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Food – Turn Over a New Leaf

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Fresh herbs have long enjoyed a place of importance in the hearts of cooks. They are, without a doubt, the most versatile culinary ingredients. Fresh herbs add rich and savory flavors to foods, perking up and adding depth to vegetables and soups. They are a quick, healthy and fat-free way to add spice to everyday meals without adding additional sodium and calories.

  • In most recipes you can very easily substitute fresh herbs for dry herbs by using about 3 times the amount—1 tsp. dry equals 1 Tbsp. fresh.
  • Buy herbs with vibrant color and aroma. Avoid those that are limp, yellowing, have black spots or don’t smell totally fresh.
  • To store—Trim unwashed herb bunches. Wrap in a damp paper towel and slip into a plastic bag filled with a little air to prevent crushing. Place in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Wash when ready to use.
  • Use a sharp knife when cutting fresh herbs. A dull one will crush and bruise the herbs. Scissors also work well when chopping chives or snipping off tender leaves.
  • Do you have leftover fresh herbs? Fill an ice cube tray with finely chopped herbs and pour water over just to cover. Freeze until solid. Pop frozen cubes in a freezer bag. Place into the freezer until needed.
  • Fresh herbs can also be dried for later use—Remove leaves from the bottom inch of each stem. Bundle several stems together with string or a rubber band. Hang upside down in a warm, airy room. When completely dry, crumble the leaves into jars.
  • Herb butters are one of the most wonderful treats you can make with herbs. Combine 1 stick of softened Earth Balance vegan buttery stick with 1 tsp. lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped herbs of your choice. Transfer the mixture to a piece of waxed or parchment paper and roll into a log. Refrigerate until firm. Slice and serve with corn on the cob, Italian bread, steamed vegetables, baked potato or cooked pasta.
  • Create herb-infused oils to use in vinaigrettes, as a bread dip or drizzled over cooked vegetables. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 cup of olive oil along with 5 sprigs of thyme or 2 sprigs of rosemary until bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Cool completely. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
  • Think beyond lettuce—adding coarsely chopped herbs to a salad adds flavor and color. Dill, basil, mint and parsley are especially delicious.

AmacAdvantage, vol. 6, Issue 3, 46, 47.

Current Events – Persecution

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“The early Christians were often called to meet the powers of darkness face to face. By sophistry and by persecution the enemy endeavored to turn them from the true faith. At the present time, when the end of all things earthly is rapidly approaching, Satan is putting forth desperate efforts to ensnare the world. He is devising many plans to occupy minds and to divert attention from the truths essential to salvation. In every city his agencies are busily organizing into parties those who are opposed to the law of God. The archdeceiver is at work to introduce elements of confusion and rebellion, and men are being fired with a zeal that is not according to knowledge.” The Acts of the Apostles, 219.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide is urging the Government to raise concerns over religious intolerance and other human rights violations in Indonesia. In particular, the organisation raises concerns over the forced closure of churches in Indonesia, including churches that have secured legal permission. Last week nine churches and six Buddhist temples had been closed down as a result of intense pressure from local Islamist groups.
www.christiantoday.com/2012/10/29.

A massive four-day national prayer event in the desert north of Cairo, is expected to draw 50,000 people from all over Egypt. In the midst of increased persecution, turmoil and uncertainty, Christians are reaching out to others and fervently praying “in such a time as this.” With all the political, social, economic and religious challenges Egypt has faced in the last few months, all Egyptians are left with many uncertainties and concerns about the present and future. www.christianpost.com/2012/10/26.

Seven people are dead and at least 100 others were injured after a suicide bomber ran an SUV filled with explosives into a Catholic church during mass Sunday [October 28]. The bombing in Kaduna is the latest in a series of attacks on Nigerian churches. No group claimed responsibility for this attack.
www.cbn.com/2012/10/29.

Authorities in southern Laos pressure three jailed pastors and other Christians to participate in occult rituals and recant their faith in Jesus Christ, a religious advocacy group said. www.worthynews.com/2012/10/19.

In India, an Indian evangelical pastor was recovering of injuries, after he and his family were beaten by “anti-Christian” Hindu extremists near the capital New Delhi, a major mission group and relatives said. In published remarks his son who suffered a broken hand, said at least two men entered the house and used “a steel water bucket” to hit his father’s head till he was unconscious. The beatings were encouraged by nearly a dozen other Hindus who earlier hurled stones and other materials at the pastor’s family home, Christian witnesses said. www.worthynews.com/2012/10/22.

In Montana [United States of America], the Kalispell city council has declined to take possession of a Ten Commandments monument and move it to a prominent location on city-owned land in downtown Kalispell. The Flathead Beacon reports that the council decided earlier in the week that accepting the statue could lead to legal problems. The Fraternal Order of the Eagles asked the council to take possession of the statue and six others that include historical texts from the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence that together form a “cornerstone of law” display. The Flathead Area Secular Humanist Association threatened legal action if such a move took place. www.CBN.com/2012/09/24.

Health – Music and the Frontal Lobe

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Few people understand the powerful influence that music has on the frontal lobe. Music enters the brain through its emotional regions.

Depending on the type of music, it can either influence the brain beneficially or detrimentally. Music therapists tell us that certain types of music, such as rock with its syncopated rhythm, bypass the frontal lobe and thus escape our ability to reason and make judgments about it. Evidence suggests that it, like television, can produce a hypnotic effect. For many years some have argued that rock music was ruining America’s youth. Recently a neurobiologist and a physicist teamed up to put this generalization to a test. They designed a study to evaluate the neurological reaction of mice to different musical rhythms. For eight weeks they exposed each of three groups of mice to different music settings. One group heard rock-like disharmonic drum beats playing softly in their environment; a second group heard classical music, while the third heard no music whatsoever. All the mice went through a standard maze test (with food at the end of the maze). On the first day, all three groups performed equally well. They groped about the maze in search of food. By the end of eight weeks, however, it was noted that the second and third groups had learned the direct path to the food. The “rock group,” however, was still groping for it, taking much longer to find the food than the other two groups.

Next there was a three week break in their maze training without music followed by maze re-tests to see how much knowledge they had retained of the maze’s course, and to see if the effect of the rock beat had worn off. Again the rock group performed poorly. They continued to have difficulty remembering how to get to their food, while the other two groups still found it quickly. The rock group seemed almost to be starting from scratch. They groped around and seemed disoriented. Both the control group and the harmonic group, on the other hand, could run the maze considerably faster, proving that their learning had stuck.

