November 13
“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. But like the stars in the vast circuit of their appointed path, God's purposes know no haste and no delay. Through the symbols of the great darkness and the smoking furnace, God had revealed to Abraham the bondage of Israel in Egypt, and had declared that the time of their sojourning should be four hundred years. "Afterward," He said, "shall they come out with great substance." Gen. 15:14. Against that word, all the power of Pharaoh's proud empire battled in vain. On "the self-same day" appointed in the divine promise, "it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt." Ex. 12:41. So in heaven's council the hour for the coming of Christ had been determined. When the great clock of time pointed to that hour, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.”
Desire of Ages, page 31 from the chapter, 'The fulness of the time'
When God makes a plan He doesn’t take short cuts or evolves His strategy as events unfold. God not only planned how to fully ahead of time, He proved his fitness to carry out the plan.
The theme of this chapter of Desire of Ages is God’s plan to adopt us as Sons, and Daughters, of God. In our weakest moments we might consider that we are unworthy people, and can point to the evidence in our own lives.
The few words printed above show that at our lowest moments there is hope. We could consider that God will not suffer our failings. We ought to consider the simple promise that God offers us.
When the right time came Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The plan was not enacted at that point. God’s plan for the salvation of all mankind had been in operation for centuries. The plan had been revealed through visions, dreams, prophets, patriarchs and sages. The whole sanctuary service had pointed to the assurance of the forgiveness of sin. Hope was both outlined and detailed.
When we first went through those 40 days of prayer to prepare for the Second Coming we knew we had met God. Distinct changes took place in our lives. The element that impressed me was, apart from asking the Holy Spirit to fill me day by day, was that my experience came down to simply accepting that God had given me assurance, and performance, by faith.
How are you today? Accept by faith that God has a plan for you. You are not there in line for condemnation but are currently being prepared for exaltation.
How do we know it? We can measure the progress of God’s plan. Jesus came at the right time – and died at the right time. If the timings were all right then the execution of the plan is all right.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45
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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.
