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This Day with God
Page 245
Take Hold of Divine StrengthPs. 89:19
Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty.
The Lord loves you. The Lord is of tender compassion. His promise is, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8). When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up for you a standard against him. Bear in mind that Jesus Christ is your hope. In the sad, discouraging things that shall come to you at any time, Christ says to you, "Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me" (Isa. 27:5).
Your work is to take hold of the strength that is as firm as is the eternal throne. Believe in God. Trust in Him. Be cheerful under all circumstances. Although you may have trials, know that Christ suffered these afflicting things in behalf of His heritage. Nothing is as dear to the Lord as His church. The Lord looks at the heart. He knows who are His. The Lord will test and prove every soul that lives. "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand" (Dan. 12:10). . . .
Let those who love God and are doers of His word sing praise and thanksgiving rather than speak words of accusing and faultfinding and murmuring. The Lord will bless those who make for peace. . . .
Trust in the Lord. Let not the feelings, the speeches, or the attitude of any human agent depress you. Be careful that in words or act you do not give others any opportunity to obtain the advantage in hurting you. Keep looking unto Jesus. He is your strength. By beholding Jesus you will become changed into His likeness. He will be the health of your countenance and your God. . . .
The church needs you, and you need to soften and subdue your own feelings for Christ's sake. He wants you to have His Holy Spirit to work you. Then you may impart life and comfort to the church. Let your words be well chosen that you may be a real blessing to the church. Do not afflict your souls over the inconsistencies of others. Take yourselves in hand, and be consistent in all things.--Letter 125, Aug. 24, 1900, to Brother and Sister James, new believers in Australia.
Amen...When I was reading this for part of my devotional this morning I thought back to when I first became a Christian and became a member of the SDA church. I new about a few of the dietary changes I would need to make in my life and most did not bother me. The first thing my mother told me was "you will not be able to eat pork anymore" Well that did not bother me in the least..after all there was plenty of "other clean meats I could eat and did not each much port anyway" 
. However I did have one little other habit I did not want to give up...I knew about caffeine and that this was a no-no too..did not understand why at the time..but I knew I was in the true church and I had 100% complete faith in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy. Well this little habit I cherished was drinking Dr. Pepper. This is the honest truth people. This happened in 1980 and I remember it as if it was yesterday. I went to the store and was going to get me a cold Dr. Pepper....about this time I started reading labels...that will get you in trouble every time. Well of course you know what I read in the ingredients of course. Yes there is was CAFFEINE. I started to cry..really..I really was hooked on this drink. My blood was Dr. Pepper blood. Well I don't remember if I bought another drink or what but I DID NOT buy the Dr. Pepper. Here comes the part that got me...
A long standing member of the church invited me to come visit her for a few hours after we dropped the children off at Church School. So I did. Guess what she offered as a drink for me. Yep....Dr. Pepper...well I told her that I had just found out that it contain caffeine and had given it up. She said "Yes I know it has caffeine in it, but my husband likes it and this is something we can drink together. Her husband was not in the church or even a Christian. But the thing was, he was not there at that moment to be drinking it with her I was...a babe in the faith.
I praise God that from the moment I gave my life to Jesus and became a member of the SDA church that I can honestly say that my faith in God has never wavered because of the "inconsistencies of others" . Yes I went home and cried for a few days about it....but praise the Lord I was learning that these "inconsistencies of others" was God's problem....not mine. My "work is to take hold of the strength that is as firm as is the eternal throne"...and allow the Holy Spirit to guide me in what needs to be refined in MY character in order to be fitted for that home in Heaven with the Holy Angels and Jesus. Praise God for His mercy on me as I have over the years grown in His Grace. Only by the Grace of God am I here today. Amen
Just an update on this woman who lowered God's standard in order to please her husband...thinking that this would help bring him into the church...those were her words....a few years later he left her for another woman. We can never lower God's standard thinking we can influence someone.
In The Blessed Hope
Avalee
[This message has been edited by Avalee (edited August 24, 2001).]