To determine why the poor performers were having so much trouble, the researchers examined their brains, looking for changes in the hippocampus, a region in the temporal lobe near the brain stem, which is usually associated with alertness, memory, and learning. They found evidence of abnormal branching and sprouting of the nerve cells, and also disruptions in the normal amounts of messenger RNA [ribonucleic acid], a chemical crucial to memory storage.

The researchers concluded that the culprit causing the memory and learning problems was the music’s rhythm, not its harmonic or melodic structure. The theory is that certain musical rhythms help to synchronize natural biological rhythms, thus enhancing body functions, while other rhythms tend to clash with, or disrupt, those internal rhythms. This is not surprising since all of our body systems function in rhythm. The study’s authors postulate that if these natural rhythms are disrupted by some kind of disharmony, detrimental effects can result, including permanent learning difficulties. This could help explain why rock music listeners are more prone to use drugs and engage in extramarital sex, and why heavy metal listeners are much more likely to consider suicide. Not only did the disharmonic rock-like music cause damage to the temporal lobes, it also caused atrophy of the frontal lobe. This atrophy would be expected to affect moral worth, learning, and reasoning power.

Harmonious types of hymns and symphonies, on the other hand, can produce a very beneficial frontal lobe response. This is the kind of musical environment in which our children should be raised—music that can produce a positive rather than a negative effect. Classical music has been demonstrated to help college students learn spatial relationships in geometry. A study showed that listening to Mozart piano sonatas significantly increased spatial temporal reasoning. Interestingly, Mozart began composing music at the age of four.

In a follow-up of the Mozart study, children three to five years of age who received eight months of group singing and keyboard lessons scored significantly higher on the “object assembly” task (arranging pieces of a puzzle to form a meaningful whole, requiring frontal lobe function) when compared to children in the same pre-school who did not receive music lessons. Another study showed that musicians who possess perfect pitch were soundly exposed to music before the age of seven.

The impact of music on shaping the character (and hence the frontal lobe) was recognized at least 23 centuries ago. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher of the fourth century B.C., recognized that music can either be beneficial or detrimental to our character, depending on the kind of music we expose ourselves to. He wrote, “Music directly represents the passions or states of the soul—gentleness, anger, courage, temperance, and their opposites and other qualities; hence, when one listens to music that imitates a certain passion he becomes imbued with the same passion; and if over a long time he habitually listens to the kind of music that rouses ignoble [degraded or vulgar] passions his whole character will be shaped to an ignoble form. In short, if one listens to the wrong kind of music he will become the wrong kind of person; but, conversely, if he listens to the right kind of music he will tend to become the right kind of person.” Aristotle unwittingly referred to the frontal lobe, where we now know the seat of our character resides.

Dr. Neil Nedley, M.D., Proof Positive, Nedley Publishing Co., Ardmore, Oklahoma, May 1999, excerpt from chapter, “The Frontal Lobe.”

Children’s Story – The Sleigh Ride

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Mary Lee returned to her father’s house after a two years’ stay with her uncle Kent. The little children were quite overjoyed. For the first week or so Mary was regarded [as] something in the light of a visitor.

By and by she began to take her appropriate place in the family circle, and bear the burden of family duty. Her parents rejoiced to behold much which was truly excellent and lovely in her principles and her practice. One defect soon appeared, which threatened some unhappiness: Mary was secretly dissatisfied with her home. Small it certainly was compared with her uncle’s, and she yearned for the elegant and expensive furniture, for the costly decorations and thousand luxuries which she had been accustomed to see and to enjoy there. The small air-tight stove was too black and cheerless; the old flag-bottomed chairs were very unfashionable; her room was not carpeted, and she complained that the floor was cold.

One day, when Mary had been moaning over her unfashionable cloak, her father returned home in the forenoon, and asked her to ride with him. She gladly accepted the proposal, although she did not think her hat was fit to wear, especially as her father suggested he might make a call somewhere.

It was a beautiful January day. The fields lay covered with pure, untrodden snow. The twigs and boughs reflected a sparkling radiance from their frosty crust. The air seemed filled with a thousand brilliants, and the deep cold stillness of the country was only broken by the dropping icicle or the distant sleigh-bell. Mary was much exhilarated, both by the magnificence of the snow scene and her father’s pleasant conversation. They rode long upon the beaten path, when he attempted to force his way into an almost untrodden track. They emerged from a snow-bank here only to plunge into another there.

“O, father, where are we going?” exclaimed Mary.

“To call at a friend’s house,” answered her father, and, as they rode on, Mary discovered a roof and a chimney on a slope not very far off.

“Why, father, is it a hut you’re going to?” The strong horse found some difficulty in making his way from the main path to the house. They reached the door. The steps were unshovelled. The snow had been soiled by no human step, and no signs of active life were visible since the storm.

“I’m sure nobody lives here,” said Mary, as her father jumped out of the sleigh, and, making a path with his feet, lifted the latch of the door. He entered and disappeared for a few minutes. “Is this the call father meant to make!” thought Mary, surveying the building. The next moment he was by her side. “Come, Mary, let me take you in my arms, child, and carry you in; the snow is pretty deep.”

What a scene did Mary behold! Two children were crouched beside a few sticks of green wood, which they were in vain attempting to kindle; their blue legs and purple arms were covered with a thin calico. A few potato parings lay upon the hearth, which one seemed greedily chewing. “What a privilege to be a Christian!” and Mary, turning suddenly, beheld the skinny arm of a woman extended from a low bed. “Oh, Mr. Lee, I knew God would not forsake us.” Tears glistened in her gray, sunken eye, and even the white hairs which were scattered on the forehead, as Mary afterwards declared, seemed like a halo around that dry, withered face, golden with the emotions of a thankful heart.

“This severe cold has set in so suddenly, we feared you might be in want, and have come to help you,” said Mr. Lee, kindly taking the sick woman’s hand; “you have been ill again. This is my Mary, Mrs. Jones,” and he drew Mary towards the bed.

“God bless you, my dear; God bless you, for leaving your warm home to come and see an old one like me,” said the woman in a broken voice; “and are you going to be like your father, finding out the sick and relieving the poor? Oh, Miss Mary, it’s your father that denies himself for his Master’s cause. It is not he that spends his money gewgawing [on ornaments]; nobody that’s suffering comes to him without finding help some way; it’s I that know that, indeed;” and her voice choked, and her eyes blinded, and she covered her face as if in silent prayer. Meanwhile Mr. Lee was aiding the children’s efforts about the fire. “We’ve got in four potatoes there, sir,” said one, “and they ain’t warm yet.” As in disappointment he thrust his fingers into the cold ashes. “Oh, sir, don’t you think they will roast to-day?” turning his peaked, disquieted face as he made the anxious inquiry. “If you do not have potatoes, you shall have something, my child,” said Mr. Lee, patting the boy on the head. “Shall we? Oh!” he exclaimed earnestly. The good man then went out to the sleigh and bore in a basket filled with objects for immediate comfort. “The Lord be praised!” ejaculated the aged Christian: “that’s he, that’s deacon Lee!” “Grandmother, you prayed, and you told us to pray, for God only could help us, and you always said He would,” exclaimed the children, running from the bed to the basket, and the basket to the bed, in grateful ecstasy.

