June 20:  Christian Fellowship.

Searching for the Lost.
"And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' "--Luke 15:6, ESV

THANK GOD, He has presented to our imagination no picture of a sorrowful shepherd returning without the sheep.  The parable does not speak of failure but of success and joy in the recovery.--Christ's Object Lessons, 188.

And when the straying one is found, does he command it to follow him?  Does he threaten or beat it, or drive it before him, thinking of the discomfort and anxiety that he has suffered on its account?  No; he lays the exhausted sheep on his shoulder, and with cheerful gratitude that his search has not been in vain, he returns to the fold.  His gratitude finds expression in songs of rejoicing.  And "when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."

So when the lost sinner is found by the Good Shepherd, heaven and earth unite in rejoicing and thanksgiving.  For "joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance"  [Luke 5:6, 7].--Gospel Workers, section 6, p. 182.

This illustrates the blessed, joyful work of laboring for the erring.  The church that engages successfully in this work is a happy church.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, 22.

                     Those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
                               So let's not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time
                  we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.  Therefore, whenever we have
            the opportunity, we should do good to everyone--especially to those in the family of faith.
                                                                              --Galatians 6:8-10, NLT

June 19:  Christian Fellowship.

Words and Acts of Kindness.
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.--Proverbs 27:9, NLT

CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE CAREFUL in regard to their words....The conversation should be upon spiritual and divine thoughts....If the association with Christian friends is chiefly denoted to the improvement of the mind and heart, there will be no after regrets, and they can look back on the interview with a pleasant satisfaction.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, 186.

In all our associations it should be remembered that in the experience of others there are chapters sealed from mortal sight.  On the pages of memory are sad histories that are sacredly guarded from curious eyes.  There stand registered long, hard battles with trying circumstances, perhaps troubles in the home life, that day by day weaken courage, confidence, and faith.  Those who are fighting the battle of life at great odds may be strengthened and encouraged by little attentions that cost only a loving effort.  To such the strong, helpful grasp of the hand by a true friend is worth more than gold or silver.  Words of kindness are as welcome as the smile of angels.--The Ministry of Healing.--158.

                                           Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
                                                     and the pleasantness of a friend
                                                     springs from their heartfelt advice.
                                                                                           --Proverbs 27:9, NIV

June 18:  Christian Fellowship.

Put Yourself in My Place.
That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won't be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy.  Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful.--2 Corinthians 2:3, NLT

IN YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH OTHERS, put yourself in their place.  Enter into their feelings, their difficulties, their disappointments, their joys, and their sorrows.  Identify yourself with them, and then do to them as, were you to exchange places with them, you would wish them to deal with you.  This is the true rule of honesty.  It is another expression of the law.  "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."  Matthew 22:39.  And it is the substance of the teaching of the prophet.  It is a principle of heaven, and will be developed in all who are fitted for its holy companionship.

The golden rule is the principle of true courtesy, and its truest illustration is seen in the life and character of Jesus.  Oh, what rays of softness and beauty shone forth in the daily life of our Saviour!  What sweetness flowed from His very presence!  The same spirit will be revealed in His children.  Those with whom Christ dwells will be fragrant with perfume from the garden of the Lord.  Their faces will reflect light from His, brightening the path for stumbling weary feet.--Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 134, 135.

                "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"
                    Jesus replied, " 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
              all your soul, and all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.
                         A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
                                    The entire law and all the demands of the prophets
                                           are based on these two commandments."
                              
                                                    --Matthew 22:36-40, NLT

June 17:  Christian Fellowship.

Joyfully Putting Others First.
Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.  For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.--Philippians 2:17, 18, NKJV

GOD DOES NOT ACCEPT the most splendid service unless self is laid upon the altar, a living, consuming sacrifice.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, 248.

Not one nook or corner of the soul is to be a hiding place for selfishness.  God desires that heaven's plan shall be carried out, and heaven's divine order and harmony prevail, in every family, in every church, in every institution.  Did this love leaven society, we should see the outworking of noble principles of Christian refinement and courtesy, and in Christian charity toward the purchase of the blood of Christ.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, 139.

