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Children’s Story – Baby Duck

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Margaret was sure she had noticed something as she walked through her parent’s garden—it was something unusual, and she was sure she had not seen it there before. She called her son Neil, and together they looked under the bushes and around the plants. Yes, there it was—a baby duckling! It was a fluffy, black duckling, which looked very lost. There were no ponds or lakes nearby, not even a river, so where had it come from?

Margaret asked all the neighbors, but no one had lost a little duckling. So the family adopted it and took it to the bottom of the garden where they made a safe, fenced-in cage for it so that the cats, foxes and other animals could not get at it. Inside they put a bowl of water, big enough so the baby duck could paddle in safety, and another, smaller bowl of water where they could put the duckling’s food. They had noticed it did not like to eat its food from a dry bowl. They watched to see which food it liked the best, and everyone in the family loved spending time feeding “Duck,” as they named it.

Every night Duck was carefully put into the garden shed where the family had made a nest of straw and where it could move around and be safe from owls and other night creatures. Truly no duck was ever cared for more than Duck.

One day when Granddad was digging the garden he thought Duck might like to wander in the garden—maybe Duck would like to eat the garden insects. So it proved, for Duck would follow Granddad around, as he worked in the garden, and Duck just loved the worms and other things that Granddad dug up.

Granddad grew quite fond of Duck, and the two of them would often be seen at the bottom of the garden—Duck eagerly waiting for a tasty treat, or waddling behind Granddad as he walked down the rows. Grand-dad even talked to Duck! Always, though, Duck would be put in the garden shed at night, where it was safe.

As Duck grew, it lost its fluffiness, its feathers grew, and it learned that it had wings! It would flap them sometimes, and as more feathers grew it would flap its wings more often. Then came the day that Duck actually flew—only a few feet at first, but then more and more. Finally, one day Duck flapped its wings and flew right over the fence and hedge and out of sight. The family members were heartbroken. They left the cage door open and the shed door, too. Maybe Duck would fly back, but it never did. The family was very sad, because they had tried hard to make Duck’s life a very happy one. They had catered to its every need.

This story reminds me of Jesus and of what He does for us. Each day He shows us how much He loves us by sending our guardian angels to protect us, by giving us our mommies and daddies to love us and to care for us. He gives us wonderful food to eat and the beauties of nature to enjoy. He has made mansions in heaven for us where there will be no more sadness, no more illness, and we will be with Him forevermore. Are we happy with His gifts, or are we tempted, by all the earthly pleasures with which Satan tries to tempt us, to wander away from Him? Let us strive to be like Jesus and to help finish the work He has asked us to do, so we may soon go to live with Him in heaven.

Inspiration – Father’s Position and Responsibilities

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True Definition of Husband

The home is an institution of God. God designed that the family circle, father, mother, and children, should exist in this world as a firm.

The work of making home happy does not rest upon the mother alone. Fathers have an important part to act. The husband is the house-band of the home treasures, binding by his strong, earnest, devoted affection the members of the household, mother and children, together in the strongest bonds of union.

His name, “house-band,” is the true definition of husband. . . . I saw that but few fathers realize their responsibility.

The Head of the Family Firm

The husband and father is the head of the household. The wife looks to him for love and sympathy and for aid in the training of the children; and this is right. The children are his as well as hers, and he is equally interested in their welfare. The children look to the father for support and guidance; he needs to have a right conception of life and of the influences and associations that should surround his family; above all, he should be controlled by the love and fear of God and by the teaching of His word, that he may guide the feet of his children in the right way. . . .

The father should do his part toward making home happy. Whatever his cares and business perplexities, they should not be permitted to overshadow his family; he should enter his home with smiles and pleasant words.

The Lawmaker and Priest

All members of the family center in the father. He is the lawmaker, illustrating in his own manly bearing the sterner virtues: energy, integrity, honesty, patience, courage, diligence, and practical usefulness. The father is in one sense the priest of the household, laying upon the altar of God the morning and evening sacrifice. The wife and children should be encouraged to unite in this offering and also to engage in the song of praise. Morning and evening the father, as priest of the household, should confess to God the sins committed by himself and his children through the day. Those sins which have come to his knowledge and also those which are secret, of which God’s eye alone has taken cognizance, should be confessed. This rule of action, zealously carried out by the father when he is present or by the mother when he is absent, will result in blessings to the family.

The father represents the divine Lawgiver in his family. He is a laborer together with God, carrying out the gracious designs of God and establishing in his children upright principles, enabling them to form pure and virtuous characters, because he has preoccupied the soul with that which will enable his children to render obedience not only to their earthly parent but also to their heavenly Father.

The father must not betray his sacred trust. He must not, on any point, yield up his parental authority.

To Walk With God

The father . . . will bind his children to the throne of God by living faith. Distrusting his own strength, he hangs his helpless soul on Jesus and takes hold of the strength of the Most High. Brethren, pray at home, in your family, night and morning; pray earnestly in your closet; and while engaged in your daily labor, lift up the soul to God in prayer. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. The silent, fervent prayer of the soul will rise like holy incense to the throne of grace and will be as acceptable to God as if offered in the sanctuary. To all who thus seek Him, Christ becomes a present help in time of need. They will be strong in the day of trial.

Maturity of Experience Called For

A father must not be as a child, moved merely by impulse. He is bound to his family by sacred, holy ties.

What his influence will be in the home will be determined by his knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. “When I was a child,” Paul says, “I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” The father is to stand at the head of his family, not as an overgrown, undisciplined boy, but as a man with manly character and with his passions controlled. He is to obtain an education in correct morals. His conduct in his home life is to be directed and restrained by the pure principles of the word of God. Then he will grow up to the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus.

Submit the Will to God

To the man who is a husband and a father, I would say, Be sure that a pure, holy atmosphere surrounds your soul. . . . You are to learn daily of Christ. Never, never are you to show a tyrannical spirit in the home. The man who does this is working in partnership with satanic agencies. Bring your will into submission to the will of God. Do all in your power to make the life of your wife pleasant and happy. Take the word of God as the man of your counsel. In the home live out the teachings of the word. Then you will live them out in the church and will take them with you to your place of business. The principles of heaven will ennoble all your transactions. Angels of God will cooperate with you, helping you to reveal Christ to the world.

A Fitting Prayer for a Quick-tempered Husband

Do not allow the vexations of your business to bring darkness into your home life. If, when little things occur that are not exactly as you think they should be, you fail to reveal patience, long forbearance, kindness, and love, you show that you have not chosen as a companion Him who so loved you that He gave His life for you, that you might be one with Him.

In the daily life you will meet with sudden surprises, disappointments, and temptations. What saith the word? “Resist the devil,” by firm reliance upon God, “and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” [James 4:7; Isaiah 27:5.] Look unto Jesus at all times and in all places, offering a silent prayer from a sincere heart that you may know how to do His will. Then when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard for you against the enemy. When you are almost ready to yield, to lose patience and self-control, to be hard and denunciatory, to find fault and accuse—this is the time for you to send to heaven the prayer, “Help me, O God, to resist temptation, to put all bitterness and wrath and evilspeaking out of my heart. Give me Thy meekness, Thy lowliness, Thy long-suffering, and Thy love. Leave me not to dishonor my Redeemer, to misinterpret the words and motives of my wife, my children, and my brethren and sisters in the faith. Help me that I may be kind, pitiful, tenderhearted, forgiving. Help me to be a real house-band in my home and to represent the character of Christ to others.”

Exercise Authority With Humility

It is no evidence of manliness in the husband for him to dwell constantly upon his position as head of the family. It does not increase respect for him to hear him quoting Scripture to sustain his claims to authority. It will not make him more manly to require his wife, the mother of his children, to act upon his plans as if they were infallible. The Lord has constituted the husband the head of the wife to be her protector; he is the house-band of the family, binding the members together, even as Christ is the head of the church and the Saviour of the mystical body. Let every husband who claims to love God carefully study the requirements of God in his position. Christ’s authority is exercised in wisdom, in all kindness and gentleness; so let the husband exercise his power and imitate the great Head of the church.

The Adventist Home, 211–215.

The Consecrated Way, Part IV

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We have been making our way through the passage of Scripture found in 2 Peter 1—Peter’s ladder. Centuries before, Jacob, when fleeing from Esau, laid his head on a rock, weary from the flight. There, in visions of the night, God gave Jacob a dream of a ladder that extended from the earth to heaven. The ladder was meaningful to Jacob. It assured him that God was with him; it encouraged him that there is indeed a ladder extending from earth to heaven. Peter picks up where this dream left off by presenting the idea that Jesus is coming again and that we need to get ready for that wonderful and great event by climbing the ladder. Sister White makes it very clear that each rung of that ladder is important to us in reaching the kingdom of heaven.

“The apostle Peter presents before us the ladder of progress that we must climb round by round in order to meet the approval of God. [2 Peter 1:5–7 quoted.] Those who would make men of honor, men of trust, men of fidelity, must begin to be faithful in the smallest matters, and they must begin at home. Everyone who would be perfect must mount this ladder of progress. Many have neglected to put their feet upon the first rounds of the ladder. They want to mount to the topmost rounds without the trouble of climbing, but the only sure way is to take the painstaking way of going up by gradual advance, round after round.” Signs of the Times, May 25, 1891.

“According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience ….”
2 Peter 1:3–6.

The Climb Gets Harder

When we arrive at patience, we find that we are half way up the ladder in the goal that leads to Christian perfection of character. The climb does not seem to be getting any easier. As a matter of fact, it is getting somewhat more difficult. There are some folks who are afraid of heights. They do not like to climb very far for fear of falling.

The rung of this ladder, called patience, is one that speaks to every one of us—so elusive and yet so desirable. Webster defines patience: “The state, quality, power or fact of being patient.” It does not say a whole lot to us, does it? What is patience? Further research results in three meanings that come to bear on our climb:

  1. bearing pains or trials calmly without complaint,
  2. manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain, and
  3. being steadfast, despite opposition, difficulty or adversity.

I would like to suggest that each one of these meanings has an application to the Christian today, as he is looking for the soon return of the Lord Jesus in the clouds of glory. Revelation 14:12 serves as a hallmark for Seventh-day Adventists. After having outlined the events that will surround the last generation just before Jesus comes, the proclamation of the Three Angels’ Messages, John wrote, under inspiration, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

Beautiful Harmony

It is marvelous to see the harmony of the words of inspiration. Peter must have known that patience was a necessary part of character development for the last generation. He gave direction through the Spirit of God that patience was a part of that development. Then, through the same Spirit while John sees the culmination of all the events of earth’s history, he writes, “Here is the patience of the saints.”

Someone once said that, “Patience is the guardian of faith, the preserver of peace, the cherished of love, the teacher of humility. Patience governs the flesh, strengthens the spirit, sweetens the temper, stifles anger, extinguishes envy, and subdues pride. Patience bridles the tongue, restrains the hand, tramples on temptations, endures persecutions, and consummates martyrdom. Patience produces unity in the church, loyalty in the state, harmony in families and societies. She comforts the poor and moderates the rich. She makes us humble in prosperity, cheerful in adversity, and is unmoved by reproach. She teaches us to forgive those who have injured us and to be first in asking forgiveness of those whom we have injured. She delights the faithful and invites the unbelieving. She adorns the woman and approves the man. Patience is beautiful in either sex and every age.” The Royal Path of Life, © 1997 Bud and Debbie Neptune, R. R. 1 Box 131a, Dawn MO 64638 <http://www.royalpath.com/pat.htm> (cited March 26, 2002).

