To prepare people for eternal life.
IssueM Articles
|
Recipe |
|
|
Cran-Date Oat Muffins |
|
| 1 ½ cups canned crushed pineapple, drained, or fresh, diced | 2 cups quick oats |
| 1 banana, mashed | ¼ cup walnuts, chopped |
| ¼ cup almond butter | ½ cup coconut, shredded |
| ¼ cup coconut nectar or raw agave nectar | 1 cup dates, chopped |
| ½ tsp. salt | 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved |
| 1 tsp. coriander | |
| Mix ingredients. Spray muffin tin or use cupcake liners. Lightly fill with mixture and bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. Delish! | |
Back in the 1940s, Dr. Denis Burkitt began to notice the correlation of diet and good health. Working as a surgeon in East Africa, he rarely saw conditions like constipation, hemorrhoids and appendicitis that were widespread in the Western world. He came to believe the amount of fiber or roughage in a diet could explain why.
Fiber is the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that your body cannot digest. There are two kinds of fiber, both important in keeping healthy. Soluble fiber dissolves easily in water and becomes a soft gel in the intestines. Insoluble fiber remains unchanged as it speeds up the food’s passage through the digestive system.
Bumping up the fiber in your diet can help you avoid these conditions or deal with them in a healthier way:
Diabetes. Fiber helps improve the way your body handles insulin and glucose. That means you can lower your risk of diabetes by eating whole grains rather than refined carbohydrates. Whole grain bread and crackers, bran muffins, navy beans, Brussels sprouts and zucchini are good choices.
Heart attack and stroke. The soluble fiber in foods like oatmeal, okra, and oranges helps eliminate much of the cholesterol that can clog your arteries and cause a stroke or heart attack.
Constipation and hemorrhoids. “If fiber intake were adequate, laxatives would seldom be required,” said Burkitt. Apples, sweet potatoes, barley, and pinto beans provide this roughage.
Appendicitis. “Keeping bowel content soft,” said Burkitt, “seems to provide the best safeguard against the development of appendicitis.” Treats like apricots, peaches, pears and figs are a tasty way to do this.
Diverticulitis. As the body processes fibrous foods like peas, spinach, corn, and artichoke it tones up the intestinal muscles. This helps prevent pouches, called diverticula, which can cause abdominal pain if they become inflamed.
Weight gain. The best way to lose weight is to eat low-fat, low-calorie vegetables and grains. “The more bulky fiber-rich foods you eat,” said Burkitt, “the less unhealthy fat you will be consuming.” And since fiber swells, you’ll feel satisfied faster. If feeling the need of dessert, choose fruits like plums or strawberries.
Cancer. Burkitt believed a high-fiber diet defends against colon and rectal cancers in two ways. His cultural studies showed the more animal fat in a diet, the higher incidence of bowel cancer.
A healthy portion of fiber speeds cancer-causing compounds out of the digestive system more quickly, before they have a chance to make trouble. Burkitt also considered fiber a protector against other conditions such as gallbladder disease, varicose veins, and hiatal hernia.
Start the day with a whole-grain cereal. Top it off with raisins, dates, sliced banana or chopped apple. Eat raw vegetable salads, munch on carrot and celery sticks. If cooking, steam only until crisp tender. Enjoy fruit salads and fruits. Eat the skins. Substituting brown rice for white will triple the fiber. Add legumes to soups and stews, use in whole grain burritos or with rice. Consume at least 20 to 35 grams a day.
Excerpts from Eat and Heal, Frank W. Cawood and Associates, Inc., Copyright 2001, 10–13.
|
Recipe |
|
|
Cran-Date Oat Muffins |
|
| 1 ½ cups canned crushed pineapple, drained, or fresh, diced | 2 cups quick oats |
| 1 banana, mashed | ¼ cup walnuts, chopped |
| ¼ cup almond butter | ½ cup coconut, shredded |
| ¼ cup coconut nectar or raw agave nectar | 1 cup dates, chopped |
| ½ tsp. salt | 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved |
| 1 tsp. coriander | |
| Mix ingredients. Spray muffin tin or use cupcake liners. Lightly fill with mixture and bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. Delish! | |
What I liked most about living in our little brown house was that we were near my Grandpa Willie’s family and near my great-grandma Ellen White. If I walked out our front gate and turned to the right, it took about five minutes to walk up the hill to Grandpa Willie’s big white house. But if I went out the gate and turned left, I could walk across the wooden bridge over the creek, past the big barn, and in only three or four minutes, I could be at Grandma Ellen’s house. She named it Elmshaven.
One morning, my mother helped me pick a handful of our prettiest pansies from our flower garden. Then she let me take them to Grandma Ellen and visit her all by myself. I felt very grown up. Auntie Sara, who lived with Grandma Ellen and helped take care of her, opened the door for me. Sara McEnterfer wasn’t really our aunt, but that’s what we all called her. She let me go through the front room and up the beautiful red-carpeted stairs. At the top of the stairs, I ran down the long hall and into Grandma’s writing room.
