Friday, March 31, 2017

Daily readings for 2017-04-01: To Be Like Jesus

Hi Raul Diaz,

To Be Like Jesus — Day 60 of 335

April—Exploring God's Word

No True Wisdom Apart From God, April 1

Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding. Proverbs 3:13, NRSV.

True wisdom is a treasure as lasting as eternity. Many of the world's so-called wise men and women are wise only in their own estimation. Content with the acquisition of worldly wisdom, they never enter the garden of God, to become acquainted with the treasures of knowledge contained in His holy Word. Supposing themselves to be wise, they are ignorant concerning the wisdom which all must have who gain eternal life. They cherish a contempt for the Book of God, which, if studied and obeyed, would make them truly wise.

The Bible is to them an impenetrable mystery. The grand, deep truths of the Old and New Testaments are obscure to them, because spiritual things are not spiritually discerned. They need to learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that without this wisdom, their learning is of little worth.

Those who are striving for an education in the sciences, but who have not learned the lesson that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, are working helplessly and hopelessly, questioning the reality of everything. They may acquire an education in the sciences, but unless they gain a knowledge of the Bible and a knowledge of God, they are without true wisdom. Unlearned persons, if they know God and Jesus Christ, have a more enduring wisdom than have the most learned who despise the instruction of God.—The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments, vol. 3, p. 1156.

True wisdom is infinitely above the comprehension of the worldly wise. The hidden wisdom, which is Christ formed within, the hope of glory, is a wisdom high as heaven. The deep principles of godliness are sublime and eternal. A Christian experience alone can help us to understand this problem, and obtain the treasures of knowledge which have been hidden in the counsels of God, but are now made known to all who have a vital connection with Christ.—The Review and Herald, July 18, 1899.


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Devoción Matutina en español

March 31, 2017

Ángeles buenos y malos siempre están presentes

“Porque no tenemos lucha contra sangre y carne, sino contra principados, contra potestades, contra los gobernadores de las tinieblas de este siglo, contra huestes espirituales de maldad en las regiones celestes”. Efesios 6:12.

Los ángeles del cielo se comunican con la familia humana y ninguno de nosotros puede hacer algo para sostenerse o guardarse. Estamos donde estamos, protegidos a cada instante por el poder de Dios. Pienso que no le hemos dado al ministerio de los ángeles la importancia que debemos... ¿Qué haríamos sin ellos? Piensen en cuál sería nuestra posición si no contáramos con el ministerio de los santos ángeles...

Hacemos frente a la oposición de hombres; pero hay alguien que está detrás de esa oposición: es el príncipe de las potestades de las tinieblas con sus malos ángeles, que están constantemente en acción; y necesitamos tener en cuenta—todos nosotros—que nuestra guerra es “contra principados, contra potestades, contra los gobernadores de las tinieblas de este siglo”. ¿Quién es el que está rigiendo el mundo hoy día, y quiénes son los que han elegido estar bajo el estandarte del príncipe de las tinieblas? Es casi todo el mundo. Todos los que no han aceptado a Jesucristo, han elegido como su caudillo al príncipe de las tinieblas, y tan pronto como estén bajo su estandarte, estarán en relación con ángeles malos.

Los ángeles malvados o los ángeles de Dios, controlan las mentes de los hombres. Se ha hecho provisión en el plan de Dios para que no quedemos librados a nuestros propios impulsos y guiados por nuestras limitadas capacidades, para llevar adelante la lucha contra los poderes de las tinieblas con nuestras propias fuerzas. De ser librados a nuestras propias fuerzas, ciertamente fracasaremos...

En los Salmos, David se refiere a Dios como un refugio y una torre fuerte, un refugio y una fortaleza, Uno al que podemos acudir y en quien podemos ser salvos. Cuán precioso es el pensamiento de que Dios es nuestro refugio y nuestro ayudador en todo tiempo y en todo lugar y que en cada emergencia Dios puede estar con nosotros. Él dice que a sus ángeles enviará para que nos guarden en todos nuestros caminos... En nuestro Dios tenemos un ayudador en quien podemos confiar. Constantemente debemos mirar en esa dirección, creyendo que los ángeles de Dios están en derredor nuestro y que el cielo está en comunicación con nosotros, porque estos mensajeros celestiales ascienden y descienden por la escalera de brillo esplendente...

¿Qué ocurre con nosotros? ¿Nos hemos vestido con toda la armadura de tal modo que podamos trabajar en armonía con los ángeles de Dios? Si nos separamos de estos ángeles andando en nuestros propios caminos, entonces nos pondremos donde el maligno pueda tentarnos.—Manuscrito 1, 1890.

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Daily Devotional

March 31, 2017

Buried Talents Should Be Used

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:5, 6, NKJV.

Seek conversion of body, soul, and spirit. Unfold your napkin, and begin to trade with your Lord's goods. In so doing, you will gain other talents. Every soul entrusted with talents is to use them to benefit others. Who in the great day of final reckoning will say, "I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine"? To such the Lord will say, "Thou wicked and slothful servant ...: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury."

