Issue: 2006 December

Children’s Story – Can You Sleep When the Wind Blows

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Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic Ocean. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.

“Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him.

“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!”

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn; the chickens were in the coops; and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you are prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We, as believers in Christ, secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We may not always understand everything, but we need to hold His hand to have peace in the midst of the storms. I hope you can sleep well!

How Does Christmas Change Your World?

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How does Christmas change your world? Think about that for just a moment. How will your world be different on December 26, January 18, February 12, or March 23 because of Christmas? Will you be happier? Will you have more peace in your life? Will you be a better person? Or will you simply have more things and owe more money and have to work more hours to help eliminate the additional strain that debt puts on your budget? If we are completely honest, this holiday does not really change our world all that much. Even for Christians who believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and the Saviour of the world, Christmas does not change our lives that much.

There are those who ignore any commemoration of December 25, citing its origin as a pagan holiday and reminding everyone that we really do not know when Christ was born. Then there are, in this day and age, the politically correct who pass this time of the year off as a winter holiday season, refusing to acknowledge any religious significance of it, as they fight to have manger scenes removed from public property.

But Ellen White wrote: “Christmas is coming. May you all have wisdom to make it a precious season.” Review and Herald, December 9, 1884.

What We Do

Largely, we celebrate this day as a great American holiday—snow, holly and mistletoe, family and friends gathered around the fireplace remembering what this special day was like when we were kids. The shopping, the parties, and all of the busy activities that we cram into the season are a part of how it goes. But when everything is said and done, the only real change Christmas brings to our world is that it makes us a little bit poorer and a lot more tired; and all of this for an event that God never called us to commemorate.

We are never once asked to remember the birth of Christ. Our celebration of His birth is a purely human endeavor. He commanded us to remember His death, which we do through the act of communion. (See 1 Corinthians 11:25, 26; John 13:4–16.) But He never asked us to celebrate His birth. It is not necessarily a bad thing to remember Christ’s birth, but does it change our lives?

The purpose of the birth of Christ was to bring a change to our world. I do not mean just “the world” in general, but I mean He came to bring a change to each and every one of our personal worlds. Where we carry out life on a day to day basis—our job, our relationships, our families, our spirituality—should all be radically transformed by the remembrance of Christ’s birth; not transformed by our celebration of Christmas, but transformed by the event itself.

Christmas Should Be

When the angel announced the birth of Christ, it said, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:10–14.

The angels tell us that the arrival of Christ in our world, Christmas as we now know it, is to be joyful. It should be something that helps quell our fears, and it should be something that brings us peace. Yet most of us today would not say that this day quells our fears, brings us true joy, or that it truly brings us peace. No, I would guess that most of us would be hard pressed to see just how Christmas changes our world, but it should and it can. Let us explore how Christmas, not just the celebration of a holiday, but the contemplation of Christ’s birth itself will change our world if we will allow it to happen.

Show the Way

At Christmas we celebrate God becoming flesh, becoming a man so that He could free all men from the power and penalty of sin. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 14.

God became a man because He loves us. He became a man so that He could show us the way to salvation.

The story is told of a farmer who, one snowy, wintry evening, just before dark, heard something hit the window in his dining room. He went to investigate and saw a small bird repeatedly flying into the window glass. Farther out in the yard he saw a whole flock of little songbirds. He realized that these were birds migrating south, and they had been caught by the early snowfall. They were cold and scratching through the thin snow in search of food. The one bird had seen the light shining through the window and had tried to get into the house where it was warm.

The farmer had an idea. He had a large barn where the birds would be safe and warm, and there was plenty of hay on the floor so they could find seed. Without hesitating, he put on his coat to go out and open the barn doors. But when he had done so, the birds did not come in. He turned on a light, hoping that would attract them, but to no avail. He sprinkled seed on the ground to make a path for them to follow. They gratefully ate some of the seed, but they would not come close to the barn entrance.

Fearing for their safety, the farmer decided to take more drastic measures. He planned to circle around behind the flock and chase them into the barn. That certainly was unsuccessful! After running himself ragged, he dropped to his knees on the snow, and a thought came to him: “If only I were a bird! I could then tell them about the warm barn and the seed. I could save their lives!”

That is what Christmas is: Jesus becoming one of us so that we can understand God’s plan; Jesus becoming one of us so He can tell us how and where to find safety; Jesus becoming one of us so He can save us.

Genuine Love

Remembering Christ’s birth will change your world by allowing you to experience genuine love. “God is love.” 1 John 4:8, 16. We have all heard that said many, many times. The apostle John wrote those words in his first letter to the believers in the Mediterranean world: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” Verses 7–9.

In Christmas, God becoming man, we get to experience genuine love.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16, 17.

God loves us so much that He gave His Son, not to condemn us but to save us! What an amazing love! So how does knowing about the love that God has for you change your world? It does not! Knowing about God’s love is not enough to change your world. You have to experience that love, but you will never experience the love of God in Christmas unless you truly believe in that love.

Peace with God

The second way that your world may change is through providing you with lasting peace.

Peace is something that all of us need but most of us do not have. Most of us spend a great deal of time and energy pursuing peace, but very little time experiencing it.

Decisions we have made and the actions we have taken in the past often haunt us. Our desire to have better, more fulfilling lives keeps us awake at night. Questions about what could have been or what should have been often plague our minds. We want to be fulfilled and satisfied. We want to be complete, but we lack that completeness and, as a result, we lack peace. Rather than days filled with peace and confidence, we find our days filled with stress and worry. Often that sensation is heightened at Christmas, because we hear all about peace on earth, but we cannot find peace in our own lives.

One of the great things about Christmas is that if we truly accept in faith what God has given us, His Son, then we can experience peace—peace with God. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1.

Jesus, that baby born in a barn and laid to rest in a manger, came to earth so that we could have peace with God. Sin separates us from God. Sin puts us at odds with God, but Jesus came to pay for our sins. He came to bring us forgiveness. His death upon the cross paid the penalty for our sins. Therefore, if we will accept His sacrifice and the forgiveness it provides, we are made right with God. When the relationship between man and God is fixed, we then experience peace with God.

Much of the lack of peace we experience is because we know that we have messed up. We know we have done things that are wrong, and we worry that God cannot love us and will not accept us because of our past.

Now, imagine the peace you can have in knowing that God has no record of your past. Imagine the peace of knowing that God has erased your past sins from His memory book. Imagine the peace of knowing that God is not looking to punish you, but that He is seeking to love you and embrace you.

When you believe the Christmas story—the whole story, not just the part about the baby in the manger, but also the part about that baby growing up and dying on a cross to pay for your sins, the part about that baby-turned-man rising from the grave and defeating sin and death—and accept God’s forgiveness, you will experience peace with God.

Peace with Others

Face it; we often do not live at peace with others. We find that other people have a way of disturbing our peace, and we never stop to consider that we tend to disturb the peace of others. Living at peace with others is hard work, but Christ calls us to do so nonetheless. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” Romans 12:18; 14:19.

So how does Christmas help you to experience peace with others? When you understand what Christmas is all about—God providing a way for you to be at peace with Him—then you can choose to experience peace in your relationships.

If God can forgive you and restore you to a right relationship with Him, after all you have done to violate His trust and love, if you can choose to be at peace with God, then you can choose to be at peace with others. You can learn to forgive them. You can learn to tolerate what it is about them that disturbs you. And when you choose to live at peace with others, you will be less inclined to disturb their peace as well.

Peace with Yourself

One of the great aspects of peace that you get to experience because of Christmas is peace with yourself. In your more honest moments, you probably do not like yourself much. You are too aware of your failings and your sins. But, because of Christ’s birth, you can have peace with yourself. Not because what you have done does not matter, but because you are a new person in Christ. “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 11 Corinthians 5:17. The New Living Translation of this text is especially interesting: “Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!”

