Issue: 2009 July

Pen of Inspiration – Talents

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Christ on the Mount of Olives had spoken to His disciples of His second advent to the world. He had specified certain signs that were to show when His coming was near, and had bidden His disciples watch and be ready. Again He repeated the warning, “Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” [Matthew 25:13.] Then He showed what it means to watch for His coming. The time is to be spent, not in idle waiting, but in diligent working. This lesson He taught in the parable of the talents.

The kingdom of heaven,” He said, “is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.” [Verses 14, 15.]

The man traveling into a far country represents Christ, who, when speaking this parable, was soon to depart from this earth to heaven. The “bondservants” (R.V.), or slaves, of the parable, represent the followers of Christ. We are not our own. We have been “bought with a price” (I Corinthians 6:20), not “with corruptible things, as silver and gold, … but with the precious blood of Christ” (I Peter 1:18, 19); “that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again” (II Corinthians 5:15).

All men have been bought with this infinite price. By pouring the whole treasury of heaven into this world, by giving us in Christ all heaven, God has purchased the will, the affections, the mind, the soul, of every human being. Whether believers or unbelievers, all men are the Lord’s property. All are called to do service for Him, and for the manner in which they have met this claim, all will be required to render an account at the great judgment day.

But the claims of God are not recognized by all. It is those who profess to have accepted Christ’s service who in the parable are represented as His own servants.

Christ’s followers have been redeemed for service. Our Lord teaches that the true object of life is ministry. Christ Himself was a worker, and to all His followers He gives the law of service—service to God and to their fellow men. Here Christ has presented to the world a higher conception of life than they had ever known. By living to minister for others, man is brought into connection with Christ. The law of service becomes the connecting link which binds us to God and to our fellow men.

To His servants Christ commits “His goods”—something to be put to use for Him. He gives “to every man his work.” Each has his place in the eternal plan of heaven. Each is to work in co-operation with Christ for the salvation of souls. Not more surely is the place prepared for us in the heavenly mansions than is the special place designated on earth where we are to work for God.

The talents that Christ entrusts to His church represent especially the gifts and blessings imparted by the Holy Spirit. “To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.” I Corinthians 12:8–11. All men do not receive the same gifts, but to every servant of the Master some gift of the Spirit is promised.

Before He left His disciples, Christ “breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” John 20:22. Again He said, “Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you.” Luke 24:49. But not until after the ascension was the gift received in its fullness. Not until through faith and prayer the disciples had surrendered themselves fully for His working was the outpouring of the Spirit received. Then in a special sense the goods of heaven were committed to the followers of Christ. “When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:8. “Unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ,” the Spirit “dividing to every man severally as He will.” Ephesians 4:7; 1 Corinthians 12:11. The gifts are already ours in Christ, but their actual possession depends upon our reception of the Spirit of God.

The promise of the Spirit is not appreciated as it should be. Its fulfillment is not realized as it might be. It is the absence of the Spirit that makes the gospel ministry so powerless. Learning, talents, eloquence, every natural or acquired endowment, may be possessed; but without the presence of the Spirit of God, no heart will be touched, no sinner be won to Christ. On the other hand, if they are connected with Christ, if the gifts of the Spirit are theirs, the poorest and most ignorant of His disciples will have a power that will tell upon hearts. God makes them the channel for the outworking of the highest influence in the universe.

The special gifts of the Spirit are not the only talents represented in the parable. It includes all gifts and endowments, whether original or acquired, natural or spiritual. All are to be employed in Christ’s service. In becoming His disciples, we surrender ourselves to Him with all that we are and have. These gifts He returns to us purified and ennobled, to be used for His glory in blessing our fellow men.

To every man God has given “according to his several ability.” Matthew 25:15. The talents are not apportioned capriciously. He who has ability to use five talents receives five. He who can improve but two, receives two. He who can wisely use only one, receives one. None need lament that they have not received larger gifts; for He who has apportioned to every man is equally honored by the improvement of each trust, whether it be great or small. The one to whom five talents have been committed is to render the improvement of five; he who has but one, the improvement of one. God expects returns “according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” II Corinthians 8:12.

In the parable he that had “received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents; and likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.” [Matthew 25:16, 17.]

The talents, however few, are to be put to use. The question that most concerns us is not, How much have I received? but, What am I doing with that which I have? The development of all our powers is the first duty we owe to God and to our fellow men. No one who is not growing daily in capability and usefulness is fulfilling the purpose of life. In making a profession of faith in Christ we pledge ourselves to become all that it is possible for us to be as workers for the Master, and we should cultivate every faculty to the highest degree of perfection, that we may do the greatest amount of good of which we are capable.

The Lord has a great work to be done, and He will bequeath the most in the future life to those who do the most faithful, willing service in the present life. The Lord chooses His own agents, and each day under different circumstances He gives them a trial in His plan of operation. In each true-hearted endeavor to work out His plan, He chooses His agents not because they are perfect but because, through a connection with Him, they may gain perfection.

God will accept only those who are determined to aim high. He places every human agent under obligation to do his best. Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong-doing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and every one who receives Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes.

And those who would be workers together with God must strive for perfection of every organ of the body and quality of the mind. True education is the preparation of the physical, mental, and moral powers for the performance of every duty; it is the training of body, mind, and soul for divine service. This is the education that will endure unto eternal life.

Of every Christian the Lord requires growth in efficiency and capability in every line. Christ has paid us our wages, even His own blood and suffering, to secure our willing service. He came to our world to give us an example of how we should work, and what spirit we should bring into our labor. He desires us to study how we can best advance His work and glorify His name in the world, crowning with honor, with the greatest love and devotion, the Father who “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

But Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected.

Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will. If you will not, then you can not overcome. The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control of God.

Many whom God has qualified to do excellent work accomplish very little, because they attempt little. Thousands pass through life as if they had no definite object for which to live, no standard to reach. Such will obtain a reward proportionate to their works.

Remember that you will never reach a higher standard than you yourself set. Then set your mark high, and step by step, even though it be by painful effort, by self-denial and sacrifice, ascend the whole length of the ladder of progress. Let nothing hinder you. Fate has not woven its meshes about any human being so firmly that he need remain helpless and in uncertainty. Opposing circumstances should create a firm determination to overcome them. The breaking down of one barrier will give greater ability and courage to go forward. Press with determination in the right direction, and circumstances will be your helpers, not your hindrances.

Be ambitious, for the Master’s glory, to cultivate every grace of character. In every phase of your character building you are to please God. This you may do; for Enoch pleased Him though living in a degenerate age. And there are Enochs in this our day.

Stand like Daniel, that faithful statesman, a man whom no temptation could corrupt. Do not disappoint Him who so loved you that He gave His own life to cancel your sins. He says, “Without Me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5. Remember this. If you have made mistakes, you certainly gain a victory if you see these mistakes and regard them as beacons of warning. Thus you turn defeat into victory, disappointing the enemy and honoring your Redeemer.

A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this world to the next. Those who are under the instruction of Christ in this world will take every divine attainment with them to the heavenly mansions. And in heaven we are continually to improve. How important, then, is the development of character in this life.

The heavenly intelligences will work with the human agent who seeks with determined faith that perfection of character which will reach out to perfection in action. To everyone engaged in this work Christ says, I am at your right hand to help you.

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, 325-333.