Mary looked on in tearful silence. It was a scene she was not soon to forget. To her full heart her father seemed like an angel, ministering indeed to the heirs of salvation. “What a privilege it was to bless that suffering family,” said Mary, with deep emotion, as they rode over the ice-bound bridge at the foot of the hill.

“By denying myself the luxuries of life, Mary, I have been enabled to do this. Our home has all the necessaries of life. Now, Mary, you have grown up, and have a voice in the family arrangements. Do you choose that we shall buy costly furniture, splendid decorations for our house, or shall we use our earnings as God has prospered us, in relieving the distressed, seeking out the suffering, and aiding the great plans of doing good which are everywhere to advance our Redeemer’s cause?”

“Let me be like you, father!” exclaimed Mary, stricken to the heart, when she remembered how much pain she must have caused him.

“Deny yourself, and thus imitate the example of your Redeemer, my Mary,” said the father, with deep solemnity.

From that day Mary rejoiced in her home, and was often found in many humbler homes, bearing the blessed fruits of Christian charity and love.

The Youth’s Instructor, October, 1855.

Q&A – Can I Continue to smoke while claiming to be a Christian?

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There are many “good” people in this world who will not make it to heaven, because once being aware of a different lifestyle, they refuse to walk or live to a heavenly standard right here on earth. By the worldly standard they are considered “good” because the world agrees with their lifestyle. In heaven, there will be nothing that will cause either sorrow or death.

Smoking is not the only thing that pollutes the body, but also drinking alcohol. There is much information today revealing the deleterious effects of tobacco and alcohol. When shown that something is so harmful to your health, whether it be physical, mental or spiritual and you persist in its use, to turn away from the will of God to retain health and choose to walk in your own ways is a very serious matter. God has said, “Thou shalt not kill” and “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Exodus 20:13; I Corinthians 10:31.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made and live in a time where there is a feast of information available to make healthy choices and avoid certain foods or substances that cause harm. Willfully continuing to do harmful things will cost you the gift of salvation unless you repent and turn away from those things that destroy your body, that amazing piece of machinery in which you live. (See Sermons and Talks, vol. 2, 286.)

We are told to “ ‘Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way’ [Hebrews 12:13]. We cannot realize how powerful for good or for evil is our influence upon those with whom we associate. Let us be careful that there be not found on our garments in the day of judgment the blood of precious souls.” Ibid., 287.

To continue in these harmful habits while professing to be a Christian is a bad witness to others. It lowers the standard of behavior and can cause others also to sin by the bad example.

Inspiration – Christmas

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Christmas is coming,” is the note that is sounded throughout our world from east to west and from north to south. With youth, those of mature age, and even the aged, it is a period of general rejoicing, of great gladness. But what is Christmas, that it should demand so much attention? …

The twenty-fifth of December is supposed to be the day of the birth of Jesus Christ, and its observance has become customary and popular. But yet there is no certainty that we are keeping the veritable day of our Saviour’s birth. History gives us no certain assurance of this. The Bible does not give us the precise time. Had the Lord deemed this knowledge essential to our salvation, He would have spoken through His prophets and apostles, that we might know all about the matter. But the silence of the Scriptures upon this point evidences to us that it is hidden from us for the wisest purposes. …

The Day Not to Be Ignored

As the twenty-fifth of December is observed to commemorate the birth of Christ, as the children have been instructed by precept and example that this was indeed a day of gladness and rejoicing, you will find it a difficult matter to pass over this period without giving it some attention. It can be made to serve a very good purpose. …

The Interchange of Gifts as Tokens of Affection

The holiday season is fast approaching with its interchange of gifts, and old and young are intently studying what they can bestow upon their friends as a token of affectionate remembrance. It is pleasant to receive a gift, however small, from those we love. It is an assurance that we are not forgotten, and seems to bind us to them a little closer. …

It is right to bestow upon one another tokens of love and remembrance if we do not in this forget God, our best friend. We should make our gifts such as will prove a real benefit to the receiver. I would recommend such books as will be an aid in understanding the word of God or that will increase our love for its precepts. Provide something to be read during these long winter evenings. …

Let the presents you shall make be of that order which will shed beams of light upon the pathway to heaven.

Jesus Not to Be Forgotten

Brethren and sisters, while you are devising gifts for one another, I would remind you of our heavenly Friend, lest you should be unmindful of His claims. Will He not be pleased if we show that we have not forgotten Him? Jesus, the Prince of life, gave all to bring salvation within our reach. … He suffered even unto death, that He might give us eternal life.

It is through Christ that we receive every blessing. … Shall not our heavenly Benefactor share in the tokens of our gratitude and love? Come, brethren and sisters, come with your children, even the babes in your arms, and bring your offerings to God according to your ability. Make melody to Him in your hearts, and let His praise be upon your lips. …

Shall We Have a Christmas Tree?

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

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

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

A Tree Laden With Offerings Is Not Sinful

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

Provide Innocent Enjoyment for the Day

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

The Adventist Home, 477–483.

Keys to the Storehouse – Lift that Shield

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Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Ephesians 6:16.

“The shield which covered Joseph’s heart was the fear of God, which caused him to be faithful and just to his master, and true to God. … The grace of God he called to his aid, and then fought with the tempter. He nobly says, ‘How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God’ [Genesis 39:9]. He came off conqueror.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 145.

When temptation comes, is your conviction the same as was Joseph? “It is not necessary that anyone should yield to the temptations of Satan and thus violate his conscience and grieve the Holy Spirit.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 574.

Joseph lifted that shield against the devil’s temptations. He had a steady, reliable allegiance to God and was not ashamed as he called to God for help. Is that shield covering your heart? Are you able to say: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth … . For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16, 17.

“From faith to faith” means that each time the shield of faith is exercised it gains strength in deflecting temptations. “You need ever to cultivate spirituality, because it is not natural for you to be heavenly-minded.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 520.

Take that shield, lift it up against those fiery darts and quench them—put the fire out. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego exercised amazing faith—they held their shield high as they chose allegiance to God over the threat of a fiery death! (See Daniel 3.)