You can be at peace with yourself, not because you are such a great guy or terrific gal, but because in Christ you are a new creation. You are not the same old mean, evil, hurtful, self-centered person you once were. In Christ, you are forgiven, and you are a new creation. That does not mean you do not have moments when you fail. But it does mean that, in Christ, those moments become the exception and not the rule. You are growing and becoming more than that which you are today. You can be at peace with yourself because Christ is now working in you and renewing you daily.

Purpose of Life

Christmas changes your world by allowing you to experience genuine love and by providing you with a lasting peace. It also changes your world by giving your life purpose.

Too many people are not living their lives; too many people are just existing. Too many people are moving day to day without any sense of purpose in their lives. This lack of purpose leads to depression and self-destructive behavior. This lack of purpose leads to a sense of hopelessness that is heightened during the holiday season for many people. However, Christmas is about hope and purpose, and rather than feeling defeated and lost during the holidays, you can have a sense of true hope, because Christ’s birth gives purpose to your life.

Christmas brings hope because it drives home the fact that you were made for a purpose. You were made to have fellowship with God. You were created to have a relationship with God, and that relationship is so important to God that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to repair that relationship when it was broken.

Your life has purpose, and your purpose is to love God and to serve your fellow man. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, put it like this: We are to serve with “A heart to God and a hand to man.”

Christmas, the coming of the Christ child, gives our lives purpose. Jesus came, becoming one of us, so that we could fulfill our purpose, that of having a love relationship with God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” “He came unto His own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 2; 11–14.

Jesus, full of grace and truth, came from the Father; He became one of us so that He could pay for our sins and restore the relationship we were created to have with God. His birth, His death, and His resurrection give us purpose in our lives.

Imagine living life every day with a clear sense of purpose—that of knowing God and pleasing Him. Everything else fades away when you make this your focus. You have hope and purpose every day when you understand that in everything, big or small, you can grow to know God more, and you can live to please Him. “If you would secure the grand aim and purpose of life without mistake in your choice or fear of failure, you must make God first and last and best in every plan and work and thought.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 167.

Change Comes By . . .

All of these things—genuine love, peace with God, with others, with yourself, and purpose of life—come to us in the birth of Christ. Through Jesus we have the opportunity to know God; thus we are given hope and purpose.

How does Christmas change your world? It is not through the gifts or the memories made. It is not through the time spent with family. It is not through any of the trappings of the holiday. Christmas, as most people celebrate it, will not change your world. But Christmas, as the birth of Christ, the Son of God made flesh, the birth of Jesus—Immanuel—God with us, can change your world by allowing you to experience genuine love, by providing you with lasting peace, and by giving you a purpose in life. Those are major changes! Allow Christ to be the reason for and the center of your Christmas, and just see what transformation He will bring to your life.

A member of the LandMarks staff, Anna writes from her home which is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Denver, Colorado. 

One Day at a Time, Part I

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God made man to be happy, did He not? He created because He loved mankind. He created everything to make mankind happy.

Sin has come into the world now, which has ruined relationships, health, longevity, peace, and the other things that make for happiness. But God sent His Son to redeem us, and if we are willing, He has promised to save us and to give us that joyous life that Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden.

Desires Fulfilled

Even here, God’s desire is that we might have joy and happiness. I like this passage: “The Lord upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Psalm 145:14–16.

Have you ever fallen? The Bible says that the Lord upholds those who fall, and raises up those who are bowed down. Have you ever felt like you were burdened down with some weight? It may be a misunderstanding. It may be duties that overwhelm you. It may be the lack of friendship or poverty. God’s purpose is to satisfy everyone’s desires completely.

There are those who have developed desires that are not holy, and those desires need to be changed, refined, and purified. God’s purpose is to fulfill every pure and true desire. Often God wants to fulfill as many of those desires as He can right here on earth. However, He will not be able to fulfill some desires until eternity. For example, a person who is born blind may have a great desire to have sight—to see colors, to see people, to see things—something that we take for granted. We wake up each morning and open our eyes, and we go about our day’s activities. Most of us do not bother to thank the Lord for eyesight. It is just something that we have. But many of the individuals who are born blind have a great longing for something that they do not have.

Sometimes God has fulfilled such desires here on earth. Jesus healed the man who had been blind from birth (John 9), and other blind and suffering individuals also received healing (Matthew 15:31; Luke 7:22).

God is the same Healer today, and sometimes He heals people here too, but those longings cannot always be fulfilled here. Paul had an infirmity in the flesh, which seemed to involve his eyesight. He prayed three times for God to heal him, which He could have done, but God saw that it was best for His cause and for Paul’s character development to allow that infirmity to remain. He said instead, “My grace is sufficient for you. It will be fulfilled in its time, but not right now.” Paul had to endure the affliction of the flesh. (11 Corinthians 12:7–9.) But, nevertheless, God is going to answer that prayer. In fact, James 5 tells us that everyone who comes to the Lord for healing, confessing their sins, will be healed. Not all of them will be healed immediately; not all of them will even be healed in this life, but everyone will be healed.

Completely Satisfied

The Bible says that God satisfies the desires of every living thing. Whatever true and holy desires we have, God intends for the desires to be completely fulfilled far beyond anything we can imagine. Whatever we can ask or think, God desires to fulfill it. (See John 14:13, 14; 15:16.) “Higher than the highest human thought can reach is God’s ideal for His children.” Education, 18.

A text that applies to heaven as well as to this life is 1 Corinthians 2:9: “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ ” That is supposed to be realized right here on earth. More than we can think or imagine God desires to give to us, even here. This does not necessarily mean finances—that is the first thing a lot of people think of—but the real things of life, the things that make us happy, joyful, and peaceful; the things that make us truly successful.

God intends for us to be able to develop talents beyond what we can imagine. God intends for us to have success and joy in the real things of life beyond what we could ever hope. And then, in the life beyond, when He comes again, there are things prepared that will satisfy us throughout eternity, things into which we will be growing in more knowledge and joy throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. There will be friendships there that we cannot imagine. There will be activities there that go beyond anything we have ever imagined for enjoyment and pleasure. We will experience real friends, real joy, real activities.

Before we can enjoy the pleasures of God in heaven, we must first learn to enjoy the pleasures of God here. We must first develop a little heaven within our hearts for us to take to heaven and enjoy there. It is here that we must develop those characters and habits that prepare us to fit into the society in heaven.

Biddings are Enablings

Our characters are not changed when Jesus comes. They remain exactly the same. This is why God’s ideal for us here is higher than we can imagine, because what we are there, in heaven, is what we become here, and that is beyond what most of us can imagine.

Now, when we consider this, some of us may say, “Well, that is just far beyond anything that I could ever achieve. I mean, I have so many faults in my heart and in my life and character that I could never get to the place where I could really fit into the society of heaven. I could never accomplish it here. If every thought that I think and every sentence that I speak has to fit into the society of heaven, I just do not see how I could ever achieve such a thing. It is beyond the realm of possibility.”

Have you ever thought that? I have wondered how I could ever achieve such a thing, but God has promised it. Remember, all of God’s biddings are enablings. What God has asked us to do He is able to accomplish. “As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 333. If He is able to accomplish it tomorrow, He is able to accomplish it today; at least it begins today. In fact, today is the only day we have to accomplish it! This is the reason God has given us a life of existence here on this earth. Why, when we come to the Lord and confess Him, does He not just take us to heaven at that moment? Because we have to develop our characters.

Some people have the idea that God should just come down to earth and ask people where they want to go. If they choose heaven, He can take them to heaven. If they do not choose heaven, then they do not need to go to heaven. If God did that, everyone would choose to go to heaven, would they not? Of course, some people think that would be wonderful. Would it? The only trouble is they would not be prepared for heaven, because we do not change when we go to heaven. We change here. That is why, throughout the ages, God has always given people a space of time in which it seems as though nothing is happening; it seems like things are sort of in neutral, but that is where the things are really happening. That is when God is really developing the character.

