Christian Life

Wholeness in Christ

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We live in a world where most people do not know a life of completeness. In fact, most feel that their cup is not even half full. The vast majority of men and women are searching desperately for a wholeness that they cannot seem to find. What most do not realize is that there is no completeness without Jesus Christ. He instilled in us a need for Him. God made man whole in the beginning, but when Adam and Eve chose to sin, they chose to have a part of themselves removed. We were created beings with free will. God will not force entrance into the void that they created; we must ask Him to fill it. Until we do, there will be a chasm; just as if our heart was taken out. And His presence is just as necessary.

I first want you to understand what a blessing this is. The restlessness that we feel in a life incomplete is an amazing gift; one that most people do not realize. If we were to be content with what we have, if life was full in and of itself, why would we search for Christ? Why would we need to? Our perception would be that we are self sufficient, that we have everything together on our own. We do not go searching for something if we think we already have all we need. God knows this. He gives us a thirsting spirit to bring us to the Wellspring of Life. We need to feel thirsty so we do not die of dehydration. In the same way, we need to feel our lack of Christ to accept His grace that we do not perish because of our sin.

And yet it is painful and we do need to fill our hearts. There is no person alive who has not struggled with a barrenness of spirit at one point in time or another. Eve fought this issue when she let the devil trick her into believing that God was in some way trying to restrict her happiness; that she was somehow missing something. She did not contemplate that what she was missing was not something that she would desire were she to obtain it. God did indeed wish to keep something from her. He wished to withhold the unpleasantness of sin. And through her distrust of God and resulting sin, she found from what God was hoping to exclude her. Adam struggled with this when Eve took the fruit. He felt that his life would not be complete without her, and so he too sinned so that his life could be whole. But the completeness he had was not found in his wife as he thought. They both immediately recognized that a portion of their beings was missing after their sin. The presence of God left them. That piece is still missing in each of us. Today we run around from home to the work place and perhaps elsewhere, looking for our fulfillment in our families, our career, hobbies, or other pastimes. We are so focused on these things that we lose sight of the one thing that can make us whole. We are trying to fill the space of a circle with a rectangle. The void was not created by a lack of wisdom like Eve thought. It was not created by the lack of a soul mate as Adam feared. It was and is the absence of connection with God. We were created with God being as much a part of our beings as our hearts. Without Him we are truly empty and lifeless. How do we receive Christ back in our lives and thus fill the fissure in our souls?

There is a simple truth about the character of Christ that must be understood to answer that question. In John 1:1, the Bible says that God, His word, and His law are one and the same. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 1 John 4:16 says that, “God is love.” So if God was the Word and God is love, God’s Word is love also. And we know that God’s Word is His Law for us. That Law must then be of love. And out of love He would not permit anything that would destroy or restrict our happiness and “likewise” would not restrict anything that would enhance our existence. God has given us His law because He loves us, it is the essence of love. God’s Law, His Word, and His love are all the same. To think of one without the other would be the equivalent of taking the soul out of one’s body. There would be nothing but a shell. We cannot have one without the other. So if we are to accept Christ into our hearts, we must accept His divine law also.

I wish here to make something very clear. We tend to think in this day and age that freedom is the absence of law. Let’s look at this for just a moment. What would happen if there were no laws to govern humanity? Laws are instituted to place some moral boundaries in society. They are meant to regulate the evil impulses and to create consequences for insubordination. If there were no laws and no consequences for defiance to the law, people would feel at liberty to follow their evil impulses: killing, cheating, stealing, lying, adultery, etc. This would leave us in so much fear of one another that we would not feel at liberty to leave our homes for fear of what is outside our doors. Even with societal laws this is happening. I visited New York City not too long ago and was strongly warned not to go out after dark for fear of the violence. There is no freedom in this. Where is freedom when we live in fear? If we truly loved one another selflessly as God asks, we would restrict our actions to be in line with God’s law, and guide others to do the same for the safety and happiness of all. But we don’t. It was a disregard of God’s law that left Adam and Eve feeling naked and empty. God could not dwell with them as He had previously because God and sin cannot coincide. It is continued disrespect to the law of love that maintains the emptiness.

We were created out of love and we are each instilled with a need for affection. We all love to be loved. There is little else more satisfying to the human soul than feeling unconditional acceptance. Because of sin we all have limits as to how much love we can receive or impart. And yet it is to each other that we tend to look for acceptance. The truth is that no fallible human can fill the need. How can one empty cup fill another? Of course, it is very important for us to love one another. It is a commandment that God set above all others. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37–40. But the love we give to one another is so very finite we cannot even begin to fill the void. We are blessed to have a God whose love knows no limits; He alone can fill the chasm. Realizing that God loves us so much more than anyone else and accepting His love is what fills our hearts and completes our beings.

We feel sometimes that even God is withholding His love from us. We may feel at times as though He is absent from us with the hardship we face, the losses we experience. The Bible says that God will not deprive you of any good thing. Furthermore, anytime we lose something dear it will be replaced by something better. It is with faith and patience that we must acknowledge that God promises that His love never ceases and He will care for us. Since we cannot see the whole picture we must lean on One who does. The blind must be led by the seeing. When we accept and understand this about God, our attitude begins to change. We can see that God’s law is not there to restrict and withhold, rather to ensure our safety and happiness. The change in how we view God is important to receiving Christ. It would be impossible for us to see that Jesus is the only one who can fill our need if He was Himself in any way limited. If we choose to believe that His law has been instituted because He loves us and wishes only good things for us, will we then not choose to obey? And in obedience, we are accepting Christ in our hearts; the missing portion of ourselves that the devil does not wish us to find. We are told that God created men and women for happiness. And if we follow in God’s path He will bring us delight. That is not to negate the fact that there will be sorrow. We live in a world of sin, but it does mean that God will ensure joy through all strife. And those who accept His presence in their heart will know the beauty and everlasting happiness of heaven.

When we learn of Christ’s everlasting love and learn to love Him in return, our position toward sin changes. Christ died to save us from our sins. He would have died on the cross for a single person with a single sin so they could spend eternity with Him. That is such a powerful and unfathomable statement. We cannot imagine love like that. But it is life altering. Who, when they know that their sins are what caused their beloved Christ’s suffering, would continue on the path of sin; continue to nail Jesus to the cross? And who would believe that someone who loved them so much that He would die just to save them would withhold anything good from them? In seeing Christ’s character and accepting the Holy Spirit into our hearts such that we do no more harm through transgression of His law, this is a repentant heart. This is the means by which we accept Christ and allow Him to fill our empty cup.

Just as we received Christ at the first, we continue to receive Him every single day. Our repentance grows deeper. We begin to hate sin increasingly with the knowledge of the price and our love for the One who paid it. And as Christ leads our repentant hearts, we turn away from the highway of sin and begin walking in the path of righteousness. What a blessing is in this. Yet, let us not let down our guard. The same devil who was working to prevent us from knowing Christ will work much harder to turn us away from Him. Even though we have accepted God’s love for us and have felt the peace and joy that His presence gives us, we are not yet complete. And we never will be complete until we reach heaven. As long as we are on this earth, the devil has an opportunity to rob us of our precious gift. Satan is working overtime to get us to lose sight of Christ in the immense distractions of the world. He would do anything to get us to search for wholeness in the world, because it preoccupies our attention. Possessions, relationships, and endeavors on earth are simply a rat race because they do not last. What takes a lifetime to build can be knocked down in a day. How can things that are so fleeting make us whole? It is like water through a strainer. The water constantly has to run to replace what has been lost. This occupation of constantly trying to keep the strainer filled keeps us from finding the glass that is overflowing with God’s blessings. We are so concerned with rebuilding what has been lost, despite the fact that it will once again be torn down at some point, that we forget our calling to build something that outlasts even our lifetime—a relationship with God.

Christ wants to give us peace and wholeness, but He wishes to relieve us of something also—something that inhibits our ability to experience the serenity He gives fully. He wishes to take away our sins. Christ cannot dwell in us, but He also wishes us to be cleansed of our iniquity. What would be the point of new clothing if the body is still dirty? Through grace God wishes to cleanse us of our filth. This is a surgical procedure to cut away the decay of sin and carry on anew with Christ. We are forgiven our sins and are separated from them by the power and sacrifice of Christ. It is up to us to allow Christ to cleanse us of our guilt. And why would we not? It is anxiety-provoking and shaming to live with a guilty conscience. We can never be whole with sin, as sin and God cannot coexist. It is a barrier between us and a loving God. The good news is that through Christ we can be purified. Then, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live a life after Christ’s example to us.

God requires us to live a life of service for Him. In the mentality with which we are now surrounded, this seems like a life of drudgery and confinement. But God created His beings to want to serve, just as He created us to need love. It is not a wonder that a creation used for a purpose other than for which it was invented would fail in any other pursuit. Imagine trying to warm your food in a freezer. We do the same thing when we try to serve ourselves. We were not meant for that. There is no lasting satisfaction in a life of self-service. We all have heard that the more we give, the more we have. And yet it is not fully understood, and can not be understood until we realize that God created us with an innate desire to serve each other and Him. The contentment and satisfaction that accompanies a single good deed can be multiplied infinitely with the dedication of one’s whole life to the service of love. We were meant to be industrious for a good cause, not the gain of fortune which can be swept away at any moment, but rather the gain of Christ which neither person nor circumstance can obliterate without our permission. A lasting reward is found in the faithful work given to God. Even Christ, God’s Son, delighted in service. I do not speak of white-collared service either, but the service of a true servant. With a humble and loving heart Christ washed the feet of each disciple, including Judas, who Jesus knew would betray Him in a few short hours. Looking at the life of Christ there is not a trace of ambition, pride, or selfishness. A carpenter by trade, He touched the untouchable, drove demons from the demon-possessed, and washed the feet of sinners, all with a humble heart, a heart of service and love. The Bible tells us that God made us after His own image. That does not mean just physically, for He made us also to find satisfaction in service, worth in humility, joy in giving, and peace in Christ.

The fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace. It is through a life of service, obedience, surrender, and self sacrifice that we find peace and wholeness. Christ wants desperately to come into our hearts and guide us to these things. He is knocking at the door of each heart in hopes of being invited in. We cannot fill the space of a circle with anything other than a circle. That piece is Jesus Christ. He gave His all for us to be a part of His family. Let us give our hearts as a dwelling place for Him, and be whole.

Alicia Freedman works for Steps to Life as a part of the LandMarks team. E-mails can be sent to her at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Self-Examination

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I know the heart of the true Christian longs to be in harmony with God. I also know that it is in these same hearts that the devil is so very hard at work. We are very fallible as people and require great attention to the blemishes of character to touch our goal, the character of Christ. This is why, to the dedicated Christian, self-examination is an integral part of spiritual life. It is a strict investigation into the integrity of our faith; a means by which to know our defects that we may overcome them. The Bible speaks on the necessity of attending to this duty in 11 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.” The only remedy for self-deception is self-examination. This is how we are enabled to guard against a wrong judgment of our spiritual condition.

