Issue: 2023 April

Story – Little Scotch Granite

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Burt and Johnny Lee were delighted when their Scottish cousin Willie came to live with them. He was as far along in his studies as they were; and the first day he went to school, they thought him a very good student. He wasted no time in play when he should have been studying, and he recited well.

At night, just before the close of school, the teacher called a roll, and the boys began to answer, “Ten.” When Willie understood that he was to say “ten” if he had not whispered during the day, he replied, “I have whispered.”

“More than once?” asked the teacher.

“Yes, sir,” answered Willie.

“As many as ten times?”

“Maybe I have,” he said slowly.

“Then I shall mark you ‘zero,’ ” said the teacher sternly, “and that is a very great disgrace.”

“Why, I did not see you whisper once,” said Johnny that night after school.

“Well, I did,” said Willie, “I saw others doing it, and so I asked to borrow a book; then I lent a slate pencil, and asked a boy for a knife, and did several such things. I supposed it was allowed.”

“Oh, we all do that,” said Burt, reddening. “There isn’t any sense in the old rule, and nobody could keep it. Nobody does.”

“I will, or else I will say I haven’t,” said Willie. “Do you suppose I would tell ten lies in one heap?”

“Oh, we don’t call them lies,” muttered Johnny.

“There wouldn’t be a credit among us at night if we were so strict.”

“What of that, if you told the truth?” laughed Willie bravely.

In a short time, the boys all saw how it was with this truthful little Scottish boy. He studied hard, played with all his might in playtime, but from his own account he lost more credits than any of the rest.

After some weeks, the other boys answered nine and eight oftener than they used to. Yet the schoolroom seemed to have grown much more quiet. Sometimes, when Willie Grant’s mark was even lower than usual, the teacher would smile, but said no more of “disgrace.”

Willie never preached at the boys or told tales. But somehow it made the boys ashamed of themselves, just seeing that this sturdy, blue-eyed Scottish boy must tell the truth. They felt like cheats and “storytellers.” They talked about him among themselves and loved him, if they did nickname him “Scotch Granite,” because he was so firm about a promise.

At the end of the term, Willie’s name was very low down in the credit list. When it was read, he had hard work not to cry, for he had tried hard to be perfect.

The very last thing that day was a speech by the teacher.

“I want to give a little gold medal to the most faithful boy, the one really the most conscientiously perfect in his deportment,” he said. “Who shall have it?”

“Little Scotch Granite!” shouted forty boys at once. For the child whose name was so low on the credit list had made truth noble in their eyes.

Is every boy in your school a “Scotch Granite”?

Balloons, Selections from the True Education Series, ©1930, 53–55

The Light of the World

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“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14–16

Jesus is to be reflected in the Christian’s deportment; our characters must be beautiful with the graces of heaven. The presence of God is to be an abiding presence with us; wherever we are, we are to carry light to the world. Those around us should realize that the atmosphere of heaven surrounds us.

But many say, “How can I help sinning? I have tried to overcome, but I do not make advancement.” In your own strength you will fail, but help has been laid upon One who is mighty. In His strength you may be more than conqueror. Say, “Through the grace of God I will be an overcomer.” Put your will on the side of God’s will, and with your eye fixed upon Him who is the author and finisher of your faith, you may make straight paths for your feet. When you are tempted, say, “Jesus is my Saviour, I love Him because He first loved me.” Show that you trust Him. As you walk the streets, as you work about your house, you can communicate with your Lord; lay hold upon Him by living faith, and believe His word to the letter.

Now suppose you put away all murmuring and complaining, and look to the light. Let us try it, and see what kind of a life we shall have. When Satan suggests doubt and darkness, say, “I will be free, I am free,” and when Satan tells you that you are a sinner, tell him, “I know it; but Jesus said, ‘I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’ ” Ask God to help you to place your thoughts upon Jesus, and Satan cannot control your mind. Put away all commonness; determine that through Jesus you will elevate your soul above all that is low and earthly, and become lights to the world. Let your words be as choice silver, your conversation full of hope and courage in the Lord, and wherever you are those around you will realize that a precious influence goes with you. The light and love and power of God will rest upon you.

Through the mercy of God we have been taken out of the quarry of the world by the mighty cleaver of truth, and we are to be hewn and polished, and fitted for the heavenly building. … As pilgrims we have been brought into the highway cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in; and we should go in this way with rejoicing, instead of with complaining. This privilege has been bought for us at an infinite cost, and we ought to manifest our joy and gratitude that we are permitted to be numbered among the children of God. Should we walk from day to day with rejoicing and gladness of heart, showing forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light, what effect should we have upon the minds of those around us? They would say, “Certainly they have been with Jesus, and have learned of Him.”

Our lives will not be all sunshine; there will be trials. “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” says Christ; but in Me ye shall have peace. But the trials are for a purpose. Pride, selfishness, evil passions, and love of worldly pleasures, must all be overcome; therefore afflictions come to test and prove us, and show that these evils exist in the character. We must overcome them through divine strength and grace, that we may become like Jesus, our perfect pattern. Afflictions, crosses, temptations, adversity—all our varied trials—are God’s workmen to refine and sanctify us, and make us channels of light to the world. And “our light affliction,” says Paul, “which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

Trials are also God’s appointed means to separate the chaff from the wheat. Satan never sleeps. He is watching to lead souls away from Christ. He suggests worldly principles. The “good seed” is choked in many hearts, because it is overgrown with unnecessary cares and needless anxiety—with love for the worldly pleasures and honors that riches give. Meetings are neglected; the heart is not strengthened by these religious privileges, because time and energy are absorbed in money-getting. In other cases there is no depth and stability of character. Principle does not reach down deep, underlying the springs of action. When such persons are tested and proved by the heat of trial and temptation, when the pruning knife of God is applied, that they may bring forth fruit unto perfection, their zeal dies, their piety withers.