Old Testament Examples

Think of Moses who was ready to lead the children of Israel out from Egypt. He went out and herded sheep, day after day after day, doing nothing. At least that is what he thought he was doing, but that is from where his real preparation was coming—from herding sheep, taking care of the sick sheep, taking care of the orphans who had no parents, the ones who were wayward and unruly and independent, searching after that lost sheep that had gone off by itself, and instead of letting it suffer the consequences, going out and searching and bringing it back. That was where his character was being developed.

Think back to Noah’s day. We are told that in Noah’s day, when he began to build the ark, there was a great number of people helping him. If the flood had come quickly, within just a matter of a few months or maybe even a few years, there would have been many who would have gone into the ark. They believed Noah. He was a prophet of God; he was a great-grandson of Enoch, who had been translated to heaven.

Noah was in the line of holy men, and people knew at the beginning that he was a prophet called of God. Perhaps God gave signs, as He usually does when there is a prophet, in order to show people. Maybe Noah had some open visions where people could test the gift of prophecy, and there may have been some other prophecies that he gave that people could test. God never leaves us without evidence upon which to base our faith. Whatever evidences God gave, the people could test them and know that Noah was true. So there was a great number who followed and helped to build the ark.

But no one ever figured it would take 120 years to finish the ark. That was a long delay, year after year after year, decade after decade, and still doing the same thing—sawing wood and pounding nails. That got old after awhile! The people surely began to wonder when the ark would be finished. They became weary.

People lived hundreds of years at that time. Most of the people who were there and helping with the ark when it was first begun were still living. They perhaps were still active in some religious activity, but where were they? There was no one left to help with the ark. Noah stood all alone as far as all those who had begun. He had only his own children who had been born 20 years after the project was started.

Egypt to Canaan

Think of the children of Israel who left Egypt. They all intended and hoped and thought and believed that within a short period of time—just a few months’ journey—they would be into the Promised Land. God led them out of Egypt and gave them the manna to sustain them in the wilderness. He gave them the water that flowed from the rock, and then they had the cloud to give them cooling shade by day and the fire to give them warmth and protection by night. They could march right across that desert and soon be in the Promised Land. Wonderful! They had all chosen to leave Egypt; they had all chosen to go to the Promised Land. There were approximately 600,000 men, plus women and children.

Of all those men who left Egypt, only 2 out of 600,000 entered into the Promised Land. We are told that this is an example for us today as God’s remnant people. “I [Ellen White] was pointed back to ancient Israel. But two of the adults of the vast army that left Egypt entered the land of Canaan. Their dead bodies were strewn in the wilderness because of their transgressions. Modern Israel are in greater danger of forgetting God and being led into idolatry than were His ancient people. Many idols are worshiped, even by professed Sabbathkeepers. God especially charged His ancient people to guard against idolatry, for if they should be led away from serving the living God, His curse would rest upon them, while if they would love Him with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their might, He would abundantly bless them in basket and in store, and would remove sickness from the midst of them.

“A blessing or a curse is now before the people of God—a blessing if they come out from the world and are separate, and walk in the path of humble obedience; and a curse if they unite with the idolatrous, who trample upon the high claims of heaven. The sins and iniquities of rebellious Israel are recorded and the picture presented before us as a warning that if we imitate their example of transgression and depart from God we shall fall as surely as did they.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 609.

Only a few of those who leave Egypt—the sins of the world—actually end up entering Canaan. Do you know why? because God gives them time for their characters to be developed. While many responded to the altar call, while many answered the initial invitation to join the happy band going to heaven, only a few are willing to go through the character development it takes to enter in.

Many Are Called

What does the Bible say? There are many who are called and who respond to the call, but there are only a few who develop a character that allows them to be chosen to go in. “Many are called,” Jesus said, “but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14.

1 Corinthians 10:1–12 refers to this experience of the children of Israel. It says, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Verses 1–4.

God gave them all the same opportunities. They all had the same food; they all had the same drink; they all heard the same sermons from Moses; they were all delivered from Egypt; they had all seen the miracles, but what happened?

“But with most of them God was not well pleased, for [their bodies] were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ ” Verses 5–7.

What was happening back then? They were involved, as were the people before the flood, in eating and drinking and playing. I am afraid that is what is happening to most of our young people today. They are involved in sports and eating and drinking and these kinds of things. If somebody goes out on a date, they know nothing else to do but to go to some activity or to some restaurant. That is what most people do when they want to have a night out or to do something.

Eating and drinking and playing—that is what happened to the children of Israel. There is nothing wrong with eating and drinking the right things. There is nothing wrong with exercise and some recreation, but somehow these were the things that absorbed their attention right there below Mt. Sinai, when they should have been dedicating and purifying their hearts for the manifestation of God. It was the wrong time. They did not know when to play and when not to play. They did not know when to eat and when to fast. Their day of opportunity came and they let it pass by.

“Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted . . .” by murmuring and complaining and questioning Providence, wondering, “Lord, are You really leading us? I do not like this that You are doing.” They tempted the Lord, and they “were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Verses 10–12.

Failing Trials

As we look at the children of Israel, we shake our heads and wonder at their unbelievable shortcomings. I mean, they left Egypt and lived their whole lives in the wilderness. They never got to enjoy the final reward for all their work. But then we stop and consider their trials. They were specifically tried ten different times. The sad thing is that they failed every time they were tried. They did not pass a single trial. These trials began while they were still in Egypt. You see, God was—and is—a God of love, and when the children of Israel failed once, He was loving enough to give them another opportunity. Trials are the opportunities God gives us to develop our characters. Obstacles and trials and temptations are the opportunities God gives us to reveal what is inside and to develop that character which will fit us for heaven.

We are not developed except when the trials come. That is what we are told in Hebrews 5:8, 9 where it says that Jesus was perfected by sufferings: “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”

To be continued . . .

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

The Pool of Bethesda, Part I

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In this article, I would like to study about the pool of Bethesda with you. Let us refresh our memories of this story recorded in John 5: “After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep [market] a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” Verses 1–4.

A Myth

Do you believe that the troubling of the water at this pool of Bethesda, about which the people gathered for healing, was of God? No! It was not God’s ordained method of healing. Something is so essential in one of these verses that lets us know this. A myth had been built around this situation. Notice, in verse 4, that the Bible says, “For an angel.” It does not say, an angel of God.

Let us look a bit closer at verse 4. “For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” It says that whosoever was first in entering the troubled water was healed. What do you think about that? Is that God’s method of dealing with His precious souls? No, God is no respecter of persons. God is not about the business of the survival of the fittest.

If a pool such as the one at Bethesda was located near you and everyone in the area knew that at a certain time an angel moved the water, and whatsoever disease an individual had, if he or she just got into the pool first, they could be healed of that infirmity, do you believe the grounds around that pool would be overflowing with people? Oh, yes, most definitely!

Quick Fix

You might not think this is so, but there are hundreds of people who gather at large auditoriums where ministers simply wave their hands over the individual or blow their breath upon the individual and a supposed healing takes place. You have perhaps seen such a service on the television. Many people seek out a quick solution that requires no sacrifice on their part. That is what they want. They want the benefits without the effort.

What do you think would be the response if I could take the eight principles of health—godly trust, open air, daily exercise, sunshine, proper rest, lots of water, always temperate, and nutrition—and capsulate them, put them in a bottle with a brand name on it, and tell people, “Take three godly trust capsules a day, and it will bring you close to Jesus”? This might seem to be humorous to you, but it is not an over-simplification of the truth, because people love quick fixes; they love pills. They are looking for methods that require no sacrifice.