Men in every age have been able to deceive themselves in regard to their characters; to call good evil, and evil good. Now, one may be tempted to think that good and evil are so far separated, how could there be any confusion? It is through the nearly imperceptible wiles of the devil, coupled with our finite and sinful minds, that allows the perception that evil could be good and vice versa. How many people live and die in self-deception? It is not a condition restricted to the ungodly. Please understand this, for to think so is dangerous ground. Every era has found the majority of professed Christianity to be blinded as to their true character. The Laodicean church has been entrusted with important and sacred truths of the last message of mercy and yet has become shamefully deceived as to their spiritual state. They are described as them that say, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” Revelation 3:17. And yet they know not that they are, “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

God’s true people have chosen to improve since this message was seen to apply to them. They have been enabled to make the necessary improvements by way of self-examination. But the scriptures clearly state that many will continue down the path of willful blindness until the day of the Lord when they will say, “Lord, Lord,” claiming a right to His favor. Because they have chosen to remain blind to the truths they would otherwise have accepted, He returns saying, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22, 23. How heart wrenching it would be to hear this from our Lord, our Creator, and how wholly unnecessary. If we were but willing to take a look in the mirror and remove the imperfections, we would be saved from this. Self-deception cannot exist where the work of self-examination is correctly and faithfully undertaken.

If we were in a perfect state and had no defects in our character, the view in the mirror would be one easy to accept and even easier to alter. But as fallible human beings this is not an agreeable duty to perform. Strangely, it is uncomfortable for us to admit to our faults, even when they cause us so much harm. We would not knowingly leave cancer in our bodies because we know the great peril in which our lives would be put. And yet most of us put our lives in the same danger by ignoring our sinful faults. The difficulty arises from the pride and deceitfulness in our hearts and our tendency to look upon our characters with complacency and nonchalance. We tend to excuse ourselves of our wrongs. The adversary is hard at work to keep us from our duty to our characters through our tendency to focus on the faults of others, which are by far secondary to the attention our own characters desperately require. The Bible asks us why we would pay so much heed to the sliver in our neighbor’s eye when we have a whole tree in our own. (See Matthew 7:3.) It is considerably less labor intensive and painful to point the finger than to do the necessary work in ourselves. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that the greater portion of professed Christians choose not to remove their tree. So if we fail to examine ourselves, we cannot obtain a thorough and correct knowledge of our characters. Satan exults in our self-induced blindness as we cannot see the necessity of overcoming, and consequently fail to advance in sanctification. But if we become acquainted with our hearts and open ourselves to the ugliness of our sinful nature, we shall realize the necessity of overcoming and progressing in holiness.

The view in the spiritual looking glass will not be a pleasant one for most of us at first. We are so prone to sin and, without even realizing it, we frequently allow sin into our lives. The arch-deceiver did not earn this title for no reason. He knows where our weaknesses lie and will use them against us in such a way that we believe what we are letting in does not relate to sinfulness. The devil is slowly dimming the lights of our spiritual awareness. If we are not careful, eventually we will be unable to see. Our eyes adjust to the growing darkness, making it seem like we do not need additional lighting. But what happens when we go too long like this? We damage our eyesight. Satan has the same plan with our spiritual well-being. Notwithstanding the unpleasantness of the work and the great opposition that we experience from the devil, we must push forward in our endeavor to perfect our characters for the Lord. We want to be among those privileged to live with our beloved Father. Is this not worth any discomfort we may experience in looking at ourselves for what we truly are? But how do we turn the lights back on?

We are constantly presented ways for self-improvement. One common expression we have all heard as advice is to “follow your heart.” Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that, “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” This warning is so vital given that we live in a world that operates on the emotional level rather than the intellect. There is nothing to keep emotions in check except the mind. So then do we follow our mind, or more specifically, our conscience? We answer only to our own conscience, but every person’s conscience will say something different, so how do we know whose is correct? How do we know that our own conscience has not been significantly blunted by the effects of living in a sinful world? And as how we think of things affects how we feel, we cannot safely accept feelings as a guide.

Humans are simply too inconsistent and incompetent to look to for any aid. One blind man does not lead another with great success. We cannot determine the status of our character without the Word of God. We are judged by the Word and so must live by the Word. The Bible serves as a light that can illuminate our beings and allow us to see ourselves. Just as a person would become quickly discouraged looking for something in a room completely dark, so would we become frustrated in trying to change if we did not see what we were asked to become. We need to become so acquainted with the truth that we see it, not merely as a theory, but as a standard by which to live. Just as we have the Scriptures as a guide, we have the unerring life of Christ as an example. We are asked to walk as He walked. This sounds intimidating and impossible, but we are promised that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us. “Without this,” says Helffenstein, “we shall be liable either to the extreme of presumption or despondency. While some cry, Peace, where there is no peace, others, overlooking the exercise of a renewed heart, will be held in perpetual bondage to their doubts and fears. Great care should then be taken to ascertain what the scriptures insist on, as essential to Christian character. It is by these points, and not by such as is merely circumstantial, that we are to determine the genuineness of our piety.

“There are some who place great dependence upon the pungency of their convictions, the ecstasy of their joys, remarkable dreams, sudden impulses, the unexpected application of some Scriptural promise, or the fact that they can refer to the particular moment and place of their supposed conversion. None of these things, however, constitute the distinguishing marks of race. Instead, therefore, of directing our minds to those circumstances which may be as marked in the cases of the self-deceived as in the cases of true believers, our inquiries should relate to those traits of character which are the invariable fruits of the Spirit, and which are common to all the subjects of its saving influence.”1

In looking at the Scriptures as a guide we must implore the Holy Spirit to be in our hearts and minds and illuminate the truths contained in what we read. Jesus said to the Laodiceans, “Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3:18. It may be slow at first. Just as coming out of a dark room our eyes are pained if we take in the light too fast, God will only reveal the light to us as we can deal with it. We must constantly be undertaking the work of self-improvement. The devil never ceases his work against us, so we must constantly be working against him to keep his deceptions out of our lives.

Christians tend to think that, once converted, the work is finished. But true conversion is a process. What are we working to be converted to anyway? Is it not Christ? And who can say that they are Christ-like? It is the consistent worker who does not lax in their duty who will reap the rewards. Dr. Watts tells us, “it was a sacred rule among the Pythagoreans that they should, every evening, thrice run over the actions and affairs of the day, and examine what their conduct had been, what they had done, or what they had neglected; and they assured their pupils that by this method they would make a noble progress in the path of virtue.”2 And should we Christians fall behind these heathen philosophers in this important exercise? Dr. Watts gives us some lines we would do well to remember here:

Sometimes it seems quite overwhelming with all the cares of the day to have yet one more thing to attend to. There are two remedies to this. Firstly, ask yourself what your purpose is in life? Is it to make money and be successful in the eyes of the world, or is your purpose to gain a closer walk with God to ultimately walk one day by His side? Secondly, take baby steps. Children are taught the alphabet before they are taught to read. If a child was handed a book and expected to be able to read, he would soon become discouraged and give up.

It is easier for our minds to grasp things which are tangible, such as our actions. Is our conduct that of a Christian? Do our actions uphold the fundamental principles of the Ten Commandments? As our actions and words are originated from what our minds contain, upon what are we thinking? Our thoughts determine our feelings toward a given situation which also provokes our actions. This is a question that needs to be carefully thought through. Much of the time we believe ourselves to be pious and yet our motives for our actions are less than admirable. The devil has tricked the mind so often into thinking that if we are doing the right thing we are okay. But Satan can lead us into doing the right thing and have it meet his purpose because our motives were not pure.

We can attach far too much importance to the idea that we are practicing a form of godliness and to the fact that we have attached ourselves formally with God’s people. Both of these are very beneficial and perhaps even necessary as a Christian. The Jews were a people who strictly adhered to one form of godliness and yet missed the heart of true godliness by a mile. A form of godliness can exist without the power of godliness. And Christ found it necessary to separate from believers at times for the respite of quiet communion with the Father. So these are not things that can necessarily aid in examining whether the heart of our actions are in alignment with that of Christ.

It is so very difficult to look at ourselves without being partial. Preconceived ideas tend to be steadfast and opinions are most often formed to our own favor. Yet through prayer, the Holy Spirit will shed light where it is necessary as we are able to handle it. This is not a light matter as we are preparing our robes (characters) for the second coming of Christ. Every spot on our character is a spot on our robe and we are called to be without blemish upon the return of our King. “It is in this life that we are to put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness. This is our only opportunity to form characters for the home which Christ has made ready for those who obey His commandments.” Signs of the Times, November 22, 1905. I know that it is discouraging to look at something ugly and think of all the work it is going to take to restore beauty. God likens our bodies to temples for Him, and thus we should treat our spirits. To look at a home that is in desperate need of remodeling can be overwhelming. But the task becomes far less daunting when we have a concept of what we want the finished product to look like. Most of us are in this position spiritually. Our temple has been sorely neglected and looking at this is not pleasant, but Christ is our model so we have a clear idea of what we are to change.

People tend to look at personal trial as defeating and harmful. I would encourage us to look at hardship rather, as an inner mirror. Our response to hardship tells us most clearly where we stand intellectually, morally, and spiritually. It is a way for us to fine-tune what we lack, and also to acknowledge change where it has taken place. Is it not when we endure trials with an unruffled temper, without fretting or mumbling, that we can truly say that we are patient? Is it not when we are in a position to forgive a wrong that we see where we stand with grace?

Dear reader, Christ asks us to be prepared for His second coming by putting on the robe of righteousness. Our attendance at the marriage feast depends on this. I want to be there and I know that hearts that belong to God long to be there also. Take upon yourselves the work necessary to be presentable to Him, and do so with the knowledge that, though the work is daunting, the Holy Spirit will shed light unto your path and strengthen you in your efforts.

  1. Jacob Helffenstein, Self-Deception: Its Nature, Evils, and Remedy, Published by Albert Sims, Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada, 1887.
  2. Isaac Watts, Joseph Emerson, The Improvement of the Mind, Boston, Hickling, Swan & Brewer, Cleveland: Ingham & Bragg, 1858.

Let not soft slumber close your eyes

Before you’ve recollected thrice

The train of actions thro’ the day.

Where have my feet chose out the way?

What have I learned where’er I’ve been,

From all I’ve heard, from all I’ve seen?

What know I more, that’s worth the knowing?

What have I done that’s worth the doing?

What have I sought that I should shun?

What duty have I left undone,

Or into what new follies run?

These self-inquiries are the road

That leads to virtue and to God.

