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VW Road Trip

When I was around eight or nine years old, in the early 1960s, our family took an epic road trip.

We lived in South Lancaster, Massachusetts and had never been west of Ohio. We were going to attend

the General Conference session in San Francisco.

The four of us set out in my brother’s VW Bug with our camping gear (we had a good rack on the roof).

We had a number of friends living in various places around the country which we planned to see on the

trip.

Our trip was a bit indirect as we wanted to see as much of the country as we could. We first headed to

Tennessee; then down to Tucson, Arizona. Then we headed to Southern California to Disneyland,

Yosemite National Park, San Francisco (where we took in their world-famous zoo in addition to the

General Conference Session), back across Nevada, Utah, up to Yellowstone National Park, and then

home.

Our trip had many memorable experiences which helped shape my perception of our country and

created in me a love for travel.

One thing stands out among our experiences – some troubles we were having with our car on the return

trip. I don’t remember all the details but the car was acting kind of funny, less power than usual and

running a bit rough.

We made it to a dealer and discovered it was only running on two cylinders. We got it fixed and headed

on our way to our next destination. After a while the car started missing and sputtering. We limped to

the next small town and the car died as we glided into its only service station.

The mechanic took a look at it and then showed my father what he found. He had taken the cover off

the carburetor and pointed to a bubble-like thing floating around in the fuel. It was a drop of water. It

was heavier than the fuel so it would block the outlet to the fuel line shutting off the engines fuel

supply.

He was amazed we had gotten anywhere, he said the car should not have run at all. It had obviously

been in there for a while. We had had special prayer for our car that morning and it appears it had

worked until we came to the person who would know what was wrong and could fix it.

He cleaned it out for us and we were on our way again, no more problems.

Just a small drop of water, just a little thing.

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Little Things Matter

Little things can make a huge difference! They do matter.

If you don’t think so, try walking with a grain or two of sand in your shoe. Or, try to sleep while

one nearly invisible mosquito tries to find food.

If you play a stringed instrument, or like listening to one, one string slightly out of tune can drive

you crazy.

If you want to look your best, one little pimple on the end of your nose can make a huge

difference in how you feel about your looks.

What about that first little scratch in your new shiny car?

Would you enjoy staying in a room on the 40th floor of a hotel whose foundation was off-level by

1/4th of an inch?

What about the placement of a comma in a sentence – it can change the entire meaning. Where

would you place the comma in this sentence:

A woman without her man is nothing.

Most men would punctuate it this way: A woman without her man, is nothing.

Most women would do it this way: A woman, without her man is nothing.

Very different meanings with just one small punctuation difference.

The daily fabric of our lives is made up of little things. All of us will do more little things than big things.

Lots of little things add up to bigger things. Really big things are only the results of a culmination of

hundreds of little things. One might be tempted to think little things are not important – but, they are

the most important things we do!

Eating Elephants

So, here’s a question for you: How do you eat an elephant – a whole elephant?

This is a pretty big goal; one I would actually not recommend – first, they’re an endangered species and

second, they’re not on the Bible’s nice list of foods. But, if you are going to eat an elephant, the only way

you can do it is one bite at a time.

When I was younger, I remember reading the books A Walk Across America and The Walk West. They

tell the story of a young man who set out to find himself by walking across America. The first book tells

of his journey from New England down to New Orleans. The second book tells how he met and fell in

love with his wife in New Orleans and their walk from there to the Oregon coast.

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Walking across America takes place in the same way you came from your car in the parking lot into

church this morning; one step at a time. One step, for most of us, does not take too much energy. Ten to

15 steps will take us across an average room.

When I walk at a comfortable pace, I cover just a little more than two feet per step. If I take 660 steps, I

have walked more than a quarter of a mile. About 2,500 steps will take me over a mile.

It all happens just one step at a time!

Why is this Important to Me?

So, what does all this have to do with me and Jesus? Why is this important to my spiritual life?