In the Book of Jeremiah 30:12, 13, we read: “For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise [is] incurable, [and] thy wound [is] grievous. [There is] none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.”

Testimony

The apostle Paul always gave his testimony every place he went. He would tell of how, while walking on the road to Damascus, there was a light. (See Acts 9:3.) God has given us each a testimony. It does not have to be a dramatic testimony. It does not have to be, “I almost fell over the cliff, but the angel pulled me back, and I gave my heart to the Lord.” It does not have to be that at all. Many of us, in the quietness of our hearts, have been touched by God. Some of our experiences are dramatic, but whether dramatic or not, we each have a testimony.

Forty-one years ago, when I was clinically dying with arthritis, which lasted for ten years, my career as a professional basketball player was ended. As I look back in retrospect, I thank God for arthritis. Not that I glory in the pain, but I would not be where I am today if it was not for arthritis. That is the only way God got my attention to slow me down, so He could put me in the position where He could fill me with His Spirit. He had to take a basketball out of my hands and put a Bible there. He had to keep me from going up and down a hardwood court. He had to say, “Jackson, I have a job for you going up and down on the court of earth.” I did not premeditate these things. It was the farthest thing in my mind to be doing what I am doing today, but God put a call in to me, as He puts a call in to you.

I remember my junior year in school when one professional basketball team was putting out its feelers. During that time, very few college players were going from college to the pros. It was virtually unheard of for a high school student to go into professional ranks, such as LeBron James, who was the first round draft pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland, Ohio, in 2003. He instantly became a very wealthy 19-year-old, signing several endorsement deals totaling nearly 100 million dollars. When I was coming up, the highest paid player was Wilt Chamberlain; he made $100,000, which was like a million dollars during that time.

Search for Relief

As I searched for relief from the arthritis, I remember my doctor looking me in the eye and telling me, “Young man, yes, you play pretty good basketball, but unfortunately there is no known cause or cure for your arthritis.”

I stayed on anti-inflammatory drugs for almost ten years, when those drugs lost their effect. This created a condition that led me to take other kinds of drugs that the doctors did not have to prescribe. It was only by God’s grace that I am here today.

“Thou hast no healing medicines.” I am not saying that there is not a place and time for medicine, but I do know that in my situation, medicine was not improving my condition. It was not until God put me flat on my back that I looked up and cried out to the most powerful Person in the universe. I did not cry out to be healed physically; I cried out to be healed spiritually, because I did not know that there was healing physically in His Word. But God is the Chief Physician. He knows how to heal, but if He chooses to not heal, as He chose not to heal Paul, He promises that, “My grace is sufficient.” 11 Corinthians 12:9.

You see, in Jeremiah 46:11, it says, “Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; [for] thou shalt not be cured.”

That is what I did for ten years. I tried many medicines, but I was not cured. I was in the pool of human philosophy, seeking man’s method for human dilemma. There is only one solution to the human dilemma—the gospel of Jesus Christ.

House of Mercy

The word Bethesda means, “house of mercy.” Look at the last three letters of that word. God’s people, His true people, should be the balm in Gilead. Is there a balm in your area?

People should be coming to us for the healing of their souls and for the healing of their bodies. We should be the head and not the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:13.) “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.” Jeremiah 8:20, 21. Am I black? When God says that He is black, He is not talking about being black in color. It denotes that He feels the pain, the sorrow. The Bible says that He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. (See Hebrews 4:15.) When nobody else understands our pain, there is One who enters into our suffering, and that is God.

Jeremiah 8:22 continues, “[Is there] no balm in Gilead . . .?” A balm is an herb; it is medicinal. God is saying, “My people should be medicinal.” We should have healing in our attitudes, in our dispositions; our very lives should testify of the mercies of God. His mercies should be seen in the way we treat one another and in the way we speak. Even when we are under provocation, we should not retaliate. “A soft answer turneth away wrath.” Proverbs 15:1.

Jeremiah 8:22 goes on to say, “. . . [is there] no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” Why is there suffering among God’s people?

People Types

I want to share with you that at the pool of Bethesda there were four types of people. We read in John 5 that there was a multitude of impotent, blind, halt, and withered at the pool. As we have already declared, the troubled water of that pool was not God’s method of healing. It was a myth built up by the leaders of that time. No angel of God stirred up the water, but it was impressed upon the minds of the people that there was something supernatural about that water, and all one had to do was get in to be healed of his or her condition. Such is the propaganda that we find in society today, which is not based on biblical and true scientific facts. We allow our emotions, our destinies, and our circumstances to move us. We grab hold of anything that sounds good, but we do not inquire, “Is this the way of the Lord?”

We may find our marriages are on the rocks, and we go to people who do not know the Word of God to give us counsel as to how to establish our marriages. That is the pool of Bethesda. When we find ourselves in financial crisis, we listen to those who encourage us to take out another loan, and we find ourselves deeper in debt, because we are still at the pool of Bethesda. We find ourselves losing our children, and in churches today we are told that the only way we can hold onto our children is to entertain them, to change the style of worship, to have music that has the beat. We are at the pool of Bethesda. We need to train our children to be servants and to minister, not to be entertained.

There is no healing in that pool, so let us investigate the people by the pool, and let us see where our hope lies. First, consider the following one word definitions: the word impotent means, “powerless”; the word blind means, “sightless”; the word halt means, “motionless”; and the word withered means, “useless.”

Four types of people were found around the pool and are found in God’s church, but do not drop your head in despair. The story has a good end, because there is hope. We need to know, however, where we are. Are we powerless? Are we sightless? Are we motionless? Are we useless? Let us investigate.

Powerless

Read 11 Timothy 3:5: “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

Recently, several of us were sitting in the cafeteria at M.E.E.T. Ministry, and we were discussing a particular issue. Someone stated that the way to tell whether or not a man is living up to the truth or has the truth is to observe his life and visit in his home. Now, I know the fact is that a life should be in harmony with the truth, but I cannot determine the truth based on a person’s life. A person may be preaching truth but not living the truth. That does not negate the truth.

It is very important to understand this, because many of us judge the truth based on the life of a person, when it is unfortunate that the person is not living up to the truth. Nevertheless, that is truth, if it agrees with the Word of God.

Inspiration warns of many preachers who look to the souls they have baptized, but they were not living according to the truth. In spite of these unconverted ministers, God is moving upon the honest hearts. (See Early Writings, 98–102.)

What is the lesson from this? I can have truth in the intellect, and I can be theologically correct, but if this knowledge does not impact and change my life, I live a lie to that truth. When Jesus spoke the truth, His life testified of the power of the truth. As a body of people, God does not want form; He wants substance.

Impotent

From a medical viewpoint, the word impotent means, for a man, that he does not have the ability to produce. There is no power.

In Genesis 17, we read about Abraham. God came to Abraham, after the birth of Ishmael, and declared that he would give to him a son. “And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah [shall] her name [be]. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be [a mother] of nations; kings of people shall be of her.” Verses 15, 16.

What was Abraham’s response? “Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall [a child] be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!” Verses 17, 18.

But God responded: “Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, [and] with his seed after him.” Verse 19.

Continuing in Geneses 18:11–14, we read: “Now Abraham and Sarah [were] old [and] well stricken in age; [and] it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” Abraham was past the time of producing.

Notice Romans 4:17: “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, [even] God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.” Do you understand this principle? That which we do not see, God sees as it is.

Verses 19, 21 say: “And being not weak in faith, he [Abraham] considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb . . . And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”

God of the Living

Let us continue to see the mighty goodness and wonderful works of God. In Hebrews 11:11, we read: “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.” God can take a dead womb and bring life out if it. God can take a spiritually dead person and bring forth power, if we believe.

