March 2020 Signs of the Times Newsletter!

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March 2020 Signs of the Times Email Newsletter The Signs of the Times newsletter is a collection of stories and quotes from past issues ofSigns and These Times. ***************************      Once a ragged little boy was gazing at a picture of Christ in a shop window. "Who is that?" asked a gentleman who noticed the lad. The boy looked at the man in a surprised way, as if he pitied his ignorance, and explained, "That's Jesus." Then he went on to tell who Jesus was and something about what He did, and at the end of the story, the boy's voice became a mere whisper as he said, "And they crucified Him, mister! They crucified Him!" The gentleman turned away, but the ragged little fellow shouted happily after him, "Stop, mister! I didn't tell you the best part. He rose again, mister, He rose again!"     That boy knew, and knew well, what the apostles did not know at first, and what many so-called Christians do not realize yet. The marvel of Christ's resurrection remains a mere marvel to thousands of nominal followers of the Saviour. To them it is a sort of fairy story, a beautiful legend, but it has not become a motive power in their lives.      The true Christian lives in the power of Christ's resurrection. He does not think of a dead Christ, but of a living Saviour, close at hand. And that vital thought makes all the difference between a defeated life and a victorious one.—Amos R. Wells, Signs of the Times, January 18, 1938. Quote: “Unselfish and noble acts are the most radiant epochs in the biography of souls.”—By David Thomas, Signs of the Times, February 24, 1909. *************************** Don't miss the April 2020 issue of Signs of the Times: To order Signs, call: 1-800-765-6955 or CLICK HERE to order online. ***************************      It was Sunday afternoon, and the head of the house was trying to read the voluminous Sunday paper. He was interrupted from time to time by his young daughter, who was playing on the floor beside him. In an effort to channel her attention to something that would keep her occupied for a long while, he clipped a map of the world from his paper, cut it up in many pieces, and challenged the little lady to put it back together again.      He was amazed when she returned to him in a remarkably short time with the map all pasted together properly, and in reply to his query as to how she was able to do the assignment so rapidly, he was told this:      "Daddy, I just looked on the other side of the paper and found the picture of a man. And when I got the man right, the world was right, too!"—By Senator Estes Kefauver, These Times, July 1951 Quote: “The first freedom is freedom from sin.”—Martin Luther, These Times, May 1951. *************************** NEW from Pacific Press—More Than. . . Fishy Crackers by Shawna Campbell. Have you ever scrambled to find a simple, but effective, object lesson to bring the Bible to life for the kids in your church? Now there's help at your fingertips. More Than . . . Fishy Crackershas not one, but 25 creative object lessons guaranteed to engage children with easy-to-understand Bible truths. It's written by Shawna Campbell, children's pastor at the Loma Linda University Church. Order ONLINE or from your local Adventist Book Center--1-800-765-6955. ***************************      A pastor was appealing to a boy to give his heart to the Lord in his youth. "Religion is such a joy," the minister said. "Look at your sister, Sadie. How much that dear girl enjoys her religion!"      "Yes," drawled the boy, with frank candor, "Sadie may enjoy her religion, but nobody else enjoys it."      His judgment may have been harsh and unjust. But there are others besides Sadie whose religion is not a pleasure to their loved ones. What kind do you have?—By Charles G. Bellah, Signs of the Times, January 18, 1938. Quote: “Blessed is he who learns to profit by his wants and infirmities, and who, in all the privations he endures, is still submissive to the will of God.”—Unknown, Signs of the Times, August 13, 1874. *************************** Place this in your church bulletin or newsletter: Why not share Signs of the Times® with a neighbor or relative? Sending a subscription is simple, inexpensive, and effective. Make a difference TODAY! Call: 1-800-765-6955 or go online at: http://www.adventistbookcenter.com/signs-of-the-times-magazine-yearly-us-subscription.html ***************************      It is said that Gutenberg, while working on his first printing-press, was troubled over the perversion possibilities of his epochal invention in enabling evil men to broadcast wickedness. He seized a hammer and was about to break the type into pieces when he was constrained by the knowledge that, though it would be used as an instrument of evil, it would also be a fountain of incalculable good. Both his hopes and his fears have been verified.