The Blessing of the Fifth Commandment

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If I were to ask a child if there is a favorite rule that he or she likes to obey, chances are that the response would be a facial expression that says, “Are you serious?” As ridiculous as my question may be, I can confidently recall the time when I had a favorite commandment. My favorite commandment was “honor your father and mother.” (Exodus 20:12.) And as far as I can remember, I tried to keep that commandment with all my strength. The reason for my ambition, I must admit, was not because I loved my parents. Even though I did love them, the real reason I tried to keep that commandment was because I heard that if I kept it, I would live a long life. This appeal had a strong impact on my heart, so beginning around the age of five, my attitude toward my parents was ruled by this commandment. More specifically, however, was the way I treated my mother. I would always make sure that she was happy; I would ask how she was doing or if anything was troubling her. We held close communication and shared many secrets. And when she asked or ordered me to do something, I made sure that it was done. Yes, I considered it my duty to make her happy; I considered it a blessing to obey the fifth commandment.

As the years went by and I grew older, my attitude towards the fifth commandment began to change. When I was eleven, my mother, siblings, and I moved to New York City. It was here that I began to see myself as an individual of society. Prior to this, most of my time away from school was spent with family. Not anymore! The city was big and attractive, so I began to explore. In addition, my restraining stepfather was no longer a part of my life. Since he was no longer there to dictate my coming and going, I felt free to roam. In all of this, however, I continually made an effort to honor my mother. When she called, I answered. When she ordered, I obeyed. But though I answered and obeyed, my heart began to dread restrictions. And because I wanted to be like others, I slowly began to disregard the fifth commandment.

One day, an incident occurred which, to this day, is one of the most memorable events of my youth. Instead of going home after school as my mother ordered, I decided to hang out in the school yard with some of the other students. We were playing basketball when all of a sudden another student approached me. I was surprised at this because he was one of the popular students of the school. He was around my age, but he had a reputation of being a hard little boy, one who was accustomed to the streets. When he approached me, I was not prepared for what he had to say. In a demanding tone, he asked me to help him steal a puppy. Yes, to steal! I immediately became uneasy, but because I wanted to be accepted, I tried so hard to hide my fears, and I began to make excuses. “It’s getting late.” “Oh, my mother is waiting for me.” “I need to catch the next bus home.” I gave so many appeals hoping to set myself free, but he was not persuaded. Instead, he began to persuade me with violent threats. He threatened to get his older brother to hurt me if I did not comply. Since I knew a little about his brother’s reputation, I concluded that he was not to be offended. Therefore, I submitted to the little boy’s demand and followed him to where the puppy was.

He took me to an alley located around three blocks away from the school. There the puppy was, locked in a fence which faced a position that made it impossible for us to open the gate. Once he realized this, my comrade suddenly changed his plans. No longer was I to help him steal the puppy; I was told to steal it myself while he just watched out. So there I was struggling with this extremely secured fence. I pulled, I pushed, I twisted, and I turned. I could not get it opened. In the process, a noise was made that caused me and my comrade to run and hide. When we arrived at our hiding spot, he suddenly became very violent. He cursed me. He grabbed me. He held me up against the wall. I shook. I trembled. I began to cry. In his anger he made more violent threats, and out of fear I promised to try harder. So when the scene was clear, we went back to get the puppy. Once again I pulled, I pushed, I twisted, and I turned. This time the fence gave way, and I was able to grab the poor little creature. Immediately, I brought the puppy to my anxious little comrade. Now that he had his object, he became cheerful and happy. And after giving me a brief, halfhearted apology, he departed with a smile on his face. As for me, I went home with a frightened heart and a trembling body.

This event is so important because of the two lessons I have learned from it. First, it causes me to recognize the blessing of the fifth commandment. Had I followed my mother’s order and gone straight home after school that day, this awful experience would have been completely avoided. Because of my disobedience, I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time. As a result, Satan was able to use this little boy as an instrument to lead me even further into disobedience. Not only was I dishonoring my mother, but now I was dishonoring my neighbors and stealing from them. And as my teenage years progressed, I committed more and more crimes against my neighbors until I was almost destroyed. All of this happened because I abandoned the blessing of the fifth commandment.

The second lesson I have learned from this experience is that it is better for me to be alone and obey than to join the crowd and disobey. Before I tried to fit in with other students, I was honoring my mother, getting good grades, and staying out of trouble. But because I wanted to be accepted, I started to disregard my mother’s orders. When I was alone, I was obedient and peaceful, but in the crowd I was rebellious and causing trouble. All of this happened because I abandoned the blessing of the fifth commandment.

So to help you to avoid making the same unwise decision I made, here is a poem for you to remember:

Obey your parents, this is right,

for this will bring eternal life.

Rebel and you will find for sure,

that death is waiting at your door.

A member of Steps to Life staff, Demario Carter works in the Mail Order Services Department. He can be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

The Talent of Time

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“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13, 14.

The New Testament book of Philippians was written by Paul in 60-62 A.D. from a Roman prison. While on his second missionary journey, Paul established the Philippian church whose predominate members were Gentiles. He had a special love for these believers, a love which they reciprocated. Despite being in jail and unsure of his earthly future, Paul uses the time to write a letter to the Philippians—a book of joy through Christ.

Our Time Belongs to God

In the beginning God created man in His own image and placed them in a beautiful garden home. They were given authority over all other living creatures on earth. The first couple was happy in Eden until they disobeyed their Creator. This act allowed Satan to claim rulership of the earth. However, a plan had been devised to conquer the fallen angel. Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, came to pay the penalty of our sins, buying back, with his blood, the ownership of this world.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:19, 20.

“Let us devote our time and our means to the service of God, that we may have His approbation and receive His reward.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 83.

Paul’s Perspective on the Past

Paul came from a very privileged family and was educated by the most influential of Jewish schools. However, his upbringing afforded him little. His life was centered on the persecution of Christians, and in doing so, he had been persecuting Christ. Paul could have looked at the past with regret, but, he looked at his past experiences with a desire to learn from them. “Whatever the mistakes or failures of the past, we may, with the help of God, rise above them. With the apostle we may say: ‘This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.’ Philippians 3:13.” The Ministry of Healing, 516.

Paul’s Perspective on the Present

Paul made a conscious decision to make the most of the present. He decided to reach “forth unto those things which are before.” He did not look back at his life with either pride or remorse; he chose to make the most of the time he had remaining to work for the Lord. He developed singleness of purpose to do what he could to better his character and share the gospel of Christ with what time and strength he had left. “Singleness of purpose, wholehearted devotion to God is the condition pointed out by the Savior’s words. Let the purpose be sincere and unwavering to discern the truth and to obey it at whatever the cost, and you will receive divine enlightenment. Real piety begins when all compromise with sin is at an end.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 91.

We, like Paul, must make the most of the time God has given us to develop characters that will glorify Christ. In doing this, our lives can be a wonderful witness of the power of a living Christ.

Paul’s Perspective on the Future

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14. Paul was in jail as he was writing this letter, a place of despair, doubt, fear, and anger. Yet, he looked at his present condition with hope and joy, for he knew well Who held the future. He knew that there was a hell to shun and a heaven to gain and so pressed toward the mark of the high calling of Jesus. Each of us, no matter what our current situation, can look forward to heaven and the wonderful reward that Christ has prepared for the faithful.