Christians and Cars

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A friend once told me jokingly that being in church does not make a person a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes a person a mechanic. At the time it was a joking reference made to my insistence on attending church, but in retrospect, she was absolutely accurate. We claim to be Seventh-day Adventists, and we believe in keeping the seventh day holy as prescribed in the Bible by God. The fourth commandment tells us that God “hallowed” the seventh day and “rested” on it. “For the seventh day is the Lord’s day, and in it, you shall do no work.” (Exodus 20: 10.) The Sabbath was made as a day of worship and rest for man, a day set aside specifically for communion with God and contemplation of the individual relationship with Him that all Christians must have. Wonderful! But where does it say that for the other six days of the week we can do as we please, and disregard the relationship we are supposed to nurture with God? What do we, as Seventh-day Adventists, do with the other six days of the week?

“Being in church doesn’t make you any more a Christian than being in a garage makes you a mechanic.”

This thought, taken most literally, is true. A pagan could walk into a sanctuary and sit among us, sing our hymns, listen to a sermon, and we would never know. They could observe the day with us, acknowledge our beliefs, and go home and rest on Sabbath. Yet, if they make a prayer to Isis or Hecate the next day, they are still pagan; simply going to church does not change that. Likewise, they could walk through the service bay of a car dealership and not suddenly gain intimate knowledge of the inner workings of my truck.

How do we gain the knowledge of what we need to do to be Christians? How do we turn “Christian” into a verb? A mechanic can only apply the term to himself if it is what he does for a living. It ought to be the same with Christians. Spending time with God is a good start. The Bible says that wherever two or more gather in My name, I will be there. (Matthew 18:20) So God’s presence is promised to any group that gathers for the purpose of serving Him. But what about individuals? Does God spend time with them? The Bible is full of examples of God spending meaningful time with individuals in isolation from others. Moses spent much time on his own with God, as is evidenced in Exodus when he stays on the mountain for many days and nights, with only the will and power of God to sustain him. He spoke with God alone in the Tabernacle and had a close relationship with God, one of the closest in biblical history.

Jonah was alone in the belly of the whale, but God heard his cries of repentance and his pleas for forgiveness. Alone, Jonah’s acceptance of God’s purpose was acknowledged by God, and Jonah’s life was spared as he accepted the mission God gave him. Imagine the honor God bestowed upon him. He, personally, heard the voice of God commanding him to go and do His bidding, and what did he do? He fled. Jonah ran from the greatest honor and gift any of us could imagine outside of being in the literal presence of God Himself! What would you give to hear the voice of God; what would you do to obey that voice if it honored you with a command? Would anything be too much, too hard? How terrible was Jonah’s cowardice and his sin in running from a command he should have been honored to receive, yet, even after all that, God heard his lone cry for a second chance and granted it. Is that what we are doing in our calling as Christians? God has given us clear instructions through the Bible and other inspired writings; instructions that clearly outline what is proper and necessary for Christians, yet the vast majority, sadly, ignore Him.

It has come to a time where we who believe Christianity is a verb must stand alone. There will be no church available to us on earth. And yet we will be Christians regardless. A mechanic does not need a garage to work in. Wherever there is a vehicle and the tools necessary, he can work. Likewise, if God is in our hearts and minds, we can practice the life of a true Christian. It is a historically documented fact that the ancient Christians sometimes sold themselves into slavery to buy the freedom of another. Do you think these Christians were surrounded by fellow believers? No, many of the slaves kept by Romans were of varied backgrounds, including Greeks, and Gauls; any race or country they conquered. These early Christians had no one with whom to practice their beliefs; they were an outlawed people of an outlawed faith, punishable by death. Do you think God did not hear them and was not with them when they could get away to worship Him?

Being in church does not make you a Christian. We are Seventh-day Adventists, and should live as such. As a mechanic daily works on cars and exercises that knowledge and expertise, so we must daily work at being a Christian and grow in our relationship with God. We are sent out to spread the word of God, to “fix” the lack of knowledge or interest of others in preparation for His coming. Would you let a person who spends one day of the week in a garage in some capacity work on your most valuable, vintage, collectible Mustang? No, you call in an expert mechanic who spends hours every day working on cars to deal with your valuable possession and fix it so it runs perfectly. These master mechanics eat, sleep, and breathe their profession. How much more so, then, must we Christians work on and maintain our own relationship with God if we are to help others? I Corinthians 10:31 says: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” How much must God be in our daily lives to become adequate to help others find their way to God? This is a question that requires exceedingly careful attention. If we are Christians only in name and do not live as such, others who are brought to the church through us will only have a partial picture. They will not understand their responsibility as Christians. What would happen to a mechanic who was hired but only stood in the shop without working? He would get fired. It is the same with Christians. We will not reap unless we work. This is our responsibility and we must impart this information to others. Actions speak louder than words. Likewise, we can exemplify the Christian duty more powerfully than we can speak it.

We are sent to help people establish or repair a relationship with God, but we must always remember not to neglect our own relationship with Him. In the same way a mechanic keeps abreast of the latest technology and advancements, we must keep our relationship with God up to date if we are to help others establish one. If someone sees us not living up to the standards we profess, how much will they trust us if we try to change their practices? Would you trust a mechanic who cannot fix his own car, let alone yours? In that manner, how can we expect someone to trust us to impart knowledge of Christianity, if we are not practicing what we preach?

The relationship between God and a Christian is a deeply personal and private thing at times, and it is not for any of us to judge one another on how it stands between God and the individual. It can be seen and expressed in small ways in church, but that is not enough. As Seventh-day Adventists we must commune with God daily, feel Him in our lives, and do as He has commanded us through the Scriptures. A whispered prayer, or even simply a silent prayer for patience in trying times, or a thanks for something positive, even as minor as a tiny bit of providence, can bring us closer to Him in our daily lives. He is with us all the time, and we owe Him so much should we not at least acknowledge Him?

Just as technology is constantly changing with vehicles, and a mechanic must keep educated, so must we, as Christians, keep up with the light given us and use the truths to draw us closer to Christ. In so doing, we are enabled to spread His light that all may know Him as their personal Savior.

Lauri Hume has completed her BS degree and is currently working as a case manager in Hutchinson, Kansas. She can be contacted at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Thoughts on Thoughts

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Thoughts on Thoughts

Christians are front-line soldiers for Christ. Enduring the fiercest of the devil’s attacks, we stand firm in the faith. Despite the strength of the devil’s weapons, no Christian will ever fly the white flag of surrender. Christ stands before his army a conqueror, having taken, what would have been to us, a debilitating blow so we may stand for Him. We fall victim from time to time to the enemy’s cruelty and deceit, but our Commander is constant. Just as He has been the Arm for His people throughout the ages, so He too is our Arm to help us maintain our position. But to do this we need to know what type of weapons the enemy has. Satan’s weapon of choice against individual Christians is thought. Every factor that dictates our lives; emotion, word, action, stems from our thoughts. The devil knows that if you knock out the foundation, the whole house will fall.

Our world is being unapologetically saturated with the most debasing mentality that people have yet faced. The thoughts and ideas held by the majority of the population hold dear no divine characteristic. The results of which we see played out not only in the news, but in the personal lives of every individual. It is obvious that the great controversy is not just a bloody battle between Christ and Satan; it is equally a battle fought privately between the ears of every Christian; a battle which is gaining in its ferocity.

The issues are not simply a result of a failing societal system and a rapidly regressing public conscience, they are personal attacks designed by Satan on the minds and hearts of God’s people. And what a clever devil he is—an enemy who knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows every thought, feeling, and desire. Our thoughts are his door into our minds, hearts, actions, and lives. When Adam and Eve were created they ruled the earth under God, but the moment they sinned, the dominion over earth and everything in it was given to Satan. Christians have a way out of this though, by claiming Christ as a personal Savior. However, laying that claim is where the real work begins. Our duty from that moment on is to learn to exemplify Him. We are told to look to the life of Christ as an example by which to live; a perfect example. But we fall so short. We try and try again to change what we do and say to imitate Jesus and … we fall and fall again. If we are not surrounding ourselves with things that are Christ-like, if we are meditating on things that Jesus would not have anything to do with, there is no possibility for change. The mind and what goes on in it is the key to absolutely everything in our lives.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character.” Unknown.

In other words, everything starts with our thoughts. They are ground zero. Our words are the result of what we are processing in our minds. It makes no difference whether they are impulsive or well thought through. If we are in the habit of thinking things that we would not want to say aloud, it will come out when we are not guarded, or in times of intense emotion. Focusing solely on changing our words and actions is like taking the cough out of the cold. The cough may go away for a little while but so long as the cold still lingers, the cough and all the other miserable symptoms will recur. The devil knows this and will attack us at the very foundation—our thoughts. The Bible put it very simply; “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7. This is true not just because our true motives, ideas, and emotions, which are not shown to anyone else, are stored there, but because our mentality is exemplified in our lives.

Mark Twain once said, “What a small part of a person’s life are his actions and his words. His real life is led in his head; known to no one but himself.” How true this is. The famous author is saying that our actions and words are only the fruit of the plant, but there would be no plant without the seed—our thoughts. “Great thoughts, noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth, unselfish purposes, yearnings for piety and holiness, will bear fruit in words that reveal the character of the heart treasure.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 338. Bearing the fruit that Christ says all true Christians will bear begins in the mind. People can attempt to change their actions and words; we can try to change our lives by moving in a different direction outwardly, but without changing how we think, it is a hopeless cause; we will always revert back to the same rut. Jesus likening us to the fruit of a vine is more apropos than many may think. We are the fruit of what we dwell upon. We can try to put on the fruit of Christianity for a time, but if the seed planted is still a thistle, that is what will be produced. We cannot generate fruit unless we change the seed. Our thoughts are the seeds from which everything else in our lives spring forth, and only by dwelling on the fruits of Christ can we produce His fruits.

“It is a law both of the intellect and the spiritual nature, that by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell.” The Great Controversy, 555. When a vineyard is planted, trellises are erected to guide the vine as it grows. We have trellises in our lives also. The things that we allow into our lives and minds are the trellis and we will naturally grow in the direction in which it leads. There is not one thing in life that we are not affected by. Where and how we spend our time, what relationships we cultivate, the environment in which we live, the media we allow; our thought patterns are affected by all these things, and thus, since our words, actions, and lives are driven by our thoughts, we are affected drastically.

