Faith and Works
 
        Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.  Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?  2 Corinthians 13:5
 
    The good tree will produce good fruit.  If the fruit is unpalatable and worthless, the tree is evil.  So the fruit borne in the life testifies as to the condition of the heart and the excellence of the character.  Good works can never purchase salvation, but they are an evidence of the fruit that acts by love and purifies the soul.  And though the eternal reward is not bestowed because of our merit, yet it will be in proportion to the work that has been done through the grace of Christ.
 
    Thus Christ set forth the principles of His kingdom, and showed them to be the great rule of life.  To impress the lesson He adds an illustration.  It is not enough, He says, for you to hear My words.  By obedience you must make them the foundation of your character.  Self is but shifting sand.  If you build upon human theories and inventions, your house will fall.  By the winds of temptation, the tempests of trial, it will be swept away.  But these principles that I have given will endure.  Receive Me; build on My words. (The Desire of Ages, 314)
 
Reflection:  The more we love, the more good works will come out.  It can't be helped.  As that born from above, love grows and you do more and more; you don't even look at it as hard work.  Let us pray today for that love from above that only our Savior can and will give.

 Casting Down Imaginations
 
        Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5
 
    God wishes us to have the mastery over ourselves.  But He cannot help us without our consent and co-operation.  The divine Spirit works through the powers and faculties given to man.  Of ourselves, we are not able to bring the purposes and desires and inclinations into harmony with the will of God; but if we are "willing to be made willing," the Saviour will accomplish this for us...
 
    He who would build up a strong, symmetrical character, he who would be a well-balanced Christian, must give all and do all for Christ; for the Redeemer will not accept divided service.  Daily he must learn the meaning of self-surrender.  He must study the word of God, learning its meaning and obeying its precepts.  Thus he may reach the standard of Christian excellence.  Day by day God works with him, perfecting the character that is to stand in the time of final test.  And day by day the believer is working out before men and angels a sublime experiment, showing what the gospel can do for fallen human beings. (The Acts of the Apostles, 482, 483)
 
Reflection:  So often we want to fight the Lord and play with the devil.  In the end we find out that the devil was not playing, but is and has always tried to keep us from what is best for us.  He wants us to lose the battle for eternal life.  God only wants what is best and is there to help build a character fit for eternal life.  Let us ever keep that in mind.

Godly Sorrow
 
        For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.  2 Corinthians 7:10
 
    True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins.  They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed.  But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.
 
    In the days of Samuel the Israelites wandered from God.  They were suffering the consequences of sin; for they had lost their faith on God, lost their discernment of His power and wisdom to rule the nation, lost their confidence in His ability to defend and vindicate His cause.  They turned from the great Ruler of the universe and desired to be governed as were the nations around them.  Before they found peace they made this definite confession" "We have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king" (1 Samuel 12:19).  The very sin of which they were convicted had to be confessed.  Their ingratitude oppressed their souls and severed them from God.
 
    Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation.  There must be decided changes in the life; everything offensive to God must be put away.  This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin." (Steps to Christ, 38, 39)
 
Reflection:  Many times we hang on to sins that keep us feeling guilty and full of pain.  God is the answer.  Christ is the sin bearer.  Are there sins in your life today that you have been keeping?  Give them to your only hope--Jesus.  He will set you free.

Remain Undefiled
 
        Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  2 Corinthians 7:1
 
    Every practice that weakens physical or mental strength unfits man for the service of his Creator.  And will God be pleased with anything less than the best we can offer?  Said Christ: "Thou shalt love to Lord thy God with all thy heart."  Those who do love God with all the heart will desire to give Him the best service of their life, and they will be constantly seeking to bring every power of their being into harmony with the laws that will promote their ability to do His will.  They will not, by the indulgence of appetite or passion, enfeeble or defile the offering which they present to their heavenly Father.
 
    Peter says: "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (1 Peter 2:11).  Every sinful gratification tends to benumb the faculties and deaden the mental and spiritual perceptions, and the word or the Spirit of God can make but a feeble impression upon the heart.  Paul writes to the Corinthians: "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1).  And with the fruits of the Spirit--"love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness"--he classes "temperance" (Galatians 5:22, 23). (The Great Controversy, 473, 474)
 
Reflection:  All through the Bible diet played in integral part of the followers of God.  It was so important that Christ's first temptation was on appetite.  Let us be more diligent in this area.

Be Not Unevenly Yoked
 
        Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  2 Corinthians 6:14
 
    When Christians consented to unite with those who were but half converted from paganism, they entered upon a path which led further and further from the truth.  Satan exulted that he had succeeded in deceiving so large a number of the followers of Christ.  He then brought his power to bear more fully upon these, and inspired them to persecute those who remained true to God.  None understood so well how to oppose the true Christian faith as did those who had once been its defenders; and these apostate Christians, uniting with their half-pagan companions, directed their warfare against the most essential features of the doctrines of Christ.
 
    It required a desperate struggle for those who would be faithful to stand firm against the deceptions and abominations which were disguised in sacerdotal garments and introduced into the church.  The Bible was not accepted as the standard of faith.  The doctrine of religious freedom was termed heresy, and its upholders were hated and proscribed.
 
    After a long and severe conflict, the faithful few decided to dissolve all union with the apostate church if she still refused to free herself from falsehood and idolatry....They dared not tolerate errors fatal to their own souls, and set an example which would imperil the faith of their children and children's children." (The Great Controversy, 45)
 
Reflection:  Doesn't that sound like what is going on today?  The Bible is laid aside for what feels good.  Let our prayer be more earnest than ever, that we would not deviate from the Scriptures.