“It is the work that we do or do not do that tells with tremendous power upon our lives and destinies. God requires us to improve every opportunity for usefulness that is offered us. Neglect to do this is perilous to our spiritual growth. We have a great work to do. Let us not pass in idleness the precious hours that God has given us in which to perfect characters for heaven. We must not be inactive or slothful in this work, for we have not a moment to spend without a purpose or object. God will help us to overcome our wrongs if we will pray and believe on Him. We can be more than conquerors through Him who has loved us. When the short life in this world is ended, and we see as we are seen and know as we are known, how short in duration and how small will the things of this world appear to us in comparison with the glory of the better world!” Testimonies, vol. 3, 540.

Now is the time to perfect our characters for heaven. Now is the time to present Christ to a dying world. Like Paul, we must learn from the past and then forget it. Our thoughts need to be focused on Christ and His reward for the faithful. Living the present to the fullest for Christ, and looking to the future He has prepared for us, will make the present a glory to both ourselves and also those around us.

Improper Use of Time

Sleeping too long—“The bright morning hours are wasted by many in bed. These precious hours, once lost, are gone never to return; they are lost for time and for eternity. Only one hour lost each day, and what a waste of time in the course of a year! Let the slumberer think of this and pause to consider how he will give an account to God for lost opportunities.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 412. “This lifetime is too short to be squandered in vain and trifling diversion, in unprofitable visiting, in needless dressing for display, or in exciting amusements. We cannot afford to squander the time given us of God in which to bless others and in which to lay up for ourselves a treasure in heaven. We have none too much time for the discharge of necessary duties. … By neglecting these essential duties and conforming to the habits and customs of fashionable, worldly society, we do ourselves and our children a great wrong.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 146.

Acquirement of wealth—“That time is worse than lost to parents and children which is devoted to the acquirement of wealth, while mental improvement and moral culture are neglected. Earthly treasures must pass away; but nobility of character, moral worth, will endure forever. If the work of parents be well done, it will through eternity testify of their wisdom and faithfulness. Those who tax their purses and their ingenuity to the utmost to provide for their households costly apparel and dainty food, or to maintain them in ignorance of useful labor, will be repaid only by the pride, envy, willfulness, and disrespect of their spoiled children.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 69.

Justifying self—“If pride and selfishness were laid aside, five minutes would remove most difficulties. Angels have been grieved and God displeased by the hours which have been spent in justifying self. I saw that God will not bow down and listen to long justifications, and He does not want His servants to do so, and thus precious time be wasted that should be spent in showing transgressors the error of their ways and pulling souls out of the fire.” Early Writings, 119, 120.

Disorder and disorganization—“Washington, the nation’s statesman, was enabled to perform a great amount of business because he was thorough in preserving order and regularity. Every paper had its date and its place, and no time was lost in looking up what had been mislaid. Men of God must be diligent in study, earnest in the acquirement of knowledge, never wasting an hour. Through persevering exertion they may rise to almost any degree of eminence as Christians, as men of power and influence. But many will never attain superior rank in the pulpit or in business because of their unfixedness of purpose and the laxness of habits contracted in their youth. Careless inattention is seen in everything they undertake. A sudden impulse now and then is not sufficient to accomplish a reformation in these ease-loving, indolent ones; this is a work which requires patient continuance in well-doing. Men of business can be truly successful only by having regular hours for rising, for prayer, for meals, and for retirement. If order and regularity are essential in worldly business, how much more so in doing work for God.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 411, 412.

Self Seeking—“It is wrong to waste our time, wrong to waste our thoughts. We lose every moment that we devote to self-seeking. If every moment were valued and rightly employed, we should have time for everything that we need to do for ourselves or for the world. In the expenditure of money, in the use of time, strength, opportunities, let every Christian look to God for guidance. ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.’ James 1:5.” The Ministry of Healing, 208.

Lack of purpose or object—“It is the work that we do or do not do that tells with tremendous power upon our lives and destinies. God requires us to improve every opportunity for usefulness that is offered us. Neglect to do this is perilous to our spiritual growth. We have a great work to do. Let us not pass in idleness the precious hours that God has given us in which to perfect characters for heaven. We must not be inactive or slothful in this work, for we have not a moment to spend without a purpose or object. God will help us to overcome our wrongs if we will pray and believe on Him. We can be more than conquerors through Him who has loved us.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 540.

Selection of wrong subject matter upon which to converse—“Lack of wisdom in the selection of subjects of conversation has done much harm. The conversation should be upon spiritual and divine things; but it has been otherwise. If the association with Christian friends is chiefly devoted to the improvement of the mind and heart, there will be no after regrets, and they can look back on the interview with a pleasant satisfaction. But if the hours are spent in levity and vain talking, and the precious time is employed in dissecting the lives and character of others, the friendly intercourse will prove a source of evil, and your influence will be a savor of death unto death.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 186, 187.

Time is a valuable gift, one that we are called upon to account for, so how we use this gift is critical. “The value of time is beyond computation. Christ regarded every moment as precious, and it is thus that we should regard it. Life is too short to be trifled away. We have but a few days of probation in which to prepare for eternity. We have no time to waste, no time to devote to selfish pleasure, no time for the indulgence of sin. It is now that we are to form characters for the future, immortal life. It is now that we are to prepare for the searching judgment.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 342.

Strict accounting of our use of time—“Our time belongs to God. Every moment is His, and we are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory. Of no talent He has given will He require a more strict account than of our time.” Ibid., 342.

Proper Use of Time

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:14–16.

Find the best and wisest use of our time. “They are taught to appreciate the value of time, and to make the best and wisest use of it.” Sons and Daughters of God, 97. “God declares, ‘Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting,’ [Daniel 5:27]—wanting in a knowledge of practical business, wanting in a knowledge of how to make the best use of time, wanting in a knowledge of how to labor for Jesus.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 468.

There Should Be Time Spent in Planning

“As far as possible, it is well to consider what is to be accomplished through the day. Make a memorandum of the different duties that await your attention, and set apart a certain time for the doing of each duty.

“Let everything be done with thoroughness, neatness, and dispatch. … Give yourself a number of minutes to do the work, and do not stop to read papers and books that take your eye, but say to yourself, ‘No, I have just so many minutes in which to do my work, and I must accomplish my task in the given time.’ ” Sons and Daughters of God, 114.

“Let those who are naturally slow of movement seek to become active, quick, energetic, remembering the words of the apostle, ‘Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.’ [Romans 12:11.] … But if you are under the control of slow, dilatory movements, if your habits are of a lazy order, you will make a long job out of a short one; and it is the duty of those who are slow to reform and to become more expeditious. If they will, they can overcome their fussy, lingering habits. In washing dishes they may be careful and at the same time do quick work. Exercise the will to this end, and the hands will move with dispatch.” Child Guidance, 125. “It is the duty of every Christian to acquire habits of order, thoroughness, and dispatch. There is no excuse for slow bungling at work of any character. … The one who is slow and who works at a disadvantage should realize that these are faults to be corrected. He needs to exercise his mind in planning how to use the time so as to secure the best results. By tact and method, some will accomplish as much in five hours as others do in ten. … By their slow, dilatory ways they make much work out of very little. But all who will, may overcome these fussy, lingering habits. In their work let them have a definite aim. Decide how long a time is required for a given task, and then bend every effort toward accomplishing the work in the given time. The exercise of the will power will make the hands move deftly.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 344.

