Issue: 2021 July

Keys to the Storehouse – Don’t Just Feel Ready, Be Ready!

by

How many have started the week with, “Man, I can’t wait until Friday.” And as each day of the week passes, you become more passionate in the declaration that Friday can’t come soon enough, “I am sooo ready for this week to be over.”

What does it mean to be ready? What about the week’s activities, events or experiences has made you ready?

In American English, ready is used as either an adjective or verb.

An example of the word used as an adjective shows that something is all set, in a fit state. Used as a verb it indicates the action of becoming prepared or equipped.

Things may have been tough this week, some bad things happened or you were just overwhelmed and that has made you feel like you are ready for the week to be over. But when we think of spiritual readiness, just because we feel ready, are we ready?

Hebrew 13:21 tells us, “[May the God of peace] … make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ.”

And “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).

You won’t be ready if you don’t get ready. “Suppose that today Christ should appear in the clouds of heaven, who … would be ready to meet Him? Suppose we should be translated into the kingdom of heaven just as we are. Would we be prepared to unite with the saints of God, to live in harmony with the royal family, the children of the heavenly King? What preparation have you made for the judgment? Have you made your peace with God? Are you laboring together with God? Are you seeking to help those around you, those in your home, those in your neighborhood, those with whom you come in contact that are not keeping the commandments of God? … Are we getting ready to meet the King? …

“If it were possible for us to be admitted into heaven as we are, how many of us would be able to look upon God? How many of us have on the wedding-garment? How many of us are without spot or wrinkle or any such thing? How many of us are worthy to receive the crown of life? … Position does not make the man. It is Christ formed within that makes a man worthy of receiving the crown of life, that fadeth not away. …

“Get ready, get ready, get ready. Ye must have a greater preparation than ye now have. … Sacrifice all to God. Lay all upon His altar—self, property, and all, a living sacrifice. It will take all to enter glory.” Maranatha, 98.

Lord, give us the desire to get ready. Help us to seek to be a people without spot or wrinkle, worthy of the crown of life.

Story – The Lady With the Lamp

by

When Florence Nightingale was a very little girl, everyone noticed how kind she was to other people and to animals. Every person and every animal in the village loved her. She made friends with even the shy squirrels.

Near the village in England in which she had her home, there lived an old shepherd named Roger. Roger had a favorite sheep dog called Captain. One day when Florence was riding with a friend, she saw the shepherd feeding his sheep. But Captain was not there to help him, and the sheep were running about in all directions. Florence stopped to ask the shepherd what had become of his dog.

“Oh, Miss Florence,” he replied, “Cap will never be of any more use to me. He will have to be killed.”

“Killed!” Florence exclaimed. “Oh, Roger, how can you say so? What has poor Cap done?”

“He has done nothing,” replied Roger; “but a cruel boy threw a stone at him yesterday and broke one of his legs.” And the old shepherd wiped away the tears that filled his eyes. “Poor Cap!” he said, “he was as knowing as a human being.”

Florence and her friend rode on to the shepherd’s cottage. They went in to see the poor dog.

“Poor old Cap!” said Florence gently.

The dog began to wag his tail. Then he crawled from under the table and lay down at her feet. She took hold of one of his paws, patted his rough head, and talked to him while she examined the injured leg.

It was very badly swollen, and it hurt him much to have it touched. But though he moaned with pain, he licked the hands that were hurting him, for he knew that it was meant kindly.

“It’s only a bad bruise. There are no bones broken,” said Florence. “Rest is all Cap needs. He will soon be well again. Plenty of hot water to bathe his leg will ease the pain and help to cure him too.”

Florence lighted the fire, got ready some hot water, and began to bathe the poor dog’s leg. It was not long before he began to feel less pain. The grateful dog tried to show his thanks by his looks and by wagging his tail.

On their way back they met the old shepherd coming slowly homeward.

“Oh, Roger!” cried Florence, “You are not going to lose poor old Cap. We have found that his leg is not broken after all.”

“Well, I am very glad to hear it,” said the old man; “and many thanks to you, Miss Florence, for going to see him.”

The next morning, Florence was there early to bathe Cap’s leg. She found it much better. The next day, she bathed it again, and in two or three days, the old dog was able as before to go with his master and to look after the flock.

This happened many years ago, and that kindhearted little girl grew up to be one of the kindest and bravest of women. She spent her youth in learning how to nurse the sick and how to manage hospitals.

During the Crimean War, the wounded soldiers were very badly off for want of proper care and good hospitals. Florence Nightingale took a band of trained nurses and went away to take care of them. At that time she wrote, “We have four miles of beds not eighteen inches apart. Tomorrow five hundred more wounded men are coming.”

It was not long before she could hardly find time for rest or sleep and once, her hard work made her very ill.

After the war was over and the hospitals all closed, and the last sick soldier was on board the train for home, Florence Nightingale quietly returned to her home in England. She wanted to avoid the public demonstrations of the people, so even her own family were not expecting her. The people were disappointed, but they said, “None but the truly great could be so meek and unassuming.”