Every person is endowed by the Holy Spirit with a conscience. It is a tool that allows us to distinguish what things we would have in our lives. It is much like a muscle; when it is used, it grows stronger. In neglect, it dissipates into nothing. The same principle applies to our moral lives and what we take in. When our spiritual muscles are growing weak with the relenting of scruples, we lose the muscle we once had and cannot withstand the pressures of the world we once could when we were in better condition. And since thought is a precursor to action, when we allow things into our minds that are questionable, we are weakening our senses to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. As the saying goes, “Use it or lose it”. We can strengthen our consciences again only by responding to the slightest of reproofs and reigning in our words and actions based upon those whispers. When we seek to justify ourselves, we are working against the Holy Spirit, and our actions will show it. If we feel a right to thinking or saying or behaving in a way that is against God’s character, we will naturally exhibit those things and grieve the Holy Spirit.

“It is not necessary that anyone should yield to the temptations of Satan and thus violate his own conscience and grieve the Holy Spirit. Every provision has been made in the Word of God whereby all may have divine help in their endeavors to overcome.” God’s Amazing Grace, 73.

If a garden is not carefully tended, weeds will overtake everything that was once beautiful and thriving. It takes no work at all, no effort, for something to be destroyed. The mind can be an amazing tool if properly maintained; however, the slightest neglect gives the devil room to come in, for an idle mind is the devil’s playground. We must constantly be educating ourselves in Christ. If our minds are stagnant for a moment, or if we allow thoughts in that are directly contrary to Christ, we are giving the devil a space to force his own agenda. Satan’s portal of entry into our lives is through our minds, and he will put thoughts in our heads without our permission. He is invasive and forceful. God, on the other hand, is not. His principles are based on love, and He is ever patient and gives us freedom of choice. If we want Him and his attributes in our lives we must seek it out, and there is nothing that pleases Him so well; He wishes us to seek Him and His kingdom. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. Satan wants to dominate us, and since he is the only one that will invade our lives where he is not wanted, is it any wonder that we would tend to think things that Christ would wish never to enter our heads? Thoughts are so very fleeting; they come and go even without us being aware of them sometimes. It is something like breathing. We do not need to try to have a thought come into our minds, just like we do not need to try to take a breath. It would, in fact, take quite a concerted effort not to breathe or think.

We should not let anything into our lives that we would be ashamed to dwell on in God’s presence. He is always aware of what we are thinking, saying and doing. Nothing escapes His omniscience. What if our thoughts were known to those around us? What if we each wore a neon sign that exposed every single thing that crossed our minds? There is absolutely no doubt, in this case, that we would control our thoughts, and if there was a fleeting thought that came across our neon sign that we would loath to share, we would quickly change our train of thinking rather than dwelling upon it. Why, though, would we be so very concerned with a neon sign that would expose us to other people, when we broadcast our every notion to God?

I have often chuckled at the stupidity of the devil when he called a “secret” meeting of the angels in heaven to turn them against God. What was he thinking? God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent; yet we share in the devil’s stupidity in believing that if we just think, we are getting away with something. But this is obviously not the case. “Guard your thoughts, close the door to temptation. Do your work as in the sight of the divine Watcher.” Counsels on Health, 341. Rather than condemning us though, God simply asks us, to revert our attention back to Him.

We must control what thoughts come and go, but given how quick and unbidden they are, it is quite a challenge. The mind needs to become educated by the character of Christ. When we focus our attention on worldly pleasures, we are starving our spiritual beings. The whole of a person’s being operates on one basic principle: what we put into it, we will get out of it. If we only ate food that lacked the nutrition our body requires to maintain itself, our physical health would plummet, and our quality of life would deteriorate also. Likewise with the mind; if we feed our minds with things that are nonsensical and of an immoral nature, we are starving our mental, spiritual, and emotional beings, the effects of which will show in how we feel emotionally, what we say, and how we act. God is our teacher and wishes to train our minds to dwell upon His attributes and to think as He would think, and behave as He would; be one with Christ as Christ and the Father are one (See John 17:21), beginning with everything that we dwell on and allow into our minds and hearts. It is more difficult to retrain than to learn, and it will not be an easy task. Doing so requires us to be surrounded only by those things which are holy, things in which God may be present. When we become accustomed to things that are distasteful to God, we must retrain our spiritual and mental tastes. The devil ensures that sin looks far more glamorous and appealing and satisfying than does holiness and purity. It takes discipline and self-denial to train the mind simply to want something different. Constant prayer that God would give you a desire for things that are pleasing to Him is also needed, and while He is working on your heart and mind, work hard to eradicate anything that may be displeasing to Christ. He is desperate to work with us, but refuses to play tug-o-war with us. So long as we are on the same side of the rope as Jesus, He will help us, and the devil will fall.

There is nothing that a person exhibits—thoughts, words, or actions, that has not already been processed in the mind. An impulsive word may come out unbidden, but is the direct descendant of a thought pattern. If thoughts are habitually pure and kind, there is no possibility of having anger and hatred come out. It would be like planting a grapevine and coming out with a thistle. It simply does not happen. This is why we are told in Philippians 4:8, “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” In these things the Holy Spirit can work with us. If we do not grieve Him in our thoughts and in what springs forth from our thoughts, Christ can dwell with us and guide us. Only in Him is there purity and beauty, and only through Him can we ever hope to eradicate anything unworthy of God’s children.

Alicia Freedman is currently working on our LandMarks team and can be contacted at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Where Do You Stand?

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“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking

whom he may devour.”

1 Peter 5:8

 

The above verse is a familiar one, although it is one that most Christians accept somewhat casually. Indeed, many Christians see this text and others that refer to Satan and his efforts to lead God’s people astray as maybe a bit mythological, viewing Satan’s “alleged” existence as nothing more than an idle tale or the result of pagan influence on early Christians that has survived through the ages.

One woman, who was otherwise very intelligent, became quite upset on being told that Satan was responsible for the existence of the sin and misery that prevail on this earth. Her retort was that neither Satan nor God exists. Both are creations of man that serve as excuses for the various behaviors manifested by humankind.

To believe that way, of course, one cannot believe in any inspired writing, and certainly not the Bible. Regretful though it may seem, it is often best to leave unbelievers with that mindset to stew in their own juices, which they will eventually do, unless they let the light of truth shine into their hearts. Our only hope for these deluded souls is prayer, and lots of it.

However, to those who have read and studied the matter, the existence of a formidable foe is unquestionable. We are all familiar with the Fall of man, explained so clearly in Genesis 3. Man chose to obey “that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9), rather than his Creator. As a result, “through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin” (Romans 5:12).

But why did Satan seek to cause man, the pinnacle of God’s creation, to fall?
“Satan was once an honored angel in heaven, next to Christ. … But when God said to His Son, ‘Let us make man in our image’ (Genesis 1:26), Satan was jealous of Jesus. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man, and because he was not, he was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.” Early Writings, 145.

Satan’s envy, jealousy, and hatred led eventually to rebellion. Subtle at first and executed with the utmost skill, his efforts succeeded in convincing one third of the angels that he deserved the place held by the Son of God. His rebellion is explained clearly and beautifully in the first chapter of Patriarchs and Prophets, “Why Was Sin Permitted.” Even though he was a created being, he credited himself for his beauty, talent, and intellect and sought to be equal with his Creator. “ ‘Shall the clay say to him who forms it, “What are you making?” ’ ” (Isaiah 45:9). Satan indeed manifested such a mindset toward his Creator!

The result, of course, was war in heaven—in heaven!

“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7–9).

An excellent summary of the conflict that brought about this war is given in this passage from Inspiration:

“Looking unto Jesus we see that it is the glory of our God to give. ‘I do nothing of Myself,’ said Christ; ‘the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father.’ ‘I seek not Mine own glory,’ but the glory of Him that sent Me (John 8:28; 6:57; 8:50; 7:18). In these words is set forth the great principle which is the law of life for the universe. All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father’s life flows out to all; through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all. And thus through Christ the circuit of beneficence is complete, representing the character of the great Giver, the law of life.

“In heaven itself this law was broken. Sin originated in self-seeking. Lucifer, the covering cherub, desired to be first in heaven. He sought to gain control of heavenly beings, to draw them away from their Creator, and to win their homage to himself. Therefore he misrepresented God, attributing to Him the desire for self-exaltation. With his own evil characteristics he sought to invest the loving Creator. Thus he deceived angels. Thus he deceived men. He led them to doubt the word of God, and to distrust His goodness. Because God is a God of justice and terrible majesty, Satan caused them to look upon Him as severe and unforgiving. Thus he drew men to join him in rebellion against God, and the night of woe settled down upon the world.” The Desire of Ages, 21, 22. [Emphasis added.]

So, Satan effected the Fall of our first parents and claimed the world as his domain. Because he was not privy to the plan of creation, which included provision for the salvation of mankind should he fail to maintain his obedience to his Creator, Satan was certain that he would have complete control over the human race as long as it should last and that man was rightfully his, since he chose to obey him rather than his Creator.

“The fall of man filled all heaven with sorrow. The world that God had made was blighted with the curse of sin and inhabited by beings doomed to misery and death. There appeared no escape for those who had transgressed the law. …

“But divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be redeemed.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 63.

It was this plan for man’s salvation, conceived when the Father and Son consulted together regarding the creation of man in their image, that Satan had no knowledge of. If he had known about it, he would have known that although he might cause man to fall, there was a plan “whereby man might be redeemed.” Though there would be some who would choose to stand under Satan’s black banner, there would be a blood-stained banner raised that would provide redemption for all who chose to stand under it.

Even with Satan’s acquired knowledge of this fact, for he has now diligently studied the Bible for thousands of years, and the Spirit of Prophecy for more than a hundred, he is determined to cause as many to fall as he possibly can, for he knows now that he does not have to bear the penalty for lost souls. They will each bear their own fate. Satan’s punishment is to bear the penalty for those who have accepted the salvation wrought by the sacrifice of the Son of God. Thus the more he can cause to stand under his black banner, the less punishment he has to bear.

So the question for Satan becomes, How can I bring about the loss of the most souls?

Unfortunately for man, Satan is not bound by the law of God. He can lie, and it is through his lies that he succeeds in persuading so many poor souls to stand in his dark shadow—although many do so unknowingly.

How many has he convinced that their dead loved ones are already in heaven? Even “religious” publications promote that error. One immensely popular “Christian” publication has in almost every issue at least one if not several stories of actions, believed to have been committed by dead relatives, that have brought comfort to their survivors. How could these survivors doubt it when a departed relative, who supposedly has previously provided some comfort in a supernatural manner, leads them to believe that God has changed His mind regarding the day of worship?

In such an instance, those who have not made the Scriptures their safeguard will be deceived by Satan and his evil coconspirators into believing two of his lies: man’s soul is immortal and the seventh day is no longer God’s Sabbath day of rest. These two lies, by the way, have been and are being promulgated by the vast majority of the Christian world today.

But between now and then, Satan is diligently at work to cause man to have no regard whatsoever for God’s law. He insinuates thoughts into our minds that, unless rejected, will lead to man’s downfall.