Gather and Use the Fragments of Time

“A few moments here and a few there, that might be frittered away in aimless talk; the morning hours so often wasted in bed; the time spent in traveling on trams or railway cars, or waiting at the station; the moments of waiting for meals, waiting for those who are tardy in keeping an appointment—if a book were kept at hand, and these fragments of time were improved in study, reading, or careful thought, what might not be accomplished. A resolute purpose, persistent industry, and careful economy of time, will enable men to acquire knowledge and mental discipline which will qualify them for almost any position of influence and usefulness.” Ibid., 343, 344. “Where there is an abundance of idleness, Satan works with his temptations to spoil life and character. If youth are not trained to useful labor, whether they be rich or poor, they are in peril; for Satan will find employment for them after his own order. The youth who are not barricaded with principle do not regard time as a precious treasure, a trust from God, for which every human being must give an account. Children should be educated to make the very best use of their time, to be helpful to father and mother, to be self-reliant. They should not be allowed to consider themselves above doing any kind of labor that is necessary. The value of time is beyond computation. Time squandered can never be recovered. … The improvement of wasted moments is a treasure.” Child Guidance, 123.

“He taught all to look upon themselves as endowed with precious talents, which if rightly employed would secure for them eternal riches. He weeded all vanity from life, and by His own example taught that every moment of time is fraught with eternal results; that it is to be cherished as a treasure, and to be employed for holy purposes.” The Desire of Ages, 91.

Time Spent in Labor is Noble

“Parents should devise ways and means for keeping their children usefully busy. Let the children be given little pieces of land to cultivate, that they may have something to give as a freewill offering.

“Allow them to help you in every way they can, and show them that you appreciate their help. Let them feel that they are a part of the family firm. Teach them to use their minds as much as possible, so to plan their work that they may do it quickly and thoroughly. Teach them to be prompt and energetic in their work, to economize time so that no minutes may be lost in their allotted hours of work.

“Let us teach the little ones to help us while their hands are small and their strength is slight. Let us impress upon their minds the fact that labor is noble, that it was ordained to man of heaven, that it was enjoined upon Adam in Eden, as an essential to the healthy development of mind and body. Let us teach them that innocent pleasure is never half so satisfying as when it follows active industry.” Child Guidance, 126, 127.

Understanding the importance of the above uses of our time, lays a good foundation for allowing us to make the most use of our time and allows us time to do the most critical things with our time.

Our Responsibility to the Work in the World

“My brethren, the Lord is coming, and we need to bend every energy to the accomplishment of the work before us. I appeal to you to give yourselves wholly to the work. Christ gave His time, His soul, His strength, to labor for the benefit and blessing of humanity.” Gospel Workers, 115. “Let us give while we have the power. Let us do while we have the strength. Let us work while it is day. Let us devote our time and our means to the service of God, that we may have His approbation, and receive His reward.” Counsels on Stewardship, 21.

“All the people of God should have an interest in His cause. … God requires those who have health and strength of body, to do what they can, and use their strength to His glory, for they are not their own. They are accountable to God for the use they make of their time and strength, which are granted them of Heaven.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 324.

“Now is our time to labor for the salvation of our fellow men. There are some who think that if they give money to the cause of Christ, this is all they are required to do; the precious time in which they might do personal service for Him passes unimproved. But it is the privilege and duty of all who have health and strength to render to God active service. All are to labor in winning souls to Christ. Donations of money cannot take the place of this. …

“Every moment is freighted with eternal consequences. We are to stand as minute men, ready for service at a moment’s notice.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 343.

“Sin and wickedness are rapidly increasing; and now we shall have to redeem the time by laboring all the more earnestly.” Counsels on Health, 556.

Our Responsibility to the work In the Church

“You may feel that others have done wrong, and I know as well as you do that a Christlike spirit has not been manifested in the church. But will this avail you in the judgment? Will two wrongs make one right? Though one, two, or three in the church have done wrong, this will not blot out or excuse your sin. Whatever course others may take, your work is to set your own heart in order. God has claims upon you which no circumstances should lead you to forget or neglect, for every soul is precious in His sight.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 349.

Our Responsibility to the work in the Home

“Parents should teach their children … that to do something which will honor God and bless humanity is worth striving for. Even in their early years they can be missionaries for God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 345.

“The great object which parents should seek to attain for their dear children should be the inward adorning. Parents cannot afford to allow visitors and strangers to claim their attention, and by robbing them of time, which is life’s great capital, make it impossible for them to give their children each day that patient instruction which they must have to give right direction to their developing minds.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 146.

Use Our Time for Character Development

“ Study to show thyself approved unto God.” 11 Timothy 2:15. “The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. By His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God as He had spoken it to all the Old Testament writers. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.

“This word does not repress activity. It opens before the conscientious searcher channels for activity. It does not leave men in uncertainty, without an object, but places before them the highest of all aims,—the winning of souls to Christ. It puts in the hand a lamp that lights the way to heaven. It tells of unsearchable riches, treasure beyond estimate.

“The word of God is the standard of character. In giving us this word, God has put us in possession of every truth essential to salvation.” Gospel Workers, 250.

Prayer and Communion with God

“Begin to pray for souls; come near to Christ, close to His bleeding side. Let a meek and quiet spirit adorn your lives, and let your earnest, broken, humble petitions ascend to Him for wisdom that you may have success in saving not only your own soul, but the souls of others.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 513.

“Many, even in their seasons of devotion, fail of receiving the blessing of real communion with God. They are in too great haste. With hurried steps they press through the circle of Christ’s loving presence, pausing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, but not waiting for counsel. They have no time to remain with the divine Teacher. With their burdens they return to their work.

“These workers can never attain the highest success until they learn the secret of strength. They must give themselves time to think, to pray, to wait upon God for a renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual power. They need the uplifting influence of His Spirit. Receiving this, they will be quickened by fresh life. The wearied frame and tired brain will be refreshed, the burdened heart will be lightened.

“Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companionship with Him—this is our need. Happy will it be for the children of our homes and the students of our schools when parents and teachers shall learn in their own lives the precious experience pictured in these words from the Song of Songs: ‘As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, So is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under His shadow with great delight, And His fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, And His banner over me was love.’ Song of Solomon 2:3, 4.” Education, 260, 261.

“The strength acquired in prayer to God, united with individual effort in training the mind to thoughtfulness and care-taking, prepares the person for daily duties and keeps the spirit in peace under all circumstances, however trying. The temptations to which we are daily exposed make prayer a necessity. In order that we may be kept by the power of God through faith, the desires of the mind should be continually ascending in silent prayer for help, for light, for strength, for knowledge.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 459.

Sabbath

“Let there be … no desecration of His holy time. The servant of God will call sacred that which the Lord calls sacred. Thus he will show that he has chosen the Lord as his leader. The Sabbath was made in Eden, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. God has placed it in our charge. Let us keep it pure and holy.” Medical Ministry, 215.

Exercise

“Mental effort without corresponding physical exercise calls an undue proportion of blood to the brain, and thus the circulation is unbalanced. The brain has too much blood, while the extremities have too little. The hours of study and recreation should be carefully regulated, and a portion of the time should be spent in physical labor.” My Life Today, 144.

“Words and actions and motives are recorded; but how little do these light, superficial heads and hard hearts realize that an angel of God stands writing down the manner in which their precious moments are employed.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 589, 590.

What would you do if someone deposited $86,400 into a bank account for you each day that carries no balance from one day to the next and cancels whatever amount you failed to spend by the end of the day? Of course you would withdraw every penny and use it as you saw fit! Each of us has an account like this. It is called “time.” Every day a deposit of 86,400 seconds goes into our account called “life.” We have the opportunity to invest every second for the glory of God or to waste it, never to regain the seconds lost. The clock is running… Go!