It is a little better than Webster’s definition, is it not? This is what Peter is telling us that we need to add to temperance. I believe there is significance to the order in which these Christian graces were given. Add to temperance, patience. Did you know that we cannot have patience without temperance? What affects the body affects the mind.

Continuing the Climb

What we fail to provide for physically we cannot expect to reap spiritually. On the other hand, it is also apparent that we can climb on to the rung of temperance and not climb any higher. We might be exercising all sorts of temperance in our lives; we may be eating all the right kinds of foods; we may have never violated any of the rules of health; we may be exercising, getting proper sleep; our temperance may be impeccable, yet we may lose eternal life, because we have not climbed any higher in the development of our Christian character.

This is what happened to the Pharisees. They were perfectionists in all their physical aspects—those things that could be seen, felt, and heard—but they were lost because they did not develop spiritually. They did not climb, as they should have. We have many Christians today who are classed in the same group as were the Pharisees. They are doing everything right as far as temperance and health reform is concerned, but they have not continued to climb higher.

Peter says that God’s plan for us is to climb that ladder, round by round, ultimately stepping off into the Promised Land. I hope that you have not stopped in your climb.

Bearing Pains or Trials

Have you added to your temperance, patience—the ability to bear pains or trials calmly without complaint? If things do not go just the way you want them to go, do you lose your patience? It is quite a trial. When you are crossed, do you fly off the handle? Do you lose control of yourself and perhaps rant or rave just a little bit? What would a non-Christian think if he were to come upon you then? What is the angel writing down? Sometimes our lack of patience causes us to say things that will condemn us in the judgment, because every word is recorded.

Have you been able to manifest forbearance under provocation or strain? I remember a neighbor of ours who, when I was just a boy, had an old Packard car. The old Packard engines were straight eights, and they had a long hood on them. It was in the wintertime, and he had run the battery down trying to get the car started, so he tried starting the engine by using a crank. He cranked and cranked, but it still did not start. So, in his lack of patience, he pulled the crank out of its place and began to beat it across the hood, the fenders, and the headlights. When that did not produce the amount of satisfaction he wanted, he shattered the windshield with the crank. But that did not start the car either.

He was not a Christian, but surprisingly there are Christians who display similar behavior. Patience. Oh, golden patience. Have you been able to be steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity? If you have not developed patience, what do you suppose it is going to be like when you find yourself in the throes of the events that are going to transpire just before Jesus comes?

Steadfast Despite Adversity?

I do not know whether you sense it or not, but it seems to me, at least in these last few years, that the intensity of everything is growing. How are we going to fare? Are we going to be steadfast despite opposition and difficulty or adversity? As we have heard, we have not yet seen anything compared to what is coming. Do you have the patience of the saints that will see you through those times?

The apostle Peter is not the only one who understands the need for patience as a Christian virtue. Paul, writing to the Romans, tells them something similar. “Let love be without dissimulation [hypocrisy]. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” Romans 12:9–12.

As a matter of fact, Paul mentions patience in his writings more than all the other Bible writers put together. “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:36, 37.

Paul tells us here that the kingdom of God comes with patience. We cannot rush ahead of God; we need to have patience. We might consider ourselves ready, but while He is working for the salvation of others, we need to have patience. If we are not ready to meet the Lord with peace in our hearts, we need to commit ourselves to Christ today.

Not the Only One

You are not the only one with whom Jesus is working. You are not the only one with whom the Holy Spirit is striving to bring to a knowledge of salvation. While we may be ready, there are others who are not, and it calls upon us for patience to wait for God’s timing.

Patience calls for us to wait upon the Lord to do His will. Deliverance will come; Paul says it will come with patience. In the meantime, there are things in our lives on which we need to work.

Moses Makes a Mess of Things

The Bible tells of a man who thought that he knew more than he did about the situation in which he found himself, and he did not exercise patience when he should have. It did not prove to be very healthful for some people. The children of Israel went into Egypt to keep from starving to death during a famine. Joseph made provision for them under the guidance of God, but finally Joseph died, and they were still in Egypt.

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.” Exodus 1:8–12.

God’s plan did not provide for them to remain in bondage. So a deliverer was born—born with a destiny to free God’s children from their bondage. “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian . . . .” Exodus 2:11–15.

Moses, because of a lack of patience, made a mess of the whole plan of God. We should each ask ourselves: Am I working in the plan of God, or am I working in a frustrating, impatient way against the plan of God? Moses had every advantage, but the thing that he lacked was patience.

There is no question in my mind that Moses knew that God had something special in mind for him to help his people. There was too much connected with his life, too many providential leadings, for him not to know. But Moses was not a man who was a patient man. According to Acts 7:22, “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.” Interestingly, all that wisdom, all that might in words and in deeds, all that he could do was not enough to undo what he had done through lack of patience.

Angel Ministry

“The elders of Israel were taught by angels that the time for their deliverance was near, and that Moses was the man whom God would employ to accomplish this work. Angels instructed Moses also that Jehovah had chosen him to break the bondage of His people. . . . In slaying the Egyptian, Moses had fallen into the same error so often committed by his fathers, of taking into their own hands the work that God had promised to do. It was not God’s will to deliver His people by warfare, as Moses thought . . . .” Patriarchs and Prophets, 245, 247.

Are there times when you think that God has a plan of which you are to be a part, and you are determined to do it your way? Your way may have been the way you were taught and trained and the way that you have always done it, so you think that is the way it always has to be. You might be surprised. Moses was. Moses was trained; he had all the skill and wisdom of the Egyptians. He thought he would do things his way! Lo and behold, it was not God’s way at all. Why? Because God was patient; Moses was not.

Unlearning

“It was not God’s will to deliver His people by warfare, as Moses thought, but by His own mighty power, that the glory might be ascribed to Him alone. Yet, even this rash act was overruled by God to accomplish His purposes. Moses was not prepared for his great work. He had yet to learn the same lesson of faith that Abraham and Jacob had been taught—not to rely upon human strength or wisdom, but upon the power of God for the fulfillment of His promises. And there were other lessons that, amid the solitude of the mountains, Moses was to receive. In the school of self-denial and hardship he was to learn patience, to temper his passions.” Ibid., 247.

Moses, at 45, was a young man in his prime. He was in the first one-third of his life. It took him almost the same amount of time, another 40 years, to unlearn what he had learned in the courts of Pharaoh.

What have you learned in the first one-third of your life? Have you been adding those virtuous graces to your character, or will you need to unlearn what you learned before? Do you wonder why things are going so slow, why things are not progressing as rapidly as they should?

Sometimes it is much more difficult to use a used ball of string than a ball of string that is new, because a used ball of string can snarl easier. If you have ever tried to unsnarl a ball of string, you know what it is like. That is your life. That is what God is trying to work through now. For Moses, who had all the skills, all the background, all the wonders of education and experience, God had to take his life and unsnarl it. God said, “Now, I will give you some sheep to herd; let that unsnarl your mind.”

Learning Patience

If there is anything that can teach a person how to be patient, it is herding sheep. Reflect back upon what God did with David and Moses and other sheepherders. What a marvelous lesson in the school of self-denial and hardship—you will learn patience, control of your temper.

During the next 40 years Moses learned patience. He learned meekness, and finally, when he had gone through a transition and change, God called him back to deliver Israel. Exodus tells the story: “And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” Exodus 4:10.

Moses did the job that the Lord had called him to do, and he was able to do the job because he had learned patience. How many of us have felt a calling to do a job for the Lord, but we find that many times we have run ahead of the Lord, that the timing just was not quite right? Do we stand back and learn the lesson that we failed to learn, to do it in God’s time? Or do we just shove ahead? This is a question we need to ask ourselves. Moses stood back and learned God’s lessons.

Is God calling you to do a great work? How is your patience with your wife? How is your patience with your husband? How is your patience with your children? Do you say mean and passionate words to them? Are you in the Lord’s will? Are you in a position that will provide avenues for the Lord to use you?

If not, the Lord may have to deal with you in a way that may not at all be pleasant. The Bible says that the Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (See 2 Peter 3:9.) If you are impatient, there is no way that the Lord can take you to heaven. God forbid that we should ever reach a point, like the children of Israel of old, who, seeing they see not; hearing they hear not. (See Matthew 13:13.)

A Last Day People

The word patience is used more in the book of Revelation than in any other book of the Bible. Paul used it more, totally, but as far as books are concerned, it is used the most in the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is the book of last things, the special book that has been given to guide God’s people through the last days.

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. I get the distinct impression that unless we are able to have patience—patience that is developed through association with family, church members, jobs, business associates, the trials that come day by day—we are not keeping the commandments of God nor are we able to have the faith of Jesus.

That becomes pretty serious, does it not? The question that we need to ask ourselves then, is this: Can we afford to give vent to our impatience and to forfeit our growth in this area and lose out in the end because we have not been able to climb any higher in the ladder of character development?

God has made every provision for us to go higher. We will never be able to stand before the Lord and say, “Well, you know, it was not possible, Lord, for me to obtain patience.” Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. “I overcame impatience,” He says, “and you can, too.”

He was tempted in all points just like we are tempted, yet without sin. (See Hebrews 4:15.) He had no advantage over us—we are starting at the same place Jesus started, but He has walked the road before us, and He says, I am by your side, My grace is sufficient, you can add to your temperance, patience.

Demon Possession and Music

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And there was war in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:7–10.

The devil and his angels have been present in the earth ever since that time. Evidence of their presence and activity may be found throughout the entire history of the Bible, particularly during the time when Christ was on earth, where we find numerous accounts of Christ casting demons out of people.

Their activity has not only continued to our day but has intensified. “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:12.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.

Which Spirit Possesses You?

The devil did not invent spirit possession. Jesus offers us oneness with Him. This is the kind of possession God has planned for fulfillment and happiness in our lives. Satan always counterfeits every good thing, and in this case, he uses the very mechanisms to take control of man that God has provided for us to have complete possession by Him.

What is involved is the influence of some supernatural being in the lives of people. In order for this to take place, some form of communication must occur in the form of the transfer of thoughts and feelings. Consider the following statement: “The brain nerves that connect with the whole system are the medium through which heaven communicates with man and affects the inmost life.” Education, 209. God created in us a mechanism whereby the Holy Spirit can communicate directly with each of us. This is a Biblical concept: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16.

Spirit Possession and the Mind

However, if one submits to the suggestions of an evil spirit, possession by that evil spirit will take place. It is reasonable to think that the mechanism, designed by God for communication with the Holy Spirit, may be taken over by evil spirits. William Sargant, a British psychiatrist, studied extensively the work of witch doctors, voodoo priests, and faith healers. He compared their methods with hypnotic trances and rock music festivals. Specifically, attention is diverted and fatigue sets in. Eager anticipation and high expectation of ecstasy also play a role. Individual will power is weakened. (See William Sargent, The Mind Possessed: a Physiology of Possession, Mysticism and Faith Healing, Harper & Row, NY, 1974.)