“There is no safety for any of us unless we trust fully in God, and take a decided stand, guarding the avenues of the will, resisting the first insinuations of Satan, rejecting his counsel to yield to questionable impulses. This requires watchfulness, perseverance, and continual adherence to the word of God under all circumstances. We are here as probationers and are deciding our own eternal destiny.” The Signs of the Times, May 15, 1893.

“Those who would not fall a prey to Satan’s devices, must guard well the avenues of the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure thoughts. The mind must not be left to dwell at random upon every subject that the enemy of souls may suggest. The heart must be faithfully sentineled, or evils without will awaken evils within, and the soul will wander in darkness.” The Acts of the Apostles, 518.

How many are there who fail to “guard well the avenues of the soul”? How many are there who willingly entertain every evil thought that enters their mind, not realizing that Satan slaps his knee in delight because he is causing another soul to fail of reaching the divine standard? How many fail to realize that they are “deciding their own destiny” and choosing—again, many unknowingly—to stand under the black banner of error?

It is not by chance that so many of the Bible writers have cautioned truth seekers against letting the mind wander wherever it may. Paul wrote more than once about the necessity of mental discipline.

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2).

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:4–6).

Isaiah and Jeremiah also cautioned their contemporaries about evil thoughts. When Isaiah fulfilled God’s instructions to him to “Tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins,” he summed up their faults by concluding that “Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity” (Isaiah 58:1; 59:7).

Jeremiah reached very much the same conclusion when he told the children of Israel, “O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you” (Jeremiah 4:14)?

Inspiration tells us that “In the struggle to reach the highest standard, success or failure will depend much upon the character, and the manner in which the thoughts are disciplined.” This Day With God, 66.

“Satan can not read our thoughts, but he can see our actions, hear our words; and from his long knowledge of the human family, he can shape his temptations to take advantage of our weak points of character. And how often do we let him into the secret of how he may obtain the victory over us.” The Review and Herald, February 27, 1913.

“There are many who are really troubled because low, debasing thoughts come into the mind, and are not easily banished. Satan has his evil angels around us; and though they cannot read men’s thoughts, they closely watch their words and actions. Satan takes advantage of the weaknesses and defects of character that are thus revealed, and presses his temptations where there is the least power of resistance. He makes evil suggestions, and inspires worldly thoughts, knowing that he can thus bring the soul into condemnation and bondage.” Ibid., April 8, 1884.

“Never forget that thoughts work out actions. Repeated actions form habits, and habits form character.” The Upward Look, 89.

And character determines where we stand. It is the only thing man possesses that he will carry with him to heaven. Inspiration states, “A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this world to the next. Those who are under the instruction of Christ in this world will take every divine attainment with them to the heavenly mansions. And in heaven we are continually to improve. How important, then, is the development of character in this life.

“The heavenly intelligences will work with the human agent who seeks with determined faith that perfection of character which will reach out to perfection in action. To everyone engaged in this work Christ says, I am at your right hand to help you.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 332.

It is Satan’s sole objective to prevent man from acquiring this treasure, “a character formed according to the divine likeness,” and from standing under the blood-stained banner of Christ in this world so that he can stand spotless on the shores of the crystal sea in the next.

How many fail to realize that we do indeed have an enemy who walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour?

 

[All Bible quotes NKJV unless otherwise noted.]

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

A Concept of God

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Various Concepts of God

The world is full of a variety of ideas about God; certain ideas cause men to hate God; others to serve Him from fear; and others inspire men to adore Him so ardently that they delight to do His will and wish they could spend an eternity with Him. Our attitude toward Him depends quite fully on our ideas about Him—on our concept of the kind of God He is. Whether or not we will serve Him depends largely, then, upon what we think about Him. Therefore it is of first importance that we know Him.

The True God Should be Truly Understood – The Origin of Mis-concepts

Go back in time about 6,000 years to an Eden home of perfect bliss which a kind, loving God gave to the holy pair of innocents; they possessed perfect bodies and minds; their minds were full of joy; and their bliss was to be everlasting.

But an enemy came, saying,

1    God did not tell you the truth when He said you would die if you eat of this tree; you cannot depend on what He says. You will not die.
2    You will enter a higher state—become like God—if you eat the fruit; He is keeping from you that which is for your good; He is hindering your advancement; therefore He is unkind and does not love you as He claims to do.
3    He has placed a very strict regulation around you forbidding you to do the things which are for your good; such regulations are unjust; He is not fair with you.
4    In thus treating you He is curtailing your liberty—your rights; He is a tyrant!
5    If He were infinite in wisdom, as He says He is, He would know better than to manage His affairs of state like this; He would change His methods. Such a course is bound to fail; He cannot succeed; He claims infinite power, but no amount of power can perpetuate a government based upon injustice; and so on.

Thus he gave to Eve a false description of God to change her concept of Him so as to change her attitude toward Him so she would cease to serve Him and turn against Him.

Had Eve continued to believe in God as He really was, she would not have turned from Him; she believed the misrepresentation of Him and so took her stand against Him.

That experience was the beginning of all false concepts of God in this world. From that day until this, Satan has sought to make the service of God seem undesirable by putting Him and His ideas in a false light. Among the heathen will be found idols to represent their concepts of God, and some of these are more horrid than any human mind could conceive, apparently trying to make idols as bad in looks as they believe their gods to be in fact.

Satan works in every conceivable way to impart distorted concepts of every kind about God.

On the other hand, God has been working to help men to see Him as He really is; but error always has the advantage over truth because error can use methods to propagate itself which truth cannot use. This is one reason why truth sometimes waits a long time for vindication.

God Must Be Revealed

Thus the conflict—the greatest conflict that has ever raged in the minds of men—is about God!

One author has said, “No science is equal to the science that reveals the character of God.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 393.

Therefore a gospel, if it is to cause men to return from their departure from Him, must begin its work for sinners by restoring a true knowledge of God, and this must ever be its true drawing power; His characteristics must be revealed to the people so they will see that He is “the chiefest among ten thousand and the One altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:10, 16); that He is the embodiment of all that is desirable, and that all good comes from Him.

One day Moses asked God to reveal Himself to him, and in response to the request God presented the words, “mercy,” “graciousness,” and “goodness,” meaning that it is by such attributes that the Great I AM wishes to be known among men (Exodus 33:18, 19). This concept of God must become the drawing power of the redemption plan.

Christ’s First Objective

When the Son of God came to this earth to expound redemption and win sinners back to God, His first objective must be to reveal the true character of God; they must be won by being captivated by His lovableness, He can offer to die for them—He may die for them ten thousand times—but if they are not interested in God they cannot become interested in returning to His service, and the atonement would not be accepted, and He would die in vain. The first step in offering the gospel must be to help them to understand God. A dark cloud hung over the minds of men shutting out the true conception of God and hiding His true attitude toward them. If men only knew Him and how He really feels toward them, their hearts would be won and they would adore and love and serve Him forever.

Not by Force

“The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world’s dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, ‘with healing in His wings’ (Malachi 4:2).” The Desire of Ages, 22.

For these reasons the conflict rages—Satan ever striving to conceal God, to misconstrue His motives and character and to confuse the minds of men concerning Him, and God ever at work to impart a true knowledge of Himself.

The Christian’s Experience, 221–223. [All emphasis author’s.]

 

Pen of Inspiration – Christmas

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Christmas—a Time to Honor God—By the world the holidays are spent in frivolity and extravagance, gluttony and display. … Thousands of dollars will be worse than thrown away upon the coming Christmas and New Year’s in needless indulgences. But it is our privilege to depart from the customs and practices of this degenerate age; and instead of expending means merely for the gratification of the appetite or for needless ornaments or articles of clothing, we may make the coming holidays an occasion in which to honor and glorify God.

Christ should be the supreme object; but as Christmas has been observed, the glory is turned from Him to mortal man, whose sinful, defective character made it necessary for Him to come to our world.

Jesus, the Majesty of heaven, the royal King of heaven, laid aside His royalty, left His throne of glory, His high command, and came into our world to bring to fallen man, weakened in moral power and corrupted by sin, aid divine. …

Parents should keep these things before their children and instruct them, line upon line, precept upon precept, in their obligation to God—not their obligation to each other, to honor and glorify one another by gifts and offerings.

Turn Thoughts of the Children Into a New Channel—There are many things which can be devised with taste and cost far less than the unnecessary presents that are so frequently bestowed upon our children and relatives, and thus courtesy can be shown and happiness brought into the home.

You can teach your children a lesson while you explain to them the reason why you have made a change in the value of their presents, telling them that you are convinced that you have hitherto considered their pleasure more than the glory of God. Tell them that you have thought more of your own pleasure and of their gratification and of keeping in harmony with the customs and traditions of the world, in making presents to those who did not need them, than you have of advancing the cause of God. Like the wise men of old, you may offer to God your best gifts and show by your offerings to Him that you appreciate His Gift to a sinful world. Set your children’s thoughts running in a new, unselfish channel by inciting them to present offerings to God for the gift of His only-begotten Son.

“Shall We Have a Christmas Tree?”—God would be well pleased if on Christmas each church would have a Christmas tree on which shall be hung offerings, great and small, for these houses of worship. [Note: Reference is made in this article to current building projects. As the principles set forth in this connection are applicable today, these specific references are left in the article.] Letters of inquiry have come to us asking, Shall we have a Christmas tree? Will it not be like the world? We answer, You can make it like the world if you have a disposition to do so, or you can make it as unlike the world as possible. There is no particular sin in selecting a fragrant evergreen and placing it in our churches, but the sin lies in the motive which prompts to action and the use which is made of the gifts placed upon the tree.

The tree may be as tall and its branches as wide as shall best suit the occasion; but let its boughs be laden with the golden and silver fruit of your beneficence, and present this to Him as your Christmas gift. Let your donations be sanctified by prayer.

Christmas and New Year celebrations can and should be held in behalf of those who are helpless. God is glorified when we give to help those who have large families to support.

A Tree Laden With Offerings Is Not Sinful—Let not the parents take the position that an evergreen placed in the church for the amusement of the Sabbath school scholars is a sin, for it may be made a great blessing. Keep before their minds benevolent objects. In no case should mere amusement be the object of these gatherings. While there may be some who will turn these occasions into seasons of careless levity, and whose minds will not receive the divine impress, to other minds and characters these seasons will be highly beneficial. I am fully satisfied that innocent substitutes can be devised for many gatherings that demoralize.

Provide Innocent Enjoyment for the Day—Will you not arise, my Christian brethren and sisters, and gird yourselves for duty in the fear of God, so arranging this matter that it shall not be dry and uninteresting, but full of innocent enjoyment that shall bear the signet of Heaven? I know the poorer class will respond to these suggestions. The most wealthy should also show an interest and bestow their gifts and offerings proportionate to the means with which God has entrusted them. Let there be recorded in the heavenly books such a Christmas as has never yet been seen because of the donations which shall be given for the sustaining of the work of God and the upbuilding of His kingdom.