The sincere believers of truth are often made sad, and their trials greatly increased, by elements among them that annoy and dishearten them in their efforts. But there is no need of doubts and fears that the work of God will not succeed. God is at the head of the work, and He will set everything in order. Let us have faith that He is going to carry the noble ship which bears His people, safely into port. … When you think that the work of God is in danger, pray, “Lord, stand at the wheel; carry us through this perplexity; bring us safely into port.” Have we not reason to believe that the Lord will bring us through triumphantly?

With each one it is an individual work. You are to commit the keeping of your soul unto God as unto a faithful Creator. When you do this, you will know something of the love of God; for it will abound in your heart unto His glory. When you come together for the worship of God, the meetings will be uplifting in character; for the Lord will put a new song into your mouth, even praise unto our God. You will say, “Hear what the Lord has done for my soul.” Your soul will be all light in the Lord. Perhaps you have been looking on the dark side of the picture. Now, turn to the other side. Turn the dark side to the wall, and look on the beautiful pictures of the love of God. Educate your tongue to talk of God’s mercy, and speak forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. Let us answer to the purpose of God, and be indeed the “light of the world.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, July 15, 1892

The Divinely Prescribed Diet after Sin

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After God created Adam and Eve, He said, “ ‘I have given you every herb yielding seed … and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food.’ [Genesis 1:29.]” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 81. But when they sinned and were banished from the garden of Eden, the Lord altered their diet making a specific addition: “you shall eat the herb of the field.” Genesis 3:18.

The word translated herb is identified as word number 6212 in the Hebrew-English lexicon contained in Strong’s Concordance of the Scriptures. If you have the New Englishman’s Concordance of the Old Testament by Wigram, you will see that this word is used about 33 times in the Old Testament and one of its most common translations is “grass.” The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon by Davidson gives the following translations of this word: “green herb,” and plural, “herb,” and “vegetables.” This same word is translated “green herb” in Genesis 1:30.

The definition of herb is a plant that has a fleshy stem as distinguished from the woody stem of shrubs and trees. Herbs generally die back at the end of the growing season.

An herb then is a green vegetable; and after sin man was given green vegetables—herbs—as part of his diet from then on. Adam and Eve had not been in the habit of eating grasses or green herbs in the garden of Eden; before sin entered the world, herbs were only animal food.

This divine instruction to man has never been rescinded. Therefore, green vegetables, or herbs, such as spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens, collards, alfalfa, dandelion, parsley, lamb’s quarter, kelp, watercress, celery, and many more are to be part of the diet of all who fear God. If the human race had always been careful to observe this divine instruction, great suffering would have been prevented down through the ages, but that is beyond the scope of this study.

In 1960, H. E. Kirschner, M.D., published a book entitled Nature’s Healing Grasses. The book was published by Herbert C. White Publications, and by 1980 had gone through 16 printings. Herbert White was one of Ellen White’s grandsons.

In 1936, N.W. Walker, D. Sci. published a book entitled Raw Vegetable Juices. In the expanded version of this book, published in 1970, there are over 70 vegetable juice formulas with instructions of how these formulas may be used to help treat various disease conditions.

These green foods will probably cease to be a part of the saints’ diet during the time of trouble because then their diet is going to be restricted to only bread and water (see Isaiah 33), but until then if we want to be in harmony with all of the divine instructions about how to live, these foods need to be a part of our daily diet.

A vegetable is defined as the edible part of a plant such as the root, the stem, the leaves and/or the flower. A fruit on the other hand is defined as the ripened ovary or ovaries of a seed-bearing plant together with the surrounding flesh in which the seed or seeds are usually contained.

Human beings evidently like sugar from birth and we can obtain and refine sugar from both fruits and vegetables or herbs. Vegetables that are concentrated sources of sugar include, beets, especially sugar beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, and yams. Fruits as a general class of food are high in sugar, but some fruits are much higher in sugar than others, including pineapple, dates, figs, grapes, pears, bananas, and several other tropical fruits.

Adding a little more sugar to your fruit would not be a problem if you are not a diabetic, and some raw fruits (raspberries come to mind) are better enjoyed by most people if a little sugar is added. But even though some vegetables contain significant amounts of sugar, adding more sugar to vegetables often results in indigestion. Mrs. White makes the following statement on this subject: “It is not well to eat fruit and vegetables at the same meal. If the digestion is feeble, the use of both will often cause distress and inability to put forth mental effort. It is better to have the fruit at one meal and the vegetables at another.” The Ministry of Healing, 299, 300

Notice several details about this statement:

  1. The subject is not given as a command. For example, it is not well to eat butter, either, but God’s people are not commanded not to eat butter.
  2. So this is counsel, but not a command, and this counsel is given especially for a certain subset of the general population—those who have weak digestion (dyspeptics).
  3. And because of the possibility of suffering indigestion as a result of consuming fruits and vegetables at the same meal, it is better for those individuals to eat fruit at one meal and vegetables at another.