To obtain eternal life, we must “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” I Timothy 6:12.

Satan continually hurls his fiery darts of temptation in our direction, but they can only reach their target while we let our shields of faith down by not believing God is in control and is working everything out for our good. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:28, 29. Do you really believe that God is in control? Then, lift that shield of faith!

Remember:

  • Our shield is the first line of defense. “Above all, taking the shield of faith.”
  • When we allow doubt to creep in, our shield is lowered leaving vulnerability for the devil to make his onslaught.
  • Peter, while walking on water, became distracted by the waves. When his shield of faith went down, he started to sink. (Matthew 14:24–32.)
  • Lift that shield of faith against the enemy!

Heavenly Father, Equip me with the spiritual armor needed for the same spiritual battle fought by my brothers, Joseph, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Give me strength to lift my shield high to deflect all of the fiery darts of Satan. I want to be part of the Lord’s army, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it truly is Thy power unto salvation to everyone that believes. It is Thy righteousness revealed in us from faith to faith. Amen.

A Time for Every Purpose

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The wisdom of King Solomon is given in the Bible:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1

The seasons of my life have varied tremendously, but I never really questioned the purpose. From an early age, I pursued a variety of activities, and my husband Jän and I have shared many interests. We have enjoyed music, camping, backpacking, riding our motorcycles and bicycles, relaxing on our boat, traveling, and have welcomed every opportunity to learn about and experience new things. But challenges have occurred throughout time that have altered these interests.

In late 1985, I began to occasionally stumble, and once in a while I would fall. I tried to ignore the situations, until the day I lost sight in my right eye. Visits to an optometrist and an ophthalmologist identified optic neuritis, inflammation of the optic nerve. Experiencing vision loss and learning the cause led to appointments with my general practice physician and a neurologist specialist. A spinal tap and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test confirmed that I had Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

MS affects each person differently. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis vary from person to person depending on which parts of the brain or spinal cord (central nervous system) are damaged. Demyelination, the loss of the myelin sheathes or covering of the nerves, and the scarring caused by MS can affect any part of the central nervous system.

MS symptoms may come and go or become more or less severe from day to day or, in rare cases, from hour to hour. Consequently, the doctors could not predict what I might expect, but within 12 months my sight had returned and the physical issues had dissipated. Regular activities again filled each day until the MS symptoms struck back with a vengeance in 1996.

Strength and agility weakened until I could no longer handle my work requirements. I had been manager of travel and meeting planning for a Fortune 500 mining company. (The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 United States corporations as ranked by their gross revenue.) I had written numerous manuals, introduced cost-saving travel practices, and had traveled to all of the company’s mines and offices throughout the United States and in other countries, giving training seminars and maintaining budgets. But after 20 years of service, in 1999 I was granted permanent disability because of the physical challenges of MS.

Purpose #1: One month after leaving work on permanent disability, the company suffered a hostile takeover by another mining company. I would have been unemployed without compensation. Without work, time was given to me to participate in church activities. Having been raised in Seventh-day Adventist families, Jän and I had built upon the foundation of our early training and, in 1991, had opened the Renaissance Church near Sedalia, Colorado. More time could now be given to its activities and to assist Jän with his work, at that time, as managing editor for LandMarks.

At this time, the neurologist explained that I was experiencing Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS). SPMS is characterized by a steady progression of clinical neurological damage with or without superimposed relapses and minor remissions and plateaus. People who develop SPMS will have previously experienced a period of Relapsing/Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) which occurred for me in 1985–1986. Over the months, I began to depend on a wheelchair as walking and standing became more difficult.

Everything changed June 27, 2008.

It was a very hot summer afternoon. Completing errands in Castle Rock, Colorado, before the Sabbath hours, we had stopped for Jän to make copies needed for the church. As he parked in front of the UPS store, saying he would be only five minutes, I asked him to open one of the side doors of our van for fresh air, rather than leaving the van’s engine running to provide cooling from the air conditioner. I was sitting in my wheelchair that was secured to the lift, facing the two side doors. He opened one of the doors, exposing my left arm and about one-fourth of the left side of the wheelchair and my body. That is all I remember.

Jän returned to the van within five minutes wondering why people were standing around it, but when he made his way through the crowd, he saw me lying on the ground in a pool of blood with more blood gushing from my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Only the one door of the van was open; the wheelchair was securely in place; our black Labrador was still lying peacefully beside it.

A lady who had seen me fall from the van had stopped her car immediately and called 911. Within moments an ambulance arrived and rushed me to Sky Ridge Medical Center Emergency Room in Lone Tree, a suburb of Denver, Colorado.

When Jän arrived at the ER, CAT scans (computerized axial tomography frequently used to evaluate the brain, neck, and spine) and x-rays had already been taken, revealing that the right side of my skull had been crushed and the artery just above the right ear was severed, hence the continual bleeding. Several bones on the right side of my face were also fractured. A doctor approached Jän and told him that I had only two hours to live. He explained that three options were available: (1) do nothing, (2) insert tubes into the skull to drain the fluid and relieve the building pressure, (3) surgery. Jän asked him to do what he could to save my life. The doctor was the head neurological surgeon for the hospital. Only God could have placed him at the hospital, late in the afternoon (4:00 p.m.), before a holiday weekend.

Following Jän’s request, the doctor, using his cell phone, began calling the doctors and nurses needed for the procedure. Jän heard the doctor’s words, stating such things as, “I know you are leaving on vacation … ,” “I know you are not on call … ,” “I know it is a holiday weekend … ,” to “I need you here immediately.” Soon he had a seven-doctor neurological surgical team and needed assistants in place.

Surgery began in less than the predicted two hours of life I had remaining. Seven bone fragments, embedded in the right side of my brain, had to be carefully removed. The severed artery was a challenge. It was so torn that the doctor had difficulty piecing it together. During the six-hour craniotomy, my heart stopped twice, and six units of blood and four units of plasma were given to help retain life.

When I was taken to recovery, the doctor told Jän that I had a fifty-fifty chance to survive the procedure but would either be a vegetable or need to live in a nursing home the rest of my life. When Jän next saw me, my head was secured in a Styrofoam base and strapped down so it could not move; my body, legs and arms were also strapped to the bed so nothing could move, and I was in an induced coma. He has told me that in addition to my immobility, 25 different tubes were in my body for different purposes, controlling every function of my body.

In the Intensive Care Unit, I remained in the coma. A nurse sat outside my room continually, monitoring me. The medical staff routinely reduced the medication that induced the coma, but my autonomic nervous system would not begin to function. My Living Will states that I am to receive no extra medical assistance after seven days. I know now that many prayers were ascending for me during these days. The afternoon of the sixth day, when the medication was reduced, my autonomic nervous system responded; I began breathing on my own.

