Christian Life

Lessons From the Flowers

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“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, [will He] not much more [clothe] you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:28–30.

In this passage, Jesus talks about the lilies of the field, and how much more He cares for us. So, what are some lessons that we can learn from the flowers?

Quiet Graces

“Many are the ways in which God is seeking to make Himself known to us and bring us into communion with Him. Nature speaks to our senses without ceasing. The open heart will be impressed with the love and glory of God as revealed through the works of His hands. The listening ear can hear and understand the communications of God through the things of nature. The green fields, the lofty trees, the buds and flowers, the passing cloud, the falling rain, the babbling brook, the glories of the heavens, speak to our hearts, and invite us to become acquainted with Him who made them all.” Steps to Christ, 85.

“God would have His children appreciate His works and delight in the simple, quiet beauty with which He has adorned our earthly home. He is a lover of the beautiful, and above all that is outwardly attractive He loves beauty of character; He would have us cultivate purity and simplicity, the quiet graces of the flowers.” Ibid.

We are to cultivate, to copy, the quiet graces of the flowers. What are these quiet graces? First is purity, which means, “free from defilement or sin.” Second is simplicity, which means, “free from pretense or guile [not fake Christians], simple, and uncomplicated.”

Disregard the Thorns

Another lesson we may learn is to not look at the thorns on the flowers but rather at the beauty of the flowers. “Many, walking along the path of life, dwell upon their mistakes and failures and disappointments, and their hearts are filled with grief and discouragement. While I [Ellen White] was in Europe, a sister who had been doing this, and who was in deep distress, wrote to me, asking for some word of encouragement. The night after I had read her letter I dreamed that I was in a garden, and one who seemed to be the owner of the garden was conducting me through its paths. I was gathering the flowers and enjoying their fragrance, when this sister, who had been walking by my side, called my attention to some unsightly briers that were impeding her way. There she was mourning and grieving. She was not walking in the pathway, following the guide, but was walking among the briers and thorns. ‘Oh,’ she mourned, ‘is it not a pity that this beautiful garden is spoiled with thorns?’ Then the guide said, ‘Let the thorns alone, for they will only wound you. Gather the roses, the lilies, and the pinks.’

“Have there not been some bright spots in your experience? Have you not had some precious seasons when your heart throbbed with joy in response to the Spirit of God? When you look back into the chapters of your life experience do you not find some pleasant pages? Are not God’s promises, like the fragrant flowers, growing beside your path on every hand? Will you not let their beauty and sweetness fill your heart with joy?

“The briers and thorns will only wound and grieve you; and if you gather only these things, and present them to others, are you not, besides slighting the goodness of God yourself, preventing those around you from walking in the path of life?

“It is not wise to gather together all the unpleasant recollections of a past life,—its iniquities and disappointments,—to talk over them and mourn over them until we are overwhelmed with discouragement. A discouraged soul is filled with darkness, shutting out the light of God from his own soul and casting a shadow upon the pathway of others.

“Thank God for the bright pictures which He has presented to us. Let us group together the blessed assurances of His love, that we may look upon them continually: The Son of God leaving His Father’s throne, clothing His divinity with humanity, that He might rescue man from the power of Satan; His triumph in our behalf, opening heaven to men, revealing to human vision the presence chamber where the Deity unveils His glory; the fallen race uplifted from the pit of ruin into which sin had plunged it, and brought again into connection with the infinite God, and having endured the divine test through faith in our Redeemer, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and exalted to His throne—these are the pictures which God would have us contemplate.” Steps to Christ, 116–118.

“We may come to the divine Helper, who is able to succor those who are in the midst of temptation and evil. The loving-kindness of God is not all reserved for the future, eternal reward, but it is abundant for the present needs of his people. All the changes of life, all the hard places in the way to heaven, will be blessed by the grace that is sufficient for every trial. We have assuring promises of protection and help. The everlasting arms will be beneath us to encourage, sustain, and uphold. Poverty or wealth, sickness or health, simplicity or wisdom,—all are provided for in the promises of his grace. There is light for the intellect, love for the heart, and vigor for every faculty. If we will not lay hold on the blessings God has provided for us, if we will only grasp hold of the thorns and the thistles, to wound and bruise ourselves, we have no right to complain of God’s dealing with us.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, April 1, 1889.

Lessons about God

In giving us flowers and other beautiful things in nature, God desires us to learn lessons about Him. “Why did not our heavenly Father carpet the earth with brown or gray? He chose the color that was most restful, the most acceptable to the senses. How it cheers the heart and refreshes the weary spirit to look upon the earth, clad in its garments of living green! . . . Every spire of grass, every opening bud and blooming flower, is a token of God’s love, and should teach us a lesson of faith and trust in Him.” The Faith I Live By, 25.

“The God of heaven is constantly at work. It is by His power that vegetation is caused to flourish, that every leaf appears and every flower blooms. Every drop of rain or flake of snow, every spire of grass, every leaf and flower and shrub, testifies of God. These little things so common around us teach the lesson that nothing is beneath the notice of the infinite God, nothing is too small for His attention.” Ibid., 28.

“All who have chosen God’s service are to rest in His care. Christ pointed to the birds flying in the heavens, to the flowers of the field, and bade His hearers consider these objects of God’s creation. ‘Are not ye of much more value than they?’ He said. Matthew 6:26, R.V. The measure of divine attention bestowed on any object is proportionate to its rank in the scale of being. The little brown sparrow is watched over by Providence. The flowers of the field, the grass that carpets the earth, share the notice and care of our heavenly Father. The great Master Artist has taken thought for the lilies, making them so beautiful that they outshine the glory of Solomon. How much more does He care for man, who is the image and glory of God. He longs to see His children reveal a character after His similitude. As the sunbeam imparts to the flowers their varied and delicate tints, so does God impart to the soul the beauty of His own character.

“All who choose Christ’s kingdom of love and righteousness and peace, making its interest paramount to all other, are linked to the world above, and every blessing needed for this life is theirs. In the book of God’s providence, the volume of life, we are each given a page. That page contains every particular of our history; even the hairs of the head are numbered. God’s children are never absent from His mind.” The Desire of Ages, 313.

Beauty of Character

God wants to impart beauty of character to us as He imparts beauty to the flowers. He has spent time and effort to make the flowers beautiful. How much more time does He want to spend with us to make us beautiful? How much more does He care for us?

“God is love. Whoso dwelleth in God, dwelleth in love. All who have indeed become acquainted . . . with the love and tender compassion of our heavenly Father will impart light and joy wherever they may be. Their presence and influence will be to their associates as the fragrance of sweet flowers, because they are linked to God and heaven, and the purity and exalted loveliness of heaven are communicated through them to all that are brought within their influence.” The Faith I Live By, 235.

“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 surrounded with a divine atmosphere. Their white robes of purity will be fragrant with perfume from the garden of the Lord. Their faces will reflect light from His, brightening the path for stumbling and weary feet.” Ibid., 267.

“The grace of Christ in the soul is developing traits of character that are the opposite of selfishness—traits that will refine, ennoble, and enrich the life. Acts of kindness performed in secret will bind hearts together, and will draw them closer to the heart of Him from whom every generous impulse springs. The little attentions, the small acts of love and self-sacrifice, that flow out from the life as quietly as the fragrance from a flower—these constitute no small share of the blessings and happiness of life. And it will be found at last that the denial of self for the good and happiness of others, however humble and uncommended here, is recognized in heaven as a token of our union with Him, the King of glory, who was rich, yet for our sake became poor.

“The deeds of kindness may have been done in secret, but the result upon the character of the doer cannot be hidden. If we work with whole-hearted interest as a follower of Christ, the heart will be in close sympathy with God, and the Spirit of God, moving upon our spirit, will call forth the sacred harmonies of the soul in answer to the divine touch.” God’s Amazing Grace, 337.

“All who have indeed become acquainted, by experimental knowledge, with the love and tender compassion of our Heavenly Father will impart light and joy wherever they may be. Their presence and influence will be to their associates as the fragrance of sweet flowers, because they are linked to God and heaven, and the purity and exalted loveliness of heaven are communicated through them to all that are brought within their influence. This constitutes them the light of the world, the salt of the earth. They are indeed savors of life unto life, but not of death unto death.” Messages to Young People, 363, 364.

Be Fragrant

Another lesson that we learn from flowers is that the Christian’s life is to be as a fragrance to all those around them. The Christian should be pleasant to be around, not odious.

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” 11 Corinthians 2:14, 15.

What is the fragrance that a Christian is supposed to possess?

“The glory, the fullness, the completeness of the gospel plan is fulfilled in the life. The acceptance of the Saviour brings a glow of perfect peace, perfect love, perfect assurance. The beauty and fragrance of the character of Christ revealed in the life testifies that God has indeed sent His Son into the world to be its Saviour.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 419.

“It is the fragrance of our love for our fellow men that reveals our love for God. It is patience in service that brings rest to the soul. It is through humble, diligent, faithful toil that the welfare of Israel is promoted. God upholds and strengthens the one who is willing to follow in Christ’s way.” The Acts of the Apostles, 560.

“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.

“Love, courtesy, self-sacrifice—these are never lost. When God’s chosen ones are changed from mortality to immortality, their words and deeds of goodness will be made manifest, and will be preserved through the eternal ages. . . . Through the merits of Christ’s imputed righteousness, the fragrance of such words and deeds is forever preserved.” The Faith I Live By, 239.

“Those who are sons of God will represent Christ in character. Their works will be perfumed by the infinite tenderness, compassion, love, and purity of the Son of God. And the more completely mind and body are yielded to the Holy Spirit, the greater will be the fragrance of our offering to Him.” God’s Amazing Grace, 245.

“How many years have we been in the Lord’s garden? And what profit have we brought to the Master? How are we meeting the inspecting eye of God? Are we increasing in reverence, love, humility, confidence in God? Do we cherish gratitude for all his mercies? Are we seeking to bless those around us? Do we manifest the spirit of Jesus in our families? Are we teaching his word to our children, and making known to them the wonderful works of God? The Christian must represent Jesus by both being good and doing good. Then there will be a fragrance about the life, a loveliness of character, which will reveal the fact that he is a child of God, an heir of heaven.” Ye Shall Receive Power, 353.

“When the love of Christ is enshrined in the heart, like sweet fragrance it cannot be hidden. The holy influence it reflects through the character will be manifest to all. Christ will be formed within, ‘the hope of glory.’ [Colossians 1:27]” In Heavenly Places, 244.

“To love as Christ loved means to manifest unselfishness at all times and in all places, by kind words and pleasant looks. These cost those who give them nothing, but they leave behind a fragrance that surrounds the soul. The effect can never be estimated. Not only are they a blessing to the receiver, but to the giver; for they react upon him. Genuine love is a precious attribute of heavenly origin, which increases in fragrance in proportion as it is dispensed to others.

“Christ’s love is deep and earnest, flowing like an irrepressible stream to all who will accept it. There is no selfishness in His love. If this heaven-born love is an abiding principle in the heart, it will make itself known, not only to those we hold most dear in sacred relationship, but to all with whom we come in contact. It will lead us to bestow little acts of attention, to make concessions, to perform deeds of kindness, to speak tender, true, encouraging words. It will lead us to sympathize with those whose hearts hunger for sympathy.” Letters to Young Lovers, 16, 17.

“If we are following Christ, His merits, imputed to us, come up before the Father as sweet odor. And the graces of our Saviour’s character, implanted in our hearts, will shed around us a precious fragrance.” God’s Amazing Grace, 77.

“Pure, sanctified love, such love as was expressed in Christ’s lifework, is as a sacred perfume. Like Mary’s broken box of ointment, it fills the whole house with fragrance. Eloquence, knowledge of truth, rare talents, mingled with love, are all precious endowments. . . . Love for God and for those for whom Christ has died will do a work that we can scarcely comprehend.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 84.

“The true, honest expression of a sister, or brother, or friend, given in genuine simplicity, has power to open the door of hearts which need the fragrance of Christlike words and the simple, delicate touch of the spirit of Christ’s love.” My Life Today, 178.

“We must be Christlike. Let us strive to make our lives what Christ designs them to be, full of the fragrance of love to God and our fellow men, full of Christ’s own divine Spirit, full of holy aspirations toward God, rich in the beauty of Christlikeness.” Our High Calling, 274.

The Lessons

In summary, what are some of the lessons that we can learn from the flowers? First, we need to acquire the quiet graces of purity and simplicity from the flowers. Next, as the flowers look beautiful to the eye, God wants His followers to possess beauty of character. Third, God has spent time and thought to make the beautiful flowers; how much more does He care for us who are created in His image. Next, we want to keep in mind the pleasant experiences where God has helped us. Lastly, flowers produce fragrance. So the Christian’s life should be as a fragrance to all with whom he or she associates.

The things that constitute the fragrance in the life of a Christian are:

  1. love to God and man;
  2. Christlike words;
  3. deeds of mercy;
  4. little attentions;
  5. small acts of love;
  6. self-sacrifice;
  7. acts of kindness;
  8. courtesy;
  9. graces of our Saviour’s character;
  10. unselfishness at all times and in all places, by kind words and pleasant looks; and
  11. loveliness of character.

Unlike the fading flowers in this world, we can have a fragrance with us that will last throughout eternity. “Love, courtesy, self-sacrifice—these are never lost. When God’s chosen ones are changed from mortality to immortality, their words and deeds of goodness will be made manifest, and will be preserved through the eternal ages. . . . Through the merits of Christ’s imputed righteousness, the fragrance of such words and deeds is forever preserved.” The Faith I Live By, 239.