Unfortunately, very few statements found in Inspiration concerning diet have caused as many questions to be directed at medical missionary workers as this simple statement with very rational counsel. Since questions about the counsel in the above statement have been asked to me in front of college educators with General Conference personnel present, I am acquainted with the unfortunate controversies that develop over this question and I want to explain a few further points on this subject.

  • The counsel in the above statement was intended as a general statement about fruits and vegetables and was not intended to be all inclusive to include all fruits and all vegetables. A general statement cannot be taken and interpreted literally to all varieties of food. I will explain this in a moment.
  • Since this statement was written especially for those with weak digestion, if you know that you have strong digestion, there certainly is nothing wrong with eating a piece of fruit at the end of a vegetable meal or eating a stalk of celery with your apple as some people like to do.
  • Since the statement is a general statement stating a general rule, we need to understand that there are exceptions to this statement (this general rule) where it does not apply. I will begin to list some exceptions now.

I myself listened to a report by Alma McGibbon who was one of Ellen White’s close associates during her later years, who stated that Ellen White ate cooked greens daily during that period of her life and she did not eat these cooked greens with just salt. She added some lemon juice. This of course is mixing fruits and vegetables. Was Ellen White a hypocrite, not following her own counsel since she had very weak digestion in her later years? No, this is an exception to the rule. In fact, it is two exceptions to the rule. First of all, greens, either cooked or raw, do not cause as much problems with indigestion as most other vegetables—such as potatoes or beets—if fruit is eaten at the same meal. But more importantly lemon juice does not contain sugar, and partly for this reason, lemons can be used freely with any vegetable meal. Secondly, lemons can be used at a vegetable meal because they are high in acid content. Consequently, we could easily formulate another general rule: if a fruit has a high acid and low sugar content, it may be freely used with vegetables. There may be some dyspeptics whose digestions are so feeble that this general rule would not apply, but if your digestion is that feeble, you are either very near death’s door or you should be seeing a physician who specializes in disorders of the digestive system.

Are there other fruits that are high in acid and low in sugar content that can be eaten with vegetables? Yes. Tomatoes should immediately come to mind. Some people have thought that they could not eat tomatoes with their tossed green salad, but such a restriction is not really necessary. If you want to have a tomato and lettuce sandwich, that is not a violation of the counsel any more than adding lemon juice to a salad or cooked greens.

Other questions soon surface such as this one: What if the fruit is high in acid content, but it also contains some sugar, such as oranges? This becomes a guessing game, and if you are a person with weak digestion it is safer to stick with high acid fruits that are low in sugar, but to be honest I have to say that so far I have never met a person who can eat Harvard beets (prepared with lemon juice) who could not eat Yale beets (prepared with orange juice).

What about the fruits which do not have much sugar content, but are not high in acid content? This is definitely a gray area where any person who is not sure that he has a strong digestion should avoid. There are many people who say that they cannot eat cucumbers. Every time a person has told me this I have asked them to try eating part of a cucumber at a meal not containing any vegetables or vegetable derivatives (example—potato flour). So far every person who thought they could not eat cucumbers found that they could eat them just fine. Foods in the melon family cannot be eaten with any other kinds of fruits or vegetables by people with very weak digestion, so you might want to try eating part of a cucumber with no other fruit or vegetable in the meal and see what happens—you probably will be able to eat as much cucumber as you please under those conditions.

Some of the other fruits that are low in sugar that most people can eat with vegetables would include most kinds of squash, green beans, peppers, (however, sweet peppers and potatoes give some people severe indigestion), and eggplant.

If you are troubled with any kind of indigestion problem, it is wise to ask yourself the question: Have I eaten some combination of foods that it would be wiser for me not to eat together at the same meal? Even if you are not combining fruits and vegetables, if the variety of food at one meal is too great, indigestion will result. “There should not be a great variety at any one meal, for this encourages overeating and causes indigestion.” Ibid.

There is still one other general exception to the counsel not to eat fruits and vegetables at the same meal. Mrs. White stated this herself: “Olives may be so prepared as to be eaten with good results at every meal.” Testimonies, Vol. 7, 134. Olives are a fruit, high in fat and low in sugar and acidic content, but they may be eaten with good results at every meal including vegetable meals.

Another fruit that is high in fat and low in sugar and acidic content is the popular avocado. Avocados, just like olives, can be eaten as part of a fruit meal or a vegetable meal “with good results.”

A most important fact to remember is that fruits and vegetables eaten at the same meal are not the only cause of indigestion, but that the same result can be brought about just as readily by any of the points in the table above.

