July 27:  The Joy of Service.

The Angels Rejoice When Sinners Repent.
"I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance....Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."--Luke 15:7, 10, NKJV

THERE IS MORE JOY in the presence of the angels in heaven over one sinner that repents than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance.  There is joy with the Father and with Christ.  All heaven is interested in the salvation of man.  He who is instrumental in saving a soul is at liberty to rejoice; for angels of God have witnessed his efforts with the most intense interest, and rejoice with him in his success.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 263.

Humanity is still as much the object of heaven's solicitude as when common men of common occupations met angels at noonday, and talked with the heavenly messengers in the vineyards and the fields.  To us in the common walks of life, heaven may be very near.  Angels from the courts above will attend the steps of those who come and go at God's command.--The Desire of Ages, 48.

All the resources of heaven are at the command of those who are seeking to save the lost.  Angels will help you to reach the most careless and the most hardened.  And when one is brought back to God, all heaven is made glad; seraphs and cherubs touch their golden harps, and sing praises to God and the Lamb for their mercy and loving-kindness to the children of men.--Christ's Object Lessons, 197.

                             For God saved us and called us to live a holy life.
                He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan
            from before the beginning of time--to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
                              
                                                                    --2 Timothy 1:9, NLT

July 26:  The Joy of Serving.

The Joy of Christ.
"Now I am coming to you.  I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy."--John 17:13, NLT

THE JOY SET BEFORE CHRIST, the joy that sustained Him through sacrifice and suffering, was the joy of seeing sinners saved.  This should be the joy of every follower of His, the spur to his ambition.--Prophet and Kings, 172.

God has given to every man his work, and no one else can do that work for him.  Oh, that you individually would apply the eyesalves, that you might see your defects of character and realize how God regards your love of the world, which is crowding out the love of God.  Nothing can give you such power, such true self-reliance and nobility of soul, as a sense of the dignity of your work, an assurance that you are co-laborers with God in doing good and saving souls.

The Son of God came to this world to leave an example of a perfect life.  He sacrificed Himself for the joy that was set before Him, the joy of seeing souls rescued from Satan's grasp and saved in the kingdom of God.  "Follow Me" was Christ's command.  Those who follow His example will share in the divine work of doing good and will finally enter into the joy of their Lord.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 615.

That joy, to which Christ Himself looks forward with eager desire, is presented in His request to His Father, "I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." [John 17:24].--Gospel Workers, 516.

                "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am,
                               that they may behold My glory which You have given Me;
                                  for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."
                              
                                                                 --John 17:24, NKJV

July 25:  The Joy of Service.

The Joy Found in Saving the Lost.
"And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "--Luke 15:31, 32, NKJV

YOU CLAIM TO BE A CHILD OF GOD; but if this claim be true, it is "thy brother" that was "dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."  He is bound to you by the closest ties; for God recognizes him as a son.  Deny your relationship to him, and you show that you are but a hireling in the household, not a child in the family.--Christ's Object Lessons, 211.

When you see yourselves as sinners saved only by the love of your heavenly Father, you will have tender pity for others who are suffering in sin.  You will no longer meet misery and repentance with jealousy and censure.  When the ice of selfishness is melted from your hearts, you will be in sympathy with God, and will share His joy in the saving of the lost.--Christ's Object Lessons, 210.

God has qualified His people to enlighten the world.  He has entrusted them with faculties by which they are to extend His work until it shall encircle the globe....

...In far-off countries, from those whose hearts are by these agencies turned from the service of sin unto righteousness, will be heard thanksgiving and the voice of melody.  By their songs of grateful praise a testimony will be borne that will win others to allegiance to and fellowship with Christ.

The conversion of souls to God is the greatest, the noblest work in which human beings can have a part.  In this work are revealed God's power, His holiness, His forbearance, and His unbounded love.  Every true conversion glorifies Him and causes the angels to break forth into singing.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, 51, 52.

July 24:  The Joy of Service.

The Revelation of the Lord's Joy in Our Lives.
Then he said unto them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord.  Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."--Nehemiah 8:10, NKJV

GOD IN HIS PROVIDENCE has willed that no one can secure happiness by living for himself alone.  The joy of our Lord consisted in enduring toil and shame for others, that they might be benefited thereby.  We are capable of being happy in following His example and living to bless our fellow men.