Purpose #2: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest … be in health.” III John 1:2.

Twenty days later it was necessary to transfer me from the hospital to a rehabilitation center. Jän was able to have me admitted to the Castle Rock Care Center (CRCC) in Castle Rock, Colorado, just 13 miles from our home.

I remember nothing of the hospital days, and the first days at CRCC are a blur. My vision was not clear; I could not focus to read. I could not speak, and as the words eventually formed, they were jumbled and made no sense. My thoughts were scrambled. My body was very weak—especially my legs—after no movement during those hospital days.

Physical and occupational therapy began immediately. Slowly, physical strength improved, my brain began to heal and memory gradually returned. In addition to the physical therapy and occupational therapy, I regularly met with a speech therapist who focused on my speech and language skills.

Each day at CRCC brought improvement and opportunities in many ways. By mid October 2008, I was dismissed to return home! During my last session in therapy, the physical and occupational therapists read to me what they had written in their notes the first time I met them. They each had written that I would never leave the facility!

Purpose #3: “I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 30:17. God performed a miracle. He had work for me.

During the months of my recovery, Jän faithfully was by my side. While I was in the hospital, friends from our church and from the community would sit by me while he took some time to eat or rest. He also spent time with me each day at the Care Center, usually sharing a meal during his visit and becoming acquainted with other residents. I enjoyed visits from many friends while I was at CRCC—they came from many parts of the United States and from Ghana.

As my thoughts became clearer and I learned about my accident and the miracle of life, I began to pray, “Father, I don’t know why I’m here, but thank-you. Show me what to do.” He has provided numerous opportunities.

Purpose #4: I conduct knitting circles twice a month at CRCC. It provides time to chat with the group and share the joys God has given each of us. Jän and I also spend many Sabbath afternoons visiting residents at CRCC. The director of activities recently asked Jän to present a Bible study twice a month! He is using the Steps to Life studies prepared by Marshall Grosboll. I assist the attending residents and help read the Bible texts. We have provided large print Bibles for each attendee to use if they are able. The residents attending frequently express their appreciation of the studies.

Purpose #5: We have also accepted volunteer positions to assist the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. Several of its members have played at the Renaissance Church, and others are asking when they may play their instruments there. We are continually given the opportunity to answer questions about the church and to share from the Bible what we believe.

Physical challenges have turned the activities I enjoyed previously into memories. The backpacks and camping gear are stored in the closet. The motorcycles and bicycles are dusty in the garage. Travel is difficult. But God has directed me to activities with Jän where we may share Him and experience His purpose for us.

“Every action of ours in befriending God’s people will be rewarded as done unto Himself.” Maranatha, 317.

Anna Schultz is again an integral part of the Landmarks team. She may be contacted by email at: ams80135@aol.com.

Come Out of the Cities

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Every purpose under heaven has a season or designated time (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The time in which we are living is no exception, and the purpose of the church today is to proclaim the hour or time of God’s judgment. “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.” Revelation 14:7.

Notice the message; judgment is come. This is the time in which we are living and the ultimate purpose for which we now live. Friends, we are the remnant people of God and we must never forget that we are living in the time of God’s final judgment. The books containing our life records are now under investigation. Paul has warned us, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” II Corinthians 5:10. With the above truths in mind, are you ordering your life so as to be found without a spot in your character before the judgment seat of Christ?

In light of the fact that we are subject to judgment, how are we spending our time and where is our focus aimed? In Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, 191, Inspiration says, “Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates for heaven.” (Emphasis added.) According to this statement, it is time to prepare characters that God can seal for eternity.

Addressing parents, and more specifically fathers, we read, “The father’s duty to his children should be one of his first interests. … If the father would have his children develop harmonious characters, and be an honor to him and a blessing to the world, he has a special work to do. …

“The father is the highest priest of the family. … The care of his children from their infancy should be his first consideration; for it is for their present and eternal good that they develop right characters.” Reflecting Christ, 174, 179. One more quotation to add emphasis: “Parents should neglect no duty on their part to benefit their children. They should so train them that they may be a blessing to society here and may reap the reward of eternal life hereafter.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 429.

Parents, do you want to benefit your children? Do you want them to develop right, harmonious characters? How important is this to you? It is so important that, if you fail here, the final judgment will be more dangerous for you. Commenting on Jeremiah 13:20, Inspiration says, “Parents who have neglected their God-given responsibilities must meet that neglect in the judgment. The Lord will then inquire, ‘Where are the children that I gave you to train for Me? Why are they not at My right hand?’ …

“Parents, if you lose your opportunity, God pity you; for in the day of judgment God will say, ‘What have you done with My flock, My beautiful flock?’ ” Child Guidance, 561.

With this in mind, I will now ask where can parents or guardians secure the best advantages in the development of their children’s characters?

In Fundamentals of Christian Education, 326, we read: “Those who will take their families into the country, place them where they have fewer temptations. The children who are with parents that love and fear God, are in every way much better situated to learn of the Great Teacher, who is the source and fountain of wisdom. They have a much more favorable opportunity to gain a fitness for the kingdom of heaven.”

Notice that it is in the country that parents can secure the best advantages in the development of their children’s characters. With that in mind, where can parents secure the best disadvantages in the development of their children’s characters? This may sound ironic, but there are many parents who consciously or unconsciously disadvantage their children by dwelling in a certain environment.

“Send the children to schools located in the city, where every phase of temptation is waiting to attract and demoralize them, and the work of character building is tenfold harder for both parents and children.” (Emphasis added.) Ibid. Do you see the picture? Apparently, there are advantages to country living and disadvantages to city living. Brothers and sisters, remember that we are in the hour of God’s final judgment, and today God is saying, “Come out of the cities my people and be separate.”

From the beginning, God never desired that His people should huddle into cities. In fact, the first record we have of a city shows that it was built by a rebel murderer. “And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.” Genesis 4:17. We know that Cain was of the wicked one. So, the first city that we hear of was built by him who was under the inspiration of Satan.

“It was not God’s purpose that people should be crowded into cities, huddled together in terraces and tenements. In the beginning He placed our first parents amidst the beautiful sights and sounds He desires us to rejoice in today. The more nearly we come into harmony with God’s original plan, the more favorable will be our position to secure health of body, and mind, and soul.” The Ministry of Healing, 365.

“He wants us to live where we can have elbow room. His people are not to crowd into the cities. He wants them to take their families out of the cities, that they may better prepare for eternal life.” Country Living, 17. Friends, God is calling His people out of the cities. “Come out my people,” says the Lord.

