November 30:  Glad Tidings.

Companionship With Christ a Precious Experience.

Like an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.  I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.  He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.--Song of Solomon 2:3, 4, NKJV

MANY, EVEN IN THEIR SEASONS of devotion, fail of receiving the blessing of real communion with God.  They are in too great haste.  With hurried steps they press through the circle of Christ's loving presence, pausing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, but not waiting for counsel.  They have no time to remain with the divine Teacher.  With their burdens they return to their work.

These workers can never attain the highest success until they learn the secret of strength.  They must give themselves time to think, to pray, to wait upon God for a renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual power.  They need the uplifting influence of His Spirit.  Receiving this, they will be quickened by fresh life.  The wearied frame and tired brain will be refreshed, the burdened heart will be lightened.

Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companionship with Him--this is our need.  Happy...the precious experience pictured in these words from the Song of Songs:

"As the apple tree among the trees of the wood,
So is my Beloved among the sons.
I sat down under His shadow with great delight,
And His fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house,
And His banner over me was love."  Song of Solomon 2:3, 4,
       --Education, 260, 261.

November 29:  Glad Tidings.

Trusting the Only One Truly Trustworthy.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.  For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.--Philippians 3:1, NKJV

THE CHRISTIAN'S LIFE should be one of faith, of victory, and joy in God....Truly spoke God's servant Nehemiah: "The joy of the Lord is your strength."  Nehemiah 8:10.  And Paul says:..."Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."...1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.--The Great Controversy, 477.

Decided perseverance in a course of righteousness, disciplining the mind by religious exercises to love devotion and heavenly things, will bring the greatest amount of happiness.

If we make God our trust, we have it in our power to control the mind in these things.  Through continued exercise it will become strong to battle with internal foes and to subdue self, until there is a complete transformation, and the passions, appetites, and will are brought into perfect subjection.  Then there will be daily piety at home and abroad, and when we engage in labor for souls, a power will attend our efforts.  The humble Christian will have seasons of devotion which are not spasmodic, fitful, or superstitious, but calm and tranquil, deep, constant, and earnest.  The love of God, the practice of holiness, will be pleasant when there is a perfect surrender to God.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, 506, 507.

                                  When I discovered your words, I devoured them.
                                        They are my joy and my heart's delight,
                                                         for I bear your name,
                                              O Lord God of Heaven's Armies.
                                                                                               --Jeremiah 15:16, NLT

November 28:  Glad Tidings.

Contemplating Christ.
You love him even though you have never seen him.  Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.  The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.--1 Peter 1:8, 9, NLT

CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED should be the theme of contemplation, of conversation, and of our most joyful emotion.  We should keep in our thoughts every blessing we receive from God, and when we realize His great love we should be willing to trust everything to the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.--Steps to Christ, 103.

When His words of instruction have been received, and have taken possession of us, Jesus is to us an abiding presence, controlling our thoughts and ideas and actions.  We are imbued with the instruction of the greatest Teacher the world would ever know.--Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 389

We have the companionship of the divine presence, and as we realize this presence, our thoughts are brought into captivity to Jesus Christ.  Our spiritual exercises are in accordance with the vividness of our sense of this companionship.  Enoch walked with God in this way; and Christ is dwelling in our hearts by faith when we will consider what He is to us, and what a work He has wrought out for us in the plan of redemption.  We shall be most happy in cultivating a sense of this great gift of God to our world and to us personally.--Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 388.

                    "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
                that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
                              
                                                                        --John 3:16, NKJV

November 27:  Glad Tidings

Serving and Worshiping in Spirit.
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.--Philippians 3:3, NKJV

GOD IS A SPIRIT: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."...

...Religion is not to be confined to external forms and ceremonies.  The religion that comes from God is the only religion that will lead to God.  In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit.  This will purify the heart and renew the mind, giving us a new capacity for knowing and loving God.  It will give us a willing obedience to all His requirements.  This is true worship.--The Desire of Ages, 189.

The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin; it means taking away our sins, and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit.  It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God.  It means a heart emptied of self, and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ.  When Christ reigns in the soul, there is purity, freedom from sin.  The glory, the fullness, the completeness of the gospel plan is fulfilled in the life.  The acceptance of the Saviour brings a glow of perfect peace, perfect love, perfect assurance.  The beauty and fragrance of the character of Christ revealed in the life testifies that God has indeed sent His Son into the world to be its Saviour.--Christ's Object Lessons, 419.

                      Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:
                                  to visit orphans and widows in their trouble,
                                  and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
                                                                                              --James 1:27, NKJV

November 26:  Glad Tidings.

Praises That Flow From the Heart.
Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem's gates, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.--Psalm 9:14, NLT

IT IS YOUR PRIVILEGE TO TRUST in the love of Jesus for salvation, in the fullest surest, noblest manner; to say, He loves me, He receives me; I will trust Him, for He gave His life for me.  Nothing so dispels doubt as coming in contact with the character of Christ.  He declares, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out;" that is, there is no possibility of My casting him out, for I have pledged My word to receive him.  Take Christ at His word, and let your lips declare that you have gained the victory.--Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 517.

You desire to please the Lord, and you do this by believing His promises.  He is waiting to take you into a harbor of gracious experience, and He bids you, "Be still, and know that I am God."  You have had a time of unrest; but Jesus says to you, "Come unto Me,...and I will give you rest."  The joy of Christ in the soul is worth everything.  "Then are they glad," because they are privileged to rest in the arms of everlasting love.--Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 516.