The Adventist Home, 480–483.

Your Own Way

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In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, speaking of Jesus, “He loved me, and gave Himself for me.”

In the words of the gospel prophet Isaiah, we see the sufferings of the Messiah described hundreds of years before He was born. “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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5, 6).

The expression, “we have turned every one to his own way” in modern phraseology is, everybody doing his own thing. Now the prophet here points out that this is what made necessary the death of Jesus. There is something very alluring, very intriguing, very enticing about having our own way, but often poor choices are made impulsively.

Now the prophet suggests that there is more than one way to have one’s own way. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.” A hundred people may have a hundred ways to have their own way due to personal likes and dislikes. Isaiah says this problem is at the root of sin. But while there is an individuality in these various patterns of having our own way they fall more or less into three great categories.

Open Rebellion—my own way. I, a creature, shake my puny fist at the God of heaven and say, I want my way and I’m going to have it. This was the way of Nimrod at the tower of Babel. This was the way of Pharaoh as he withstood Moses and Aaron at the time of the Exodus. He perished in the Red Sea. This was the way of Belshazzar as he assembled his lords and drank that fermented wine of Babylon and praised the gods of silver and gold and defied the God of heaven by calling for the sacred vessels from the temple at Jerusalem to be brought in for the services of these heathen gods. All these and millions of others in turning each one to his own way have openly defied the God of heaven.

Pretended Loyalty—while having one’s own way. This does not defy God openly; it seeks to evade His requirements all the while pretending to be loyal. This was the way of King Saul, the first monarch of Israel. The experience of the young king is recorded in 1 Samuel 15. He was anointed with holy oil and crowned king and told to exterminate the Amalekites, a cruel, presumptuous heathen people that had been defying God for hundreds of years. They had filled up their cup of iniquity.

Through the spirit of prophecy God gave him direct instructions in what and how it should be done. Idol worship and all who shared in it were to be destroyed and no spoils were to be kept. It was to be clear that they were acting as God’s sheriffs, but when the job was done they thought, Why lose all the flocks and herds and all the booty? In their greed they began to reason, Wouldn’t it be fine to sacrifice this to the Lord at the tabernacle at Gilgal? Secretly they thought that instead of their own cattle, they could use these to sacrifice. King Saul also had second thoughts about sparing Agag. He thought his triumph would be heightened if Agag, the king, was brought home in chains. Samuel, the prophet of God, met them enquiring, Why haven’t you obeyed what God said? Saul’s feeble excuse was that the people have spared those to sacrifice to the Lord thy God in Gilgal (1 Samuel 15:19–21).

Notice Samuel’s response: “Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:22, first part)? Loyalty is shown not by pretense, not by profession, not even by sacrifices, but by obedience. Jesus echoed it a thousand years later when He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king” (1 Samuel 15:22, last part, 23). The Spirit pierced through Saul’s disguises, his camouflages, his excuses, his rationalizations.

People quite often have two reasons for what they do – the reason they give and the real reason. King Saul had two reasons – the reason he gave which was an excuse and the real reason. God calls it rebellion. This all happened while Saul was claiming to be a loyal supporter of the Lord, a loyal subject of God’s kingdom, a loyal commander in God’s army. Saul had his own way while pretending it was God’s way.

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He strips away the disguise and exposes the camouflage of those who claim to speak in His name but do not keep the commandments of His Father. He said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity [lawlessness]” (Matthew 7:21–23). These people are not like Pharaoh in open rebellion; they’re not like Belshazzar blaspheming the name of God; they take the name of Jesus upon their lips; they repeat His praises; all they do they do in His name and yet Jesus says they’re in rebellion. They are not obedient.

This method of doing one’s own way is far more subtle than the first. There is more hope for the open sinner in bold rebellion to find that he needs to be changed and converted than the one who deceives himself. We thank God for the arrow from the Lord’s quiver that wounds such a heart, but oh, what a deceptive trap it is to be taken in when one practices the forms of religion and sings the praises of God, while in his inner life he is following his own way.

You see, that was the problem with Judas. Christ gave Judas an opportunity to be converted. Judas went through all the forms: he joined in prayer; he was even ordained a minister by Jesus Himself; He was sent out along with the rest of the twelve to work miracles to heal and preach in Jesus’ name but deep in his heart Judas never came to the point of full surrender.

A classic example of this matter of doing something with a different motive is found in John 12. The story begins with Mary anointing the feet of Jesus at the feast in Simon’s house. When Mary’s box of alabaster was broken and the perfume filled the room, Judas’ selfish, covetous soul rose up in protest. He thought the money Mary had spent on the costly ointment could have been sold and put into the treasury. He was the treasurer and actually thought what he could do with it.

Judas said, “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein” (verses 5, 6). Right there in the presence of Christ he dared to condemn that act of love on Mary’s part and give his objection a worthy look while hiding his covetous motive. Judas wanted to be seen as a keen, shrewd, careful, loyal supporter of Jesus and His program and looking after the interests of the kingdom. Interesting though, the disciples all sided with Judas and not with Mary. Only the Savior saw through his disguise. Only the Savior could read his heart.

How dangerous it is to cling to sin while covering it up with a holy pretense. Jesus referred to the scribes and Pharisees as “whited sepulchers” (Matthew 23:27). Inside full of dead men’s bones, but covered over with whitewash on the outside.

Deception—the right thing for the wrong reason. An example of this is found in the experience of James and John. “John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us” (Luke 9:49, 50). Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and passing through a Samaritan village James and John ask the Samaritans if they could stay there that night, but because they saw that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, they would not receive Him. “James and John saw this, and they said to Jesus, Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did? But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (verses 54, 55).

Now James and John were not crooks like Judas. They thought they were being loyal to the Master and were not by any means trying in an underhanded way to undermine His influence. However, their selfish human nature had seized upon the opportunity of getting close to Christ and upholding Him as a way to exalt themselves and get their way. This could also be a temptation for you and me. When they saw somebody else doing some work in Jesus’ name, full of zeal, they said, Oh you mustn’t do this; you’re not with our company. You’re not taking your orders from us so you better quit.

Now the book The Desire of Ages in commenting upon this gives us this interesting ray of light, that James and John had thought they were ambitious for their Master’s honor but as Christ instructed them they began to see that they had been ambitious for their own honor. (See The Desire of Ages, 437, 438.) What was it they wanted? Their own way. Now their own way happened to be right in exalting Jesus but the way they went at it was in a way to exalt themselves. Again with the Samaritans they went ahead and Jesus had told them to try to find lodging there and something to eat but the Samaritans wouldn’t receive them so they came back and reported and said, Now Lord, shall we call fire down from heaven and burn them up like Elijah did? And Jesus looked upon them sadly as He said, You do not know what spirit you are of. You think you are trying to help Me and you mean all right, but really the trouble is, you want your own way. You want to either rule or ruin. You want people to jump when you crack the whip and if they won’t do it you’re prepared to use the whip. This is at the foundation of all the persecution in the name of religion down through the ages. Millions of inquisitors and persecutors have put to death tens of millions of conscientious souls in the name of Jesus Christ. Why? They believed they were working for God. Even when the thing we stand for is the right position we still may be very selfish in the way we stand for it.

We live in an interesting age when it has become popular on many fronts to cry out against the establishment, to point out the mistakes in government, in schools, in homes, in the church, and God knows there are plenty of mistakes. But, whether I ride in the streets, burn down the administration building or choose more subtle ways to show my disregard of authority; whether I smoke marijuana, and point out that it’s no worse than my elders getting drunk with whiskey; whether I select a righteous cause and stand for it in the spirit of rebellion, the end result is the same. I am turning to my own way.

When a young person today selects a righteous cause and does it in defiance of his parents, his teachers, and points out their sins and mistakes, only God knows the motive of his heart, but I challenge each young person – be sure when you take a stand in advance of your elders, and God knows many of you need to take stands in advance of your elders, be sure you’re doing the right thing for the right reason instead of the right thing for the wrong reason. It makes all the difference in the world. One road leads to heaven and the other leads to hell. All those who are lost will not be people who got drunk or got high on drugs. Selfishness is something far more permeating in its influence. There are ten thousand forms that selfishness can take. The prophet says truly when he says, “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). All of us. Every one of us. Some have taken the road of open defiant rebellion, open and above board. Some of us have taken the road of pretending to be loyal to God and yet in our hearts are thieves, crooks, lustful deceivers, covering it over with whitewash. Some of us have taken the road of seizing the truth and using it as a platform on which to mount for ourselves an exalted throne from which to issue edicts and expect them to be carried out because we are standing for Jesus.

Now thank God there’s a fourth way to have your own way. We’ll find it in Matthew the 16th chapter. There’s something better than these three ways in which like sheep men go astray. Here’s another way. “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (verse 24). This is not the way of open rebellion; it is not the way of evading and rationalizing; it is not the way of choosing truth and doing the right thing for the wrong reason. This is another way entirely. It’s the way of the cross, the way Jesus took, for Jesus did not come to earth to give up bad things so He could be saved. He gave up all the good things so you and I could be saved. And He invites us to join with Him in that way – the way of self-crucifixion.

Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). He had seen Christ on the Damascus road as the crucified Savior now risen and ascended pleading with Him, Saul the persecutor, to turn from self-pleasing in the name of religion, and he said, I will show you what great things you must suffer for My name’s sake. Thank God, Paul turned his back on all the self-pleasing in the name of religion and took up the cross of Christ and carried it to his death; didn’t he? And he said, “God forbid that I should glory save in that cross” (Galatians 6:14). Now you say, I thought you said that this was a way to have your own way. It is. It’s the only way that works. That’s the paradox.

I saw some ducks on a lake the other day and as we were watching them eat their dinner while we ate our dinner, we observed how much better they functioned there in the water than we would if we’d been going after our dinner where they were. Do you know why they were doing such a good job of it? They were made for that. They were equipped for that task from head to tail. I want to tell you something, friends, you and I were not made to have our own way. And whenever we try it, sooner or later we’re disappointed. We were made for God’s way. We were made to please Him. He says, “This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise” (Isaiah 43:21). And when you and I turn from self-pleasing and see Jesus on the cross and say, Lord, if You love me that much to die for me, I love You enough to live for You. When we do that then we begin to understand and experience a joy which is not the joy of self-pleasing; it’s the joy of pleasing Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. And since that is what we were made for, it works.