Janet Headrick has been associated with Steps to Life since 1991. She has been serving the ministry as office manager since October of 2007. She can be reached by email at: janetheadrick@stepstolife.org, or by phone at: 316-788-5559.

The Pride and Fall

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Seventh-day Adventism in the mid 1800s had become well-known particularly for the health work that had begun. The state of health of people in America at that time was deplorable. In those early years of Adventism the believers also were not living very healthful lives, most being meat eaters. A common practice among the regular medical practitioners of the time was recommending the use of tobacco smoke as a treatment for people with lung conditions. Another treatment often used was bleeding with leeches, a treatment brought about due to the belief that there was too much bad blood in the body. The first U.S. president, George Washington, underwent this treatment toward the end of his life and it was possibly the cause of his death. Opium and heroin were common ingredients in popular remedies. Such was the state of medical education in America at that time.

Around 1863, Ellen White received a vision from God which became known as the health reform vision. In it God showed her many truths regarding our bodies and proper care of our health. This message of health reform was desperately needed in the world and certainly also in the church. Shortly after receiving the vision, Mrs. White established the Western Health Reform Institute which operated around 1866–1877. In the early days there was no medical doctor to head up the work there so its beginnings were humble—just a house where sanitarium work was conducted. Ellen and James White felt the need for a medical doctor to head up the work. There was one promising young man whom they had kept their eyes on, John Harvey Kellogg. As a young man he had shown promise of a very sharp mental aptitude and they encouraged him in his study of medicine. James White had taken him into the printing work and given him work on the printing presses. John Kellogg was a hard worker and he had very fine dexterous fingers which made him exceptionally quick at putting the typeset together. The White’s personally financed a portion of his tuition for medical school and, upon completion, he came back to the Western Health Reform Institute and headed the program there. Under his leadership the health work started to expand, adding to the hydrotherapy, medical, and surgical treatments.

Very soon he realized that the facilities they had were not adequate for the work the Adventist church wanted to accomplish so a fundraising campaign was begun to raise $25,000 to build a new facility. Later on from its humble beginnings it developed into the Battle Creek Sanitarium which became the center of the Adventist health work for many years.

Dr. Kellogg was a tireless worker doing up to three times as much as any others. God had given him tremendous talent. He was very long-winded and dictated to his secretaries twenty five to fifty letters each day. It was not uncommon for these letters to be eighteen to twenty pages long. He worked tirelessly from early morning to late evening. It is said that he could keep several stenographers busy at the same time, each writing different letters and could go from one to another without forgetting his thoughts on each separate letter.

He had the ability to multi-task, dictating letters while reading patient reports from other workers. He never wasted a moment while he was traveling around the country doing lectures and tours. On a three-hour train trip he would dictate scientific papers to be published in one of the journals being produced by the church. He dictated all of this information from memory. He did not have available to him the resources available today like the Google search engine. All the information he needed for these papers was stored in his mind.

While traveling he would carry a piece of material with him and practice stitching tiny little stitches to keep his fingers nimble for his surgeries. Even up into his seventies he worked around fifteen hours each day. Sometimes he went up to 48 hours with only a couple of two-hour naps in between. This was normal practice for him. Ellen White cautioned him against this, and told him that as a health educator he should practice what he was preaching. In reply he insisted that the Lord had given him a work to do and he must do it. He felt he was putting out fires and could not stop to spend more time on himself; he had so much to do. He believed that God had given him the work and he had to keep preaching and teaching. Amazingly, with the schedule he kept, he lived to be 91 years old.

Dr. Kellogg would regularly gather all the patients together and give lectures. Often there were scoffers, but because of his quick brain he was always able to answer any objections so well that the questioners often became embarrassed and left or kept quiet. The patients loved these sessions where they could hear Dr. Kellogg speak about healthful living.

He and his brother, William, developed the product cornflakes, which today still has the name Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. The kitchen of the sanitarium became Dr. Kellogg’s laboratory where amongst all of his other activities he would take time to do experiments with food. During his early days as a medical student, he cooked his own meals and kept careful records of the money and time he spent. Wishing there was a ready-made cereal available to purchase, he began experimenting with recipes. Cornflakes actually came about accidentally. In an attempt to make flakes, he cooked up a batch of wheat berries and put them through a roller which turned them into mush. Unsatisfied with the taste and texture, he continued in his attempts without pleasing results.

One day as he was cooking up a batch of wheat berries, he had an emergency call which did not allow him to get back to his experiment until 2-3 hours later. When he came back, he thought his mixture was ruined, but instead of throwing it away, he put it through the roller just to see what would happen. It came through like thick flakes—not what he wanted but it was better than before. Another time he and his brother William were experimenting and he was called away and unable to get back for a whole day. By that time the batch had molded. They decided to put it through the roller though and finally they had nice thin flakes. By regulating the humidity, the flakes would not mold and they had fine, thin flakes able to be baked. This was the start of the cereal industry.

Dr. Kellogg was encouraged to patent and market his discoveries; however, he did not like to make anything as a business. He had a very kind, generous heart and he thought if anyone wanted to have that recipe they could have it. Of course William, his younger brother, thought very differently and urged Dr. Kellogg to make money with it. This resulted in a disagreement that caused a lifelong division between William and John Kellogg. William went on to form the Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Company that has continued to this day to make millions. Dr. Kellogg, adverse to making a business out of health, would teach his patients in his own kitchen to cook healthfully for themselves. In this way, these people would be able to put healthy habits to practice in their own homes.

Peanut butter was another one of his inventions. Dr. Kellogg experimented with a lot of nut butters and protein foods, but it was peanut butter really that caught the attention of the American people. Once more he was encouraged to patent his discovery, and once more he refused. Peanut butter has become one of the most popular foods in America. Later he suggested that roasted peanut butter was hard on the digestive system. As a solution he began boiling the peanuts for the peanut butter used by the sanitarium. Incidentally, most people still preferred to eat roasted peanut butter because the flavor was better despite the health ramifications.

Dr. Kellogg and his wife never had children of their own. They adopted seven and also took care of 35 other needy children whose parents were not able to care for them. They raised 42 children in their large house. Dr. Kellogg was a very generous, hardworking man whom the Lord greatly blessed with many talents. He invented many medical apparatuses to aid in healing. He took great care to implement the eight laws of health into his medical practices which influenced his medical ingenuity. Because Michigan does not have a lot of sun through the winter, he advocated the use of electric lights and invented the electric light sauna bath. He had banks of light baths so people could come in the winter to receive the benefits of light therapy.

Dr. Kellogg was well-known as a very skillful surgeon. A highly acclaimed surgeon once came from the lauded John Hopkins Medical Center and spent a day observing Dr. Kellogg perform five gastric surgeries back to back, which took a period of ten consecutive hours. After witnessing this surgery marathon he said, “Today I have observed some of the most skillful surgery I have ever seen.” Dr. Kellogg continued with his surgeries and performed his last operation when he was 81 years old.

Once a patient went to the Mayo Clinic—a clinic whose medical prowess was as great then as it continues to be to this day. Dr. Mayo, noticing a scar on the gentleman, observed that Dr. Kellogg had operated on him. The patient was surprised that the doctor would know this, given he had not divulged any of his medical history. When asked how he could tell, Dr. Mayo replied, “That’s easy; the scar is small and neat, just like a signature.”