Jana Grosboll, an Electrical Engineering graduate student, serves Steps to Life as its Network Administrator. She may be contacted by e-mail at: janagrosboll@stepstolife.org.

Christian Association

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“Can two walk together except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3

Association with other members of the human family makes up nearly all of life—friendship, family, society, community, city and nation. Out of it grow churches, schools, business, fraternities, orders, lodges, unions, and governments.

There are two aspects of the matter which will be the chief concern of “Christian Association,” namely,

  1. The influence received from our associates, and
  2. The influence we impart to them

The first concerns the development of our own character and Christian experience and either prepares or disqualifies us to meet our responsibilities in the second.

By the very nature of things the first is of first importance.

The influence of our Associates

Henry Varnum in his book on Character made some helpful observations on this subject which are herewith offered the reader for meditation:

  • “A man’s character and success are greatly affected by his friends. A man is known by the company he keeps.” p. 352.
  • “It is impossible that association with those about you should not produce a powerful influence in the formation of your character.” p. 48.
  • “Companionship is education, good or bad. It develops manhood, high or low; it lifts the soul upward or drags it downward; it ministers to virtue or to vice.” Ibid.
  • “All go to school to one another, and you are constantly learning from your companions. You catch their peculiarities and ways. You get into their habits of thought and action. You set them up as your ideals and what they are you try to become.” p. 49.
  • “You will never forget your companionships nor will you ever be free from the influence and example of your associates.” Ibid.
  • “Let your company be always, where possible, better than yourself; and when you have the misfortune to move amongst your inferiors, bear in mind this seriously, that if you do not seize the apt occasion to draw them up to your level—which requires wisdom as well as love—they will certainly not be slow to drag you down to theirs.” Ibid.
  • “It is easier to sink to the level of evil companions than to raise them; encourage them to better ways, but avoid contamination.” Ibid.
  • “No matter how sly, how secret, no matter if your associates have been in the dark, their image will sooner or later appear in your face and conduct.” Ibid.
  • “More of that which may most properly be called culture, wisdom or unwisdom, morality or immorality, refinement or vulgarity, chastity or unchastity, is absorbed from habitual associates, than in any other way, or all other ways put together.” p. 48.

In as much as nearly all we ever learn in life we gather through association with others, it is most important that our associates be carefully selected. We should shun evil companions and deliberately choose the best people as associates.

Choosing Associates

Common Associates

All association begins at home, and would God that every home were sanctified with heavenly influences so that all who dwell there would become wells of living water flowing forth to quench the thirst of a dying world. A holy home is heaven’s fortress in the world. When it is divided between good and evil, its members who are determined to seek righteousness will have to build their own individual fortresses and find God in secret places and stand steadfast in adverse circumstances. God will never fail such souls and will build them up so that when they meet other struggling souls they will be extra strong to help them. Within the family circle we cannot select our associates, except in the formation of new families; but in all other groups and places we are largely responsible for the kind of people who influence our lives; we can even choose the church or school we wish to attend.

Choosing a life-companion is by far the most important item in life, except that of choosing to serve God. The two people who unite in a life partnership should be of one heart in their service to God and in their views of all the major aspects of life; then their association will be bliss. Thousands of homes have gone down because their members could not endure associating with each other.

As we pass out from the home to all life’s experiences our selection of associates should be guided by this fundamental principle: never by deliberate choice should we continue any affiliation which does not lead to God and holiness.

A divine survey of the world today would reveal that Satan has been exceedingly busy in corralling almost every person into one or many organizations of some kind where God is not in control and which have worldly objects to gain and which do not prepare their members for the kingdom of heaven. Some of them may make false claims to doing so. Jesus fitly described conditions in the last days, saying the people would be “bound into bundles to be burned.” (See Matthew 13:30.) Let the reader beware of holding membership in any group not governed by divine influences.

The Best Associates

We pass from the matter of common associates to consider the possibility of divine companionship.

“God suffered John, the beloved disciple, to be exiled to Patmos, where he was separated from the world’s bustle and strife, shut away from every outside influence, and even from the work that he loved. Then the Lord could commune with him, opening before him the closing scenes of this world’s history. John the Baptist made his home in the wilderness, there to receive from God the message that he was to bear.” Gospel Workers, 77.

Of Enoch it is said: “In the midst of a life of active labor, Enoch steadfastly maintained his communion with God. The greater and more pressing his labors, the more constant and earnest were his prayers. He continued to exclude himself at certain periods from all society. After remaining for a time among the people, laboring to benefit them by instruction and example, he would withdraw, to spend a season in solitude, hungering and thirsting for that divine knowledge which God alone can impart.

“Communing thus with God, Enoch came more and more to reflect the divine image. His face was radiant with a holy light, even the light that shineth in the face of Jesus. As he came forth from these divine communings, even the ungodly beheld with awe the impress of heaven upon his countenance. …

“The men of that generation mocked the folly of him who sought not to gather gold or silver, or to build up possessions here. But Enoch’s heart was upon eternal treasures. He had looked upon the celestial city. He had seen the King in His glory in the midst of Zion. The greater the existing iniquity, the more earnest was his longing for the home of God. While still on earth, he dwelt by faith in the realms of light. …

“For three hundred years Enoch had been seeking purity of heart, that he might be in harmony with heaven. For three centuries he had walked with God. Day by day he had longed for a closer union; nearer and nearer had grown the communion, until God took him to Himself. He had stood at the threshold of the eternal world, only a step between him and the land of the blest; and now the portals opened, the walk with God, so long pursued on earth, continued, and he passed through the gates of the holy city—the first from among men to enter there.

“ ‘By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; … for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God’ (Hebrews 11:5).

“To such communion God is calling us. As was Enoch’s, so must be their holiness of character who shall be redeemed from among men at the Lord’s second coming.” Ibid., 52–54.

God’s Presence

To recognize that we are always in the Living Presence is one of the strongest deterrents to sinning; how could a man want to lie or steal while standing in the very present of God! “Thou, God, sees me!”—has a mighty, holy influence. Such a recognition would change my life.

Although, since man became a sinner he cannot see God face to face, God does not lose contact with any human being who is receptive to heavenly influences. These influences reach man in various ways among which may be named,

  1. The Holy Spirit, His personal representative. The work of the Spirit has been considered in other chapters of this book. …
  2. The word of God, which is explained by the Spirit if we are diligent students of the Word and keep our hearts open to the Spirit and fully surrendered to His pleading voice.
  3. Nature, when interpreted in the light of revelation.
  4. Prayer, which makes all of these influences available to us and makes us subject to them.
  5. Angels, who are actual heavenly visitants whom God has provided to be our associates sent forth to “minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrew 1:14).

All of these means of communion with God exist and wait to be used just as truly as the telephone and radio; but if they are ignored nothing will come through them to us any more than through an unlifted receiver or an unturned dial. If men but knew the educational influences and the uplifting power available through these means, they would take precedence over all other associations in the world and become the guiding, governing forces of every detail of life.

Angel Visitants

“We need to understand better than we do the mission of the angel visitants. It would be well to consider that in all our work we have the co-operation and care of heavenly beings. Invisible armies of light and power attend the meek and lowly ones who believe and claim the promises of God. Cherubim and seraphim and angels that excel in strength—ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands—stand at His right hand, ‘all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation’ (Hebrews 1:14).” Christ’s Object Lessons, 176.

Angel Teachers

“All who engage in ministry are God’s helping hand. They are co-workers with the angels; rather, they are the human agencies through whom the angels accomplish their mission. Angels speak through their voices, and work by their hands. And the human workers, co-operating with heavenly agencies, have the benefit of their education and experience. As a means of education, what ‘university course’ can equal this?” Education, 271.

His Presence

How can I live unworthily, when He is by my side,

My Helper, Comforter to be, my solace, and my Guide?

How can I harbor thoughts of hate, or passions which defile,

When One of spotless purity is near me all the while?

Swiftly, so swiftly, moments go; they make the months—the years;

I’ll reap in harvest what I sow—why should it be in tears?

 

How can I live unworthily when He is always near,

Ready to aid when tempted, tried—ready to banish fear?

Ready to lead up toward the home He is preparing there,

Up where there’s nothing to perplex, up where there is no care?

How can I live unworthily when I have proved Him true?

I will reap in harvest what I’ve sown—so will it be with you.

 

Margaret Locke

Happiness–Salvation or a Curse?

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“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. The phrase gives three examples of the “unalienable rights” which the Declaration says have been given to all humans by their Creator and which governments are created to protect.

Although U.S. citizens are guaranteed the opportunity and privilege to pursue happiness, not many people know how to find it. The secret of happiness is not very well understood today.

For Christians, it should be the simplest, most important topic you need to thoroughly understand.

Is it possible to know the truth and for the truth to be a curse that thwarts our pursuit of happiness? Yes, the Bible is very clear about that. This is a serious subject that deserves study.

How to Be Happy

Asher was the son of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid that she gave to Jacob as a wife because she wanted more children. When he was born, Leah named him Asher, which means happy.

Deuteronomy 33:24–29 records the blessing that Moses pronounced upon the tribe of Asher. In that blessing is revealed the secret of happiness. “Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help and the sword of our majesty” (verse 29)!

One of the common words in the Bible for happy or happiness is the word that is translated blessed or blessing. To be blessed or to receive blessing is to be happy.

In the Psalms it says, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15)! “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psalm 146:5).

Solomon also stated it a number of different ways in the book of Proverbs. In Proverbs 3:13, it says, “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding.” Wisdom, by the way, is one of the names of Jesus Christ (see Proverbs 8).

In the last part of Proverbs 14:21, it says, “But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” People often say that as soon as they get rich they will have mercy on the poor. What happens in reality is that they pass through life always intending to have mercy on the poor and unfortunate, but they never find the wealth that they thought they should have and never fulfill their commitment. Don’t make the mistake and wait until you decide you are rich before you decide to help somebody else who is in trouble. It is a deception, nothing but a delusion. Proverbs 16:20, last part, says, “Whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” And in Proverbs 29:18, last part, “Happy is he who keeps the law.”

There are texts in the New Testament about blessedness and happiness. John 13:17 says, “If you know these things, blessed [happy] are you if you do them.” Also in James 5:11 we are told: “We count them blessed [happy] who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” That is a verse which is very difficult for people to understand. It was also difficult for Job to understand this concept while he was going through the trial of his life.

Peter says something similar in 1 Peter 3:14: “If you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed [happy]. Do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” The Bible says that people who are suffering are the people who are happy. In fact, 1 Peter 4:14 says, “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed [or happy] are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

Let’s summarize all these comments about how a person is going to find the secret of happiness. If you want to be happy, you will need to make a full and complete surrender of yourself to the Lord Jesus and choose to follow Him. The people whose God is the Lord are the happy people. Those who have received salvation are the people who are enjoying happiness. The rest of the world continue to seek for it.

Ellen White describes the secret of happiness this way: “God will accept nothing less than unreserved surrender. Half-hearted, sinful Christians can never enter heaven. There they would find no happiness; for they know nothing of the high, holy principles that govern the members of the royal family.” This Day With God, 145.

God knows that that there are people who would not find happiness in heaven if He took them there. Most people assume that to be taken to heaven means all would find happiness there. Those who find their pleasure in the things of this world would consider heaven torture, for in heaven, all have an unreserved surrender to the Lord. She says, “The true Christian keeps the windows of the soul open heavenward. He lives in fellowship with Christ. His will is conformed to the will of Christ. His highest desire is to become more and more Christlike. …

“Earnestly and untiringly we are to strive to reach God’s ideal for us.” Ibid.

God has an ideal for us and it is important for us to strive to be what God wants us to be. We are told: “Earnestly and untiringly we are to strive to reach God’s ideal for us. Not as a penance are we to do this, but as the only means of gaining true happiness.” Ibid.

The only people who attain true happiness are those who are striving to reach God’s ideal for them—striving to be what God wants them to be. Many think happiness is found in some kind of an amusement or thrill. One of the devices this world offers is county and state fairs with amusements that offer temporary happiness but they are just a distraction from the true aims of life.

The devil has invented many ways to entice people who are seeking pleasure and thrills. People trying to get a thrill or to get a high often turn to recreational drugs. All these things are temporary fixes and after the high they are no happier than they were before.

Until a person has made an unreserved surrender to the Lord Jesus they are never going to find the secret of true lasting happiness. Thrills are always temporary. Amusements always end.

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:24–27: “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”

Moses understood that whatever pleasures he might enjoy in a life of sin would be temporary, and the time would come when the pleasure would end. He figured out that there was something more worthwhile than any pleasure he could enjoy in this world. He looked beyond the pleasures in this world for a reward—an eternity of endless bliss.

“Earnestly and untiringly we are to strive to reach God’s ideal for us. Not as a penance are we to do this, but as the only means of gaining true happiness. The only way to gain peace and joy is to have a living connection with Him who gave His life for us.” The Review and Herald, May 16, 1907.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 MEV). The more you love someone, the more pleasure is involved in that person’s company.

Have you found the secret of true happiness? The devil does not want you to find happiness. He is trying to put something in your way so that you are afraid to make an unreserved surrender to the Lord. The devil keeps telling you about something you are going to miss out on, the pleasures of sin. But remember, although sin can provide temporary pleasure, it is always temporary and ends in disappointment and loneliness. It brings with it a feeling of emptiness and worthlessness, a feeling of shame, and a desire to be free from the bondage you are in.