We are invited by our Lord to take His yoke and bear His burden.  In doing this we may be happy.  In bearing our own self-imposed yoke and carrying our own burdens, we find no rest; but in bearing the yoke of Christ there is rest to the soul.  Those who want some great work to do for the Master can find it just where they are, in doing good and in being self-forgetful and self-sacrificing, remembering others and carrying sunshine wherever they go.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 224.

All heaven is waiting for channels through which can be poured the holy oil to be a joy and blessing to human hearts.

Christ has made every provision that His church shall be a transformed body, illumined with the Light of the world, possessing the glory of Emmanuel.  It is His purpose that every Christian shall be surrounded with a spiritual atmosphere of light and peace.  He desires that we shall reveal His own joy in our lives.--Christ's Object Lessons, 419.

                "Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!"
                              
                                                                   --Nehemiah 8:10, NLT

July 23:  The Joy of Service.

Filled With the Holy Ghost.
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.--Acts 13:52, NKJV

THE HOLY SPIRIT is the breath of spiritual life in the soul.  The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ.--The Desire of Ages, 805.

No sooner does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus; the saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart.  If we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ and are filled with the joy of His indwelling Spirit, we shall not be able to hold our peace.  If we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good we shall have something to tell.  Like Philip when he found the Saviour, we shall invite others into His presence.  We shall seek to present to them the attractions of Christ and the unseen realities of the world to come.  There will be an intensity of desire to follow in the path that Jesus trod.  There will be an earnest longing that those around us may "behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."  John 1:29.

And the effort to bless others will react in blessings upon ourselves.  This was the purpose of God in giving us a part to act in the plan of redemption.  He has granted men the privilege of becoming partakers of the divine nature and, in their turn, of diffusing blessings to their fellow men.--Steps to Christ, 78, 79.

        And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises.
                         These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature
                              and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires.
                                                                                                      --2 Peter 1"4, NLT

July 22:  The Joy of Service.

Serving Is the Source of Our Greatest Joy.
"Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit."--Isaiah 65:14, NKJV

IN OUR LIFE HERE, earthly, sin-restricted though it is, the greatest joy and the highest education are in service.  And in the future state, untrammeled by the limitations of sinful humanity, it is in service that our greatest joy and our highest education will be found--witnessing, and ever as we witness learning anew "the rices of the glory of this mystery;" "which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."  Colossians 1:27.--Education, 309.

We do not, as followers of Christ, realize our true position.  We do not have correct views of our responsibilities as hired servants of Christ.  He has advanced us the wages in His suffering life and spilled blood, to bind us in willing servitude to Himself.  All the good things we have are a loan from our Saviour.  He has made us stewards.  Our smallest offerings, our humblest services, presented in faith and love, may be consecrated gifts to win souls to the service of the Master and to promote His glory.  The interest and prosperity of Christ's kingdom should be paramount to every other consideration.  Those who make their pleasure and selfish interest the chief objects of their lives are not faithful stewards.

Those who deny self to do others good, and who devote themselves and all they have to Christ's service, will realize the happiness which the selfish man seeks for is vain.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 397.

                  And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.
                                                                                                 --Colossians 3:23, NKJV

July 21:  The Joy of Service.

The Joy Found in Worship.
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.--Psalm 2:11, NKJV

WHATEVER COMES, let it not enfeeble your moral courage and cause your religion to degenerate into a heartless form.  The loving Jesus is ready to bless abundantly; but we need to obtain an experience in faith, in earnest prayer, and in rejoicing in the love of God.  Shall any of us be weighed in the balances and be found wanting?  We must watch ourselves, watch the least unholy promptings of our nature, lest we become traitors to the high responsibilities God has bestowed upon us as His human agencies.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, 532.

Every living Christian will be a disinterested worker for God.  The Lord has given us a knowledge of His will that we may become channels of light to others.  If Christ is abiding in us, we cannot help working for Him.  It is impossible to retain the favor of God and enjoy the blessing of a Saviour's love, and yet be indifferent to the danger of those who are perishing in their sins.  "Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit."--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, 238.

