Judy Hallingstad

Food – Wonderful World of Oats

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Oats are such a simple grain but yet so filled with wonderful nutrition for our bodies. The following is a little bit of history you might find interesting about simple oats.

“If it weren’t for horses, we probably wouldn’t even know about oats, to say nothing of the great health benefits they provide. When horses were introduced in various parts of the world, oats went along as their feed. Not surprisingly, however, humans were a bit reluctant to take a taste. Samuel Johnson’s 1755 Dictionary of the English Language defined oats as ‘a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but which in Scotland supports the people.’ It seems the Scotts were ahead of their time.

“Oats are a very healthy grain. For one thing, unlike wheat, barley, and other grains, processed oats retain the bran and germ layers, which is where most of the nutrients reside. … Studies show that getting more oats in the diet not only lowers total cholesterol but, more encouragingly, lowers the bad low-density lipoprotein (LD) cholesterol while leaving the beneficial high-density lipoprotien cholesterol alone. …

“Although all grains contain a little fat, oats contain quite a bit. For example, a half-cup serving of oatmeal has a little more than 1 gram of fat … while oats are somewhat high in fat, almost 80 percent of the fat is the heart-healthy, unsaturated kind. …

“An additional benefit is the soluble fiber in oats. Because it soaks up lots of water, it creates a feeling of fullness. This means that when you eat oats, you feel satisfied longer and so are more likely to eat less, which is good news for anyone who’s trying to lose weight.

“Eat for convenience. Unlike many foods, in which the processed versions are often the least nutritious, oats retain their goodness in different forms. So when time is an issue, go ahead and enjoy quick oats. They provide just as many vitamins and minerals as the traditional, slower-cooking kind. Keep in mind, however, that quick oats do contain more sodium than their slower-cooking kin.

“For protein, take your pick. Both rolled oats and oat bran are good sources of protein. One cup of cooked oat bran contains 7 grams, 14 percent of the Daily Value (DV), while a serving of rolled oats has 6 grams, 12 percent of the DV.”

Excerpts from The Doctors Book of Food Remedies, Prevention Health Books, Rodale, 374-378.

 

Recipe
Yummy Banana Oat Bars

Serves: 8
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant) 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 3/4 cup finely chopped apple
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Press into a 9-by-9-inch baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, cut into squares or bars.

 

Children’s Story – Lord Cornwallis’ Knee Buckles

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This is a story about the Revolutionary War. This war was fought between England and the United States, when George Washington lived. At the close of the war, the United States became a free country and George Washington was its first President.

At the time of the Revolutionary War, in 1777, a brave little American girl, named Anne Randolph lived on a farm not so far from Philadelphia. Her father and her two brothers had joined the American army under the command of George Washington; so Anne and her mother were left alone to take care of the farm.

Two years before the time of this story, Anne’s father had given her a beautiful calf as a pet, and the two had become great friends. Whenever Anne went into the field, the young cow came to be petted.

At one time during the war, the English army was in Philadelphia. The soldiers, as they marched through the country, took the wheat and the corn of the farmers, and their horses and cattle as well.

One day, the soldiers came to the farm of Mr. Randolph and took Anne’s pet cow. They tied a rope about her horns and drove her away. In great grief Anne begged for her pet, but without success.

It did not take long for Anne to think what to do. She ran to the stable, saddled her pony, and then rode at full speed to see Lord Cornwallis, the general of the English army. It was a very brave thing for a little girl only twelve years old to do.

A soldier was marching back and forth in front of the general’s camp.

“What do you want?” he asked Anne, as she galloped up.

“I wish to see Lord Cornwallis,” she said.

The soldier let her pass, thinking, no doubt, that she had very important news to tell. Lord Cornwallis and some of his friends were at dinner when little Anne rushed into the room.

“What do you want, my child?” asked the general kindly.

“I want my cow, Sir. Your soldiers have taken her away, and I have come to get her. Oh, please, Sir, you must let me have her.”

“And who are you, my little girl?” asked the general kindly.

“I am Anne Randolph, and I live three miles from here with my mother. Have you seen my cow, sir?”

“Have you no father or brothers, Anne?”

“Yes, Sir, but they are in the army.”

“In which army?”

“In the American army, Sir.”

“Oh! So they are rebels, are they?”

“Oh yes, Sir; we are all rebels about here, Sir.”

“And you are a bit of a rebel yourself?”

“Yes, indeed, I was born so.”

The general threw back his head and laughed. “And your cow is a rebel too, I suppose.”

“I think so, Sir. She is the best cow I ever knew.”

“Look here, my little rebel,” said Lord Cornwallis soberly. “Don’t you know that we are here to fight the rebels?”

“Yes, Sir. But oh, Sir, I raised my cow myself. She has always been mine. She can’t belong to you. I would never steal your cow, Sir.”

The general arose. “Come here, my child. You are a brave little girl, and I promise you that you shall have your cow. And here, take these,” he said, unfastening a pair of silver knee buckles. “Keep them to remember that Lord Cornwallis can appreciate courage and truth even in a young rebel. And if the solders trouble your cow again, come to me at once.”

Then, calling a guard, he told him to go with the child through the camp in search of the cow; and when he should find the animal, to send a man to drive her home again. So Miss Anne returned home in triumph with her cow. And those sparkling knee buckles are treasured by her descendants, in memory of Lord Cornwallis and the Revolution.

“Gentlemen,” said Lord Cornwallis to his officers, after Anne had left, “this country is certain to be free, with such brave little rebels in it as this.”

May we all be as brave to stand for what we know to be right and true!

Adventure Stories from History, Harvestime Books, Altamont, Tennessee. Pages 39–41.

Sermon on the Mount Series – Inconsolable Sorrow

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If a saying is self-contradictory, we often say it is an oxymoron. However, many of the greatest truths that Jesus taught seem to be self-contradictory, like the beatitude that says, “Happy are those that mourn.” In other words, happy are the sad!

The second beatitude says, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). It sounds just as strange and paradoxical as does the first beatitude that says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). It is seemingly contrary to the accepted views of all mankind in every age of human history, for it is not our custom to envy those who weep or to congratulate the broken-hearted. We usually pity them and offer them our sympathy. We write them letters of condolence and are thankful that we have escaped their terrible situation. But Jesus pronounces a blessing on the mourners. He declares them to be happy and sets them apart as a special, privileged class. This beatitude does not have universal application or is it all-inclusive. It does not embrace every person in the world who mourns, regardless of the cause, because there is a mourning that will know no comfort. There are burning tears that will never be wiped away and there is a bitter anguish that will never be appeased.