The Lord is still calling those who are apparently blind to their deficiencies, the self-complacent ones, who plan and devise how they can best serve themselves. God help the spiritually blind to see that there is a world to be saved. The truth is to be made manifest to those who know it not, and this work calls for the self-denying grace of Christ.

Thousands who are now of no use in God's cause should be digging up their buried talents, and putting them out to the exchangers. Those who think that they will surely reach heaven while they follow their own ways and imaginations might better break the seal, and reexamine their title to the treasures of heaven. The men and women who feel at ease in Zion might better become anxious about themselves, and inquire: What am I doing in the Lord's vineyard? Why am I not yoked up with Christ, a laborer together with God? Why am I not learning in Christ's school His meekness and lowliness of heart? Why have I no burdens to bear in the service of Christ? Why am I not a decided Christian, employing all my powers in laboring for the salvation of the souls who are perishing around me? Saith not the Word, "We are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building"? Shall I not with God's help build a character for time and eternity, and promote godliness in myself and in others through the sanctification of the truth? - The Review and Herald, August 21, 1900.

From Devotional: To Be Like Jesus, p. 77.

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Thought of the Day

March 31, 2017

We are not forgiven because we forgive, but as we forgive. - COL 251

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Thought of the Day

March 31, 2017

It is our safety, our life, our joy, to dwell upon the truths of the plan of salvation. - CE 77

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Daily Devotional

March 31, 2017

The Natural World Speaks of the Creator

Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. Psalm 69:34, 35, NKJV.

The same creative energy that brought the world into existence is still exerted in upholding the universe and continuing the operations of nature. The hand of God guides the planets in their orderly march through the heavens. It is not because of inherent power that year by year the earth continues its motion round the sun, and produces its bounties. The word of God controls the elements. He covers the heavens with clouds, and prepares rain for the earth. He makes the valleys fruitful, and "grass to grow upon the mountains." It is through His power that vegetation flourishes; that the leaves appear and the flowers bloom.

The whole natural world is designed to be an interpreter of the things of God. To Adam and Eve in their Eden home, nature was full of the knowledge of God, teeming with divine instruction. It was vocal with the voice of wisdom to their attentive ears. Wisdom spoke to the eye, and was received into the heart; for they communed with God in His created works. As soon as the holy pair transgressed the law of the Most High, the brightness from the face of God departed from the face of nature. Nature is now marred and defiled by sin. But God's object lessons are not obliterated; even now, rightly studied and interpreted, [nature] speaks of the Creator.

As divine truth is revealed in Holy Writ, so it is reflected, as from a mirror, in the face of nature; and through His creation we become acquainted with the Creator. And so the book of nature becomes a great lesson book, which instructors who are wise can use, in connection with the Scriptures, to guide lost sheep back to the fold of God. As the works of God are studied, the Holy Spirit flashes conviction into the mind. It is not the conviction which logical reasoning produces; but unless the mind has become too dark to know God, the eye too dim to see Him, the ear too dull to hear His voice, a deeper meaning is grasped, and the sublime, spiritual truths of the written Word are impressed on the heart.

The most effective way to teach the heathen who know not God is through His works. In this way, far more readily than by any other method, they can be made to realize the difference between their idols, the works of their own hands, and the true God, the Maker of heaven and earth. - Special Testimonies On Education, 58-60.

From Devotional: To Be Like Jesus, p. 249.

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Daily readings for 2017-03-31: To Be Like Jesus

Hi Raul,

To Be Like Jesus — Day 59 of 335

Using God's Gifts as He Wills, March 31

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2, NKJV.

Many, instead of consecrating their means to God's service, look upon their money as their own, and say that they have a right to use it as they please. Like the inhabitants of the Noachian world, they use God's gifts in their own service. Even some who profess to know and love the Lord do this. God has revealed His will to them. He has called upon them to surrender all that they have to Him; but the love of the world has perverted their will, and hardened their hearts. They refuse to obey Him to whom they owe all that they have. Regardless of His call, they clasp their treasures in their arms, forgetting that the Giver has any claim upon them. Thus the blessings given by God are turned into a curse, because a wrong use is made of them.

Christ understood the danger of the love of money; for He said, “How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” ... Today He calls upon us to give close attention to our eternal interests. He would have us subordinate every earthly interest to His service. “For what shall it profit a man,” He asks, “if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

God's right to our service is measured by the infinite sacrifice He has made for our salvation. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” For our sake Christ lived a life of sorrow and privation. He was pure and holy, yet on Him was laid the iniquity of us all.... With a touch of His hand He healed the sick; yet He suffered grievous bodily pain. He cast out demons with a word, and delivered those bound by Satan's temptations; yet temptations such as have never beset anyone assailed Him. He raised the dead by His power; yet He suffered the agony of a most terrible death.

All this Christ suffered for us. What are we giving Him in return? He, the Majesty of heaven, submitted patiently to scorn and insult.... Should we look upon any sacrifice as too great? Should we hesitate to render to God our reasonable service?—The Signs of the Times, January 21, 1897.


