Surrender Yourself

Consecration

God’s promise is, “Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13. – {SC 43.1}

The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness. By nature we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes our condition in such words as these: “Dead in trespasses and sins;” “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;” “no soundness in it.” We are held fast in the snare of Satan, “taken captive by him at his will.” Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 1:5, 6; 2 Timothy 2:26. God desires to heal us, to set us free. But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him. – {SC 43.2}

The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness. – {SC 43.3}

The government of God is not, as Satan would make it appear, founded upon a blind submission, an unreasoning control. It appeals to the intellect and the conscience. “Come now, and let us reason together” is the Creator’s invitation to the beings He has made. Isaiah 1:18. God does not force the will of His creatures. He cannot accept an homage that is not willingly and intelligently given. A mere forced submission would prevent all real development of mind or character; it would make man a mere automaton. Such is not the purpose of the Creator. He desires that man, the crowning work of His creative power, shall reach the highest possible development. He sets before us the height of blessing to which He desires to bring us through His grace. He invites us to give ourselves to Him, that He may work His will in us. It remains for us to choose whether we will be set free from the bondage of sin, to share the glorious liberty of the sons of God. – {SC 43.4}

In giving ourselves to God, we must necessarily give up all that would separate us from Him. Hence the Saviour says, “Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33. Whatever shall draw away the heart from God must be given up. Mammon is the idol of many. The love of money, the desire for wealth, is the golden chain that binds them to Satan. Reputation and worldly honor are worshiped by another class. The life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility is the idol of others. But these slavish bands must be broken. We cannot be half the Lord’s and half the world’s. We are not God’s children unless we are such entirely. – {SC 44.1}

There are those who profess to serve God, while they rely upon their own efforts to obey His law, to form a right character, and secure salvation. Their hearts are not moved by any deep sense of the love of Christ, but they seek to perform the duties of the Christian life as that which God requires of them in order to gain heaven. Such religion is worth nothing. When Christ dwells in the heart, the soul will be so filled with His love, with the joy of communion with Him, that it will cleave to Him; and in the contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action. Those who feel the constraining love of God, do not ask how little may be given to meet the requirements of God; they do not ask for the lowest standard, but aim at perfect conformity to the will of their Redeemer. With earnest desire they yield all and manifest an interest proportionate to the value of the object which they seek. A profession of Christ without this deep love is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery. – {SC 44.2}

Do you feel that it is too great a sacrifice to yield all to Christ? Ask yourself the question, “What has Christ given for me?” The Son of God gave all—life and love and suffering—for our redemption. And can it be that we, the unworthy objects of so great love, will withhold our hearts from Him? Every moment of our lives we have been partakers of the blessings of His grace, and for this very reason we cannot fully realize the depths of ignorance and misery from which we have been saved. Can we look upon Him whom our sins have pierced, and yet be willing to do despite to all His love and sacrifice? In view of the infinite humiliation of the Lord of glory, shall we murmur because we can enter into life only through conflict and self-abasement? – {SC 45.1}

The inquiry of many a proud heart is, “Why need I go in penitence and humiliation before I can have the assurance of my acceptance with God?” I point you to Christ. He was sinless, and, more than this, He was the Prince of heaven; but in man’s behalf He became sin for the race. “He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:12. – {SC 45.2}

But what do we give up, when we give all? A sin-polluted heart, for Jesus to purify, to cleanse by His own blood, and to save by His matchless love. And yet men think it hard to give up all! I am ashamed to hear it spoken of, ashamed to write it. – {SC 46.1}

God does not require us to give up anything that it is for our best interest to retain. In all that He does, He has the well-being of His children in view. Would that all who have not chosen Christ might realize that He has something vastly better to offer them than they are seeking for themselves. Man is doing the greatest injury and injustice to his own soul when he thinks and acts contrary to the will of God. No real joy can be found in the path forbidden by Him who knows what is best and who plans for the good of His creatures. The path of transgression is the path of misery and destruction. – {SC 46.2}

It is a mistake to entertain the thought that God is pleased to see His children suffer. All heaven is interested in the happiness of man. Our heavenly Father does not close the avenues of joy to any of His creatures. The divine requirements call upon us to shun those indulgences that would bring suffering and disappointment, that would close to us the door of happiness and heaven. The world’s Redeemer accepts men as they are, with all their wants, imperfections, and weaknesses; and He will not only cleanse from sin and grant redemption through His blood, but will satisfy the heart-longing of all who consent to wear His yoke, to bear His burden. It is His purpose to impart peace and rest to all who come to Him for the bread of life. He requires us to perform only those duties that will lead our steps to heights of bliss to which the disobedient can never attain. The true, joyous life of the soul is to have Christ formed within, the hope of glory. – {SC 46.3}

Many are inquiring, “How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?” You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him. – {SC 47.1}

Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be Christians. – {SC 47.2}

Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith. – {SC 48.1}

Ropes of Sand

Happy New Year! “Another year over, a new one just begun,” as John Lennon once sang. This is the time of year when masses of people make New Year’s resolutions, promises about what they’re determined to do differently or better in the new year. After over-eating during the holiday season it’s not uncommon for people to make resolutions about eating - or not eating - and losing weight and exercising. Some people vow to save more money and spend less money. Or they’re going to be nicer to their spouse or more patient with their children.

But here’s what we know: a lot of New Year’s resolutions just don’t work out so well, do they? There’s something about promises and our ability to keep them. Now today, I’m going to tell you about some promises that never fail and are always kept. Really, promises that are always kept.

But first... let’s go back in time.

It was 1988. It was an election year. And being an election year, politicians were saying what they needed to say to build support heading towards the election. At the Republican National Convention George Bush senior accepted the Republican Party’s nomination to be their presidential candidate.

Peggy Noonan had written a speech for Mr. Bush that reinforced one of Mr. Bush’s key themes, one of them being the idea that he would not increase taxes for Americans. During the speech, Mr. Bush spoke with authority and uttered that now famous phrase: “Read my lips: no new taxes!”

The speech went well and Mr. Bush became President Bush. But two years later with the nation facing a serious budget deficit, President Bush was under pressure from politicians on both sides of the aisle. So as part of the 1990 budget agreement, several taxes were actually raised. The promise wasn’t kept.

I’m not trying to criticize former President Bush. The truth is - and perhaps this is especially true in politics - some promises can be very hard to keep. But whether it’s Pete Rose insisting he never bet on baseball - and then later admitting that he did - or the father of “Balloon Boy” claiming that his son was inside a helium-filled balloon floating 7,000 feet above Colorado - when the boy, in fact, was safe at home, there’s just something about a broken promise.

 The Bible weighs in on the subject of promises. The Bible stresses a person should keep his or her word. The Ten Commandments say, “Thou shalt not bear false witness”, which of course would mean that a person should keep their promises (as far as they’re able to do so).