As one of old said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, Oh God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” Augustine of Hippo. Nothing but Jesus, having full possession of our heart can truly satisfy the soul. We’ll never find satisfaction, friends, in defiance of God in open rebellion. We’ll find only disappointment and disillusionment in trying to pretend loyalty to Him and yet really having our own selfish way. And oh, the sad, sad disillusionment of those who take a righteous cause and march under its banner all the while trying to find their own way in the religion of Christ. No friends. Let’s make one big pile of all our selfish ways and thoughts and plans and turn from it and come to Jesus on the cross and kneel down and give Him everything we have. There’s no other way. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

When we do that more and more while we crucify the flesh, while we deny the selfish cravings, we become acquainted with a life which finds its satisfaction in pleasing God and in helping Him make others happy. Jesus said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:17). Oh yes, to turn from self-pleasing means to enter the role that eventually will bring us eternal joy here and hereafter. So the Psalmist says, “Delight thyself … in the Lord: and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4). So you want your heart’s desire? You’ll not get it by going after it. You’ll not find it by chasing it. There’s only one way that you can find the real fulfillment, the answer to your quest. It’s by renouncing self and letting Jesus have full control of your life.

If the disguise of sin and selfishness has been torn away from any of the devil’s plans in your mind or heart pray not merely to be illumined but to come to a decision so we can say with Paul on the Damascus road, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do” (Acts 9:6)?

 

Elder W.D. Frazee studied the Medical Missionary Course at the College of Medical Evangelists in Loma Linda, California. He was called to Utah as a gospel medical evangelist. During the Great Depression, when the church could not afford to hire any assistants, Elder Frazee began inviting professionals to join him as volunteers. This began a faith ministry that would become the foundation for the establishment of the Wildwood Medical Missionary Institute in 1942. He believed that each person is unique, specially designed by the Lord, of infinite value, and has a special place and mission in this world which only he can fill. His life followed this principle and he encouraged others to do the same.

Patience, Please

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Be careful for what you wish; you just might get it. Patience is a common request made of God, and yet, are we sure we know what we are in for? It is, of course, a necessary Christian virtue, but it is not for the weak. Unlike Egypt, which was built for the Egyptians on the backs of slaves, no one will build patience for us. Patience will be built by the perspiration of each individual, fervent Christian. No, Christianity is certainly not a faith for the faint-hearted. When Christ said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” [Matthew 16:24.] He was not talking about the pendants that are so commonly seen in the secular Christianity that is thriving nowadays. He was speaking of the perils, afflictions, and heartaches that are bound to follow any person who has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The “hurry-up-and-wait” patience that modern day America demands at their beckon call is not the patience that Christians are called to exhibit. The word “patience” comes from the Latin word patiencia, which means “to suffer and endure”. Patience in America means waiting in the check-out aisle on a Friday afternoon whether you like it or not. There is nothing in American living that would induce patience. We live in a fast-paced world; we have fast food, we drive fast cars, and we have super fast computers. We are programmed to be in a hurry. We are in such a rush that God, who created time, is sometimes too slow to fit into our overdrive schedules. We demand what we want or need right away, as if our lives were going to end if we did not get it now. Sometimes we get so impatient with God and charge on ahead of Him without knowing which way He wants us to go, all the while saying that we want to do His will.

God, who is infinitely patient, calls us back to reality, though, through the dead ends we run into when we run on ahead of Him. As Christians, we will have enough struggle in our lives simply in enduring the devil’s attacks; we certainly do not need to get in our own way, or God’s. Every decision in life from scheduling our day to deciding on a career is to be made with great care and prayer. Acting hastily and running ahead to grab something that God may not have in mind for us only serves as a setback. God is methodical and steady; He is in no rush and knows what is best for us and when it will be in our best interest. If we are in such a hurry that we run on ahead of God, we may find when we come to a dead end that He wanted us to take a left a few intersections ago. What then? We would have to retrace our steps, turn left, and then gain momentum on the course God had in mind for us before we even started on the journey. There is great wisdom in the saying “haste makes waste.”

We often ask for patience, pleading and begging with great fervency, and when God grants our request and commences building it in us, we gripe and moan over the hardship suddenly being heaped on our heads. I wonder if God ever looks down at us in utter exasperation with a look of, “Make up your mind; did you ask for it or not?” In His mercy, though, He will not let up until we have learned the lessons and have mastered the attribute. He knows the importance of patience in our lives. God knows that, while we are on earth, we will be afflicted on all sides. The Christian race is not a sprint; it is a long distance run requiring strength and stamina to endure the agony of the marathon. Patient endurance is needed to reach the finish line. We will ache and burn inside and out, in our relationships, our careers, our families, and in our spiritual lives. Satan is a fierce enemy who never tires of his tormenting. He will do everything in his power to break us. It is a lovely thought, though, that God uses the weapons of the enemy for His glory. But we must be willing to let Him. If we moan and groan and lose faith, the devil is defeating us.

Christ warned us that hardship paves the road of Christianity just as it did for the Saviour. “We are in a world of suffering. Difficulty, trial, and sorrow await us all along the way to the heavenly home.” Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 459. Satan hates Christians as much as he did Christ. Until we go home to our heavenly Father, the devil will do everything in his power to make us miserable and, if possible, achieve our fall. God’s people are being watched constantly; is there a difference in what they see by way of a reaction to the hardship? Do they see God’s peace in us? Do they see our trust in a Father who is larger than anything afflicting us? Do they see Christ’s behavior and his forbearance?

God knows that a large portion of our happiness depends on how we respond in the times of trial. We will either bear the burden with a joyful heart, knowing that nothing comes to us except through Christ and that He is making us strong, or we bellyache and moan because life is so very miserable and get angry with God because life is not enjoyable. The difficulties are not going to be enjoyable; however, knowing that God is in them and He has a purpose for it all is a joyful thought and the burden is then borne not on our shoulders alone, but on His as well. James 1:2, 3 says: “Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations [trials]; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” It is a matter of what is best for us, what we need to learn, that God allows us to be tried and tested. Anytime we wish to develop a spiritual strength, it comes by trials which will exercise the attribute we are asking God to grow in us. In other words, when we ask for patience, what we are truly asking for are the trials that will build that muscle. No matter what test we are undergoing, though, patience is something we will need in each. Patience does not mean just waiting till the Lord decides enough is enough; it is bearing the burden with a joyful heart and a quietness of spirit.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” II Corinthians 4:8, 9. We can believe, say, and live this because Christ conquered the battle ahead of us. The human psyche is a funny thing. Before 1954, running a mile in under four minutes was said to be humanly impossible. Because of this “fact,” no human had ever been able to beat four minutes; many came dangerously close, but none made it. None, that is, until Roger Bannister. He made running history in 1954 at a meet at Oxford University where he broke the four-minute barrier by one second (back then they did not count nanoseconds). Since then, though, male athletes have made the mile in even less time than Bannister’s—because they knew it could be done. Christ’s life gives us knowledge that it can be done. His character and His triumphs over evil can be ours. The catch? It takes training. Bannister could never have accomplished the supposedly impossible without training. And was it fun and easy and painless? No way! Will it be fun and easy and painless for us? No! But it can be done! The main challenge is in developing the patience that is going to get us through it. It can be easily compared to the strict diet to which Bannister and other professional athletes must adhere in order to optimize their performance. It is the basis of their training. It is what allows them to maximize their training. Patience needs to be our diet. Patience is what is going to allow us to get the most out of our training.

It is through difficulty that God teaches us the lessons we need to learn. We can learn these lessons best if we are not spending our emotional, mental, and physical energies on worry, self-pity, and desperate efforts to change a circumstance outside of our control. Rather, we can put our efforts into biding through the trials and strengthening our faith in God. Yes, it does take lots of energy and dedication. Faith is an absolute to patience. Our ability to withstand the hardship that we face on earth is through the faith that we have in God—faith that He sent His Son to die for us that we may be saved: faith that Christ has conquered so we too may conquer: and faith that we cannot be touched by anything, except that God allows it and His allowance is to work out an end to our benefit. Without this knowledge, life for Christians would be over. And yet at times, it has not sunk down far enough to reach our hearts, or our patience and endurance would see a drastic turn for the better. A runner can push the pain out of mind to achieve the medal awaiting him at the finish line. We, too, can endure because we know that God has something far better awaiting us on the other side of the trial. We persevere, knowing that this too shall pass.

It is quite audacious for us to complain about our treatment here on earth; what servant would expect to be treated better than the master? Satan was working overtime on Christ during His brief time on earth. If the devil could get Jesus, our only chance at salvation, to fall, he would have claim as conqueror. And those three-plus decades were Satan’s only shot. He tortured Christ with every temptation, grief, peril, and pain he had at his command to effect Christ’s fall. From the moment of His birth, Jesus was wanted dead. He grew up poor, knowing the fatigue of physical labor. As an adult, He owned nothing, living a nomadic life in order to spread a truth rejected with vehemence by most, and in His darkest hour, deserted by every earthly companion; even His heavenly Father was being blocked from His vision. In Gospel Workers, 56, Ellen White says, “Angels of God stand amazed, and ashamed of this lack of self-denial and perseverance. While the Author of our salvation was laboring and suffering for us, he denied himself, and his whole life was one continued scene of toil and privation. He could have passed his days on earth in ease and plenty, and appropriated to himself the pleasures of this life; but he considered not his own convenience. He lived to do others good. He suffered to save others from suffering. He endured to the end, and finished the work which was given him to do. All this was to save us from ruin. And now, can it be that we, the unworthy objects of so great love, will seek a better position in this life than was given to our Lord? Every moment of our lives we have been partakers of the blessings of his great love, and for this very reason we cannot fully realize the depths of ignorance and misery from which we have been saved. Can we look upon Him whom our sins have pierced, and not be willing to drink with him the bitter cup of humiliation and sorrow?”

“All heaven is interested in the happiness of man. Our heavenly Father does not close the avenues of joy to any of His creatures.” Steps to Christ, 46.

It may seem that developing patience is more trouble than it is worth; yet God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, is quite determined that we obtain this attribute. Although it may seem a strange thing to say in the face of the nature of the tools used to grow patience, God is very concerned with our quality of life. Not one person goes through life without feeling the terrible effects of sin. Some face the trials feeling fearful, weak, and bitter; others experience the inevitable sorrows patiently, knowing that God intends to use the devil’s attacks to His good purpose. They endure, and while remaining peaceful, are able to feel some degree of joy. Which class of people is happier? Obviously, those who endure the difficulties with patience. But we cannot do this without practice. Trials are unavoidable, and God wishes us to be at peace through them; one area where practice does indeed make perfect. On-the-job-training is the best way for God to teach us how to lean on Him and be patient. Nothing could be more effective in foiling the devil than to be gracious in trial and use his attacks to bring glory to God.

