A Satanic Weapon
 
        Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.  Jude 9
 
    Christ Himself, when contending with Satan about the body of Moses, "durst not bring against him a railing accusation" (Jude 9).  Had He done this, He would have placed Himself on Satan's ground, for accusation is the weapon of the evil one.  He is called in Scripture, "the accuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12:10).  Jesus would employ none of Satan's weapons.  He met him with the words, "The Lord rebuke thee" (Jude 9).
 
    His example is for us.  When we are brought in conflict with the enemies of Christ, we should say nothing in a spirit of retaliation or that would bear even the appearance of a railing accusation.  He who stands as a mouthpiece for God should not utter words which even the Majesty of heaven would not use when contending with Satan.  We are to leave with God the work of judging and condemning. (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 57)
 
Reflection:  Christ tells us to love our enemies, which is only possible with His grace.  Without Him, we would be just like Satan, railing against one another.  Today, let's receive the love of Christ for our enemies, and listen for the still, small voice, the Holy spirit.

 Prosper in Health
 
        Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.  3 John 2
 
    The Saviour in His miracles revealed the power that is continually at work in man's behalf, to sustain and to heal him.  Through the agencies of nature, God is working, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, to keep us alive, to build up and restore us.  When any part of the body sustains injury, a healing process is at once begun; nature's agencies are set at work to restore soundness.  But the power working through these agencies is the power of God.  All life-giving power is from Him.  When one recovers from disease, it is God who restores him.
 
    Sickness, suffering, and death are work of an antagonistic power.  Satan is the destroyer; God is the restorer.
 
    The words spoken to Israel are true today of those who recover health of body of health of soul.  "I am the Lord that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26).
 
    The desire of God for every human being is expressed in the words, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (3 John 2).
 
    He it is who "forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies" (Psalm 103:3, 4). (The Ministry of Healing, 112, 113)
 
Reflection:  By restoring us physically, the Lord teaches us that we can be restored spiritually.  Let us cooperate with God in the work of restoration.

The Sons of God
 
        Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.  1 John 3:1
 
    As the inspired apostle John beheld the height, the depth, the breadth of the Father's love toward the perishing race, he was filled with adoration and reverence; and, failing to find suitable language in which to express the greatness and tenderness of this love, he called upon the world to behold it.  "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1).  What a value this places upon man!  Through transgression the sons of man become subjects of Satan.  Through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ the sons of Adam may become the sons of God.  By assuming human nature, Christ elevates humanity.  Fallen men are placed where, through connection with Christ, they may indeed become worthy of the name "sons of God."...
 
    The matchless love of God for a world that did not love Him!  The thought had a subduing power upon the soul and brings the mind into captivity to the will of God.  The more we study the divine character in the light of the cross, the more we see mercy, the more clearly we discern innumerable evidences of a love that is infinite and a tender pity surpassing a mother's yearning sympathy for her wayward child. (Steps to Christ, 15)
 
Reflection:  The Father not only gave His Son to bear our sins, but He gave Him to the human race; Jesus will forever bear the human form.  More than this, Jesus will forever bear the scars of our redemption, the scars in His hands and side.

What Constitutes True Love for God
 
        He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.  1 John 2:9
 
    It is not the opposition of the world that most endangers the church of Christ.  It is the evil cherished in the hearts of believers that works their most grievous disaster and most surely retards the progress of God's cause.  There is no surer way of weakening spirituality than by cherishing envy, suspicion, faultfinding, and evil surmising.  On the other hand, the strongest witness that God has sent His Son into the world is the existence of harmony and union among men of varied dispositions who form His church....
 
    In the church of God today brotherly love is sadly lacking.  Many who profess to love the Saviour do not love one another.  Unbelievers are watching to see if the faith of professed Christians is exerting a sanctifying influence upon their lives; and they are quick to discern the defects in character, the inconsistences in action.  Let Christians not make it possible for the enemy to point to them and say, Behold how these people, standing under the banner of Christ, hate one another....
 
    Those who have never experienced the tender, winning love of Christ cannot lead others to the fountain of life.  His love in the heart is a constraining power, which leads men to reveal Him in the conversation, in the tender, pitiful spirit, in the uplifting of the lives of those with whom they associate.  Christian workers who succeed in their effort must know Christ; and in order to know Him, they must know His love.  In heaven their fitness as workers is measured by their ability to love as Christ loved and to work as He worked. (The Acts of the Apostles, 549-551)
 
Reflection:  To be like Jesus in every aspect should be our goal and passion.  The world is watching to see if what we say matches with how we live.  Let's pray for the love of Christ to permeate us fully

Here is the Test
 
        He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.  1 John 2:4, 5
 
    Let none deceive themselves with the belief that they can become holy while willfully violating one of God's requirements.  The commission of a known sin silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit and separates the soul from God.  "Sin is the transgression of the law."  And "whosoever sinneth transgresseth the law hath not seen Him, neither known Him" (1 John 3:6).  Though John in his epistles dwells so fully upon love, yet he does not hesitate to reveal the true character of that class who claim to be sanctified while living in transgression of the law of God.  "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected" (1 John 2:4, 5).  Here is the test of every man's profession.  We cannot accord holiness to any man without bringing him to the measurement of God's only standard of holiness in heaven and in earth.  If men feel no weight of the moral law, if they belittle and make light of God's precepts, if they break one of the least of these commandments, and teach men so, they shall be of no esteem in the sight of Heaven, and we may know that their claims are without foundation." (The Great Controversy, 472)
 
Reflection:  If we are not honest with ourselves, there is no way we can be honest with God.  Lay your problems at the feet of Jesus and He will change your life.