I am so glad that God is not God of the dead. He is God of the living. If we have not the power to overcome our inherited or cultivated habits, then we need to realize that God has power to give us victory. The only reason that we are not enjoying the victory is because we do not believe.

Abraham asked, “Lord, how can I produce a child? I am past age. My sperm count is gone.” But God reminded him that He made the womb. God is not bound by biology; He created it.

We do not know the God we serve. There is nothing too hard for Him. From where do the banks get their money? It comes from the resources that God made. The water we drink comes from the very fountains of God. This is why we, as Christians, though we find ourselves challenged and faced with discouragement, must never, never doubt that God is able to keep us. Everything and everyone belongs to God, and He needs people into whom He can put His power.

Castration

You, I am sure, are familiar with the background of Daniel. As teenagers, he and his companions were taken hostage. Daniel, whose name means, “God is my judge,” was from the tribe of Judah. He was in the line to be progenitor of Christ Himself—the seed of Abraham, of Isaac, and Jacob, and right on down the line.

Nebuchadnezzar the king, “Spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring [certain] of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; Children in whom [was] no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as [had] ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.” Daniel 1:3, 4.

Something very important is stated in verse 3. What is a eunuch? It is a castrated male. God has said that there will be some made eunuchs for the kingdom, born eunuchs. (Matthew 19:12.) That means that such a man does not have the ability to reproduce or procreate.

Read 11 Kings 20:17, 18. This is speaking of the days of Hezekiah. Hezekiah showed all of his goodness to the heathen kings, and God was going to deal with that, but in verse 17, the Bible says, “Behold, the days come, that all that [is] in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.” This is the prophecy of the captivity of Babylon. Verse 18 continues: “And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

So, is Daniel 1:3 telling us that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego were made eunuchs? Yes, they were. What a terrible ordeal to experience, especially a male Hebrew! That eliminated all probability of them being the progenitors of the seed of Jesus Christ. The devil was trying to stop God’s plan.

Intimate Relationship

These young men were castrated, but not cast away. The devil is seeking to castrate you and me. He is trying to immobilize us; he is trying to make us impotent. But God is looking for a people that will conceive His character. The Bible says, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3. That word know indicates an intimate relationship.

The Bible says that when Adam knew his wife, they brought forth a child. (See Genesis 4:1, 25.) When we have an intimate relationship with God, we are going to produce character, because God is going to impregnate us with His seed. He is going to put His seed in us through His word. But the devil is seeking to make the Word of non-effect in our lives. He is seeking to castrate us.

Power

Daniel purposed in his heart. The devil thought that impotency would stop God’s plan, but God is not bound by biology. God is not bound by circumstances. God said to Abraham, “You shall have a child.” God said to Peter, “When you are converted,”—not if but when! Luke 22:32. Jesus will put a positive emphasis on our lives. God will give us power.

At the pool of Bethesda, there were impotent, powerless people. They were people controlled by such things as appetite, sensual desire, pornography, and lying. Does that sound similar to today?

There is not one habit, inherited or cultivated, that God’s power cannot break. Whatever our past may be, if we cry to Him and say, “Lord, I want to be freed,” He will free us quicker than He will heal our physical infirmities.

God does not delay when it comes to delivering us from sin. However, if we pray, “Lord, take this tumor out of my body,” He might say, “I give you grace and power to endure it.”

To be continued . . .

Thomas Jackson is a health evangelist and Director of Missionary Education and Evangelistic Training (M.E.E.T.) Ministry in Huntingdon, Tennessee. He may be contacted by e-mail at: gods-plan@meetministry.org or by telephone at: 731-986-3518.

Learning to Walk With God, Part III

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The Word of God tells us what kind of mental outlook the saints must have. God wants us to be happy, and it is important for us to recognize that such a state really begins in our minds. If our thoughts are uplifting and encouraging (instead of sad and discouraging), then our feelings and attitudes will take on the same pattern. Therefore, the Word of God gives us the following advice to help us experience happiness and fearlessness in the midst of bad and unfavorable circumstances: “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” John 15:4. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11.

Many who encounter such quotations as these find it difficult to see how it is possible to fulfill the instructions given in them. For example, some inquire concerning the practicality of a person praying “without ceasing.”

Such statements do not mean that God’s people have to be thinking only about Him every second of every minute of every day. In all of these quotations, God is showing us the need of always keeping our minds and hearts in a heavenly state, a state of purity, holiness, and righteousness—a prayerful state. In the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy we read, “. . . the life of Jesus was a life of constant trust, sustained by continual communion; and [as a result] His service for heaven and earth was without failure or faltering.” Education, 80. Christ was indeed a true champion—even the Champion of all champions. Like Enoch and the others we have considered in this series, Christ too prayed often and maintained a fervent faith in God. Hence the Scriptures encourage us: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5.

Like Christ, therefore, we should endeavor to keep ourselves unspotted from the world by striving to always be in a prayerful, heavenly, and righteous frame of mind. This we can do by constantly seeking God and trusting in His grace to enable us to do all things. We must always be thinking and working in harmony with the principles of God’s kingdom, and we must often be found communing with our Maker. Only in this way can we have the same experience that Enoch had anciently.

To truly be prepared for Christ’s second advent, His faithful followers today must learn by daily experience how to walk with God: “He who is a citizen of the heavenly kingdom will be constantly looking at things not seen. The power of earth over the mind and character is broken. He has the abiding presence of the heavenly Guest, in accordance with the promise, ‘I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.’ He walks with God as did Enoch, in constant communion.” Review and Herald, November 10, 1910.

“The doctrine of Christ’s coming was made known at this early date to the man [Enoch] who walked with God in continual communion. The godly character of this prophet is to represent the state of holiness to which the people of God must attain who expect to be translated to heaven.” That I May Know Him, 348.

Whatever may be our duty, responsibility, interest, or activity, God desires us to always keep our hearts in tune with Him. Therefore, we need to focus on heavenly things much more than we presently do. As Christians, we need to often talk with God (pray unceasingly) during the day. Also, we need to monitor all our thoughts, words, and deeds at all times in order to ensure they are in harmony with our Master’s holy will. As we do this, like Enoch, we will begin to walk with God.

“If we would but think of God as often as we have evidence of His care for us we should keep Him ever in our thoughts and should delight to talk of Him and to praise Him. We talk of temporal things because we have an interest in them. We talk of our friends because we love them; our joys and our sorrows are bound up with them. Yet we have infinitely greater reason to love God than to love our earthly friends; it should be the most natural thing in the world to make Him first in all our thoughts, to talk of His goodness and tell of His power.” Steps to Christ, 102.

Outposts

On some occasions God’s people had to even physically move to better locations in order to keep themselves unspotted from the world. Abraham had to leave his father’s home in order to do his Master’s will. Also, Lot and his two daughters had to leave Sodom in order to escape the environment of sin and God’s judgments. Enoch, too, saw the necessity of relocating to more suitable surroundings to truly walk with God. Therefore, for God’s people to truly serve Him faithfully today, amidst the evils of our age, this too is fast becoming a necessity.

“Enoch walked with God, and yet he did not live in the midst of any city, polluted with every kind of violence and wickedness, as did Lot in Sodom.” Evangelism, 78.

“More and more, as wickedness increases in the great cities, we shall have to work them from outpost centers. This is the way Enoch labored in the days before the flood, when wickedness was rife in every populous community, and when violence was in the land.” Review and Herald, September 27, 1906.

Secular Matters

We will always have need of attending to secular matters and, thus, our minds will need to be channeled in such areas at times, if we are to be successful in all our various pursuits. However, this does not mean that we cannot maintain a sense of God’s presence with us wherever we go and in whatever we do. It does not mean that we cannot often make time to commune with God in prayer, for this is the means whereby we come into contact with God Himself. He alone is capable of granting us success in all our pursuits and enabling us to keep our minds and hearts uplifted to heavenly things.