It was to give in His own life an illustration that Jesus came in the form of humanity.  And all who accept this principle are to be workers together with Him in demonstrating it in practical life.--Education, 154.

We cannot be happy while we are wrapped up in our interest for ourselves....If we injure others, we injure ourselves also.  If we bless others, we also bless ourselves; for the influence of every good deed is reflected upon our own hearts.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 71.

In order to be happy ourselves, we must live to make others happy.  It is well for us to yield our possessions, our talents, and our affections in grateful devotion to Christ, and in that way find happiness here and immortal glory hereafter.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 250.

June 16:  Christian Fellowship.

Little Things That Bring Joy.
And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.--Luke 1:58, ESV

FRIENDLY SYMPATHY and real feelings of tender interest for others would bring to your souls blessings that you have never yet experienced and would bring you into close relation to our Redeemer, whose advent to the world was for the purpose of doing good and whose life we are to copy.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 526.

The love and interest of Christ's followers must be as broad as the world.  Those who live merely for "me and mine" will fail of heaven.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 529.

We should have words and deeds of tender consideration for others.  We can manifest a thousand little attentions in friendly words and pleasant looks, which will be reflected upon us again.  Thoughtless Christians manifest by their neglect of others that they are not in union with Christ.  It is impossible to be in union with Christ and yet be unkind to others and forgetful of their rights.  Many long intensely for friendly sympathy.  God has given each of us an identity of our own, which cannot be merged in that of another; but our individual characteristics will be much less prominent if we are indeed Christ's and His will is ours.  Our lives should be consecrated to the good and happiness of others, as was our Saviour's.  We should be self-forgetful, ever looking out for opportunities, even in little things, to show gratitude for the favors we have received of others, and watching for opportunities to cheer others and lighten and relieve their sorrows and burdens by acts of tender kindness and little deeds of love.  These thoughtful courtesies, that, commencing in our families, extend outside the family circle, help make up the sum of life's happiness; and the neglect of these little things makes up the sum of life's bitterness and sorrow.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 539.

June 15:  Christian Fellowship.

Rejoicing Together.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.--Romans 12:15, NKJV

GOD HAS SO CONSTITUTED US that even the strongest desire sympathy,--Gospel Workers, 209.

Men cannot love God supremely and their neighbor as themselves, and be as cold as icebergs.  Not only do they rob God of the love due Him, but they rob their neighbor as well.  Love is a plant of heavenly growth, and it must be fostered and nourished.  Affectionate hearts, truthful, loving words, will make happy families and exert an elevating influence upon all who come within the sphere of their influence.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 548.

The wonderful example of Christ, the matchless tenderness with which He entered into the feelings of others, weeping with those who wept, rejoicing with those who rejoiced, must have a deep influence upon the character of all who follow Him in sincerity.  By kindly words and acts they will try to make the path easy for weary feet....

All around us are afflicted souls.  Here and there, everywhere, we may find them.  Let us search out these suffering ones and speak a word in season to comfort their hearts.  Let us ever be channels through which shall flow the refreshing waters of compassion.--The Ministry of Healing, 157, 158.

                                          "For so the Lord has commanded us:
                                       "I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,
                                 That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.' "
                              
                                                     --Acts 13:47, NKJV

June 14:  Christian Fellowship.

The Marks of a True Friend.
"I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women."--2 Samuel 1:26, NRSV

THE FRIENDSHIP OF JONATHAN for David was...of God's providence, to preserve the life of the future ruler of Israel.--Patriarchs and Prophets, 649.

Jonathan, by birth heir to the throne, yet knowing himself set aside by the divine decree; to his rival the most tender and faithful of friends, shielding David's life at the peril of his own; steadfast at his father's side through the dark day of his declining power, and at his side falling at the last-the name of Jonathan is treasured in heaven, and it stands on earth a witness to the existence and power of unselfish love.--Education, 157.