Jesus said that the person living in sin is a slave—he is in bondage. But He said, If the Son sets you free, you will really be free.

“The enemy leads those who do not yield entirely to God to exalt self, to seek for supremacy and power. When the eye is not single to the glory of God, eternity is dropped out of your reckoning. Oh, we need to pray for the vitalizing influence of the Spirit of God. Unless the professed people of God yield themselves to the influence of God’s Holy Spirit, they will be overcome by the temptation of Satan.” The Signs of the Times, July 25, 1892.

If you have not made an unreserved surrender to the Lord, it’s just a matter of time before you will yield to some temptation of Satan that he puts in your way. The result is that your happiness will be destroyed. You may think you are going to be happy, but it doesn’t work out.

How many people have you talked to who have told you that what they thought would work out by the time they were middle aged did not? So many seek for happiness in temporary things that never satisfy while neglecting to first make an unreserved surrender to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. Are you striving to be what God wants you to be?

Some, especially the young, want an easy religion where they don’t have to work very hard. Ellen White wrote about the work Adventists were doing to try to educate young people. They were finding it very difficult, and she wrote: “We are educating the people here who are not inclined to put brain, bone, and muscles into their work. … We are trying to demonstrate to them that while there is no panoply but truth for us in order to be saved, diligence in business is essential to guard us against temptation. Indolence and idleness, games and parties and holiday picnics are opening many avenues to temptation.” Spalding and Magan Collection, 83.

Be diligent in working for Jesus or the devil will draw you into all kinds of temptations. This is especially true for young people today.

Many wish for lots of money so they do not have to work for their daily bread. The fact of the matter is, if they had to work long hours every day for their daily bread, they would be happier and less liable to fall into all kinds of temptations. The Bible says it is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. It is good for a person to have to work in order to survive.

Ellen White wrote about the problems they were facing with these students: “Paul had to work laboring with his hands, and felt no dishonor in it. All who would resist temptations that assail them from without and within must make sure that they are on the Lord’s side.” Ibid.

If you have more money than you need so that you don’t have to work hard in order to survive, you still need to be busy doing something that is useful. There are many characters in the Bible, like Joseph, David, Elisha, John the Baptist, the apostle Paul, and Jesus, who all were workers. Consider the story of those who had plenty of money and idle time. Consider what happened to Solomon and to David’s oldest son, Amnon. Remember what happened to the people in Sodom. In Ezekiel 16, it says that they had “fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness” (verse 49 KJV). They had plenty to eat and too much idle time. Consequently, they got into trouble and lost their souls. Sodom became so wicked that God had to destroy it. The world today is becoming like that ancient city. People have too much free time and as a result, they are yielding to all kinds of temptations.

Here are a few sentences from a letter Ellen White wrote to her son: “Dear son Edson: I fear that you do not always wisely regulate your labor. You sometimes do too much, and then allow precious hours to pass unimproved, thus creating a necessity for extra exertion. Temperate, persevering, steady labor will achieve far more than can be accomplished by spasmodic efforts.” The Upward Look, 146.

What was she talking about? He was twenty-seven years old, married, and had not yet learned to manage his time. She continued, “Labor was appointed to man by his Creator. God provided employment for our first parents in holy Eden. And since the Fall, man has been a toiler, eating his bread by the sweat of his brow. Every bone of his body, every feature of his countenance, every muscle of his limbs, evinces the fact that he was made for activity, not for idleness. …

“The faithful discharge of life’s duties, whatever your position, calls for a wise improvement of all the talents and abilities that God has given you. Guard against being always hurried, yet accomplishing nothing worthy of the effort. … Whatever is neglected at the time when it should be performed, whether in secular or in religious things, is rarely done well. Many appear to labor diligently every hour in the day, and yet produce no results to correspond with their efforts. …

“My dear son, be thorough in all you undertake.” Ibid.

Timing is crucial. If something is not done at the proper time, it often causes trouble later.

How to Be Saved

In the gospel of John, how to be saved is reduced to one word. People came to Jesus wanting to know how to be saved. One such incident is described in John 6:28. “Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ ” They wanted to be saved and didn’t know how. “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’ ” It is not complicated—just believe in the One whom He sent.

A few verses later in John 6, it says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life” (verse 47). Notice that is written in present tense. Jesus says, If you believe in Me, you have eternal life. “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die” (verses 48–50). The gospel of John emphasizes that the only thing necessary to be saved is to believe. In John 2:24, we are provided insight into what belief entails. It says, “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men.” That word commit is the same Greek word which is also translated as faith or belief.

Salvation is not complicated. If you really believe, you will commit. A good example of true belief is illustrated in this story:

Charles Blondin was history’s most famous tightrope walker, the first to cross Niagara Falls on a 1,300 foot hemp rope, two inches in diameter. He asked the crowd that had gathered if they believed if he could push his wheel barrow across the waterfall on the tightrope. When they responded that they did believe, he then said to them, if you believe, get in the wheelbarrow. If you get in the wheelbarrow, you have made a commitment proving you really believe.

Many people think they are Christians. They expect to go to heaven, but they have never made a real commitment. They don’t really believe.

Making a Commitment

In John 14:12, it says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

God wants to work a miracle in each life to fulfill the words of Jesus—that their works will be greater than those that Jesus performed while He was on earth. This will truly take a miracle!

The Truth Becomes a Curse

The truth becomes a curse when a person who has an intellectual knowledge of the truth neglects to commit to it. This is a common condition for thousands of people who claim to be Christians. These people become what is termed “gospel hardened.” The truth for them becomes a curse. For instance, Paul said, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18).

Sadly, these people have the truth. They know the truth. This is a great deception of our time. They will tell you that they are on the way to heaven because they believe the right theology, but they continue to practice unrighteousness. They are deluded. Truth for them is just an intellectual thing.

It says in 1 Peter 1:22: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth …” If you really commit to the Lord, then something is going to happen in your life. The Bible says that two people cannot walk together if they are not agreed (Amos 3:3). If you commit to the Lord, the Holy Spirit is going to speak to your mind: Why are you doing this? Should you be thinking that way? If you want to walk with Me, then you have to let that go.

In 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18 we are told: “ ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’ ”

Every commitment requires sacrifices. God asks us to separate from those things that are unclean—sin. Romans 1 elaborates on this subject. The result of those who refused: “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves” (Romans 1:24).

These people weren’t willing to let loose, to get free from what was unclean, so they couldn’t walk with the Lord. In 2 Corinthians 12:21, it says, “Lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness [licentiousness] which they have practiced.”

My dear friend, if you want to commit to the Lord you have to be willing to separate yourself from sin. You cannot receive the gift of salvation if you are not willing to get separated from what’s unclean. God’s kingdom is clean.

Look at 1 Thessalonians 4, starting in verse 3. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness” (verses 3–7).

You see, if you know the truth, but are not willing to separate from everything that is unclean, the truth will become a curse to you. You may know truth, but you are not living in harmony with it.

“The greatest deception of the human mind in Christ’s day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness. In all human experience a theoretical knowledge of the truth has been proved to be insufficient for the saving of the soul. It does not bring forth the fruits of righteousness. … The Pharisees claimed to be children of Abraham, and boasted of their possession of the oracles of God; yet these advantages did not preserve them from selfishness, malignity, greed for gain, and the basest hypocrisy. …

“The same danger still exists. Many take it for granted that they are Christians, simply because they subscribe to certain theological tenets. But they have not brought the truth into practical life. They have not believed and loved it; therefore they have not received the power and grace that come through sanctification of the truth. Men may profess faith in the truth; but if it does not make them sincere, kind, patient, forbearing, heavenly-minded, it is a curse to its possessors.” The Desire of Ages, 309, 310.

They believe the truth intellectually, but it hasn’t changed their life. They have all the external forms of religion but have not become patient, kind, and forbearing, and the truth becomes a curse to them. The devil then uses brother against brother to stir up contentions, making it impossible for the Holy Spirit to work in the family or in the church.

Peter said, “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:10, 11).

God longs to pour out His Holy Spirit, not just on individuals, but on whole churches. However, He cannot do it when the church is not in the spiritual condition to receive it.

May the Lord help us to understand what it means to believe so that the truth may not become a curse to anyone. Then the Holy Spirit will work in our hearts and our minds so our life might be in harmony with what we profess to believe.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Learning to Walk With God, Part II

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We can learn much from Martin Luther, the Reformer in the Dark Ages. He was a man for his time; rightly described as a champion of truth. This man also went through difficult experiences like Elijah and Elisha. Luther had to face the religious leaders of his day to answer for his faith. This called forth from this man of God the need for much prayer and strong faith. As a result, these spiritual exercises, plus a knowledge of Christ and His truths, produced heavenly bravery and holy boldness in this servant of God.

As you read the story of his encounters with the authorities, imagine the scenes in your mind, and let us endeavor to discover what kind of mind Luther had and what kind of thoughts made him as solid as he was. We pick up his experience as he is about to set out on a long and very dangerous journey:

“Luther was not to make his perilous journey alone. Besides the imperial messenger, three of his firmest friends determined to accompany him. Melanchthon earnestly desired to join them. His heart was knit to Luther’s, and he yearned to follow him, if need be, to prison or to death. But his entreaties were denied. Should Luther perish, the hopes of the Reformation must center upon his youthful colaborer. Said the Reformer as he parted from Melanchthon: ‘If I do not return, and my enemies put me to death, continue to teach, and stand fast in the truth. Labor in my stead. . . . If you survive, my death will be of little consequence.’ [J. H. Merle D’Aubigne, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, London ed., b. 7, ch. 7.] Students and citizens who had gathered to witness Luther’s departure were deeply moved. A multitude whose hearts had been touched by the gospel, bade him farewell with weeping. Thus the Reformer and his companions set out from Wittenburg.

“On the journey they saw that the minds of the people were oppressed by gloomy forebodings. At some towns no honors were proffered them. As they stopped for the night, a friendly priest expressed his fears by holding up before Luther the portrait of an Italian reformer who had suffered martyrdom. The next day they learned that Luther’s writings had been condemned at Worms. Imperial messengers were proclaiming the emperor’s decree and calling upon the people to bring the proscribed works to the magistrates. The herald, fearing for Luther’s safety at the council, and thinking that already his resolution might be shaken, asked if he still wished to go forward. He answered, ‘Although interdicted in every city, I shall go on.’ Ibid., b. 7, ch. 7.

“At Erfurt, Luther was received with honor. Surrounded by admiring crowds, he passed through the streets that he had often traversed with his beggar’s wallet. He visited his convent cell, and thought upon the struggles through which the light now flooding Germany had been shed upon his soul. He was urged to preach. This he had been forbidden to do, but the herald granted him permission, and the friar who had once been made the drudge of the convent, now entered the pulpit.

“To a crowded assembly he spoke from the words of Christ, ‘Peace be unto you.’ ‘Philosophers, doctors, and writers,’ he said, ‘have endeavored to teach men the way to obtain everlasting life, and they have not succeeded. I will now tell it to you: . . . God has raised one Man from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ, that He might destroy death, extirpate sin, and shut the gates of hell. This is the work of salvation. . . . Christ has vanquished! this is the joyful news; and we are saved by His work, and not by our own. . . . Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Peace be unto you; behold My hands;” this is to say, Behold, O man! it is I, I alone, who have taken away thy sin, and ransomed thee; and now thou hast peace, saith the Lord.’ Ibid., b. 7, ch. 7.

“He continued, showing that true faith will be manifested by a holy life. ‘Since God has saved us, let us so order our works that they may be acceptable to Him. Art thou rich? let thy goods administer to the necessities of the poor. Art thou poor? let thy services be acceptable to the rich. If thy labor is useful to thyself alone, the service that thou pretendest to render unto God is a lie.’ Ibid., b. 7, ch. 7.

“The people listened as if spellbound. The bread of life was broken to those starving souls. Christ was lifted up before them as above popes, legates, emperors, and kings. Luther made no reference to his own perilous position. He did not seek to make himself the object of thought or sympathy. In the contemplation of Christ he had lost sight of himself. He hid behind the Man of Calvary, seeking only to present Jesus as the sinner’s Redeemer. [Emphasis added.]

“As the Reformer proceeded on his journey, he was everywhere regarded with great interest. An eager multitude thronged about him, and friendly voices warned him of the purpose of the Romanists. ‘They will burn you,’ said some, ‘and reduce your body to ashes, as they did with John Huss.’ Luther answered, ‘Though they should kindle a fire all the way from Worms to Wittenberg, the flames of which reached to heaven, I would walk through it in the name of the Lord; I would appear before them; I would enter the jaws of this behemoth, and break his teeth, confessing the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Ibid., b. 7, ch. 7.

“The news of his approach to Worms created great commotion. His friends trembled for his safety; his enemies feared for the success of their cause. Strenuous efforts were made to dissuade him from entering the city. At the instigation of the papists he was urged to repair to the castle of a friendly knight, where, it was declared, all difficulties could be amicably adjusted. Friends endeavored to excite his fears by describing the dangers that threatened him. All their efforts failed. Luther, still unshaken, declared: ‘Even should there be as many devils in Worms as tiles on the housetops, still I would enter it.’ ” The Great Controversy, 151–153.

