I am writing tonight from beautiful, icy cold Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Luke 2:41-50 Tells about  Mary and Joesph taking Jesus to the Passover, when He was 12 years old. On the way home Mary and Joseph assumed Jesus was in their company, however He was not with them. He was back at the temple,  or what we would call the church of the day.  Do we sometimes assume today, that so long as we are with “church” people that Jesus must be with us? The story of the Passover visit, the Jews demanding Pilate to crucify Jesus, and even the whole Israeli nation and its leaders worshiping Baal back in the days of Elijah, show us that we can’t afford to make the same mistake Jesus’ parents made, in thinking that so long as we are with a church that we must be with Jesus. Mary and Joseph were with “church” people traveling back home from the temple, but they weren’t with Jesus.

So how do we make sure we don’t make the same mistake?

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.
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.
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.
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.
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. –Ellen White, Desire of Ages, Page 83