Day 3—Joy

Habakkuk 3:17-19 & Isaiah 12
But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy.—Gal. 5:22

Those who abide in Jesus will be happy, cheerful, and joyful in God. A subdued gentleness will mark the voice, reverence for spiritual and eternal things will be expressed in the actions, and music, joyful music, will echo from the lips; for it is wafted from the throne of God (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 625).

The joy of Christ is a pure, unalloyed cheerfulness. It is not a cheap gaiety, that leads to vanity of words or lightness of conduct. No, we are to have His joy, and His greatest joy was to see men obeying the truth. . . . Plead with God, saying, “I make an entire surrender. I give myself away to Thee.” Then be joyful. The Word is in you, purifying and cleansing your character. God does not want His children to go about with anxiety and sorrow expressed in their faces.

He wants the lovely expression of His countenance to be revealed in every one of us who are partakers of the divine nature; for we have power to escape the corruptions of the world. . . . We are not, because Christ died, left a company of orphans. . . . It is possible for us to obtain victory after victory, and be the most happy people on the face of the earth (Our High Calling, p. 148).

Why should not our joy be full—full, lacking nothing? We have the assurance that Jesus is our Saviour, and that we may freely partake of the rich provision He has made for us. We may believe on Him, knowing that He will give us grace and power to do just as He bids us. He has given us every assurance that He will fulfill all that He has promised. It is our privilege to seek constantly the joy of His presence. He desires us to be cheerful and to be filled with praise to His name. He wants us to carry light in our countenances and joy in our hearts.

We have a hope that is far above any pleasure the world can give; why should we not then be joyful? (Signs of the Times, Aug. 11, 1909, par. 4).  Let us strive to educate the believers to rejoice in the Lord. Spiritual joy is the result of active faith. God’s people are to be full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Then He will be glorified in them (Bible Training School, April 1, 1905, par. 2).

It is not what is around us, but what is in us; not what we have, but what we are, that makes us really happy. We want a cheerful fire on the altar of our own hearts; then we shall view everything in a happy, cheerful light. We may have the peace of Christ. . . . If we will be obedient, trustful in God, as a child in its simplicity trusts its earthly parents, we shall have peace—not the peace that the world gives, but that peace which Jesus gives. . . . Life, this life, has much brightness in it if we will gather the flowers and let the briers and thistles alone (In Heavenly Places, p. 245).

Questions for Personal Reflection 
1.  Are you a joyful Christian? If not, what takes away your joy? Spend some time surrendering those things to God in prayer. Claim His promises to give you joy. Ask Him to give you a joyful heart.
 2.  Think of some things you can do that will help you to be joyful all the time. Make a plan and ask God to help you apply it in your life.  

Day 2—Love

1 John 4:7-21
But the fruit of the Spirit is love.—Gal. 5:22 

Here is held out the very thing for which we are to labor: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love.” If we have the love of Christ in our souls it will be a natural consequence for us to have all the other graces—joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; and “against such there is no law.” The law of God does not condemn and hold in bondage those who have these graces, because they are obeying the requirements of the law of God.

They are law keepers, and . . . are not under the bondage of the law. . . .  We are to have love, and connected with this are joy, peace, long-suffering, patience. We see the restlessness of the world, their dissatisfied condition. They want something they have not. They want something to keep up an excitement or something for amusement.

But for the Christian there is joy, there is peace, there is long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, forbearance, and patience; and to these things we want to open the door of our heart, cherishing the heavenly graces of the Spirit of God. . . . One cannot do it for another. You may set to work and obtain the graces of the Spirit, but that will not answer for me. . . . Each one individually must do the work, and determine through personal efforts to have the grace of God in the heart. I cannot form a character for you nor can you for me. It is a burden that rests upon every one individually, young or old. Christ says: “I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir” (Isaiah 13:12). How? By the cultivation of the graces of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith.