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Thursday, March 30, 2017

Daily readings for 2017-03-31: To Be Like Jesus

Hi Raul Diaz,

To Be Like Jesus — Day 59 of 335

Using God's Gifts as He Wills, March 31

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2, NKJV.


		The Ellen G. White Estate 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904, USA Phone: +1 301 680 6540 Help: subscribe@ellenwhite.org

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Daily Devotional

March 30, 2017

Every Hour Is Valuable

How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? Proverbs 6:9,NKJV. Go to the ant.... Consider her ways and be wise. Verse 6, NKJV.

God has no use for lazy men or women in His cause; He wants thoughtful, kind, affectionate, earnest workers. Active exertion will do our preachers good. Indolence is proof of depravity. Every faculty of the mind, every bone in the body, every muscle of the limbs, shows that God designed our faculties to be used, not to remain inactive.... Those who will unnecessarily take the hours of daylight for sleep have no sense of the value of precious, golden moments....

Persons who have not acquired habits of close industry and economy of time should have set rules to prompt them to regularity and dispatch. George Washington [the first United States president] was enabled to perform a great amount of business because he was thorough in preserving order and regularity. Every paper had its date and its place, and no time was lost in looking up what had been mislaid.

Men and women of God must be diligent in study, earnest in the acquirement of knowledge, never wasting an hour. Through persevering exertion they may rise to almost any degree of eminence as Christians, as people of power and influence. But many will never attain superior rank in the pulpit or in business, because of their unfixedness of purpose, and the laxness of habits contracted in their youth. Careless inattention is seen in everything they undertake. A sudden impulse now and then is not sufficient to accomplish a reformation in these ease-loving, indolent ones; this is a work which requires patient continuance in well-doing. Persons of business can be truly successful only by having regular hours for rising, for prayer, for meals, and for retiring. If order and regularity are essential in worldly business, how much more so in the work of God!

The bright morning hours are wasted by many in bed. These precious hours, once lost, are gone never to return; they are lost for time and for eternity. Only one hour lost each day, and what a waste of time in the course of a year! Let slumberers think of this, and pause to consider how they will give an account to God for lost opportunities. - Gospel Workers, 277, 278.

From Devotional: To Be Like Jesus, p. 76.

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Devoción Matutina en español

March 30, 2017

Representantes de Cristo en el mundo

No son del mundo, como tampoco yo soy del mundo. Santifícalos en tu verdad; tu palabra es verdad. Juan 17:16, 17.

Jesús dijo: “Yo me santifico a mí mismo, para que también ellos sean santificados en la verdad”. Juan 17:19. “Tu palabra es verdad”. Por lo tanto, necesitamos familiarizarnos con la Palabra de Dios, estudiarla y practicarla en la vida. ... Negamos a Jesús como al que quita los pecados del mundo si, después de aceptar la verdad, no revelamos al mundo los efectos santificadores de la verdad en nuestro propio carácter. Si no somos hombres y mujeres mejores, si no somos más bondadosos, más compasivos, más corteses, más llenos de ternura y amor; si no manifestamos a otros el amor que indujo a Jesús a venir al mundo en misión de misericordia, no somos testigos ante el mundo del poder de Cristo.

Jesús no vivió para agradarse a sí mismo. Se entregó como un sacrificio vivo y consumidor en favor de los demás. Vino a elevar, a ennoblecer, a hacer felices a todas las personas con las que se relacionaba. Los que reciben a Cristo abandonarán todo rasgo descortés y áspero, y manifestarán la amabilidad y la bondad que hay en Jesús, porque Cristo mora en el corazón por la fe. Cristo era la Luz que brillaba en la oscuridad, y sus seguidores también deben ser la luz del mundo. Deben encender su lámpara en el altar divino. El carácter que es santificado por la verdad adquiere un lustre perfecto.

Cristo es nuestro modelo, pero a menos que lo contemplemos, que nos espaciemos en su carácter, no lo reflejaremos en nuestra vida práctica. Fue manso y humilde de corazón. Nunca cometió una acción ruda, nunca pronunció una palabra descortés. El Señor no se complace con nuestra conducta ruda y carente de simpatía manifestada hacia los demás. Debemos sacar de nuestro carácter todo egoísmo, y debemos llevar el yugo de Cristo. Entonces. ... Estaremos listos para vivir en compañía de los ángeles. Debemos estar en el mundo pero no debemos ser del mundo.—Carta 60, 1894.

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Thought of the Day

March 30, 2017

It is our privilege to open our hearts, and let the sunshine of Christ's presence in. - Pr 9

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Daily Devotional

March 30, 2017

Earth's Bounties Give Evidence of God's Love

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 2 Corinthians 9:10, 11, NKJV.