  1. E. Wade examines transcendental meditation, hypnosis, glossolalia, and spiritism in connection with possession. He concludes: “It is my personal conviction that the normal human brain is capable of experiencing the functional relation to the Holy Spirit by a mechanism which is misused to achieve hypnotic trance. . . . This mechanism may be surrendered to the control of an evil spirit as occurs in voodoo spirit possession; or a human hypnotist may intrude into the relationship when he casts a spell over his subject.” T. E. Wade, Spirit Possession, Gazelle Publications, Auburn, CA, 1991, 47.

Ellen White strongly opposed the use of hypnotism: “The theory of mind controlling mind was originated by Satan. . . . It opens a door through which Satan will enter to take possession both of the mind that is given up to be controlled . . . and of the mind that controls.” The Ministry of Healing, 243.

Spirit Possession and Music

Having established that spirit possession does take place, the possibility of the role of music in possession may be examined. Satan has always been highly involved with music, beginning in heaven. “Satan had led the heavenly choir.” The Story of Redemption, 25. This suggests that Satan is the most intelligent being regarding music in our world. He knows how to make the best use of it to achieve his ends. He does things with music that seem strange and even impossible.

The search for the use of music in devil possession resulted in finding two main avenues. One is the use of beats in music to call the spirits or gods. The other is the altered state of consciousness.

Music Beats

Much has been said and written by many people about the harmfulness of the beats in rock music. One of the most important reasons it is harmful is because it calls the demons. This use of music goes way back in African history. It is also found in Indian history. The author has, in her possession, tapes of songs to the oldest known, original gods of India. These come from Tamil in the southern part of India and go back to the early time of Indian history.

From these countries, and particularly from Africa, the music and religion spread in the world because of the dispersion of people in slavery. Even though slaves, people preserved their loyalty to their religion through whatever means they could. There are three main religions which are still extant which grew out of this dispersion. In Haiti, it is called Voodoo. In Cuba, it is called Santeria, and in Brazil, it is called Condomble. In each of these religions, as in African and Indian religions specific rhythms are used to call specific gods. This is the purpose of the rituals performed. Drums are played, there is dancing. A certain rhythm is played, depending on which god is desired, and that god comes and possesses individuals. The same exact rhythms are used in each of the three religions named above, in African and Indian music, in rock music and in music used in meetings of faith healers. It seems as though the god is willing to come whenever called by anyone. Does the god come to celebration churches when the god’s rhythm is played in Christian rock music, even though the people present do not realize that they are calling a god? There is quite a strong consensus that the god does come.

The story is told of a family where the husband liked very much to listen to Christian music radio stations (country gospel and contemporary Christian). His wife, however, did not appreciate this music, so she banned her husband with the music to a bedroom with a closed door. As time went on, strange things occurred in their house. There were odd noises, and things moved unexpectedly. When she learned that the beat in rock music calls the demons, she said, “That is the answer. My husband’s music is calling the spirits into our house.” So they determined to stop the music, and immediately the strange occurrences also stopped. They did not know that they were calling gods into their house.

Ritual Songs

Music is a necessary part of the rituals, a primary purpose of which is to accomplish a state of possession by one or more of the gods.

The role of the drums is to call the gods and thus bring on spirit possession, which is the ultimate purpose of most rituals. Drums are usually played in a battery of three. The largest drum is played by the master drummer and is the most important, because it is specific in spirit possession. Specific rhythms correspond to specific gods.

It is the rhythm identified with each god that is a primary instrument in summoning him and no worship of the gods is possible without the rhythms that call and speak for the god. (See Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore, Crown Publishers, Inc., NY, 1976.)

The drums have the primary religious function of calling the gods, and thus of bringing on spirit possession. (See G. Behague, “Patterns of Candomble Music Performance: an Afro-Brazilian Religious Setting,” Performance Practice Ethnomusicological Perspectives, Greenwood Press, CT, 1984, 231.)

In all of these religions we find a spirit possession which is echoed, primarily through the beat of the music, in rock music, in faith healing, and in churches of all persuasions through Christian rock music, contemporary Christian music, and country gospel. The devil has done a good job of infiltrating our culture, including our Christian culture, with spirit possession, which may be very real, even though people do not realize that it is happening to them.

Altered State of Consciousness

The other main stream technique, in which the devil uses music to bring about spirit possession, is that of the altered state of consciousness.

“Thoughts naturally flit across the mind, and considering an idea generally brings up related thoughts. Occultists teach that, by visualization and concentration, this natural flow of thoughts can be interrupted. As this occurs, subjects slip into an altered state of consciousness which we have identified as the corridor of the mind.” Wade, op. cit., 74, 75. This is called by various names such as illumination, enlightenment, trance, tuning in, and hypnotism.

Wade further states: “Any type of concentration on sensual stimulation may alter consciousness. Music with a strong rhythm, or concentration on the relaxation of different parts of the body, can induce it. The apparently innocent concentration on a mental image of Jesus standing in your favorite spot can bring the same effect.” Ibid.

Before proceeding, it is important to understand the ways in which music facilitates an altered state of consciousness. One important element of the process is called entrainment. In 1665, the Dutch scientist Huygens noticed that if two clocks were placed next to each other, they would soon begin ticking synchronously and so was discovered the Law of Entrainment. Rhythms in close proximity will entrain. Because of entrainment, music is often used beneficially to control heart rate and other rhythms in the body. Since this is true, it is also possible to use the rhythm of sound to control the rhythm of brainwaves.

Neuro-chemical cortical brain activity may be measured. A set of descriptors has been developed and identified as Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.

Beta is predominantly present when the individual is attending to a task, particularly such a task as mathematics. This is also the state of the brain during critical thinking. When Alpha is predominant, the individual is in a relaxed state. There are some claims that hypnotism takes place in higher levels of Alpha. One description is alert relaxation. The Theta condition is extremely relaxed. Meditation conditions could take place here. Lower levels might include approaching sleep. Delta is the sleep condition. It is an extremely low level of brain activity.

Neurons are constantly firing at various rates all over the brain, but one of these levels may be predominant at any given time under given circumstances. Brain waves are vibrations measured in Hertz (Hz), or cycles per second.

Vibrations

Music is also vibration, which is measured in cycles per second or Hertz, which determines frequency or pitch.

Another element, which the devil employs in his arsenal, is that of difference tones. This is a phenomena commonly explained in psychology of music texts whereby a phantom tone is heard. Under certain conditions, when two tones are sounded simultaneously, a tone equal to the difference in Hz (cycles per seconds) between the two tones may be heard even though it is not being played. If tones of 100 Hz and
106 Hz were sounded, a phantom tone of 6 Hz might be heard. Or if a C and a G above it were played simultaneously, the C an octave lower might be heard.

To combine these three (entrainment, difference tones and brain-waves), consider the following: notes producing difference tones of very low or small frequency could be played and embedded just below the audible sound of the music. When the listener hears the music the embedded difference tones (although inaudible to him) will entrain with the listener’s brainwaves, thus controlling them or causing them to match the difference tones. Without realizing what is happening to him, the listener’s brain waves may be led to an Alpha, Theta, or Delta state according to the whim of the controller. Some believe that the devil has been using techniques such as these since the beginning of the world and is still using them.

It has been suggested that control by the use of musical effects was used by the Sumerians: “The Sumerians ruled that land [Babylon] from about 3500 bc to 2000 bc when hegemony [leadership] then passed to the Semitic Babylonians who took over their culture. . . . That culture included cuneiform writing, a sexagesimal system of mathematics (based on 60 instead of 10), a pantheon of deities, a considerable literature, and a fund of musical instruments important enough tobe classed among the divine principles. . . . And it is the Babylonian development of the greatest system of musical ritual in any ancient religion which makes it imperative that we not neglect possible associations between her mathematics, her music, and her religion.” Ernest McClain, The Myth of Invariance, the Origin of the Gods, Mathematics and Music From the Rg Veda to Plata, Nicholas-Hays, Inc., York Beach, MA, 1984, 130, 131.

Music and Babylon

In ancient Babylon, there is the example of instruments used to signal the people to worship the golden image. “That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.” Daniel 3:5. It seems reasonable to think that the instruments served more of a purpose than just a signal. Mrs. White says, “The appointed day came, and at the sound of entrancing music the vast company ‘fell down and worshiped the golden image.’” Christ Triumphant, 177. Speaking further of this, she says, “Force is the last resort of every false religion. At first it tries attraction, as the king of Babylon tried the power of music and outward show.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 976.

“The ancients knew how to use music to elicit a mystical experience. . . . Everything remains on the level of the emotions and the nervous system. Even today, thanks to the media, we can witness the effect of music on the masses. Singers and musicians exercise tremendous power over crowds of adoring fans. We no longer need lyrics or a coherent message to convince others. The phenomenon has even invaded religious communities. In reaction to the cerebral frigidity of traditional services, certain denominations have fallen into the other extreme. They spoon-feed and wash down the message by the continuous purring of background music. Believers, transported by the spirit, shout and cry out in delirious enthusiasm. Such an approach considers reflection unnecessary and outdated. It only smiles at absolute judgments. This episode in the book of Daniel warns us against a strictly emotional religion. Emotions can be a part of the religious experience only when united with reflection and thought. Adoration must involve the whole being, and to neglect one aspect could lead to bowing before an idol. Likewise, in the plain of Dura, the preachers of Babel do not waste time in dry demonstrations or arguments. Music suffices to trigger adoration, and its adherents live strictly in the present. Several times the passage explicitly stresses the dimension of the present.” Jaccques B. Doukhan, Secrets of Daniel, Review and Herald Publishing, Hagerstown, MD, 2000, 48, 49.

Goddess Worship

A large part of goddess worship was the use of the hand drum to call the spirits.

Tibetan bells, or Tin-Ssha’s, have been used in Buddhist meditation practice for many centuries. The two bells, which are rung together, are slightly out of tune with each other. The difference tones between them lie somewhere between four and eight cycles per second. This is exactly in the range of the brain waves created during meditation and helps shift the brain to these frequencies. Tibetan bells are experiencing popularity in western culture at the present time. (See Don Campbell, Music Physician for Times to Come, Quest Books, Wheaton, IL, 1991, 228, 229.)

All this leads to the present. Twentieth-century people discovered an ancient usage of difference tones and entrainment and successfully used them to produce an altered state of consciousness.

A man named Monroe first discovered the use of specific frequencies to entrain the brain. He discovered that certain frequencies, which were in the same spectrum as brain waves, could produce entrainment of brain waves. These are too low for the human ear to hear, but by using higher sounds he could produce difference tones. “If the frequencies of two sound sources are applied separately, one to each ear, an Abinaural beat frequency is created. As explained above this is not an actual sound, but only a frequency difference between two actual sounds. The sound is heard within the brain itself, the binaural beat frequency is created by both brain hemispheres working simultaneously. The entrainment or frequency following response did not take place only in the area of the brain responsible for hearing, or only in the left or right hemispheres: the entire brain resonated, the waveforms of both hemispheres becoming identical in frequency, . . .” thus achieving an altered state of consciousness. Campbell, op. cit.