I’m glad you asked that question, it’s an important one!

We, as Christians, are often encouraged to think big. While we don’t always say it in these terms, we at

least imply that the better Christian you are, the bigger impact you will have on your world. And the

opposite is inferred – if you’re not doing big things for Jesus, you may not be a very good Christian.

We look at the promises Jesus makes, many of them big promises. We look at the life of Jesus and the

Apostles and see the big impact they had on their world. We look at other Bible heroes and Christian

giants down through the ages and measure our lives by theirs.

We want to feel spiritual, we want to make a big splash for Jesus.

Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting to do big things for Jesus. In fact, it is important for us to keep

an eye on the big picture. The problem is, those big things will never happen unless we start focusing on

the right little things.

Jesus, in both His life and His teaching, used little things in a big way.

Jesus & Little Things

Jesus fed 5,000 men (plus women and children) with just a boy’s little lunch (see Mark 6:30-44).

Later, when Jesus healed the man possessed by multiple demons, casting them out into a herd of pigs,

the story ended this way:

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with

him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for

you and how merciful he has been.” So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region

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and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at

what he told them. (Mark 5:18-20, NLT)

He gave him a small task – go tell your family what happened to you. He didn’t know much theology,

didn’t have easy access to Scriptures (most likely couldn’t read anyway), and probably wasn’t even a

Jew; but, he knew what Jesus had done for him and shared that willingly.

His story made such a difference that a while later when Jesus returned to the area, people flocked to

see and hear Him leading to the feeding of the 4,000 men using only seven loaves of bread and a few

fish. (Mark 7:31 – 8:10)

On more than one occasion Jesus talked about a small amount of faith that was enough – faith the size

of a tiny mustard seed.

One time when the disciples asked why they had been unable to cast out a demon from a small boy,

Jesus said:

“You don’t have enough faith … I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard

seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing

would be impossible.” (Matthew 17:20, NLT)

On another occasion when:

The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”

The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this

mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!”

(Luke 17:5-6, NLT)

He then went on to tell them the way to increase their faith was to focus on the Master and His agenda

(see Luke 17:5-10).

When asked, who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus picked up a little child and said:

“… Unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the

Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the

Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:2-4, NLT)

Towards the end of His ministry Jesus said the little gift of only a few pennies from a poor women was

more significant than the large amounts given by the wealthy folk (see Mark 12:41-44).

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And, in the series of parables Jesus told just before His arrest and death to illustrate what living for Him

in the end times would look like, Jesus focused on little things.

In two of them He focused on servants who took care of small parts of His estate and resources with

care and responsibility (see Matthew 24:45-51 & Matthew 25:14-30).

In the last of the four parables, Jesus said this:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit

the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I

was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was

naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you

visited me.’”

They asked Him when they did all this stuff.

“… And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my

brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” (Matthew 25:34-40, NLT)

Little loving acts of kindness towards seemingly insignificant people – feeding the hungry, visiting those

who are sick and in prison, taking in the homeless – will determine our eternal destiny. It will be the

visible demonstration of hearts who love Jesus.

2017 – Year of the Little Things

Today is the last day of 2016. In my life, at least, it has been a crazy year. Tomorrow is January 1, 2017.

As we look forward to this new year I suggest we make it the year of Little Things! Let’s not forget where

we are headed – a wonderful eternity with God. But, let’s focus on the Little Things that will get us there

rather than just hoping we’ll make it.

In the book of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah writes:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his

mercies begin afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23, NLT)

Let’s commit to taking a little time each day focusing on God’s faithfulness and the mercies that begin

afresh each morning.

This is what will keep our mustard seed sized faith in God fresh and relevant.

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It is what will grow that little seed into a life that is secure in God’s love and cause it to blossom in love

for others.

This little thing is a step that will keep us moving towards God.

And as we keep taking this step, day by day, it will change our lives and lead us right into His home for

eternity!