For a more complete discussion of the problem of indigestion see the book Abundant Health by Julius Gilbert White, pages 85–99; or Natural Remedies Encyclopedia, sixth edition, by Vance Ferrell and Harold M. Cherne M.D., pages 348–350

Causes of Indigestion

1

 Eating too fast

2

 Overeating

3

 Meals not spaced far enough apart (less than five hours)

4

 Eating between meals

5

 Eating late at night

6

 Eating when tired

7

 Unhealthy state of mind or negative mental attitudes, such as depression

8

 Eating unwholesome food such as unripe fruit or spoiled food, or fresh leavened bread, or bread not thoroughly baked, or rich, complicated mixtures of foods, especially combinations of milk and sugar, or simply too much sugar, or too much liquid with meals, and either too much liquid food or too much drinking with meals

9

 Use of tea, coffee, cocoa, and soft drinks

10

 Use of aluminum  utensils for cooking or eating

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Our Perfect Example

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“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

1 Peter 2:21–24

Here Peter says that Christ has left us an example for what we are to do and say. Verse 22 says that He “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.” I would like to share with you some gems from the Spirit of Prophecy that I found as I studied the words sinless and sinlessness.

Now what does it actually mean to be my “example”? If I cut some lumber with a power tool, and then I give my nine-year-old daughter Hannah a handsaw and ask her to do what I just did, can I expect her to do her part just as well and as quickly as I did mine? Is she fully equipped to follow my example? Hannah is much smaller and weaker, not to mention less experienced. Even if we both had the same tools, it would take her longer to do the job. I have such an advantage that it is ridiculous for me to require her to follow my example.

We read from 1 Peter 2 that Christ left us an example, that we should follow in His steps. It would be unfair and cruel to us if we were expected to follow Christ’s example without the tools that He had at His disposal. Thankfully, we may be assured that His example is not out of our reach if we will fully surrender to Him and take advantage of the heavenly grace He has offered to us.

“As one of us, He was to give an example of obedience. For this He took upon Himself our nature, and passed through our experiences. ‘In all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren.’ Hebrews 2:17. If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us. Therefore Jesus was ‘in all points tempted like as we are.’ Hebrews 4:15. He endured every trial to which we are subject. And He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As man, He met temptation, and overcame in the strength given Him from God. …

“By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by His divinity, He lays hold upon the throne of God. As the Son of man, He gave us an example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey.” The Desire of Ages, 24

“Jesus revealed no qualities, and exercised no powers, that men may not have through faith in Him. His perfect humanity is that which all His followers may possess, if they will be in subjection to God as He was.” Ibid., 664

A Sinless Example

What kind of example did Jesus give us? He lived a sinless life, showing that God’s law—all of it—could be perfectly kept, demonstrating that a sinless character could be developed in man.

“He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life.” Ibid., 49

Some have suggested that Jesus’ example is something that I should be striving to follow, but I cannot actually live a sinless life—one of perfect obedience. I will always be relying upon Christ’s covering robe of righteousness to make up for my own deficiencies. But is this what Inspiration teaches?

“Christ has left us a perfect, sinless example. His followers are to walk in His footsteps. If they are not transformed in character, they can never dwell with Him in His kingdom. Christ died to elevate and ennoble them, and those who retain hereditary tendencies to wrong cannot dwell with Him. He suffered all that it is possible for human flesh to suffer and endure, that we might pass triumphantly through all the temptations Satan may invent to destroy our faith.” Sons and Daughters of God, 294

Truly this is a matter of salvation. Christ’s atonement offers justification to the repentant sinner for his past sins and is vital for our salvation; but it is just as vital that we take the next step of complete transformation and submission to God’s revealed will. Those who neglect this latter step “can never dwell with Him.”

“Christ has made every provision for the sanctification of His church. He has made abundant provision for every soul to have such grace and strength that he will be more than a conqueror in the warfare against sin. The Saviour is wounded afresh and put to open shame when His people pay no heed to His word. He came to this world and lived a sinless life, that in His power His people might also live lives of sinlessness. He desires them by practicing the principles of truth to show to the world that God’s grace has power to sanctify the heart.” The Review and Herald, April 1, 1902

“Everyone who believes on Christ, everyone who relies on the keeping power of a risen Saviour that has suffered the penalty pronounced upon the transgressor, everyone who resists temptation and in the midst of evil copies the pattern given in the Christ life, will through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ become a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Everyone who by faith obeys God’s commandments will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression.” In Heavenly Places, 146

Please notice, we are called to “the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression.” Heaven requires that you and I reflect the character of the pre-fall Adam while we still have the sinful flesh of the post-fall Adam—and God has made every provision necessary to make it possible.

It Is the Thought that Counts!

Jesus showed the result of continually keeping the thoughts and feelings pure and elevated. While He had to rely upon His heavenly Father for strength to resist temptations just as we do, He did not have the same desire for sin that exists in the unconverted heart; instead, He recoiled from sin.

“Our Saviour identifies Himself with our needs and weaknesses, in that He became a suppliant, a nightly petitioner, seeking from His Father fresh supplies of strength, to come forth invigorated and refreshed, braced for duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. As the sinless One, His nature recoiled from evil. He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin.” Testimonies, Vol. 2, 201, 202

God has called us to reflect the character of Christ, “to be conformed to the image of His Son.” Romans 8:29

“Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 69

What does it mean to reflect the character of Jesus? It means that the principles of the ten commandments—God’s law of love—are written upon the heart and will be reflected in our words and actions. It means that when faced with temptation we will recoil from evil. It means we will be disgusted at any thought of sin, and temptation will lose its power over us.

