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Worship: For Heaven’s Sake Strife over the highest position is the attitude of Lucifer, Satan. And it is the reason for the great conflict in heaven and earth, which caused Jesus to sacrifice His life on Calvary. (Read more below.)
Wellness: For Health’s Sake Pastor Flemons, a doctor of biblical wellness reviewed an article on the website of nbcnews.com. The article announces Oklahoma as the fourth state to sue drug companies over deceptive marketing of painkillers now responsible for the epidemic of addiction to opioids. (Read more below.)
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TOPICS THIS WEEK – July 2 – July 8
Worship Sunday – Ministry; Monday – Who Is the Greatest? – Tuesday – At the Feast of Tabernacles; Wednesday – Among Snares; Thursday – The Light of Life; Friday – The Divine Shepherd; Saturday, the Sabbath – The Last Journey From Galilee [All topics per Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White.]
Wellness Sunday – Excess Sugar Destroys Your Immune System; Monday – The Government Is Suing the Drug Companies
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Words of Encouragement
Revelation 2:2-3 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Titus 3:3-5 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
For Heaven’s Sake…
“When Jesus told them that He was to be put to death and to rise again, He was trying to draw them into conversation in regard to the great test of their faith. Had they been ready to receive what He desired to make known to them, they would have been saved bitter anguish and despair. His words would have brought consolation in the hour of bereavement and disappointment. But although He had spoken so plainly of what awaited Him, His mention of the fact that He was soon to go to Jerusalem again kindled their hope that the kingdom was about to be set up. This had led to questioning as to who should fill the highest offices. On Peter’s return from the sea, the disciples told him of the Saviour’s question, and at last one ventured to ask Jesus, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ DA 435.1
“The Saviour gathered His disciples about Him, and said to them, ‘If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.’ There was in these words a solemnity and impressiveness which the disciples were far from comprehending. That which Christ discerned they could not see. They did not understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom, and this ignorance was the apparent cause of their contention. But the real cause lay deeper. By explaining the nature of the kingdom, Christ might for the time have quelled their strife; but this would not have touched the underlying cause. Even after they had received the fullest knowledge, any question of precedence might have renewed the trouble. Thus disaster would have been brought to the church after Christ’s departure. The strife for the highest place was the outworking of that same spirit which was the beginning of the great controversy in the worlds above, and which had brought Christ from heaven to die. There rose up before Him a vision of Lucifer, the ‘son of the morning,’ in glory surpassing all the angels that surround the throne, and united in closest ties to the Son of God. Lucifer had said, ‘I will be like the Most High’ (Isa. 14:12, 14); and the desire for self-exaltation had brought strife into the heavenly courts, and had banished a multitude of the hosts of God. Had Lucifer really desired to be like the Most High, he would never have deserted his appointed place in heaven; for the spirit of the Most High is manifested in unselfish ministry. Lucifer desired God’s power, but not His character. He sought for himself the highest place, and every being who is actuated by his spirit will do the same. Thus alienation, discord, and strife will be inevitable. Dominion becomes the prize of the strongest. The kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of force; every individual regards every other as an obstacle in the way of his own advancement, or a steppingstone on which he himself may climb to a higher place. DA 435.2
“While Lucifer counted it a thing to be grasped to be equal with God, Christ, the Exalted One, ‘made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ Phil. 2:7, 8. Now the cross was just before Him; and His own disciples were so filled with self-seeking–the very principle of Satan’s kingdom–that they could not enter into sympathy with their Lord, or even understand Him as He spoke of His humiliation for them. DA 436.1
“Very tenderly, yet with solemn emphasis, Jesus tried to correct the evil. He showed what is the principle that bears sway in the kingdom of heaven, and in what true greatness consists, as estimated by the standard of the courts above. Those who were actuated by pride and love of distinction were thinking of themselves, and of the rewards they were to have, rather than how they were to render back to God the gifts they had received. They would have no place in the kingdom of heaven, for they were identified with the ranks of Satan. DA 436.2