_______________

Note: Most everything you find in this color is a hyperlink that will lead you to more complete references,

different translations, or pertinent websites.

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Scripture References

2 Chronicles 7:14-16 (NLT): Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and

pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive

their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer

made in this place. 16 For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy – a place where my

name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.

(2 Chronicles 7:14-16, NLT)

Psalm 1 (the Voice): God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn: when you don’t follow the

advice of those who delight in wicked schemes, when you avoid sin’s highway, when judgment

and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse. 2 For you, the Eternal’s Word is your happiness. It is

your focus – from dusk to dawn. 3 You are like a tree, planted by flowing, cool streams of water

that never run dry. Your fruit ripens in its time; your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun.

No matter what you do, you prosper.

4 For those who focus on sin, the story is different. They are like the fallen husk of wheat, tossed

by an open wind, left deserted and alone. 5 In the end, the wicked will fall in judgment; the guilty

will be separated from the innocent. 6 Their road suddenly will end in death, yet the journey of

the righteous has been charted by the Eternal. (Psalm 1, the Voice)

Psalm 9:7-10 (NLT): But the LORD reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. 8 He will judge the

world with justice and rule the nations with fairness. 9 The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a

refuge in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not

abandon those who search for you. (Psalm 9:7-10, NLT)

Lamentations 3:19-27 (NLT): The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I

will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I

remember this:

22 The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his

mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I

will hope in him!”

25 The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 26 So it is good to

wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. 27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age to

the yoke of his discipline …. (Lamentations 3:19-27, NLT)

Matthew 13:31-33 (NLT): Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a

mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of

garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

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33 Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in

making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated

every part of the dough.” (Matthew 13:31-33, NLT – see also Mark 4:30-32 & Luke 13:18-21)

Matthew 17:14-21 (NLT): At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came

and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers

terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 So I brought him to your disciples, but

they couldn’t heal him.”

17 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I

put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it

left him. From that moment the boy was well.

19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?”

20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as

small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would

move. Nothing would be impossible. 21 But this kind of demon won’t leave except by prayer and

fasting.” (Matthew 17:14-21, NLT – see also Mark 9:14-29)

Matthew 18:1-11 (NLT): About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the

Kingdom of Heaven?”

2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the

truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the

Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the

Kingdom of Heaven.

5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. 6 But if you

cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a

large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable,

but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you

to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot

than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you

to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to

have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their

angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. (Matthew 18:1-11, NLT)

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Matthew 24:45-51 (NLT): “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the

responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master

returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the

truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil

and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants,

partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he

will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will

be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:45-51, NLT)

Matthew 25:14-30 (NLT): “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going

on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was

gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to

the last – dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five

more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the

servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of

how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver

came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I

have earned five more.’

21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been

faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s

celebrate together!’

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you

gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling

this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh

man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I

would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t

plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At

least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

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28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags

of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will

have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken

away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and

gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 25:14-30, NLT)

Matthew 25:31-46 (NLT): “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then

he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will

separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep

at his right hand and the goats at his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit

the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed

me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and

you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or

thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and

give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my

brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the

eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I

was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your

home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit

me.’

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked

or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my

brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

(Matthew 25:31-46, NLT)

Mark 5:1-20 (NLT): So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When

Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to

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meet him. 3 This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a

chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles – as he often was – he snapped the chains

from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Day and

night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with

sharp stones.

6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low

before him. 7 With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the

Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had already said to

the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”

9 Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” 10 Then the

evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.

11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 “Send us into those

pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”

13 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and

the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in

the water.

14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as

they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus,

and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there

fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 16 Then those who had seen what

happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 And the crowd began

pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with

him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done

for you and how merciful he has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that

region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was

amazed at what he told them. (Mark 5:1-20, NLT)

Mark 6:30-44 (NLT): The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had

done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”

He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles

didn’t even have time to eat.

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32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized

them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got

there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had

compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching

them many things.