When Grandma Ellen saw me, her face turned into one big smile. She pushed her flat writing board to the side of her chair and held out her arms. I ran straight into them.
Grandma Ellen spent time every day writing down the things God showed her and told her. She was a messenger for God. He gave her wonderful dreams called visions. Sometimes, angels came and spoke to her.
This morning, she hugged me tightly and thanked me as she took the flowers from my grimy little hand. She smiled like I had given her the biggest bouquet of flowers from a real flower shop!
“Look at all these smiling pansy faces!” Grandma Ellen said with a laugh. “That’s why pansies are one of my favorite flowers. They make me happy. Look, Mabel! Every pansy is smiling at you.”
I had never thought of pansies having faces. Suddenly, I could see their faces too!
“Mabel,” Grandma Ellen said, “point to a pansy face that looks sad or mean.”
I looked carefully at each flower. “Grandma, there are no sad faces. Every pansy is smiling.”
Grandma Ellen smiled. “That’s why I like pansies. They make me happy, because they are happy.” She pulled me closer. “Jesus wants us to be like pansies. He wants us to bring happiness to everyone around us.”
I liked talking with my Grandma Ellen. “Mabel,” she asked, “do you know what pansies do the very first thing in the morning?”
I shook my head. “No. What do they do?”
“The first thing a pansy does in the morning is turn its face toward the sun,” she said. “It needs light and warmth to make it grow. All day long, that pansy keeps its face toward the sun as the sun slowly crosses the sky. Then when the sun sets and it gets dark, the pansy rests all night, trusting that the sun will wake it up again the next morning.”
“Mabel, Jesus wants us to be like pansies,” she said. “He keeps us safe all night and wakes us up in the morning. Jesus is our bright, warm, loving Sun. ‘Thank You, dear Jesus,’ we say when we wake up and think about Him. ‘Thank You for Your love and care. I give myself to You this morning. Help me be happy and obedient all day.’ ”
Grandma squeezed my hand. “All your life, Mabel, remember to talk with Jesus the moment you wake up and start a new day. Ask Jesus to be with you all that day. He loves you so much that He will never leave you. If you’re tempted to do something wrong, remember that He is only a whisper away. You can say, ‘Dear Jesus, please help me to be true and loyal to You.’ Never forget, Mabel, that He can even hear the prayers you whisper in your own mind.”
And I have remembered what my Grandma Ellen told me that day. It was more than eighty years ago now, but whenever I see a pansy, I remember to smile. And I have learned that during the years of my life what Grandma Ellen said is true. If I talk to my Heavenly Father when I first wake up, and ask Him to help me do the right things through the day, He always does. He helps me grow more and more like Jesus.
Grandma Ellen and Me, Mabel R. Miller, 13–17.
You and I do not see things the way God sees them. Very often what appears to us to be nothing but defeat is something that is going to bring victory in God’s cause in the end. That has been the experience many times throughout religious history. What appeared to bring defeat and disaster to Christianity often ended up being a great triumph of the Christian faith and recorded in sacred Scripture.
As believers were added to the church, the sick were brought into the street on stretchers in the hope they would be healed. The priests and rulers were filled with indignation and threw the apostles into prison, forbidding them to speak anymore in the name of Jesus. They were scheduled to come before the Sanhedrin for trial the next morning, but during the night, an angel from heaven came and released them and told them, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20). They were brought before the council again, and told, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name” (verse 28)? But Peter and the other apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (verse 29). They became so angry when Peter told them that they were the ones responsible for crucifying Jesus, that they decided to kill them on the spot.
But Gamaliel, who was one of the learned rabbis among them, cautioned them and said, “Be careful: for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God” (verses 38, 39). Unable to disagree with Gamaliel’s advice, it says in verses 40–42, “They agreed with him and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
Ever since the beginning, the devil has constantly sought to stir up trouble among Christians so that Christ’s prayer for His church to be in unity and harmony would not be fulfilled. This was another attempt by the devil to destroy the church by arousing within it controversy and infighting. Resulting from these events was that from the ranks of those opposing the Christian faith, their most active and successful champion in persecuting Christians, came a man who would become the greatest champion of the Christian faith and write more than half of the books in the New Testament.
The early believers had accepted Jesus as the Messiah and believed that He had been raised from the dead. They were in Jerusalem at the time; so they could check the evidence, check the tomb where He had laid, and talk with those who were eyewitnesses. Paul says there were over 500 that had seen Christ after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). These people were all in Jerusalem. So if you wanted to confirm the evidence that Jesus had been raised from the dead, you could easily find someone who had seen Him. The number of Christians was continually increasing, not only among those who were Hebrews, but also among people who were living there from other nations that spoke not Hebrew but the lingua franca of those days, the Greek language.
These early believers had been cut off from their family and friends. Jesus had said in Matthew 10:34–36, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household,” because some would accept the gospel and some would not.