“Although there may be a tainted, corrupted atmosphere around us, we need not breathe its miasma, but may live in the pure air of heaven. We may close every door to impure imaginings and unholy thoughts by lifting the soul into the presence of God through sincere prayer. Those whose hearts are open to receive the support and blessing of God will walk in a holier atmosphere than that of earth and will have constant communion with heaven.” Steps to Christ, 99.

Stay Focused

Furthermore, to truly “abide” in Christ, we must regularly focus our minds on the truths of God’s Word. This we must do whenever the opportunity or need arises during the day. Experience shows that too often we, as Christians, may take the time to study God’s truths, but fail to utilize them (focus on them) in times of need. We fail to “hide” (secure) them carefully in our “hearts” (minds) in such a manner that we can quickly use them as a shield against temptation and sin. (John 15:4.) “Thy word,” said the psalmist David, “have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11.

David, like other men of God, knew the value of putting his mind on truth in the hour of temptation and test. But we who fail to use the strength of truth in times of need often end up falling into temptation and yielding to sin. Like any other instrument, truth is beneficial to us only when we use it. Therefore, while we are away from temptation we should fortify our minds with the truth so that when we are buffeted by such things as sickness, sorrow, addiction, fears, lust, guilt, and anger, we can repulse or replace the enemy’s darts, which are his evil thoughts, with God’s thoughts, His truths. For example, even when Satan seeks to tempt us by putting a guilt trip on us by telling us that God will not accept us or our prayers because of our sins, we should quickly refocus our minds on God’s views (truths) versus Satan’s views (lies). This is the science of overcoming with the truth that has been practiced by God’s true servants over the years. Such are the thoughts that are found in the minds of true champions.

Hence, “When Satan comes to tell you that you are a great sinner, look up to your Redeemer and talk of His merits. That which will help you is to look to His light. Acknowledge your sin, but tell the enemy that ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ and that you may be saved by His matchless love.” Ibid., 36.

New Outlook

Believers today need a new outlook on how to successfully live the Christian life, and more and more I am becoming convicted that Enoch’s experience must be ours. Also, it seems as though the Lord has been doing His best to convince me that this is the answer. Interestingly enough, about the time I was writing this, I came across a message board outside of a church on which was posted the following words: “Exercise Every Day, Walk With God.”

Obviously these words caught my attention. Not only was the message in direct harmony with the truth being advocated in this series, but also the advice actually makes a lot of sense. Anyone interested in health will agree that exercise is extremely important to good health, and walking is one of the best forms of exercise. Therefore, the application of this truth in the spiritual realm surely must also hold true. If we want to gain the benefits of true spiritual rejuvenation and growth, we must engage in the act of exercising spiritually or “walking with God.” Hence, like Enoch, we, too, must learn to walk with God on a daily basis in order to be spiritually healthy.

A Shield

In growing up, many people have experiences that cause certain character and personality defects to develop. Inherited and cultivated traits of character often linger. Some of these traits are difficult to deal with in adulthood, and sometimes even hinder our service to God. One of these traits is a fearful spirit. As we grow into adulthood, we often find that little things which caused us to fear and tremble as children may still affect us as adults. Yes, we may have outgrown some of them, but others hang on like pieces of iron filings attracted to a magnet.

If, as children, we were taught to pray and think of God often, and always believe that we were not alone, many of the wrong things we did and many of the temptations we yielded to would not have conquered us. Also, many of the things we feared, such as being alone in a dark room, or hearing strange sounds, may not have affected us. If we were taught and encouraged as children to believe that we are not alone, that God is with us, we may have overcome many fears early in life. Unfortunately, however, this has not been the experience in most cases. Many still need this outlook in their adulthood, when it should have been developed already.

Challenges of Life

All of us are confronted with problems, difficulties, trials, and tests. Some of these various challenges may be in the form of the demands of life that the world places upon us. For example, some people are afraid of losing their jobs. They are scared that if they lose their jobs now, in a time when they are in debt, they will lose everything. They see no hope for themselves and are usually overcome by discouragement and stress. Such fearful and negative thinking was developed early in life. Many adults simply bring it over from their childhood.

However, if we can learn to pray more often and to believe that we are not alone—that God is with us, that angels are with us—many things we fear, as well as many things we do that are wrong, we would not yield to, because we believe that there is an all-seeing eye beholding our every move, ready to supply grace. But for convenience sake we often let go of this thought. We act as though to keep a sense of God’s presence puts us in a straight jacket. Hence, this is a major reason why Enoch’s experience is not as common as it ought to be. But, say the Scriptures, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24.

Independent Spirit

Most of us want to do our own thing. We want to be too independent. We want to rule and run our own lives in a manner that pleases us, even if it is contrary to the will of our all-knowing Creator. But we are warned: “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?” Isaiah 45:9.

Too often many fool themselves into believing that they are wise enough to solve all their problems and to provide for their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Yet, such pride and stubbornness has brought them trouble and disappointment time and time again.

In the hearts of such persons, “self” or “mammon” still reigns. Christ is not yet permitted to take full control of their lives. He is left out of major decisions. He is still kept at the door of their hearts. However, most of these individuals are fully aware that all wisdom and power is found in Christ, and in man is found weakness and failure. Thus we are wisely admonished: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6.

Evidence of Love

Over the years, the devil has created such a bad concept of God in the minds of some that they believe God is a hard, harsh judge. They believe that God is watching down from heaven ready to “zap” anyone who makes a wrong move. But we know better. We know that the opposite is true; God is love. 1 John 4:8. We know this, not only because the holy Bible tells us so, but also because the evidences of the Creator’s great and overwhelming love can be clearly seen all around us if we look for them. Yes, we can believe that God is love, and benefit from the thought that He is indeed watching over us to help us.

This belief will help us to walk right with God at all times. It will also help us to represent the truth under all circumstances fearlessly and boldly. It will even help us to face the difficulties of life, whether bills, people, loneliness, sorrows, unfavorable circumstances, persecution, or even a consciousness of our sinful traits of character. We will face every challenge and difficulty of life with boldness and fearlessness. We will also be prepared to stand up, like Luther, against the enemies of truth. This we will gladly do because we know that we are not standing by ourselves: Somebody bigger than you or me is at our sides. Someone who is more powerful than anyone else is present to help us along the way. If we can believe this, we too will be champions of truth.

Teach the Children

We need to teach our children these things because what we ourselves may not have gained during childhood, hopefully we can impart to them and to others right now, before it is too late: “Only the sense of God’s presence can banish the fear that, for the timid child, would make life a burden. Let him fix in his memory [memorize] the promise, ‘The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.’ Psalm 34:7. Let him read that wonderful story of Elisha in the mountain city, and, between him and the hosts of armed foemen, a mighty encircling band of heavenly angels. Let him read how to Peter, in prison and condemned to death, God’s angel appeared; how, past the armed guards, the massive doors and great iron gateway with their bolts and bars, the angel led God’s servant forth in safety. Let him read of that scene on the sea, when to the tempest-tossed soldiers and seamen, worn with labor and watching and long fasting, Paul the prisoner, on his way to trial and execution, spoke those grand words of courage and hope: ‘Be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you. . . . For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.’ In the faith of this promise Paul assured his companions, ‘There shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.’ So it came to pass. Because there was in that ship one man through whom God could work, the whole shipload of heathen soldiers and sailors was preserved. ‘They escaped all safe to land.’ Acts 27:22–24, 34, 44.

Given for a Purpose

“These things were not written merely that we might read and wonder, but that the same faith which wrought in God’s servants of old might work in us. In no less marked a manner than He wrought then will He work now wherever there are hearts of faith to be channels of His power.