35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s

already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages

and buy something to eat.”

37 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”

“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for

all these people!”

38 “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”

They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”

39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So

they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.

41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then,

breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute

it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they

wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A

total of 5,000 men and their families were fed. (Mark 6:30-44, NLT)

Mark 12:41-44 (NLT): Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds

dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and

dropped in two small coins.

43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more

than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but

she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44, NLT)

Luke 17:1-10 (NLT): One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but

what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! 2 It would be better to be thrown into the

sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. 3 So watch yourselves!

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“If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. 4 Even if that

person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must

forgive.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”

6 The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this

mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!

7 “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in

and eat with me’? 8 No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat.

Then you can eat later.’ 9 And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to

do? Of course not. 10 In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy

servants who have simply done our duty.’” (Luke 17:1-10, NLT)

E.G. White Writings

Desire of Ages, pages 36-38: The deception of sin had reached its height. All the agencies for depraving

the souls of men had been put in operation. The Son of God, looking upon the world, beheld

suffering and misery. With pity He saw how men had become victims of satanic cruelty. He

looked with compassion upon those who were being corrupted, murdered, and lost. They had

chosen a ruler who chained them to his car as captives. Bewildered and deceived, they were

moving on in gloomy procession toward eternal ruin – to death in which is no hope of life,

toward night to which comes no morning. Satanic agencies were incorporated with men. The

bodies of human beings, made for the dwelling place of God, had become the habitation of

demons. The senses, the nerves, the passions, the organs of men, were worked by supernatural

agencies in the indulgence of the vilest lust. The very stamp of demons was impressed upon the

countenances of men. Human faces reflected the expression of the legions of evil with which they

were possessed. Such was the prospect upon which the world's Redeemer looked. What a

spectacle for Infinite Purity to behold! Sin had become a science, and vice was consecrated as a

part of religion. Rebellion had struck its roots deep into the heart, and the hostility of man was

most violent against heaven. It was demonstrated before the universe that, apart from God,

humanity could not be uplifted. A new element of life and power must be imparted by Him who

made the world.

With intense interest the unfallen worlds had watched to see Jehovah arise, and sweep away the

inhabitants of the earth. And if God should do this, Satan was ready to carry out his plan for

securing to himself the allegiance of heavenly beings. He had declared that the principles of

God's government make forgiveness impossible. Had the world been destroyed, he would have

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claimed that his accusations were proved true. He was ready to cast blame upon God, and to

spread his rebellion to the worlds above. But instead of destroying the world, God sent His Son to

save it. Though corruption and defiance might be seen in every part of the alien province, a way

for its recovery was provided. At the very crisis, when Satan seemed about to triumph, the Son of

God came with the embassage of divine grace. Through every age, through every hour, the love

of God had been exercised toward the fallen race. Notwithstanding the perversity of men, the

signals of mercy had been continually exhibited. And when the fullness of the time had come, the

Deity was glorified by pouring upon the world a flood of healing grace that was never to be

obstructed or withdrawn till the plan of salvation should be fulfilled.

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. (Desire of Ages, pages 36-38)

“Our Father Cares" - November 3: Our life must be hid with Christ in God, and then the light will be

reflected from Jesus to us, and we shall reflect it upon those around us, not in mere talk and

profession, but in good works, and by manifesting the character of Christ. Those who are

reflecting the light of God will cherish a loving disposition. They will be cheerful, willing, obedient

to all the requirements of God. They will be meek and self-sacrificing, and will work with devoted

love for the salvation of souls ...

All who are true lightbearers will reflect light upon the pathway of others. Let those who have

named the name of Christ, depart from all iniquity. If you yield to the claims of God, and become

permeated with His love, and filled with His fullness, children, youth, and young disciples will look

to you for their impressions of what constitutes practical godliness; and you may thus be the

means of leading them in the path of obedience to God ... (Excerpt from “Our Father Cares" -

November 3)