Jesus was very, very clear about this. Notice what He said in Matthew 8:12: “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In Matthew 13:42 He says the very same thing: “There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Again in verse 50 He says there is going to be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Over and over again Jesus warned that there was coming a time when there would be a sorrow for which there would be no healing. There would be a sorrow that would have no consolation. Notice what He says in Matthew 24:50: “The master of that servant who will come in a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In Matthew 25:30 the same warning is repeated: “Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It is predicted in Jeremiah that there is coming a time when some people in the world will make this comment: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20)! Those who are finally lost will have a sorrow that has no comfort. There will be no alleviation for their bitter anguish. There can be no real, lasting comfort for the person who refuses to separate from sin by refusing all the overtures of the God of heaven for mercy if they would repent. If you grieve away the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, there is no way for you to be comforted.

Notice what the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10 concerning a sorrow for which there is no comfort: “… godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

So, there is a sorrow of this world for which there is no comfort. This sort of sorrow does not bring comfort; it brings death. And there are millions of people, today in our world whose sorrow is borne of remorse, not because of their conduct, not because of their sins, but because of the personal loss that has resulted from their conduct. They do not hate the sin but instead they love the sin and just hate the results. Our jails, prisons, and penitentiaries are filled with mourners of this sort. But this mourning does not lead to any blessed results.

There is a large class of pessimistic people who mourn. One Christian writer describing them said there are people who glory in gloom and misery. There are those who are veritable gluttons for wretchedness. They search for despair as bees search for honey. They are never so happy as when they feel that they have a perfect right to be miserable. They are never so miserable as when they feel duty-bound to be happy. The Bible is very clear; we read it from the words of Jesus about the wailing and weeping that there will be in the last days. The apostle Paul says the same things.

If there is a sorrow that won’t produce any good result, then what kind of sorrow will produce a good result? What kind of mourning is Jesus talking about that brings comfort and happiness? You cannot study the beatitudes and understand them until you understand that they are inseparably connected. Each one is an advanced step on the path that leads to the kingdom of heaven. They form links in a chain of spiritual growth. They constitute the steps of a ladder that lead to the kingdom of blessedness. Blessed mourning is that which comes as a result of a person’s recognition of his spiritual poverty. Remember, the first beatitude says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” It is to those people who recognize their spiritual poverty and see their sinful condition, and say like the apostle Paul said one time in Romans 7:24 literal translation, “… wretched man that I am! Who is going to deliver me from this body of death?”

If you realize your condition and have true heart sorrow for the condition that you are in, if you are poor in spirit and you recognize that in a spiritual sense you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, and mourn over this condition, the Lord says, you are going to be comforted. The apostle Paul also describes this sorrow that brings comfort and happiness in 2 Corinthians 7:8–12: “… even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; although I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner. What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”

Godly sorrow is sorrow for the sins that have destroyed our peace and which have caused the indescribable sufferings of the One Who paid the redemption price. Comfort is needed only where there has been grief. There can be no comfort if there has not first been discomfort. There can be no healing until a person recognizes that he or she has been wounded. Heart sorrow is the essential spiritual preparation for pardon. And pardon is the prerequisite for comfort and happiness. Whom Christ pardons He first makes penitent, and penitence is a heart sorrow for sin, a brokenness of spirit because of conscious failure.

The Bible gives many examples of godly and ungodly sorrow. For instance, the patriarch Job, when he ceased trying to justify himself and began to recognize his sins and to mourn over them, his captivity was turned and he was blessed above anything he had ever experienced before. The same is true in regard to Isaiah the prophet. In his agony of soul, over the sins of his life, he talks of himself as being a man of unclean lips, dwelling in the midst of a people of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5).

When he recognized his condition and said that he was undone, that brought to him the dawn of a new day, the doorway to happiness. He was anointed as a messenger of the Lord. Then there is the example of King Saul. King Saul mourned over his sin of rebellion, not because he repented because of his sin, but because it cost him his throne. So, he made a forced confession when there wasn’t any other course open to him. But a forced confession does not bring forgiveness. His mourning over his rejection as King brought him no comfort. His was not a sorrow for sin, but like many who have broken the law, he was only sorry for the results of his sin. Saul had a successor, David, who also committed sins. Looking at their two lives, it appears that David committed sins just as great as Saul did, but with a difference. David was sorry, not just for what he had done, but he realized his total wretchedness, and that there had to be a re-creation or he could never be saved. He was afraid he had committed the unpardonable sin, and this is what he said about it in Psalm 51:

“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness” (verse 14). “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (verses 10, 11). David recognized that he was all wretched, miserable, undone and unless the Lord created within him a new heart, a new spirit, he was lost. His repentance was accepted. The consciousness of the enormity of his sin caused him to suffer very keenly and in brokenness of heart he cried out, “O Lord, give me a new heart.”

That’s what Jesus talked about with Nicodemus. He said to the man who was one of the leaders of the Jews in those days that unless you are born of the Holy Spirit, there is no chance for you to enter the kingdom of heaven. In other words, unless you have a new heart, a new spirit, you cannot be saved. (See John 3:3, 5.)

Judas was another mourner. Judas’ mourning was over the great sin of betraying his Lord and Master. His remorse was so terrible that it drove him to murder himself. However, it was not of the godly sort that brings comfort. It was the sorrow of the world that ends in death. He was sorry for the consequences of what he had done. He never repented for the sin himself. True repentance for sins, sorrow for sin, can come only as a gift of the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 5.)

Peter sinned almost as grievously as did Judas. He betrayed Jesus Christ the same night, but his remorse was great and his grief led to genuine repentance, repentance not just for the consequences, but repentance for the sin itself and he was comforted and blessed. Jesus is the only Source of true comfort. If you want to really be comforted, you must go to Him with repentance, and ask for the gift of repentance. Ask that the Holy Spirit will give your heart repentance and a desire to be born again.

It is sorrow for our sinful condition that will be comforted. Jesus is the only Source of comfort, and therefore all mourning should lead us to Him. In fact, Jesus has given an invitation to people who are mourning because of bereavement over the loss of a loved one. Maybe you have lost your father or your mother or your wife or your husband or a child, and you are bereaved and mourning. Jesus wants to relieve your mourning.