Ananias and Saphira lost their lives because they lied about a broken promise. Whether its a politician promising to end poverty or a Dad promising to bring home ice cream, broken promises just don’t sit well.

In the Christian faith a lot of people make promises that they just can’t keep. It happens every day. It’s like those New Year’s Resolutions to drink less coffee or eat less candy: a person might promise God or promise themselves that from now on they’re going to pray more, stop swearing, control their temper or quit alcohol, and what so often happens? You discover that your promises are like ropes of sand. And you feel like a failure. And often, all sorts of thoughts start flooding the mind when a person feels like a failure as a Christian - I’ll never be good enough, God doesn’t love me, why even bother....

Is there a way out of this? Are there promises that can be kept? Yes there is, and yes there are. There ARE promises that can be kept. Let’s talk about them in just a moment.

EVERY WORD
A man in Iran was so angry with a woman for rejecting his marriage proposal that he threw acid into her face, and blinded her. Under Islamic law, eye-for-an-eye retribution is possible, and as a doctor was about to put several drops of acid into one of the man’s eyes in order to blind him by order of the court, the woman stated that she had forgiven her attacker and didn’t want him to be disfigured. She said, “When you’re in a position of power it is best to pardon.” How true.

In the Lord’s prayer we pray,

“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” Matthew 6:12. God asks us to forgive. Sometimes it is difficult, but it is God’s way. Unforgiveness cripples, while forgiveness sets the forgiver free. I hope you’ll choose to forgive if you have the opportunity or the need to do so. I’m John Bradshaw for It Is Written. Let’s live today by Every Word.

RETURN TO PROGRAM
Many people have made New Year’s resolutions that haven’t worked out too well as the new year progressed. I’m going to read more. I’m going to watch less television. I’m going to eat better. And I know many people have taken a similar approach to their spiritual life. “I’m going to be a better person. I’m going to speak more kindly to my wife. I’m going to stop losing my temper. I’ll pray more. I’ll be more like Jesus.” And before very long, it’s discovered it isn’t as easy to keep those promises as a person might once have hoped.

It’s like the situation the apostle Paul found himself in. He wrote in Romans 7:15: “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do” (NKJV). A few verses later he said this: “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will NOT to do, that I practice” (Romans 7:19 NKJV).

His problem wasn’t a lack of intent or wanting all the wrong things. You can be the most sincere, earnest, good-hearted person in the world, and still find that your good intentions and your high hopes can fall dishearteningly short.

But a moment ago I mentioned to you that there are promises that CAN be kept. Understanding this is crucial to living a healthy, happy spiritual life.

I’m going to share with you a couple of Bible verses. We’ll go to the book of Hebrews and Chapter 8, Hebrews 8:6 the Bible says this: “But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Notice what it says. The New Covenant was established upon “better promises.” Stay with me here.

Back at the time Moses was going up on the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, the people told God, “Everything the Lord has said, we will do!” Now THERE’S a resolution! Whatever God says, we’ll do it. In the next chapter, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments.

But Moses was up on that mountain for longer than the Israelites were expecting. They ended up saying, As for Moses, we don’t know what has become of him. So they made a golden calf and worshiped that. One day they’re saying, Whatever God says, We’ll do it! And days later they’re bowing down and worshiping an idol.

Now, was there anything wrong with their promise? No, it was a good promise. A great promise. “Whatever God says, we’ll do it!” That’s a great attitude. But at the same time, it was a terrible promise.

I’ll tell you why. But first, let’s consider another Bible verse. It’s 2 Peter 1:4, where the Bible says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” 2 Peter 1:4 KJV.

Now, lets see something here. The Bible tells us that there are some promises that work, and that never fail. And they’re certainly not your promises or my promises! The promises that never fail are GOD’s promises. They never fail.

The Bible says this: “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19 KJV). What God says is TRUE. What God promises HAPPENS. And if you understand this, you’ll never have to make God another promise again.