Subliminal Programming

There is a phenomenon in meditation techniques. The music on meditation tapes use two technologies: sound phasing and subliminal programming.

The subliminals use such messages as: I am one. I am love. I am peace. I am the source of my experience. I am existence . . . consciousness . . . ecstasy . . . peace. These are mantras that have come down through the centuries, which make up a very holistic program of non-dual, I-Consciousness.

Sound phasing is defined as “a vibrate sound, a tone that contains two tones, the top and bottom of the vibration. Phasing is the interval between the tones. The sound we call the interval is heard only in the brain. Your brain creates that sound from the two tones.” Patrick Harbula, Sounds of Transformation: A talk with Brother Charles, Meditation, 2(4), 1987, 20–29. This, of course, is difference tones.

Guarding the Mind

Tone wave generators have been built which can insert any difference tones in desired musical carriers. They are called binaural tone generators. They are available for anybody to purchase and are very easy to use. This means that this technique which can open the mind to demon possession is readily available to any that choose to use it. It is to be found in videotapes, cassette tapes, etc., which are being used.

The only protection available to counteract these wiles of Satan is found in Isaiah 26:20, which speaks about the present days: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.”

“The darkest hour of the church’s struggle with the powers of evil is that which immediately precedes the day of her final deliverance. But none who trust in God need fear . . . .” Prophets and Kings, 725.

Men of Power are Men of Prayer

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Part of our Christian experience is learning how to recognize the enemy and how to deal with him. God’s people need to be more offensive and less defensive. Defense is when we wait for somebody to attack us, then all of a sudden we throw up a shield and worry about what we are going to do. We have to be warriors. We need to be offensive with our attack on the enemy by presenting the truth. We should not wait for him to attack the truth and tear things all apart. We must march onward and forward.

“Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal.” Joshua 8:30. Already there was trouble in the land, because something good was about to happen. Joshua said, “Let us build an altar unto the Lord; let us do something for the Lord; let us show honor and glory to the Lord.” This was one of the rare occasions when Israel said, “All right, let us just do it.” When you get people together who say let us do something for God, great things can and will happen.

“And all Israel, and their elders [notice who is involved here], and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them . . . .” Verse 33.

That tells me that everybody was involved. Joshua said, “We are going to build an altar unto the Lord” and all of Israel said, “Okay.” That meant the elders and the priests. Today it would mean everybody in the church—men, women and children.

Why did they come together? “That they should bless the people of Israel.” Ibid. They got together to build that altar because there was a blessing in the making.

Seek the Blessing

“And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.” Verses 34, 35. Everybody was included. Even if you were a stranger, as it were, one who just walked along with Israel, whether you were just along for the ride or not, you got involved!

God gives us so much truth today, but many choose to read only part of it or choose to live only part of it. We are not willing to go all the way with the Lord. When Joshua read from the book, he read everything; he did not leave out anything. He challenged the people. What a challenge it is for us in Adventism today, in our Christian walk. Many times we are receiving only half of the message, watered down theology, not the whole truth.

All of Israel came together in a unification effort, a joining together for joint power. Somehow, we find it difficult to find real unity in the Christian world today.

We know that we are never to unify on wrong principles, but sometimes we think it might be all right to do so. It is not! Joshua read everything that was to be read, and he challenged the people to take a stand on what was read, because it said a blessing was coming. Let me tell you, we need that blessing! There are blessings now and there are blessings that are coming—but only for those who listen and heed and do what is written in the law of the Lord. There will be a curse for those who do not.

Water for the Thirsty

God was ready to pour His Spirit out upon these people as they came together and said, “Let us do something for God; let us put up an altar.” God’s people today need to join together to do something for God, to get out the Three Angels’ Messages. It is going to take a united effort of all of God’s people to accomplish this. This may be the hour to which God has called all of us. We need to make a commitment before the Lord. We need to pray that hearts and minds will be open to do God’s work.

The Bible says that the gospel has to go into all of the world. What power there would be in a prayerful, united effort to spread the gospel message! Then Jesus could come! We should use every avenue that God gives us to do this.

Satan says, “No!”

The Lord is looking for Joshuas, for leadership. He is looking for laity, for you and for me, to say we will do our part, by the grace of God.

The blessings are going to come! The women, it said in Joshua 8, came; the little children came together; the stranger was there. Everybody needed to hear what Joshua had to say. Everybody needed to be blessed. Oh, dear friends remember this: when everybody says “Yes,” the enemy says “No, it is not going to happen.” But, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.

The devil is a smoke screen artist. That is all he does. Just hold your breath a little bit and walk on through his smoke; that is all you have to do. Do not worry about it; he cannot stop the movement of God. Oh, he is going to act like he is going to do just that and that is enough for some people, but it should not be enough for us. It is not enough for those who are really honest, true, and faithful.

God Will Supply our Need

Circumstances will never stop God’s people, and we need to quit reasoning as the world reasons about outreach for Jesus and move forward in faith. He has already commissioned us to go into all of the world. He has already invited us to go; He has begged us; He has pleaded with us. Certainly He has supplied all that is necessary. If He tells us to go some place, He will absolutely supply all of our needs.

Now, remember the people of God said, “Let us do it! Let us build an altar.” In other words, let us give praise to God; let us remember who God is; let us do things the way God wants it done.

The devil is going to be on the attack. Since we already know that, we should have a plan to defeat him. Joshua 9:1, 2 tells us: “And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof . . . .” Here we go! All of a sudden, because God’s people began to show some action, everybody around them got uptight. God’s people made a commitment, and they were on the move, and the surrounding nations got mad about it. “They gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua [against him, not beside him] and Israel, with one accord.”

Joshua and the leadership of God had just conquered Jericho and Ai. These were tremendous battles, and they just routed the enemy, so everybody was certain they knew what was going to happen. They thought, God’s people are moving forward, so we are going to have to do something here.

Uplifting the Law of God

And then Israel had the boldness, in the face of all the nations, to make a startling pronunciation. They said something like, “We are pronouncing that we are going to uplift the law of Jehovah in all the land of Canaan.” They had the nerve, the audacity, to lift up the law of Jehovah! Is not that something that God is asking us to do, to lift up His downtrodden law and show it to the world? This is it exactly!

It is not just to Joshua of old, but God has reached down to men and women today. He says, “Lift up; elevate the law of Jehovah.” Israel said, “Yes, what the Lord has said we are going to do.” Israel intended to be the sole ruler of Canaan, and the law of God was going to be that which would be elevated for the world to see.

It scared the rest of the nations! The other six nations thought, “Oh, no, we are in trouble.”

We Know the Victor

Do you know what the devil would say today if we really united? The same thing! “Oh, no, I am in trouble.” The devil does not have a plan to fight the unity of God’s people and the power of God together. So he uses the divide and conquer method. Yet we still try to stay aloof and separate. Do we join a group over here just to have unity? No, the right principle has to be there. We cannot unite upon wrong principles. This is what Joshua was saying. He did not leave out a word. He never bypassed a thing. He said, “This is the way it is going to be,” and all Israel said, “Yes, God’s people are taking over the world.”

We go around moping today because we are such a small minority. I do not know how we are going to accomplish the work. It just seems that this work is never going to get done; yet we know who wins the battle, do we not? We know how it is going to be won. How wonderful to be able to do God’s work, by faith to look through the time frame, and say, “Here is the winner!” It is a sure thing; it is not a gamble!

The gamblers of our society would like to have a sure bet such as that—to be able to look into the future and know who is going to win the race. Amazing! They would give everything they ever had, or ever touched in their lives, for that sure thing, and many of us are not willing to give time, means, energy, or talents to tell them!

Israel had a sure thing, and we have a sure thing, also. We know who is going to win; we know the final score.

Getting Along

These six nations of Canaan came together, and the Bible tells us that they came in one accord. (See Joshua 9:2.) Six different nations, different because they were at odds with each other; that is why they were not together under one rulership. Six nations, not counting Gibeon, who did not like each other, came together in one accord, but notice whom they were against. They were against God’s people. They fought among themselves. They were separate nations, because they could not get along. Like so many denominations today who do not agree, when it comes to God’s people uniting and lifting up the law of Jehovah, all the denominations, all the nations of the world, will come together against you.

Are we seeing these kinds of things taking place today? Yes, we are. Everybody disagrees, and they cannot get along with anyone, until someone comes along to give a Bible study, to lift up the truth as it is in Jesus. Then they put aside their differences to make sure they eliminate the ones teaching truth. That is what happens. That is what happened in Israel.

These six nations had hatred for one another. No doubt family members and others had been killed as they all went into battle and separated. But these pagan nations put aside the hate and the differences in order to attack God’s people and try to eliminate them.

What God Has Said, We Will Do!

The book of Revelation tells us that everybody is going to go against God’s last day people, too. Do we understand that this is going to happen? It sounds so brutal to some of us, but as we read Scripture, we are in awe as we see these things taking place.

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.” “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Revelation 13:16, 15.

Look at the parallel. The whole world is going to unite against the true and faithful of God in the last days. They are going to put aside their differences. You see denominations coming together today in the religious world. They do not believe the same, but they are all coming together. What do you think the purpose of that might be? It is to fulfill prophecy. We are going to see it.

They are going to put aside their prejudice, their dislikes, their doctrinal beliefs, to come against a people who are bold enough to say, “What God has said, we will do. By the grace of God we will lift up the law of Jehovah.” As we just read in Revelation, it says that God’s people should be killed. What an awesome thought that is for us today. It seems impossible that we are walking in some of the footprints of ancient Israel. We will go through some of the same things.

Joining in a Common Cause

So these nations came in one accord. They put their minds and powers together, and they put all differences aside. “These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” Revelation 17:13. There is the parallel! They come together, put all their strength and power together, and their one sole purpose is to eliminate God’s last day people from the planet.

I am not so blind as to know that God’s last day people, those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus (Revelation 12:17), are not of a particular name or denomination, even though some of us like to think along those lines. If it is not in the Scripture, dear friends, do not be projecting that this is what God means. Since when do we know more than God? We are not to add nor subtract from what God says.

As we come to the end of time on this earth, we are going to see the political and the religious groups joining together against the true remnant, against those who love Jesus with all their hearts.

God Makes No Mistakes

There are those who are not safe to be saved in God’s kingdom, those who are not willing to obey Him now. If we are not willing to obey Him now, we will not obey Him in heaven. If we will not obey Him now, we are not safe to take to heaven, and we will not be there. Are you obeying God now with everything that is in your mind and in your heart that you know to be truth? If you are not, you are not safe to be saved in God’s kingdom. God is not going to make a mistake.

Let us consider Joshua 9. Here is where the Gibeonites come into the story. Evidently they were the only thinking nation around. As God’s people conquered nations, God had them get rid of all the surrounding nations. God did not want His people in close proximity to the heathen, to people who would teach them bad things. Although God loves every individual, pagan or heathen, whether they think about Him or not, He knew that some of the filth of the heathen would rub off on His people just by being in close proximity.