In Isaiah there is a prophecy of the work of the Messiah, the Christ. Messiah is a Hebrew word, Christ is from the same Greek word, meaning the Anointed One. Jesus applied this prophecy to Himself. Notice what it says the work of the Messiah would be. Isaiah 61:1–3 says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Notice, the work of the Messiah was to bind up the broken-hearted, to comfort all that mourn, to give them that mourn in Zion beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. That is what Jesus still wants to give to the world today. The problem is that there is a lack of consciousness of sin. This healing can only be brought about by a consciousness of sin and a vision of the character of Christ. Recognition of sin is a result of recognition of God. But this must be followed by genuine heart-sorrow and repentance. The present generation is but little disturbed or concerned over sin. Multitudes of people have so far lost their sense of right and wrong that they are virtually amoral or non-moral. They have trampled all moral and spiritual standards under foot until, to them, nothing is wrong anymore. Such an attitude always produces a spirit of pride and self-appreciation, making its possessors feel they are rich and in need of nothing.

Today we are living in a world that is actually similar to the world that Jesus lived in, in that there are few people who feel their poverty of spirit enough to mourn over it. There are many who feel that somehow they lack something. But a mere recognition of a lack is not enough. The blessing is for the person only who is a convicted sinner and who takes the matter seriously and grieves over the situation until the remedy is applied. His godly sorrow must turn his footsteps toward Him who is anxiously awaiting to supply all of his needs. The knowledge of our need is valueless unless it leads us to the One Who can provide the solution. There is comfortless sorrow rampant in the world today, because godly sorrow over sin has almost disappeared from among men. Comfort in sorrow of any kind and for any cause is awaiting those who renounce sin. The heavenly blessing embraces all the sorrows that afflict mankind, provided that the comfort comes as a result of mourning over sin, which must be first experienced.

Those who realize their spiritual poverty are in a condition that if they mourn over it and are sorry and come to the Lord, He said, “I am willing to heal you. I am willing to provide comfort for your sorrow.”

The ultimate fulfillment of the comfort to mourners will come in that blessed realm where sin and all of its results are no more. We read in the Bible about what Jesus came to do. The purpose, the reason that He came, was so that He could redeem His people and take them to a better land that is described in Isaiah 35, verse 10: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads, they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

We read also about that land in the book of Revelation. There will come a time when there is no more sorrow at all. Notice what it says in Revelation 21:4 literal translation: “And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Why is it that in the future there will come a time when there will be no more sorrow, no pain, no suffering, no crying out and no funerals? It is because at that time, sin has been done away. You can read about how sin will finally be totally abolished from our universe in Revelation the 20th chapter.

The time is coming when sin and sinners will be no more. And when that time comes, then in God’s universe, everything will be clean. There will be no more pain, no more suffering, and no more sorrow. But if you are going to be in that place, you must be cleansed from your sins, not only forgiven, but you must be cleansed from all unrighteousness as you read in I John 1:9. It says in Revelation 21:27, concerning that place, “There shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

The ultimate fulfillment of that promise that the mourners will be comforted will be in that better land when all sorrow will be done away. In order for sorrow to be completely done away, sin has to be completely done away. And if you are sorry for the situation you are in, and want to be cleansed from your sins, the Lord says there is comfort for you.

(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.

Health – Dangers in Processed Meats

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Many have been following all updated studies on the danger of meat eating. There have been many little warnings along the way. These warnings are getting stronger for God’s people to awake to the dangers of eating flesh meats. In the following report the experts concluded that each 50 gram [2 oz.] portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. Consumption of processed meat is also linked with pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer. This should be of interest to all. This information comes from the International Agency for Research on Cancer – World Health Organization, Press Release – October 26, 2015.

Lyon, France, 26 October 2015 – The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has evaluated the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat.

Red meat

After thoroughly reviewing the accumulated scientific literature, a Working Group of 22 experts from 10 countries convened by the IARC Monographs Programme classified the consumption of red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), based on limited evidence that the consumption of red meat causes cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect.

This association was observed mainly for colorectal cancer, but associations were also seen for pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.

Processed meat

Processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer.

Meat consumption and its effects

The consumption of meat varies greatly between countries, with from a few percent up to 100% of people eating red meat, depending on the country, and somewhat lower proportions eating processed meat.

The experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.

“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” says Dr Kurt Straif, Head of the IARC Monographs Programme. “In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.”

The IARC Working Group considered more than 800 studies that investigated associations of more than a dozen types of cancer with the consumption of red meat or processed meat in many countries and populations with diverse diets. The most influential evidence came from large prospective cohort studies conducted over the past 20 years.

Public health

“These findings further support current public health recommendations to limit intake of meat,” says Dr Christopher Wild, Director of IARC. “At the same time, red meat has nutritional value. Therefore, these results are important in enabling governments and international regulatory agencies to conduct risk assessments, in order to balance the risks and benefits of eating red meat and processed meat and to provide the best possible dietary recommendations.”

IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat …

Red meat refers to all types of mammalian muscle meat, such as beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, and goat.

Processed meat refers to meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation. Most processed meats contain pork or beef, but processed meats may also contain other red meats, poultry, offal, or meat by-products such as blood.

Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef, and biltong or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations and sauces.

A summary of the final evaluations is available online in The Lancet Oncology, and the detailed assessments will be published as Volume 114 of the IARC Monographs. [All emphasis added.]

http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2015/pdfs/pr240_E.pdf

“Health reform is to do among our people a work which it has not yet done. There are those who ought to be awake to the danger of meat eating, who are still eating the flesh of animals, thus endangering the physical, mental, and spiritual health.” Counsels on Health, 575.

Q & A – What Does it mean to be “dead” and your “life is hid” in Christ?

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You must be referring to Colossians 3:3: “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

We are told: “The soul that loves God, rises above the fog of doubt; he gains a bright, broad, deep, living experience, and becomes meek and Christ-like. His soul is committed to God, hid with Christ in God.

  • He will be able to stand the test of neglect, of abuse and contempt, because his Saviour has suffered all this.
  • He will not become fretful and discouraged when difficulties press him, because Jesus did not fail or become discouraged.

Every true Christian will be strong, not in the strength and merit of his good works, but in the righteousness of Christ, which through faith is imputed unto him. It is a great thing to be meek and lowly in heart, to be pure and undefiled, as was the Prince of heaven when he walked among men.” The Review and Herald, December 3, 1889.