Not Alone

This was a brave man! Imagine the number of tiles or shingles it takes to make one roof, and imagine all those tiles on all the housetops in a whole city, each of them representing a demon who wants to destroy you. Imagine that you have to make a long journey, and you have to pass each and every one of them. The only way you could speak like Luther is if you have the experience of Luther. What made Luther’s experience so solid was his belief that he was not alone. He believed that God was with him, in him, and for him. When this became his outlook, his faith became a reality—his belief was real to him, he was not alone. His constant communion and strong faith in God prepared him to do his Master’s will; this is what made him a champion of God.

Lost Sight of God

However, one particular night Martin Luther became afraid to face these rulers. He was on his knees nearly all night, begging God to be with him. He feared that he would have to come up against these men by himself. Like Elijah when Jezebel was coming after him, Luther temporarily lost sight of Him who was his support all along. (See The Great Controversy, 156, 157.)

This happens again and again with the people of God, even with those who stand in the forefront of many spiritual battles. They are human too. The apostle James writes: “Elias [Elijah] was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” James 5:17, 18.

Just Like Us

Elijah and Martin Luther were human beings just like us. They had emotions similar to ours, including fear. Therefore, we have to learn from their experiences. We have to learn how they gained victories, how and when they were successful, what made them heroes for God. One sure ingredient was that their faith was strengthened by their constant prayers and belief that they were not alone. When they prayed and believed that the Creator was with them, like Enoch, they were able to walk with God.

Faith is something that often confuses people. We wonder what faith is. But faith can be narrowed down to the concept of believing that God loves you and wants to bless you, that if you seek to abide in Him, He will abide with and in you, that you are not alone in any situation, in any place, at any point in time. When we can take hold of this truth, we will know what it means to “be still, and know that I am [the Lord is] God.” Psalm 46:10. Yes, only then will we know what it means to be a hero for God.

The Mind of a Champion

A man who fails to pray often and trust God cannot say or do the things that champions of truth, such as Luther and many others, have said or done. Because Luther believed that the Lord was with him, he went on his long journey to Worms to face his enemies and answer for his faith. Despite the earnest cries of those who loved him and did all they could to urge him not to go because his life was in danger, Luther bravely and boldly went on. He prayed constantly; he had faith; he knew God loved him, and was with him. He, like Enoch, walked with God.

We again pick up the story just after he had made a clear and noble defense of his faith. Let us now see what was Luther’s experience and what was going on in his mind when he stood before those in authority.

“He was directed to withdraw from the Diet while the princes consulted together. It was felt that a great crisis had come. Luther’s persistent refusal to submit might affect the history of the church for ages. It was decided to give him one more opportunity to retract. For the last time he was brought into the assembly. Again the question was put, whether he would renounce his doctrines. ‘I have no other reply to make,’ he said, ‘than that which I have already made.’ It was evident that he could not be induced, either by promises or threats, to yield to the mandate of Rome.

“The papal leaders were chagrined that their power, which had caused kings and nobles to tremble, should be thus despised by a humble monk; they longed to make him feel their wrath by torturing his life away. But Luther, understanding his danger, had spoken to all with Christian dignity and calmness. His words had been free from pride, passion, and misrepresentation. He had lost sight of himself, and the great men surrounding him, and felt only that he was in the presence of One infinitely superior to popes, prelates, kings, and emperors.” The Great Controversy, 161. [Emphasis added.]

A Champion of Truth

This really gives an insight into the mind of the man and what made him who he was, a champion of truth. Luther was very prayerful and obedient and possessed great faith in God, and, as a result, the power of God abided in him and with him. This was the secret of Luther’s life of heavenly bravery and holy boldness. Because of his prayerfulness and faith, Luther did not see himself alone. He saw himself in the presence of the Lord. So when he spoke to these men, he looked beyond them and spoke as one who was addressing the Lord in behalf of His cause. This, the man of God believed, was a reality, and it was, for the Lord of hosts was truly present as a protector of His servant and a witness to the whole event.

Luther looked within the invisible realm. He looked beyond the physical and saw that he was not alone, and because of this belief, he uttered what he knew would be pleasing and acceptable in the ears of God, regardless of men’s opinions. Such faith, coupled with a genuine Christian experience, was the secret of Luther’s bravery and boldness for the cause of God. He was a man with Enoch’s experience; he was a man who walked with God.

Armies of Heaven

Summing up the experiences of Luther and other faithful workers, Ellen White plainly declares: “God’s faithful servants were not toiling alone. While principalities and powers and wicked spirits in high places were leagued against them, the Lord did not forsake His people. Could their eyes have been opened, they would have seen marked evidence of divine presence and aid as was granted to a prophet of old. When Elisha’s servant pointed his master to the hostile army surrounding them and cutting off all opportunity for escape, the prophet prayed: ‘Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see.’ 11 Kings 6:17. And, lo, the mountain was filled with chariots and horses of fire, the army of heaven stationed to protect the man of God. Thus did angels guard the workers in the cause of the Reformation.” Ibid., 208. [Emphasis added.]

All of God’s true laborers were guarded by these same armies of heaven during the Reformation. It is a gift that God extends to all of His true servants clear down to the end of time. It is something we need to know, believe in, and cherish in our hearts even now, because it will help us to become the much-needed champions of truth in these last days.

Champions of Truth

In order to become champions of truth, we too must pray in season and out of season and trust in God’s care always. We must also become diligent students of God’s Word. But we must not only know the truth, we must also choose to obey it every day. The prophet Daniel and his friends studied the Scriptures earnestly and were approved unto God. So did Luther. Like Enoch, these men walked with God by striving to trust in Him, studying God’s Word, and obeying His will in all things. As a result, they were blessed with the Master’s presence and protection.

“In acquiring the wisdom of the Babylonians, Daniel and his companions were far more successful than their fellow students; but their learning did not come by chance. They obtained their knowledge by the faithful use of their powers, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They placed themselves in connection with the Source of all wisdom, making the knowledge of God the foundation of their education. In faith they prayed for wisdom, and they lived their prayers. They placed themselves where God could bless them. They avoided that which would weaken their powers, and improved every opportunity to become intelligent in all lines of learning. They followed the rules of life that could not fail to give them strength of intellect. They sought to acquire knowledge for one purpose—that they might honor God. They realized that in order to stand as representatives of true religion amid the false religions of heathenism they must have clearness of intellect and must perfect a Christian character. And God Himself was their teacher. Constantly praying, conscientiously studying, keeping in touch with the Unseen, they walked with God as did Enoch.” Prophets and Kings, 486. [Emphasis added.]

We, too, can become champions like these great men of old. Remember, they were not much different from us, and we, like them, also have the assurance that the Lord our God “in the midst of [us] is mighty” and willing to work in our behalf and “save” us. Zephaniah 3:17.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Patrick Herbert is the senior pastor of the Tucker-Norcross Adventist Church and Director of the Gilead Institute of America, a medical missionary evangelistic training institution located in Norcross, Georgia. He holds a Doctorate in religion and speaks and writes on a wide range of religious and health topics. He may be contacted by e-mail at: gilead.net@usa.net.

How Does Christmas Change Your World?

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How does Christmas change your world? Think about that for just a moment. How will your world be different on December 26, January 18, February 12, or March 23 because of Christmas? Will you be happier? Will you have more peace in your life? Will you be a better person? Or will you simply have more things and owe more money and have to work more hours to help eliminate the additional strain that debt puts on your budget? If we are completely honest, this holiday does not really change our world all that much. Even for Christians who believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and the Saviour of the world, Christmas does not change our lives that much.

There are those who ignore any commemoration of December 25, citing its origin as a pagan holiday and reminding everyone that we really do not know when Christ was born. Then there are, in this day and age, the politically correct who pass this time of the year off as a winter holiday season, refusing to acknowledge any religious significance of it, as they fight to have manger scenes removed from public property.

But Ellen White wrote: “Christmas is coming. May you all have wisdom to make it a precious season.” Review and Herald, December 9, 1884.

What We Do

Largely, we celebrate this day as a great American holiday—snow, holly and mistletoe, family and friends gathered around the fireplace remembering what this special day was like when we were kids. The shopping, the parties, and all of the busy activities that we cram into the season are a part of how it goes. But when everything is said and done, the only real change Christmas brings to our world is that it makes us a little bit poorer and a lot more tired; and all of this for an event that God never called us to commemorate.

We are never once asked to remember the birth of Christ. Our celebration of His birth is a purely human endeavor. He commanded us to remember His death, which we do through the act of communion. (See 1 Corinthians 11:25, 26; John 13:4–16.) But He never asked us to celebrate His birth. It is not necessarily a bad thing to remember Christ’s birth, but does it change our lives?

The purpose of the birth of Christ was to bring a change to our world. I do not mean just “the world” in general, but I mean He came to bring a change to each and every one of our personal worlds. Where we carry out life on a day to day basis—our job, our relationships, our families, our spirituality—should all be radically transformed by the remembrance of Christ’s birth; not transformed by our celebration of Christmas, but transformed by the event itself.

Christmas Should Be

When the angel announced the birth of Christ, it said, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:10–14.

The angels tell us that the arrival of Christ in our world, Christmas as we now know it, is to be joyful. It should be something that helps quell our fears, and it should be something that brings us peace. Yet most of us today would not say that this day quells our fears, brings us true joy, or that it truly brings us peace. No, I would guess that most of us would be hard pressed to see just how Christmas changes our world, but it should and it can. Let us explore how Christmas, not just the celebration of a holiday, but the contemplation of Christ’s birth itself will change our world if we will allow it to happen.

Show the Way

At Christmas we celebrate God becoming flesh, becoming a man so that He could free all men from the power and penalty of sin. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 14.

God became a man because He loves us. He became a man so that He could show us the way to salvation.

The story is told of a farmer who, one snowy, wintry evening, just before dark, heard something hit the window in his dining room. He went to investigate and saw a small bird repeatedly flying into the window glass. Farther out in the yard he saw a whole flock of little songbirds. He realized that these were birds migrating south, and they had been caught by the early snowfall. They were cold and scratching through the thin snow in search of food. The one bird had seen the light shining through the window and had tried to get into the house where it was warm.

The farmer had an idea. He had a large barn where the birds would be safe and warm, and there was plenty of hay on the floor so they could find seed. Without hesitating, he put on his coat to go out and open the barn doors. But when he had done so, the birds did not come in. He turned on a light, hoping that would attract them, but to no avail. He sprinkled seed on the ground to make a path for them to follow. They gratefully ate some of the seed, but they would not come close to the barn entrance.

Fearing for their safety, the farmer decided to take more drastic measures. He planned to circle around behind the flock and chase them into the barn. That certainly was unsuccessful! After running himself ragged, he dropped to his knees on the snow, and a thought came to him: “If only I were a bird! I could then tell them about the warm barn and the seed. I could save their lives!”

That is what Christmas is: Jesus becoming one of us so that we can understand God’s plan; Jesus becoming one of us so He can tell us how and where to find safety; Jesus becoming one of us so He can save us.

Genuine Love

Remembering Christ’s birth will change your world by allowing you to experience genuine love. “God is love.” 1 John 4:8, 16. We have all heard that said many, many times. The apostle John wrote those words in his first letter to the believers in the Mediterranean world: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” Verses 7–9.

In Christmas, God becoming man, we get to experience genuine love.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16, 17.

God loves us so much that He gave His Son, not to condemn us but to save us! What an amazing love! So how does knowing about the love that God has for you change your world? It does not! Knowing about God’s love is not enough to change your world. You have to experience that love, but you will never experience the love of God in Christmas unless you truly believe in that love.

Peace with God

The second way that your world may change is through providing you with lasting peace.

Peace is something that all of us need but most of us do not have. Most of us spend a great deal of time and energy pursuing peace, but very little time experiencing it.

Decisions we have made and the actions we have taken in the past often haunt us. Our desire to have better, more fulfilling lives keeps us awake at night. Questions about what could have been or what should have been often plague our minds. We want to be fulfilled and satisfied. We want to be complete, but we lack that completeness and, as a result, we lack peace. Rather than days filled with peace and confidence, we find our days filled with stress and worry. Often that sensation is heightened at Christmas, because we hear all about peace on earth, but we cannot find peace in our own lives.

One of the great things about Christmas is that if we truly accept in faith what God has given us, His Son, then we can experience peace—peace with God. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1.

Jesus, that baby born in a barn and laid to rest in a manger, came to earth so that we could have peace with God. Sin separates us from God. Sin puts us at odds with God, but Jesus came to pay for our sins. He came to bring us forgiveness. His death upon the cross paid the penalty for our sins. Therefore, if we will accept His sacrifice and the forgiveness it provides, we are made right with God. When the relationship between man and God is fixed, we then experience peace with God.

Much of the lack of peace we experience is because we know that we have messed up. We know we have done things that are wrong, and we worry that God cannot love us and will not accept us because of our past.

Now, imagine the peace you can have in knowing that God has no record of your past. Imagine the peace of knowing that God has erased your past sins from His memory book. Imagine the peace of knowing that God is not looking to punish you, but that He is seeking to love you and embrace you.

When you believe the Christmas story—the whole story, not just the part about the baby in the manger, but also the part about that baby growing up and dying on a cross to pay for your sins, the part about that baby-turned-man rising from the grave and defeating sin and death—and accept God’s forgiveness, you will experience peace with God.