The world's Redeemer did not design that His purchased inheritance should live and die in their sins.  Why, then, are so few reached and saved?  It is because so many of those who profess to be Christians are working in the same lines as the great apostate.  Thousands who know not God might today be rejoicing in His love if those who claim to serve Him would work as Christ worked.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, 273.

            I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving
                 be made for all people....This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
              who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
                              
                                                                    --1 Timothy 2:1, 3, 4, NIV

July 20:  The Joy of Service.

Working With God Brings Happiness.
Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long.  Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.  For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all who call upon you.--Psalm 86:3-5, NKJV

THE FACES OF MEN AND WOMEN who walk and work with God express the peace of heaven.  They are surrounded with the atmosphere of heaven.  For these souls the kingdom of God has begun.  They have Christ's joy of being a blessing to humanity.  They have the honor of being accepted for the Master's use; they are trusted to do His work in His name.--The Desire of Ages, 312.

God might have committed the message of the gospel, and all the work of loving ministry, to the heavenly angels.  He might have employed other means for accomplishing His purpose.  But in His infinite love He chose to make us co-workers with Himself, with Christ and the angels, that we might share the blessing, the joy, the spiritual uplifting, which results from this unselfish ministry.--Steps to Christ, 79.

In proportion as the love of Christ fills our hearts and controls our lives, covetousness, selfishness, and love of ease will be overcome, and it will be our pleasure to do the will of Christ, whose servants we claim to be.  Our happiness will then be proportionate to our unselfish works, prompted by the love of Christ.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 382.

      For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching.
      They will...look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
                                  They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
                               But you should keep a clear mind in every situation.
              Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord.  Work at telling others the Good News,
                                  and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
                                                                                              --2 Timothy 4:3-5, NLT

July 19:  The Joy of Service.

The Happy Christian Makes Others Happy.
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.  For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me."--Romans 15:2, 3, NKJV

IT IS THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY to make happy families and happy society.  Discord, selfishness, and strife will be put away from every man and woman who possess the true spirit of Christ.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 520.

God's standard of man is elevated to the highest meaning of the term, and if he acts up to his God-given manhood he will promote happiness in this life, which will lead to glory and an eternal reward in the life to come.

The members of the human family are entitled to the name of men and women only when they employ their talents, in every possible way, for the good of others.  The life of Christ is before us as a pattern.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 520.

Those who feel no special pleasure in seeking to be a blessing to others, in working, even at a sacrifice, to do them good, cannot have the spirit of Christ or of heaven; for they have no union with the work of heavenly angels and cannot participate in the bliss that imparts elevated joy to them.  Christ has said: "Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."  If the joy of angels is to see sinners repent, will it not be the joy of sinners, saved by the blood of Christ, to see others repent and turn to Christ through their instrumentality?  In working in harmony with Christ and the holy angels we shall experience a joy that cannot be realized aside from this work.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 381.

July 18:  The Joy of Service.

Happiness Found in Serving Others.
Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.  And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.--Philippians 1:25, 26, NLT

THE SPIRIT OF UNSELFISH LABOR for others gives depth, stability, and Christlike loveliness to the character, and brings peace and happiness to its possessor.  The aspirations are elevated.  There is no room for sloth or selfishness.  Those who thus exercise the Christian graces will grow and will become strong to work for God.  They will have clear spiritual perceptions, a steady, growing faith, and an increased power in prayer.  The Spirit of God, moving upon their spirit, calls forth the sacred harmonies of the soul in answer to the divine touch.  Those who thus devote themselves to unselfish effort for the good of others are most surely working out their own salvation.--Steps to Christ, 80.

Seize every opportunity to contribute to the happiness of those around you, sharing with them your affection.  Words of kindness, looks of sympathy, expressions of appreciation, would to many a struggling, lonely one be as a cup of cold water to a thirsty soul.  A word of cheer, an act of kindness, would go far to lighten the burdens that are resting heavily upon weary shoulders.  It is in unselfish ministry that true happiness is found.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, 49.

                                "What does the Lord your God require of you,
                     but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him,
                        to serve the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul,
                              and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statues
                                           which I command you today for your good?"
                              
                                                           --Deuteronomy 10:12, 13, NKJV