Because of zealous bigotry many of the converts to Christianity had been thrown out of business and exiled from their homes. Their relatives refused to allow them to stay at home because they were Christians. For espousing the cause of Christ they were destitute. They had no business, they had no source of livelihood, they had no place to stay. So it became necessary to provide this large number that were congregated in Jerusalem with homes and sustenance. Those who had money and those who had possessions cheerfully sacrificed them to meet the existing emergency. They sold their things and brought them to the apostles so that the rest of the Christians could be sustained.
Among the believers there were those who were Jews by birth, and also those who did not speak the Hebrew tongue. They were residents of other countries who used the Greek language. Between these two classes in the past there had existed distrust and even antagonism, but now, even though their hearts were softened and united by Christian love, yet the old jealousies were easily rekindled. Acts 6:1 says, “In those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring against the Hebrews by the Hellenists” that is, the Greeks, “… because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution” (literal translation).
Inequality would have been contrary to the spirit of the gospel. There was an alleged neglect of these Greek widows in the distribution of funds and food set aside for the poor. So, prompt measures were taken to remove all cause of dissatisfaction and the apostles summoned all the believers together for a meeting. They said that the time had come when they needed to be relieved from the task of apportioning food and sustenance to the poor and other similar burdens so that they could spend their full time preaching Christ. Verse 2 says, “The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’ ”
This saying pleased everybody and seven people were appointed as deacons. The word deacon comes from a Greek word diaconas which simply means a middle-class servant. So they appointed seven people to be the servants of the church, to take care of, to visit those that were poor, those that were sick, those that had financial difficulties, and any other need. After they had set these seven men before the apostles, they prayed and laid hands on them. It says in verse 7, “The word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.” Not only was there a growing number of people who believed the doctrines taught by the apostles and had checked the evidence and found out Jesus had risen from the dead, they also said that He is in heaven, and we have the evidence. We’ve talked to people who have seen Him and talked with Him after the resurrection. The number of Christians was multiplying very rapidly, not only among the Greeks and the Hebrew people, but among the priests, even the leaders of the Jewish religion. It says in verse 7, last part, “A great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.”
This turn of events caused more trouble. The leading priests and rulers witnessed the wonderful ministration of the power that attended the deacons and especially the leader, the one in first place, whose name was Stephen. Stephen made it plain that he was a student of the prophecies. He had also done great wonders and miracles among the people (verse 8). He was a Jew by birth but he could speak the Greek language and was familiar with the customs and manners of the Greeks. So he found opportunity to proclaim the gospel in the synagogue of the Greek Jews. There were learned rabbis and doctors of the law who engaged in public discussion with Stephen and tried to show that he was wrong, but it says in verses 10, 11, “They were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. Then they secretly induced men to say, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’ ” Some of the leaders had decided to figure out a way to kill him.
First of all, they hired false witnesses to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against the temple and against God.” They were filled with bitter hatred against this man because they couldn’t show in a public debate that he was wrong. Remember, the last resort of every false religion is force. If you cannot show that your opponent is wrong intellectually, the only way to win is to kill him.
Instead of yielding to the weight of evidence presented, they decided that they would silence his voice by putting him to death. They did not doubt that they could pursue such a course, since they had previously bribed the Roman authorities to ignore their nefarious deeds. They determined that they were going to risk the consequences at all events. So Stephen was seized and brought before the Sanhedrin council. Jews were brought in from surrounding countries to refute his arguments. There was a young man, also present, by the name of Saul of Tarsus. Saul was a theologian, trained at the feet of Gamaliel and one of the leading rabbis in Jerusalem. Saul took a leading part against Stephen. He brought the weight of eloquence, the logic, and the reasoning of the rabbis, to bear on the case, to convince the people that Stephen was preaching delusive and dangerous doctrines.
When Saul of Tarsus met Stephen at his trial before the Sanhedrin, he met somebody that he found out was as highly educated as himself, someone who had a full understanding of the purpose of God in the spreading of the gospel to other nations. Neither Saul of Tarsus, nor the council, nor anybody, was able to prevail anything against the clear, calm wisdom of Stephen. But even though they couldn’t win the argument by debate, they were vehement in their opposition and determined that they were going to make an example of him. They decided to satisfy their revengeful hatred by putting Stephen to death, hoping that would prevent other people, through fear, from accepting the doctrines he was teaching.
This fate has befallen thousands, if not millions of individuals since. False witnesses were hired and testified that they had heard Steven speak blasphemous words against the temple, saying we have heard him say that the customs are going to be changed.
Verse 15 says, “All who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.” He was there to answer for the crime of blasphemy, but a holy radiance shown on his face, and those that exalted Moses could have seen in the face of the prisoner the same holy light that radiated from the face of Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai. Many who saw this lighted countenance of Stephen trembled and veiled their faces, but their stubborn unbelief and prejudice never faltered.
Stephen was questioned as to the truth of the charges brought against him and he began to take up his defense in a clear thrilling voice that rang through the council hall (see Acts 7). He proceeded to rehearse the history of the chosen people of God in words that held that assembly spellbound. He showed a thorough knowledge of the Jewish economy, and explained the spiritual interpretation of it that was now made manifest through Christ. He made plain that his own loyalty to God and to the Jewish faith was still intact.
