So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Exodus 33:11.

[Prayer offered by Ellen White at the 1903 General Conference session.] Our heavenly Father, we come to Thee this morning just as we are, needy and wholly dependent upon Thee. Help us to have a clear knowledge of what we must be, and of the characters that we must form, in order that we may be prepared to unite with the heavenly family in the city of our God….

O my Father, how can we proclaim Thy goodness, and Thy mercy, and Thy love, unless we cherish them in our own hearts and reveal them in our own experiences? Thou knowest how Thou hast presented this matter to Thy servant….

Here are Thy ministers, whose work it is to proclaim Bible truth. I ask Thee that they may have a clear realization of the responsibilities that rest upon them as guardians and as shepherds of Thy flock…. Let them understand their own weakness, and may the sanctification of the Spirit come to them….

Here are those who bear responsibilities in our institutions…. They have not in their dealings given a right example to the world. They did not realize that others were taking knowledge of them, to see whether they were sanctified by the truth.

Oh, pardon our transgressions and forgive our sins! Show us where we have come short. Let Thy Holy Spirit descend upon us. The world is perishing in sin, and we ask Thee to roll the burden upon us at this meeting….

Thou hast opened these things before me, and Thou alone canst prepare minds and hearts to hear the message that unless those who have left their first love shall return to recognize the work that needs to be done in their individual hearts, Thou wilt come quickly and remove the candlestick out of his place….

We must be reconverted, sanctified, and made fit to bear the message of the Lord….

My Father, break down the barriers, that confessions may be made, from heart To Whom It May Concern: heart, from brother to brother. May the Spirit of God come in; and Thy blessed name shall have all the glory. Amen.—The General Conference Bulletin, April 2, 1903.

From From the Heart

Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7.

All our offerings should be presented with cheerfulness, for they come from the fund which the Lord has seen fit to place in our hands for the purpose of carrying forward His work in the world, in order that the banner of truth may be unfurled in the highways and byways of the earth. If all who profess the truth would give to the Lord His own in tithes and gifts and offerings, there would be meat in the house of the Lord. The cause of benevolence would no longer be dependent on the uncertain gifts of impulse, and vary according to people’s changing feelings. God’s claims would be welcomed, and His cause would be considered as justly entitled to a portion of the funds entrusted to our hands. The Lord is our divine Creditor, and He has made us promises through the prophet Malachi that are very plain, positive, and important. It means very much to us whether or not we are rendering to God His own. He allows His stewards a certain portion for their own use, and if they will trade upon that which He claims, He will divinely bless the means in their hands….

The only plan which the gospel has marked out for sustaining the work of God is one that leaves the support of His cause to the honor of men and women….

Those who are recipients of His grace, who contemplate the cross of Calvary, will not question concerning the proportion to be given, but will feel that the richest offering is all too meager, all disproportionate to the great gift of the only begotten Son of the infinite God…. Through self-denial, the poorest will find ways of obtaining something to give back to God….

The rich are not to feel that they can be content in giving of their money merely…. Parents and children are not to regard themselves as their own, and feel that they can dispose of their time and property as shall please themselves. They are God’s purchased possession, and the Lord calls for the profit of their physical powers, which are to be employed in bringing a revenue to the treasury of the Lord….

Will every soul consider the fact that Christian discipleship includes self-denial, self-sacrifice, even to the laying down of life itself if need be, for the sake of Him who has given His life for the life of the world?—The Review and Herald, July 14, 1896.

From From the Heart

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37.

Jesus Himself, while He dwelt among us, was often in prayer. Prayer went before and sanctified every act of His ministry….

He found comfort and joy in communion with His Father. And if our Savior, the Son of God, felt the need of prayer, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of fervent, constant prayer….

Do not entertain the thought that because you have made mistakes, because your life has been darkened by errors, your Heavenly Father does not love you and will not hear you when you pray…. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows, and even by our utterance of them…. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. None have fallen so low, none are so vile, that they cannot find deliverance in Christ….

If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life. Our prayers will take the form of conversation with God, as we would talk with a friend. He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Often there will come to us a sweet, joyful sense of the presence of Jesus….

How wonderful it is that we can pray effectually, that unworthy, erring mortals possess the power of offering their requests to God. What higher power can we require than this—to be linked with the infinite God? Feeble, sinful people have the privilege of speaking to their Maker. They utter words that reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe….

The rainbow about the throne is an assurance that God is true, that in Him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning…. When we come to Him confessing our unworthiness and sin, He has pledged Himself to give heed to our cry. The honor of His throne is staked for the fulfillment of His Word unto us.—Signs of the Times, June 18, 1902.

From From the Heart

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:14.

The disciples were unacquainted with the Savior’s unlimited resources and power. He said to them, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name.” John 16:24. He explained that the secret of their success would be in asking for strength and grace in His name. He would be present before the Father to make requests for them. The prayer of the humble suppliant He presents as His own desire in that soul’s behalf. Every sincere prayer is heard in heaven. It may not be fluently expressed, but if the heart is in it, it will ascend to the sanctuary where Jesus ministers, and He will present it to the Father without one awkward, stammering word, beautiful and fragrant with the incense of His own perfection….

“In my name” Christ bade His disciples to pray. In Christ’s name His followers are to stand before God. Through the value of the sacrifice made for them, they are of value in the Lord’s sight….

The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves. He desires His chosen heritage to value themselves according to the price He has placed upon them. God wanted them, else He would not have sent His Son on such an expensive errand to redeem them. He has a use for them, and He is well pleased when they make the very highest demands upon Him, that they may glorify His name. They may expect large things if they have faith in His promises.

But to pray in Christ’s name means much. It means that we are to accept His character, manifest His spirit, and work His works. The Savior’s promise is given on condition. “If ye love me,” He says, “keep my commandments.” He saves us, not in sin, but from sin; and those who love Him will show their love by obedience.

All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart-work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service.—The Review and Herald, July 14, 1910.

From From the Heart

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15.

The Bible contains a simple and complete system of theology and philosophy. It is the book that makes us wise unto salvation. It tells us how to reach the abode of eternal happiness. It tells us of the love of God as shown in the plan of redemption, imparting the knowledge essential for all—the knowledge of Christ. He is the Sent of God; He is the Author of our salvation. But apart from the Word of God we could have no knowledge that such a person as the Lord Jesus Christ ever visited our world, nor any knowledge of His divinity, as indicated by His previous existence with the Father.

The Bible is not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it was designed for the common people. The great truths necessary for our salvation are made as clear as noonday, and none will mistake and lose their way except those who follow their own judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God.

The Word of God strikes at every wrong trait of character, molding the whole person, internally and externally, abasing pride and self-exaltation, leading that person to bring the spirit of Christ into the smaller as well as the larger duties of life. It teaches all to be unswerving in their allegiance to justice and purity, and at the same time always to be kind and compassionate.

The appreciation of the Bible grows with its study. Whichever way the student may turn, the infinite wisdom and love of God is displayed. To all who are truly converted, the Word of God is the joy and consolation of the life. The Spirit of God speaks to them, and their heart becomes like a watered garden….

No knowledge is so firm, so consistent, so far-reaching, as that obtained from a study of the Word of God. If there were not another book in the wide world, the Word of God, lived out through the grace of Christ, would make us perfect in this world, with a character fitted for the future, immortal life. Those who study the Word, taking it in faith as the truth and receiving it into the character, will be complete in Him who is all in all. Thank God for the possibilities set before humanity.—The Review and Herald, June 11, 1908.

From From the Heart