The fact of the matter is that God doesn’t even want you to make promises to Him. God simply wants you to believe His promises to you! And God’s promises are incredible. I’m going to share some life-changing .promises with you in just a moment.I know the Bible says that if we confess our sins we are forgiven, but why do I still feel guilty about something I did years ago? How do I really know that I have been forgiven? Will this feeling ever go away? I think first thing you want to do is to figure out is if that’s actually guilt that you feel. If it is, then very likely that feeling will go away. But if you simply feel bad about something you’ve done, and that still bugs you, maybe the feeling will never go away. Maybe you don’t want it to go away. If you have confessed that sin, then you can believe that God forgives you. You know how you can believe that? Because God says so. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That’s that then. You confess, and God forgives. God said so. So, you still feel guilty? If those feelings come, or if you feel doubt about it, then remind yourself of the Bible verse. Psalm 86:5 says that God is “good, and ready to forgive.” Matthew 12:31 says that “all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.” In another place the Bible says that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. In other words, if you can sin it, God can forgive it. He delights to and He will if you’re serious about repentance. You can know that you are really forgiven because the Bible says you are really forgiven. You know, to trust your feelings is a dangerous business. You don’t want to do that. And keep in mind that there’s a devil the Bible calls the “accuser” - you can know that He doesn’t want you to know that you are forgiven and cleansed. If you have feelings that you’re not forgiven, take those to God right away. Yield them to Him, and those feelings will dissipate. And as I said, it could be that those feelings are simply feelings of uneasiness about what you’ve done. If you’ve done something terrible, those feelings aren’t such bad things. They’ll help you to remember how awful sin is, and they’ll act as strong reminders to keep you close to Jesus. Peter wrote that it is through GOD’S promises that we can become “partakers of the divine nature.” Peter was someone who knew something about making promises to God and then breaking them spectacularly. Remember, Peter was the one who said to Jesus in Matthew 26:35, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” Matthew 26:35 NKJV. And we know how that worked out... But Peter eventually got it right, he figured it out, and he understood the power of the promises of God. There are literally thousands of promises in the Bible. Let’s look at a few of them and see how they can make a difference in your life. It’s recorded in Hebrews 13:5 that Jesus had said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 NKJV . So even if you feel lonely or abandoned, God has said that He will never leave you. He’s with you. You are not alone. The One who wrapped the rings around Saturn has told you that He cares for you. Now that we know that there’s no place for you wondering, worrying or doubting. God has said it, it has to be true, you can believe it and that’s that. Now let’s consider the case of someone who made a New Year’s Resolution to, let’s say... be nicer to their spouse. That person is talking about changing their behavior, but they’ll soon realize they don’t have the capacity to do that. They’ll try and try and fail and fail. And most people become sick of failing. Let’s look at TWO promises that can help with that. In 1 Corinthians chapter 10, we read these words--this is 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV. I don’t want you to miss this, because this is a promise made to you by God. “God... will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.” So now I know that, I know that when I’m tempted to lose my cool, I don’t have to fall. Based on what the Bible says, I am able to deal with this. Remember what we read - God will make a way of escape. It’s there in the Bible. It’s a promise. We can successfully endure the temptation because we’ve been promised by God that He will give us a way of escape. And that way of escape is.... Jesus. When temptation comes we can call on Christ, and He will deliver us every time. “But John, you just don’t know how tough it is for me...” I’m sure I don’t, but I know Jesus, and I know how tough HE is. And that’s all I need to know. Jude 24, let’s read that, Jude 24, that’s one verse: “Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling” Jude 1:24 NKJV. So if you’ve been visiting the wrong kind of websites, or if you’ve not been able to keep out of the bars or the nightclubs, God says that HE can keep you from falling. That is God’s promise to you. I spoke with a woman once who asked me if God would forgive her for a sin that she had committed. So I assured her God would. She said, “But Pastor John, it’s a terrible sin.” I said, “That’s no problem because God is in the business of forgiving terrible sins.” And then I asked her, “Okay, have you confessed your sin.” “Yes,” she told me, “many times.” She told me that this terrible thing she had done happened 50 years ago and that she had confessed it every day, sometimes many times a day. “Good grief,” I said, “That’s over 18,000 times you’ve confessed this to God!”  And she said, “Yep, that’s about right pastor.” So I asked her if she believed God. And she said, “Yes, of course I do.” I said to her, “Well, based on what you’re telling me, you don’t believe God at all. In fact, you believe God is a liar.” So I took the Bible, I opened the Bible to 1 John 1:9, and read to her, the verse begins by saying “If we confess our sin...” I said, “Have you done that?” “Yes, I’ve done that.” “Alright, then. ‘If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to FORGIVE us our sin, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.’” I asked her, “Does God tell the truth?” “Yes.” “All the time?” “Yes, I believe so.” “Well here,” I said, “God is telling you that He forgives you. And if He has forgiven you, why in the world would you go back to Him and confess again, as though you don’t believe the promise that God has made to you.” I encouraged her to believe God’s simple, powerful promise and not give this thing another thought. And the next time I saw her, she told me that that night, that night we spoke, she told me that she had the best night’s sleep she’d had in 50 years. You see, when God has promised, we can believe His promises. When God says He’s going to forgive your sins, you can afford to believe that. Instead of making promises to God, you can simply believe God’s promises to you, and claim them, and expect God to work powerfully in your life. As a New Year greets us, I want to encourage you today to trust God’s promises. This is a time when people typically make resolutions that usually don’t meet with a lot of success. But you can have a New Year’s REVolution if you experience the power of God’s promises in your life. Philippians 4:19 is a wonderful promise of God: “My God shall supply all your need, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (KJV). And that’s a promise. You can take this promise to God just like you’d take a check to the bank, and you can expect God to provide what He has promised to provide. It Is Written Script: 1301 Ropes of Sand Page 7 ©2015 It Is Written International Television. All Rights Reserved. In James 4:7, the Bible says this, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” And then you will read in the book of Malachi where God promises us that when we tithe and give offerings, He will open up the windows of heaven and pour out so much blessing that we won’t have room enough to receive it. God has promised! You can expect Him to keep His promises. And when you base your Christian experience on what God has promised YOU, you’re going to meet with victory and success and a whole lot less frustration than you would meet with if you continue trying to keep promises to God. Now a word about those last two promises - notice something about them. James said, “Submit yourselves therefore to God.” And then he said, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Malachi said that when we are faithful to God with our finances, then He is able to bless us. It’s like when James said, Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and” THEN “He shall lift you up.” One thing we’ve got to understand is that the promises of God come with conditions attached. Now I’m not saying that God loves you based on condition or accepts you based on condition but when it comes to God’s promises, a person wouldn’t live with disregard for God and then claim the promises of God. That would not be faith, that would be presumption. What faith does is it claims the promises of God, the promises God makes, and then makes a surrender to God. If we come to God in faith, believing His promises, and then let God work in our lives in a powerful way - so that His will can be done – then we are going to see miracles take place. Now one of the best books that I’ve ever read that touches on this subject is a book called Steps to Christ. I want to share a passage with you from that powerful little book. “You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. “What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him” (p. 47).  Isn’t that encouraging? If you’ll give God your will, God will work in your life. Today, believe His promises to you, and let God *keep* His promises to you. Concentration camp survivor Corrie Ten Boom is quoted as having said, “When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds.” I heard it said that Corrie Ten Boom would go to the Bible, find a promise, put her finger on it, hold it up to God and say, “Here, You read what it says!” That’s bold. But that’s faith. That’s relying on God’s promises. Your experience doesn’t have to be a cycle of try and fail. You can claim the promises of God and ask God to keep His promises to you in your life. And you know what? God will always keep His promises. He always does. 

Thanks for joining me today. I want to encourage you. Go to the Bible, find the promises of God, and take them to God and claim them. And then you will be able to watch God work in your life powerfully. He will do it if we ask Him to so let’s ask him now. Please, would you join me as we pray. 

PRAYER 

Father in heaven, thank You for Your promises. Thank You that they are sure and certain. Thank You that we can trust You to do in our lives what You have said You will do. And Lord, we need You to work powerfully. So many people today under the weight of burdens and pressures and struggles and stresses, and feeling failure and like they are falling more than they are standing up. Lord, in Your Word you have promised us that you could straighten us out and keep us close to Your heart. So please do that and allow us to experience spiritual victory in our lives based on Your Word as You keep your promises to us. We thank You for them and we praise You and we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

At a time when many people are making New Year's resolutions, it's time to find out what God's resolutions are, and how His promises to us can change our 

Why was sin permitted?

"If you don't know or is unable to recognise who your real enemy is, then how can you effectively fight back.If you don't believe or realise that your in the middle of a spiritual war between good and evil, then how can you expect to win". JHaug
Don't shut yourself out, be informed. Read about the great controversy today!

Chapter 1 Why was sin permitted?!

