December 2
Satan was exulting that he had succeeded in debasing the image of God in humanity. Then Jesus came to restore in man the image of his Maker. None but Christ can fashion anew the character that has been ruined by sin. He came to expel the demons that had controlled the will. He came to lift us up from the dust, to reshape the marred character after the pattern of His divine character, and to make it beautiful with His own glory.
I was away at the weekend, giving training to equip a group of Christian communicators as an introduction to their forthcoming role as church communications specialists.
My training had an overall concept for the students to grasp, that they are now the Pastors to people they may never see. When presented with specific tasks I had them model a particular approach to communications. This was to make sure that before you perform a task – they sit down and think as a team.
Our reading for today is the last paragraph in chapter 3 of Desire of Ages. Like any good writer the last paragraph reflects the first paragraph in the chapter – Jesus had a plan. His big plan was for Him to change us and make us beautiful. We don’t see in the paragraph how He performed the miracle, we are just assured that this was His plan.
I have been repeating, in different ways, this past month a major learning task for you. Sit down, pray and think how you can perform your plan to help the people you are praying for.
December is now here. You have a new month to plan your strategy for this month. You might have a task to perform. You could be going out to offer some help to a neighbour, you might be taking part in a church activity. Think, with your prayer partner how you might involve the people you are praying for in one, or more, of these activities. Oh, and rejoice, because Jesus is reforming your character – you actually want to serve someone. Now that is a mark of His plan at work.
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Housekeeping details for you
The point of this short blog will become clear if you decide to use this reading in the way we intend it. Netherfield Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in healthy churches. You can see what that means if you head to the relevant Healthy Churches page of the website. We also want other churches to be healthy. That means you can join in our campaign to create healthy churches, with healthy people serving the people in those churches.
A healthy church is one where Jesus comes first. A healthy church is one where the people work together to put Jesus first. One thing we are doing is to join people together to spread that news. I would like you to look at our prayer partners page. This will explain how we want you to use this short devotional. Very basically we want you to find a like-minded Christian friend who you will join with to : choose to pray together every day, decide together on a way to serve other people together, to help them grow as Christians - and to invite the Holy Spirit into your life every day. This blog that you will receive every day simply gives a common spiritual purpose. If you are a newcomer and want to join the blog with this object in mind click here
From October 21st this site will continue going through 'Desire of Ages' - but begin to advance rather faster than one paragraph at a time.
Our sister site, at the Upper Room, will progress at a rather slower pace - one paragraph at a time. If you want to head to our sister site for the slower trip through an excellent book you will eventually follow a link to the Upper Room. This will start on October 21st.
"When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, . . . to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Gal. 4:4, 5
The Saviour's coming was foretold in Eden. When Adam and Eve first heard the promise, they looked for its speedy fulfillment. They joyfully welcomed their first-born son, hoping that he might be the Deliverer. But the fulfillment of the promise tarried. Those who first received it died without the sight. From the days of Enoch the promise was repeated through patriarchs and prophets, keeping alive the hope of His appearing, and yet He came not. The prophecy of Daniel revealed the time of His advent, but not all rightly interpreted the message. Century after century passed away; the voices of the prophets ceased. The hand of the oppressor was heavy upon Israel, and many were ready to exclaim, "The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth." Ezek. 12:22.