As we are continually receiving the blessings of God, so are we to be continually giving. When the heavenly Benefactor ceases to give to us, then we may be excused; for we shall have nothing to bestow. God has never left us without evidence of His love, in that He did us good. He gives us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, providing us abundantly with His bounties, and filling our hearts with gladness. He has declared that "while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

We are sustained every moment by God's care, and upheld by His power. He spreads our tables with food. He gives us peaceful and refreshing sleep. Weekly He brings to us the Sabbath, that we may rest from our temporal labors, and worship Him in His own house. He has given us His Word to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In its sacred pages we find the counsels of wisdom; and as oft as we lift our hearts to Him in penitence and faith, He grants us the blessings of His grace. Above all else is the infinite gift of God's dear Son, through whom flow all other blessings for this life and for the life to come.

Surely goodness and mercy attend us at every step. Not till we wish the infinite Father to cease bestowing His gifts on us, should we impatiently exclaim, Is there no end of giving? Not only should we faithfully render to God our tithes, which He claims as His own, but we should bring a tribute to His treasury as an offering of gratitude. Let us with joyful hearts bring to our Creator the first fruits of all His bounties - our choicest possessions, our best and holiest service. - The Review and Herald, February 9, 1886.

From Devotional: To Be Like Jesus, p. 248.

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Thought of the Day

March 30, 2017

Just as soon as you commit sin, you should flee to the throne of grace, and tell Jesus all about it. - 3SM 196

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Daily readings for 2017-03-30: To Be Like Jesus

Hi Raul,

To Be Like Jesus — Day 58 of 335

Our Service Should Meet Heaven's Approval, March 30

If you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Luke 16:12, 13, NRSV.

There are many who profess to be Christians who are not united with Christ. Their daily life, their spirit, testifies that Christ is not formed within, the hope of glory. They cannot be depended upon, they cannot be trusted. They are anxious to reduce their service to the minimum of effort, and at the same time exact the highest of wages. The name “servant” applies to every person; for we are all servants, and it will be well for us to see what mold we are taking on. Is it the mold of unfaithfulness, or of fidelity?

Is it the disposition generally among servants to do as much as possible? Is it not rather the prevalent fashion to slide through the work as quickly, as easily, as possible, and obtain the wages at as little cost to themselves as they can? The object is not to be as thorough as possible, but to get the remuneration. Those who profess to be the servants of Christ should not forget the injunction of the apostle Paul, “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Those who enter the work as “eye-servants” will find that their work cannot bear the inspection of mortals or of angels. The thing essential for successful work is a knowledge of Christ; for this knowledge will give sound principles of right, [and] impart a noble, unselfish spirit, like that of our Savior whom we profess to serve. Faithfulness, economy, care-taking, thoroughness, should characterize all our work, wherever we may be, whether in the kitchen, in the workshop, in the office of publication, in the sanitarium, in the college, or wherever we are stationed in the vineyard of the Lord. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”—The Review and Herald, September 22, 1891.


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Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Daily readings for 2017-03-30: To Be Like Jesus

Hi Raul Diaz,

To Be Like Jesus — Day 58 of 335

Our Service Should Meet Heaven's Approval, March 30


		The Ellen G. White Estate 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904, USA Phone: +1 301 680 6540 Help: subscribe@ellenwhite.org

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Devoción Matutina en español

March 29, 2017

Para los temerosos, desfallecientes y débiles

Confía en Jehová, y haz el bien; y habitarás en la tierra, y te apacentarás de la verdad. Salmos 37:3.

¡Cuán dispuestos estamos a hablar de nuestras dificultades y pruebas! Aparecen tantos problemas innecesarios, nos explayamos en tantos temores, damos a conocer un cúmulo tan grande de ansiedades que se podría suponer que no disponemos de un Salvador amante y piadoso, listo para escuchar nuestras plegarias y para ser nuestro pronto auxilio en las tribulaciones.

Algunos están continuamente albergando temores y cargándose de problemas. Cada día están rodeados de las manifestaciones del amor de Dios, cada día gozan de las bondades de su providencia, pero pasan por alto estas bendiciones. Sus mentes se espacian continuamente en algo desagradable que temen pueda sobrevenir; o pueda ser que exista realmente alguna dificultad que, aunque pequeña, no les permite ver las muchas cosas que demandan su gratitud. Las dificultades que encuentran, en lugar de conducirlos a Dios, la única fuente de auxilio, los separarán de él, porque les sugieren inquietud y los inducen a quejarse.

Hermanos y hermanas: ¿Hacemos bien en ser tan incrédulos?... Jesús es nuestro amigo. Todo el cielo está interesado en nuestro bienestar; y nuestra ansiedad y nuestro temor entristecen al Santo Espíritu de Dios. No debemos permitir que nos embarguen preocupaciones que sólo nos desgastan y nos cansan, y que no nos ayudan a sobrellevar las dificultades. No debiéramos dar lugar a esta desconfianza en Dios que nos induce a descuidar la preparación necesaria para cumplir en el futuro el principal propósito de la vida, como si nuestra felicidad dependiera de las cosas terrenales, y pudiéramos lograrlas mientras ignoramos el hecho de que Dios controla todo.