But he showed that the law in which they trusted for salvation had not been able to preserve them from idolatry. He connected Jesus Christ with all of Jewish history. He referred to the building of the temple by Solomon in Acts 7:47–50: “But Solomon built Him a house. However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’ ”
When Stephen reached that point, there was a tumult among the people, and the prisoner read his fate in the countenances of those before him. He perceived the resistance that met his words that were spoken under the dictation of the Holy Spirit. He knew that He was giving his last testimony. When he connected Jesus Christ with the prophecies and spoke of the temple as he did, they pretended to be horror-stricken. This was an evidence to Stephen, a signal to him, that his voice would soon be silenced forever. Even though he was just in the middle of his remarks, of his defense, he abruptly concluded it by suddenly breaking away from the chain of history and turning upon his infuriated judges. Acts 7:51, 52 says, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murders, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
When he spoke those words, the priests and the rulers were beside themselves with rage. They became so infuriated with anger that they became more like wild beasts of prey than human beings. They rushed upon Stephen, gnashing their teeth, but he was not intimidated. He had expected this. His face was calm. He was ready for whatever they might do. The infuriated priests and the excited mob took him out of the temple, and as he was brought out from the place where they were going to kill him, Stephen looked up into the heavens and said, “ ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul” (verses 56–58).
The rulers could not stand to hear what he had to say so they “stopped their ears.” They stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord, Jesus, receive my spirit.”
“Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (verses 57, 59, 60).
The people who had accused him were required, according to their custom, to cast the first stones. These persons who cast the first stones laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul of Tarsus who had also taken an active part in the disputation and consented to the death of Stephen.
The martyrdom of Stephen made a deep impression upon all who witnessed it. It was a terrible trial to the church, but it resulted in the conversion of Saul. The faith that Stephen manifested, the constancy that he showed, the glorification of the martyr at the very time when the religious leaders were angry at him and were killing him, could not be effaced from the memory of Saul of Tarsus. Whole nights he spent struggling with this. How is it that at the very time when this man is being stoned to death, dishonored by men, a blasphemer teaching dangerous doctrines, he gives evidence that he has the signet of God upon his face. His words reach to the very soul of those who heard them, and remained in the memory of all the beholders, testifying that what he was saying was the truth.
Similar incidences have happened thousands or maybe even millions of times where force was used to get rid of someone whose arguments could not be refuted. The weight of evidence was too great; the only way to win the argument was to kill them. There had been no legal sentence passed on Stephen, but the Roman authorities could be bribed and they were bribed, by large sums of money to make no investigation of the case.
God’s way of dealing with people is to give evidence and then ask you to make your decision on the evidence. What is the weight of evidence? Are you making decisions on the weight of evidence? Or are you making decisions on the weight of money?
We live in a world where bribery has been used in order to get one’s way in courts of justice. This is a terrible thing when it happens even in Christian nations, because, if we do not make our decisions based on the weight of evidence, someday we will have to give an account of what we have done and why we have done it. Romans 14:12 says, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”
Friends, that means you, that means me. We are each going to have to give an account of ourselves to God. Saul of Tarsus started having a hard time. He could not forget the scene of Stephen’s trial and subsequent death and he seemed to be angry at his own secret convictions that Stephen was honored of God at the very time when he was dishonored of men. In order to put this out of his mind he began more than ever before to persecute the church of God. He hunted them down, seized them in their houses and delivered them up to the authorities to be imprisoned and even killed. He became the terror of the Christians in Jerusalem. The Roman authorities made no special effort to stay the cruel work. They secretly aided the Jews, trying to pacify them. That has been the case in our world, over and over again for thousands of years. But soon unbeknown by Saul, everything was going to change in his life.
If you come to Jesus, everything will change in your life.
(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)
Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church of Free Seventh-day Adventists in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.
The nostrils are the proper channels for the breath of life. The mouth is designed for other important purposes; and when it is not opened for some good purpose, it were better that it remain closed. Some fifteen or twenty years ago I read an article on this subject, and since then have been trying to reduce to practice the advice to keep the mouth shut, with some progress, I think, and certainly with some benefit. Many a cold, sore throat, toothache, etc., can be prevented by keeping the mouth closed, when going out in cold weather. I have held evening meetings in stormy, winter weather, where the good people were afraid to have the house properly ventilated, and as the result, the close of the meeting would find me in perspiration. When obliged to go out, I would keep my mouth so strictly closed till I reached my quarters that I feared I should give the impression that I was unsociable; and in this way, I would escape colds almost entirely while almost all others would be very much afflicted with them. But this is not the sole cause of the difference; something must be credited to my different manner of living in other respects. Hygienic living in general is the best preventive of this difficulty, as well as of others.