We want the living faith that will grasp the strong arm of Jehovah. . . . We all need the graces of the Spirit of God in the heart. When the love of Christ is enshrined in the heart, like sweet fragrance it cannot be hidden. The holy influence it reflects through the character will be manifest to all. Christ will be formed within, “the hope of glory” (In Heavenly Places, p. 244). 

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace. Discord and strife are the work of Satan and the fruit of sin. If we would as a people enjoy peace and love, we must put away our sins; we must come into harmony with God, and we shall be in harmony with one another.

Let each ask himself: Do I possess the grace of love? Have I learned to suffer long and to be kind? Talents, learning, and eloquence, without this heavenly attribute, will be as meaningless as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Alas that this precious treasure is so lightly valued and so little sought by many who profess the faith! (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5,        p. 169).

Wherever a soul is united to Christ, there is love. Whatever else the character may possess, it is valueless without love, not love that is soft, weak, sentimental, but such love as dwells in the heart of Christ. Without love, everything else profiteth nothing; for it cannot possibly represent Christ, who is love (Signs of the Times, Dec. 28, 1891, par. 18).

Questions for Personal Reflection
 1.  Is there anything in your life that hinders you from loving God with all your heart? Ask God to show you these things. Then give them all to Him.
2.  Are there people in your life that you find hard to love? Spend some time asking God to make you willing to love them, to give you love in your heart for them and opportunities to show them His love.  

Day 1—Abiding in Christ

Ellen White on Abiding in Christ 
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.—John 15:4, 5  “Abide in me” are words of great significance. Abiding in Christ means a living, earnest, refreshing faith that works by love and purifies the soul. It means a constant receiving of the spirit of Christ, a life of unre-served surrender to His service.

Where this union exists, good works will appear. The life of the vine will manifest itself in fragrant fruit on the branches. The continual supply of the grace of Christ will bless you and make you a blessing, till you can say with Paul, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20) (Our Father Cares, p. 124). 

It is not a casual touch with Christ that is needed, but it is to abide with Him. He called you to abide with Him. He does not propose to you a short-lived blessedness that is realized occasionally through earnest seeking of the Lord and passes away as you engage in the common duties of life. Your abiding with Christ makes every necessary duty light, for He bears the weight of every burden. He has prepared for you to abide with Him. This means that you are to be conscious of an abiding Christ, that you are continually with Christ, where your mind is encouraged and strengthened. . . . Do not stand outside of Christ, as many professed Christians of today. To “abide in me, and I in you” is a possible thing to do, and the invitation would not be given if you could not do this. Jesus our Saviour is con-stantly drawing you by His Holy Spirit, working with your mind that you will abide with Christ. . . .  The blessings He bestows are all connected with your own individual action. Shall Christ be refused? He says, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

Of another class He says, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40) (In Heavenly Places, p. 55).  The Lord needs men and women who carry with them into the daily life the light of a godly example, men and women whose words and actions show that Christ is abiding in the heart, teaching, leading, and guiding. He needs men and women of prayer, who, by wrestling alone with God, obtain the victory over self, and then go forth to impart to others that which they have received from the Source of power (To Be Like Jesus, p. 262).

 “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20), the Saviour declared. All the true follow-ers of Christ bear fruit to His glory. Their lives testify that a good work has been wrought in them by the Spirit of God, and their fruit is unto holiness. Their lives are elevated and pure. Right actions are the unmistakable fruit of true godliness, and those who bear no fruit of this kind reveal that they have no experience in the things of God. They are not in the Vine. Said Jesus, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the Vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:4, 5) (Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 329). 

As the branch must abide in the vine to obtain the vital sap which causes it to flourish, so those who love God and keep all His sayings must abide in His love. Without Christ we cannot subdue a single sin or overcome the smallest temptation. Many need the Spirit of Christ and His power to enlighten their under-standing, as much as blind Bartimaeus needed his natural sight. “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” All who are really in Christ will experi-ence the benefit of this union.