Now someone may ask, “What is involved in coming out of the cities?” First of all, you must hear God’s call. Paul writes, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” II Corinthians 6:17–7:1.

Here we are exhorted to come out from among the wicked. We are told to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit in order to perfect holiness. Does this involve an exodus from the cities? Is this a call to come out from among the unclean, demoralized cities? What follows in this study is a series of commonly asked questions and answers about country living.

  1. What attracts many people to the cities?

  • “Holidays are numerous; games and horse racing draw thousands, and the whirl of excitement and pleasure attracts them away from the sober duties of life. Money that should have been saved for better uses is frittered away for amusements.” Country Living, 6.
  • “Parents flock with their families to the cities, because they fancy it easier to obtain a livelihood there than in the country.” Ibid., 5.

This last statement is one of vital importance. Many parents sacrifice their children at the altar of career or worldly wealth. It is a mistake to trade the children’s eternal life for the sake of temporal gains.

  1. Why should God’s people come out of the cities?

  • “The children, having nothing to do when not in school, obtain a street education. From evil associates, they acquire habits of vice and dissipation.” Ibid.
  • “The world over, cities are becoming hotbeds of vice. On every hand are the sights and sounds of evil. Everywhere are enticements to sensuality and dissipation. … Every day brings the record of violence—robberies, murders, suicides, and crimes unnamable.” Ibid., 5, 6.
  • “Believers who are now living in the cities will have to move to the country, that they may save their children from ruin.” Ibid., 19.

  1. What are some negative effects of living in the city?

  • “The physical surroundings in the cities are often a peril to health.” Ibid., 6.
  • Not only does Inspiration reveal the ill-effects of city living, but science also proves Inspiration to be true. Brandon Keim, a correspondent for Wired Science gives the following analysis: “Compared to their rural counterparts, city dwellers have higher levels of anxiety and mood disorders. The schizophrenia risk of people raised in cities is almost double. … Too much stress may ultimately alter the brain, leaving it ill-equipped to handle further stress and prone to mental illness.” www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/06/city-brains/.
  • Alok Jha, a science correspondent for The Guardian says, “The brains of people living in cities operate differently from those in rural areas, according to a brain-scanning study. … Previous research has shown that people living in cities have a 21 percent increased risk of anxiety disorders and a 39 percent increased risk of mood disorders. … Meyer-Lindenberg said that social fragmentation, noise or over-crowding might all be factors.” www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jun/22/city-living-afffects-brain.

  1. What are some positive effects of living in the country?

  • “Take your children away from the sights and sounds of the city, away from the rattle and din of streetcars and teams, and their minds will become more healthy.” Country Living, 13.
  • “They should have a garden to cultivate, where they might find both amusement and useful employment. The training of plants and flowers tends to the improvement of taste and judgment, while an acquaintance with God’s useful and beautiful creations has a refining and ennobling influence upon the mind, referring it to the Maker and Master of all.” Ibid., 16.

  1. When should God’s people come out of the cities?

  • “Whenever possible, it is the duty of parents to make homes in the country for their children.” Ibid., 12.
  • “Get out of the large cities as fast as possible.” Ibid. Although we are told to leave the cities as fast as possible, we are also to use reason and not be rash in our movement. The following quotations bring a balance to our judgment:
  • “The time has come, when, as God opens the way, families should move out of the cities. The children should be taken into the country.” Ibid., 24.
  • “Let everyone take time to consider carefully; and not be like the man in the parable who began to build, and was not able to finish.” Ibid., 26.

  1. What institutions are we to have in the cities?

  • “Our restaurants must be in the cities; for otherwise the workers in these restaurants could not reach the people and teach them the principles of right living. And for the present we shall have to occupy meetinghouses in the cities.” Ibid., 11.
  • “In these cities we are to have houses of worship, as memorials for God. ” Ibid., 31. According to these statements, there are only two institutions that we are to have in the cities—our restaurants and churches.

  1. What institutions are not to be in the cities?

  • “Move out of the cities. Establish your sanitariums, your schools, and offices away from the centers of population.” Ibid., 28.
  • “God has sent warning after warning that our schools and publishing houses and sanitariums are to be established out of the city.” Ibid., 29. Notice the three institutions we are not to place in cities—sanitariums, schools, and offices.

  1. How far should God’s people move from the cities?

  • “As far as possible, our institutions should be located away from the cities.” (Emphasis added.) Ibid. If we are not careful, we can literally take this statement too far. First of all, notice that it is our institutions that are to be located as far as possible from the cities. Nevertheless, the same principle can be applied to our homes. We should be located as far as possible from the corrupted cities. However, this does not specify how far that is. This does not mean that we should be so far away that it takes hours to get to the nearest city. There must be a balance in all we do. Notice the following quotations that bring this balance:
  • “… search for such properties in the rural districts, in easy access to the cities.” Ibid., 30.
  • “We shall find it necessary to establish our schools out of, and away from, the cities, and yet not so far away that they cannot be in touch with them, to do them good, to let light shine amid the moral darkness.” Last Day Events, 101.
  • “All that Lot and his family did in Sodom could have been done by them, even if they had lived in a place some distance away from the city.” Evangelism, 78.
  • “In searching for a place for the school the brethren found a farm of four hundred acres for sale about nine miles from Nashville.” Last Day Events, 105. Here’s a quotation that gives a specific distance. It may be useful in our planning to leave the cities.

  1. What is to be done in the cities?

  • “Now is the opportune time to work the cities; for we must reach the people there.” Medical Ministry, 300.
  • “As did Enoch, we must work in the cities but not dwell in them.” Country Living, 30.
  • “My [Ellen White’s] message is, ‘Let companies be organized to enter the cities. Seek proper locations for holding meetings. Circulate our literature. Make earnest efforts to reach people.’ ” Evangelism, 96.

  1. From where should the cities be worked?

  • It is said of Jesus, “And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.” Luke 21:37. Notice Jesus’ method of working the cities from an outpost. Inspiration confirms this.
  • “It is God’s design that our people should locate outside the cities, and from these outposts warn the cities, and raise in them memorials for God.” The Review and Herald, April 14, 1903.

What we have seen here is just a glimpse into the subject of country living. To learn more, you can read the pamphlet Country Living, which is available at Steps to Life Ministries. In conclusion, I want to draw your attention to three worthy examples.

In his childhood, Joseph had been taught the love and fear of God. By communion with God through nature and the study of God’s word, he gained strength of mind and firmness of principle. As a result, he became a righteous governor and a wise administrator. His life testified to the power of proper childhood training.