Think of the cases of those of your acquaintance who, attending singing school, have ruined their voices, contracting a bronchial affection for life. After singing two hours in a heated and unventilated house, they would get into sleighs and go singing on their way home. The throat, irritated and inflamed, suddenly exposed to the frosty air of a northern winter! It was a wonder that any could live through such an ordeal. Think of it, friends. When going out, especially after having been using your voice, keep your mouth shut. On going to bed, shut your mouth carefully, and thus go to sleep, being covered well and not fearing to have your room well ventilated.
The Health Reformer, February 1876.
“Cheap, earthly, unchristian words may be represented as ‘strange fire,’ and with this God can have nothing to do. The loud, boisterous laugh is a denial of God in the soul, for it reveals that the truth is not ruling in the heart. … By our vain words and unchristian example we dishonor God, and imperil not only our own souls but also the souls of those with whom we associate.” That I May Know Him, 138.
“But strange fire has been offered in the use of harsh words, in self-importance, in self-exaltation, in self-righteousness, in arbitrary authority, in domineering, in oppression, in restricting the liberty of God’s people, binding them about by your plans and rules, which God has not framed, neither have they come into His mind. All these things are strange fire, unacknowledged by God, and are a continual misrepresentation of His character.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 357, 358.
“A failure to study and obey God’s word has brought confusion into the world. Men have left the guardianship of Christ for the guardianship of the great rebel, the prince of darkness. Strange fire has been mingled with the sacred.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers and Students, 440.
“… the spirit of selfishness is strange fire which should not be mingled with God’s sacred service.” The Home Missionary, June 1, 1897.
“We must keep the way of the Lord, and speak and act as standing in His sight, living by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, that no strange fire shall mingle with that which is holy. Light and darkness cannot be mingled and harmonize. Many act partly as children of time, and partly as children of eternity, and this course God abhors. ‘If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him’ (1 Kings 18:21). If you believe the word of God, submit your ways to its guidance in all things, even though your own inclinations are crossed. Believe the truth heartily. Do not stand as many of you have done, apparently wavering between dependence upon the righteousness of Christ, and dependence upon your own righteousness. Deception has come upon some minds until they have thought that their own merits were of considerable value. Their minds are confused and perplexed where all is clear and plain. The end is near! We have no time to halt between two opinions.” The Review and Herald, May 27, 1890.
“As the searcher for truth advances in his investigation, he sees that inferences and traditions and the suppositions and sayings of men, have baptized Sunday as a Sabbath. The more earnestly and candidly this question is canvassed, the more clearly will men who are judgment-bound see that there is not a particle of Scriptural evidence to sustain Sunday. God never placed his sanctity upon that day. Those who observe it offer God strange fire in place of sacred. …” Ibid., July 13, 1897.
“Your words are not always wise. When you allow your own spirit to have sway, you lose the spirit of God, and then it is that the strange fire is offered.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, 313.
“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ; to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” Ephesians 3:8–10
“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily.” Colossians 1:25–29
What is this mystery of which Paul writes to the Ephesians and to the Colossians, saying that it was given to him to fulfill the word of God, the mystery “which hath been hid from ages and from generations?” One translation reads, “which hath been kept in silence through eternal ages.” …
God had a knowledge of the events of the future, even before the creation of the world. He did not make His purposes to fit circumstances, but He allowed matters to develop and work out. He did not work to bring about a certain condition of things, but He knew that such a condition would exist. The plan that should be carried out upon the defection of any of the high intelligences of heaven—this is the secret, the mystery which has been hid from ages. And an offering was prepared in the eternal purposes to do the very work which God has done for fallen humanity. …
The great work of redemption was to be brought before all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples. Because of their disobedience, the Jews were broken off from the olive tree, and those among the Gentiles who would accept Christ as their Saviour were to be grafted into the good olive tree, and made one with the original branches. But in no case are they to boast because of this, lest they be broken off as were the natural branches. … (See Romans 11:17, 18). …
The incarnation of Christ is a mystery. The union of divinity with humanity is a mystery indeed, hidden with God, “even the mystery which hath been hid from ages” (Colossians 1:26). It was kept in eternal silence by Jehovah, and was first revealed in Eden, by the prophecy that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and that he should bruise his heel. To present to the world this mystery that God kept in silence for eternal ages before the world was created, before man was created, was the part that Christ was to act in the work He entered upon when He came to this earth. And this wonderful mystery, the incarnation of Christ and the atonement that He made, must be declared to every son and daughter of Adam, whether Jew or Gentile. His sufferings perfectly fulfilled the claims of the law of God. None of the apostles could have filled the deficiency, had there been any.
God has given us warnings that must be heeded if we would escape the perils of the last days. Temptations, fierce and strong, will try us. The enemy will strive to take from us the hope of eternal life. If we are not growing up into Christ, our living head, we are growing in distrust and unbelief, and are giving our allegiance to the world.