Los negocios pueden sumirlos en perplejidad; las perspectivas pueden ser cada vez más oscuras e incluso pueden enfrentar la amenaza de alguna pérdida financiera. Pero no se desanimen; depositen en Dios sus preocupaciones y permanezcan tranquilos y alegres. Comiencen cada día con una ferviente oración, sin olvidarse de alabar y dar gracias. Pidan sabiduría para administrar sus asuntos con discreción, para que no experimenten pérdidas ni desastres. Hagan todo lo posible para lograr resultados favorables. Jesús ha prometido ayuda divina, pero no sin el concurso del esfuerzo humano.^{* Ezequiel 24-26.}

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Daily Devotional

March 29, 2017

Regularity and Promptness Are Religious Duties

To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. Colossians 1:29, NKJV.

God has entrusted His sacred work to human beings, and He asks that they shall do it carefully.... They press too many things into their life, postpone until tomorrow that which demands their attention today, and much time is lost in painfully picking up the lost stitches. Men and women can reach a higher degree of usefulness than to carry with them through life an unsettled state of mind. They can improve the defective traits of their character contracted in their younger years. Like Paul, they can labor to reach a much higher degree of perfection.

The work of God must not be done by fits and starts. It will not be placed on vantage ground by following a sudden impulse. On the contrary, it is positively necessary to follow the good work patiently, day by day, progressing in our ways and methods. One should get up at a regular hour. If during the day the work is neglected, and the following night is spent in making up for lost time, the morrow and following day will show, as a result, a wearied brain and a general fatigue which constitute positive violations of the law of life and health.

There should be regular hours for rising, for family worship, for meals, and for work. And it is a religious duty ... to maintain this by precept ... by a firm example. Many squander the most precious hours of the morning hoping that they can terminate the work thus neglected during the hours which should be devoted to sleep. Godliness, health, success, everything suffers from this lack of true religious system....

Some workers need to give up the slow methods of work which prevail, and to learn to be prompt. Promptness is necessary, as well as diligence. If we wish to accomplish the work according to the will of God, it must be done in an expeditious manner, but not without thought and care. - Manuscript Releases 8:326, 327.

From Devotional: To Be Like Jesus, p. 75.

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Thought of the Day

March 29, 2017

Ask God to help you to speak words that will inspire those around you with hope and courage, and draw you nearer to the Saviour. - Pr 9

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Thought of the Day

March 29, 2017

The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and reasonable. He that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy. - SC 37

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Daily Devotional

March 29, 2017

Nature Testifies of a Master Artist and Designer

Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Psalm 19:2, 3, NKJV.

The things of nature that we now behold give us but a faint conception of Eden's glory. Sin has marred earth's beauty; on all things may be seen traces of the work of evil. Yet much that is beautiful remains. Nature testifies that One infinite in power, great in goodness, mercy, and love, created the earth, and filled it with life and gladness. Even in their blighted state, all things reveal the handiwork of the great Master Artist. Wherever we turn, we may hear the voice of God, and see evidences of His goodness.

From the solemn roll of the deep-toned thunder and old ocean's ceaseless roar, to the glad songs that make the forests vocal with melody, nature's ten thousand voices speak His praise. In earth and sea and sky, with their marvelous tint and color, varying in gorgeous contrast or blended in harmony, we behold His glory.

The everlasting hills tell us of His power. The trees that wave their green banners in the sunlight, and the flowers in their delicate beauty, point to their Creator. The living green that carpets the brown earth tells of God's care for the humblest of His creatures. The caves of the sea and the depths of the earth reveal His treasures. He who placed the pearls in the ocean and the amethyst and chrysolite among the rocks is a lover of the beautiful. The sun rising in the heavens is a representative of Him who is the life and light of all that He has made. All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and light up the heavens speak of God.... All things tell of His tender, fatherly care and of His desire to make His children happy.

The mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things is not, as some proponents of science represent, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating energy. God is a Spirit; yet He is a personal Being; for so He has revealed Himself: "The Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king" (Jeremiah 10:10)....

God's handiwork in nature is not God Himself in nature. The things of nature are an expression of God's character and power; but we are not to regard nature as God. The artistic skill of human beings produces very beautiful workmanship, things that delight the eye, and these things reveal to us something of the thought of the designer; but the thing made is not the maker. It is not the work, but the workman, that is counted worthy of honor. So while nature is an expression of God's thought, it is not nature, but the God of nature, that is to be exalted. - The Ministry of Healing, 411-413.

From Devotional: To Be Like Jesus, p. 247.

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Daily readings for 2017-03-29: To Be Like Jesus

Hi Raul,

To Be Like Jesus — Day 57 of 335

God's Grace Essential to Right Use of Influence, March 29

Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. Luke 16:10, NRSV.

Character is power. The silent witness of a true, unselfish, godly life carries an almost irresistible influence. By revealing in our own life the character of Christ we cooperate with Him in the work of saving souls. It is only by revealing in our life His character that we can cooperate with Him. And the wider the sphere of our influence, the more good we may do. When those who profess to serve God follow Christ's example, practicing the principles of the law in their daily life; when every act bears witness that they love God supremely and their neighbor as themselves, then will the church have power to move the world.