So as they conquered the nations, God said, “Kill them all, men, women and children.” Does that sound brutal? I guess it would, compared to the way we think today. We are not willing, today, to separate from a friend, just one person. We are not willing to stay away from things that we know are not good for us. This is the way the children of Israel were, too, but God made it very clear how He feels about these issues.

The other nations knew that, too. Israel was coming off the success of their battles, and the surrounding nations were scared, because they knew what the God of heaven had commissioned Israel to do. They knew that they were next on the list, and they had to be on the offensive. They were going to have to attack and kill God’s people before they were attacked and killed.

It did not have to be that way, as we learn from the nation of Gibeon, who put on their thinking caps. They knew a lot about the God of heaven. Someone had been witnessing, and the message was getting out to every nation. So when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they went to work.

They knew that they were going to be killed. How did they know it? They knew how Israel was set up and what was going to take place. All of their “Adventist” friends were passing on the information. Everybody knew what was happening.

Following Orders

Today, if we in Adventism were standing for what is right and doing what we are supposed to be doing, the nations of the world would quiver and shake at the thought of us, also. Jehovah God leads these people, they would say. These people are going through. These people move forward; God moves everything out of the way for them. There is nothing that can happen to these people.

When God said to take a nation, He told Joshua, “We are going into battle and not one of your men will be hurt. Every one of them will come back. There will not be a scratch on them. They will do hand-to-hand combat; there will be hailstones coming out of the heavens; people will be killed all over the place; people will be running for their lives; it is going to be a horrible scene and a horrible sight.” We might think that surely one of God’s people would have fallen and twisted an ankle or one of them would have hurt a hand, but not a one of them was hurt. Tell me the God of heaven is not working on behalf of His children! When He gives you your marching orders, you know that He is going to be preparing the way.

Here Gibeon is thinking, we have seen what happened to Jericho; we have seen the God that they serve; look what they did to Ai! (See Joshua 6; 8:1–29.) We do not want to end up like that. But they also knew that the heathen nations close to them would be killed. They were only about three miles away. They knew they were about to become extinct.

Preparing

Friends, if we do not get it right, we are going to be put out of existence. I do not like the way Gibeon went about this deceit and fraud, but they had a plan. They were more prepared than are some of us. We do not have a plan. We wait until the bottom falls out, then we start looking around. If you know the bottom is going to fall out, and you are going to end up somewhere in the pit, you had better get yourself a ladder or a rope. We wait until we get down there in that mess and then all of a sudden we start asking, “Where is the rope? Where is the ladder?” The Lord says, “I am not going to save you, because you knew what was going to happen. You should have been prepared before, by faith.”

Now, if you travel a long distance by foot, and you are a long way from Israel, your shoes are going to be a little dirty, right? So the men of Gibeon began to prepare. They put old shoes on their feet, and the Bible says that they got moldy bread, as proof that they had come a long distance.

When they were questioned, they said they had traveled a long way. “Look at our shoes; look at our wine bottles; this is our bread. Look at it, we started out with fresh bread,” they lied, “now this has mold all over it.” Joshua 9:12, 13.

Almost impulsively the children of Israel said, “We will make a treaty with you.” When the children of Israel gave their word to make a treaty, God held them to their word. When you give your word, you have to keep your word, even when you find you made a mistake.

We Have Heard of Your God

The Gibeon people came to Joshua and said, “We are your servants. We submit to you.” It is very difficult to be angry with someone when they tell you they are there to serve you. There is nothing to beat down, nothing to win in battle; they are ready for service.

“And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of Him, and all that He did in Egypt.” Verse 9.

Friends, I wonder today, since we are Seventh-day Adventist Christians and people who love Jesus, when someone mentions the God that we serve, what do people think about Him? These heathens had heard about God. They knew who He was. If someone sees you as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian today, what do they see? They should see something in you! They should know that something is working inside of you, so they would say, “I may not understand all that you are talking about, but I know the Spirit of God is inside of you!”

Verse 11 continues: “Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us [as they came together from their nation], saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.” Come together, you see, let us sign a pact; let us sign an agreement, so later you cannot turn around and kill us. The Gibeons did not want to be killed.

Under the Death Decree

I want you to notice that some things began to happen. Verse 15 simply says, “And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live.” They knew that without this pact they were going to die, because they had seen and experienced and heard about the power of God.

Many more people would accept our message today, the message that we have to give, if they understood that there is power in what is being said. If power were accompanying what is coming out of our mouths, being lived out in our lives, the world would take notice!

These people said they wanted to live, and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. Three days later they found out who the Gibeonites really were. It took three days for Joshua to discover that he had been lied to by this nation! (Verse 16.) Of course, Israel got a little uptight about it, and they started to murmur.

The Bible says, in verses 18 and 19, “And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.” Why? Because they signed an agreement.

Servants You Will Be

Notice what instructions the God of heaven tells Joshua to give to the people of Gibeon: “You may live because we signed this contract, this peace agreement. But your nation will go get water for us, and you will cut our wood for us as long as you live here.” (Verse 23.) Why? Because they gained, as it were, their birth rights by deceit.

They could have come there and said, “We now understand the power of the God that you serve.” I believe that God and Joshua would have been just, if they had only come in plain truth and said, “We have had a change of heart. We want to serve the same God that you serve. Yes, we live next door, and we know that we should die. We know that if you make war against us, we all are going to die and you are all going to live. We want to live.” But they did not do that. They gained life by deceit, and because they did, they were in servitude to Israel for the rest of their generations.

Perfect Freedom in Servitude

God wants us to have freedom of movement, freedom of thought and of action in the world today. We should know God’s Word and implement the knowledge in it with great freedom and ease, not with the idea that we are serving a God who has us under His thumb! That is the way some people go around, but they have not been born again. A reformation has not taken place in their lives, if that is the way they feel today.

Every time Israel did exactly the way God asked them to do in dealing with the nations around them, they were more than conquerors. If we do exactly what God says to do, we will also be able to handle what confronts us.

Gibeon was now under a peace treaty, so what happened? When these other nations, who were ready to make war, heard about Gibeon becoming turncoats, they said, “Let us get rid of them. They have turned to Israel for help, now let us go kill them.” So Gibeon ran to Joshua.

“The inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city . . . .” Joshua 10:1, 2.

These other nations were tight, because Gibeon was a big place “and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.” Verse 2. They knew what happened to Ai. They knew what happened to Jericho, and Gibeon was even greater than that and had more men of war. They said, “Man, they have joined with Israel, now we are going to be conquered; we are going to have to get rid of them.”

A Peculiar People

Verse 4 simply tells us, “Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”

Friends, what happens when you really unite together? Persecution comes! Has just the thought of persecution,—not being liked, being rejected,—maybe prevented some of us from doing what we should be doing?

Satan puts in our hearts and our minds the thought that we have to be loved by everybody. Why is it that we have such a desire to be liked and to be loved by every person? It might be a nice desire, but how do we deal with it when we see that it is not a reality? It is not going to happen, because we are different. We must be different! So different that people can see the difference in us as we go about our daily lives.

Gibeon was smart enough to go to Joshua and say, “Look this is going to be brutal here. There is going to be a fight. Please come and help us.” Verse 6 tells us, “And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp of Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants . . . .”

God’s plan was that when anyone comes to Him, they are grafted into the family of God. We are promised that we are to receive the promises and everything just exactly like the bloodline. Gibeon came in. If they had come in the right way, they could have received all of the blessings that God was giving Israel. They could have accepted His bounties. That is what God wants for all of us.

We have to understand the ways God has in His Word for us. They simply said, “Help us, we need help,” “For all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.” Verse 6. Do you think that Joshua was thinking, “I really wonder if we should even sacrifice our men to go down since these people came to us and deceived us. They have lied to us, should we even bother?” But the Lord intervened. He came to Joshua and told him to go, so Joshua would know exactly what to do. (See Verse 8.)

Trusting God

Friends, when you are going down a road and you do not know what to do, go to God. It is good to get counsel from a brother, but go to God and talk to Him about it first. You labor on it with God. Get your Bible, open it up, and begin to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to what you need to read.

Get out the inspirational books and pray to God to show you what you need to know. Certainly, you can call a brother and tell them that you are at the crossroads and you need some help. You may ask them what is their advice. Ask them to pray with you on the issues. If, in that crossroad, you really want to know and to do God’s will, He will manifest Himself to you. He will show you a plain path; He will tell you what to do.

Joshua was not just a special pick. He was not somebody different from you or me. He was a man, who served God, who loved God, so he heard from God. “And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not.” I like this. Here all these nations are going to come against Israel, who are not even trained to fight. Yes, they have won battles, but only because God fought the battles for them. And now God tells Joshua to not worry about them: “Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.” Verse 8.

Stepping Out in Faith

Everyone who came against God’s people was going to die, and not a one of God’s children would be hurt. Do we believe the promises of God? Do we think Joshua had to exercise faith here? Sure he had to exercise faith. God does not move into action without it. It is not possible. So even though he was a man of God and the Lord spoke to him, he had to exercise faith to know that God could be trusted.

Do you believe God can impress you? Does God speak to your heart? We are embarrassed sometimes to say we believe God has spoken to our heart, because our brethren ask what God said. Then, depending on what we say and their understanding of the Scriptures, they might question whether God spoke to us or whether it was the enemy. The only way to know is to go to Scripture.

God told Joshua to just go out and not to worry, because He was going to deliver the children of Israel. God says that to you and to me today. The battle has already been won. It is finished! He knew how it was going to turn out, if they would just follow Him. Do you know how it is going to turn out? Do you really know who is going to be victorious? Yes, you do! Now all you have to do is go forward by faith. Do not look to the right; do not look to the left. Just as Jesus had to be about His Father’s business, we will be about it also. Men of power today, dear friends, are men of prayer.

The Lord is speaking to us today, as He spoke to Joshua back then, the very same way—giving us messages that bring comfort to our hearts. Our minds can know that we are not alone in this battle. The angels of God are with us. The power of the Spirit is with us, and He will see us through to the end.

Christ’s Concept of Fatherhood

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Our concepts of fatherhood are gained by observation. As we pass from infancy through childhood to maturity, we form our opinions as to what a father is and what a father does, as well as what he does not do, by watching our own fathers. In my childhood, an incident involving my father made a deep and lasting impression upon my mind.

A Father Protects

When I was about ten years old, our family was living on a farm in Oregon, and there were cows to milk each morning and evening. One evening, my sister and I were in the barn milking the cows, somewhat nervously and apprehensively. This was because my older brother was raising a hunting dog, and the dog had been acting strangely for several days. Because this type of dog was known to go mad at times, we were worried.

Then it happened. From the hill behind the barn there came a frenzy of strange, unnatural barking, and it was clearly moving in our direction. We quickly put our milk pails on the floor and scrambled to the top of the stanchions, which held the cows’ heads. These were only six feet high, but it was the best that we could do. There was no place else to go.