Peace with Others

Face it; we often do not live at peace with others. We find that other people have a way of disturbing our peace, and we never stop to consider that we tend to disturb the peace of others. Living at peace with others is hard work, but Christ calls us to do so nonetheless. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” Romans 12:18; 14:19.

So how does Christmas help you to experience peace with others? When you understand what Christmas is all about—God providing a way for you to be at peace with Him—then you can choose to experience peace in your relationships.

If God can forgive you and restore you to a right relationship with Him, after all you have done to violate His trust and love, if you can choose to be at peace with God, then you can choose to be at peace with others. You can learn to forgive them. You can learn to tolerate what it is about them that disturbs you. And when you choose to live at peace with others, you will be less inclined to disturb their peace as well.

Peace with Yourself

One of the great aspects of peace that you get to experience because of Christmas is peace with yourself. In your more honest moments, you probably do not like yourself much. You are too aware of your failings and your sins. But, because of Christ’s birth, you can have peace with yourself. Not because what you have done does not matter, but because you are a new person in Christ. “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 11 Corinthians 5:17. The New Living Translation of this text is especially interesting: “Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!”

You can be at peace with yourself, not because you are such a great guy or terrific gal, but because in Christ you are a new creation. You are not the same old mean, evil, hurtful, self-centered person you once were. In Christ, you are forgiven, and you are a new creation. That does not mean you do not have moments when you fail. But it does mean that, in Christ, those moments become the exception and not the rule. You are growing and becoming more than that which you are today. You can be at peace with yourself because Christ is now working in you and renewing you daily.

Purpose of Life

Christmas changes your world by allowing you to experience genuine love and by providing you with a lasting peace. It also changes your world by giving your life purpose.

Too many people are not living their lives; too many people are just existing. Too many people are moving day to day without any sense of purpose in their lives. This lack of purpose leads to depression and self-destructive behavior. This lack of purpose leads to a sense of hopelessness that is heightened during the holiday season for many people. However, Christmas is about hope and purpose, and rather than feeling defeated and lost during the holidays, you can have a sense of true hope, because Christ’s birth gives purpose to your life.

Christmas brings hope because it drives home the fact that you were made for a purpose. You were made to have fellowship with God. You were created to have a relationship with God, and that relationship is so important to God that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to repair that relationship when it was broken.

Your life has purpose, and your purpose is to love God and to serve your fellow man. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, put it like this: We are to serve with “A heart to God and a hand to man.”

Christmas, the coming of the Christ child, gives our lives purpose. Jesus came, becoming one of us, so that we could fulfill our purpose, that of having a love relationship with God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” “He came unto His own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 2; 11–14.

Jesus, full of grace and truth, came from the Father; He became one of us so that He could pay for our sins and restore the relationship we were created to have with God. His birth, His death, and His resurrection give us purpose in our lives.

Imagine living life every day with a clear sense of purpose—that of knowing God and pleasing Him. Everything else fades away when you make this your focus. You have hope and purpose every day when you understand that in everything, big or small, you can grow to know God more, and you can live to please Him. “If you would secure the grand aim and purpose of life without mistake in your choice or fear of failure, you must make God first and last and best in every plan and work and thought.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 167.

Change Comes By . . .

All of these things—genuine love, peace with God, with others, with yourself, and purpose of life—come to us in the birth of Christ. Through Jesus we have the opportunity to know God; thus we are given hope and purpose.

How does Christmas change your world? It is not through the gifts or the memories made. It is not through the time spent with family. It is not through any of the trappings of the holiday. Christmas, as most people celebrate it, will not change your world. But Christmas, as the birth of Christ, the Son of God made flesh, the birth of Jesus—Immanuel—God with us, can change your world by allowing you to experience genuine love, by providing you with lasting peace, and by giving you a purpose in life. Those are major changes! Allow Christ to be the reason for and the center of your Christmas, and just see what transformation He will bring to your life.

A member of the LandMarks staff, Anna writes from her home which is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Denver, Colorado. 

Learning to Walk With God, Part III

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The Word of God tells us what kind of mental outlook the saints must have. God wants us to be happy, and it is important for us to recognize that such a state really begins in our minds. If our thoughts are uplifting and encouraging (instead of sad and discouraging), then our feelings and attitudes will take on the same pattern. Therefore, the Word of God gives us the following advice to help us experience happiness and fearlessness in the midst of bad and unfavorable circumstances: “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” John 15:4. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11.

Many who encounter such quotations as these find it difficult to see how it is possible to fulfill the instructions given in them. For example, some inquire concerning the practicality of a person praying “without ceasing.”

Such statements do not mean that God’s people have to be thinking only about Him every second of every minute of every day. In all of these quotations, God is showing us the need of always keeping our minds and hearts in a heavenly state, a state of purity, holiness, and righteousness—a prayerful state. In the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy we read, “. . . the life of Jesus was a life of constant trust, sustained by continual communion; and [as a result] His service for heaven and earth was without failure or faltering.” Education, 80. Christ was indeed a true champion—even the Champion of all champions. Like Enoch and the others we have considered in this series, Christ too prayed often and maintained a fervent faith in God. Hence the Scriptures encourage us: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5.

Like Christ, therefore, we should endeavor to keep ourselves unspotted from the world by striving to always be in a prayerful, heavenly, and righteous frame of mind. This we can do by constantly seeking God and trusting in His grace to enable us to do all things. We must always be thinking and working in harmony with the principles of God’s kingdom, and we must often be found communing with our Maker. Only in this way can we have the same experience that Enoch had anciently.

To truly be prepared for Christ’s second advent, His faithful followers today must learn by daily experience how to walk with God: “He who is a citizen of the heavenly kingdom will be constantly looking at things not seen. The power of earth over the mind and character is broken. He has the abiding presence of the heavenly Guest, in accordance with the promise, ‘I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.’ He walks with God as did Enoch, in constant communion.” Review and Herald, November 10, 1910.

“The doctrine of Christ’s coming was made known at this early date to the man [Enoch] who walked with God in continual communion. The godly character of this prophet is to represent the state of holiness to which the people of God must attain who expect to be translated to heaven.” That I May Know Him, 348.

Whatever may be our duty, responsibility, interest, or activity, God desires us to always keep our hearts in tune with Him. Therefore, we need to focus on heavenly things much more than we presently do. As Christians, we need to often talk with God (pray unceasingly) during the day. Also, we need to monitor all our thoughts, words, and deeds at all times in order to ensure they are in harmony with our Master’s holy will. As we do this, like Enoch, we will begin to walk with God.

“If we would but think of God as often as we have evidence of His care for us we should keep Him ever in our thoughts and should delight to talk of Him and to praise Him. We talk of temporal things because we have an interest in them. We talk of our friends because we love them; our joys and our sorrows are bound up with them. Yet we have infinitely greater reason to love God than to love our earthly friends; it should be the most natural thing in the world to make Him first in all our thoughts, to talk of His goodness and tell of His power.” Steps to Christ, 102.

Outposts

On some occasions God’s people had to even physically move to better locations in order to keep themselves unspotted from the world. Abraham had to leave his father’s home in order to do his Master’s will. Also, Lot and his two daughters had to leave Sodom in order to escape the environment of sin and God’s judgments. Enoch, too, saw the necessity of relocating to more suitable surroundings to truly walk with God. Therefore, for God’s people to truly serve Him faithfully today, amidst the evils of our age, this too is fast becoming a necessity.

“Enoch walked with God, and yet he did not live in the midst of any city, polluted with every kind of violence and wickedness, as did Lot in Sodom.” Evangelism, 78.

“More and more, as wickedness increases in the great cities, we shall have to work them from outpost centers. This is the way Enoch labored in the days before the flood, when wickedness was rife in every populous community, and when violence was in the land.” Review and Herald, September 27, 1906.

Secular Matters

We will always have need of attending to secular matters and, thus, our minds will need to be channeled in such areas at times, if we are to be successful in all our various pursuits. However, this does not mean that we cannot maintain a sense of God’s presence with us wherever we go and in whatever we do. It does not mean that we cannot often make time to commune with God in prayer, for this is the means whereby we come into contact with God Himself. He alone is capable of granting us success in all our pursuits and enabling us to keep our minds and hearts uplifted to heavenly things.

“Although there may be a tainted, corrupted atmosphere around us, we need not breathe its miasma, but may live in the pure air of heaven. We may close every door to impure imaginings and unholy thoughts by lifting the soul into the presence of God through sincere prayer. Those whose hearts are open to receive the support and blessing of God will walk in a holier atmosphere than that of earth and will have constant communion with heaven.” Steps to Christ, 99.

Stay Focused

Furthermore, to truly “abide” in Christ, we must regularly focus our minds on the truths of God’s Word. This we must do whenever the opportunity or need arises during the day. Experience shows that too often we, as Christians, may take the time to study God’s truths, but fail to utilize them (focus on them) in times of need. We fail to “hide” (secure) them carefully in our “hearts” (minds) in such a manner that we can quickly use them as a shield against temptation and sin. (John 15:4.) “Thy word,” said the psalmist David, “have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11.

David, like other men of God, knew the value of putting his mind on truth in the hour of temptation and test. But we who fail to use the strength of truth in times of need often end up falling into temptation and yielding to sin. Like any other instrument, truth is beneficial to us only when we use it. Therefore, while we are away from temptation we should fortify our minds with the truth so that when we are buffeted by such things as sickness, sorrow, addiction, fears, lust, guilt, and anger, we can repulse or replace the enemy’s darts, which are his evil thoughts, with God’s thoughts, His truths. For example, even when Satan seeks to tempt us by putting a guilt trip on us by telling us that God will not accept us or our prayers because of our sins, we should quickly refocus our minds on God’s views (truths) versus Satan’s views (lies). This is the science of overcoming with the truth that has been practiced by God’s true servants over the years. Such are the thoughts that are found in the minds of true champions.

Hence, “When Satan comes to tell you that you are a great sinner, look up to your Redeemer and talk of His merits. That which will help you is to look to His light. Acknowledge your sin, but tell the enemy that ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ and that you may be saved by His matchless love.” Ibid., 36.

New Outlook

Believers today need a new outlook on how to successfully live the Christian life, and more and more I am becoming convicted that Enoch’s experience must be ours. Also, it seems as though the Lord has been doing His best to convince me that this is the answer. Interestingly enough, about the time I was writing this, I came across a message board outside of a church on which was posted the following words: “Exercise Every Day, Walk With God.”

Obviously these words caught my attention. Not only was the message in direct harmony with the truth being advocated in this series, but also the advice actually makes a lot of sense. Anyone interested in health will agree that exercise is extremely important to good health, and walking is one of the best forms of exercise. Therefore, the application of this truth in the spiritual realm surely must also hold true. If we want to gain the benefits of true spiritual rejuvenation and growth, we must engage in the act of exercising spiritually or “walking with God.” Hence, like Enoch, we, too, must learn to walk with God on a daily basis in order to be spiritually healthy.

A Shield

In growing up, many people have experiences that cause certain character and personality defects to develop. Inherited and cultivated traits of character often linger. Some of these traits are difficult to deal with in adulthood, and sometimes even hinder our service to God. One of these traits is a fearful spirit. As we grow into adulthood, we often find that little things which caused us to fear and tremble as children may still affect us as adults. Yes, we may have outgrown some of them, but others hang on like pieces of iron filings attracted to a magnet.

If, as children, we were taught to pray and think of God often, and always believe that we were not alone, many of the wrong things we did and many of the temptations we yielded to would not have conquered us. Also, many of the things we feared, such as being alone in a dark room, or hearing strange sounds, may not have affected us. If we were taught and encouraged as children to believe that we are not alone, that God is with us, we may have overcome many fears early in life. Unfortunately, however, this has not been the experience in most cases. Many still need this outlook in their adulthood, when it should have been developed already.

Challenges of Life

All of us are confronted with problems, difficulties, trials, and tests. Some of these various challenges may be in the form of the demands of life that the world places upon us. For example, some people are afraid of losing their jobs. They are scared that if they lose their jobs now, in a time when they are in debt, they will lose everything. They see no hope for themselves and are usually overcome by discouragement and stress. Such fearful and negative thinking was developed early in life. Many adults simply bring it over from their childhood.

However, if we can learn to pray more often and to believe that we are not alone—that God is with us, that angels are with us—many things we fear, as well as many things we do that are wrong, we would not yield to, because we believe that there is an all-seeing eye beholding our every move, ready to supply grace. But for convenience sake we often let go of this thought. We act as though to keep a sense of God’s presence puts us in a straight jacket. Hence, this is a major reason why Enoch’s experience is not as common as it ought to be. But, say the Scriptures, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24.

Independent Spirit

Most of us want to do our own thing. We want to be too independent. We want to rule and run our own lives in a manner that pleases us, even if it is contrary to the will of our all-knowing Creator. But we are warned: “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?” Isaiah 45:9.

Too often many fool themselves into believing that they are wise enough to solve all their problems and to provide for their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Yet, such pride and stubbornness has brought them trouble and disappointment time and time again.

In the hearts of such persons, “self” or “mammon” still reigns. Christ is not yet permitted to take full control of their lives. He is left out of major decisions. He is still kept at the door of their hearts. However, most of these individuals are fully aware that all wisdom and power is found in Christ, and in man is found weakness and failure. Thus we are wisely admonished: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6.