But never should it be forgotten that influence is no less a power for evil. To lose one's own soul is a terrible thing; but to cause the loss of other souls is still more terrible. That our influence should be a savor of death unto death is a fearful thought; yet this is possible. Many who profess to gather with Christ are scattering from Him. This is why the church is so weak. Many indulge freely in criticism and accusing. By giving expression to suspicion, jealousy, and discontent, they yield themselves as instruments to Satan. Before they realize what they are doing, the adversary has through them accomplished his purpose. The impression of evil has been made, the shadow has been cast, the arrows of Satan have found their mark. Distrust, unbelief, and downright infidelity have fastened upon those who otherwise might have accepted Christ.

Meanwhile the workers for Satan look complacently upon those whom they have driven to skepticism, and who are now hardened against reproof and entreaty. They flatter themselves that in comparison with these souls they are virtuous and righteous. They do not realize that these sad wrecks of character are the work of their own unbridled tongues and rebellious hearts. It is through their influence that these tempted ones have fallen.

So frivolity, selfish indulgence, and careless indifference on the part of professed Christians are turning away many souls from the path of life. Many there are who will fear to meet at the bar of God the results of their influence. It is only through the grace of God that we can make a right use of this endowment.—Christ's Object Lessons, 340, 341.


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Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Daily readings for 2017-03-29: To Be Like Jesus

Hi Raul Diaz,

To Be Like Jesus — Day 57 of 335

God's Grace Essential to Right Use of Influence, March 29

Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. Luke 16:10, NRSV.


		The Ellen G. White Estate 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904, USA Phone: +1 301 680 6540 Help: subscribe@ellenwhite.org

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Devoción Matutina en español

March 28, 2017

Hijos, no siervos

Así que, recibiendo nosotros un reino inconmovible, tengamos gratitud, y mediante ella sirvamos a Dios agradándole con temor y reverencia. Hebreos 12:28.

Hay muchos que profesan ser seguidores de Cristo, y sin embargo no son hacedores de su Palabra. No saborean esa Palabra porque les indica servicio que no les es agradable. No les gustan los sanos e íntimos reproches, las fervientes exhortaciones. No aman la justicia, pero son dominados despóticamente por sus propios impulsos humanos caprichosos.

Significa una enorme diferencia la forma en que servimos a Dios. El muchacho que estudia a regañadientes sus lecciones porque tiene que aprenderlas, nunca será un verdadero

estudiante. El hombre que pretende guardar los mandamientos de Dios porque piensa que debe hacerlo nunca entrará en el gozo de la obediencia.

La esencia y sabor de toda obediencia es la manifestación externa de un principio interno: el amor de la justicia, el amor de la ley de Dios. La esencia de toda justicia es lealtad a nuestro Redentor, hacer lo correcto porque es correcto. Cuando la Palabra de Dios es una carga porque corta directamente a través de las inclinaciones humanas, entonces la vida religiosa no es una vida cristiana, sino un esfuerzo penoso y tirantez, una obediencia forzada. Se han puesto a un lado toda la pureza y la piedad de la religión.

Pero la adopción en la familia de Dios nos hace hijos y no esclavos. Cuando el amor de Cristo entra en el corazón, nos esforzamos por imitar el carácter de Cristo... Mientras más estudiamos la vida de Cristo dispuestos a obedecer, más semejantes a Cristo nos volvemos. El Espíritu Santo infunde claro entendimiento en el corazón de cada verdadero hacedor de la Palabra. Mientras más crucificamos las prácticas egoístas impartiendo nuestras bendiciones a otros y ejerciendo nuestras facultades recibidas de Dios, más se fortalecerán las gracias celestiales y aumentarán en nosotros. Creceremos en espiritualidad, en paciencia, en fortaleza, en humildad, en delicadeza.—Carta 135, 1897.

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Daily Devotional

March 28, 2017

Improving Opportunities for Service

Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. James 4:14, NKJV.

There is no religion in the enthronement of self. God asks us to be true to Him, to trade upon the talents He has given us, that we may gain others. His will must be made our will in all things. Any departure from this standard degrades our moral nature. It may result in lifting us up, in enriching us, and in seating us beside princes; but in the eyes of God we are unclean and unholy. We have sold our birthright for selfish interest and gain, and in the books of heaven it is written of us, Weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, and found wanting.

But if we regard our talents as the Lord's gifts, and use them in His service by showing compassion and love toward our fellow beings, we are channels through which God's blessings flow to the world; and at the last great day we shall be greeted with the words "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

Time, laden with precious, golden opportunities for serving the Lord, is fast passing into eternity.... Are you improving these opportunities as they pass? You cannot afford to slight them; for you must stand before the judgment seat of God, to answer for the deeds done in the body. Do your words cheer and encourage those who come to you for help and comfort? Does your influence strengthen those with whom you associate? Are your possessions faithfully given to the Lord?

Consecrate yourself today to the Lord's service.... Cast your care upon the Lord, and on no account allow the things of the world to separate you from Him. Consecrate all you have and are to Him. This is but "your reasonable service." Do not delay; for there is peril in a moment's delay. A few more years at the longest will be yours to work for the Master, and then the voice which you cannot refuse to answer will be heard, saying, "Give an account of thy stewardship." - The Signs of the Times, January 21, 1897.