We had little more than climbed to our unsteady perches than the dog appeared, wild-eyed and slobbering. He clawed his way through the slightly open door, came to where we were, and started leaping up at us. We could do nothing but call desperately for our father, who had gone to the house on an errand.

Fortunately, our father had heard the frenzied barking, noted where it was coming from, and was already running toward the barn. As he came through the door, without decreasing his speed, he picked up some small object from the floor, and armed with this altogether inadequate weapon, he went straight for the dog. I believe he was ready to grapple with that mad dog with his bare hands, if necessary, in order to protect his children. The dog saw him coming and fled through the back door.

This, to me, was an unforgettable lesson—a father protects his children.

A Father Listens

Now Christ had no earthly father, yet He had some very clear concepts of fatherhood. He must have gained them by watching his stepfather, Joseph. We have very little direct information about Joseph in the Bible, beyond the simple statement that he was a just man (Matthew 1:19). Who was this man, to whom the Creator of the universe entrusted the care of His only-begotten Son? We would like to know more about him. What kind of a father was he? Actually, there is no mystery. As we look at the various statements that Christ made about fathers and fatherhood, we are really looking at Joseph, and we can see that God did well to choose him as a stepfather for His Son.

The gospel of John records over 100 instances where Christ applied the term Father to God. This was far and away His favorite usage. Why? Having grown up in a Hebrew home, He could have used the Hebrew Elohim or Adonay. Since He and most of His listeners spoke Greek, He could have used the Greek, Theos (God) or Kurios (Lord). Apparently these terms did not adequately convey the meaning that He wanted His hearer to understand, so He made the greatest usage of the endearing term, Father. According to Jesus, a father listens.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He instructed them to begin their prayers with the words, “Our Father.” This would be chancy at best, if it were not that the Father is always listening. Jesus knew that if His instruction was followed, there would be prayers ascending to the Father at all hours of the day and night, so His words were equal to a declaration that the Father is always listening.

Jesus also inspired Ellen White to write: “You need not fear an improper hour. His eye never slumbers nor sleeps. He always hears the prayer of the humble suppliant and grants His blessing. He never turns away unblessed those who seek Him with the whole heart.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 319. [Emphasis supplied.]

In addition to that she wrote: “The Father hears every prayer of His contrite children. The voice of supplication from the earth unites with the voice of our Intercessor, who pleads in heaven, whose voice the Father always hears. Let our prayers therefore continually ascend to God. Let them not come up in the name of any human being, but in the name of Him who is our Substitute and Surety.” In Heavenly Places, 79. [Emphasis supplied.]

A Father Provides

Jesus said it like this: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” Matthew 6:31, 32.

“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:11–13.

“Christ made an appeal to us concerning the willingness of God to help, arguing from the natural love of the parent to his offspring. What father could turn from his son who asks bread? Should anyone dishonor God by imagining that He will not respond to the call of His children?” Selected Messages, Book 1, 329.

A Father is Merciful

“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6:36.

“Mercy is an attribute that the human agent may share with God. As did Christ, so man may lay hold on the divine arm and be in communication with divine power. To us has been given a service of mercy to perform for our fellow-man. In performing this service, we are laboring together with God. We do well, then, to be merciful, even as our Father in heaven is merciful.” Signs of the Times, May 21, 1902.

A Father Loves

“For the Father himself loveth you . . . .” John 16:27.

“There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ, and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes; but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No, Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved John, ‘These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ And do not forget the words of Christ, ‘The Father Himself loveth you.’ John 16:27. He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ.” The Faith I Live By, 118.

A Father Transmits His Likeness

“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father . . . .” John 14:9.

“In the Bible the will of God is revealed. The truths of the Word of God are the utterances of the Most High. He who makes these truths a part of his life becomes in every sense a new creature. He is not given new mental powers, but the darkness that through ignorance and sin has clouded the understanding is removed. The words, ‘A new heart also will I give you,’ mean, ‘A new mind will I give you.’ A change of heart is always attended by a clear conviction of Christian duty, an understanding of truth. He who gives the Scriptures close, prayerful attention will gain clear comprehension and sound judgment, as if in turning to God he had reached a higher plane of intelligence.” My Life Today, 24.

A Father Draws

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him . . . .” John 6:44.

In our time, unfortunately, there are fathers who are not worthy of the name. Children who grow up in their homes have a very poor concept of fatherhood and have difficulty applying the term “Father” to God. To them, the word has no richness of meaning, no drawing power, because of the poor example of fatherhood they have had.

It is clear that Jesus had no such problem. He grew up in a home where luxuries may have been lacking, but where the excellent fatherhood qualities of His stepfather, Joseph, were constantly before Him. His childhood experiences gave Him a rich treasury of resources on which to draw in setting before us the attributes of the heavenly Father.

A Father Forgives and Restores

Clearly, the climax to all of the teachings of Jesus about the fatherhood of God is in the immortal parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11–32. No one ever misunderstands this parable. I need only to refer to it and the picture will be formed in your own mind. I do not need to quote it.

I have heard Adlai Esteb, a missionary to China, tell about a trip that he made into Tibet, during which time he had occasion to speak to a group of primitive Tibetan herdsmen. Not knowing what better thing he could do, he read to them, through a translator, the story of the prodigal son as given by Jesus. When he had finished the story, he said he saw tears trickling down the cheeks of these rough Tibetan tribesmen. They understood!

Everybody understands the story of the prodigal son. Jesus planned it that way, and Jesus planned that His representation of the nature and character of God would cause every one of us to say, with the prodigal, I will arise, and go to my Father.

The Irish Protestant and Heaven

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Do you have faith in God? That was a question Jesus used to ask. It is one thing to say, “Yes, I have faith in God,” when everything is going well—you have money in your bank account; your physical exam showed you were healthy; you are current on your house payment; none of your children are sick, and you are not having a major crisis at work. It is another thing to say, “Yes, I trust in God,” when things are not going so well—you have been diagnosed with a very serious disease; your job is uncertain; there is not enough money to pay the bills; somebody is sick, and one wrong thing piles up on another. Do you trust in God? Do you really trust Him now—or is your trust in something else?

The Bible says a “rich man’s wealth is his strong city.” Proverbs 10:15; 18:11. His confidence and trust are in his wealth. That is very common. Jesus, speaking about rich men, said, “‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’” Matthew 19:23, 24.

Do we realize that, in comparison to people in many other countries, most people in the United States are rich? David said when a person is rich, he trusts his riches. If you have your trust in riches or anything other than Jesus Christ, you cannot be saved. (See Psalm 49:6, 7.) It is impossible.

Learning Trust

The Lord had to teach some lessons of trust to the children of Israel. For this purpose, He put them through a rigorous 40-year training course, during which time they had no way to get food. Have you ever been without food? It is bad to be without food when there is a grocery store nearby, but it is worse to be without food in the desert. For a while they did not know from where their food would come. So Moses told them that the Lord was going to provide for them. (See Exodus 16:8.) The Lord let them go in the desert a few days until they ran out of food, before He started providing manna. Have you ever been in a situation where you were looking for a job and you said, “Lord, are you going to let me spend my last dollar before I find a job?”

When the Lord sent the manna, He did not send enough for a week—He only sent enough for one day. They were never more than one day away from being out of food. The next day the Lord sent a little more. If they kept it for more than a day, it spoiled. The only exception was on Friday; then the Lord sent a two-day supply so that on Sabbath they did not have to gather food. (See Exodus 16:14–31.) The Lord taught them to put their trust in Him. We are also going to have to learn to trust in God alone. God has given us principles of living to help us learn to trust in Him.

Won to the Faith

Miss Clancy was an elderly, Irish Protestant lady. She will be surprised when she gets to heaven, because people have heard about her in many places. They will come to her from all over and say, “I learned to have faith in God from you.”

Her story began in 1919, when Carlyle B. Haynes, a Seventh-day Adventist minister, was having evangelistic meetings in a canvas tent in New York City on 95th Street and Broadway. Miss Clancy came to these tent-meetings and listened.

Whenever Pastor Haynes would preach something from the Bible, she would look it up, take notes, and check to see if that was really what the Bible said. If that was what the Bible said, she believed it and would do it. She soon started getting ready for baptism. She accepted everything the Bible taught until Elder Haynes preached on tithing. He noticed, after that, that Miss Clancy did not seem so happy. She became sad, gloomy, and upset, and he wondered what had happened.

Notes on Tithing

Miss Clancy finally requested a personal interview with Elder Haynes. When she came to see him, she had her notes. Together they reviewed the notes of his sermon. There were seven points she had listed. Here they are:

  1. The tithing plan explained. Leviticus 27:30–32. (The word tithe means a tenth, or ten percent.) It says, “‘And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s.’” It belongs to the Lord. “‘It is holy to the Lord. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.’” The tithe or the tenth is holy. It does not belong to us; it belongs to the Lord.
  2. Tithe, anciently, was used for the support of those who ministered about holy things. In Numbers 18:20–24, we read, “Then the Lord said to Aaron: ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your genera-tions, that among the children of Israel they [the Levites] shall have no inheritance.’” Anciently, the tithe was used for those who worked in holy service.
  3. The New Testament teaches that this tithing plan has been ordained for the support of the gospel ministry. In 1 Corinthians 9:13, 14, Paul refers to the passage in Numbers 18 and says, “Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” The New Testament says that the tithing plan has been ordained for the support of the gospel ministry.
  4. Jesus endorsed the tithing plan. Jesus said, “‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.’” Matthew 23:23.
  5. God promises to bless the faithful payment of tithe. “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And prove Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ says the Lord of hosts; ‘And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:10–12.
  6. Those who do not do as God commands will not prosper. “Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.’ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,’ says the Lord. ‘You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.’” Haggai 1:5–9.
  7. God’s curse is upon men, money and property when God is not honored and obeyed. “‘Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, “In what way have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.’” Malachi 3:8, 9.

As Elder Haynes listened to her, he thought, “Well, now, what is she going to say? To what is she going to object?”

The Test

Miss Clancy asked, “Do I have to do this?”

Elder Haynes replied, “Why would there be an exception for you? I am not the one who told you to do this; this is what God’s Word says.”

To this reply, Miss Clancy stated, “Well, you don’t understand my circumstances. Now, I don’t enjoy telling you this, but I must tell you because you need to understand why I don’t see how I can do this. First of all,” she said, “I am not employed. I don’t have a job. I really don’t have any means of support. But,” she explained, “I have a son-in-law, and he sends me $6.00 a week.”

Elder Haynes was listening—$6.00 a week, even in 1919, was not much money.

Miss Clancy continued, “I’m renting a little kitchenette apartment. I’ve been there ten years, and the rents have gone up with the other apartments all around, but the Lord has been good to me. My landlord has not increased my rent.”

“How much is your rent?” inquired Elder Haynes.

“My rent is $4.50 a week.”

Miss Clancy receives $6.00 a week from her son-in-law on which to live. Her rent is $4.50 a week, leaving $1.50 for all other expenses, including food. Elder Haynes was aghast! “That’s impossible! You can’t live on that!”

“I know. I know you can’t live on that, but the Lord’s been good to me and has helped me to live on that. I have been living on that for many years. But now you’re telling me that I need to pay a tithe, which is 60 cents on $6.00, and then my rent is still going to be the same. So are you telling me that instead of living on $1.50 a week, now I’m to live on 90 cents a week?”