“God is love.” 1 John 4:16. His nature, His law, is love. It ever has been; it ever will be. “The high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,” whose “ways are everlasting,” changeth not. With Him “is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Isaiah 57:15; Habakkuk 3:6; James 1:17. – {PP 33.1}
Every manifestation of creative power is an expression of infinite love. The sovereignty of God involves fullness of blessing to all created beings. The psalmist says: – {PP 33.2}
“Strong is Thy hand, and high is Thy right hand.
Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of Thy throne:
Mercy and truth go before Thy face.
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:
They walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.
In Thy name do they rejoice all the day:
And in Thy righteousness are they exalted.
For Thou art the glory of their strength: ...
For our shield belongeth unto Jehovah,
And our king to the Holy One.” Note: Psalm 89:13-18, R.V. [In this text and in some other Bible quotations used in this book the word “Jehovah” is employed instead of “Lord,” as rendered in the American Supplement to the Revised Version.] – {PP 33.3}
The history of the great conflict between good and evil, from the time it first began in heaven to the final overthrow of rebellion and the total eradication of sin, is also a demonstration of God’s unchanging love. – {PP 33.4}
The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence. He had an associate—a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His joy in giving happiness to created beings. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1, 2. Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father—one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6. His “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2. And the Son of God declares concerning Himself: “The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting.... When He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” Proverbs 8:22-30. – {PP 34.1}
The Father wrought by His Son in the creation of all heavenly beings. “By Him were all things created, ... whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.” Colossians 1:16. Angels are God’s ministers, radiant with the light ever flowing from His presence and speeding on rapid wing to execute His will. But the Son, the anointed of God, the “express image of His person,” “the brightness of His glory,” “upholding all things by the word of His power,” holds supremacy over them all. Hebrews 1:3. “A glorious high throne from the beginning,” was the place of His sanctuary (Jeremiah 17:12); “a scepter of righteousness,” the scepter of His kingdom. Hebrews 1:8. “Honor and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.” Psalm 96:6. Mercy and truth go before His face. Psalm 89:14. – {PP 34.2}
The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all intelligent beings depends upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness. God desires from all His creatures the service of love—service that springs from an appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service. – {PP 34.3}
So long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of love, there was perfect harmony throughout the universe of God. It was the joy of the heavenly host to fulfill the purpose of their Creator. They delighted in reflecting His glory and showing forth His praise. And while love to God was supreme, love for one another was confiding and unselfish. There was no note of discord to mar the celestial harmonies. But a change came over this happy state. There was one who perverted the freedom that God had granted to His creatures. Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, “son of the morning,” was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled. He stood in the presence of the great Creator, and the ceaseless beams of glory enshrouding the eternal God rested upon him. “Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering.... Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:12-15. – {PP 35.1}
Little by little Lucifer came to indulge the desire for self-exaltation. The Scripture says, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.” Ezekiel 28:17. “Thou hast said in thine heart, ...I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.... I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:13, 14. Though all his glory was from God, this mighty angel came to regard it as pertaining to himself. Not content with his position, though honored above the heavenly host, he ventured to covet homage due alone to the Creator. Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of all created beings, it was his endeavor to secure their service and loyalty to himself. And coveting the glory with which the infinite Father had invested His Son, this prince of angels aspired to power that was the prerogative of Christ alone. – {PP 35.2}
Now the perfect harmony of heaven was broken. Lucifer’s disposition to serve himself instead of his Creator aroused a feeling of apprehension when observed by those who considered that the glory of God should be supreme. In heavenly council the angels pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of God presented before him the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of the Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of His law. God Himself had established the order of heaven; and in departing from it, Lucifer would dishonor his Maker and bring ruin upon himself. But the warning, given in infinite love and mercy, only aroused a spirit of resistance. Lucifer allowed his jealousy of Christ to prevail, and became the more determined. – {PP 35.3}
To dispute the supremacy of the Son of God, thus impeaching the wisdom and love of the Creator, had become the purpose of this prince of angels. To this object he was about to bend the energies of that master mind, which, next to Christ’s, was first among the hosts of God. But He who would have the will of all His creatures free, left none unguarded to the bewildering sophistry by which rebellion would seek to justify itself. Before the great contest should open, all were to have a clear presentation of His will, whose wisdom and goodness were the spring of all their joy. – {PP 36.1}
The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings. The Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both. About the throne gathered the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng—“ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11.), the most exalted angels, as ministers and subjects, rejoicing in the light that fell upon them from the presence of the Deity. Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven the King declared that none but Christ, the Only Begotten of God, could fully enter into His purposes, and to Him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels of His will. The Son of God had wrought the Father’s will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to Him, as well as to God, their homage and allegiance were due. Christ was still to exercise divine power, in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. But in all this He would not seek power or exaltation for Himself contrary to God’s plan, but would exalt the Father’s glory and execute His purposes of beneficence and love. – {PP 36.2}
The angels joyfully acknowledged the supremacy of Christ, and prostrating themselves before Him, poured out their love and adoration. Lucifer bowed with them, but in his heart there was a strange, fierce conflict. Truth, justice, and loyalty were struggling against envy and jealousy. The influence of the holy angels seemed for a time to carry him with them. As songs of praise ascended in melodious strains, swelled by thousands of glad voices, the spirit of evil seemed vanquished; unutterable love thrilled his entire being; his soul went out, in harmony with the sinless worshippers, in love to the Father and the Son. But again he was filled with pride in his own glory. His desire for supremacy returned, and envy of Christ was once more indulged. The high honors conferred upon Lucifer were not appreciated as God’s special gift, and therefore, called forth no gratitude to his Creator. He gloried in his brightness and exaltation and aspired to be equal with God. He was beloved and reverenced by the heavenly host, angels delighted to execute his commands, and he was clothed with wisdom and glory above them all. Yet the Son of God was exalted above him, as one in power and authority with the Father. He shared the Father’s counsels, while Lucifer did not thus enter into the purposes of God. “Why,” questioned this mighty angel, “should Christ have the supremacy? Why is He honored above Lucifer?” – {PP 36.3}
Leaving his place in the immediate presence of the Father, Lucifer went forth to diffuse the spirit of discontent among the angels. He worked with mysterious secrecy, and for a time concealed his real purpose under an appearance of reverence for God. He began to insinuate doubts concerning the laws that governed heavenly beings, intimating that though laws might be necessary for the inhabitants of the worlds, angels, being more exalted, needed no such restraint, for their own wisdom was a sufficient guide. They were not beings that could bring dishonor to God; all their thoughts were holy; it was no more possible for them than for God Himself to err. The exaltation of the Son of God as equal with the Father was represented as an injustice to Lucifer, who, it was claimed, was also entitled to reverence and honor. If this prince of angels could but attain to his true, exalted position, great good would accrue to the entire host of heaven; for it was his object to secure freedom for all. But now even the liberty which they had hitherto enjoyed was at an end; for an absolute Ruler had been appointed them, and to His authority all must pay homage. Such were the subtle deceptions that through the wiles of Lucifer were fast obtaining in the heavenly courts. – {PP 37.1}
There had been no change in the position or authority of Christ. Lucifer’s envy and misrepresentation and his claims to equality with Christ had made necessary a statement of the true position of the Son of God; but this had been the same from the beginning. Many of the angels were, however, blinded by Lucifer’s deceptions. – {PP 38.1}
Taking advantage of the loving, loyal trust reposed in him by the holy beings under his command, he had so artfully instilled into their minds his own distrust and discontent that his agency was not discerned. Lucifer had presented the purposes of God in a false light—misconstruing and distorting them to excite dissent and dissatisfaction. He cunningly drew his hearers on to give utterance to their feelings; then these expressions were repeated by him when it would serve his purpose, as evidence that the angels were not fully in harmony with the government of God. While claiming for himself perfect loyalty to God, he urged that changes in the order and laws of heaven were necessary for the stability of the divine government. Thus while working to excite opposition to the law of God and to instill his own discontent into the minds of the angels under him, he was ostensibly seeking to remove dissatisfaction and to reconcile disaffected angels to the order of heaven. While secretly fomenting discord and rebellion, he with consummate craft caused it to appear as his sole purpose to promote loyalty and to preserve harmony and peace. – {PP 38.2}