“Let the self-distrustful, whose lack of self-reliance leads them to shrink from care and responsibility, be taught reliance upon God. Thus many a one who other¬wise would be but a cipher in the world, perhaps only a helpless burden, will be able to say with the apostle Paul, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ Philippians 4:13.” Education, 255, 256.

Promise of Angels

Many people are scared or afraid of everything. Afraid to speak, afraid to get involved in any activity, afraid to do something by themselves that they may be sent to do, afraid to venture out and take chances, afraid to do a particular chore because they do not believe they could ever do it right. Not only afraid to do anything, but also afraid of anything that could possibly happen. There is only one remedy for such victims of fear, be they children, youth, or adults. Remember the inspired promise uttered by the psalmist David: “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” Psalm 34:7.

Yes, we are promised that the angel of the Lord encampeth around those who fear Him. Therefore, let us believe it and “see” in our mind’s eye that we are not alone. It will make a difference in our lives. If we believe this, we will fear no evil. We can then say like David, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.” Psalm 23:4.

The Spirit of Prophecy says: “As a shield from temptation and an inspiration to purity and truth, no other influence can equal the sense of God’s presence. ‘All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.’ He is ‘of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.’ Hebrews 4:13; Habakkuk 1:13. This thought was Joseph’s shield amidst the corruptions of Egypt.” Education, 255.

This was the mind of Joseph, another hero for God. God has given us glimpses into the thoughts of some of His heroes, and in every case when they did great things, they believed that they were not alone. In these victorious experiences, they believed that they had a Companion with them, protecting and helping them. Even when Joseph refused to fall into sin, it was not because he was just seeing Potiphar’s wife; he saw God. Therefore, “To the allurements of temptation his [Joseph’s] answer was steadfast: ‘How . . . can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ Genesis 39:9. Such a shield, faith, if cherished, will bring to every soul.” Ibid.

[All emphasis added.]

To be continued . . .

Pastor Patrick Herbert is the senior pastor of the Tucker-Norcross Adventist Church and Director of the Gilead Institute of America, a medical missionary evangelistic training institution located in Norcross, Georgia. He holds a Doctorate in religion and speaks and writes on a wide range of religious and health topics. He may be contacted by e-mail at: gilead.net@usa.net.

What Everybody Needs and Nobody Has, Part I

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You must have righteousness in order to have eternal life! There are many texts in the Bible that would prove this quite conclusively, two of which are Isaiah 33:14, 15 and Psalm 15:1, 2: “Who among us is going to dwell with this everlasting fire, an everlasting burning, a devouring fire, with everlasting burnings? It is the one who walks righteously.” “Who is going to dwell with You, Lord, in Your holy hill? It is the one who walks righteously.”

The first fact about righteousness is that you have to have righteousness or you are not going to heaven. It is that simple. But the next fact about righteousness is the one that is startling, when you realize that you have to have it to go to heaven, to have eternal life. The second fact about righteousness is that you and I do not have any!

“All our righteousness is like a defiled garment.” Isaiah 64:5. Like a leaf that fades away, we are carried away as on a wind with our iniquities. Or, as Paul quoting from the Old Testament says, “There is not anybody that is righteous. Not even one. Not one.” Romans 3:10.

So, the first fact is, you have to have righteousness or you are not going to have eternal life. But the second fact about righteousness is that we do not have any righteousness. There is not one person who has it, the Bible says.

Righteousness Defined

The third fact about righteousness is actually two definitions. What is righteousness? Romans 7:12 says, “So, then, the law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

God’s Law is righteous. The first definition of righteousness is this: righteousness is that which is in harmony with the Ten Commandments. It is that simple! Righteousness is what is in harmony with the Ten Commandments because the law is righteous.

What if you break the law? The answer is given in 1 John 5:17: “All unrighteousness is sin.” What is sin? Sin is breaking God’s Law. (1 John 3:4.) All unrighteousness is sin, so unrighteousness is when the law has been broken. Righteousness is when the law is being kept, because the law is righteous.

Read 1 John 2:1 for a second definition of righteousness. “My children, these things I write to you, in order that you might not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous One.”

We are not righteous, but He is righteous; therefore a second definition of righteousness is that Jesus Christ is righteous, so righteousness is that which is like Him. This, of course, does not conflict with the first definition, because Jesus said, in John 15:10, “I have kept my Father’s commandments.”

Since Jesus kept His Father’s commandments, the definitions do not contradict; they just complement each other. Righteousness, first of all, is that which is in harmony with the Ten Commandments or, second definition, righteousness is that which is in harmony with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Study It Out

A fourth fact about righteousness I will leave for you to study out, and then you can tell me whether or not you believe it. I believe this is the case. When you are perfectly righteous, then you are holy.

With the Heart

A fifth fact regarding righteousness is that righteousness has to do with the heart; that is, with the motives, the thoughts, and the feelings. Jesus brought this out very clearly in the Sermon on the Mount. “For I say to you, that except your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will in no case enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” Matthew 5:20. The people were in a state of shock when Jesus said this because they thought that the scribes and the Pharisees were the most righteous people on the face of the earth.

The people wondered how this could be, but Jesus went on to explain that righteousness has to do more with what is on the inside than what is on the outside. For example, continue reading in Matthew 5: “You have heard that it was said by them anciently, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever shall murder shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother is liable to condemnation, and whoever will say to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be guilty before the council. But whoever will say, ‘You fool!’ will be answerable unto hell fire.” Verses 21, 22.

What is it that Jesus is talking about here? He is not talking about the person that actually did what Cain did and took a club or a spear or a sword and killed somebody, but He said, “If you are angry with your brother.” In fact, the apostle John, reporting on this very same idea later, in 1 John 3, strongly declares, “The person that hates his brother is a murderer.” In other words, if I do not physically kill you, but I hate you, I have broken the law.

You see, it appeared as though the Pharisees were keeping the law on the outside, but Jesus said, “That is not good enough. Your law keeping has to come from the heart.” Because we are human beings, we tend to look at what is on the outside.

Jesus did the very same thing with the seventh commandment, which He talks about in Matthew 5:27, 28: “You have heard it was said to them in old time, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that if a man looks on a woman to lust after her, he has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

The Lord says that you did not commit adultery with your body, but you did it in your heart. See, the commandment, as Paul says, goes right to the heart, to the spirit; it even divides asunder between the soul and the spirit. It goes to the thoughts and the intent of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12.)

So, a fifth fact about righteousness is that it has to do not only with what you say or do, but with the heart, motives, and feelings.

Decision to Do Good

In Philippians 3:4, 5, Paul said, “If anybody could be confident in the flesh, I could be even more. I was circumcised the eighth day.” This was done in accordance with the ceremonial law given to Abraham in Genesis 17.

The Gentiles who had come into the Jewish religion could not say that. They may have been circumcised when they were 20 or 30 years of age, but they could not say what Paul could say. Paul could say, “Listen, I am blameless according to the law. My parents were in the faith, and I was circumcised the eighth day, according to the law. Not only that, but, I was of the stock of Israel; I was born of the tribe of Benjamin. I was born into the covenant people. Not only that, I have practiced carefully, perfectly, my religion.” Paul declared, “I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. Concerning the law, I was a Pharisee.” In fact, he was so zealous in his religious experience that he says, “According to the righteousness which is of the law, I was blameless.” (See Philippians 3:5, 6.)

Paul was someone who decided that he was going to do right, and he was being very successful, but the sixth fact in regard to righteousness is that you cannot become righteous by deciding to do what is good. Paul had already done that.

Paul decided to do what was good, and he had a good start. He was born to the right race, into the right family. His parents saw that he was circumcised on the eighth day, and he kept the law.

Notice what he says next: “But what things were gain to me, I reckoned to be loss for Christ. Indeed I consider all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and consider them refuse, that I might gain Christ, and might be found in him. And that I might be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law.” Philippians 3:7–9.

