talents, but He selects those whom He can best use.  "Before honor is humility" (Proverbs 15:33).  The Lord can work most effectually through those who are most sensible of their own insufficiency, and who will rely upon Him as their leader and source of strength.  He will make them strong by uniting their weakness to His might, and wise by connecting their ignorance with His wisdom.
 
If they would cherish true humility, the Lord could do much more for His people; but there are few who can be trusted with any large measure of responsibility or success without becoming self-confident and forgetful of their dependence upon God.  This is why, in choosing the instruments for His work, the Lord passes by those whom the world honors as great, talented, and brilliant.  They are too often proud and self-sufficient.  They feel competent to act without counsel from God....
 
    The most complete system that men have ever devised, apart from the power and wisdom of God, will prove a failure, while the most unpromising methods will succeed when divinely appointed and entered upon with humility and faith. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 553, 554)
 
Reflection:  He is just as willing to work with the efforts of His people now and to accomplish great things through weak instrumentalities.  All heaven awaits our demand upon its wisdom and strength.  God is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). (Patriarchs and Prophets, 554)

True Education
 
        The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.  Proverbs 9:10
 
    The great work of life is character building, and a knowledge of God is the foundation of all true education.  To impart this knowledge and to mold the character in harmony with it should be the object of the teacher's work.  The law of God is a reflection of His character.  Hence the psalmist says, "All Thy commandments are righteousness;" and "through Thy precepts I get understanding" (Psalm 119:172, 104).  God has revealed Himself to us in His word and in the works of creation.  Through the volume of inspiration and the book of nature we are to obtain a knowledge of God.
 
    It is a law of the mind that it gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is trained to dwell.  If occupied with commonplace matters only, it will become dwarfed and enfeebled.  If never required to grapple with difficult problems, it will after a time almost lose the power of growth.  As an educating power the Bible is without a rival.  In the word of God the mind finds subject of he deepest thought, the loftiest aspiration.  The Bible is the most instructive history that men possess.  It came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth, and a divine hand has preserved its purity through all the ages. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 596)
 
Reflection:  In the reverent contemplation of the truths presented in His word the mind of the student is brought into communion with the infinite mind.  Such a study will not only refine and ennoble the character, but it cannot fail to expand and invigorate the mental powers. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 596)

Unity
 
        Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  Psalm 133:1
 
    It is the will of God that union and brotherly love should exist among His people.  The prayer of Christ just before His crucifixion was that His disciples might be one as He is one with the Father, that the world might believe that God had sent Him.  This most touching and wonderful prayer reaches down the ages, even to our day; for His words were, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word" (John 17:20).  While we are not to sacrifice one principle of truth, it should be our constant aim to reach this state of unity.  This is the evidence of our discipleship.  Said Jesus, "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).  The apostle Peter exhorts the church, "Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrawise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:8, 9). (Patriarchs and Prophets, 520)
 
Reflection:  When we call ourselves Christians--followers of Christ--we need to pray more for the mind of Christ.  Loving our neighbor unconditionally can only come from above.  When this happens, people will know we have a love that only the Lord can give.