Since the promise given in Eden, God has revealed His mysteries through His prophets. According to the command of the eternal God, they have been made known to all nations. God, being rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, quickens us together with Christ, and raised us up to sit together in heavenly places in Him, “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). …
We are not now sufficiently advanced in spiritual attainments to comprehend the mysteries of God. But when we shall compose the family of heaven, these mysteries will be unfolded before us. …
Then much will be revealed in explanation of matters upon which God now keeps silence because we have not gathered up and appreciated that which has been made known of the eternal mysteries. The ways of Providence will be made clear; the mysteries of grace through Christ will be unfolded. That which the mind can not now grasp, which is hard to be understood, will be explained. We shall see order in that which has seemed unexplainable; wisdom in everything withheld; goodness and gracious mercy in everything imparted. Truth will be unfolded to the mind free from obscurity, in a single line, and its brightness will be endurable. The heart will be made to sing for joy. Controversies will be forever ended, and all difficulties will be solved.
The Signs of the Times, March 25, 1897.
Have you ever gotten your collar ruffled? Well, I must admit that I got my collar really ruffled not too long ago. The first place I ran to was to my corner—to my Comforter, the word of God. At this time, God directed me to Romans 8:18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
The word I specifically looked at was “sufferings.” Looking up the meaning I found that it perfectly described me at that moment. That word suffering also includes emotions, a stirring perturbation or excitement of mind. I really enjoyed that word perturbed which means
That exactly described me at that moment—very perturbed!
In fact, I was really in a state of perturbation! And then, as I prayed, God heard, as stated in Psalm 91:15, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.”
As God put a smile on my face, I felt all of the perturbation melt away! It is so much easier to bear life’s troubles when we take everything to God in prayer, for these troubles are really His workmen—and it worked! Our God is so merciful—He truly unruffled my collar right then!
I read my verse again, only putting my new word into it, “For I reckon that the ‘perturbations’ of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory (character of God) which shall be revealed in us.”
God had again saved me from the devil’s ploys, or schemes, to destroy me spiritually, emotionally and physically:
Remember, trouble makes this earth undesirable and this causes us to lift our hearts to God! This ruffling of my collar caused me to run to God and to sit in heavenly places with Him. And, in His presence, His Holy Spirit put a smile on my face and all of the stress of that moment faded away.
Jesus said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Prayer is the most appropriate thing to do in the times of trouble. Take everything to God in prayer. Go, talk to God!
Father: Thank You for drawing me into Your presence where truly I find fullness of joy. My ruffled collar melted under Your touch and I am so thankful that You protected me from the terrible results that would have happened had I hung onto that perturbation, which really was the attitude of the devil. Truly, in Your presence is fullness of joy! My time with You is always a blessing. Amen.
By Ali Vitali
President Donald Trump on Thursday made good on a promise to allow religious organizations greater freedom in political speech.
“Faith is deeply embedded into the history of our country, the spirit of our founding and the soul of our nation,” Trump said in the Rose Garden at a National Day of Prayer event with religious leaders and White House staff. “We will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied or silenced anymore.”
The president declared his administration would be “leading by example” on religious liberty in the United States.
“We are giving our churches their voices back,” Trump said.
Religious leaders prayed in the garden just before Trump signed the executive order.
Two nuns from the Little Sisters of the Poor, the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit seeking relief from the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, were among those on stage for the signing, according to a press pool report.
Trump promised during the campaign to dismantle the Johnson Amendment, which bans tax-exempt organizations like churches from political speech and activities. His executive order relaxes IRS enforcement of that ban. While the executive order signals a promise kept, fully repealing the Johnson amendment would require Congressional action.
The executive order, called “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty,” also gives “regulatory relief” to companies that object to an Obamacare mandate for contraception in health care. That builds on the 2014 Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case, which found that the Affordable Care Act mandate that certain corporations must provide female employees with no-cost access to contraception was a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
While an earlier draft of the religious liberty order reportedly would have let federal contractors discriminate against LGBT employees based on faith beliefs, Thursday’s version did not include such provisions.
Pastor Mark Burns, a longtime Trump supporter who attended the White House signing and a White House dinner for religious leaders Wednesday evening, celebrated the move, telling NBC News Thursday morning that it was a “great day for religious freedom in America.”
Conservative religious groups applauded the move.
“The open season on Christians and other people of faith is coming to a close in America and we look forward to assisting the Trump administration in fully restoring America’s First Freedom,” Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said in a statement.
Civil liberty groups criticized the order with several vowing to sue.
“Plain and simple: President Trump’s executive order will hurt women,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights said in a statement. “And the Center for Reproductive Rights is ready to fight back in court.”
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-signs-religious-liberty-executive-order-allowing-broad-exemptions-n754786
One of the most miraculous organs that God gave humans is the eye. But just like any organ of the body, it can be abused through misuse or mistreatment—more commonly by the former rather than the latter.
God’s word gives us much guidance regarding use of our eyes and provides many examples of the results of their misuse. In Isaiah, the prophet was moved to write one of the clearest statements regarding the importance of guarding what we behold:
“The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:
‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’
He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.”
Isaiah 33:14–16
[Emphasis supplied.]
The pen of inspiration noted the importance of Isaiah’s counsel in the following passage:
“Clad in the armor of Christ’s righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict. ‘Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners’ (Song of Solomon 6:10), she is to go forth into all the world, conquering and to conquer.