In addition to his medical abilities, Dr. Kellogg possessed God-given leadership skills that prompted him to head up the health work in the Adventist Church. Ellen White said, “The Lord Jesus has sent his angel to your side to tell you what to do. A hand has been laid upon your hand, Jesus, and not you, has guided your instrument. At times you have realized this, and a wonderful calmness has come over you. You dared not hurry, yet you worked rapidly, knowing that there was not a moment to lose. The Lord has greatly blessed you.” Battle Creek Letters, 32, 33. This was written in 1899 to the medical superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium.

As they saw the results of Dr. Kellogg’s surgeries, doctors from the Mayo Clinic and John Hopkins Medical Center said, “This is astounding.” This was because angels placed their hands over Dr. Kellogg’s hands. Jesus, Himself, guided Dr. Kellogg’s hands as he performed these surgeries. “As you looked to God in your critical operations, angels of God were standing by your side, and their hands were seen as your hand performing the work with an accuracy that made the beholders surprised.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 285.

It is said that when Dr. Kellogg knew just one millimeter to the left or to the right could cost the patient his life, he would bow down with all his staff and pray for God’s hands to guide his. Before all surgeries he would kneel with the surgery staff and pray, a practice for which his patients were very grateful.

The fame of Battle Creek Sanitarium became worldwide, and in the early 1900’s, all manner of patients were coming in, many of them very wealthy. But something happened during the peak of Dr. Kellogg’s career at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. About the turn of the century, his relationship with the Seventh-day Adventist Church began to change. Although he enjoyed a wonderful relationship with James and Ellen White during the early years, later he questioned the prophetic gift of Ellen White.

In his book, John Harvey Kellogg, Swartz quotes from George Butler, a president of the general conference, who said: “Most everybody believes the Testimonies very strongly as long as they favor them, and sustain them, and stand up for them, and fight their battles. The time when they become questionable about the Testimonies is when the Testimonies begin to reprove them, and present before them certain faults, and wrong courses, or methods, or motives of action.” George Butler said that most people in the Adventist Church agree that Ellen White has the prophetic gift as long as they agree with the testimonies. But as soon as the testimonies of Ellen White say something that pricks their conscience, that is directed toward them, then they question the authenticity of her gift. This is what happened with Dr. Kellogg.

Dr. Kellogg had enormous power over the medical work in Battle Creek Sanitarium, which, by this time, had become quite large. Ellen White was opposed to the idea of having one large sanitarium saying, rather, that smaller institutions all across the country should be erected outside every large city. Dr. Kellogg successfully encouraged medical students to receive their training at Battle Creek. Upon enrollment as medical students, their contract required them to work with his society for a certain number of years post graduation. The facility was becoming a directorship.

The Lord had blessed John Kellogg with many talents to accomplish wonderful work. However, no one is exempt from pride and must guard carefully against it or suffer the results—results which can affect more than just the individual. Ellen White reproved his actions. Again and again she pleaded with Dr. Kellogg to branch out from Battle Creek and help the other sanitariums and correct the issue of autonomy. Each should be able to make decisions independent of Dr. Kellogg or the Battle Creek Board. Though her reproofs met with a congenial answer, Dr. Kellogg chose not to reform his practices.

In a conversation with Willie White, Dr. Kellogg stated that his faith in Ellen White’s teachings were based on his belief in the fundamental principles she taught rather than on any natural disposition or trust in the supernatural. Dr. Kellogg asserted that his belief in Willie’s mother’s being under God’s direction was due to her doing and saying what he also believed to be right, rather than a result of the supernatural power affecting her.

Dr. Kellogg’s is a dangerous stance to take. When any one person feels himself adequate to judge the spirit of prophecy or even become his own standard for right and wrong, trouble is imminent. This is what Dr. Kellogg was trying to do around the turn of the century and after many warnings from Ellen White, in 1902, the sanitarium burned down. Mrs. White and many others of the General Conference thought this was a sign from God and that Dr. Kellogg would come to understand and begin expanding the medical work into other areas.

Dr. Kellogg received the news of the fire in the sanitarium during a medical tour and immediately began drawing plans for a new sanitarium. The General Conference agreed to rebuild but decided it must be downsized. They started laying the foundation in 1903, but no one saw the whole blueprint of the new sanitarium except for Dr. Kellogg. By the time the foundation was laid and the conference checked the work, they saw the new foundation for the sanitarium would be even larger than the one that had burned down. The next sanitarium was a huge complex, and in 1928 a 14 story addition was added. Dr. Kellogg spared no expense in building his new sanitarium. The materials included marble imported from Italy, tiles imported from Europe, a fountain inside the cafeteria, and crystal chandeliers from Europe. Inside, the building was magnificently done to encourage upper class patronage.

Dr. Kellogg became the driving force behind the sanitarium, and through his vigorous efforts the Sanitarium was raised to national prominence as a “place where people learn to stay well.” The rich and famous frequently made annual trips, sometimes several weeks in duration. They were pampered while being restored to health by eating a healthy diet and scientifically planned exercises. Patients poured in internationally to indulge in the medical luxury. Even presidents came to Battle Creek Sanitarium for treatments.

At present the building is a federal building, the only one of which has a fountain in the cafeteria.

Dr. Kellogg continued teaching the laws of health, but there was a gradual shift. Mrs. White had said to exercise in the open air, out in nature. Although Dr. Kellogg kept the basic teachings, there was a subtle change in all of his practices. For example, the exercises now conducted on the rooftop of the sanitarium more resembled dancing. In his early years as a student, the medical institution he attended used dancing as a form of recreation, something that Dr. Kellogg never advocated. As a violinist, he was frequently asked to play music for some of the dances, which he did with great discomfiture. In the new sanitarium, the social events were vastly different than the Western Health Reform Institute.

Ellen White had spoken against having sports competitions in the schools, but Dr. Kellogg incorporated many of these things in his sanitarium, even including a billiards room in the new sanitarium. Many of the principles he once stood by slowly began to disappear. Strange things started happening at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Dr. Kellogg formed an association called the Race Betterment Foundation. The goal of the foundation’s “Eugenics Registry” was “to make an inventory and record of the socially important hereditary traits and tendencies of the individual” and “to assist in the maintenance and increase of natural endowments and to combat race decay.” They felt the need to keep the gene pool pure in order to increase the health of the human race. The gene pool registry has John Harvey Kellogg listed as the secretary of the association. In order for a person’s name to go on the registry, the individual was required to divulge family lineage, hereditary weakness, and diseases. From these lists, marriages were arranged to obtain the best genes in an attempt to better the human race. The concept of eugenics was the primary idea behind the holocaust carried out by the Nazis, the superior race.

Such was the nature of John Harvey Kellogg’s medical leanings later in his life. While he was still working within the church, many worldly physicians would broach him on how he chose what treatments to incorporate into his sanitarium. He replied, “When new research comes along, I compare that research with what I have studied from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophesy [sic] and if the principles agree with the Bible and the Spirit of Prophesy[sic] I immediately take it in and study more about it and incorporate it into our practice at the sanitarium. If there is anything not according to the principles of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophesy [sic], I immediately throw it out, that way I can sift through much quicker all the research happening in science.”

The medical profession estimated that Dr. Kellogg was nearly a decade ahead of the medical practices of his day. This gift was due to his practice of comparing every new idea with the principles of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. As soon as he threw out the Spirit of Prophecy, and the things he had previously learned, the Spirit of God was not able to bless the things that he did.