Confess Thy Sins
 
        If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9
 
    The Lord says, "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God."  "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you" (Jeremiah 3:13; Ezekiel 36:25).
 
    But we must have a knowledge of ourselves, a knowledge that will result in contrition, before we can find pardon and peace.  The Pharisee felt no conviction of sin.  The Holy Spirit could not work with him.  His soul was encased in a self-righteous armor which the arrows of God, barbed and true-aimed by angel hands, failed to penetrate.  It is only he who knows himself to be a sinner that Christ can save.  He came "to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke 4:18).  But "they that are whole need not a physician" (Luke 5:31).  We must know our real condition, or we shall not feel our need of Christ's help.  We must understand our danger, or we shall not flee to the refuge.  We must feel the pain of our wounds, or we should not desire healing. (Christ's Object Lessons, 158)
 
Reflection:  If we behold His perfection, we will see our imperfection.  We are to give Him our sins that we might receive His righteousness.

Fellowship With God
 
        That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.  1 John 1:3
 
    As a witness for Christ, John entered into no controversy, no wearisome contention.  He declared what he knew, what he had seen and heard.  He had been intimately associated with Christ, had listened to His teachings, had witnessed His mighty miracles.  Few could see the beauties of Christ's character as John saw them.  For him the darkness had passed away; on him the true light was shining. His testimony in regard to the Saviour's life and death was clear and forcible.  Out of the abundance of a heart overflowing with love for the Saviour he spoke; and no power could stay his words.
 
    "That which was from the beginning," he declared, "which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;...that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
 
    So may every true believer be able, through his own experience, to "set to his seal that God is true" (John 3:33).  He can bear witness to that which he has seen and heard and felt of the power of Christ. (The Acts of the Apostles, 555)
 
Reflection:  A testimony is like a fingerprint, no two are the same, and no one can take it away.  Do you have a testimony of your faith?  Let your friends hear about it!

Probation Extended
 
        The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  2 Peter 3:9
 
    God permits the wicked to prosper and to reveal their enmity against Him, that when they shall have filled up the measure of their iniquity all may see His justice and mercy in their utter destruction.  The day of His vengeance hastens, when all who have transgressed His law and oppressed His people will meet the just recompense of their deeds; when every act of cruelty or injustice toward God's faithful ones will be punished as though done to Christ Himself.
 
    There is another and more important question that should engage the attention of the churches of today.  The apostle Paul declares that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12).  Why is it, then, that persecution seems in a great degree to slumber?  The only reason is that the church has conformed to the world's standard and therefore awakens no opposition.  The religion which is current in our day is not of the pure and holy character that marked the Christian faith in the days of Christ and His apostles.  It is only because of he spirit of compromise with sin, because the great truths of the word of God are so indifferently regarded, because there is so little vital godliness in the church, that Christianity is apparently so popular with the world.  Let there be a revival of the faith and power of the early church, and the spirit of persecution will be revived, and the fires of persecution will be rekindled. (The Great Controversy, 48)
 
Reflection:  There will come a day very soon when probation will close.  Are you ready?  The watch word for today is, "Get ready!"

The Christian Ladder
 
        Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:5-8
 
    These words are full of instruction, and strike the keynote of victory.  The apostle presents before the believers the ladder of Christian progress, every step of which represents advancement in the knowledge of God, and in the climbing of which there is to be no standstill.  Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity are the rounds of the ladder.  We are saved by climbing round after round, mounting step after step, to the height of Christ's ideal for us.  Thus He is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.
 
    God has called His people to glory and virtue, and these will be manifest in the lives of all who are truly connected with Him.  Having become partakers of the heavenly gift, they are to go on unto perfection, being "kept by the power of God through faith" (1 Peter 1:5).  It is the glory of God to give His virtue to His children.  He desires to see men and women reaching the highest standard; and when by faith they lay hold of the power of Christ, when they plead His unfailing promises, and claim them as their own, when with an importunity that will not be denied they seek for the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be made complete in Him. (The Acts of the Apostles, 530)
 
Reflection:  As you add to your faith every day, it is like climbing a ladder.  Our goal as Christians is to reach higher and higher.  It all begins with faith.

Judgment Begins at the House of God
 
        For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?  1 Peter 4:17
 
    In the typical service only those who had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins, through the blood of the sin offering, were transferred to the sanctuary, had a part in the service of the Day of Atonement.  So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God.  The judgment of the wicked is a distinct and separate work, and takes place at a later period.  "Judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?" (1 Peter 4:17).
 
    The books of record in heaven, in which the names and the deeds of men are registered, are to determine the decisions of the judgment.  Says the prophet Daniel: "The judgment was set, and the books were opened."  The revelator, describing the same scene, adds: "Another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works" (Revelation 20:12). (The Great Controversy, 480)
 
    Reflection:  Every one of us has a detailed record in heaven.  It has all our deeds good or bad.  Not one detail is missing.  We will be judged by our everyday lives.  Let's make sure today that Jesus is our Lord, not just our Savior.