The spirit of dissatisfaction thus kindled was doing its baleful work. While there was no open outbreak, division of feeling imperceptibly grew up among the angels. There were some who looked with favor upon Lucifer’s insinuations against the government of God. Although they had heretofore been in perfect harmony with the order which God had established, they were now discontented and unhappy because they could not penetrate His unsearchable counsels; they were dissatisfied with His purpose in exalting Christ. These stood ready to second Lucifer’s demand for equal authority with the Son of God. But angels who were loyal and true maintained the wisdom and justice of the divine decree and endeavored to reconcile this disaffected being to the will of God. Christ was the Son of God; He had been one with Him before the angels were called into existence. He had ever stood at the right hand of the Father; His supremacy, so full of blessing to all who came under its benignant control, had not heretofore been questioned. The harmony of heaven had never been interrupted; wherefore should there now be discord? The loyal angels could see only terrible consequences from this dissension, and with earnest entreaty they counseled the disaffected ones to renounce their purpose and prove themselves loyal to God by fidelity to His government. – {PP 38.3}
In great mercy, according to His divine character, God bore long with Lucifer. The spirit of discontent and disaffection had never before been known in heaven. It was a new element, strange, mysterious, unaccountable. Lucifer himself had not at first been acquainted with the real nature of his feelings; for a time he had feared to express the workings and imaginings of his mind; yet he did not dismiss them. He did not see whither he was drifting. But such efforts as infinite love and wisdom only could devise, were made to convince him of his error. His disaffection was proved to be without cause, and he was made to see what would be the result of persisting in revolt. Lucifer was convinced that he was in the wrong. He saw that “the Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works” (Psalm 145:17); that the divine statutes are just, and that he ought to acknowledge them as such before all heaven. Had he done this, he might have saved himself and many angels. He had not at that time fully cast off his allegiance to God. Though he had left his position as covering cherub, yet if he had been willing to return to God, acknowledging the Creator’s wisdom, and satisfied to fill the place appointed him in God’s great plan, he would have been reinstated in his office. The time had come for a final decision; he must fully yield to the divine sovereignty or place himself in open rebellion. He nearly reached the decision to return, but pride forbade him. It was too great a sacrifice for one who had been so highly honored to confess that he had been in error, that his imaginings were false, and to yield to the authority which he had been working to prove unjust. – {PP 39.1}
A compassionate Creator, in yearning pity for Lucifer and his followers, was seeking to draw them back from the abyss of ruin into which they were about to plunge. But His mercy was misinterpreted. Lucifer pointed to the long-suffering of God as an evidence of his own superiority, an indication that the King of the universe would yet accede to his terms. If the angels would stand firmly with him, he declared, they could yet gain all that they desired. He persistently defended his own course, and fully committed himself to the great controversy against his Maker. Thus it was that Lucifer, “the light bearer,” the sharer of God’s glory, the attendant of His throne, by transgression became Satan, “the adversary” of God and holy beings and the destroyer of those whom Heaven had committed to his guidance and guardianship. – {PP 39.2}
Rejecting with disdain the arguments and entreaties of the loyal angels, he denounced them as deluded slaves. The preference shown to Christ he declared an act of injustice both to himself and to all the heavenly host, and announced that he would no longer submit to this invasion of his rights and theirs. He would never again acknowledge the supremacy of Christ. He had determined to claim the honor which should have been given him, and take command of all who would become his followers; and he promised those who would enter his ranks a new and better government, under which all would enjoy freedom. Great numbers of the angels signified their purpose to accept him as their leader. Flattered by the favor with which his advances were received, he hoped to win all the angels to his side, to become equal with God Himself, and to be obeyed by the entire host of heaven. – {PP 40.1}
Still the loyal angels urged him and his sympathizers to submit to God; and they set before them the inevitable result should they refuse: He who had created them could overthrow their power and signally punish their rebellious daring. No angel could successfully oppose the law of God, which was as sacred as Himself. They warned all to close their ears against Lucifer’s deceptive reasoning, and urged him and his followers to seek the presence of God without delay and confess the error of questioning His wisdom and authority. – {PP 40.2}
Many were disposed to heed this counsel, to repent of their disaffection, and seek to be again received into favor with the Father and His Son. But Lucifer had another deception ready. The mighty revolter now declared that the angels who had united with him had gone too far to return; that he was acquainted with the divine law, and knew that God would not forgive. He declared that all who should submit to the authority of Heaven would be stripped of their honor, degraded from their position. For himself, he was determined never again to acknowledge the authority of Christ. The only course remaining for him and his followers, he said, was to assert their liberty, and gain by force the rights which had not been willingly accorded them. – {PP 40.3}
So far as Satan himself was concerned, it was true that he had now gone too far to return. But not so with those who had been blinded by his deceptions. To them the counsel and entreaties of the loyal angels opened a door of hope; and had they heeded the warning, they might have broken away from the snare of Satan. But pride, love for their leader, and the desire for unrestricted freedom were permitted to bear sway, and the pleadings of divine love and mercy were finally rejected. – {PP 41.1}
God permitted Satan to carry forward his work until the spirit of disaffection ripened into active revolt. It was necessary for his plans to be fully developed, that their true nature and tendency might be seen by all. Lucifer, as the anointed cherub, had been highly exalted; he was greatly loved by the heavenly beings, and his influence over them was strong. God’s government included not only the inhabitants of heaven, but of all the worlds that He had created; and Lucifer had concluded that if he could carry the angels of heaven with him in rebellion, he could carry also all the worlds. He had artfully presented his side of the question, employing sophistry and fraud to secure his objects. His power to deceive was very great. By disguising himself in a cloak of falsehood, he had gained an advantage. All his acts were so clothed with mystery that it was difficult to disclose to the angels the true nature of his work. Until fully developed, it could not be made to appear the evil thing it was; his disaffection would not be seen to be rebellion. Even the loyal angels could not fully discern his character or see to what his work was leading. – {PP 41.2}
Lucifer had at first so conducted his temptations that he himself stood uncommitted. The angels whom he could not bring fully to his side, he accused of indifference to the interests of heavenly beings. The very work which he himself was doing, he charged upon the loyal angels. It was his policy to perplex with subtle arguments concerning the purposes of God. Everything that was simple he shrouded in mystery, and by artful perversion cast doubt upon the plainest statements of Jehovah. And his high position, so closely connected with the divine government, gave greater force to his representations. – {PP 41.3}
God could employ only such means as were consistent with truth and righteousness. Satan could use what God could not—flattery and deceit. He had sought to falsify the word of God and had misrepresented His plan of government, claiming that God was not just in imposing laws upon the angels; that in requiring submission and obedience from His creatures, He was seeking merely the exaltation of Himself. It was therefore necessary to demonstrate before the inhabitants of heaven, and of all the worlds, that God’s government is just, His law perfect. Satan had made it appear that he himself was seeking to promote the good of the universe. The true character of the usurper and his real object must be understood by all. He must have time to manifest himself by his wicked works. – {PP 42.1}
The discord which his own course had caused in heaven, Satan charged upon the government of God. All evil he declared to be the result of the divine administration. He claimed that it was his own object to improve upon the statutes of Jehovah. Therefore God permitted him to demonstrate the nature of his claims, to show the working out of his proposed changes in the divine law. His own work must condemn him. Satan had claimed from the first that he was not in rebellion. The whole universe must see the deceiver unmasked. – {PP 42.2}
Even when he was cast out of heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy Satan. Since only the service of love can be acceptable to God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a conviction of His justice and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and of the worlds, being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of sin, could not then have seen the justice of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately blotted out of existence, some would have served God from fear rather than from love. The influence of the deceiver would not have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been utterly eradicated. For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages, he must more fully develop his principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created beings, and that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of His law might be forever placed beyond all question. – {PP 42.3}
Satan’s rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all coming ages—a perpetual testimony to the nature of sin and its terrible results. The working out of Satan’s rule, its effects upon both men and angels, would show what must be the fruit of setting aside the divine authority. It would testify that with the existence of God’s government is bound up the well-being of all the creatures He has made. Thus the history of this terrible experiment of rebellion was to be a perpetual safeguard to all holy beings, to prevent them from being deceived as to the nature of transgression, to save them from committing sin, and suffering its penalty. – {PP 42.4}
He that ruleth in the heavens is the one who sees the end from the beginning—the one before whom the mysteries of the past and the future are alike outspread, and who, beyond the woe and darkness and ruin that sin has wrought, beholds the accomplishment of His own purposes of love and blessing. Though “clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.” Psalm 97:2, R.V. And this the inhabitants of the universe, both loyal and disloyal, will one day understand. “His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4. – {PP 43.1}