“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; for ‘when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall,’ God will be to His church ‘a refuge from the storm’ (Isaiah 25:4).
“In that day only the righteous are promised deliverance. ‘The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure’ (Isaiah 33:14–16).”
“The word of the Lord to His faithful ones is: ‘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. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity’ (Isaiah 26:20, 21).” Prophets and Kings, 725, 726.
It is comforting to recognize that through Isaiah the Lord has promised the faithful that if they abide by His counsel, if, among other forms of obedience, they shut their eyes from seeing evil, they will be fed and sheltered during the time of trouble.
Some of the counsel that inspiration provides concerns not only our physical vision, but our imagination—our mental vision—as well.
“We want the transforming grace of God to take right hold of our thinking powers. We may think evil, we may continue to keep our minds upon objectionable things, but what does this do for us? It conforms our entire experience to that which we are looking upon. But by beholding Jesus we become changed into His likeness. The servant of the living God sees to some purpose. The eyes are sanctified, and the ears are sanctified, and those who will close their eyes and ears to evil will become changed.” Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 670.
This passage makes reference to a text that needs to be understood in its fullest meaning by those who are serious about overcoming: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We commonly understand this text to mean that we become changed into what we spend our time beholding. If we regularly view activity that transgresses the commandments, statutes, testimonies, and words of counsel that the Lord in His mercy has given us, how can we hope to be overcomers? Eventually we will become changed into what we are beholding.
“Everything that can be done should be done to place ourselves and our children where we shall not see the iniquity that is practised [sic] in the world. We should carefully guard the sight of our eyes and the hearing of our ears, so that these awful things shall not enter our minds. When the daily newspaper comes into the house, I feel as if I wanted to hide it, that the ridiculous, sensational things in it may not be seen. It seems as if the enemy is at the foundation of the publishing of many things that appear in newspapers. Every sinful thing that can be found is uncovered and laid bare before the world.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 211.
When this was written, there was no television or Internet, but if we understand the principle of this counsel, we must recognize that it is obvious that the same danger that inspiration recorded as existing from reading the newspaper exists to an even greater degree when those dangers are presented in living color.
The psalmist also provided wise counsel to us when he recorded one of the enlightened rules by which he guided his own life:
“I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me”
(Psalm 101:3).
“The vows of David recorded in Psalm 101 should be the vows of all upon whom rest the responsibilities of guarding the influences of the home. David declared: ‘I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. … I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes’ (Psalm 101:2, 3 KJV).
“The enemy of souls will invent many things to lead the minds of our youth from firm faith in God to the idolatrous practices of the world. Let the cautions given to ancient Israel be carefully studied. Satan’s efforts to spoil the thoughts and confuse the judgment are unceasing, and we must be on our guard. We must be careful to maintain our allegiance to God as His peculiar people.” In Heavenly Places, 215.
“Say firmly: ‘I will not spend precious moments in reading that which will be of no profit to me, and which only unfits me to be of service to others. I will devote my time and my thoughts to acquiring a fitness for God’s service. I will close my eyes to frivolous and sinful things.’ ” Maranatha, 145.
Psalm 119, the psalm that makes the necessity of obedience to God’s laws, precepts, and testimonies so inarguably evident, also addresses the importance of the appropriate use of our eyes in this appeal to Omnipotence:
“Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way” (Psalm 119:37).
Inspiration makes a clear reference to this prayer of the psalmist in the following passage:
“Watchfulness and vigilance are needed now as never before in the history of the race. The eye must be turned off from beholding vanity.” That I May Know Him, 267.
One well-known example of the consequences of misuse of the eyes is contained in the sad story of Achan.
“And Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it’ (Joshua 7:20, 21).”
“Achan’s covetousness was excited by the sight of that costly robe of Shinar; even when it had brought him face to face with death he called it ‘a goodly Babylonish garment.’ ” Patriarchs and Prophets, 496.
The story of Achan clearly demonstrates that we must not allow our eyes to linger in areas or on things that God in His mercy has forbidden us to behold—either physically or mentally. Note that Achan “saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels” (Joshua 7:21). His error was in letting his vision linger on the spoils and coveting them as his own. He failed to recognize these objects as what in reality they were—an allurement used by Satan to lead him into sin.
Another well-known example of the dangers of allowing our vision to linger on things that we should not is provided in the following Scripture:
“Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite’ (2 Samuel 11:2, 3)?”
Perhaps at this point in time he had not yet written the following:
“My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15).
If David had had his eyes “ever toward the Lord,” he would have averted his vision away from the sensuous scene before him. The many griefs that followed in his life may well have been avoided.
Often in the course of our daily Christian walk, we are confronted with images that, as Christians, we should consciously and conscientiously turn from. Tabloids in the grocery check-out line, billboards, inappropriately dressed worldlings—life is full of these kinds of allurements.
It is imperative that we recognize that Satan is the prince of this world and is absolutely determined to lead as many people astray as possible. It is also important that we recognize that those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are his special targets.