Moses, also, was raised for twelve years by his mother Jochebed, and during these years was laid the foundation of Moses’ greatness. Knowing that her son would one day dwell among those who knew not God, Jochebed sought earnestly to implant in her son’s heart love and loyalty to God. Consequently, Moses was one of the wisest military generals in ancient times and one of the meekest and humblest men to walk the earth.

Daniel, too, in his early years, was trained by his parents to develop habits of strict temperance. He was taught that physical, mental, and moral health depended upon a firm adherence to nature’s law. As the result of this teaching, the law of God was exalted in his mind and reverenced in his heart, and his life is an illustration of what constitutes a sanctified character.

The list could go on including Abel, Samuel, Elijah, and David. In spite of their failures, these men are still examples of righteous characters, and they all had something in common. What was it? In Country Living, 15, we read: “How many of these were reared in country homes. They knew little of luxury. They did not spend their youth in amusement. Many were forced to struggle with poverty and hardship. … They learned the lessons of self-reliance and self-control. … They were governed by principle, and they grew up pure and strong and true.” (Emphasis added.)

Beloved, do you want your children to possess pure, strong, and true characters? Are you ordering your life so as to be found without a spot in your character before the judgment seat of Christ? Here is God’s final call to you. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” II Corinthians 6:17. Will you answer the call? Will you come out of the cities?

Demario Carter is currently working as a Bible worker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: gospelworker@stepstolife.org.

Principles of the Two Kingdoms

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God’s word is based on principles. The word principle comes from a Latin word meaning beginning. Some of the definitions of principle are: a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine or assumption; a rule or code of conduct; the laws or facts of nature underlying the working of an artificial device. Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts.

Basically, principles produce actions. Right principles produce right actions and wrong principles produce wrong actions. Jesus said, “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:17–20.

In the beginning, “God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:11, 12.

God’s word is law. When He says, “Let every tree and herb yield seed and produce after its own kind,” it happens. Everything necessary is in the seed to produce after its own kind. An apple tree can only ever produce an apple.

“God has ordained laws for the government, not only of living beings, but of all the operations of nature. Everything is under fixed laws, which cannot be disregarded.” The Faith I Live By, 179. There are only two types of principles: those connected with Satan’s kingdom and those principles of God’s kingdom. Whatever kingdom man chooses, he will produce like fruit.

God said, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15. Here is mentioned the two seeds and their relevant produce—two opposing sets of principles.

“Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto Him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:35–40.

Jesus here specified the two underlying principles of the Ten Commandments—love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself. John explained this principle further when he said, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” I John 4:7, 8.

The only way that love is possible is through a relationship with the Source of that love, which is God. Our identity is tied up in that relationship. It is God-centered; it is Christ-centered.

One principle of Satan’s kingdom is brought out in the first lie he told Eve: “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4, 5.

The result of that lie is to believe you have life in yourself, outside of a relationship with Christ. You would then have the ability to produce your own works and God Himself could not take that life from you, resulting in the lie of eternal hellfire. The seed of the serpent was planted in the heart of the human race and produced a new fruit.

Of Adam and Eve, the Bible says, “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Verse 7. In their innocence before sin they were naked and did not know it, but now, they knew that they were naked; they were ashamed and sought to clothe themselves to cover their nakedness.

Ellen White wrote, “From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator. Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the divine One.” The Review and Herald, December 31, 1908.

When man sinned, he lost the glory of God. In the earthly temple the light of the glory of God was represented as the Shekinah glory. When Adam and Eve sinned they lost that covering of light, and they were no longer vessels for the indwelling of the Spirit of God. That relationship had been broken, and now they were naked. They were now born of a different spirit.

“The light of the garments of heavenly innocence departed from them; and in parting with the garments of innocence, they drew about them the dark robes of ignorance of God.” Conflict and Courage, 17.

Not only did they lose the presence of God, but their whole relationship to Him had changed. They now had a different view of Him. With the garments of light removed, they found themselves in darkness concerning His character and were governed by the new principles that Satan had planted in their hearts that would produce a different fruit.

Under Satan’s kingdom we are separated from God, and our identity is performance based and determined by what we do. God’s kingdom is an identity based on relationship. Those under God’s kingdom are valued as sons and daughters of God regardless of performance.

God always deals with principles. “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” I Samuel 16:7.

God is more interested in a man’s heart and the motivation for each action. If the heart is right, the relationship is right, and when the good seed is implanted, the fruit will manifest itself. Performance will be based on the relationship and not the relationship based on performance.

God’s perspective and man’s perspective are completely different. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.” Isaiah 55:8.

The scribes and the Pharisees were the most religious people at that time, but they operated under the principles of Satan’s kingdom. Their main focus was their performance.

Jesus said to them, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hyprocrisy and iniquity.” Matthew 23:23–28.

To hear this denunciation was a terrible shock to them for they thought themselves righteous. They did all the right things. They tithed, they fasted, and obeyed all external rules, forgetting the weightier matters. Jesus put things in a proper perspective; He said to work on cleansing the inside of the cup and the outside will also be clean.

One man came to Jesus inquiring what he could do to have eternal life. He claimed to have kept all of the commandments since his youth, but when Jesus told him to go and sell all that he had, the young man went away sorrowful for he was very wealthy (Matthew 19:16–22).

The young man wanted to know what he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus went straight to his heart discerning his motivation, which was not a desire for a relationship with Him because this man’s identity was linked to his possessions. He rejected a discipleship to keep his treasure, the things of this world, and as a result, he rejected eternal life. The devil knows exactly what is in the heart of man outside of their relationship with God, because he is the author of those principles.

Satan’s first attack toward Christ, when He was led into the wilderness after His baptism, was to doubt His relationship with His Father. He had succeeded in casting doubt on God’s character and His love for them with Adam and Eve.

First he attacked Christ’s relationship, and then he said, “If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Matthew 4:3. Then he appealed to the human nature of Christ—the principles that are inherently in us, in our human nature, to perform or prove ourselves—to prove who He was by performing a miracle. This temptation was repeated throughout Christ’s life as well as on the cross, “If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us.” Luke 23:39. The devil continually attacked Christ’s relationship with His Father and appealed to the principles of humanity, but there was nothing in His heart to which the devil could take hold for he was of a different seed. He said, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. There are two opposing principles.

The Devil’s Kingdom God’s Kingdom
Based on receiving the lie Based on receiving the truth
You shall not surely die You shall surely die
You have life in yourself Your life is in the Son
You are able to produce good works The Son produces works in you
Your life is bound up in performance Your life is bound up in relationship
He who has not the Son has not life He who hath the son hath life

Jesus said, “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you … . Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.” John 15:7, 8.