Don't 

New Year New Life

Lost and Found

The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, bring out in distinct lines God's pitying love for those who are straying from Him. Although they have turned away from God, He does not leave them in their misery. He is full of kindness and tender pity toward all who are exposed to the temptations of the artful foe. - {COL 198.1}
In the parable of the prodigal son is presented the Lord's dealing with those who have once known the Father's love, but who have allowed the tempter to lead them captive at his will. - {COL 198.2}
"A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country." - {COL 198.3}
This younger son had become weary of the restraint of his father's house. He thought that his liberty was restricted. His father's love and care for him were misinterpreted, and he determined to follow the dictates of his own inclination. - {COL 198.4}
The youth acknowledges no obligation to his father, and expresses no gratitude; yet he claims the privilege of a child in sharing his father's goods. The inheritance that would fall to him at his father's death he desires to receive now. He is bent on present enjoyment, and cares not for the future. - {COL 199.1}
Having obtained his patrimony, he goes into "a far country," away from his father's home. With money in plenty, and liberty to do as he likes, he flatters himself that the desire of his heart is reached. There is no one to say, Do not do this, for it will be an injury to yourself; or, Do this, because it is right. Evil companions help him to plunge ever deeper into sin, and he wastes his "substance with riotous living." - {COL 199.2}
The Bible tells of men who "professing themselves to be wise" "became fools" (Romans 1:22); and this is the history of the young man of the parable. The wealth which he has selfishly claimed from his father he squanders upon harlots. The treasure of his young manhood is wasted. The precious years of life, the strength of intellect, the bright visions of youth, the spiritual aspirations-all are consumed in the fires of lust. - {COL 199.3}
A great famine arises, he begins to be in want, and he joins himself to a citizen of the country, who sends him into the field to feed swine. To a Jew this was the most menial and degrading of employments. The youth who has boasted of his liberty, now finds himself a slave. He is in the worst of bondage-"holden with the cords of his sins." (Proverbs 5:22.) The glitter and tinsel that enticed him have disappeared, and he feels the burden of his chain. Sitting upon the ground in that desolate and famine-stricken land, with no companions but the swine, he is fain to fill himself with the husks on which the beasts are fed. Of the gay companions who flocked about him in his prosperous days and ate and drank at his expense, there is not one left to befriend him. Where now is his riotous joy? Stilling his conscience, benumbing his sensibilities, he thought himself happy; but now, with money spent, with hunger unsatisfied, with pride humbled, with his moral nature dwarfed, with his will weak and untrustworthy, with his finer feelings seemingly dead, he is the most wretched of mortals. - {COL 200.1}
What a picture here of the sinner's state! Although surrounded with the blessings of His love, there is nothing that the sinner, bent on self-indulgence and sinful pleasure, desires so much as separation from God. Like the ungrateful son, he claims the good things of God as his by right. He takes them as a matter of course, and makes no return of gratitude, renders no service of love. As Cain went out from the presence of the Lord to seek his home; as the prodigal wandered into the "far country," so do sinners seek happiness in forgetfulness of God. (Romans 1:28). - {COL 200.2}
Whatever the appearance may be, every life centered in self is squandered. Whoever attempts to live apart from God is wasting his substance. He is squandering the precious years, squandering the powers of mind and heart and soul, and working to make himself bankrupt for eternity. The man who separates from God that he may serve himself, is the slave of mammon. The mind that God created for the companionship of angels has become degraded to the service of that which is earthly and bestial. This is the end to which self-serving tends. - {COL 200.3}
If you have chosen such a life, you know that you are spending money for that which is not bread, and labor for that which satisfieth not. There come to you hours when you realize your degradation. Alone in the far country you feel your misery, and in despair you cry, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:24. It is the statement of a universal truth which is contained in the prophet's words, "Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited." Jeremiah 17:5, 6. God "maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45); but men have the power to shut themselves away from sunshine and shower. So while the Sun of Righteousness shines, and the showers of grace fall freely for all, we may by separating ourselves from God still "inhabit the parched places in the wilderness." - {COL 201.1}
The love of God still yearns over the one who has chosen to separate from Him, and He sets in operation influences to bring him back to the Father's house. The prodigal son in his wretchedness "came to himself." The deceptive power that Satan had exercised over him was broken. He saw that his suffering was the result of his own folly, and he said, "How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father." Miserable as he was, the prodigal found hope in the conviction of his father's love. It was that love which was drawing him toward home. So it is the assurance of God's love that constrains the sinner to return to God. "The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance." Romans 2:4. A golden chain, the mercy and compassion of divine love, is passed around every imperiled soul. The Lord declares, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3. - {COL 202.1}
The son determines to confess his guilt. He will go to his father, saying, "I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." But he adds, showing how stinted is his conception of his father's love, "Make me as one of thy hired servants." - {COL 202.2}
The young man turns from the swine herds and the husks, and sets his face toward home. Trembling with weakness and faint from hunger, he presses eagerly on his way. He has no covering to conceal his rags; but his misery has conquered pride, and he hurries on to beg a servant's place where he was once a child. - {COL 202.3}
Little did the gay, thoughtless youth, as he went out from his father's gate, dream of the ache and longing left in that father's heart. When he danced and feasted with his wild companions, little did he think of the shadow that had fallen on his home. And now as with weary and painful steps he pursues the homeward way, he knows not that one is watching for his return. But while he is yet "a great way off" the father discerns his form. Love is of quick sight. Not even the degradation of the years of sin can conceal the son from the father's eyes. He "had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck" in a long, clinging, tender embrace. - {COL 203.1}
The father will permit no contemptuous eye to mock at his son's misery and tatters. He takes from his own shoulders the broad, rich mantle, and wraps it around the son's wasted form, and the youth sobs out his repentance, saying, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." The father holds him close to his side, and brings him home. No opportunity is given him to ask a servant's place. He is a son, who shall be honored with the best the house affords, and whom the waiting men and women shall respect and serve. - {COL 203.2}
The father said to his servants, "Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." - {COL 204.1}
In his restless youth the prodigal looked upon his father as stern and severe. How different his conception of him now! So those who are deceived by Satan look upon God as hard and exacting. They regard Him as watching to denounce and condemn, as unwilling to receive the sinner so long as there is a legal excuse for not helping him. His law they regard as a restriction upon men's happiness, a burdensome yoke from which they are glad to escape. But he whose eyes have been opened by the love of Christ will behold God as full of compassion. He does not appear as a tyrannical, relentless being, but as a father longing to embrace his repenting son. The sinner will exclaim with the Psalmist, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." Psalm 103:13. - {COL 204.2}
In the parable there is no taunting, no casting up to the prodigal of his evil course. The son feels that the past is forgiven and forgotten, blotted out forever. And so God says to the sinner, "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins," Isaiah 44:22. "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Jeremiah 31:34. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:7. "In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found." Jeremiah 50:20. - {COL 204.3}
