The disciples before Pentecost also had an attitudes of selfish ambition.. Prompted by her sons desire for supremacy, the mother of James and John appealed to Jesus that each of them have a prominent place in what they believed was His soon earthly kingdoms. “She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” (Matthew 20:21). This request, of course led to jealousy and disunity among the other disciples. They simply were not ready for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Pentecostal power. This is one of the main reasons why Jesus urged them to spend ten days in praying together in the Upper Room. For unity must precede the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As the sought God in prayer,the Holy Spirit knit their hearts together in christian love. The Acts account record, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” Acts 1:14) the record continues in Acts 2:1) ” Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” The disciples discovered that “unity with Christ establishes a bond of unity with one another. This unity is the most convincing proof to the world of the majesty and virtue of Christ, and of His power to take away sin” Ellen G White Comments, The Seventh ay Adventist Bible Commentary, vol.5, p 1148). Excerpt from 10 Days in the Upper Room by Mark A. Finley Day 5: Loving Unity pp...
7″ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:7-12 New King James Version...
All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now. All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Savior, wholly Thine; Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine. All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; Fill me with Thy love and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me. All to Jesus I surrender, Now I feel the sacred flame. Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory to His name! Source: SDA Hymnal p....
Confession of sin has always characterized genuine revival. Confession opens the heart and clears the way for the mighty outpouring of God’s Spirit. If the channels of the soul are clogged by sin, the Spirit cannot flow through us to impact the world. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) We will not “prosper” spiritually unless we are honest with ourselves and God. Unconfessed sin is cancer to the soul. Before the Holy Spirit fills us and empowers us, He convicts us and instructs us. Unless we confess the sins the Holy Spirit points out, our hearts will become barren. “As the disciples waited for the fulfillment of the promise, they humbled their hearts in true repentance and confessed their unbelief” (The Acts of the Apostles,p.36) Confession was always very specific.”True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.” (Steps to Christ, p. 38). Sin clogs the arteries of our spiritual hearts. It corrodes the channels of the soul. It blocks the blessing God longs to pour out through us. The answer is confession. Confess to God and others we have wronged or hurt and ask for forgiveness.. Excerpt from 10 Days in the Upper Room by Mark A. Finley Day:4 (pp.36-38) Steps to Christ by Ellen G, White Acts of the Apostles by Ellen G....
Tuna: Tuna is a good source of heart-healthy omega-3s; it generally costs less than salmon. Albacore (white tuna) contains more omega-3s than other tuna varieties. Use these other sources rich in omega-3s, also: mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines, and anchovies. Tuna helps with tryglyceride, arrythymias and general heart health. Resource: WebMD, Medical Encyclopedia, Food that Heal...
Lord I thank you for this new day. Your mercies are new every morning.Deliver me from the guilt of sin, O God,The God of my salvation.And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praises.Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Amen. Psalm...
In genuine repentance, no excuse is made for sin because it is “the goodness of God” that leads each one of us to repentance (Romans 2:4) It is impossible to genuinely repent of our sins unless Jesus gives us the gift of repentance. In Acts 5, the apostles proclaim the Jesus whom “God has exalted to His right hand to be the Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (verse 31) Ellen White reminds us that “We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ. Christ is the source of every right impulse. He is the only one that can implant in the heart enmity against sin. Every desire for truth and purity, every conviction of our own sinfulness, is an evidence that His Spirit is moving upon our hearts.” (Steps to Christ. p 26). Repentance Defined Repentance is an attitude of deep sorrow for sin. We do not want to hurt the One who loves us so much by our sinful actions, attitudes, and choices. Recognizing His enormous love for us, we turn in abhorrence from anything that grieves Him in any way. But repentance involves even more than turning away from sin. I t involves a change of heart. Things we once enjoyed, we now loathe. With David we cry out ” Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51: 10,11) The truly repentance heart longs to please Jesus in every aspect of life. Throughout the book of Acts, repentance and the reception of the Holy Spirit are closely linked. At the conclusion of his sermon on Pentecost, Peter admonished his hearers to “repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). In Acts 3:19,he appeals to us as well as his immediate audience, to ” repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,” Ellen White defines this refreshing from the presence of the Lord as the latter rain ( Early Writings,p.86). As we enter into repentance–a deep heartfelt sorrow for sin–God prepares our hearts for the reception of the Holy Spirit. Excerpts from (Day 3 p.30) 10 Days in the Upper Room by Mark A. Finley Steps to Christ by Ellen G. White Early Writings by Ellen G....