“Before honor is humility. To fill a high place before men, Heaven chooses the worker who, like John the Baptist, takes a lowly place before God. The most childlike disciple is the most efficient in labor for God. The heavenly intelligences can co-operate with him who is seeking, not to exalt self, but to save souls. He who feels most deeply his need of divine aid will plead for it; and the Holy Spirit will give unto him glimpses of Jesus that will strengthen and uplift the soul. From communion with Christ he will go forth to work for those who are perishing in their sins. He is anointed for his mission; and he succeeds where many of the learned and intellectually wise would fail. DA 436.3
“But when men exalt themselves, feeling that they are a necessity for the success of God’s great plan, the Lord causes them to be set aside. It is made evident that the Lord is not dependent upon them. The work does not stop because of their removal from it, but goes forward with greater power. DA 436.4
“It was not enough for the disciples of Jesus to be instructed as to the nature of His kingdom. What they needed was a change of heart that would bring them into harmony with its principles. Calling a little child to Him, Jesus set him in the midst of them; then tenderly folding the little one in His arms He said, ‘Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ The simplicity, the self-forgetfulness, and the confiding love of a little child are the attributes that Heaven values. These are the characteristics of real greatness. DA 437.1
(This study is based on Matthew 17:22-27; Matthew 18:1-20; Mark 9:30–50; Luke 9:46-48; and chapter 48, “Who Is the Greatest?” in The Desire of Ages (DA), by Ellen G. White.)
For Health’s Sake. . .
“Opioids, including prescription painkillers and heroin, killed more than 33,000 people in the United States in 2015, more than any year on record, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the article reads. Treating pain with opioids has become a public nuisance and has been costly to the state.
This is particularly sad, when you consider safe alternatives, like Jamaican dogwood, white willow bark (which is used to make aspirin), valerian, peppermint, and cabbage leaves. All are good for relieving pain, according to Pastor Flemons. He suggests going on a 10-day vegetable juice regimen, which helps an acidic body get to an alkaline state. Then pain will be eased.
Avoid eating anything that will cause the blood to be acidic. These include sugar, white flour products and the flesh of animals and their byproducts, like dairy and eggs. Instead, eat nuts, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Then eat only two meals a day, no more than three. And don’t snack between meals. “Definitely give up all soda pops,” says Pastor Flemons. “That phosphoric acid creates more acidity in your body. Don’t drink alcohol. It’s acid. As you increase the acidity in your body, you increase more negative prostaglandins,” which cause inflammation. It’s the inflammation that causes pain.
Adopt a total vegetarian diet. He recommends using the Total Vegetarian Cookbook to help with that and encourages variety in meals. Change your dietary habits, and you will see a change in your health. Pastor Flemons recalls many who were helped simply by changing their diet.
Make your own choice,” says Pastor Flemons. “But if you abuse these drugs, they will kill you. Drugs do not cure disease.”
In her book Ministry of Healing, first published in 1905, Ellen G. White says this about drugs. “People need to be taught that drugs do not cure disease. It is true that they sometimes afford present relief, and the patient appears to recover as the result of their use; this is because nature has sufficient vital force to expel the poison and to correct the conditions that caused the disease. Health is recovered in spite of the drug. But in most cases the drug only changes the form and location of the disease. Often the effect of the poison seems to be overcome for a time, but the results remain in the system and work great harm at some later period.
“By the use of poisonous drugs, many bring upon themselves lifelong illness, and many lives are lost that might be saved by the use of natural methods of healing. The poisons contained in many so-called remedies create habits and appetites that mean ruin to both soul and body. Many of the popular nostrums called patent medicines, and even some of the drugs dispensed by physicians, act a part in laying the foundation of the liquor habit, the opium habit, the morphine habit, that are so terrible a curse to society.” MH 126, 127
The current state of affairs, now proving her point, has led to a bipartisan group of state attorneys general investigation, which no doubt will lead to more state lawsuits against drug companies.