                                      "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
                                      In life and in death they were not divided;
                                                they were swifter than eagles;
                                                they were stronger than lions.

                                         "You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
                                           who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
                                       who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

                                                    "How the mighty have fallen
                                                       in the midst of the battle!

                                           "Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
                                         I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
                                                 very pleasant have you been to me;
                                                 your love to me was extraordinary,
                                                     surpassing the love of women."
                                                                                 --2 Samuel 1:26, ESV

June 13:  Christian Fellowship.

Support and Understanding.
So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother?  I know that he can speak well.  And look, he is also coming out to meet you.  When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart."--Exodus 4:14, NKJV

THE DESIRE FOR LOVE and sympathy is implanted in the heart by God Himself.  Christ, in His hour of agony in Gethsemane, longed for the sympathy of His disciples....Paul, though apparently indifferent to hardship and suffering, yearned for sympathy and companionship.--The Acts of the Apostles, 491.

While we should cultivate sociability, let it not be merely for amusement, but for a higher purpose.--Gospel Workers, 125.

All our associations with our fellow mortals should be with reference to their eternal interest and to our own.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 236.

We may associate together...and do all to the glory of God....From all these pleasant associations, we want to be gathering new strength to become better men and women.  From every source possible we want to gather new courage, new strength, new power, that we may elevate our lives to purity and holiness, and not come down upon the low level of this world.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, 586, 587.

                   Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said,
              "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite?  I know he can speak well.
                He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you."
                                                                                                --Exodus 4:14, NIV

June 12:  Christian Fellowship.

Refreshing Others Through Christ.
That I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together.--Romans 15:32, NKJV

ALL WHO PROFESS to be children of God should bear in mind that as missionaries they will be brought into contact with all classes of minds.  There are the refined and the coarse, the humble and the proud, the religious and the skeptical, the educated and the ignorant, the rich and the poor.  These varied minds cannot be treated alike; yet all need kindness and sympathy.  By mutual contact our minds should receive polish and refinement.  We are dependent upon one another, closely bound together by the ties of human brotherhood.

        "Heaven forming each on other to depend,
        A master or a servant or a friend,
        Bids each on other for assistance call,
        Till one man's weakness grows the strength of all."

It is through social relations that Christianity comes in contact with the world.  Every man or woman who has received the divine illumination is to shed light on the dark pathway of those who are unacquainted with the better way.  Social power, sanctified by the Spirit of Christ, must be improved in bringing souls to the Saviour.  Christ is not to be hid away in the heart as a coveted treasure, sacred and sweet, to be enjoyed solely by the possessor.  We are to have Christ in us as a well of water, springing up into everlasting life, refreshing all who come in contact with us.--The Ministry of Healing, 495, 496.

June 11:  Christian Fellowship.

Promoting the Welfare of Others.
Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort.  And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.--2 Corinthians 7:13, NKJV

THE WARMTH OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP, the love that binds heart to heart, is a foretaste of the joys of heaven.--The Ministry of Healing, 360.

Every soul is surrounded by an atmosphere of its own--an atmosphere, it may be, charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, and hope, and sweet with the fragrance of love.  Or it may be heavy and chill with the gloom of discontent and selfishness, or poisonous with the deadly taint of cherished sin.  By the atmosphere surrounding us, every person with whom we come in contact is consciously or unconsciously affected.--Christ's Object Lessons, 339.

The life of Christ was an ever-widening, shoreless influence, an influence that bound Him to God and to the whole human family.  Through Christ, God has invested man with an influence that makes it impossible for him to live to himself.  Individually we are connected with our fellow men, a part of God's great whole, and we stand under mutual obligations.  No man can be independent of his fellow men; for the well-being of each affects others.  It is God's purpose that each shall feel himself necessary to others' welfare, and seek to promote their happiness.--Christ's Object Lessons, 339.

                             We have been greatly encouraged by this.
                In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted
                             to see how happy Titus was about the way
                      all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease.
                                                                             --2 Corinthians 7:13, NLT