How pleased the Saviour would be to hear His followers talking of His precious lessons of instruction, and to know that they had a relish for holy things!  When the truth abides in the heart, there is no place for criticism of God's servants, or for picking flaws with the message He sends.  That which is in the heart will flow from the lips.  It cannot be repressed.  The things that God has prepared for those that love Him will be the theme of conversation.  The love of Christ is in the soul as well of water, springing up into everlasting life, sending forth living streams that bring life and gladness wherever they flow.--Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 88.

November 25:  Glad Tidings.

The Best Day of the Week.
"Keep the Sabbath day holy.  Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord's holy day.  Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.  Then the Lord will be your delight.  I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.  I, the Lord, have spoken!"--Isaiah 58:13, 14, NLT

GREAT BLESSINGS ARE ENCLOSED in the observance of the Sabbath, and God desires that the Sabbath day shall be to us a day of joy.  There was joy at the institution of the Sabbath.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, 349.

When the foundation of the earth was laid, the foundation of the Sabbath was laid also.  "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy," God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise.  In giving the Sabbath, God considered man's spiritual and physical health.--Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 136.

The Sabbath is not intended to be a period of useless inactivity.  The law forbids secular labor on the rest day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must cease; no labor for worldly pleasure of profit is lawful upon that day; but as God ceased His labor of creating, and rested upon the Sabbath and blessed it, so man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds.--The Desire of Ages, 207.

The Lord says, "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable;...then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord."  Isaiah 58:13, 14.  To all who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ's creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight.  Seeing Christ in it, they delight themselves in Him.--The Desire of Ages, 289.

November 24:  Glad Tidings.

In the House of Prayer.
"Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations."--Isaiah 56:7, NKJV

THERE IS NECESSITY for diligence in prayer; let nothing hinder you.  Make every effort to keep open the communion between Jesus and your own soul.  Seek every opportunity to go where prayer is wont to be made.  Those who are really seeking for communion with God will be seen in the prayer meeting; faithful to do their duty and earnest and anxious to reap all the benefits they can gain.  They will improve every opportunity of placing themselves where they can receive the rays of light from heaven.--Steps to Chriist, 98.

The youth who finds joy and happiness in reading the word of God and in the hour of prayer is constantly refreshed by drafts from the Fountain of Life.  He will attain a height of moral excellence and a breadth of thought, noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth, and lofty purposes of action.  Those who thus connect their souls with God are acknowledged by Him as His sons and daughters.  They are constantly reaching higher and still higher, obtaining clearer views of God and of eternity, until the Lord makes them channels of light and wisdom to the world.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 624.

                                   For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
                               I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
                                           Than dwell in the tents of wickedness                    

                                                                                             --Psalm 84:10, NKJV

November 23:  Glad Tidings.

Joyful Worship in the House of the Lord.
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord."--Psalm 122:1, NKJV

OUR GOD IS A TENDER, merciful Father.  His service should not be looked upon as a heart-saddening, distressing exercise.  It should be a pleasure to worship the Lord and to take part in His work.  God would not have His children, for whom so great salvation has been provided, act as if He were a hard, exacting taskmaster.  He is their best friend; and when they worship Him, He expects to be with them, to bless and comfort them, filling their hearts with joy and love.  The Lord desires His children to take comfort in His service and to find more pleasure than hardship in His work.  He desires that those who come to worship Him shall carry away with them precious thoughts of His care and love, that they may be cheered in all the employments of daily life, that they may have grace to deal honestly and faithfully in all things.--Steps to Christ, 103.

                                     It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
                               And to song praises to Your name, O Most High;
                                 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
                                           And Your faithfulness every night,
                                           On an instrument of ten strings,
                                                            On the lute,
                                                         And on the harp,
                                                      With harmonious sound.
                            For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work;
                                       I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
                                            O Lord, how great are Your works!
                                                 Your thoughts are very deep.
                                             A senseless man does not know,
                                             Nor does a fool understand this.
                              
                                                          --Psalm 92:1-6, NKJV

November 22:  Glad Tidings.

Obedience Is a Test of Loyalty to God.
"If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."--John 13:17, NKJV

THERE ARE ONLY TWO CLASSES in the world today, and only two classes will be recognized in the judgment--those who violate God's law and those who obey it.  Christ gives the test by which to prove our loyalty or disloyalty.  "If ye love Me," He says, "keep MY commandments....He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me.  And he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him....He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings; and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me."  "If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love."  John 14:15-24; 15:10.--Christ's Object Lessons, 283.

The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been,--just what it was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents,--perfect obedience to the law of God, perfect righteousness.  If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled.  The way would be open for sin, with all its train of woe and misery, to be immortalized.--Steps to Christ, 632.

                 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

                              
                                                                     --James 1:22, NKJV

November 21:  Glad Tidings.

The Law Leads to Happiness.
Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.--Psalm 119:24, NKJV

THE LAW OF LOVE being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all intelligent beings depends upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness.  God desires from all His creatures the service of love--service that springs from an appreciation of His character.  He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service.--Patriarchs and Prophets, 34.

God's great object in the working out of His providences is to try men, to give them opportunity to develop character.  Thus He proves whether they are obedient or disobedient to His commands.  Good works do not purchase the love of God, but they reveal that we possess that love.  If we surrender the will to God, we shall not work in order to earn God's love.  His love as a free gift will be received into the soul, and from love to Him we shall delight to obey His commandments.--Christ's Object Lessons, 283.

                                              Oh, how I love Your law!
                                           It is my meditation all the day.
                You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
                                                For they are ever with me.
                                                                              --Psalm 119:97. 98, NKJV