The following may also help to answer your question: “In the night season I was in a company of people whose hearts were filled with vanity and conceit. Christ was hid from their eyes. Suddenly in loud, clear accents, the words were heard, ‘Jesus is coming to take to Himself those who on this earth have loved and served Him, to be with Him in His kingdom forever.’ Many of those in the company went forth in their costly apparel to meet Him. They kept looking at their dress. But when they saw His glory, and realized that their estimation of one another had been so largely measured by outward appearance, they knew that they were without the robe of Christ’s righteousness, and that the blood of souls was on their garments.

“When Christ took His chosen ones, they were left; for they were not ready. In their lives self had been given the first place, and when the Saviour came, they were not prepared to meet Him.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 81.

“I awoke with the picture of their agonized countenances stamped on my mind. I cannot efface the impression. I wish I could describe the scene as it was presented to me. Oh, how sad was the disappointment of those who had not learned by experience the meaning of the words, ‘Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3).” Ibid.

[All emphasis added.]

Inspiration – The Reward of Earnest Effort

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If any man’s work abide, … he shall receive a reward” (I Corinthians 3:14). Glorious will be the reward bestowed when the faithful workers gather about the throne of God and of the Lamb. When John in his mortal state beheld the glory of God, he fell as one dead; he was not able to endure the sight. But when the children of God shall have put on immortality, they will “see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). They will stand before the throne, accepted in the Beloved. All their sins have been blotted out, all their transgressions borne away. Now they can look upon the undimmed glory of the throne of God. They have been partakers with Christ in His sufferings, they have been workers together with Him in the plan of redemption, and they are partakers with Him in the joy of seeing souls saved in the kingdom of God, there to praise God through all eternity.

My brother, my sister, I urge you to prepare for the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven. Day by day cast the love of the world out of your hearts. Understand by experience what it means to have fellowship with Christ. Prepare for the judgment, that when Christ shall come, to be admired in all them that believe, you may be among those who will meet Him in peace. In that day the redeemed will shine forth in the glory of the Father and the Son. The angels, touching their golden harps, will welcome the King and His trophies of victory—those who have been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. A song of triumph will peal forth, filling all heaven. Christ has conquered. He enters the heavenly courts, accompanied by His redeemed ones, the witnesses that His mission of suffering and sacrifice has not been in vain.

The resurrection and ascension of our Lord is a sure evidence of the triumph of the saints of God over death and the grave, and a pledge that heaven is open to those who wash their robes of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus ascended to the Father as a representative of the human race, and God will bring those who reflect His image to behold and share with Him His glory.

There are homes for the pilgrims of earth. There are robes for the righteous, with crowns of glory and palms of victory. All that has perplexed us in the providences of God will in the world to come be made plain. The things hard to be understood will then find explanation. The mysteries of grace will unfold before us. Where our finite minds discovered only confusion and broken promises, we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. We shall know that infinite love ordered the experiences that seemed most trying. As we realize the tender care of Him Who makes all things work together for our good, we shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Pain cannot exist in the atmosphere of heaven. In the home of the redeemed there will be no tears, no funeral trains, no badges of mourning. “The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity” (Isaiah 33:24). One rich tide of happiness will flow and deepen as eternity rolls on.

We are still amidst the shadows and turmoil of earthly activities. Let us consider most earnestly the blessed hereafter. Let our faith pierce through every cloud of darkness and behold Him who died for the sins of the world. He has opened the gates of paradise to all who receive and believe on Him. To them He gives power to become the sons and daughters of God. Let the afflictions which pain us so grievously become instructive lessons, teaching us to press forward toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ (Philippians 3:14). Let us be encouraged by the thought that the Lord is soon to come. Let this hope gladden our hearts. “Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:35–37). Blessed are those servants who, when their Lord comes, shall be found watching.

We are homeward bound. He who loved us so much as to die for us hath builded for us a city. The New Jerusalem is our place of rest. There will be no sadness in the city of God. No wail of sorrow, no dirge of crushed hopes and buried affections, will evermore be heard. Soon the garments of heaviness will be changed for the wedding garment. Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King. Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.

It will not be long till we shall see Him in Whom our hopes of eternal life are centered. And in His presence, all the trials and sufferings of this life will be as nothingness. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (verses 35–37). Look up, look up, and let your faith continually increase. Let this faith guide you along the narrow path that leads through the gates of the city of God into the great beyond, the wide, unbounded future of glory that is for the redeemed. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:7, 8).

Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, 285–288.

Keys to the Storehouse – What is Your Delight

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There is Nero, that monster of cruelty and vice, beholding the joy and exaltation of those whom he once tortured, and in whose extremist anguish he found Satanic delight. His mother is there to witness the result of her own work; to see how the evil stamp of character transmitted to her son, the passions encouraged and developed by her influence and example, have borne fruit in crimes that caused the world to shudder.” The Story of Redemption, 424.

“Martin Luther [was] zealous, ardent, and devoted, knowing no fear but the fear of God, and acknowledging no foundation for religious faith but the Holy Scriptures, Luther was the man for his time; through him, God accomplished a great work for the reformation of the church and the enlightenment of the world.” Ibid., 340.

We are told that, “Above everything else he delighted in the study of God’s word. He had found a Bible chained to the convent wall, and to this he often repaired.” Ibid., 341.

“Now, for the first time, he looked upon the whole Bible. With mingled awe and wonder he turned the sacred pages; with quickened pulse and throbbing heart he read for himself the words of life, pausing now and then to exclaim, ‘Oh, if God would give me such a book for my own!’ ” Ibid., 340.

What is your delight?

Adam and Eve “were charmed [delighted] with the little songsters around them, wearing their bright yet graceful plumage, and warbling forth their happy, cheerful music. The holy pair united with them and raised their voices in harmonious songs of love, praise, and adoration to the Father and His dear Son for the tokens of love which surrounded them. They recognized the order and harmony of creation, which spoke of wisdom and knowledge that were infinite. Some new beauty and additional glory of their Eden home they were continually discovering, which filled their hearts with deeper love and brought from their lips expressions of gratitude and reverence to their Creator.” Ibid., 22, 23.

“She [Eve] ate, and was delighted with the [forbidden] fruit. It seemed delicious to her taste, and she imagined that she realized in herself the wonderful effects of the fruit.” Ibid., 35.

Do you delight in what is forbidden?

“He [Satan] had delighted to control so powerful a race, and wished them to live to practice their abominations, and increase their rebellion against the God of heaven.” Ibid., 67.