“As the people of God approach the perils of the last days, Satan holds earnest consultation with his angels as to the most successful plan of overthrowing their faith. He sees that the popular churches are already lulled to sleep by his deceptive power. By pleasing sophistry [dishonesty or fraudulence] and lying wonders he can continue to hold them under his control. Therefore he directs his angels to lay their snares especially for those who are looking for the second advent of Christ and endeavoring to keep all the commandments of God.” Maranatha, 208.
Adventists are the very ones “who are looking for the second advent of Christ and endeavoring to keep all the commandments of God” and are therefore subject to these special efforts of Satan and his evil agents. It matters not to them how they succeed in their efforts—whether they lead the professed people of God to transgress in thought, word, or deed. Thus it is absolutely imperative that those who are expecting to cross the Jordan in triumphant victory guard their vision, whether they are seeing with their eyes or with their imagination. Christ made that clear in the Sermon on the Mount:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27, 28).
The apostle John also warned about feasting visually in forbidden areas:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2:15–17).
Well, what’s a person to do? We have an enemy who knows us better than we know ourselves. Is there a safe harbor for us?
In the world of business, there is an area of practice that involves personnel management called “human resources.” One of the things that profession dwells on is compliance with the rules and regulations developed over time by the government to protect the rights of workers. The intent of these regulations is to ensure that all employees are treated equally. To accomplish that task, there are what are called “safe harbors.” If you do this one particular thing with respect to some rule or regulation, you are assured that you are in compliance enough to avoid penalty.
Wikipedia puts it this way: “A safe harbor is a provision of a statute or a regulation that specifies that certain conduct will be deemed not to violate a given rule. It is usually found in connection with a vaguer, overall standard.”
Let’s look at an example for clarity. There is a law against reckless driving. What constitutes reckless driving is sometimes—even often—a matter of personal opinion. However, driving at 25 miles per hour is considered a safe harbor against reckless driving in most situations. On the other hand, driving at 90 miles per hour is considered an unsafe harbor under just about any situation.
So, what’s the safe harbor for those striving to be among the 144,000? God’s word provides the answer in many places, but we will look at Psalm 19:8:
“The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:8).
As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matthew 6:22, 23)!
This is a text that is worth much study. What does Christ mean when He says “if your eye is bad”? What does He mean by “your whole body will be full of darkness”? And especially intriguing is His statement that “if therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Clearly, we have some introspection to do! Having bad eyes, eyes that linger on forbidden things, has perhaps greater consequences than we might initially realize. Remember our initial text from Isaiah: he who shuts his eyes from seeing evil will dwell on high.
By keeping our eyes—especially our mind’s eye—turned upon the word of God in all of its manifestations, we indeed find a safe harbor for our conduct. The psalmist made note of that in Psalm 26:2, 3:
“Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.
For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your truth” (Psalm 26:2, 3).
If we keep the lovingkindness, the blessings, of our Lord constantly in our mind’s eye, what is the result? The psalmist tells us: we walk in His truth.
Paul wrote some simple words in his letter to the Colossians that deserve much thought:
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1–3).
On initial reading, one might simply think that the meaning of Paul’s counsel expressed in these texts is obvious. However, spending some time meditating on this passage brings to mind a wealth of wise instruction.
First of all, we recognize that to be raised with Christ is to be baptized—to make a public statement of our intent to be overcomers, to concede that we need the grace of Christ as we accept the challenge of the battle and the march that is the Christian’s life.
Next, we are instructed to “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.”
Inspiration alludes to this text in the following passage:
“We need to have more distinct views of Jesus and a fuller comprehension of the value of eternal realities. The beauty of holiness is to fill the hearts of God’s children; and that this may be accomplished, we should seek for divine disclosures of heavenly things.” Steps to Christ, 99.
Colossians 3:2 contains an extremely valuable jewel of counsel: “set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” How many of our trials and temptations would vanish if we heeded this advice. Every temptation that faces us, every effort of Satan to lead us astray would fall helplessly to the ground if we heeded this counsel. “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Even taken literally, the truth of this counsel is evident.
By virtue of man’s choice to obey the serpent rather than the Creator and eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this earth is the realm of Satan. Scripture makes that abundantly clear. See John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, and Ephesians 2:2, as well as many other texts that make it too plain to be misunderstood that Satan holds sway over mankind.
So, what are we to do? How can we succeed in keeping our vision on things above and not on things on the earth? The apostle John adds to the advice toward that end that Paul has given us in his first epistle:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2:15–17).
We are back where we started—noting the importance of keeping our eyes focused on appropriate things and avoiding looking at anything that takes the mind away from “things which are above.”
How thorough and clear is God’s word of warning to His faithful children about the dangers of beholding “things in the world.” Reference after reference, text after text can be cited that addresses this issue.
“Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you” (Proverbs 4:25).
May God help us as we strive to “shut our eyes from beholding evil” so that we might “dwell on high.”
All quotes NKJV unless otherwise noted.
John Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. After retiring as chief financial officer for the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon, Arizona, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, to join the Steps team. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.