There was a time when I focused almost all my attention on my outward actions, trying my best to make sure that I was perfectly obedient, while inside I still cherished sinful thoughts. At times, I lost my temper and then apologized, but I would still tell myself that I was justified, that the other party was in the wrong. This mixture of success and failure, victory and defeat, was a confusing witness for the Lord:

“A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well.” Proverbs 25:26

“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” James, 3:10, 11

Solomon said, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23

I had not fully realized that the key to a truly victorious experience has everything to do with the mind and heart—how we think and feel.

Christ said to the Pharisees, “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” Matthew 12:34, 35

“Through Christ you may and should be happy and should acquire habits of self-control. Even your thoughts must be brought into subjection to the will of God and your feelings under the control of reason and religion. Your imagination was not given you to be allowed to run riot and have its own way without any effort at restraint and discipline. If the thoughts are wrong, the feelings will be wrong, and the thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character. When you decide that as Christians you are not required to restrain your thoughts and feelings, you are brought under the influence of evil angels and invite their presence and their control. If you yield to your impressions and allow your thoughts to run in a channel of suspicion, doubt, and repining you will be among the most unhappy of mortals, and your lives will prove a failure.” Testimonies, Vol. 5, 310

If we desire to reflect Christ’s character, we need to give proper attention to thinking and feeling as Christ thought and felt. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5

“As God works upon the heart by His Holy Spirit, man must cooperate with Him. The thoughts must be bound about, restricted, withdrawn from branching out and contemplating things that will only weaken and defile the soul. The thoughts must be pure, the meditations of the heart must be clean, if the words of the mouth are to be words acceptable to heaven and helpful to your associates.” Mind, Character, and Personality, Vol. 2, 657

“Gird up the loins of your mind, says the apostle; then control your thoughts, not allowing them to have full scope. The thoughts may be guarded and controlled by your own determined efforts. Think right thoughts, and you will perform right actions. You have, then, to guard the affections, not letting them go out and fasten upon improper objects. Jesus has purchased you with His own life; you belong to Him; therefore He is to be consulted in all things, as to how the powers of your mind and the affections of your heart shall be employed.” The Adventist Home, 54

When I began to see that victory over temptation begins with right thoughts, then I started experiencing victory over my besetting sins.

“You may think that there can be no sin in permitting your thoughts to run as they naturally would without restraint. But this is not so. You are responsible to God for the indulgence of vain thoughts; for from vain imaginations arises the committal of sins, the actual doing of those things upon which the mind has dwelt. Govern your thoughts, and it will then be much easier to govern your actions. Your thoughts need to be sanctified. Paul writes to the Corinthians: ‘Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ When you come into this position, the work of consecration will be better understood by you both. Your thoughts will be pure, chaste, and elevated; your actions pure and sinless.” Testimonies, Vol. 3, 82, 83

Did you catch that? If we keep our thoughts in submission to Christ, the result will be that our actions will be pure and sinless. If you are frustrated by a “yo-yo” experience of victory and defeat, then lay the axe at the root of the tree (Matthew 3:10), rather than trying to pick off the ugly fruit. Focus on your thoughts.

“There is earnest work before each one of us. Right thoughts, pure and holy purposes, do not come to us naturally. We shall have to strive for them.” Mind, Character, and Personality, Vol. 2, 656

How to Control the Thoughts

There are two simple principles that help me to control my thoughts:

  1. “You are what you eat”

Your life will show what your mind is feeding on. Therefore, dedicate time for study and prayer at the beginning and end of the day. Don’t let anyone or anything take away that time. In addition to feeding on God’s word, you must also refrain from feeding the mind on sinful and worldly things. Resist the enemy’s temptation to make you believe you won’t be affected by watching that movie, reading that book, spending time on the Internet and social media, or listening to that music. Be always on guard, for Satan is looking for us to just crack the door open, and then he will be inside before we realize it.

  1. The Replacement Principle

When you are tempted to think wrong thoughts, send up a quick prayer to God for help. Then don’t just try to stop those thoughts; focus your mind on something better. Memorize scripture; sing songs; converse with God in prayer—out loud if no one is nearby. Let your imagination picture the scenes that you have studied in the Scriptures, particularly the life of Christ and the beauties of the new earth. Use the time to think about ways to work more effectively for the Lord.

As we follow these principles in keeping all of our thoughts in submission to Christ, He will fulfill in us this powerful promise:

“Christ was obedient to every requirement of the law. He said of Himself, ‘I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart.’ Psalm 40:8. When on earth, He said to His disciples, ‘I have kept My Father’s commandments.’ John 15:10. By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312

May this be our experience.

[All emphasis supplied.]

Taken from: Our Firm Foundation, Volume 19, Number 5, May 2004, 8–11

Harvey Steck is a life-time Seventh-day Adventist who has worked in the Lord’s vineyard for many years. He was a book and magazine editor by profession, but subsequently transitioned to Internet work. Yielding to the call for missionary work, He and his wife, Brenda, are currently working to alleviate the needs of the many internally displaced persons on the border between Thailand and Burma as missionaries with the “Border Light” project through development and implementation of several humanitarian and Gospel projects.

Remember Lot’s Wife

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There are a few verses in the Bible that consist of fewer than five words:

Jesus wept. John 11:35
Quench not the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Remember Lot’s wife. Luke 17:32

I want to study with you Luke 17:32: “Remember Lot’s wife.”