Evidence of Love

Over the years, the devil has created such a bad concept of God in the minds of some that they believe God is a hard, harsh judge. They believe that God is watching down from heaven ready to “zap” anyone who makes a wrong move. But we know better. We know that the opposite is true; God is love. 1 John 4:8. We know this, not only because the holy Bible tells us so, but also because the evidences of the Creator’s great and overwhelming love can be clearly seen all around us if we look for them. Yes, we can believe that God is love, and benefit from the thought that He is indeed watching over us to help us.

This belief will help us to walk right with God at all times. It will also help us to represent the truth under all circumstances fearlessly and boldly. It will even help us to face the difficulties of life, whether bills, people, loneliness, sorrows, unfavorable circumstances, persecution, or even a consciousness of our sinful traits of character. We will face every challenge and difficulty of life with boldness and fearlessness. We will also be prepared to stand up, like Luther, against the enemies of truth. This we will gladly do because we know that we are not standing by ourselves: Somebody bigger than you or me is at our sides. Someone who is more powerful than anyone else is present to help us along the way. If we can believe this, we too will be champions of truth.

Teach the Children

We need to teach our children these things because what we ourselves may not have gained during childhood, hopefully we can impart to them and to others right now, before it is too late: “Only the sense of God’s presence can banish the fear that, for the timid child, would make life a burden. Let him fix in his memory [memorize] the promise, ‘The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.’ Psalm 34:7. Let him read that wonderful story of Elisha in the mountain city, and, between him and the hosts of armed foemen, a mighty encircling band of heavenly angels. Let him read how to Peter, in prison and condemned to death, God’s angel appeared; how, past the armed guards, the massive doors and great iron gateway with their bolts and bars, the angel led God’s servant forth in safety. Let him read of that scene on the sea, when to the tempest-tossed soldiers and seamen, worn with labor and watching and long fasting, Paul the prisoner, on his way to trial and execution, spoke those grand words of courage and hope: ‘Be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you. . . . For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.’ In the faith of this promise Paul assured his companions, ‘There shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.’ So it came to pass. Because there was in that ship one man through whom God could work, the whole shipload of heathen soldiers and sailors was preserved. ‘They escaped all safe to land.’ Acts 27:22–24, 34, 44.

Given for a Purpose

“These things were not written merely that we might read and wonder, but that the same faith which wrought in God’s servants of old might work in us. In no less marked a manner than He wrought then will He work now wherever there are hearts of faith to be channels of His power.

“Let the self-distrustful, whose lack of self-reliance leads them to shrink from care and responsibility, be taught reliance upon God. Thus many a one who other¬wise would be but a cipher in the world, perhaps only a helpless burden, will be able to say with the apostle Paul, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ Philippians 4:13.” Education, 255, 256.

Promise of Angels

Many people are scared or afraid of everything. Afraid to speak, afraid to get involved in any activity, afraid to do something by themselves that they may be sent to do, afraid to venture out and take chances, afraid to do a particular chore because they do not believe they could ever do it right. Not only afraid to do anything, but also afraid of anything that could possibly happen. There is only one remedy for such victims of fear, be they children, youth, or adults. Remember the inspired promise uttered by the psalmist David: “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” Psalm 34:7.

Yes, we are promised that the angel of the Lord encampeth around those who fear Him. Therefore, let us believe it and “see” in our mind’s eye that we are not alone. It will make a difference in our lives. If we believe this, we will fear no evil. We can then say like David, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.” Psalm 23:4.

The Spirit of Prophecy says: “As a shield from temptation and an inspiration to purity and truth, no other influence can equal the sense of God’s presence. ‘All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.’ He is ‘of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.’ Hebrews 4:13; Habakkuk 1:13. This thought was Joseph’s shield amidst the corruptions of Egypt.” Education, 255.

This was the mind of Joseph, another hero for God. God has given us glimpses into the thoughts of some of His heroes, and in every case when they did great things, they believed that they were not alone. In these victorious experiences, they believed that they had a Companion with them, protecting and helping them. Even when Joseph refused to fall into sin, it was not because he was just seeing Potiphar’s wife; he saw God. Therefore, “To the allurements of temptation his [Joseph’s] answer was steadfast: ‘How . . . can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ Genesis 39:9. Such a shield, faith, if cherished, will bring to every soul.” Ibid.

[All emphasis added.]

To be continued . . .

Pastor Patrick Herbert is the senior pastor of the Tucker-Norcross Adventist Church and Director of the Gilead Institute of America, a medical missionary evangelistic training institution located in Norcross, Georgia. He holds a Doctorate in religion and speaks and writes on a wide range of religious and health topics. He may be contacted by e-mail at: gilead.net@usa.net.

What Everybody Needs and Nobody Has, Part I

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You must have righteousness in order to have eternal life! There are many texts in the Bible that would prove this quite conclusively, two of which are Isaiah 33:14, 15 and Psalm 15:1, 2: “Who among us is going to dwell with this everlasting fire, an everlasting burning, a devouring fire, with everlasting burnings? It is the one who walks righteously.” “Who is going to dwell with You, Lord, in Your holy hill? It is the one who walks righteously.”

The first fact about righteousness is that you have to have righteousness or you are not going to heaven. It is that simple. But the next fact about righteousness is the one that is startling, when you realize that you have to have it to go to heaven, to have eternal life. The second fact about righteousness is that you and I do not have any!

“All our righteousness is like a defiled garment.” Isaiah 64:5. Like a leaf that fades away, we are carried away as on a wind with our iniquities. Or, as Paul quoting from the Old Testament says, “There is not anybody that is righteous. Not even one. Not one.” Romans 3:10.

So, the first fact is, you have to have righteousness or you are not going to have eternal life. But the second fact about righteousness is that we do not have any righteousness. There is not one person who has it, the Bible says.

Righteousness Defined

The third fact about righteousness is actually two definitions. What is righteousness? Romans 7:12 says, “So, then, the law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

God’s Law is righteous. The first definition of righteousness is this: righteousness is that which is in harmony with the Ten Commandments. It is that simple! Righteousness is what is in harmony with the Ten Commandments because the law is righteous.

What if you break the law? The answer is given in 1 John 5:17: “All unrighteousness is sin.” What is sin? Sin is breaking God’s Law. (1 John 3:4.) All unrighteousness is sin, so unrighteousness is when the law has been broken. Righteousness is when the law is being kept, because the law is righteous.

Read 1 John 2:1 for a second definition of righteousness. “My children, these things I write to you, in order that you might not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous One.”

We are not righteous, but He is righteous; therefore a second definition of righteousness is that Jesus Christ is righteous, so righteousness is that which is like Him. This, of course, does not conflict with the first definition, because Jesus said, in John 15:10, “I have kept my Father’s commandments.”

Since Jesus kept His Father’s commandments, the definitions do not contradict; they just complement each other. Righteousness, first of all, is that which is in harmony with the Ten Commandments or, second definition, righteousness is that which is in harmony with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Study It Out

A fourth fact about righteousness I will leave for you to study out, and then you can tell me whether or not you believe it. I believe this is the case. When you are perfectly righteous, then you are holy.

With the Heart

A fifth fact regarding righteousness is that righteousness has to do with the heart; that is, with the motives, the thoughts, and the feelings. Jesus brought this out very clearly in the Sermon on the Mount. “For I say to you, that except your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will in no case enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” Matthew 5:20. The people were in a state of shock when Jesus said this because they thought that the scribes and the Pharisees were the most righteous people on the face of the earth.

The people wondered how this could be, but Jesus went on to explain that righteousness has to do more with what is on the inside than what is on the outside. For example, continue reading in Matthew 5: “You have heard that it was said by them anciently, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever shall murder shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother is liable to condemnation, and whoever will say to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be guilty before the council. But whoever will say, ‘You fool!’ will be answerable unto hell fire.” Verses 21, 22.

What is it that Jesus is talking about here? He is not talking about the person that actually did what Cain did and took a club or a spear or a sword and killed somebody, but He said, “If you are angry with your brother.” In fact, the apostle John, reporting on this very same idea later, in 1 John 3, strongly declares, “The person that hates his brother is a murderer.” In other words, if I do not physically kill you, but I hate you, I have broken the law.

You see, it appeared as though the Pharisees were keeping the law on the outside, but Jesus said, “That is not good enough. Your law keeping has to come from the heart.” Because we are human beings, we tend to look at what is on the outside.

Jesus did the very same thing with the seventh commandment, which He talks about in Matthew 5:27, 28: “You have heard it was said to them in old time, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that if a man looks on a woman to lust after her, he has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

The Lord says that you did not commit adultery with your body, but you did it in your heart. See, the commandment, as Paul says, goes right to the heart, to the spirit; it even divides asunder between the soul and the spirit. It goes to the thoughts and the intent of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12.)

So, a fifth fact about righteousness is that it has to do not only with what you say or do, but with the heart, motives, and feelings.

Decision to Do Good

In Philippians 3:4, 5, Paul said, “If anybody could be confident in the flesh, I could be even more. I was circumcised the eighth day.” This was done in accordance with the ceremonial law given to Abraham in Genesis 17.

The Gentiles who had come into the Jewish religion could not say that. They may have been circumcised when they were 20 or 30 years of age, but they could not say what Paul could say. Paul could say, “Listen, I am blameless according to the law. My parents were in the faith, and I was circumcised the eighth day, according to the law. Not only that, but, I was of the stock of Israel; I was born of the tribe of Benjamin. I was born into the covenant people. Not only that, I have practiced carefully, perfectly, my religion.” Paul declared, “I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. Concerning the law, I was a Pharisee.” In fact, he was so zealous in his religious experience that he says, “According to the righteousness which is of the law, I was blameless.” (See Philippians 3:5, 6.)

Paul was someone who decided that he was going to do right, and he was being very successful, but the sixth fact in regard to righteousness is that you cannot become righteous by deciding to do what is good. Paul had already done that.

Paul decided to do what was good, and he had a good start. He was born to the right race, into the right family. His parents saw that he was circumcised on the eighth day, and he kept the law.

Notice what he says next: “But what things were gain to me, I reckoned to be loss for Christ. Indeed I consider all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and consider them refuse, that I might gain Christ, and might be found in him. And that I might be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law.” Philippians 3:7–9.

Paul had the righteousness of the law; he said that he had it blameless, but, he said, “I want, when the Lord comes, to be found by Him not having my own righteousness, which is of the law.” Why? Because, the righteousness that he had, as a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as a strict Pharisee, was not good enough! Jesus said, “If your righteousness is not better than the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no case enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The apostle Paul found out that his righteousness was worthless to gain eternal life. He found out that he could go through all the forms, rituals, and ceremonies and he could keep the ceremonial law perfectly, but not go to heaven.

It is actually still the same in the Christian church today. I believe in the ceremonies of the new covenant. I have baptized many people—that is one of the ceremonies of the new covenant. The communion service is a ceremony of the new covenant. I keep those ceremonies, but all the things that you and I can do that are right will not earn for us eternal life.

Paul thought that he was doing it all perfectly, but he realized that what he was doing was not worth anything. “Be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God which is by faith; that I might know Him, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable to His death, if, by any means, I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though as I had already acquired, but I pursue after, and I follow after, if I might attain that which has been attained for me by Christ Jesus. My brethren, I do not consider myself to have attained, but I follow after, and, forgetting those things that are behind and stretching forth to those things that are before, I pursue after the mark of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Verses 9–13.

So, we cannot become righteous by deciding to do good or be good. And that brings us to the seventh fact about righteousness, which is also covered in Philippians 3:8–14.

Receive Righteousness

If we are going to be righteous, we must receive righteousness from Jesus Christ. We have to receive it from Him because we cannot generate it; we cannot make it. Not only have we all sinned, as it says in Romans 3:23, but we cannot generate righteousness. Remember, righteousness has to do with the heart, and we do not have righteous hearts that can generate righteousness.

In what condition are our hearts? Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that, “The heart is deceitful above all things and incurably wicked.” This is the kind of heart that each of us has, or, as Paul stated in Romans 7:18, “I know that in me there dwells nothing good.” This emphasizes the fact that we cannot be righteous by deciding to do good. If we are going to be righteous, we must receive righteousness from Jesus Christ. How can we receive righteousness? There are several texts in the Scriptures that will help us to understand.

Can or Cannot

We are living in a very passive age. The nineteenth century was an optimistic age. People believed that they could do almost anything. They got that idea, of course, from the teaching of evolution, which became prominent during the last half of that century. They thought that humans were getting better and better. All of the inventions that were being developed reinforced this idea in their thinking. They were very optimistic and declared, “We can do it!”

It is a very interesting thing to see, when you study history, that theology very often follows in the path of what people are already thinking. In the nineteenth century, a perfectionistic theology developed. Ellen White had quite a bit to say about this. At one time she wrote: “I have met many who claimed to live without sin. But when tested by God’s word, these persons were found to be open transgressors of his holy law.” Review and Herald, February 22, 1881. This was a big problem at that time.

The twentieth century became the most pessimistic century of all time. People said, “We cannot do it,” and theologians developed a theology to go along with that. If the people did not think they could do anything, then how would they be saved? Oh, they thought, the Lord will do everything. In Adventism, we call that the New Theology—the Lord is going to do it all. We are going to be saved by professing faith in Christ, and we will be justified; the Lord will do everything. We may be living like the devil, but the Lord is going to save us because we profess faith in Him.

We are living in this pessimistic age when people say, “We cannot; the Lord is going to do everything.” Actually, the Lord is going to do everything, but He is not going to do it without our help! He is not going to do it without our cooperation.