The Father accepts them in the Beloved, and they become objects of His solic-itude and tender, loving care. This connection with Christ will result in the purification of the heart and in a circumspect life and faultless character. The fruit borne upon the Christian tree is “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 355).

 Questions for Personal Reflection 
1.  How much do you want Christ to abide in you and you in Christ? Ask God in a special way to give you a deep desire to abide in Him.
2.  Is there anything that would hinder the Holy Spirit from transforming your life? Take those things to God in prayer and surrender them to Him.     

VISIT TO ST.GEORGE'S GIRLS' SECONDARY SCHOOL

Colossians 3:23-24  

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

So we are one acappella  visited st george's girls high school  on 20/9/2014.we had a great sabbath from morning-evening,the good thing is those girls are given an  opportunity to worship the lord on the sabbath day.During our days in high school we had no such opportunity for worship,and this made me learn that if you have a chance of serving the lord our king do it with your whole heart, Don't wait when it is too late that's when u start serving him . (1st samuel 12:24 says: Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.)

(Joshua 24:15 ,JOHN 12:26,MATHEW 6:24)

written by victor mo

Prayer Is The Best Armor Against All Trails

Prayer is the best armor against all trials.

Prayer is the best armor against the things that we all go through on a daily basis in our lives because it isn't just asking for what we desire, but when we pray we obtain closeness with God that we wouldn't be otherwise able to obtain. When we pray and when we really believe in the things that we pray, we establish a rapport with God that symbolizes us giving away our weaknesses, and taking in his strength to cover where we may lack.

Pray to God for comfort in times of sorrow, and for his will to be done in every situation that you are experiencing in life. Not only must you speak and pray things into existence but you must also believe with all of your heart when you are blessed enough to hear from God that what he says will come to past. Don't doubt, and don't try to take things into your own hands, just believe and everything you need to see revealed, will be.

By J. Johnson

 

If The Only Prayer You Ever Say Is Thank You, It Will Be Enough

Walking in a spirit of thanksgiving at all times is crucial for anyone to develop and expand the consciousness of their spirit man. When things go wrong in life it is much to easy to complain, bicker, and give up. But when your spirit is filled with love and happiness the first response to any situation is a response of praise and admonition for whatever good that will come out of the situation.

Say thank you, even when it is hard to. Even when you don't think you can find a reason to give thanks, dig deep and find a reason. We all have at least one reason to be thankful, and it is because of this reason that we can enable ourselves to continue to push on towards new beginnings. Never allow yourself to be held back in life by looking at life with a sour attitude, be thankful, be gracious, move forward!

BY Meister Eckhart

God Is Fighting with You

‘Occupy till I come.'

Luke 19:13

Jesus said, ‘A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, “Occupy till I come”’ (vv. 12-13). The word ‘occupy’ is a military term which means ‘to take possession of’. We haven’t been called to ‘hold the fort’, but to ‘go up and possess the land’. Christ isn’t coming back for a vanquished church, but a victorious church. You say, ‘But the odds against me don’t look good.’ Then you need to look at ‘God’s odds’. According to His mathematics one can defeat a thousand enemies, but two can defeat ten thousand (Deuteronomy 32:30). God loves to take something that looks small and insignificant, multiply it by Himself and bring victory out of it. When God told Gideon He would use him and three hundred soldiers to destroy an army of hundreds of thousands, Gideon reminded God that he came from the smallest tribe and the smallest family. But God said, ‘Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man' (Judges 6:16 KJV). One ‘surely’ from God does away with all our ‘maybes’ and ‘what ifs’. Gideon told his three hundred men: ‘When I blow with a trumpet…blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon”’ (Judges 7:18 KJV). When you’re swinging your sword on this side, look over your shoulder and you’ll see the Lord swinging His sword on the other side. You’re not alone. God is fighting alongside you, so you will win.

2 Chron 1-4, Luke 19:11-27, Ps 103:1-12, Pr 19:12-16

written by Bob and Debby Gass, with Ruth Gass Halliday.