Since 2016, I have been overwhelmingly enamored by the life of Jesus. I started to read a chapter a day from The Desire of Ages in my devotional life. It has been a source of tremendous strength to my life and ministry, and for good reason.
In the midst of the change that has engulfed our world in the last few years, the one constant is, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8, NKJV). I can testify that by beholding His life, I have become changed. “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.”1 From time spent beholding Christ’s life and grasping it in imagination, we are promised increased and more constant “confidence,” that “our love will be quickened,” and that “we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit.”
How encouraging that the three remedies needed to cure the spiritual crisis of Laodicea are offered to us in the experience of freshly, daily beholding Christ. “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see” (Rev. 3:18, KJV). “The gold is faith and love, the white raiment is the righteousness of Christ, the eyesalve is that spiritual discernment which will enable you to see the wiles of Satan and shun them, to detect sin and abhor it, to see truth and obey it.”2 I praise God for the cure for being spiritually lukewarm!
Point them to Christ
As I interact with people in life and ministry, I continually desire to point them to Christ and the blessing that comes from beholding Him. I know that by nature the heart is evil, but Jesus promises to cleanse it when it is fully yielded to Him—and that new heart results in a change of life amid growth in grace. “When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing.”2 Such an experience is a gift God gives us so that we can have His abiding presence in all circumstances and be prepared to minister to others out of the overflow of beholding Christ.
I highly value Ellen G. White’s writings as an inspired manifestation of the spiritual gift of prophecy that uplifts the Bible and the life of Jesus, “for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10, KJV). Her writings provide counsel and guidance to prepare people for the second coming of Jesus. As such, the Spirit of Prophecy has been such a blessing!
I enjoy composing songs from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy and have found that these precious thoughts are often coming to mind in my life and ministry experience as a soundtrack of my life. Ellen White’s books have drawn me closer to my Lord and His Word. May your personal devotions be deeply filled with ever-fresh glimpses of Jesus to reflect to all whom God’s providence brings along your life and ministry path.
- Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Oakland, CA: Pacific Press, 1898), 83.
- Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5 (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1882), 233.
- White, The Desire of Ages, 676.