With Fear and Trembling

Philippians 2:12 says, “So then, my beloved, just as always you were obedient, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, with fear and trembling work out your own salvation.” This is not the language of a person saying, “No, I cannot do anything.” Paul says, “With fear and trembling work out your salvation.”

Someone may question whether or not this verse is teaching salvation by works. Well, in a way it is. Read the next verse: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work out his good pleasure.”

God wants to work out a work of salvation, a work of righteousness in our lives. We do not have any righteousness of our own. The only way we can get any is if He gives it to us, but we have to cooperate. In fact, Paul says, “You need to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

What does it mean to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”? The Bible teaches that all of us have what is called “the sin which so easily besets” or “easily besetting sins” or “easily entangling sins.” It talks about that in Hebrews 12.

Now, if you are working out your salvation with fear and trembling, you are looking at yourself and saying, “Lord, this, this, and this I can see are besetting sins to me, and from reading the Book of Revelation, I know that it is only the overcomers that are going to go to the kingdom of heaven. These are besetting sins to me, and I need Your divine help to come into my life to change things.”

It is unfortunate that some people are spending all of their time just bemoaning their condition and saying, “I cannot do it,” instead of looking in faith to the Lord, and saying, “Lord, help me to have a change in my thinking, a change in my heart, a change in my motives, a change in my feelings, and a change in my thoughts, which will produce a change in my words and my actions.”

Commenting about this, Ellen White wrote: “The secret of Satan’s power over God’s professed people lies in the deceitfulness of the human heart. Their constant stumbling and falling reveal that they have not maintained a stern conflict with their besetting sins.” The Signs of the Times, December 13, 1899.

Did Paul maintain a stern con-flict with his besetting sins? In Philippians 3, we read that he said, I forget what is behind, I cannot change that, but I am stretching, pressing, pursuing, struggling toward the mark. He was cooperating with the Holy Spirit.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

God is at the Helm, Brethren

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He who gave being to the world has not lost His power of sovereignty. He still presides over the world. It is His prerogative to speak out His purposes. By His Son, the Mediator between God and man, these purposes are executed, and the Holy Spirit gives them effect. The awful confusion in the world has been brought about because the way of the Lord has not been followed, because man has set up his human judgment against the law of Him who created the world. Men have undertaken to please and glorify themselves, to set themselves above truth and above God.

Daniel writes: “I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And He said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:7–10).

This world is a theater. The actors, the inhabitants of the world, are preparing to act their part in the last great drama. God is lost sight of. There is no unity of purpose, except as parties of men confederate to gain their ends. God is looking on. His purposes in regard to his rebellious subjects will be fulfilled. The world has not been given into the hands of men, though God is permitting the elements of confusion and disorder to bear sway for a season. A power from beneath is working to bring about the last great scenes in the drama—Satan coming as Christ, and working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are binding themselves together in secret societies. Those who are yielding to the passion for confederation are working out the plans of the enemy. The cause will be followed by the effect.

Transgression has almost reached its limit. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. And the end is very near. We who know the truth should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise.

God permits men to work out the purposes He would have saved them from had they kept His commandments. When in the face of light and evidence, they refuse to obey, they must reap the harvest of the seed they have sown. “Many shall be purified, and made white and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand” (Daniel 12:10). The wicked have chosen Satan as their leader. Under his control the wonderful faculties of the mind are used to construct agencies of destruction. God has given the human mind great power, power to show that the Creator has endowed man with ability to do a great work against the enemy of all righteousness, power to show what victories may be gained in the conflict against evil. To those who fulfill God’s purpose, for them will be spoken the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:21). The human machinery has been used to do a work that is a blessing to humanity; and God is glorified.

But when those to whom God has entrusted capabilities give themselves into the hands of the enemy, they become a power to destroy. When men do not make God first and last and best in everything, when they do not give themselves to Him for the carrying out of His purposes, Satan comes in, and uses in his service the minds that, if given to God, could achieve great good. Under his direction, they do an evil work with great and masterly power. God designed them to work on a high plane of action, to enter into His mind, and thus to acquire an education that would enable them to work the works of righteousness. But they know nothing of this education. They are helpless. Their powers do not guide them aright; for they are under the enemy’s control.

The way to holiness and heaven is found in the path of obedience. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Bible Training School, February 1, 1903

The Bankrupt Servant

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The number seven in the Bible refers to perfection. When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive, and then suggested seven times (Matthew 18:21), I am sure he was in a state of shock when Jesus said, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (verse 22).

Jesus then told Peter a story to illustrate forgiveness. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents” (verses 23, 24).

This is a symbolic story of a servant who could not pay the debt because he was bankrupt. The King in the parable is the God of heaven. He has many other servants who are not bankrupt. We read, “Men living in this little atom of a world are finite; God has unnumbered worlds that are obedient to His laws and are conducted with reference to His glory.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 66.

However, the king has one servant that is bankrupt, and that servant represents the people of this world. We are bankrupt because we owe a debt that we have no means to repay. Adam and Eve sinned, and as a result, we are all under a death sentence. Genesis 5:3 says, “And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in His own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.” Notice, that son of Adam was under the sentence of death and so it has been since the beginning of the world. Every descendant of Adam and Eve is under the sentence of death.

There was only one person in the universe able to pay the debt. Adam and Eve had broken the law of God and the angels could not pay it because they were under the law. The debt could only be paid by someone who was above the law of God. Only one Person had the qualification. His name is Jesus Christ. Originally that was not His name, but the name He acquired because He decided that He was going to pay the debt on man’s behalf. The name Jesus comes from the English equivalent of the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Jehoshua, which means Saviour or deliverer. Christ comes from the Greek work Christos, which means anointed.

Jesus told the angels that in order to save the human race, He would come to earth as a man. He would be a teacher. He would be rejected and lifted up between heaven and earth and die the most agonizing and cruel death. It would be so bad that no one would be able to look at it, but He would rise again on the third day. By His actions He would open the door to heaven and save all who are willing to be saved. The debt that sinners are unable to pay would be paid by Him. (See Patriarchs and Prophets, chapter 4.)

The man in the parable who had a ninety-million-dollar debt wished he could pay it and begged for patience, but he was totally deceived. No matter how much patience the Lord had, the debtor would never be able to acquire what was needed to pay it.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

This is such a stupendous idea that the apostle Paul does not believe that our minds can take it in all at once. So he says in Philippians 2:5, 6, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery [or did not consider it a thing to be grasped] to be equal with God.” Jesus Christ, as a member of the Godhead, was equal with the Father, but He did not consider holding that position was something to hang onto while man, whom He had created, was lost. He was willing to lay all that aside and come to this world as a man. The reason we do not understand this sacrifice is because we do not understand how great He really is.

Christ’s sacrifice was a humiliation, a condescension that we cannot even comprehend. But becoming a man was just the beginning; the Bible says He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (verse 7).

It would be one thing to come as a respected king or as a rich person, or high-class, or a person honored, but Jesus came to this world as a servant, as one of the common men. Even that was just the beginning. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (verse 8, literal translation). He went so low that it was not possible to go any lower.

Ellen White wrote, “Christ did not come to this earth merely to live as any man might live. He descended to the very depths of human woe, becoming obedient to a shameful, ignominious death, even death by crucifixion. So deeply was Paul impressed with the Saviour’s condescension that he traces His history from stage to stage, as if the sacrifice were too great to be comprehended all at once. Step by step he leads us down, until the lowest depths of humiliation are reached, and we see the Saviour hanging on the cross, while the priests and rulers say tauntingly, ‘He saved others; Himself He can not save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him’ (Matthew 27:42).

“I present to Christians this wonderful picture. If it is clearly discerned, will it not annihilate selfishness? As we see the royal Sufferer hanging on the cross, let us think of the height from which He descended in our behalf.” The Signs of the Times, May 22, 1901.

“From the heavenly courts He beheld the misery of the race, and coming to this earth He found a ransom for us, even through great humiliation and suffering. To rescue us, the Lord of life and glory took up the position and duties of a servant. For us He submitted to mockery, insult, and rejection. He became a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed’ (Isaiah 53:5).” Ibid.

The first and most important commandment in the law is to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mark 12:30). If that command seems arbitrary or severe then you don’t understand what the cross is all about. When relieved from such an impossible debt it should be an automatic response to love God with all of your heart, for has He not proved Himself to be worthy of the first place in your affections?

Continuing the story about the bankrupt servant, we read, “As he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made” (Matthew 18:25).

In ancient times there were two ways of solving problems with bankruptcy. One was to sell the debtor and his family into slavery. The money recouped would at least partially pay the debt. We read in 2 Kings 4 about a woman in that very situation who came to Elisha to appeal for help. Her sons were to be sold as slaves because she was bankrupt and couldn’t pay the debt.

The other way people dealt with bankruptcy was to put the debtor into prison. England once had debtors’ prisons. Those unable to service their debts were put in prison and would stay there indefinitely unless someone came to their aid and arrangements made to service the debt.

In this parable of the bankrupt debtor the king says to take everything he has, his wife and his children, and sell them as slaves.

“The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt” (Matthew 18:26, 27).

The man was set free, but his freedom would not be forever. If you believe that you are saved today, don’t be deceived into thinking that your salvation is ensured forever. The doctrine of “once saved, always saved” is disproved very clearly by the Scriptures, and this is one of the stories that disproves it. This man was saved and forgiven, but it was not forever. By his behavior towards a fellow debtor He soon lost his salvation.

Verse 28, first part, says, “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.” A debt of a hundred denarii is a debt that a working man could pay off within a year or two. If he was making really good wages, he could actually pay that debt off in less than a year. This servant was not bankrupt. He was in debt, but not bankrupt. He just needed more time. Notice how the forgiven man treats his fellow servant: “He laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt” (verses 28, last part–30). He showed no mercy, foreclosed on him, and threw him into debtor’s prison.

“So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done” (verse 31).

Whom does this fellow servant represent and what was the debt that he owed? This is not a debt between the servant and the Lord. This is a personal debt owed to one of his fellow men. Let’s think that through for a moment. The plan of salvation has been offered to both of these servants. So, what did the one servant owe the other?

In Romans 13:10 we are told: “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Remember, if you want to go to heaven, you must not only keep the first commandment of the law, which is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and He has proved that He is worthy of that; but the second commandment of the law is to love your neighbor as yourself.

John says in 1 John 4:7–11, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins [pay the ten thousand talent debt]. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love another.” We have an obligation “to love one another.” We owe that to one another.

Consider if there have been any times when you have neglected to manifest to your brothers and sisters the love that you should have. If so, then you are in debt, because you owe it to them. What are you going to do to pay the debt? It takes time to show that you really do have the love of God in your heart. Throughout life’s experiences we either make payments on that debt of love owed to others or sink deeper into debt.

The devil wants you to go deeper into debt by neglecting to show the love and compassion to your brothers and sisters that you should. To love is a Christian obligation. As God has loved us we are under obligation to love one another. If we don’t we sink further and further into debt.

The Lord came to the first servant and asked him why he didn’t give him more time. He certainly had character defects, but he was not allowed time to overcome them. Don’t you expect the Lord to allow you more time to work on your own character defects?

Following are a few statements where Ellen White comments on this very subject. She said, “The spirit of Christ will lead us to think kindly of our brethren [these include the people in your own family]. It is the work of Satan to seek some stain upon the character of Christ’s followers, to talk of their faults, and magnify their errors. Satan is an accuser of the brethren, and all who engage in this work show that they are actuated by the same spirit. All our prayers will be in vain while we cherish feelings of envy, jealousy, suspicion, and enmity. We shall be forgiven only as we forgive. It is no better than mocking God to engage in religious worship with hearts thinking evil, and full of bitterness toward our brethren or our fellow-men.

“Jesus, our exemplar, looks with abhorrence upon all who are cherishing unkindness.” The Review and Herald, November 6, 1883.

In Letter 69, 1896, she says: “You cannot be too careful of what you say, for the words you utter show what power is controlling your mind and heart.”

“If you are fully satisfied with your own peculiar ways, so that you feel justified in complaining of your brethren, you will never reach heaven. If you cannot live in harmony on the earth, how could you live throughout eternity in love and peace? There must be kindness, love, courtesy, and delicate regard shown for one another here and now.” The Review and Herald, July 22, 1890.

“Satan is an accuser of the brethren, and when he can set the leaven of dissatisfaction to work in human hearts, he is exultant. When he can divide brethren, he has a hellish jubilee.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 261, 262.

“A person’s dress, bonnet, or apron takes their attention. They must talk to this one or that one, and it is sufficient to dwell upon for weeks. I saw that all the religion a few poor souls have consists in watching the garments and acts of others, and finding fault with them. Unless they reform, there will be no place in heaven for them, for they would find fault with the Lord Himself.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 145.

You see, friends, finding fault is a habit that people develop and eventually you would find fault with the Lord Himself. We have to overcome that if we are going to go to heaven.

The following is a dream given to Ellen White and recorded in Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, pages 10, 11.

“I had a dream. I saw A in close conversation with men and with ministers. He adroitly would make statements born of suspicion and imagination to draw them out, and then would gain expression from them. I saw him clap his hands over something very eagerly. I felt a pang of anguish at heart as I saw this going on. I saw in my dream yourself and B in conversation with him. You made statements to him which he seemed to grasp with avidity, and close his hand over something. I then saw him go to his room, and there upon the floor was a pile of stones systematically laid up, stone upon stone. He placed the additional stones on the pile and counted them up. Every stone had a name—some report gathered up—and every stone was numbered.