From Devotional: To Be Like Jesus, p. 74.

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Thought of the Day

March 28, 2017

Wherever the love of God is cherished in the soul, there will be peace, there will be light and joy. - AH 19

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Daily Devotional

March 28, 2017

Valuable Objects in Nature Are Pruned or Refined

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48:10, NKJV.

The furnace fires are not to destroy, but to refine, ennoble, sanctify. Without trial we would not feel so much our need of God and His help; and we would become proud and self-sufficient. In the trials that come to us we should see the evidences that the Lord's eye is upon us, and that He means to draw us to Himself. It is not the whole, but the wounded, who need a physician; it is those who are pressed almost beyond the point of endurance who need a Helper.

The fact that we are called upon to endure trial proves that the Lord sees something in us very precious, which He desires to develop. If He saw in us nothing whereby He might glorify His name, He would not spend time in refining us. We do not take special pains in pruning brambles. Christ does not cast worthless stones into His furnace. It is valuable ore that He tests.

The blacksmith puts the iron and steel into the fire that he may know what manner of metal they are. The Lord allows His chosen ones to be placed in the furnace of affliction, in order that He may see what temper they are of, and whether He can mold and fashion them for His work.

It may be that much work needs to be done in your character-building, that you are a rough stone which must be squared and polished before it can fill a place in God's temple. You need not be surprised if, with chisel and hammer, God cuts away the sharp corners of your character, until you are prepared to fill the place He has for you. No human being can accomplish this work. Only by God can it be done. And be assured that He will not strike one useless blow. His every blow is struck in love, for your eternal happiness. He knows your infirmities, and works to restore, not to destroy.

When trials arise that seem unexplainable, we should not allow our peace to be spoiled. However unjustly we may be treated, let not passion arise. By indulging a spirit of retaliation, we injure ourselves. We destroy our own confidence in God, and grieve the Holy Spirit. There is by our side a witness, a heavenly messenger, who will lift up for us a standard against the enemy. He will shut us in with the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. Beyond this, Satan cannot penetrate. He cannot pass this shield of holy light. - The Signs of the Times, August 18, 1909.

From Devotional: To Be Like Jesus, p. 246.

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Thought of the Day

March 28, 2017

The humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine repentance, will appreciate something of the love of God and the cost of Calvary. - SC 41

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Daily readings for 2017-03-28: To Be Like Jesus

Hi Raul,

To Be Like Jesus — Day 56 of 335

Influence—A Power for Good or Evil, March 28

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.... Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:30-32, NKJV.

The life of Christ was an ever-widening, shoreless influence, an influence that bound Him to God and to the whole human family. Through Christ, God has invested men and women with an influence that makes it impossible for them to live for themselves. Individually we are connected with other human beings, a part of God's great whole, and we stand under mutual obligations. No one can be independent of their fellow beings; for the well-being of each affects others. It is God's purpose that each person shall feel necessary to others’ welfare, and seek to promote their happiness.

Every soul is surrounded by an atmosphere of its own—an atmosphere, it may be, charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, and hope, and sweet with the fragrance of love. Or it may be heavy and chill with the gloom of discontent and selfishness, or poisonous with the deadly taint of cherished sin. By the atmosphere surrounding us, every person with whom we come in contact is consciously or unconsciously affected.

This is a responsibility from which we cannot free ourselves. Our words, our acts, our dress, our deportment, even the expression of the countenance, has an influence. Upon the impression thus made there hang results for good or evil which no one can measure. Every impulse thus imparted is seed sown which will produce its harvest. It is a link in the long chain of human events, extending we know not whither.

If by our example we aid others in the development of good principles, we give them power to do good. In their turn they exert the same influence upon others, and they upon still others. Thus by our unconscious influence thousands may be blessed.

Throw a pebble into the lake, and a wave is formed, and another and another; and as they increase, the circle widens, until it reaches the very shore. So with our influence. Beyond our knowledge or control it tells upon others in blessing or in cursing.—Christ's Object Lessons, 339, 340.


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Monday, March 27, 2017

Daily readings for 2017-03-28: To Be Like Jesus

Hi Raul Diaz,

To Be Like Jesus — Day 56 of 335

Influence—A Power for Good or Evil, March 28


		The Ellen G. White Estate 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904, USA Phone: +1 301 680 6540 Help: subscribe@ellenwhite.org

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Devoción Matutina en español

March 27, 2017

El camino hacia una mayor vida espiritual

No te maravilles de que te dije: Os es necesario nacer de nuevo. Juan 3:7.

Con frecuencia se hace la pregunta: ¿Por qué no hay más poder en la iglesia? ¿Por qué no hay más piedad vital? La razón es que las demandas de la Palabra de Dios no son satisfechas de hecho y en verdad; no se ama a Dios por sobre todo, ni a nuestro prójimo como a nosotros mismos. Esto abarca todo. De estos dos mandamientos dependen toda la ley y los profetas. Sean estos dos mandamientos de Dios obedecidos explícitamente, y no habrá discordia en la iglesia, ni desarmonía en la familia. En muchos la obra es demasiado superficial. Las formas exteriores ocupan el lugar de la obra interior de la gracia... La teoría de la verdad ha convertido la cabeza, pero el templo del alma no ha sido limpiado de sus ídolos.