We find the story of Lot in the book of Genesis, but it is spoken of a number of times throughout the Bible. In the account found in Luke, Jesus was telling His disciples what to expect at the end of time, and He said, “Remember Lot’s wife.”

It is an astonishing thing that the few things in the Bible that God calls upon us to “Remember” are the very things that mankind tends to forget. For instance, the fourth commandment begins with the word “Remember,” yet most of the world today believe this commandment was done away with at the cross, or that the seventh-day Sabbath was just for the Jews, or that it doesn’t really matter what day is kept as the Sabbath, just so long as I worship God on one day.

But God said to remember Lot’s wife, so we should go back to the Old Testament and look at the Biblical account of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to learn why He said it.

Haran, Lot’s father, died, leaving Lot fatherless. Abraham, his uncle, assumed the role of father to him, and when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees and ultimately went to the promised land, Lot was with him.

Early in Lot’s life, he made a choice that proved to be a very serious mistake. Many people make some of the most serious mistakes of their lives when they are young, and the consequences can follow them throughout their life. However, Lot’s mistake didn’t just affect his own life, it also changed the course of world history.

“The wife of Lot was a selfish, irreligious woman, and her influence was exerted to separate her husband from Abraham. But for her, Lot would not have remained in Sodom, deprived of the counsel of the wise, God-fearing patriarch. The influence of his wife and the associations of that wicked city would have led him to apostatize from God had it not been for the faithful instruction he had early received from Abraham. The marriage of Lot and his choice of Sodom for a home were the first links in a chain of events fraught with evil to the world for many generations.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 174

Lot made a poor choice of a marriage partner, but if he had asked the following three questions, he might never have married her.

  1. Is the man or woman I’m planning to marry a proud person?

Marriage to a proud person is a guarantee that you will have trouble in your marriage. Study the book of Proverbs.

  1. Is the man or woman I’m planning to marry a selfish person?

Mrs. White says that Lot’s wife was a selfish woman. No man or woman should ever consider marriage to a person who gives clear evidence of a selfish character. Such an act guarantees sadness in your life, for only an unselfish person can bring happiness to a marriage partner.

  1. Is the man or woman I’m planning to marry an irreligious person?

Mrs. White says that Lot’s wife was not only selfish but also irreligious. This is how the Bible describes an irreligious person:

“If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle their tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” James 1:26

Mrs. White has this to say about the quarrelsome faultfinder: “I feel an intense interest regarding every faultfinder; for I know that a quarrelsome disposition will never find entrance into the city of God. Quarrel with yourself, but with no one else; and then be converted.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 7, 271

Just imagine being married to someone who cannot control their tongue!

“No one who fears God can without danger connect himself with one who fears Him not. ‘Can two walk together, except they be agreed?’ Amos 3:3.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 174

The marriage of Christians with the ungodly is forbidden in the Bible. The Lord’s direction is, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14

Lot made a poor choice and married a proud, selfish, and irreligious woman, but he could not leave her, so he remained faithful to her. (See 1 Corinthians 7.)

Abraham and Lot had large herds of cattle between them, and soon, the Bible tells us, strife rose up. This strife was between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen over the pasture land and watering places for the cattle.

“Contention among God’s people is offensive in His sight.” The Signs of the Times, August 19, 1880

“Charity does not rejoice in evil, revenge does. … Avoid every bitter word, every unkind action. Love as brethren; be kind; be courteous. Do not scandalize the truth by bitter envying and contention for such is the spirit of the world.” Ibid., February 14, 1895

It became apparent that a solution must be found. Having a great deal of land, Abraham pointed out that there was no need for fighting, and offered to Lot the ability to choose where he would like to set up his home. Lot chose the good pasture land with plenty of water that lay closest to Sodom. But was this the only choice Lot could have made, the one the Lord would have wanted for him? I’m sure it wasn’t.

Sadly, pride held sway in Lot’s side of the camp, and he was pleased with the obvious benefits of the land. Sodom was a prosperous city, and living near it helped Lot to continue to prosper. It also pleased Lot’s wife.

Abraham, as Lot’s senior, and, acting as his father, could have disallowed Lot from taking that part of the land. Abraham had every right to make the first choice, and whatever was left would have been Lot’s. Mrs. White distinctly says that Abraham was responsible for Lot’s financial success and prosperity. But Abraham was a gracious person, and even though by right he could have made the first choice, he told Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.” Genesis 13:8. Instead, he gave Lot the first choice, and because he and his wife were proud and selfish, Lot looked around, saw how fine the plain of Jordan was and chose Sodom.

“Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom.” Verse 12

It appears that Lot didn’t at first live in Sodom, but he was very close by and it wasn’t long before he moved his family right into the city. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many children Lot had, though we know he had at least four daughters, but there is no record that he had any sons.

Sodom was filled with wealthy, corrupt, and sexually-perverse people. Homosexuality was an accepted practice with the inhabitants of the city, but as far as we know, none of Lot’s family was involved in those practices.

Homosexuality is not our subject here. However, we need to understand that we can be as guilty as those of Sodom—become like the Sodomite—if we involve ourselves in sexual activities that are contrary to the guidance of the Bible and Inspiration.