What is your delight?

  • Is it satanic delight like Nero, watching wickedness, suffering, death in movies?
  • Is it studying God’s word and sharing it as Luther did?
  • Is it delight in God’s creation?
  • Is it delight in taking part in things that God’s word has forbidden?
  • Is it taking delight in control of people and things?
  • Or do you delight yourself in the Lord?

Do you honestly know the true desire of your own heart?

God’s word says, “Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). [All emphasis added.]

Father: I do not want any of the devil’s attributes. Oh, what a terrible thing to be like Nero who delighted in watching wickedness and suffering. Remove any such delight from my heart and replace it with a heart like Jesus’, full of heavenly love. Help me to turn away from earthly pleasures and delight in the things pertaining to heaven. Amen.

Current Events – Time to Bury the Hatchet

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“The storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it?”

Testimonies, vol. 8, 315

It is the purpose of the church to combine religion with the state in order to control the consciences of the people. Protestant Christians should look at their roots and ask themselves what the protest of the middle ages was about and whether or not it has been resolved since that time. There has been a change over time in the beliefs of the Protestant world. Today, through ecumenism Protestant churches have incorporated into their beliefs Roman Catholic doctrines that they once protested.

Rome’s Holy Year of Mercy which opened on December 8, 2015 is presented as creating an opportunity for the world to look upon the pope as a holy man as he is portrayed kneeling before the confessional.

The pope said, “I have chosen the date of 8 December because of its rich meaning in the recent history of the Church. In fact, I will open the Holy Door on the fiftieth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. …

“The Catholic Church, as she holds high the torch of Catholic truth at this Ecumenical Council, wants to show herself a loving mother to all; patient, kind, moved by compassion and goodness toward her separated children.”

Extraordinary Jubilee

The pope has “proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective. www.news.va/en/news/presentation-of-the-extraordinary-julilee-of-mercy

Indulgences, though this time not sold, are being offered to relieve the punishment of sins forgiven, but it should be remembered that it was the selling of indulgences that triggered the Reformation.

What can we expect in 2017?

In 2008 Jesuit Professor Eduard Kimman, then time General Secretary of the Netherlands Bishop’s Conference, proclaimed that there remains hardly any reason to remain a Protestant. He saw Protestantism as an action group that forgot to dissolve itself and a group that had not recognized the significance of a global, visible leadership personality such as that of the pope. Moreover, he stated that he doubted that the Reformation would still exist after 2017 (the year when Protestantism commemorates its 500th year of existence) and Protestantism, he said should return to the mother church.

Lutherans and Catholics Bury the Hatchet for Reformation’s 500th Anniversary

“The Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation released a joint document, From Conflict to Communion, in Geneva that said there is little purpose in dredging up centuries-old conflicts.

“In the document, the two churches recognize that in the age of ecumenism and globalization, the celebration requires a new approach focusing on a reciprocal admission of guilt and on highlighting the progress made by the Lutheran-Catholic dialogue over the past 50 years. …

“The document re-examines the history of the Reformation and the split it created, stressing that Luther ‘had no intention of establishing a new church, but was part of a broad and many-faceted desire for reform’ within the church.

“ ‘The fact that the struggle for this truth in the 16th century led to the loss of unity in Western Christendom belongs to the dark pages of church history,’ the document says. ‘In 2017, we must confess openly that we have been guilty before Christ of damaging the unity of the church.’

“After caricaturing each other’s beliefs for centuries, an honest theological confrontation between the two sides began after the modernizing reforms of the Catholic church’s Second Vatican Council (1962–65), the document says.

“It stresses that, thanks to the ecumenical dialogue of recent decades, Lutherans and Catholics ‘have come to acknowledge that more unites than divides them.’ ” http://ncronline.org/news/lutherans-and-catholics-bury-hatchet-reformations-500th

God’s Plan to Redeem Man

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“ ‘And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, “These things says He Who is holy, He Who is true, ‘He Who has the key of David, He Who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens’: “I know your works. See, I have put before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” ’ ”

Revelation 3:7, 8 NJKV

“The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God. … The burden of every book and every passage of the Bible is the unfolding of this wondrous theme—man’s uplifting—the power of God, ‘Which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ I Corinthians 15:57 KJV “He who grasps this thought … has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure house of God’s word.” Education, 126

Judas did not understand the “unfolding” of the new covenant. He did not understand that the purpose of Jesus’ mission was indeed to give His life, to die for the forgiveness of sins, to shed His blood to ratify the covenant, and to provide the blood necessary for the opening of the “true tabernacle” in heaven. Judas did not study the Scriptures of his day, the Old Testament Scriptures, in the framework of the new covenant. He did not study each passage seeking to know what God was trying to teach in that passage about the “unfolding” of the plan of redemption.

There is a significant and very serious parallel to this situation in our day. We know that the Jewish nation as a whole did not have the understanding of Christ’s purpose. We are told in Inspiration what was the result. “Since the whole ritual economy was symbolical of Christ, it had no value apart from Him. When the Jews sealed their rejection of Christ by delivering Him to death, they rejected all that gave significance to the temple and its services. Its sacredness had departed. It was doomed to destruction. From that day sacrificial offerings and the service connected with them were meaningless. Like the offering of Cain, they did not express faith in the Saviour. In putting Christ to death, the Jews virtually destroyed their temple. When Christ was crucified, the inner veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, signifying that the great final sacrifice had been made, and that the system of sacrificial offerings was forever at an end.” The Desire of Ages, 165.

“ ‘In three days I will raise it up’ (John 2:19 NKJV). … By virtue of His death and resurrection He became the minister of the ‘true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man’ (Hebrews 8:2) …

“The sacrificial service that had pointed to Christ passed away; but the eyes of men were turned to the true sacrifice for the sins of the world. The earthly priesthood ceased; but we look to Jesus, the minister of the new covenant, and ‘to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.’ … ‘by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us’ (Hebrews 12:24; 9:8–12).” Ibid., 165, 166.

“The Jews who rejected the light given at Christ’s first advent, and refused to believe on Him as the Saviour of the world, could not receive pardon through Him. When Jesus at His ascension entered by His own blood into the heavenly sanctuary to shed upon His disciples the blessings of His mediation, the Jews were left in total darkness to continue their useless sacrifices and offerings. The ministration of types and shadows had ceased. That door by which men had formerly found access to God was no longer open. The Jews had refused to seek Him in the only way whereby He could then be found, through the ministration in the sanctuary in heaven. Therefore they found no communion with God. To them the door was shut. They had no knowledge of Christ as the true sacrifice and the only mediator before God; hence they could not receive the benefits of His mediation.” The Great Controversy, 430.