La verdadera convicción de pecado, la aflicción real del corazón por causa de la maldad, la muerte del yo, la superación diaria de los defectos de carácter y el nuevo nacimiento, representan las cosas antiguas que Pablo dice que han pasado, y he aquí todas son hechas nuevas. De esta obra muchos no saben nada. Injertaron la verdad en sus corazones naturales, y luego siguieron como antes, manifestando los mismos desdichados rasgos de carácter. Lo que ahora se necesita es el claro testimonio llevado con amor por labios tocados con fuego viviente.

Los miembros de la iglesia no muestran esa conexión viva con Dios que deben tener para llevar almas de la oscuridad a la luz... La obra del Espíritu de Dios en el corazón es esencial para la piedad. Debe ser recibido en los corazones de quienes aceptan la verdad, y crear en ellos corazones limpios, antes que uno de ellos pueda guardar sus mandamientos y ser hacedor de la Palabra. “No te maravilles”, dijo el gran Maestro al asombrado Nicodemo, “no te maravilles de que te dije: Os es necesario nacer de nuevo”.

No se estudia la Biblia tanto como se debiera; no se convierte en la regla de la vida. Si se siguieran concienzudamente sus preceptos, y fueran la base del carácter, habría un propósito firme sobre el cual ninguna especulación comercial o asunto mundanal podría influir seriamente. Un carácter así formado, y sostenido por la palabra de Dios, soportará el día de la prueba, de las dificultades y de los peligros. La conciencia debe ser iluminada y la vida santificada por el amor de la verdad recibida en el corazón, antes que la influencia sea salvadora para el mundo.^{* Romanos 5-7.}

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Thought of the Day

March 27, 2017

The youth of today whose principles are firm and unwavering will be blessed with health of body, mind, and soul. - AH 301

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Daily Devotional

March 27, 2017

Submit to God's Training Process

Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness ...; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:17, 18, NKJV.

There are some who desire to be a ruling power, and who need the sanctification of submission. God brings about a change in their lives, and perhaps places before them duties that they would not choose. If they are willing to be guided by Him, He will give them grace and strength to perform the objectionable duties in a spirit of submission and helpfulness. They are being qualified to fill places where their disciplined abilities will make them of the greatest service.

God trains some by bringing to them disappointment and apparent failure. It is His purpose that they shall learn to master difficulty. He inspires them with a determination to make every apparent failure prove a success.

Often men and women pray and weep because of the perplexities and obstacles that confront them. But if they will hold the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the end, He will make their way clear. Success will come to them as they struggle against apparently insurmountable difficulties; and with success will come the greatest joy.

Many are ignorant of how to work for God, not because they need to be ignorant, but because they are not willing to submit to His training process. Moab is spoken of as a failure because, the Word declares, he "hath been at ease from his youth, ... and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, ... therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed" (Jeremiah 48:11)....

The Christian is to be prepared for the doing of a work that reveals kindness, forbearance, longsuffering, gentleness, patience. The cultivation of these precious gifts is to come into the discipline-life of Christians, that when called to service by the Master, they may be ready to exercise the energies of heart and mind in helping and blessing those who are ready to die [those who need salvation]. - Manuscript Releases 8:423, 424.

From Devotional: To Be Like Jesus, p. 73.

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Daily Devotional

March 27, 2017

Nature Teaches the Value of Obedience to Law

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. Matthew 10:29, NKJV.

The great teacher brought His hearers in contact with nature, that they might listen to the voice which speaks in all created things; and as their hearts became tender and their minds receptive, He helped them to interpret the spiritual teaching of the scenes upon which their eyes rested. The parables, by means of which He loved to teach lessons of truth, show how open His spirit was to the influences of nature and how He delighted to gather the spiritual teaching from the surroundings of daily life.

The birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the sower and the seed, the shepherd and the sheep - with these Christ illustrated immortal truth. He drew illustrations also from the events of life, facts of experience familiar to the hearers - the leaven, the hid treasure, the pearl, the fishing net, the lost coin, the prodigal son, the houses on the rock and the sand. In His lessons there was something to interest every mind, to appeal to every heart. Thus the daily task, instead of being a mere round of toil, bereft of higher thoughts, was brightened and uplifted by constant reminders of the spiritual and the unseen.

So we should teach. Let the children learn to see in nature an expression of the love and the wisdom of God; let the thought of Him be linked with bird and flower and tree; let all things seen become to them the interpreters of the unseen, and all the events of life be a means of divine teaching.

As they learn thus to study the lessons in all created things, and in all life's experiences, show that the same laws which govern the things of nature and the events of life are to control us; that they are given for our good; and that only in obedience to them can we find true happiness and success. - Education, 102, 103.