Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.  This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.  For where envy and self-seeking exist,confusion and every evil thing are there.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.   ~James 3:13-18 New King James...

1 There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God, a place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God. Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God, hold us, who wait before thee, near to the heart of God. 2 There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God, a place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God. [Refrain] 3 There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God, a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God. [Refrain] Author: Cleland Boyd...

God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him. ~Ellen G....

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:8...

Devotion Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. Psalm. 112:4 Wherever there is an impulse of love and sympathy, wherever the heart reaches out to bless and uplift others, there is revealed the working of God’s Holy Spirit. In the depths of heathenism men who have had no knowledge of the written law of God, who have never even heard the name of Christ, have been kind to His servants, protecting them at the risk of their own lives. Their acts show the working of a divine power. The Holy Spirit has implanted the grace of Christ in the heart of the savage, quickening his sympathies contrary to his nature, contrary to his education. . . . Christ is seeking to uplift all who will be lifted to companionship with Himself, that we may be one with Him as He is one with the Father. He permits us to come in contact with suffering and calamity in order to call us out of our selfishness; He seeks to develop in us the attributes of His character–compassion, tenderness, and love. By accepting this work of ministry we place ourselves in His school, to be fitted for the courts of God. . . . By cooperating with heavenly beings in their work on earth, we are preparing for their companionship in heaven. “Ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation,” angels in heaven will welcome those who on earth have lived “not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” In this blessed companionship we shall learn, to our eternal joy, all that is wrapped up in the question, “Who is my neighbor?” *     *     *     *     * Every act of love, every word of kindness, every prayer in behalf of the suffering and oppressed, is reported before the eternal throne and placed on heaven’s imperishable record. From My Life Today – Page 242 by Ellen G....

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. •8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. •9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. •10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:7-10 NKJV...

Exercise The glory of young men is their strength. Prov. 20:29 Another precious blessing is proper exercise. Each organ and muscle has its work to do in the living organism. Every wheel in the machinery must be a living, active, working wheel. Nature’s fine and wonderful works need to be kept in active motion in order to accomplish the object for which they were designed. Bind up an arm, even for a few weeks, then free it from its bands, and you will see that it is weaker than the one you have been using moderately during the same time. Inactivity produces the same effect upon the whole muscular system. Inactivity is a fruitful cause of disease. Exercise quickens and equalizes the circulation of the blood. For a healthy young man, stern, severe exercise is strengthening to the whole system. . . . Without such exercise the mind cannot be kept in working order. It becomes inactive, unable to put forth the sharp, quick action that will give scope to its powers. . . . All the heavenly beings are in constant activity, and the Lord Jesus, in His lifework, has given an example for every one. He went about “doing good.” God has established the law of obedient action. Silent but ceaseless, the objects of His creation do their appointed work. The ocean is in constant motion. The springing grass, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, does its errand, clothing the fields with beauty. The leaves are stirred to motion, and yet no hand is seen to touch them. The sun, moon, and stars are useful and glorious in fulfilling their mission. . . . And man, his mind and body created in God’s own similitude, must be active in order to fill his appointed place. Action gives power. From My Life Today – Page 135 by E. G. White...