There was another major change 170 years ago, another shift or move in this great “unfolding” of the new covenant. And just as had occurred with the Jews, a misunderstanding will cause many to be lost. On October 22, 1844, a door was opened, and another, a different door, was shut. Revelation 3:7, 8 says, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He Who is holy, Who is true, Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one will shut, and Who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.’ ” Jesus moved from the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary—the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven. As He left the holy place, He closed that door. No one has access to Jesus through that door any more. When that door was closed, a new door was opened, the door to the most holy place. We must understand the difference between Christ’s ministration in the holy place and that in the most holy place.

“Those who, with a knowledge of the truth from the Scriptures, had also the Spirit and grace of God, and who, in the night of their bitter trial, had patiently waited, searching the Bible for clearer light—these saw the truth concerning the sanctuary in heaven and the Saviour’s change in ministration, and by faith they followed Him in His work in the sanctuary above. And all who through the testimony of the Scriptures accept the same truths, following Christ by faith as He enters in before God to perform the last work of mediation, and at its close to receive His kingdom—all these are represented as going in to the marriage.” The Great Controversy, 427, 428.

Let’s read a little stronger description between these two classes of people—those who followed and those who did not. The setting is a vision in which God the Father and Jesus move from the holy place to the most holy for the investigative judgment as described, among other places, in Daniel 7:9, 10, 13. The Father has already arisen, left the holy place and moved to the most holy place. Then Jesus arises, and we continue reading from Inspiration, “Those who arose when Jesus did kept their eyes fixed on Him as He left the throne and led them out a little way. Then He raised His right arm, and we heard His lovely voice saying, ‘Wait here; I am going to My Father to receive the kingdom; keep your garments spotless, and in a little while I will return from the wedding and receive you to Myself.’ Then a cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire, surrounded by angels, came to where Jesus was. He stepped into the chariot and was borne to the holiest, where the Father sat. … Those who rose up with Jesus would send up their faith to Him in the holiest, and pray, ‘My Father, give us Thy Spirit.’ Then Jesus would breathe upon them the Holy Ghost. In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace.

“I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne; they did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne, and pray, ‘Father, give us Thy Spirit.’ Satan would then breathe upon them an unholy influence; in it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and peace. Satan’s object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God’s children.” Early Writings, 55, 56.

My friends, if we want to avoid thinking we are praying to God, when in reality we are praying to Satan, we must understand Jesus’ change of ministration described in these paragraphs. What we must understand is something that we cannot see, touch, feel, hear; it is principles and ideas, concepts that we must understand. There is a clear and distinct difference between Jesus’ ministration in the holy place, and His ministration in the most holy place. This is taught and exemplified in the services of the earthly sanctuary. We are going to briefly study what Jesus’ ministration was in the holy place of the new covenant sanctuary in heaven, and what is His ministration in the most holy place of that same sanctuary.

Remember, understanding these concepts is the difference between praying to the God of heaven, and praying to Satan—the difference between eternal life, and eternal death.

In the holy place Jesus was doing four things:

  1. pleading His blood before the Father in behalf of repentant sinners
  2. presenting before the Father with the precious fragrance of His own righteousness, the prayers of penitent believers
  3. securing their pardon with the Father
  4. securing their acceptance with the Father

These four things Jesus continues in His ministration in the most holy place for individuals whose records have not been examined. But in addition, there is a very important and critical change that took place when He moved from the holy to the most holy place. This is the work of the final atonement and investigative judgment, the blotting out of the confessed sins of His true followers, the ones who, through faith in His new covenant have not only confessed their sins and had their records cleansed, but have also gained the victory over sin.

These individuals are the “wise virgins” of Matthew 25; they are the “saints” of Revelation 14:12; they are the faithful church of Philadelphia.

This is such a critical understanding. Not a one of us knows when our record is going to come up in review. If your record is reviewed while you are still lingering in sin, at that point it is all over; it is too late to change. There will be no second chance, no other opportunity.

In addition, there is going to be a period of time after the close of probation when God’s true followers will still be on this wicked, sinful earth, which is still under the usurped dominion of Satan, the archenemy of God. Are you ready? Are you pleading with the Saviour for power to develop the character required in order to stand in that day? Inspiration tells us: “Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth.” This is so critical at this point in time because God’s true followers, after the close of probation must “stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator.” The Great Controversy, 425.

This truth about Christ’s ministration in the most holy place concerning confession and overcoming is absolutely critical to understand. If we limit our understanding of Christ’s ministration to a holy place message, to only that of Christ’s pleading His blood before the Father in behalf of repentant sinners, presenting before the Father the prayers of penitent believers, of His securing pardon and acceptance with the Father, we will not complete the vital preparation needed.

The importance of acquiring this knowledge is shown in the services of the sanctuary on earth. “In the service of the earthly sanctuary, which, as we have seen, is a figure of the service in the heavenly, when the high priest on the Day of Atonement entered the most holy place, the ministration in the first apartment ceased. God commanded: ‘There shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when He goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until He come out’ (Leviticus 16:17). So when Christ entered the holy of holies to perform the closing work of the atonement, He ceased His ministration in the first apartment.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 428, 429.

For the Israelites it was a physical presence that was forbidden in the holy place. For us it is the understanding of the difference in ministration, and making sure that our sins are confessed, and that we gain the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). This is stated very clearly in The Great Controversy, 430, where it says, “It is those who by faith follow Jesus in the great work of the atonement, who receive the benefits of His mediation in their behalf, while those who reject the light which brings to view this work of ministration, are not benefited thereby.”

Oh, my friends, our time on this earth is truly running out. This “unfolding” of the new covenant is almost complete. Have you studied the Word through the lens of the new covenant? Do you understand the events in their order? Do you know where Jesus is, what He is doing, and how that relates to your life?

Stupendous events are just ahead of us. We must understand them if our desire is to not betray our Lord. Today, choose to “be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV). How do we do that? We study one passage until its significance is clear to our mind and its relation to the plan of salvation is evident. May God and the Holy Spirit be your teacher and your guide as you seek to obey His will in the study of His Word in preparation for the closing scenes of this mighty and marvelous new covenant.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

God’s Promises

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Recently I chanced to run across this little bit of expression from some disappointed and disillusioned heart. It had been scrolled in a place where others could read it.