Proverbs says that “pride goeth before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18.) John Harvey Kellogg was no exception. The Battle Creek Sanitarium eventually experienced some financial difficulties and one of the buildings was sold to the Federal Government. Later a sanitarium was established in Florida, but never succeeded as Battle Creek had. Dr. Kellogg credited his talents and his skills for the success in Battle Creek, but the failure in Florida proved otherwise. Only the Spirit of God was able to cause success. Unfortunately, however, the fall that is taken does not affect just the proud, but also everyone with whom that person is associated. This is especially the case with persons of influence and renown. Pride affects ourselves, people in our care, colleagues, businesses we are associated with, friends, family, and wonderful works that would be accomplished when dedicated to working for God’s glory and not our own.

“Believe in the Lord [your] God, and so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, and so shall you prosper.” (II Chronicles 20:20.) Putting faith in God and His abilities is the only hope of accomplishment. The purpose of a Christian is not to glorify self—there is no glory in humanity except in the presence of God.

No matter how blessed you may be of God, no matter how many talents God may have given to you, by trusting to self there is no way we can carry on any good work. Dr. Kellogg is a good example of that. Without constant dependence upon God, for His wisdom, for His spirit, there is nothing we can do. Whatever work the Lord has given to you, always keep a spirit of humility and dependence upon God, for we know that without Him we can accomplish nothing.

Dr. Kinjo is a Naturopathic physician practicing in Edmonds, WA. He is director of Restoration Natural Health and is dedicated to helping people achieve optimal health of body, mind, and spirit using the principles found in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy. He can be contacted by email at: drmark@restorationclinic.org.

A Song in the Night

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It happened in 1829 to a young girl by the name of Susanna Foster. She had a younger sister by the name of Elisa who lived to be very old, and she also had some brothers, one of which was Steven Foster, a famous song writer from the last century. Susanna was a very promising musician and singer, but while she was still young she contracted tuberculosis, a disease of the lungs. She was seriously ill and was expected to die. Some of her friends stayed up all night with her not knowing at the time, that it would be her last. At 4:30 in the morning, she awoke and sang a song. Her voice was clear and crisp; however, a short time after, she died, never to sing again.

Her family mourned her loss. Steven Foster was so young when she died that he never really got to know his sister personally, but the memory of her song on the night she died lived on.

There are often discouraging experiences in life that we simply do not understand. Some years ago another young woman with two young daughters and a little baby boy died. After having a surgery for cancer, she went through a course of chemotherapy and then had some other treatments in an effort to help her get better. She did not get better; she got worse. When you are only 29 years old and you have two beautiful girls and one beautiful baby boy, the last thing you want to do is die.

In the Bible, there is a story about a man who was told that he was going to die. The prophet Isaiah came to Hezekiah and told him to get his house in order; he was given forewarning. Hezekiah did not want to die right then so he turned his face towards the wall and he said, “Lord, I do not want to die.”

Hezekiah pleaded with the Lord that he would live a little longer and not die and the Lord answered his prayer and told him he would lengthen his life another fifteen years. A very sad thing happened in those fifteen years. Hezekiah had a child by the name of Manasseh. Manasseh was one of the most wicked kings that Judah ever had, and it was Manasseh who was responsible for martyring Isaiah the prophet. Because of the influence of Manasseh, the children of Israel were taken into captivity.

This was the terrible consequence that resulted because Hezekiah did not die at the right time, at God’s appointed time.

Sometimes it is hard to accept God’s will when we do not understand. This young lady, 29 years old, did not want to die either, but her condition got worse. The last time I saw her she was at church. She was so sick by that time that she was in a wheelchair and on oxygen. Her husband, standing beside her, too sad for words, just gave a nod of recognition. No words were exchanged; it was just too sad to say anything. Unknown at that time that was the last time I would see her alive; a few days later she died. I visited her husband with his three children and felt the emptiness and the hollowness inside the home. The light of that house was not there; his crown of rejoicing was no longer there.

“Do not marvel at this: because the hour is coming, in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice, And they will come out; those who have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, unto the resurrection of condemnation.“ John 5:28–29.

This young lady had deteriorated so much that she had to be taken to a hospital. They all knew she was dying but still every effort was made to try and save her life and help her to stay a little longer. As the evening grew on, her husband decided to stay there with her all that night. In the afternoon she had asked him, ”Who are all these people in my room?” He looked around and said, “I don’t see anybody; there’s nobody here.” She was insistent that there was, that the room was full of bright shining beings, and they were all around her bed, and they were all around the room. He did not see anybody.

Pretty soon it was supper time. Surprisingly, for being in her condition, she ate a good supper and after supper they had a wonderful conversation together. They did not know then, but it would be their last conversation together, and then she went to sleep.

This lady had prayed to the Lord, “Lord, if I have to die, because this is so distasteful to me leaving my children, please let me die in my sleep.” The Lord that night answered her prayer, and she went to sleep. About 5:00 o’clock in the morning her husband, who was sleeping in a chair by her bed, woke up with a start and he felt her and saw that she was not breathing. Ten minutes before, the nurse had checked on her and had seen that everything was fine. The doctors tried to resuscitate her, but it was too late; she was gone. She was only 29 years old, leaving two beautiful girls, a two year old baby boy, and a loving husband. Who can understand?

Life is so uncertain. At every opportunity show the people in your family the affection that you ought, so that if something should happen and they are taken suddenly from you, you will have some pleasant memories of the way you talked to them, and the way you treated them.

A physician was working in his office when his wife stopped by on her way to do some business downtown. She had wanted some time with him but was brushed off because he was “too busy.” A few minutes later he got a telephone call. A policeman was on the other end of the line informing him that his wife had been involved in a serious car accident. A few minutes before, he had been impatient and “too busy.” Would those words be the last he would ever speak to her, words of impatience?

What if something happened to somebody whom you love? Would the last words you spoke to them be words that you would want to remember? Always make sure that your parting words are a pleasant exchange and never impatient or fretful. Life is uncertain and none of us know how long we have our loved ones with us. We need to take advantage of every opportunity to show love and sympathy and affection to those we love.

“Home should be made all that the name implies. It should be a little heaven upon the earth, a place where the affections are cultivated instead of being studiously repressed. Our happiness depends upon this cultivation of love, sympathy, and polite courtesy to one another. The reason why there are so many hard-hearted men and women in our world, is because true affection has been regarded as weakness, and has been discouraged and repressed. The better part of the nature of those of this class was perverted and dwarfed in childhood; and unless rays of divine light can melt away their coldness and hard-hearted selfishness, the happiness of such is buried forever. If we would have tender hearts, such as Jesus had when he was upon the earth, and sanctified sympathy, such as angels have for sinful mortals, we must cultivate the sympathies of childhood, which are simplicity itself. Then we shall be refined, elevated, and directed by heavenly principles. We need to express love and affection in our homes so that our children don’t grow up to be hard-hearted.” The Review and Herald, June 22, 1886.

What kinds of words are we speaking with our spouse and with our children, with our brothers, with our sisters? If love and affection are not expressed in our homes, our children will grow up hard-hearted.

That Sunday morning I was on the way to the prison and needed to get all the sadness from my mind. The prisoners needed to be encouraged. I had been going to this jail for some time and I knew there would be between 15–25 inmates who would be there to sing songs and hear the gospel. Out of that jail ministry, there were people who had accepted Christ, some who had become Seventh-day Adventists, and I was going there to be an encouragement to them, to cheer them up. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I’m going away. I’m going to prepare a place for you, and I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, ye may be also.” John 14:1–3.