The patient endurance of those persecuted for their faith has been a testament through the ages to believers and unbelievers alike. However, their trials and suffering would not be noted whatsoever had they not the quietude and contentment that accompanied them; many, even unto death. No one admires anyone who moans and groans over their lot. The heroes whom we admire are those who accepted their fate without a word of complaint or despair. The attitude with which they underwent suffering is what defines them from others who have shared in the same agony. Although at the time we may not be staring down death in the presence of onlookers who would be affected by our placidity, we are being watched by others in our daily lives, most of the time without knowing it. They see how we respond to hardship; whether we are enduring quietly and trusting a loving heavenly Father with our best interest, or struggling with inconsolable doubt and frustration. Our lives are testimonies for others to see Christ’s strength, patience, peace, and joy. Once again, this takes practice, and both the devil and God will ensure that we have the practice we need. Our duty is to shake off Satan and let God conquer in our lives. “We are examples to others … we can see the importance, then, of having true faith, for it is the motive power of the Christian’s life and action.” The Signs of the Times, November 24, 1887. Through our patience, we may be giving someone else the opportunity to see just a glimpse of Christ and what He has to offer in the lives of every person.

Do not make light the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as a son. For what son is not disciplined by his father? (See Hebrews 12:5–7.) We serve a loving God who has our best interest at heart. He longs to see us at peace here on earth as well as for eternity. Anything that will achieve this end He will allow to come our way. It may at times be what we tend to call “tough love,” yet anything that comes from God is for our good, and we can thus patiently endure and lean on Him who carries the burden with us.

Sandra Rowlandson is part of the Landmarks team and can be reached at: sandrarowlandson@stepstolife.org.

Christian Cornerstone

by

The Christian life is a practical outworking of the basic principle of love. Love is a very simple concept that few fully understcand or practice, and yet it is the lifeline of Christianity. When we truly love someone, we are willing to give our all for that person and his or her well-being just as Christ did for us. This results in joy. Nothing brings parents more joy than to give to their children everything that is good for them. There is nothing that a sister will not share with her sister. And a brother goes to great extremes for those he loves. God gave us the desire to do great things for love. He created us in such a manner that giving is more blessed to the soul than receiving. Putting self aside and setting the needs of another above our own takes care of both the receiver and the spirit of the giver. Practical Christianity stems from the love of Christ exemplified in our lives.

God’s law is the epitome of infinite love. Love is the foundation of His commandments, which are drawn from the tender devotion of a Creator towards His creation. Our Father stops at nothing to ensure the best good for His children. Christians, by definition, are a people who live by Christ’s example. We are bound by the name and by the undeserved love God has shown to us, to also love and care for those around us. “Christ illustrates the nature of true religion. He shows that it consists not in systems, creeds, or rites, but in the performance of loving deeds, in bringing the greatest good to others, in genuine goodness.” The Desire of Ages, 497.

God wanted to ensure the safety and happiness of His people so He gave them ten commandments to obey. But when He was asked what the greatest commandment was, He responded, saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” He goes on to say, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37–40. Jesus said that all the commandments hung upon these two. This is the principle that Christianity is built upon. The heartbeat of Christianity is love—love for the Lord and for your fellow man; everything comes from this basic principle. The law is contingent upon love; our love for God, God’s love for us, and our love for one another. Jesus put our love for each other secondary only to us loving Him. Why? Because if we love God and one another, obedience to every other commandment is a given.

The life of the creator was the atonement for sin. Jesus, though, not only died for us, but He suffered over thirty years of ridicule and hatred here on earth because He wanted to teach us what true love really looks like. His life was service, sacrifice, and surrender; a life of true love. We have an overabundance of opportunity in our lives as Christians to show the endless devotion that God shows for us. Our thoughts, our speech, our actions, are all capable of reflecting Christ’s love. And in everything we do we are either bringing people close to God, or pushing them away from Him. Some may wonder at this; how can that be? When we see a beautiful sunset reflected in a still lake, do we continue to look into the waters? No, we look up to see the skies, to see the source in its true glory. When Christ is reflected in us, people will look up to see the source, knowing that it must be far more beautiful than the reflection. Our love for God and a life lived according to His Son’s perfect example—this is a true Christian’s “love life.” This is Christianity.

Some mistakenly define love as an emotion that is felt toward someone or something. Love involves commitment. When we commit ourselves to God we are committing to following His commands and His life. The reflection of Christ in a Christian entails not just the love that we show toward people that we hold dear. Unfortunately, we are merely sinful mortals, and it is not in us naturally to love everyone. In fact, we cannot love even those who are dear to our hearts nearly as much as God loves those who are far from Him. And since we are incapable of love in this manner, we love in a different way; through Christian duty. It is a choice. It is something that we show, even though we may not always feel it. Our sinful hearts tend to feel obligation only for those for whom we feel affection. We love those who love us, dislike those who are unkind to us, and are indifferent to those who ignore us. Martin Luther King once said, “Fire does not extinguish fire; only water can do that. Hate does not extinguish hate; only love can do that.”

If someone wrongs us in some way, there is a natural inward response to retaliate; a response that we are asked to suppress. When good is returned for evil, two things happen. Firstly, the individual who caused the pain is acknowledged as someone in need of tender care also, and thus is softened. Secondly, he is rebuked by the kindness. When kindness is returned for evil, the guilty is “burned” with the guilt of his actions. Paul said, “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” Romans 12:20. When Christ was crucified, his loving kindness was a reproof to the human race.

In His personal ministry, Jesus focused on people in need. He came “to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18. “But they that are whole need not a physician.” Luke 5:13. There is a saying that goes, “Keep your friends close; keep you enemies closer.” It is said as a caution to know what your enemies are up to in order to keep from getting hurt. However, the advice could really be quite applicable to Christianity. Our friends are friends for a reason. We typically share a common outlook, share like values, and have the same interests. It is our enemies that will tend to need us the most. Someone who is willing to make an enemy in one place is most likely to make them in other areas also. The anger and bitterness that would constantly accompany them calls for pity, not for anger in return, or even indifference. In our actions toward them, these people would have the opportunity to see true ministry and kindness—a picture that could well change the lives of many. It is the equivalent of a doctor living in a town where people know nothing of proper hygiene and lifestyle rather than moving to a place where proper habits are practiced and the people are healthy.

The people who are in our lives regularly are often dependent on how we interact with them. Our witness to others has a profound effect for good or for evil. This is frequently overlooked because the results are rarely immediately evident to us. God puts people in our paths who are complete strangers to whom He would like us to be of some good. The vast majority of the human race is in intense turmoil and suffering. Who better to comfort them than those who know the Ultimate Comforter? Who better to tend to them than those who know the Great Physician? We are trained in the school of Christ. For what? To congregate with those who have the same knowledge as we do? It was once said that knowledge is much like compost; it is no good unless it is spread. According to the National Geographic (November 2005), 95% of Adventists’ associates are other Seventh-day Adventists. This is a rather sad statistic, as others are neglected who direly need the truth. It is imperative that we take our knowledge to others. God gives us opportunities to do this by crossing our paths with those who need Him.

The story of the Good Samaritan is a perfect example of this. Many have treated the story as if it were just a parable that Jesus used to make a point, but it was an actual occurrence. The man who lay beaten on the side of the road was in desperate need of help. Beaten, bruised, and left to die, this man was at the mercy of anyone who would happen by. God’s divine providence sent three men to cross this poor man’s path. We are told this in inspiration: “God in His providence had brought the priest and the Levite along the road where the wounded sufferer lay, that they might see his need of mercy and help. All heaven watched to see if the hearts of these men would be touched with pity for human woe.” The Desire of Ages, 500. We are Christians; let us do something with our profession! A doctor is no good if he does not practice his art. A Christian, likewise, is no good unless practicing Christianity! God is entrusting His light to us. What are we going to do with it?

Too often we believe that our witness to others goes unnoticed because we are not witness to the effect. We do not see behind the scenes of another’s life and circumstances and emotions. Craig was a well-liked boy in the middle school he attended. He got good grades, he was involved in many extracurricular activities and was good at them, and he made friends easily. As he was walking home from school one afternoon, he bumped into another student at his school who lived on his block, knocking the stack of books out of his arms. Kyle was quite introverted and awkward. He could count his friends on one finger, and he was flunking the seventh grade. Not taking any heed of his appearance or lowliness in the middle school hierarchy, Craig picked up Kyle’s books and carried them back to their block chatting easily with him as they walked. The two boys struck up a friendship immediately. It was not until college graduation that Craig found out how much his friendship had done for Kyle. It was Kyle, not Craig, who had been elected Valedictorian of their graduating class, tall, robust, and confident. And during the course of his speech, which was delivered on the interdependence that we were created by God to have with one another, he revealed to the audience the power kindness has upon people as he told the story of his meeting with Craig and how Craig’s kindness had stayed his hand from suicide the day Craig walked him home from school. Although nothing was more natural for Craig to do, and he did not know the consequences of his benevolence, the effect on Kyle’s life was profound.

Unfortunately, these simple acts of concern and helpfulness toward each other are quite rare. Most of the time we are consumed by the daily grind and we miss the fact that the simplest and most human acts are the most profound and life altering. An individual is a witness by the love that is exhibited from one human to another. There is no need for extravagance. It is the simplest and mutest acts that are the most profound in attending to the heart and soul of our fellow man. “Many, many, have fainted and become discouraged in the great struggle of life, when one word of kindly cheer would have strengthened them to overcome. Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart to him of the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God.” The Desire of Ages, 504.

The Bible says that we need to train our children in the way they should go so they will stay true to the path as they mature (See Proverbs 22:6.) Living our lives in accordance to God’s law is the most practical way in which we can be witnesses for Christ. And we are trained from the beginning for adherence to the Holy Spirit’s voice. “The greatest evidence of the power of Christianity that can be presented to the world is a well-ordered, well-disciplined family. This will recommend the truth as nothing else can, for it is a living witness of its practical power upon the heart.” The Adventist Home, 32. God’s law is love; His government is founded on it. How can we do any less than to show just a sliver of the love and dedication Christ showed for us? Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40. This is such a commonly known text that it has taken up status as an adage in the minds of most Christians. Just in case this no longer tweaks the conscience into action, God elaborates on the point, driving it home. In verse 45, He says, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” If we saw Christ in need, what would we do? Most of us would jump quickly with a response that we would bend over backwards to overfill the need of our Savior. But with these texts in mind, what is the reality?

“Many who profess His name have lost sight of the fact that Christians are to represent Christ. Unless there is practical self-sacrifice for the good of others, in the family circle, in the neighborhood, in the church, and wherever we may be, then whatever our profession, we are not Christians. Christ has linked His interest with that of humanity, and He asks us to become one with Him for the saving of humanity. ‘Freely ye have received,’ He says, ‘freely give.’ Matthew 10:8” The Desire of Ages, 504. This is the rule of the Christian life.

Alicia Freedman works at Steps to Life on our LandMarks team. She can be contacted by email at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.