What assurance here, of God's willingness to receive the repenting sinner! Have you, reader, chosen your own way? Have you wandered far from God? Have you sought to feast upon the fruits of transgression, only to find them turn to ashes upon your lips? And now, your substance spent, your life-plans thwarted, and your hopes dead, do you sit alone and desolate? Now that voice which has long been speaking to your heart but to which you would not listen comes to you distinct and clear, "Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest; because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction." Micah 2:10. Return to your Father's house. He invites you, saying, "Return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee." Isaiah 44:22. - {COL 205.1}
Do not listen to the enemy's suggestion to stay away from Christ until you have made yourself better; until you are good enough to come to God. If you wait until then, you will never come. When Satan points to your filthy garments, repeat the promise of Jesus, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. Tell the enemy that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin. Make the prayer of David your own, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7. - {COL 205.2}
Arise and go to your Father. He will meet you a great way off. If you take even one step toward Him in repentance, He will hasten to enfold you in His arms of infinite love. His ear is open to the cry of the contrite soul. The very first reaching out of the heart after God is known to Him. Never a prayer is offered, however faltering, never a tear is shed, however secret, never a sincere desire after God is cherished, however feeble, but the Spirit of God goes forth to meet it. Even before the prayer is uttered or the yearning of the heart made known, grace from Christ goes forth to meet the grace that is working upon the human soul. - {COL 206.1}
Your heavenly Father will take from you the garments defiled by sin. In the beautiful parabolic prophecy of Zechariah, the high priest Joshua, standing clothed in filthy garments before the angel of the Lord, represents the sinner. And the word is spoken by the Lord, "Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.... So they set a fair miter upon his head, and clothed him with garments." Zechariah 3:4, 5. Even so God will clothe you with "the garments of salvation," and cover you with "the robe of righteousness." Isaiah 61:10. "Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold." Psalm 68:13. - {COL 206.2}
He will bring you into His banqueting house, and His banner over you shall be love. (Song of Solomon 2:4) "If thou wilt walk in My ways," He declares, "I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by"-even among the holy angels that surround His throne. (Zechariah 3:7). - {COL 206.3}
"As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." Isaiah 62:5. "He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love; He will joy over thee with singing." Zephaniah 3:17. And heaven and earth shall unite in the Father's song of rejoicing: "For this My son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." - {COL 207.1}
Thus far in the Saviour's parable there is no discordant note to jar the harmony of the scene of joy; but now Christ introduces another element. When the prodigal came home, the elder son "was in the field; and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in." This elder brother has not been sharing in his father's anxiety and watching for the one that was lost. He shares not, therefore, in the father's joy at the wanderer's return. The sounds of rejoicing kindle no gladness in his heart. He inquires of a servant the reason of the festivity, and the answer excites his jealousy. He will not go in to welcome his lost brother. The favor shown the prodigal he regards as an insult to himself. - {COL 207.2}
When the father comes out to remonstrate with him, the pride and malignity of his nature are revealed. He dwells upon his own life in his father's house as a round of unrequited service, and then places in mean contrast the favor shown to the son just returned. He makes it plain that his own service has been that of a servant rather than a son. When he should have found an abiding joy in his father's presence, his mind has rested upon the profit to accrue from his circumspect life. His words show that it is for this he has foregone the pleasures of sin. Now if this brother is to share in the father's gifts, the elder son counts that he himself has been wronged. He grudges his brother the favor shown him. He plainly shows that had he been in the father's place, he would not have received the prodigal. He does not even acknowledge him as a brother, but coldly speaks of him as "thy son." - {COL 207.3}Yet the father deals tenderly with him. "Son," he says, "thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine." Through all these years of your brother's outcast life, have you not had the privilege of companionship with me? - {COL 208.1}
Everything that could minister to the happiness of his children was freely theirs. The son need have no question of gift or reward. "All that I have is thine." You have only to believe my love, and take the gift that is freely bestowed. - {COL 208.2}
One son had for a time cut himself off from the household, not discerning the father's love. But now he has returned, and the tide of joy sweeps away every disturbing thought. "This thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." - {COL 209.1}
Was the elder brother brought to see his own mean, ungrateful spirit? Did he come to see that though his brother had done wickedly, he was his brother still? Did the elder brother repent of his jealousy and hardheartedness? Concerning this, Christ was silent. For the parable was still enacting, and it rested with His hearers to determine what the outcome should be. - {COL 209.2}
By the elder son were represented the unrepenting Jews of Christ's day, and also the Pharisees in every age, who look with contempt upon those whom they regard as publicans and sinners. Because they themselves have not gone to great excesses in vice, they are filled with self-righteousness. Christ met these cavilers on their own ground. Like the elder son in the parable, they had enjoyed special privileges from God. They claimed to be sons in God's house, but they had the spirit of the hireling. They were working, not from love, but from hope of reward. In their eyes, God was an exacting taskmaster. They saw Christ inviting publicans and sinners to receive freely the gift of His grace-the gift which the rabbis hoped to secure only by toil and penance-and they were offended. The prodigal's return, which filled the Father's heart with joy, only stirred them to jealousy. - {COL 209.3}
In the parable the father's remonstrance with the elder son was Heaven's tender appeal to the Pharisees. "All that I have is thine"-not as wages, but as a gift. Like the prodigal, you can receive it only as the unmerited bestowal of the Father's love. - {COL 209.4}
Self-righteousness not only leads men to misrepresent God, but makes them coldhearted and critical toward their brethren. The elder son, in his selfishness and jealousy, stood ready to watch his brother, to criticize every action, and to accuse him for the least deficiency. He would detect every mistake, and make the most of every wrong act. Thus he would seek to justify his own unforgiving spirit. Many today are doing the same thing. While the soul is making its very first struggles against a flood of temptations, they stand by, stubborn, self-willed, complaining, accusing. They may claim to be children of God, but they are acting out the spirit of Satan. By their attitude toward their brethren, these accusers place themselves where God cannot give them the light of His countenance. - {COL 210.1}
Many are constantly questioning, "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?" But "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:6-8. - {COL 210.2}
This is the service that God has chosen-"to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke, ... and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh." Isaiah 58:6, 7. When you see yourselves as sinners saved only by the love of your heavenly Father, you will have tender pity for others who are suffering in sin. You will no longer meet misery and repentance with jealousy and censure. When the ice of selfishness is melted from your hearts, you will be in sympathy with God, and will share His joy in the saving of the lost. - {COL 210.3}
It is true that you claim to be a child of God; but if this claim be true, it is "thy brother" that was "dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." He is bound to you by the closest ties; for God recognizes him as a son. Deny your relationship to him, and you show that you are but a hireling in the household, not a child in the family of God. - {COL 211.1}
Though you will not join in the greeting to the lost, the joy will go on, the restored one will have his place by the Father's side and in the Father's work. He that is forgiven much, the same loves much. But you will be in the darkness without. For "he that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 1 John 4:8. - {COL 211.2}