—Unknown, The Watchman Magazine, September 1922. Quote: “A man has deprived himself of the best there is in the world who has deprived himself of this {a knowledge of the Bible}.”—By Woodrow Wilson, These Times, January 1961. *************************** The largest selection of Adventist eBooks available! Check out: www.AdventisteBooks.com ***************************      John Fawcett was a pastor of a small church in England for seven years. In 1772 he accepted a call to become pastor of a famous Baptist church in London. He preached his farewell sermon, loaded his goods into a wagon, and was about to depart when the villagers surrounded him, shedding tears and expressing grief at his departure. He was so moved by this expression of their love that he unpacked his goods and sent word to the city church that he could not come to be their pastor. And he remained at that country church all the rest of his life. Within a week after making that decision, he wrote the famous hymn "Blest Be the Tie That Binds Our Hearts in Christian Love."—By H. M. S. Richards, These Times, June 1951. Quote: “When Paul was in the ship in route to Rome, he took possession of it. When Jesus lay asleep in the boat on Galilee, He awoke to take possession of it. As I learn all the possibilities of life, I shall take possession of the ships on which I ride. I shall not again ride in a ship and let circumstances rule me. God dwelling in me, I shall make circumstances do His full will.”—By From Frank Laubach’s Prayer Diary, These Times,July 1965. *************************** FREE soul-winning packet of materials! CLICK here and send name and mailing address before March 15, 2020. ***************************      A little child was playing with its mother, and they were talking about heaven. The mother had been telling the child of the joys and glories of that happy world, the beauty and glory of the angels with their shining wings, the streets of gold, the gates of pearl, the golden crowns, and the harps, and the white robes, and the song of redemption. There is no sickness there, no pain, nor death, nor sorrow, nor sighing, for God shall wipe away all the tears from every eye, and there is no sin, that makes all the grief and trouble here, but perfect holiness. All will be holy, just as the Lord Jesus is holy, and all will be perfectly happy in him. All good children will be there; and he himself has said, "Suffer little children, to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Oh what a happy world! There shall we see God, and love him, and rejoice in him, and God himself will be with us and be our God.      "There we shall see his face,      And never, never sin,      And from the rivers of his grace      Drink endless pleasures in."      Oh, what a happy world! And how happy shall we all be when we once get there!      "Oh, dear mother," said the little child, jumping up at the thought of such a bright and happy place, and such happy company, "let us all go now, let us start now! I long to be there. Let us go right away, tonight."      "Oh, but we can't get ready tonight, we must wait a little; and besides, God is not ready for us to come yet, but when we must come he will let us know."      "But why can't we get ready now? Oh, I should like to go now, right up to heaven. Dear mother, let us go tomorrow."      "But, my dear child, we are not ready yet, and we must wait for God's time, and when he is ready he will send for us."      "Well dear mother, let us begin to pack up now, at any rate."      There was a volume in this sentence. Could it fail to reach the mother's heart'? Why are we not ready for heaven now? Have we begun to pack up? Are we getting ready? Are our affections fixed upon that better city and land, that heavenly country? Do we long to be there? How much time would it take to get ready? Are we living as strangers and pilgrims on the earth? Ought we not to begin to pack up now, at any rate?—Sabbath School Visitor, The Youth’s Instructor, August, 1853. Quote: “The longer you read the Bible the more you will like it; it will grow sweeter and sweeter; and the more you get into the spirit of it, the more you will get into the Spirit of Christ.” Unknown, The Youth’s Instructor, August 1853. *************************** Looking for a book to share with a friend? Visit www.AdventistBookCenter.com ***************************       If I may judge sermons by the good they do me and the length of time I can remember them, then the best sermon I ever heard was preached by an old farmer, standing up to his knees in mud in the middle of an extensive rice field, and it illustrated Hebrews 12:1, 2 perfectly.      