The principles of the devil’s kingdom lead to pride and feelings of superiority. Those who achieve, look down on others who do not. When not doing so well, we get depressed because our value is based on our performance. Under these principles, truth is mixed with error causing confusion and there is an entitlement to heaven because of our good works. This can never create harmony with God or others. In the church, the natural result is a hierarchical structure of government that develops into different classes and different values where people are valued differently.

In God’s kingdom we realize that everything we have comes from God—our life, our talents, and everything that we possess. This promotes thankfulness and humility. All are in harmony with each other knowing that without God we are nothing but dust and ashes. It is God who gave us life and we are all brethren and equal in value. In God’s kingdom, the reward that God gives us is because of unmerited grace, an undeserved gift that is received by faith.

Peter adds one virtue to another like a ladder showing the Christian experience (II Peter 1:5–7). The closer the relationship is to Christ and the Father, the higher up the ladder we will be, but it has nothing to do with our own works and no one is higher or better than another.

Two Principles Produce Different Fruits

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19–21.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Verses 22, 23.

Which principles are guiding your life; which seed has been planted in your heart?

Jesus told a parable of a son who decided to separate from his father’s house, take his inheritance and go off into a far country to make his own life and to experience life. We are like the young man. The inheritance we have received is everything that God has given to us in this life—our strength, our health, our talents, our ability, and money, whatever it may be.

His inheritance was spent supporting his new life of riotous living. He lived what we call today “the high life” associating with harlots, and in drunkenness he experienced the temporary pleasures of sin. But as always happens, after a while when things start going wrong, it all stops being fun. There was a famine in the land and he found himself destitute and his friends disappeared when his money ran out. Desperate and all alone he hit rock bottom. He was so hungry that the food with which he was feeding the pigs was tempting to him, but no one helped him. Finding no power within himself to change his condition, “He came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” Luke 15:17.

In his distress, his thoughts went back to his father’s house. Though this parable focuses mainly on the son, we can get an idea of what the father was doing while he was away. “How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of the them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12–14.

“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” Luke 15:20.

The father did not just wait at the gate for his son to return; he was actively searching for him. “O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising. Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.” Psalm 139:1–12.

The Bible says, “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6) and God loves us so much, even when we chose to separate ourselves from Him and were yet enemies, that He sent His Son to die in our place so we might be reconciled to Him. What love!

“The love of God still yearns over the one who has chosen to separate from Him, and He sets in operation influences to bring him back to the Father’s house. The prodigal son in his wretchedness ‘came to himself.’ The deceptive power that Satan had exercised over him was broken. He saw that his suffering was the result of his own folly, and he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father’ [Luke 15:17, 18]. Miserable as he was, the prodigal found hope in the conviction of his father’s love. It was that love which was drawing him toward home.”
A Call to Stand Apart, 12.

Even as the prodigal son responded to his father’s love and turned his heart toward home, he wondered what he could do to gain his father’s favor and be accepted. The prodigal son still did not understand the unconditional love that his father had for him and that there was nothing he could do to increase that love.

Jesus spoke this parable to show His Father’s love for man. “For Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:16, 17.

“Little did the gay, thoughtless youth, as he went out from his father’s gate, dream of the ache and longing left in that father’s heart. When he danced and feasted with his wild companions, little did he think of the shadow that had fallen on his home.” A Call To Stand Apart, 13.

How little do we understand the ache in the Father’s heart when we are separated from Him. “And now as with weary and painful steps he pursues the homeward way, he knows not that one is watching for his return. But while he is yet ‘a great way off’ the Father discerns his form. Love is of quick sight. Not even the degradation of the years of sin can conceal the son from the father’s eyes. He ‘had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck’ [Luke 15:20] in a long, clinging, tender, embrace.” Ibid.

This is a picture of our heavenly Father, one that the devil does all in his power to hide from us.

“The father will permit no contemptuous eye to mock his son’s misery and tatters. He takes from his own shoulders the broad, rich, mantle, and wraps it around the son’s wasted form, and the youth sobs out his repentance, saying, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son’ [Luke 15:21].” Ibid. His plan was to confess his sins to his father and then ask to be accepted as one of his hired servants, but his plan was thwarted.

“The father said to his servants, ‘Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry’ [Luke 15:22–24].

“In his restless youth the prodigal looked upon his father as stern and severe. How different his conception of him now! So those who are deceived by Satan look upon God as hard and exacting. They regard Him as watching to denounce and condemn, as unwilling to receive the sinner so long as there is a legal excuse for not helping him. His law they regard as a restriction upon men’s happiness, a burdensome yoke from which they are glad to escape. But he whose eyes have been opened by the love of Christ will behold God as full of compassion. He does not appear as a tyrannical, relentless being, but as a father longing to embrace his repenting son.

“Do not listen to the enemy’s suggestion to stay away from Christ until you have made yourself better; until you are good enough to come to God. If you wait until then, you will never come.” Ibid.

The parable ends with a restored relationship. The son received a robe and a ring. The father commanded his servants to kill the fatted calf and to rejoice and be merry. There was a feast in the father’s house, but the parable does not end there. When the older brother returns from the field, he heard the music playing and enquired of the reason for the festivities. On hearing the story, he was angry. He had always stayed home and worked in his father’s house, yet he had never received the reception that was spent on his wayward brother who had wasted his inheritance on harlots and drinking. He reminded his father of all the things he had done for him, but his motivation was from a performance-based philosophy and not from his heart.

“One son had for a time cut himself off from the household, not discerning the father’s love. But now he has returned, and the tide of joy sweeps away every disturbing thought. ‘This thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found’ [Luke 15:32].

“Was the elder brother brought to see his own mean, ungrateful spirit? Did he come to see that though his brother had done wickedly, he was his brother still? Did the elder brother repent of his jealousy and hardheartedness? Concerning this, Christ was silent. For the parable was still enacting, and it rested with His hearers to determine what the outcome should be.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 209.

What principles are guiding your life? Whether part of a church or not, the choice is yours. The only way we can be freed from Satan’s kingdom is to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and be restored back into a relationship with God. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:5–7.

The only way that we can inherit eternal life is to be born again and restored into the relationship that man had with the Father in the Garden of Eden before man sinned. We know that we have this relationship when we love one another. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and he that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” I John 4:7, 8.

It is time to be honest with yourself. You may fool others, but you cannot fool God, for He knows your heart. Ask yourself the question, What principles are guiding me? “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12.

Jim Stoeckert worked in many capacities for Steps to Life over many years; video department, Bible worker and maintenance. He is currently living in Australia with his wife.