Paul had the righteousness of the law; he said that he had it blameless, but, he said, “I want, when the Lord comes, to be found by Him not having my own righteousness, which is of the law.” Why? Because, the righteousness that he had, as a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as a strict Pharisee, was not good enough! Jesus said, “If your righteousness is not better than the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no case enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The apostle Paul found out that his righteousness was worthless to gain eternal life. He found out that he could go through all the forms, rituals, and ceremonies and he could keep the ceremonial law perfectly, but not go to heaven.

It is actually still the same in the Christian church today. I believe in the ceremonies of the new covenant. I have baptized many people—that is one of the ceremonies of the new covenant. The communion service is a ceremony of the new covenant. I keep those ceremonies, but all the things that you and I can do that are right will not earn for us eternal life.

Paul thought that he was doing it all perfectly, but he realized that what he was doing was not worth anything. “Be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God which is by faith; that I might know Him, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable to His death, if, by any means, I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though as I had already acquired, but I pursue after, and I follow after, if I might attain that which has been attained for me by Christ Jesus. My brethren, I do not consider myself to have attained, but I follow after, and, forgetting those things that are behind and stretching forth to those things that are before, I pursue after the mark of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Verses 9–13.

So, we cannot become righteous by deciding to do good or be good. And that brings us to the seventh fact about righteousness, which is also covered in Philippians 3:8–14.

Receive Righteousness

If we are going to be righteous, we must receive righteousness from Jesus Christ. We have to receive it from Him because we cannot generate it; we cannot make it. Not only have we all sinned, as it says in Romans 3:23, but we cannot generate righteousness. Remember, righteousness has to do with the heart, and we do not have righteous hearts that can generate righteousness.

In what condition are our hearts? Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that, “The heart is deceitful above all things and incurably wicked.” This is the kind of heart that each of us has, or, as Paul stated in Romans 7:18, “I know that in me there dwells nothing good.” This emphasizes the fact that we cannot be righteous by deciding to do good. If we are going to be righteous, we must receive righteousness from Jesus Christ. How can we receive righteousness? There are several texts in the Scriptures that will help us to understand.

Can or Cannot

We are living in a very passive age. The nineteenth century was an optimistic age. People believed that they could do almost anything. They got that idea, of course, from the teaching of evolution, which became prominent during the last half of that century. They thought that humans were getting better and better. All of the inventions that were being developed reinforced this idea in their thinking. They were very optimistic and declared, “We can do it!”

It is a very interesting thing to see, when you study history, that theology very often follows in the path of what people are already thinking. In the nineteenth century, a perfectionistic theology developed. Ellen White had quite a bit to say about this. At one time she wrote: “I have met many who claimed to live without sin. But when tested by God’s word, these persons were found to be open transgressors of his holy law.” Review and Herald, February 22, 1881. This was a big problem at that time.

The twentieth century became the most pessimistic century of all time. People said, “We cannot do it,” and theologians developed a theology to go along with that. If the people did not think they could do anything, then how would they be saved? Oh, they thought, the Lord will do everything. In Adventism, we call that the New Theology—the Lord is going to do it all. We are going to be saved by professing faith in Christ, and we will be justified; the Lord will do everything. We may be living like the devil, but the Lord is going to save us because we profess faith in Him.

We are living in this pessimistic age when people say, “We cannot; the Lord is going to do everything.” Actually, the Lord is going to do everything, but He is not going to do it without our help! He is not going to do it without our cooperation.

With Fear and Trembling

Philippians 2:12 says, “So then, my beloved, just as always you were obedient, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, with fear and trembling work out your own salvation.” This is not the language of a person saying, “No, I cannot do anything.” Paul says, “With fear and trembling work out your salvation.”

Someone may question whether or not this verse is teaching salvation by works. Well, in a way it is. Read the next verse: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work out his good pleasure.”

God wants to work out a work of salvation, a work of righteousness in our lives. We do not have any righteousness of our own. The only way we can get any is if He gives it to us, but we have to cooperate. In fact, Paul says, “You need to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

What does it mean to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”? The Bible teaches that all of us have what is called “the sin which so easily besets” or “easily besetting sins” or “easily entangling sins.” It talks about that in Hebrews 12.

Now, if you are working out your salvation with fear and trembling, you are looking at yourself and saying, “Lord, this, this, and this I can see are besetting sins to me, and from reading the Book of Revelation, I know that it is only the overcomers that are going to go to the kingdom of heaven. These are besetting sins to me, and I need Your divine help to come into my life to change things.”

It is unfortunate that some people are spending all of their time just bemoaning their condition and saying, “I cannot do it,” instead of looking in faith to the Lord, and saying, “Lord, help me to have a change in my thinking, a change in my heart, a change in my motives, a change in my feelings, and a change in my thoughts, which will produce a change in my words and my actions.”

Commenting about this, Ellen White wrote: “The secret of Satan’s power over God’s professed people lies in the deceitfulness of the human heart. Their constant stumbling and falling reveal that they have not maintained a stern conflict with their besetting sins.” The Signs of the Times, December 13, 1899.

Did Paul maintain a stern con-flict with his besetting sins? In Philippians 3, we read that he said, I forget what is behind, I cannot change that, but I am stretching, pressing, pursuing, struggling toward the mark. He was cooperating with the Holy Spirit.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Editorial – Left Outside

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Very many people who consider themselves to be Seventh-day Adventist Christians will be surprised to find that they have never been Christians at all and that they are excluded from the marriage supper of the Lamb and from the heaven of bliss. In the judgment, they will be accused of being the children of the devil instead of the children of God as they claim. This sounds like a terrible indictment, but this is not a human indictment; it is the sure word of prophecy. We must all remember that, in the judgment, the way that we have treated our fellowmen will be accounted as the way we have treated Christ.

The persistent use of civil power to enforce the will of the church is how the papacy has been formed. It is how the image to the beast is formed, and now those who profess to be God’s remnant people are engaging in this practice and have been doing so for about 20 years.

“The minds of many are clouded with unbelief because those who unite with the church as the chosen of God do not reveal the virtues that are the fruits of the Spirit. Joining the church is not a sure evidence that a man has joined himself to Christ. The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so many, who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and unholy. They have been baptized, but they were buried alive. Self did not die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life in Christ.

“Thousands who claim to be religious are not Christians. Paul was very strict in carrying out his religion, but he was not a Christian until Christ revealed Himself to him and talked with him, showing him that he was persecuting his Master in the person of His saints. Then Paul was converted. He became one of the sect he had despised and hated; and for his love of Christ he received the same cruel treatment that he had once cooperated with others in giving.

“The churches have an abundance of the religion and zeal that Paul had. Many persecute those who differ from them in religious matters. But no true Christian will persecute one who conscientiously differs from him in faith. Those who try to force the consciences of their fellowmen do it because Christ is not abiding in their hearts. They do not realize that they have the attributes of Satan, but he delights to make them his instruments to bear witness against God’s chosen ones. They strive to make them observe rites that have no foundation in the Word of God. When these persecutors have the Spirit of Christ, they will hear and receive the words of Christ ‘Touch not Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm’ (1 Chronicles 16:22). Christ and Him crucified will absorb the whole soul.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 51, 52.

“It is possible for men to offer the Saviour outward homage, to be Christians in profession, to have a form of godliness, while the heart, whose loyalty He prizes above all else, is estranged from Him. . .

“Today Christ is looking with sadness upon those whose characters He must at last refuse to acknowledge. Inflated with self-sufficiency, they hope that it will be well with their souls. But at the last great day, the mirror of detection reveals to them the evil that their hearts have practiced, and shows them at the same time the impossibility of reform. Every effort was made to bring them to repentance. But they refused to humble their hearts.” The Upward Look, 301.