It was the monsoon season in Burma. Day by day the sky had emptied itself onto the thirsty land. The Salween River was swollen to overflowing. Every available man and woman was transplanting rice. I was taking supplies to Peter at our outstation in Naung Ka Ring. I had a pack on my back, huge rubber boots on my feet, and an umbrella over my head, but the journey was exceedingly unpleasant. In the dry season it was only three miles across the fields, but now with the rice terraces planted or ready for planting, all filled with water and mud, the path zigzagged to six miles in, out, around, and on top of the little mud walls which bordered the tiny fields. I slipped frequently. It's no fun to sit down and pour mud and water out of your boots; it's no fun to itch all over with prickly heat; and I was feeling "gloriously miserable" as I sighed "Oh, there'll be joy when the work is done."      It was just at this time that I approached a group of about 12 people planting one tiny field. Their backs were bent. Their lips were blue. Their skin was goose-fleshed. What clothes they had were stuck to their bodies because of the rain. I paused. My heart went out to them in sympathy, and I said to the poor old man nearest to me, "Uncle, I'm so sorry for you."      He looked up and said, "Ugh?"      "I'm sorry for you because you must be so tired," I repeated.      The old man looked puzzled and again said, "Ugh?"      "Why, look at your skin! Your lips!" I cried. "How tired must your back be! And that mud! Look, you are up to your knees in soft, oozy mud! And I'm sorry for you."      A smile lit up his face. He turned to his companions and pointing to me with his thumb over his shoulder, he said: "Poor white man! He doesn't understand! He doesn't understand!" Then, he turned his radiant face toward me and added: "Thara, you don't understand. This is the best mud in the river valley. Look how soft it is! How easy to poke in the young rice plants! We started very early this morning, and there is a little bit of a moon tonight; we will keep planting till we can't see another stalk of rice. Oh, Thara, this is a good mud! We get 40 bushels of rice to the acre in mud like this!"      He bent again to his task. I murmured some good wishes, and turned to my journey. But something had happened. What a vision that dear old man had! The mud and the weariness were there, but he was not looking at them, he was looking at the 40 bushels of rice at the harvest time, and the vision of that reward made him rejoice in his mud! Good mud!      Suddenly I found myself saying after him, "Good mud! Forty bushels of rice to the acre in mud like this!" And my weariness was gone, my feet weren't sore anymore. My prickly heat didn't itch. I was thinking of the souls Peter and I were going to have at the harvest time, and I shouted again, "Good mud!"      That's just what Abraham did. He endured the meanness of Lot, "for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God." Hebrews 11:10.      That's what Moses did. He overcame the glittering temptations of the world, "for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." Hebrews 11:26.      That's what Paul did. He sang in prison, for he reckoned that the sufferings of that present time were not worthy to be compared with the glory that should be revealed. (Romans 8:18.)      And that is just what we can do. Looking unto Jesus, beholding His beauty and His loveliness, we long to be like Him. But how often we have to struggle through the slough of despair! How often we have to strive to overcome the glittering temptations of the world! How often we have to suffer coldness and misunderstanding at the hands of our fellow men!      But rejoice! These very things make "good mud that yields 40 bushels of rice to the acre," and if we KEEP our eyes upon Jesus, our goal and our reward, we will find ourselves shouting, "Good trials! Good temptations!" For the trying of our faith worketh patience; and if we keep heart and endure, then the trials, the slights, the weariness will lose their sting, and soon we shall be like Him! (James 1: 3, 4.)—By Eric B. Hare, Our Times, January 1947. Quote: “Greatness, far from impairing goodness, does but contribute to its enlargement, as a public fountain is elevated that it may send forth its streams farther.”—By Bosseut,Signs of the Times, August 13, 1874. *************************** Compiled by Dale Galusha. Please pass this newsletter on to others.