But they could not let her heroic work pass without some expression of their appreciation. So a purse of fifty thousand pounds, or about two hundred fifty thousand dollars, was gathered and presented to her. She was deeply touched.

“I shall treasure your kind thought in my heart forever,” she said, “but I do not need the money. Please use it to build a training school for nurses.”

With this money, “The Nightingale Home” was built. In it is a beautiful statue of Florence Nightingale. She wears her simple nurse’s dress and carries in her hand a tiny lamp, just as she used to do in the hospitals. This is why she has been called “The Lady With the Lamp.”

After that, Florence Nightingale did a great deal to improve English hospitals. Her whole life was spent helping the sick, and especially those who were poor.

True Education Series, Goals, 43–46.

Inspiration – Praise Ye the Lord

by

“Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6). Have any of us duly considered how much we have to be thankful for? Do we remember that the mercies of the Lord are new every morning and that His faithfulness faileth not? Do we acknowledge our dependence upon Him and express gratitude for all His favors? On the contrary, we too often forget that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.”

James 1:17

God is love. He has a care for the creatures He has formed. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him” (Psalm 103:13). “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). What a precious privilege is this, that we may be sons and daughters of the Most High, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Then let us not mourn and grieve because in this life we are not free from disappointments and afflictions.

If in the providence of God we are called upon to endure trials, let us accept the cross and drink the bitter cup, remembering that it is a Father’s hand that holds it to our lips. Let us trust Him in the darkness as well as in the day. Can we not believe that He will give us everything that is for our good? “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things” (Romans 8:32)? Even in the night of affliction how can we refuse to lift heart and voice in grateful praise, when we remember the love to us expressed by the cross of Calvary?

What a theme for meditation is the sacrifice that Jesus made for lost sinners! “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). How shall we estimate the blessings thus brought within our reach? Could Jesus have suffered more? Could He have purchased for us richer blessings? Should it not melt the hardest heart when we remember that for our sakes He left the happiness and glory of heaven and suffered poverty and shame, cruel affliction and a terrible death? Had He not by His death and resurrection opened for us the door of hope, we should have known nothing but the horrors of darkness and the miseries of despair. In our present state, favored and blessed as we are, we cannot realize from what depths we have been rescued. We cannot measure how much deeper our afflictions would have been, how much greater our woes, had not Jesus encircled us with His human arm of sympathy and love, and lifted us up.

We may rejoice in hope. Our Advocate is in the heavenly sanctuary, pleading in our behalf. Through His merits we have pardon and peace. He died that He might wash away our sins, clothe us with His righteousness, and fit us for the society of heaven, where we may dwell in light forever.

Dear brother, dear sister, when Satan would fill your mind with despondency, gloom, and doubt, resist his suggestions. Tell him of the blood of Jesus, that cleanses from all sin. You cannot save yourself from the tempter’s power, but he trembles and flees when the merits of that precious blood are urged. Then will you not gratefully accept the blessings Jesus bestows? Will you not take the cup of salvation that He presents, and call on the name of the Lord? Do not show distrust of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Do not for a moment pain the heart of the pitying Saviour by your unbelief. He watches with the most intense interest your progress in the heavenly way; He sees your earnest efforts; He notes your declensions and your recoveries, your hopes and your fears, your conflicts and your victories.

Shall all our devotional exercises consist in asking and receiving? Shall we be always thinking of our wants and never of the benefits we receive? Shall we be recipients of His mercies and never express our gratitude to God, never praise Him for what He has done for us? We do not pray any too much, but we are too sparing of giving thanks. If the loving-kindness of God called forth more thanksgiving and praise, we would have far more power in prayer. We would abound more and more in the love of God and have more bestowed to praise Him for. You who complain that God does not hear your prayers, change your present order and mingle praise with your petitions. When you consider His goodness and mercies you will find that He will consider your wants.

Testimony Treasures, vol. 2, 108–110.

From High School Failure to Successful Career

by

Without a doubt, everyone has a story to tell of how the Lord turns failures into success.

I was born in Calcutta, India, to Armenian parents. My earliest memories of home were of my loving mother, aunt, grandparents and my brother, the nucleus of our family. My father, who I only saw on occasion, was a business owner. When I was six years old, my father enrolled me in the Davidian girls’ school, an Armenian primary boarding school. We were allowed home one weekend every three months, and I was terribly homesick. I still recall begging my father not to take me back to school after the weekends I went home, however my pleas came to naught. A few hours later, after the tears were over, all the girls would gather together telling stories of all the fun that was had.

My scholastic achievements were negligible due to the fact that I was sick often and missed days of schooling. I was never given homework to catch up what I had missed, so as a consequence, my grades were pitiful. My father was never informed of my lack of school attendance because of high fevers, stomach complaints and lack of nutrition. He thought that I was not very bright and hired tutors to give me special tutoring.

Years later when I was in my teens, my mother, who had remarried and was living in Sydney, Australia, wrote and asked me to join her. After several discussions with my father, he relented and saw me off to the “land down under.”