“In the dark I light a match and
watch it fight for existence,

But it will never win

and I again sit in darkness.”

What a picture of hopelessness. As I was thinking about it my mind went to the expression in Isaiah the 8th chapter, one of the chapters dealing especially with our time. The closing lines as translated by Moffatt read: “They shall roam through the land, hard pressed and hungry, hunger driving them to rage, … they shall gaze up to heaven, and look round upon earth, only to see distress and darkness, anguish and utter gloom—poor waifs of men!” Moffatt Translation, 757.

Jesus pictured it: “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). Looking around us, looking at the darkness, we too might be driven to that hopeless frustration. Thank God we have something better. Jesus says, “When these things begin to come to pass,” then look where? “look up” (verse 28).

The text we will look at in this article is 2 Peter 1:2–4. Instead of hopelessness, this Scripture offers hope. Instead of gloom we are given joy. Instead of worry and frustration, peace. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord. According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” What a great constellation of truth shines here in these few lines.

Let us notice some of the bright stars. First He says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.” God multiplies as we add. Our adding is mentioned in the fifth verse: “add to your faith virtue” and so on. When we add, God multiplies. That is why the Christian grows. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Peace and grace are multiplied to us through the knowledge of Him. You remember Christ said in His last prayer, “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). So to know God is life eternal, to know God is to have grace and peace multiplied to us.

2 Peter 1, verse 3: “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” Notice the tense here. He does not say, these things are coming some day; He says we have them, according as His divine power hath given unto us, all things that pertain unto life and godliness. What a wonderful commissary to go in and help ourselves to. What a great storehouse, filled with all things that pertain unto life and godliness. And how do these come to us? Again, He stresses knowing God, because these things He says come through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. What is a promise? It is God saying, “I will do this, I will do that; I will give you this, I will give you that.” Peter says that these promises are great promises, but that isn’t enough. He calls them “exceeding great and precious” promises.

When we study the 8th chapter of Daniel we stress the fact that the ram, Medo Persia, is spoken of as great; the rough goat, Greece, is spoken of as very great; but the little horn waxes exceeding great.

Here is something that is a brighter picture than Persia or Greece or Rome. Here are some promises that wax not only exceeding great, but they are precious. Precious means something valuable, something important, something that brings wealth to those who possess what is precious. We don’t find precious stones in the gutter or usually out in the brook or creek. Precious stones are rare. Thank God, in the Bible, we have a treasury of precious promises.

Notice what these things will do for us: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” To be a partaker means to take part. Partaker: take part. When we come to the communion table, each one receiving of the bread and the wine, we are partakers of the Lord’s table. We are partakers of His life, ministered to us through those emblems. That same precious life is ministered to us through His Holy word, through these exceeding great and precious promises. Oh, thank God we don’t have to be malnourished.

We become like that which we feed upon. If we eat heavenly food we will become heavenly minded. As the body is built up from what we put in the stomach, the mind, the character is built up from what we put into our thoughts through what we read and listen to. Oh, I’m glad that God has made it plain how we can be built up. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

How does the world look to you anyway? Does it look like a place to escape from? If you have gotten out of the world, thank God you’ve escaped. The man who knows that does not look upon himself as a captive in jail but he looks upon himself as a ransomed captive out of jail because he has escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Paul says, “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret” (Ephesians 5:12). There is too much parading before the saints the sins of this wicked Sodom world. Those things do not help us. There “are given to us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” [Emphasis added.] Can a person who has been deep down in the mire, the filth, the mess of this cesspool of a world be lifted up and ransomed? Can he be saved? Can he be delivered? Can he escape? Oh, yes. Thank God, friends. That is the glorious news of the gospel.

“We have heard the joyful sound, Jesus saves, Jesus saves;

Spread the tidings all around, Jesus saves, Jesus saves;

Bear the news to every land, Climb the steeps and cross the waves,

Onward, ‘tis our Lord’s command, Jesus saves, Jesus saves.”

Priscilla J. Owens, 1882.

What is it that He saves from? It is sin and all the results of sin. Those who let Jesus in their hearts and receive these exceeding great and precious promises become partakers of His nature and escape the corruption that is in the world. We need to study more and more how to appropriate these promises, how to use them to get the benefit from them, because unless we do that, they are simply words here on the page.

Notice how God wants us to use His promises. Jesus, speaking in Mark 11:24, says, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Now this believing that we receive what we ask for is akin to signing our name on a check. This is the appropriation of the promise. For example, God says, in Philippians 4:19, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

So far that is just a promise in the book. I can carry that around in my pocket printed on a card but it is still just a promise printed. But suppose I run into a situation where I need something, not just material things, but I need help to win the victory over a temptation. We all need deliverance from temptation at times. Well, my need is to get help and here is a promise, “My God shall supply all your need.” I can present that promise to Jesus.

But notice, it isn’t enough to present the promise. “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” That is what it means to sign your name. It means to present the promise to Jesus and say, Lord, I not only want your promise fulfilled but I am accepting it and I believe Your word that it is being fulfilled. I believe it because God says so and He cannot lie. He cannot fail. The bank of heaven, no matter how many checks are presented, no matter how many times there’s a run on the bank, it never runs dry and has plenty for every need “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The assets of some banks amount to billions and billions of dollars, but the capital of the bank of Heaven is infinite. Therefore there is no limit. However, in order to receive the benefit of these promises, I must bring them to God, and ask Him to fulfill them, meet the conditions, and claim the answer. “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

In the light of these verses, notice three great facts concerning our Lord. The first is brought to us in Isaiah 40:11. Speaking of Jesus, “He shall feed His flock like a shepherd.” As the shepherd feeds his flock, so my Lord feeds me. Sheep graze and are fed every day. And my soul must be fed every day. God loves to feed those who come and let Him give them nourishment. Jesus said, “I am the Bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger” (John 6:35).

Day by day we eat. God sought to teach Israel this lesson by feeding them manna from heaven for 40 years in the desert. Manna from heaven. What food is to the body, God’s promises are to the soul. It is God Who feeds me day by day.

