Are you watching?

What will it profit us to cherish pride of spirit... 
and pray for humility? 

What will it profit to seek eagerly the friendship and applause of the world...
and pray for heavenly affections?

What will it profit to indulge in passionate temper and un-Christlike words...
and then ask for the meekness of Christ? 

This is not watching unto prayer.

In the lack of that faith that works by love and purifies the soul 
lies the secret of unanswered prayer.

If the church will arise in the strength of God to meet her responsibilities, 
consecrating to God every power,
the Spirit of the Lord will be poured out in rich abundance.

—from Manuscript 35, January 8, 1893, "Publishing Work."


Oh, to know Him... to know His grace.

Do I mean it?

My eyes fly open. It's time.

I reach for my phone to see what the numbers say…

1:01 AM.

I sigh. Lord, surely You don't mean NOW. I know I told You anytime was fine, but ONE? That's just too much…

I get up, use the restroom, my mind confused. Now what do I do? I told Him I would trust Him… but I can't get (and stay) up now!

I climb onto my bed. Maybe if I go back to sleep, He'll wake me up again at 3 AM. That just sounds way better than one…

Then the thought strikes me: He wants to see if I really mean it.

Do I? Were last night's words genuine or just play?

"Lord, wake me up whenever You want me to. You know how much time I really need to spend with You, so I give you permission to wake me up tomorrow morning. (Only, maybe not at 2? I'll trust what You decide, but it would sure be nice to not be then…)"

A decision must be made.

Do I mean it?

Of course I mean it. But I need a special measure of grace to actually get up…

And He gives it.

Five hours of time with God! What greater blessing?

"The Lord GOD . . . He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned" (Isaiah 50:4).

Seventeen

I was immature when I was 17. Believe me. Just this evening, I was sorting through a few old things in my personal files here at work, and I came across a chat I had with a guy I liked back then. Oh my! It makes me cringe just reading it. Surely I must have been crazy! So flippant, flirtatious, mindless...

I am so amazed at the way God works with me. He has brought me so far, and yet there is so much still wrong with me. I'm glad there is so much RIGHT with Him!

It reminds me of a quote I read this morning that was a big encouragement to me:

"If you delight to dwell upon the plan of salvation, upon the glorious manifestations of the divine character, if your heart, in contemplation of the love of God, glows with thankfulness and joy, you may be sure that you have been illuminated by the beams of the Holy Spirit, and heavenly agencies are bringing your character up to maturity of Christian life" (Signs of the Times, March 27, 1893).

I think this speaks for itself. I am so thankful that God gives such promises as these!

I plan to keep growing, through His infinite grace. How about you?