Promises like this we would share with the people in the prison, and tell them there will be no jails in heaven. If you are saved, you will not be in any jails in heaven. There will not be any hospitals in heaven either, and there will not be any trouble in heaven. The prisoners loved to hear about heaven and they loved to sing the song, “Power in the Blood.”

Jesus left us an example as he comforted his disciples when they were in trouble. You can read in 11 Corinthians in the first chapter how Paul also comforted people who were in all kinds of trouble. Many people, while behind bars, reach out for hope of a better life, and Christians should be able to comfort them and give them hope making the prison a very fruitful field for evangelism.

As I was on my way to the jail, I was preoccupied with thoughts about these children who had just lost their mother from cancer. I just could not shake it out of my mind as I went up into the cell block that morning. One of the prisoners, whom I knew quite well, recognized a different expression on my face at once and asked, “What’s the matter with you, preacher?”

My purpose for being there that day was to encourage these people and not to tell them my troubles. He had asked a direct question, so not to tell a lie, I told him about my friend whose wife had just died from cancer, that she was only 29 years old with three children, two older girls and a little baby boy, two years old, and now this little baby boy, when he grows up, will not even be able to remember his mother.

That whole cell block went quiet. Though I was only talking to this man who had asked me the question, everybody else was listening. I came right up to the bar that divided us, and he came right up to the bar also, and he looked up into my face and then he began to tell me the story of his life.

He said, I have two older sisters, and when I was two years old my mother died from cancer. She was only 29 years old. When my mother died, my father could not cope and as a result became an alcoholic. There was nobody to take care of the children so we were separated. My two sisters were raised somewhere else and I was taken to an orphanage.

This man had heard the Gospel presented a number of times with never a response, but now, now all of a sudden, I understood what had happened to this boy, what had happened to this man. He had grown up deprived of a mother to love him, without the special tender love of a family and no one to express that love and sympathy and affection that is so needed. With his mother, whom he never knew, dead, and his father an alcoholic as a result, he had become hard-hearted, and as he became a man he had gotten into trouble with the law and ended up in jail.

Never before had this man responded after hearing the Gospel, but this time his heart was touched. I had been given the key to his heart and he had told me the story of his life and was now ready to respond and receive hope and comfort.

“The Lord hath done great things for us; [whereof] we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [with him].” Psalm 126:3–6.

With all the prisoners still listening even though I was just talking to this one man, I asked him if his mother was a Christian. He said that his sisters had told him that she had been a Bible believing Christian. Then I asked him if he would like to see his mother again someday, and he said, “Yes.” I commenced to tell him how that could happen. Someday Jesus is going to come back to this world; He is going to come back from heaven. The Bible says that every eye is going to see Him and when He comes back, He is going to look down on this world, and He is going to say, “Awake you that sleep in the dust, awake and sing.” Isaiah 26:19.

I told him that when Jesus comes in the clouds and says, “Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust and arise,” your mother is going to awake and come out of the grave, and she is going to look for you. If you surrender your heart and life to Jesus, you are going to be there. Your mother is going to look for you when she wakes up when Jesus comes.

By the way friend, when Jesus comes, is there anyone who is going to wake up and look for you? Are you going to be there? If you are there, then they are going to sing. It says in Isaiah, “Awake and sing, you that dwell in the dust.” Isaiah 26:19.

I believe one of the persons who will awake in the first resurrection and will look for me, is my father. My father died as a result of being hit by a car in April 2000. I remember when I was a small boy at home, over and over again I heard my father pray during family worship. He would ask the Lord that our family might be saved, without the loss of one. My father did not want anybody in his family to be lost. He continually worked for all people wherever he lived in the world to get the Gospel to them, but he always prayed that all his family would be saved.

Who is going to look for you? Are they going to sing? Are they going to have a song in the night because you are there?

In Isaiah 30:29 the Lord says that you are going to have a song in the night.

In Isaiah 21 it talks about the watchmen: “Watchmen, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning is coming, and also the night: if you will inquire, inquire: return, come.” Isaiah 21:11, 12.

The night of sin, friends, is almost over and the eternal morning is going to break very soon for the righteous. It will be eternal night for the wicked. So because the night of sin is about over and the morning is going to come soon, the watchman says, “If you return, inquire and come.”

The context of the verses in Isaiah 21 is the fall of Babylon. In Revelation 18, when Babylon falls, the morning is coming. That is one of the reasons why people are going to sing, because the night is over. They are going to have a song in the night because the night is just about over and the eternal morning is coming. With it, however, is also the night; eternal night for the wicked.

“Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times.” The Great Controversy, 464.

In order for the night of sin to end there must be a return to primitive godliness. As Jeremiah puts it, “Seek for the old paths.” Jeremiah 6:16.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things [are] noble, whatever things [are] just, whatever things [are] pure, whatever things [are] lovely, whatever things [are] of good report: if [there] is any virtue, and if [there] is anything praiseworthy,—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8.

Come out from among them and be separate. God wants a peculiar people who reflect His image, a people who will return to primitive godliness, a people who will reject worldly ways and its entertainments, adornments, and lifestyles. God wants people who are not afraid to be known as Christians and turn away from harmful substances like alcohol, and delight in the Sabbath, the special day that God gave to man for rest and worship.

The worldly ways that have been allowed to fester in the church have caused confusion and strife. Proverbs 13:10 says, “By pride comes nothing but strife.”

The Lord is coming! He is going to end this night of sin and we are going to have a song. But the people who have the song are going to be the people who beforehand had an experience in primitive godliness.

Make sure you are among that group of people, the ones who have a song, ready to meet their Lord and Savior.

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 – “None of the Wicked Will Understand”

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Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand.” Daniel 12:10.

“The inability to understand is due to an unwillingness to confess and forsake error and accept the truth which involves a cross. Satan will strive to retain every soul in his strong power. He will not willingly let go his dominion over men who have influence upon other minds. Therefore God’s own methods of advancing the gospel in His dominion are met by great opposition from the whole synagogue of the satanic agencies. As the last conflict with Satan will be the most decisive, the most deceptive and terrible that has ever been, so also will his overthrow be the most complete.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 317.

What is it that makes the last conflict so deceptive? What will be visible is very different from the reality. This deceptive conflict will have the most devastating results in the church.

“The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80.

The devil comes into the church angelically disguised by promoting the very same things as Jesus. An example of this is promoting the Three Angels’ Messages. Both the devil and Jesus are working for this, yet the devil is promoting it in such a way as to be detrimental. Satan is also promoting:

  1. The nearness of the second coming of Jesus. (Most “Babylonian” churches are teaching this.)
  2. Lamentation over the great wickedness in the world today.
  3. The fact that God’s judgments are coming on the world because of its great wickedness.
  4. That great destruction is coming on the cities of our world.
  5. That now is the time to get ready for what is coming.
  6. That we are very close to the end of the world as we know it.

The difference is that Satan’s methods by which to accomplish the will of God and prepare for His second coming are erroneous and many will not recognize this until it is too late.

Preparation is not accomplished by counting the rosary or repeating the Lord’s Prayer with more frequency. The book of Revelation describes those who are ready as people who are keeping God’s commandments. (See Revelation 12:17; 14:12; 22:14.)

It is not possible for us to keep God’s commandments unless we have been born again by the Holy Spirit. (See Romans 8:1–16.)

Be sure that your preparation for the future involves a daily born-again experience through the Holy Spirit. (See Galatians 2:20.)