Do not Submit Your Body

“Any youth who would submit her body to be handled by a man is in no way fit for the kingdom of heaven. All this vile practice and commonness is what is ruining our youth. …

“These are the very sins which corrupted Sodom. Their evil practices did not come all at once. First one man and woman stupefied themselves by unholy polluted habits. Then as the inhabitants settled in Sodom … [and] continued to multiply, these ministers of sin continued in educating them in their own defiling practices … until Sodom became renowned for its pollutions. ” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 125, 126

We must be vigilant that we do not allow ourselves, particularly the young, to participate in this sodomitish practice of petting and handling one another outside the bonds of marriage, else we cannot enter heaven.

Forsake Uncleanness

Reading again from the Spirit of Prophecy: “Not one particle of sodomitish impurity will escape the wrath of God at the execution of the judgment. Those who do not repent of and forsake all uncleanness will fall with the wicked. …

“Handbills on which indecent pictures are printed are posted up along our streets to allure our eyes and deprave the morals. These presentations are of such a character as to stir up the basest passions of the human heart through corrupt imaginings. These corrupt imaginings are followed by defiling practices like those in which the Sodomites indulged. … Our youth will be defiled, their thoughts degraded, and their souls polluted unless they are barricaded with the truth.” Ibid., 119, 120

Sodom was filled with portrayals of indecent and corrupting activities; and it continues today on billboards, lighted displays, in posters, magazines, movies, and TV shows.

A Stylish Appearance

“Far greater pains should be taken to instruct them so that they shall have beautiful characters and keep the way of the Lord than to have them make a stylish appearance, taking the way of the Sodomites.” Pamphlet 096 – Testimonies on the Case of Elder E. P. Daniels (1890), 16

So what is wrong with a stylish appearance? Too much of what makes up a stylish appearance is designed—intentionally—to awaken sensuality and sexual passions, and if we wear any kind of garment or adornment that arouses sexual passions, we are following the way of the Sodomites.

By Withholding, You are Holier

In the first centuries following Christ’s ascension, the devil introduced the practice of celibacy among the clergy. This practice put forth that if you were celibate, then you were more holy than married people. The practice of celibacy continues within the Catholic church even today. (See History of Sacerdotal Celibacy in the Christian Church by Henry Charles Lea.)

We can never fully imagine how much homosexuality, fornication, adultery, and all other kinds of lewd practices have resulted in the world as a result of this teaching.

Growing up in Sodom

“I have had a sharp pointed testimony for the youth, and I am pained to the heart to see the little modesty and real, good, decent behavior in the young. [There are] young girls so forward as to make advances to young men; so destitute of Christlike humility and elevation of character. The young girls [are] flirting with young men, sitting in meeting and exchanging notes with them at the very time I am presenting a message from God to the people.

“The young women make advances to the young men and get up a flirtation with them. Their forwardness, their common, cheap talk and ways, are offensive to God, and I told them last Sabbath that they were fast becoming like the Sodomites.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 19, 218, 219

Sodom was a place where the young people were flirtatious with each other and spoke common, cheap words.

“Their young men and women think only of how they can get into each other’s society and break down all the barriers of reserve and true decorum. It is a pitiful condition of things. …

“Boys flirting with the girls, and the girls flirting with the boys, seems to be a passion which destroys common sense … and leaves the souls of youth, who might use their talents to the glory of God, as destitute of the Spirit of God as the hills of Gilboa … .

“Unless the moral taste is refined, unless Christ becomes an abiding principle in the soul, but few of the youth will ever see heaven.” Ibid., 219, 220

It is a dangerous thing to grow up in Sodom. Only three people escaped the destruction of Sodom alive; only a few people from the large cities of the world today will escape their Sodom-like influence. We must get out of Sodom. It would be best to physically remove ourselves from Sodom’s influence. It may not be possible at this time, but definitely we must turn our backs from its lifestyle and wicked influences.

“Lot could have preserved his family from many evils had he not made his home in the wicked, polluted city. All that Lot and his family did in Sodom could have been done by them even if they had lived in a place some distance from the city.” Last Day Events, 96

“Enoch walked with God, and yet he did not live in the midst of any city polluted with any kind of violence and wickedness, as did Lot in Sodom.

“He [Enoch] did not make his abode with the wicked.” Maranatha, 184

“Cities and even country towns are becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah, and like the world as it was in the days of Noah. The training of the youth in those days was after the same order as the children are being educated and trained in this age, to love excitement, to glorify themselves, to follow the imagination of their own evil hearts.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 12, 89

“Those who will take their families into the country place them where they have fewer temptations.” The Adventist Home, 143

Leaving Sodom and moving to the country, if you can, is a good idea. But physically leaving a place doesn’t remove it or its attractions from the mind and heart. It isn’t enough to take your body out of Sodom, you have to remove Sodom from your mind and heart as well; and there’s the rub.

With so much electronic media that can reach even isolated places out in the country, you don’t have to be in Sodom to continue enjoying all its pleasures via radio, television, or the Internet. But if it is your desire to truly be free of Sodom, in every way, then you have some work to do, because if you want to get out of Sodom, you must first get Sodom out of your mind.

There is a principle found in God’s law regarding how we relate to our parents. In the fifth commandment, the Lord said, and of course this would apply to children of any age, that we should honor our father and mother.