Revelation 7 gives a view of the heavenly land soon to be our eternal home. Here the One Who has fed us day by day on earth will continue to bring us sustenance and nourishment. “For the Lamb Which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them” (verse 17). Jesus Himself is going to feed us in heaven. The prophet wrote: “And I saw a table of pure silver; it was many miles in length, yet our eyes could extend over it. …” Jesus said, “Come, My people, you have come out of great tribulation, and done My will; suffered for Me; come in to supper, for I will gird Myself, and serve you.” Early Writings, 19.

Won’t it be wonderful to have Christ Himself come to the table where you are sitting and put His hand on your shoulder? You look up into His dear face and He says, “What would you like?” Jesus, interested in what you would like to eat? Oh, yes. And you might say, What’s on the menu? Well, we do not know everything that is going to be there, but we do know some of the things. There will be some grapes because He said I will not be eating those until you get here (Matthew 26:29). There will be figs and almonds and manna. I think I’ll ask Him to bring me some manna. Wouldn’t you like to taste some? There will be no shortage. The Lamb shall feed them. But those who eat with Him there will first eat with Him here. Those who sit down at supper with Him there will let Him sit down to sup with them here. That communion and fellowship is to begin here in this life. Those whom God feeds day by day here He will feed there for evermore.

There is something else in verse 17 to notice. Not only will He feed us but He will lead us. “The Lamb Which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them.” He is not only the One Who gives us nourishment, He is the One Who gives us guidance. Will we need it up there? Apparently. Do we need it here? Oh, yes. I suppose we would probably say we need it even more now. There won’t be any way to get lost up there like there is here. There will not be any devil to divert or distract or deceive us up there like there is here. So, if we appreciate the promise that He will lead us in the future, how doubly precious is His promise to lead us now. Compare this with Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” He leads me in the green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He leads me in the paths of righteousness. So feeding and leading, He meets my needs. What a shepherd! And how happy He is for those who follow where He leads, for a leader cannot accomplish much unless there is somebody to lead.

Psalm 25:9 says He will guide the meek, the humble, and those who want help. “The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way.” Over in the third chapter of Proverbs we have a most wonderful promise of guidance. Remember it is by these exceeding great and precious promises that we become partakers of the divine nature and here we see some of these rich ones. There are conditions to every promise. Sometimes they are clearly stated and sometimes they are implied, but they are always conditional, allowing the opportunity to decide whether we choose to have them fulfilled to us. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). What is the promise? He shall direct thy paths. What is the condition? Acknowledging Him. What does that mean? It means look to Him for His direction. Stop and listen before you take this step. “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21). But if we rush on, we will not get the guidance.

Often when we are going for a walk with a dog, it will run ahead and veer off onto a trail which is not the one that we are taking. Pretty soon after finding itself alone, it comes running back and catches up again. Some people are like that with the Lord. Before deciding what turn of the road to take, we are admonished to acknowledge Him. Say, “Lord, which way are You going? I want to go with You.” If in all our ways we acknowledge Him, He will direct our paths. But suppose a person says, I already know which way I want to go. Well, then, I may be like the dog; I may find myself all alone, for God has gone along another road. But oh how patiently He waits, how longingly He lingers sometimes, hoping that we will retrace our steps and let Him lead.

Proverbs 4:11: “I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.” Can you say that? Is that what God has done for you? Praise His wonderful name. Now we have already noted that promise in Revelation 7:17 where the Lamb that feeds us will lead us. And in Revelation 14:4 the counterpart of that is the picture of the redeemed: “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” The redeemed will follow Him out through the trackless fields of space, suns, and stars, through Orion and on to the throne of God. We are going to continually follow Him from world to world, but those who follow Him there will first have followed Him here.

There is a third fact to share here which is the most precious promise of all. God feeds me; God leads me; God needs me. In The Signs of the Times of April 22, 1903, the inspired messenger wrote: “We were brought into existence because we were needed.” Are you needed? Oh, somebody says, I think things would be just as well, maybe a little better, if I weren’t around. And if you say that or even think it down in your heart, it shows that you are hungry. The greatest need in the human heart is to be needed. My friend, you are needed. And the reason that God put a longing in your heart to be needed is so that you could understand how He feels about you. You not only need Him, He needs you. He needs you to be His friend, to share with Him the joy of companionship. We were brought into existence because we were needed.

Jesus told a wonderful story to help us to understand just how important we are to Him. “He spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Luke 15:3–7).

How many sheep were lost? One—the least that can be numbered. What is Jesus seeking to tell us? That one soul that is lost is more precious to Him than all the world beside, that Christ will leave the ninety and nine that went not astray and He will come after one. That’s this world; that’s you; that’s me.

“It was not thought of any gold that hundredth sheep might bring

That sent the keeper of the fold back into weariness and cold when home was beckoning.

It was His love that could not think of that poor willful one unmindful by the canyon’s brink

Or in despair about to sink with strength and courage gone.

It was not any grace of mine that drew my Lord to me;

In heaven spotless angels shine that vie to do His will divine and here was Calvary.

It was His love that could not bear to think of my distress;

He knew the pride of life would wear away and leave me bleating there in utter wretchedness.

Oh if He had not come for me, forever I would roam, alone and lost in misery,

But up and over Calvary the shepherd bears me home.

Why – He needed me; He wanted me; He couldn’t bear to live without me.

I’m not just a sheep, a shepherd loves his sheep, but I’m a man, a human being formed in God’s image.” Author unknown.

Friends, may I say it very simply — He cannot live without me. He would rather die to get me than live without me. That is love, isn’t it? He needs me. The simple message for each of us is this: God feeds me; God leads me; God needs me—here and now and through eternity.

“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Do you need food? Physical, spiritual? He will supply it. Do you need wisdom? “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally” (James 1:5). He will supply it. And do you need to be needed? Oh indeed, and that need He will supply. He needs you. He comes close to assure you of His love, His desire for your love. He says to each one, “My son, [my daughter], give me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26). Thank God, friends, we can give Him something He needs – our choice, our decision, our response to all He has done for us. Would you like to send Him the word, “Yes, Lord, I will meet Your need”?

“With Christ we shall walk beside the living waters. He will unfold to us the beauty and glory of nature. He will reveal to us what He is to us and what we are to Him.” The Adventist Home, 547. What will it be like to have Jesus take me on a special walk down by the river of life? I look up and see that golden fruit hanging from those lovely boughs. I walk with Him and He begins to explain to me things that I never understood in this life. He begins to show me the things in nature and explain to me. But oh, something more wonderful than that. This says He’s going to tell me what He means to me and what I mean to Him. I must not miss it, not just for my sake, but for His sake.

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