New Creature
 
        Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.  2 Corinthians 5:17
 
    To the heart that has become purified, all is changed.  Transformation of character is the testimony to the world of an indwelling Christ.  The Spirit of God produces a new life in the soul, bringing the thoughts and desires into obedience to the will of Christ; and the inward man is renewed in the image of God.  Weak and erring men and women show to the world that the redeeming power of grace can cause the faulty character to develop into symmetry and abundant fruitfulness.
 
    The heart that receives the word of God is not as a pool that evaporates, not like a broken cistern that loses its treasure.  It is like the mountain stream, fed by unfailing springs, whose cool, sparkling waters leap from rock to rock, refreshing the weary, the thirsty, the heavy-laden.  It is like a river constantly flowing and, as it advances, becoming deeper and wider, until its life-giving waters are spread over all the earth.  The stream that goes singing on its way leaves behind its gift of verdure and fruitfulness.  The grass on its banks is a fresher green, the trees have a richer verdure, the flowers are more abundant.  When the earth lies bare and brown under the summer's scorching heat, a line of verdure marks the river's course. (Prophets and Kings, 233)
 
Reflection:  Did you get that?  Transformation of character is the testimony to the world of an indwelling Christ.  Let's receive His word--100% of it--today, and be the testimony that is so rare to find.

 The Constraining Power of Love
 
        For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.  2 Corinthians 5:14
 
    Christ gave no stinted service.  He did not measure His work by hours.  His time, His heart, His soul and strength, were given to labor for the benefit of humanity.  Through weary days He toiled, and through long nights He bent in prayer for grace and endurance that He might do a larger work.  With strong crying and tears He sent His petitions to heaven, that His human nature might be strengthened, that He might be braced to meet the wily foe in all his deceptive workings, and fortified to fulfill His missions of uplifting humanity.  To His workers He says, "I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done" (John 13:15).
 
    "The love of Christ," said Paul, "constraineth us" (2 Corinthians 5:14).  This was the actuating principle of his conduct, it was his motive power.  If ever his ardor in the path of duty flagged for a moment, one glance at the cross caused him to gird up anew the loins of his mind and press forward in the way of self-denial.  In his labors for his brethren he relied much upon the manifestation of infinite love in the sacrifice of Christ, with its subduing, constraining power. (The Ministry of Healing, 500)
 
Reflection:  Had Christ complained that the work was too hard or that He wasn't paid enough to work hard, where would we be?  LOST!  Paul followed Christ's example of hard work without complaining.  What was the common thread?  If you said "love" you are right.  Let us ask the Lord to give us His love so we might not give stinted service.

New Bodies
 
        For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  1 Corinthians 15:53
 
    With convincing power the apostle set forth the great truth of the resurrection.  "If there be no resurrection of the dead," he argued, "then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain....Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept."
 
    The apostle carried the minds of the Corinthian brethren forward to the triumphs of the resurrection morn, when all the sleeping saints are to be raised, henceforth to live forever with their Lord.  "Behold," the apostle declared, "I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory, O death, where is thy sting?  O grave, where is thy victory?...Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (The Acts of the Apostles, 320)
 
Reflection:  Eye has not seen nor ear heard what God has in store for us.  What an awesome thought! 

 A God of Order
 
        For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.  1 Corinthians 14:33
 
    The order that was maintained in the early Christian church made it possible for them to move forward solidly as a well-disciplined army clad with the armor of God.  The companies of believers, though scattered over a large territory, were all members of one body; all moved in concert and in harmony with one another.  When dissension arose in a local church, as later it did arise in Antioch and elsewhere, and the believers were unable to come to an agreement among themselves, such matters were not permitted to create a division in the church, but were referred to a general council of the entire body of believers, made up of appointed delegates from the various local churches, with the apostles and elders in position of leading responsibility.  Thus the efforts of Satan to attack the church in isolated places were met by concerted action on the part of all, and the plans of the enemy to disrupt and destroy were thwarted.
 
    "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints" (1 Corinthians 14:33).  He requires that order and system be observed in the conduct of church affairs today no less than in the days of old.  He desires His work to be carried forward with thoroughness and exactness so that He may place upon it the seal of His approval.
 
Reflection:  Christian is to be united with Christian, church with church, the human instrumentality co-operating with the divine, every agency subordinate to the Holy Spirit, and all combined in giving to the world the the good tidings of the grace of God. (The Acts of the Apostles, 96)

Gift of Love
 
        Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.  1 Corinthians 13:4
 
    No matter how high the profession, he whose heart is not filled with love for God and his fellow men is not a true disciple of Christ.  Though he should possess great faith and have power even to work miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless.  He might display great liberality; but should he, from some other motive than genuine love, bestow all his goods to feed the poor, the act would not commend him to the favor of God.  In his zeal he might even meet a martyr's death, yet if not actuated by love, he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite.
 
    "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up."  The purest joy springs from the deepest humiliation.  The strongest and noblest characters are built on the foundation of patience, love, and submission to God's will.
 
    "Charity doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil."  Christ-like love places the most favorable construction on the motives and acts of others.  It does not needlessly expose their faults; it does not listen eagerly to unfavorable reports, but seeks rather to bring to mind the good qualities of others. (The Acts of the Apostles, 318, 319)
 
Reflection:  This chapter is so important that I believe we should read it every day.  When we work with others to lead them to Christ, if the principles of this chapter are not conveyed, our efforts will most likely fail.  All the knowledge and experience that heaven and earth has will fall short if our messages don't reflect the love of Christ.  "Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8).