One of the greatest problems for Sodom was that they had lost all concept of the principle of honor. They had no respect for themselves nor anyone else. If they wanted something, they took it, even if they had no right to it. But the principle of honor is part of the ten commandments. We dishonor God and our fellow man when we fail to obey these commandments. And if we want to be truly rid of Sodom in our minds and hearts, then we must sacrifice everything to honor and obey God’s law, seeking always to do His will, and to honor the lives of all around us. If not, we will never be a part of the kingdom of heaven.

Out of Time

Looking at the last night for Sodom, we see that angels came to town, and Lot being very hospitable, invited them to his home. There he prepared a meal, but before they could retire for the night, the men of the city gathered around the house demanding that Lot should, “Bring them [the angels] out to us that we may know them carnally (have sexual relations with them).” Genesis 19:5

What was Lot’s response? He offered his two virgin daughters to these men in an attempt to keep them from committing homosexual acts with his guests. He obviously was under a lot of pressure, afraid no doubt, that he and everyone in the house might be killed.

Lot thought he was just entertaining two men who had journeyed to Sodom, but he soon discovered that his guests were far from ordinary men. The angels, in response to the demands of the men of Sodom, struck them with blindness. The Bible tells us that the men then wandered around outside unable to find the door until they became weary from the effort.

The angels then told Lot their purpose for visiting Sodom. “For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” Verse 13

Lot went to warn his daughters and their husbands telling them of the mission of the angels and the soon-coming destruction of Sodom. They laughed and called him insane. “Lot returned sorrowfully to his home … .” The Truth About Angels, 76. The angels instructed Lot, his wife, and remaining two daughters to leave Sodom. But Lot hesitated. “Stupified with sorrow, he lingered, loath to depart. But for the angels of God, they would all have perished in the ruin of Sodom. The heavenly messengers took him and his wife and daughters by the hand, and led them out of the city.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 160

Why did Lot delay? We could say because he didn’t want to leave his children who did not want to leave Sodom, and that would be true. But a whole lot of what made Lot who he was at that moment was there in Sodom. He was influential and wealthy. His wife and children were happy there. Lot didn’t just live in Sodom, Sodom lived in him, and a decision to leave meant having to leave Sodom behind in every way. He would have to give up everything, and he would be asking his wife and children to do the same.

The angels had to take Lot and his family from the city by force and, once outside the city, they left them to return to their work of destruction, instructing Lot and his family to flee to the mountains and not to look back. But Lot pleaded that they could go instead to one of the small towns nearby. He had lived in the city for so long he was afraid to be in the mountains, afraid of wild beasts and snakes, and likely, the inhospitable aspect of living in the wild.

Because Lot hesitated and was reluctant to follow the angels’ instructions quickly and to the letter, it cost his wife her life. Because he lingered and was afraid, his wife manifested unbelief and she disobeyed a direct, divine command from the Lord Himself. She looked back toward Sodom; and immediately she became a pillar of salt.

Friend, we are living in a world that has become a second Sodom. Will you get out alive? Will your spouse and children get out alive? The decisions that you make now, each and every day, will determine if you will. It is not enough to get your body out of Sodom; you have to get Sodom out of your mind and heart.

The Great Controversy tells us that when God delivers His people, they will have given up all for Christ. How much? Everything. From a worldly point of view, all the saints are going to be very poor.

You see, when Jesus comes, this will all be burned up—houses, cars, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, businesses—everything. The only thing that the saints will take from this world to the next is their character; a character free of Sodom, “a character formed according to the divine likeness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 332

“Lot had too much of a lingering spirit. Let us not be like him. The same voice that warned Lot to leave Sodom bids us, ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate … and touch not the unclean.’ Those who obey this warning will find a refuge. Let every man be wide awake for himself, and try to save his family. Let him gird himself for the work. God will reveal from point to point what to do next.

“Hear the voice of God through the apostle Paul, ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.’ Lot trod the plain with unwilling and tardy steps. He had so long associated with evil workers that he could not see his peril until his wife stood on the plain a pillar of salt forever.” Country Living, 6, 7

Remember Lot’s wife.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Editorial – Our God is a Consuming Fire

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“Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke, saying: “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy.” ’ ” Leviticus 10:1–3, first part

We are living in a generation that seems not to understand what holiness is. He who is not holy will not see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). An unholy person does not talk or act in harmony with the law of God. But the thoughts, feelings, words, and actions of a holy person are in harmony with the ten commandments, because the law is holy, just, and good. (Romans 7:12.)

One of the chief aspects of holiness is purity. The Bible says concerning God, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.” Habakkuk 1:13

We are told that the glory of God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), and the work of Jesus for His people in the last days is likened to a refiner’s fire (Malachi 3:2). Fire is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was manifested to the apostles as tongues of fire resting on each of the apostles.

“The prophet Isaiah had declared that the Lord would cleanse His people from their iniquities ‘by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.’ The word of the Lord to Israel was, ‘I will turn My hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin.’ Isaiah 4:4; 1:25. … In all who submit to His power, the Spirit of God will consume sin. But if men cling to sin, they become identified with it. Then the glory of God, which destroys sin, must destroy them. …

“Wherever men came before God while willfully cherishing evil, they were destroyed. … The light of the glory of God, which imparts life to the righteous, will slay the wicked.” The Desire of Ages, 107, 108

When the Lord looks upon you does He see that you have been baptized with fire and now are living a holy life?