Amen, Brother Richard, Brother Beacon, Sister Dorine, and Brother Philip!
How can you live a happy, victorious Christian life filled with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing? Come commune with Jesus and do not let other temptations pull you away from appreciating His loveliness of character. Then His experience becomes ours, and our life is hid in Him. What a joy to be complete in Christ and have the Holy Spirit transform us from one degree of Christ's character perfection to the next degree of Christ's character perfection! As long as the whole heart is yielded to Him, He abides in us and we in Him and the sinful heart of unbelief, also known as the flesh, is kept under by the divine nature accessible to us in His word by the Holy Spirit!
"If Joseph and Mary had stayed their minds upon God by meditation and prayer, they would have realized the sacredness of their trust, and would not have lost sight of Jesus. By one day's neglect they lost the Saviour; but it cost them three days of anxious search to find Him. So with us; by idle talk, evilspeaking, or neglect of prayer, we may in one day lose the Saviour's presence, and it may take many days of sorrowful search to find Him, and regain the peace that we have lost." {The Desire of Ages, page 83, paragraph 1}
"In our association with one another, we should take heed lest we forget Jesus, and pass along unmindful that He is not with us. When we become absorbed in worldly things so that we have no thought for Him in whom our hope of eternal life is centered, we separate ourselves from Jesus and from the heavenly angels. These holy beings cannot remain where the Saviour's presence is not desired, and His absence is not marked. This is why discouragement so often exists among the professed followers of Christ." {The Desire of Ages, page 83, paragraph 2}
"Many attend religious services, and are refreshed and comforted by the word of God; but through neglect of meditation, watchfulness, and prayer, they lose the blessing, and find themselves more destitute than before they received it. Often they feel that God has dealt hardly with them. They do not see that the fault is their own. By separating themselves from Jesus, they have shut away the light of His presence." {The Desire of Ages, page 83, paragraph 3}
"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." {The Desire of Ages, page 83, paragraph 4}
"As we associate together, we may be a blessing to one another. If we are Christ's, our sweetest thoughts will be of Him. We shall love to talk of Him; and as we speak to one another of His love, our hearts will be softened by divine influences. Beholding the beauty of His character, we shall be 'changed into the same image from glory to glory.' 2 Corinthians 3:18." {The Desire of Ages, page 83, paragraph 5}
Let us experience this and encourage others also in this happy way to be ready for heaven!