“The young man who often instructs me came and looked upon the pile of stones with grief and indignation, and inquired [of A] what he had and what he proposed to do with them. A looked up with a sharp, gratified laugh. ‘These are mistakes of C. I am going to stone him with them, stone him to death.’ The young man said, ‘You are bringing back the stoning system, are you? You are worse than the ancient Pharisees. Who gave you this work to do? The Lord raised you up, the Lord entrusted you with a special work [to be a minister]. The Lord has sustained you in a most remarkable manner, but it was not for you to degrade your powers for this kind of work. Satan is an accuser of the brethren.’

“I thought A seemed very defiant and determined. Said he, ‘C is trying to tear us to pieces. He is working against us, and to save our reputation and life, we must work against him. I shall use every stone to the last pebble here upon this floor to kill him. This is only self-defense, a disagreeable necessity.’

“And then said the young man solemnly, ‘What have you gained? Have you in the act righted your wrongs? Have you opened your heart to Jesus Christ, and does He sit there enthroned? Who occupies the citadel of the soul under this administration of the stoning system?

“ ‘You have a higher calling, a more important work. Leave all such work of gathering stones for the enemies of God’s law. You brethren must love one another, or you are not children of the day, but of darkness.’

“I then saw C [the person that A planned to stone] engaged in a similar work, gathering stones, making a pile, and ready to begin the stoning system.” Ibid. Each one of them was going to stone the other. “Similar words were repeated to him with additional injunctions, and I awoke.” Ibid.

My dear friend, to get ready to go to heaven takes time. The Lord is giving us time here in this world to prepare. So as the time passes, it is impossible for any of us to pay the debt that Jesus has paid for us. All that is possible is to thank Him for it and receive it. But there are debts that you and I owe to our fellow men, to the people in our household, and that is to love them as ourselves. If we are not doing that, we are going deeper and deeper into debt.

Remember there is a recording angel keeping track of what is being talked about in our homes, not only the content of the words, but also the tone of voice and the emotions behind them. Does this speech reflect love?

If we are planning on going to heaven, we have to learn the lessons of loving our neighbor as ourselves. Take the challenge to pray about this, and pray, “Lord, am I really loving my neighbor as myself? Does my speech reflect the fact that I love my neighbor, or am I going deeper and deeper into debt?”

“The longest journey is performed by taking one step at a time. A succession of steps brings us to the end of the road. The longest chain is composed of separate links. If one of these links is faulty, the chain is worthless. Thus it is with character. A well-balanced character is formed by single acts well performed. One defect, cultivated instead of being overcome, makes the man imperfect, and closes against him the gate of the Holy City. He who enters heaven must have a character that is without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Naught that defileth can ever enter there. In all the redeemed host not one defect will be seen.” Lift Him Up, 346.

Use this time we have been given to service the debt that we owe to each other. We must love our neighbor as ourselves if we are going to be in the kingdom of heaven.

 

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

 

What Everybody Needs and Nobody Has, Part II

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The New Testament does not teach a religion where you just sit back and say, “Lord, please save me; I am just going to trust You to do it,” and then you do not do anything. That is New Theology, but that is not New Testament religion.

New Testament religion is when you see that you have a besetting sin and you go to the Lord and say, “Lord, I have this problem in my life. I know I cannot overcome it by myself, but Lord, You have promised that You are going to work in me what is according to Your good pleasure.”

If we are not willing to maintain a stern conflict against our besetting sins, then we will not overcome. That is what Paul is talking about in Philippians 3, when he says, “Forgetting those things that are behind—all those sins I have committed—I cannot change that, but I am stretching forth to what is in front of me; I am pressing toward the mark of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Ellen White wrote, “Their [God’s professed people] constant stumbling and falling reveal that they have not maintained a stern conflict with their besetting sins. They have not depended wholly upon Christ, because they have not realized that they are in peril of being overcome by these sins. It is the sin which appears small and unworthy of our notice against which we should be on our guard. If we could understand how deeply we injure our own souls and cause unhappiness to those around us by giving loose rein to unsanctified thoughts and unholy actions, we would strive to put them away. We would co-operate with God in working out our own salvation.” The Signs of the Times, December 13, 1899. That is so true! It is the little sin that you do not think amounts to anything, but if you do not overcome it, it will lead to a bigger one and a bigger one and a bigger one.

Powerful Mediator

Hebrews 7:25 is a wonderful text. It is a text that will encourage you if you have been discouraged: “Whence also He is able to save perfectly those who come to God through Him, since He always lives
to make intercession on their behalf.”

We have, in the courts in heaven, an all-powerful Mediator. Do not for a moment think that you are such a great sinner that Christ cannot save you. That is not true. There is not a single person who can say that, for if you are willing to be saved, He will save you. You cannot dictate to Him how you are going to be saved, just as you cannot go to a physician and say, “I only want you to treat me the way I want to be treated.” The physician has to decide what he needs to do to try to help you get better, and then you have to decide whether or not you are willing to accept the treatment. Jesus is called the Great Physician because He is a physician Who can heal you from the sting of sin which will cause you to die eternally. But, He can only save you if you are willing to accept the cure that He offers.

“The religious services, the prayers, the praise, the penitent confession of sin ascend from true believers as incense to the heavenly sanctuary, but passing through the corrupt channels of humanity, they are so defiled that unless purified by blood, they can never be of value with God. They ascend not in spot-less purity, and unless the Intercessor, who is at God’s right hand, presents and purifies all by His righteousness, it is not acceptable to God. All incense from earthly tabernacles must be moist with the cleansing drops of the blood of Christ. He holds before the Father the censer of His own merits, in which there is no taint of earthly corruption. He gathers into this censer the prayers, the praise, and the confessions of His people, and with these He puts His own spotless righteousness. Then, perfumed with the merits of Christ’s propitiation, the incense comes up before God wholly and entirely acceptable. Then gracious answers are returned.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 344.

One of the biggest problems we have as human beings is that we do not realize how defiled we are. It is when a person starts to think that he or she is a terrible sinner and that there is no way to be saved that there is hope. It is then that he or she is ready to say, “Yes, Lord, whatever it takes. I will commit my case to You. I know I am never going to make it on my own.” That is when there is hope.

Do you see that our prayers, our worship, our service are all defiled? They are all worthless unless Christ adds His righteousness to them. We cannot generate it; we can only receive it. Once we start to get an understanding of this subject, then we begin to realize how salvation is absolutely hopeless any other way but this. There is not any other way. That is why Peter said, “There is not any other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.

There is not any other way to be saved because He is the only One who is righteous, and He is the only One who can give us righteousness, because we of ourselves do not have any.

It is an awful fact that, when we are studying things that should be simple, preachers and theologians for some reason use language that is difficult to understand. People then have trouble figuring out what is meant! So, I have been wondering how to present this subject and state it so simply that it is easily understood. I recognize that this is a major subject and that it encompasses more than can be presented in a brief article, yet we need to be practical Christians. We need to be able to relate this topic to our everyday lives and understand how we are to have this experience.

Last month, in Part I of this article, I stated that we must have righteousness to have eternal life, but you and I do not have any! “All our righteousness is like a defiled garment.” Isaiah 64:5.

Just Such Simplicity

To help in our understanding, I would like to relate a very short story that occurred in 1843. Ellen White knew these people, and she wrote about their experience. By the way, if you are married and are having trouble in your marriage, read this story carefully. The example it holds may help you!

“I remember in 1843 a man and his wife . . . who expected the Lord to come in 1844, and they were waiting and watching. And every day they would pray to God; before they would bid each other goodnight, they would say, ‘It may be the Lord will come when we are asleep, and we want to be ready.’ The husband would ask his wife if he had said a word during the day that she had thought was not in accordance with the truth and the faith which they professed, and then she would ask him the same question. Then they would bow before the Lord and ask Him if they had sinned in thought or word or action, and if so that He would forgive that transgression. Now we want just such simplicity as this.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 193.

What would happen in our families if we, before going to bed at night, quizzed each other and asked, “Did I say anything to you today that is not Christlike?” It is not for us to decide the answer to that question. The ones who heard us are qualified to answer it. We have to take counsel, if they say something like, “Well, it seemed to me that when you said such and such, that was a little short.” “Now we want just such simplicity as this.”

How to Get It

Continuing our study about the righteousness of Christ and how we can get it, read John 1:29. “The next day he [John the Baptist] sees Jesus coming to him, and he says, ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ ”

How did He bear the sin of the world? How did He take it away? Another text will help us to see the thrust of the message. “For the One who did not know sin He made to become sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 11 Corinthians 5:21.

How did Jesus take away the sin of the world? When He went to the cross of Calvary, the God of heaven knew all the sin that would be committed from the beginning of the world to the end of time, and all of that was placed on Jesus Christ. He did not have any sin of His own, but the One who did not know any sin He made to be sin for us, on our behalf, so we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. (11 Corinthians 5:21.)

When we confess our sins to Him, He takes away our sins; He bears them away from us, and then He gives to us His perfect righteousness. What is perfect righteousness like? You may read about it in Hebrews 10 and in Psalm 40. The fuller description is given in Psalm 40, which contains a prophecy of Jesus Christ and describes the righteousness of Christ. Verse 8 says, “I delight to do Your will, O my God. Yes, Your law is in my heart.” This is the kind of righteousness that Jesus had. He delighted to do God’s will, and God’s Law was in His heart.

When He gives His righteousness to you, then you begin to enjoy and want to do God’s will, and His law begins to be written in your heart. This writing of the law in the heart is not something that happens in an instant; it is a process that happens over a period of time.

Theologians have all kinds of terms for this, but I am not going to confuse you with all of their theological terms. I find that even preachers get confused with the theological terms! So I will just stay away from theology and try to explain it simply.

When you confess your sins and exercise faith in Jesus, you realize that you do not have any righteousness. You know you cannot go to heaven without it, but you do not have any and you cannot make any. But Jesus has said, “I will give you mine. I will take your sins, and I will give you My righteousness.”

Holy Spirit’s Work

Then the Holy Spirit starts writing on the heart the principles of God’s Law. As that happens, you look at your sinful life, and you say, “Lord, I cannot live like this anymore. I cannot think like this anymore. I cannot feel like this anymore. I cannot talk like this anymore. Lord, I . . .”

That is always what happens when a person receives Jesus and begins to see His righteousness. The person sees the way he or she really is, but the Lord says, “I can save you.”

The sinner says, “How can you save somebody that is as bad as I am?”

The Saviour says, “I can save you perfectly. Anybody who comes to God through Me, I can save perfectly. My Holy Spirit is going to start writing God’s Law in your heart. You are going to learn to love to do God’s will.” (Hebrews 7:25; see Jeremiah 31:33.)

You will not do God’s will because you think you have to or because you think you are going to go to hell if you do not. No, that is not the Christian religion. When the Holy Spirit begins to write God’s Law in your heart, you want to do what is right. Actually, the more you think about it, is that not the kind of religion you want? Do you want a religion where you do not have a desire to do what is right; you just do right so you will not go to hell? Is that the kind of religion you want?

Struggle of This World

In this world, we have to struggle, because, in our flesh, we have a sinful nature, so we have to fight the sinful nature. The Bible talks a lot about that. It talks about fighting the fight of faith.

Paul talks about keeping his body under, about not doing what comes naturally. (1 Corinthians 9:27.) Doing what comes naturally is what the heathen do; that is what the unconverted do. You cannot do what you wish; you have this sinful nature and that has to be put to death.

In heaven, when you no longer have a sinful nature, you will never have to struggle with yourself. You will no longer have to fight. What a wonderful life to which to look forward! Every time you are struggling to overcome a besetting sin, just remember, the time is coming when the struggles, the fight, will be over! You will not have a sinful nature with which to contend anymore. In heaven, you will not have to contend with the devil or the flesh or the world. That will all be in the past. If it is going to be in the past for you someday, you have to receive the righteousness of Christ in this life.

Righteousness is . . .

“Righteousness of Christ imputed to men means holiness, uprightness, purity. Unless Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us we could not have acceptable repentance. The righteousness dwelling in us by faith consists of love, forbearance, meekness, and all the Christian virtues. Here the righteousness of Christ is laid hold of and becomes a part of our being. All who have this righteousness will work the works of God. . . .” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 134. [Emphasis added.]

If you have the righteousness of Christ inside, you have love in your heart.

Righteousness is forbearance. Do you know what forbearance is? It is refraining from the enforcement of something that is due. For example, as a child, if a friend hit you but you refrained from returning the blow, you were practicing forbearance.

Righteousness is meekness; that is gentleness or humility.

Righteousness is “all the Christian virtues.” To know what all the Christian virtues are, study Romans 12, Galatians 5, and 11 Peter 1.

Fear and Trembling

At the beginning of Part I of this article, I stated some introductory facts about righteousness, which included the fact that you cannot be saved without it. Then we learned that we do not have any nor can we generate any, and the only way that we are going to get any is from Jesus, because He has enough for all of us, if we commit our lives to Him and choose to cooperate with Him.

Paul said that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12.) In other words, we are to struggle and fight against the sinful nature, against the besetting sins. Then he said, “God will work in you to will and to do His good pleasure.” Verse 13.

Do you want God to work in your life, to work out His good pleasure? Oh, friend, God has something for us that is so much better than anything we can think of ourselves. As Paul said to the Philippians, “God is going to work in you that which is His good pleasure.”

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.