Taken from  Christ Object Lessons

Cancer: My Enemy, My Friend

There are some moments in your life that you never forget, things you know are going to change your life—getting married; the birth of your first child; getting the job of your dreams. I've experienced all of those things and I can't ever forget how I felt at the time. But then there are times when your family and your faith are all you have to lean on.

Loneliness

I am so tired of the loneliness of life. I wonder if anyone else knows what it means to be in such pain. I surround myself with people, only to experience the old cliche of being lonely in the crowd. I try to sleep but my head aches constantly. I know my husband and children are asleep, i can hear the sounds and the rhythm of their breathing. My family doesnt know me. They think they do, but its based on opinions and statements i made a long time ago. My biggest need is to be accepted as i am, for who i am. But i dont even know what am like. I feel like an accumulation of the roles i fill. I wonder if i even have an identity apart from wife, mother, chauffeur, cook. There will also be the constant struggle to face problems, to stand up for my convictions and i am so tired of the agonising loneliness. I am afraid of it. I cant seem to eat or sleep or schedule right  and i can no longer deal with the anxiety of straddling the fence. Non of my former education, prepared me for the amount of solitude that is in life.  No amount of security can eradicate painful experiences. Why was i never taught to learn from loneliness? I only learn to fear it. 

I dont know where you are or what your condition is tonight, but many of you are experiencing a deep loneliness and it burns in the centre of your being. Have you ever been so lonely that you've been sick to your stomach? I've been through that. And I remember just where I was and exactly what corner I was turning, when i feel it most intensely. So why are we here tonight? How can we continue? First of all last night I felt this quite strongly. And I said Lord I dont know what to do with this. I was in the back of a bus late at night. It was dark, most people was sleeping and I had just come back from a long trip to the west coast. And I said, I feel intensely lonely and forsaken. And all of the spectres began to loom and flood in like a great crashing wave. The humilation of a life of failure. The wondering, whether this time, these few days out in california were worth the time involved. All these kinds of things began to flood in. And the tears came. And I said, No. This is not self pity. This is an assessment of the facts. Of course I feel sorrow, I feel remorse, I feel loneliness, but at this point I pray Lord that you will forgive me for indulging in any of this. I cant deny the feelings. But I can chose what I am going to do with the feelings, so I commit them to you. I dont what them to control my behaviour from here on. I feel them intensely, but you felt them too. So will you take them and do with them as you will. And anyone who is involved in them positively and negatively and touch me with your unconditional forgiveness and your love. Well no great floods of happiness came over me but I was reminded of uncondition love. 

Through all, i've learn to trust in Jesus. I've learn to trust in God. 

And through the pain Lord. Sometimes thats the only feeling of credibility we do have The word.  Because sometimes thats all we've got. And Lord we recognise the fact that, we are not ammunied from feeling alone. The fact that the crowds dont cure it, marriage dont cure it, that even being with a special person, dont always take care of it. Your the only one we can trust, totally, to understand this and to help us, through the pain. I commit right now, whoever that person is, who is just dying or in need of love and of someone , of some force beyond himself, unconditional love that will accept them just as we are. You've come to give us that Lord. We reach out to you right now. And I pray that, that person who is through the pain, touching you in faith. That you will reach down and extract them from that vortex of loneliness at its deepest level, which is alienation from you. And then put into our hearts and lives, something that will override and counteract, at least for the time being the lonely moments. 

Thank you for your promise. Amen

From Nightsounds with Bill Pearce Alone in the crowd