What would you do if you were the preacher? Would you say, “Well, sister, I recognize that you’re in a very difficult situation, and God doesn’t expect you to pay tithe”? Elder Haynes felt so bad. Now he knew why she was going through a trial. When all you have to live on is $1.50 a week, and now you are going to have only 90 cents a week, what are you going to eat? Does God make exceptions for the poor? No, there are no exceptions in the Bible. And he had to say to her, “I’m not the one who made the rules. God said that He will open the windows of heaven and that He will bless you. If you will do what He says to do, He will take care of you. I don’t know how He’s going to do it. All I know is that God will not fail you.”

Stepping Out in Faith

She thought it over and finally said, “Well, God’s taken care of me before. I’ll do it!”

The next week when she came to church, she handed Elder Haynes 60 cents for tithe. In writing about it later, he said that 60 cents was the hardest to accept of any amount he ever had anybody put in his hand. He did not want to take it, but God had commanded it, so he took it. Every Sabbath, from then on, she would come to church, go up to him and hand him 60 cents. In his mind he would get a sinking feeling. “What is happening to this lady? Is she going hungry?” Once he bent down and whispered in her ear, “Miss Clancy, how are you getting along? Are you all right?”

“Praise the Lord, I am!” was all she replied.

The preacher wondered what was happening. Finally, he again inquired, “Miss Clancy, are you sure everything is all right?”

Strange Things Are Happening

“Pastor, something strange has been happening,” she beamed. “I never knew before that the neighbors could be so kind and thoughtful. I’ve never had this happen before. They never did the things before that they are doing for me now.”

“Well, what are they doing?”

“They bring me little presents—a loaf of bread, a pound of butter. A neighbor will come over and give me some flour; another will give me some cereal; another will give me a quart of milk, and another will give me some fruit. They even come over and give me cake,” she continued. “I’m living better on 90 cents a week than I used to live on $1.50.”

“Do you think somebody has been putting them up to this?” the pastor asked.

“Yes I do. I think somebody has put the neighbors up to this.”

“Who do you think it is?”

“Do you need to ask me that, Pastor? If you had not counseled me to pay tithe like you did, I would have been robbed of God’s blessing.”

Living Humbly

“Miss Clancy, I have reached the conclusion that you are the ablest financier in New York City, and I have long wanted to ask you how you could possibly make 90 cents a week cover your weekly needs.”

“Ah, Pastor, I’ve told you the neighbors help it to stretch, but aside from that, my needs are simple. I have learned to live on porridge and oatmeal and these are cheap. To me, now, it seems that I’m getting along better than I was before.”

Every week she came and put in 60 cents. This went on for three or four months, but one day there was a knock on the door of his study. Elder Haynes opened the door and there stood Miss Clancy with a playful smile on her face.

The Windows of Heaven Open

“Pastor, now you are going to have to give me some respect. Because now I am a woman of means.”

“Well, what has happened?” asked the pastor.

“My son-in-law wrote a letter the other day and told me that he had been feeling for some time that he really should send me more money. It was just too difficult to live on just $6.00 a week. He said that from now on he was going to send me $10.00 a week. Pastor, do you know what that means? My tithe on $10.00 will be $1.00; my rent will be $4.50 a week, so that will give me $4.50 left. My income has just gone from 90 cents a week to $4.50 a week. My disposable income has gone up five times! I don’t know what I’m going to do with all that money! I guess I’m going to have to give large offerings to help the gospel go to the mission field.” (See “The Strange Case of Miss Clancy” by Carlyle B. Haynes, Signs of the Times, December 28, 1954.)

Someday, if you are faithful, you will get to meet Miss Clancy. Maybe you will have a story to tell her about how God helped you, how God opened the windows of heaven for you. Do you know, friends, you can trust God! Do you believe that? Miss Clancy discovered that when you do what God says, He opens up the windows of heaven. No one knew how God was going to open the windows of heaven, but as soon as she started paying tithe, something changed, and she started getting along better than she had before. The same thing will happen to you! When you are faithful to return to God His own, God opens the windows of heaven and takes charge of your life.

Notice what Jesus said about this, “‘Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.’” Matthew 6:30–33.

When you make God first in your life, and you choose to follow Him, He takes responsibility for you. God is going to see to it that you have food and clothing and shelter. Would you like to see God open the windows of heaven in your life? Would you like to be blessed? The Lord says, “Return the tithes and offerings into the storehouse and try Me out. And I will open the windows of heaven to you and all people will call you blessed.” Malachi 3:10.

There is nothing in this world that is as good or as wonderful as being blessed by God.

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Editorial – The Church that Appears to Fall, Part V

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This recent series of four editorials has been based on Letter 55, 1886, written to Elders Butler (then General Conference President) and S. N. Haskell, as published in Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 318–328. In this letter, Ellen White divides the Seventh-day Adventist Church into two groups.

The larger of these groups, sometimes referred to as the “Professed Church,” is destined to go to ruin and destruction—to fall. They profess to be the “True Church.” (See Signs of the Times, September 4, 1883 and Counsels to Teachers, 491.)

The other group is destined to appear to fall, because it will seem that they are going to be annihilated. Since it appears that this group will be destroyed, we must face the reality that the majority of this smaller group could be martyred. (See Maranatha, 199.) But instead of falling, it will remain. This smaller group is referred to by Ellen White, in other places, as the “True Church.” (See Signs of the Times, April 22, 1889.)

Both of these groups profess the Seventh-day Adventist faith. They are both visible, and they both claim to be God’s special, denominated people.

The “Church” that only appears to fall but does not, according to Letter 55, has the following characteristics:

  1. They profess the Adventist faith and
  2. are actually practicing the truth.
  3. They come before God with repentance, humiliation, and deep heart searching.
  4. They are living representatives of the truth they advocate.
  5. They honor God’s law by strict and holy compliance.
  6. They walk before the Lord with purity and holiness.
  7. They honor God as did Daniel by righteousness, holiness, and truth.
  8. Support is withdrawn as they continue to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages.
  9. The members are overcoming and
  10. are the remnant who purify their souls by keeping the truth.

The “Church” that not only appears to fall but that actually does fall, according to Letter 55, has the following characteristics:

  1. They are not constantly becoming more spiritually minded.
  2. They are becoming self-righteous while not doing the will of God.
  3. They profess the Adventist faith but are keeping it apart from their lives.
  4. They do not bring their hearts to the test of God’s great moral standard of righteousness; they do not live it.
  5. They claim to believe the truth and advocate the law of God.
  6. There is internal corruption.
  7. God has promised not to forsake them if they do not forsake Him.
  8. God has promised to work for them if the sins which brought His wrath upon the old world do not become their crimes.
  9. God asks them to cleanse the camp of moral defilement and aggravating sins, because
  10. sin is cherished weakness, and ruin will come on all individuals and groups (churches) that allow a knowing violation of any commandment.
  11. God has been robbed by the withholding of money from His treasury.
  12. This church is advised to humble their souls before God with humiliation and fasting and prayer and repentance for sin so disaster and ruin might be avoided.
  13. This church finally ceases to exist because all the members who are continuing in sin fall.
  14. Many of the ministers in this church have only a human commission, not a commission from God, and they will be weeded out by the Sunday Law test.

Dear Friend, if that still, small voice is telling you that you are in the large group of professed Adventists who are not really true Adventists, it is not yet too late for you to change sides, to change leaders.

Bible Study Guides – The End is Coming

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August 25–August 31, 2002

Memory Verse: “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:13.

Study Helps: Christ’s Object Lessons, 405–421; Evangelism, 694–697; The Desire of Ages, 627–636.

INTRODUCTION: “I am bidden to say to you that you know not how soon the crisis will come. It is stealing gradually upon us, as a thief. The sun shines in the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the glory of God; men are pursuing their usual course of eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage; merchants are still engaged in buying and selling; publications are still issuing one upon another; men are jostling one against another, seeking to get the highest place; pleasure lovers are still attending theaters, horse races, gambling hells, and the highest excitement prevails; but probation’s hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. There are few who believe with heart and soul that we have a heaven to win and a hell to shun; but these show their faith by their works.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 413.

1 Does any one know the exact time of Jesus’ second coming? Mark 13:32; Matthew 24:36.

NOTE: “We are not to be engrossed with speculations in regard to the times and the seasons which God has not revealed. Jesus has told His disciples to ‘watch,’ but not for definite time. His followers are to be in the position of those who are listening for the orders of their Captain; they are to watch, wait, pray, and work, as they approach the time for the coming of the Lord; but no one will be able to predict just when that time will come . . . . You will not be able to say that He will come in one, two, or five years, neither are you to put off his coming by stating that it may not be for ten or twenty years. . . . We are not to know the definite time either for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit or for the coming of Christ.” Review and Herald, March 22, 1892.

2 What are we expected to know about the time of Christ’s return? Matthew 24:33.

NOTE: “Though no man knoweth the day nor the hour of His coming, we are instructed and required to know when it is near. We are further taught that to disregard His warning, and refuse or neglect to know when His advent is near, will be as fatal for us as it was for those who lived in the days of Noah not to know when the flood was coming.” The Great Controversy, 371.

3 With all the apparent delays of Christ’s return, what do Christians need and why? Hebrews 10:35–37.

NOTE: “It was not the will of God that Israel should wander forty years in the wilderness; He desired to lead them directly to the land of Canaan and establish them there, a holy, happy people. But ‘they could not enter in because of unbelief.’ Hebrews 3:19. Because of their backsliding and apostasy they perished in the desert, and others were raised up to enter the Promised Land. In like manner, it was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be so long delayed and His people should remain so many years in this world of sin and sorrow. But unbelief separated them from God. As they refused to do the work which He had appointed them, others were raised up to proclaim the message. In mercy to the world, Jesus delays His coming, that sinners may have an opportunity to hear the warning and find in Him a shelter before the wrath of God shall be poured out.” The Great Controversy, 458.

4 Why were the angels commanded to hold the four winds? Revelation 7:1–3.

NOTE: “I [Ellen White] asked my accompanying angel the meaning of what I heard, and what the four angels were about to do. He said to me that it was God that restrained the powers, and that He gave His angels charge over things on the earth; that the four angels had power from God to hold the four winds, and that they were about to let them go; but while their hands were loosening, and the four winds were about to blow, the merciful eye of Jesus gazed on the remnant that were not sealed, and He raised His hands to the Father, and pleaded with Him that He had spilled His blood for them. Then another angel was commissioned to fly swiftly to the four angels, and bid them hold, until the servants of God were sealed with the seal of the living God in their foreheads.” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, 102.

5 What experience should the saints be having during the delay of His coming? Matthew 25:1–13.

NOTE: “In the parable, all the ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All had lamps and vessels for oil. For a time there was seen no difference between them. So with the church that lives just before Christ’s second coming. All have a knowledge of the Scriptures. All have heard the message of Christ’s near approach, and confidently expect His appearing. But as in the parable, so it is now. A time of waiting intervenes, faith is tried; and when the cry is heard, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh,’ . . . many are unready. They have no oil in their vessels with their lamps. They are destitute of the Holy Spirit. . . .

“The theory of truth, unaccompanied by the Holy Spirit, cannot quicken the soul or sanctify the heart. One may be familiar with the commands and promises of the Bible; but unless the Spirit of God sets the truth home, the character will not be transformed. Without the enlightenment of the Spirit, men will not be able to distinguish truth from error, and they will fall under the masterful temptations of Satan. . . .” Reflecting Christ, 210.

6 How will the unbelievers react to the delay of Christ’s second coming? 2 Peter 3:3, 4.

NOTE: “The world, full of rioting, full of godless pleasure, is asleep, asleep in carnal security. Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They laugh at warnings. The proud boast is made, ‘All things continue as they were from the beginning.’ ‘Tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.’ 11 Peter 3:4; Isaiah 56:12. We will go deeper into pleasure loving. But Christ says, ‘Behold, I come as a thief.’ Revelation 16:15. At the very time when the world is asking in scorn, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’ the signs are fulfilling. While they cry, ‘Peace and safety,’ sudden destruction is coming. When the scorner, the rejecter of truth, has become presumptuous; when the routine of work in the various money-making lines is carried on without regard to principle; when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but his Bible, Christ comes as a thief.” Maranatha, 34.

7 As the unbelievers scoff, in what may the believers be confident? Isaiah 46:13; Hebrews 10:37.

NOTE: “God designs that His people shall fix their eyes heavenward, looking for the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. While the attention of worldlings is turned to various enterprises, ours should be to the heavens; our faith should reach further and further into the glorious mysteries of the heavenly treasure, drawing the precious, divine rays of light from the heavenly sanctuary to shine in our hearts, as they shine upon the face of Jesus. The scoffers mock the waiting, watching ones, and inquire: ‘Where is the promise of His coming? You have been disappointed. Engage now with us, and you will prosper in worldly things. Get gain, get money, and be honored of the world.’ The waiting ones look upward and answer: ‘We are watching.’ And by turning from earthly pleasure and worldly fame, and from the deceitfulness of riches, they show themselves to be in that position. By watching they become strong; they overcome sloth and selfishness and love of ease. Affliction’s fire kindles upon them, and the waiting time seems long. They sometimes grieve, and faith falters; but they rally again, overcome their fears and doubts, and while their eyes are directed heavenward, say to their adversaries: ‘I am watching, I am waiting the return of my Lord. I will glory in tribulation, in affliction, in necessities.’” Testimonies, vol. 2, 194, 195.

8 Why is God not willing to fulfill His promise to come immediately? 2 Peter 3:9, 10.

NOTE: “In mercy to the world, Jesus delays His coming, that sinners may have an opportunity to hear the warning.” The Great Controversy, 458.

9 What assurance does God give His people that His purpose has not failed? Habakkuk 2:1–4.

NOTE: “The faith that strengthened Habakkuk and all the holy and the just in those days of deep trial was the same faith that sustains God’s people today. In the darkest hours, under circumstances the most forbidding, the Christian believer may keep his soul stayed upon the source of all light and power. Day by day, through faith in God, his hope and courage may be renewed. ‘The just shall live by his faith.’ . . .

“We must cherish and cultivate the faith of which prophets and apostles have testified—the faith that lays hold on the promises of God and waits for deliverance in His appointed time and way. The sure word of prophecy will meet its final fulfillment in the glorious advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords. . . .” Conflict and Courage, 242.

10 What instruction did Jesus give to His servants? Luke 12:35–40. Compare Mark 13:33–37.

NOTE: “Silently, unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour which marks the fixing of every man’s destiny, the final withdrawal of mercy’s offer to guilty men. ‘Watch ye therefore . . . lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.’ ” Sons and Daughters of God, 355.

11 What warning is given of putting far off the second coming? Matthew 24:48–51.

NOTE: “Those who are ‘do-nothings’ now will have the superscription upon them, ‘Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.’ They knew their Master’s will, but did it not. They had the light of truth, they had every advantage, but chose their own selfish interests, and they will be left with those whom they did not try to save.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 237.

12 How are we to employ our time until Jesus comes? Luke 19:13. Compare Matthew 24:45, 46.

NOTE: “God has left us in charge of His goods in His absence. Each steward has his own special work to do for the advancement of God’s kingdom. No one is excused. The Lord bids us all, ‘Occupy till I come.’ By His own wisdom He has given us direction for the use of His gifts. The talents of speech, memory, influence, property, are to accumulate for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom. He will bless the right use of His gifts.” Counsels on Stewardship, 116.

“Belief in the near coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven will not cause the true Christian to become neglectful and careless of the ordinary business of life. The waiting ones who look for the soon appearing of Christ will not be idle, but diligent in business. Their work will not be done carelessly and dishonestly, but with fidelity, promptness, and thoroughness. Those who flatter themselves that careless inattention to the things of this life is an evidence of their spirituality and of their separation from the world are under a great deception. Their veracity, faithfulness, and integrity are tested and proved in temporal things. If they are faithful in that which is least they will be faithful in much.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 309.

Bible Study Guides – The Final Sign

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August 18–August 24, 2002

MEMORY VERSE: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14.

STUDY HELPS: Christ’s Object Lessons, 225–237; Testimonies, vol. 8, 19–23; The Great Controversy, 603–612.

INTRODUCTION: “Long has God waited for the spirit of service to take possession of the whole church so that everyone shall be working for Him according to his ability. When the members of the church of God do their appointed work in the needy fields at home and abroad, in fulfillment of the gospel commission, the whole world will soon be warned and the Lord Jesus will return to this earth with power and great glory.” The Acts of the Apostles, 111.

1 What great work did Christ say will be completed before He returns? Matthew 24:14.

NOTE: “Our work has been marked out for us by our heavenly Father. We are to take our Bibles and go forth to warn the world. We are to be God’s helping hands in saving souls—channels through which His love is day by day to flow to the perishing.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 150.

2 Why must everyone hear the gospel before probation closes? Romans 10:14.

NOTE: “But not one is made to suffer the wrath of God until the truth has been brought home to his mind and conscience, and has been rejected. There are many who have never had an opportunity to hear the special truths for this time. The obligation of the fourth commandment has never been set before them in its true light. He who reads every heart and tries every motive will leave none who desire a knowledge of the truth, to be deceived as to the issues of the controversy. The decree is not to be urged upon the people blindly. Everyone is to have sufficient light to make his decision intelligently.” The Great Controversy, 605.

3 What is the final message that is to be given to the world? Revelation 14:6–12.

NOTE: “God has given the messages of Revelation 14 their place in the line of prophecy, and their work is not to cease till the close of this earth’s history.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 2, 804.

4 When and to what extent is the final message to be preached? Revelation 14:6.

NOTE: “The message of Revelation 14, proclaiming that the hour of God’s judgment is come, is given in the time of the end; and the angel of Revelation 10 is represented as having one foot on the sea and one foot on the land, showing that the message will be carried to distant lands, the ocean will be crossed, and the islands of the sea will hear the proclamation of the last message of warning. . . .” Maranatha, 18.

5 What will be the climax of the final message? Revelation 18:1.

NOTE: “The angel who unites in the proclamation of the third angel’s message is to lighten the whole earth with his glory. A work of world-wide extent and unwonted power is here foretold. The advent movement of 1840–44 was a glorious manifestation of the power of God; the first angel’s message was carried to every missionary station in the world, and in some countries there was the greatest religious interest which has been witnessed in any land since the Reformation of the sixteenth century; but these are to be exceeded by the mighty movement under the last warning of the third angel.” The Great Controversy, 611.

“God still has a people in Babylon; and before the visitation of his judgments these faithful ones must be called out, that they partake not of her sins and ‘receive not of her plagues.’ Hence the movement symbolized by the angel coming down from heaven, lightening the earth with his glory and crying mightily with a strong voice, announcing the sins of Babylon. In connection with his message the call is heard: ‘Come out of her, My people.’ These announcements, uniting with the third angel’s message, constitute the final warning to be given to the inhabitants of the earth.” Ibid., 604.

6 What resulted from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost? Acts 2:41–43.

NOTE: “As they [the disciples] proclaimed the truth as it is in Jesus, hearts yielded to the power of the message. The church beheld converts flocking to her from all directions. Backsliders were reconverted. Sinners united with Christians in seeking the pearl of great price. Those who had been the bitterest opponents of the gospel became its champions. The prophecy was fulfilled: The weak shall be ‘as David,’ and the house of David ‘as the angel of the Lord.’ Every Christian saw in his brother the divine similitude of love and benevolence. One interest prevailed. One subject of emulation swallowed up all others. The only ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ’s character and to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 19, 20.

7 How widely was the gospel proclaimed in apostolic times? Mark 16:20.

NOTE: “[Mark 16:20 quoted.] Notwithstanding the fierce opposition that the disciples met, in a short time the gospel of the kingdom had been sounded to all the inhabited parts of the earth.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 15.

8 How great a manifestation of Divine power are we to expect in the last days? Joel 2:28, 29.

NOTE: “If this prophecy of Joel met a partial fulfillment in the days of the apostles, we are living in a time when it is to be even more evidently manifest to the people of God. He will so bestow His Spirit upon His people that they will become a light amid the moral darkness; and great light will be reflected in all parts of the world. O that our faith might be increased, that the Lord might work mightily with His people (MS 49, 1908).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1175.

“I [Ellen White] heard those clothed with the armor speak forth the truth with great power. It had effect. . . . I asked what had made this great change. An angel answered, ‘It is the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, the loud cry of the third angel.’” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, 177.

9 What qualifications will those who give the last warning message have? 1 Corinthians 12:7–10.

NOTE: “The talents that Christ entrusts to His church represent especially the gifts and blessings imparted by the Holy Spirit. . . . All men do not receive the same gifts, but to every servant of the Master some gift of the Spirit is promised. . . .

“The gifts are already ours in Christ, but their actual possession depends upon our reception of the Spirit of God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 327.

10 What urgency encompasses the final warning? Luke 14:23.

NOTE: “The things of this world are soon to perish. This is not discerned by those who have not been divinely enlightened, who have not kept pace with the work of God. Consecrated men and women must go forth to sound the warning in the highways and the byways. I urge my brethren and sisters not to engage in work that will hinder them from proclaiming the gospel of Christ. You are God’s spokesmen. You are to speak the truth in love to perishing souls.” Colporteur Ministry, 24.

11 What standard has God set for His people to reach to hasten Christ’s return? Matthew 5:48; Deuteronomy 13:18; 2 Peter 3:11, 12, 14.

NOTE: “God’s ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach. The living God has given in His holy law a transcript of His character. The greatest Teacher the world has ever known is Jesus Christ; and what is the standard He has given for all who believe in Him? [Matthew 5:48 quoted.] As God is perfect in His high sphere of action, so man may be perfect in his human sphere.

“The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness. There is opened before us a path of continual advancement. We have an object to reach, a standard to gain, which includes everything good and pure and noble and elevated. There should be continual striving and constant progress onward and upward toward perfection of character. . . .” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 365.