My stepfather was the principal of the Castle Hill Seventh-day Adventist church school and we lived across from the church. We had morning and evening worship and my mother was very gentle in her ways of encouraging me to read my Bible and pray. The church pastor, who had a daughter my age, often visited with us. The atmosphere of the church was friendly and happy.

I attended Bible studies for several months and when a large group of young people decided to be baptized, I joined them. At that time in my life I was not fully committed, but I did believe in Jesus and I was willing to make a lot of necessary changes. The hardest change for me was my outward appearance. Picking clothes for this “baby Christian” was a great challenge. The other challenge was trying to fit into the school system with a completely different curriculum, so my parents decided to return to India for me to complete years 11 and 12.

We returned to Calcutta, India, where my stepfather opened a primary school. It started with only five children enrolled, but within a few months the school grew and flourished. These little children who came from non-Christian homes learned about Jesus. They sang songs, learned Bible stories and influenced their families who would also enquire about Jesus.

In the meantime, my challenge was attending the same school I had left, the Armenian College, to complete my last two years of high school. I had left the school as an Armenian Orthodox and returned a Seventh-day Adventist. One of the classes was Religious Knowledge and the teacher was the same Armenian priest I had before. He was intrigued that I was not in church on Sundays and when I explained that I went to church on Saturday, he was infuriated and tried in every way to humiliate me in front of 40 teenagers. He said I should feel ashamed that I had abandoned my Armenian heritage. He would make fun of the Adventist faith and the students would laugh. The friends that I once had did not want to associate with me for I was now considered the laughing-stock of the class. The priest took great delight in making me stand through the whole class period every week for several months. I would tell my mother the events that occurred and we would pray together. She always encouraged me and would tell me that Jesus sees and would take care of things.

I praise Jesus, for He gave me the strength and courage to bear the insults, the laughter and remarks instigated by a so-called man of God. Then, something strange started to happen that took me by surprise. My friends were curious and started asking me questions: “What has changed you?” “You are not the same.” One by one a small group who were interested enough to talk and spend time during the breaks would tell me private information because they knew I would not break their trust. Another strange occurrence took place shortly after. While standing in the priest’s class as he made fun of me and laughed, no one laughed with him. The students no longer saw the humor. The priest’s game was over, at least for the time being.

I made a special effort to study hard and by God’s grace my grades improved a great deal. In year twelve, we were ready to take our school final exams which were before we could take the state exam. In order to graduate to take the state tests, we had to pass the second language test. So I prayed and asked the Lord to please help me pass the Armenian language exam. After the tests were completed, the priest gave us our grades. I had passed and was so thankful to the Lord because now I would be able to take the Senior Cambridge exam. But the priest accused me of cheating and motioned for me to stand and stay standing until I confessed. After a while, from the back of the class came a voice saying, “Excuse me sir.” All turned to see the most brilliant student in our class stand and say, “I know Revella, if she says she did not cheat, I believe her.” Again, the priest was silenced.

A few days later it was graduation day. All the students sat at the back of the huge auditorium and the guests sat towards the front. The prizes for various subjects were distributed and I was just so glad that I would not have to face the priest again. The last prize to be distributed was the prize for English Literature. It was given to the student with the highest grade in that subject for years 10, 11 and 12. No one ever knew who the student was until the name was revealed. All of a sudden one of my friends called to me: “Revella, Revella, get up, you won!” I rose to my feet in disbelief and walked to the front. The roar in that auditorium was so loud it was almost deafening, and I felt certain in my heart that angels were present. All glory and honor go to our Lord. As I walked the stairs to the platform, I knew the Lord had a sense of humor when I saw the person chosen to give me my prize. It was none other than the priest.

Finally, the day came to take the Senior Cambridge exam in our English subjects and in the Armenian language. The Armenian language test papers were given to the priest to correct. In this final exam, we were not given our tests back to see why we were given a particular grade. So, whatever the results were, we had to accept them. I did not feel good about not seeing the Armenian paper, but I had done my best and felt I should get a reasonable grade.

In the meantime, my parents and I had moved to London, United Kingdom, and after about four months, a large envelope containing my exam results arrived in the mail. My initial excitement fell to despair and my brain could not compute the large letter I was staring at – F. All my hard work was for nothing. Then it dawned on me that the priest knew I would not have access to my paper, so he had his final revenge. He knew that in India, if you fail your second language, you fail the whole exam. Although I had taken six subjects, a failure on the Armenian language paper caused a failure in all six subjects. My hope for enrolling in Pacific Union College was dashed.

With nothing to show for all of my effort, we prayed in earnest and my parents asked the Lord to lead in whatever direction He wanted. I am ashamed to say that at that moment, filled with self-pity and hopelessness, I had no faith, even though I had seen the leading of the Lord just a few months before. Waiting on the Lord is difficult when your faith is weak and courage is gone.

In the chapter, “God Will Provide” in The Ministry of Healing, 480–482, Ellen White wrote, “Let us be hopeful and courageous. Despondency in God’s service is sinful and unreasonable. He knows our every necessity. To the omnipotence of the King of kings our covenant-keeping God unites the gentleness and care of the tender shepherd. His power is absolute, and it is the pledge of the sure fulfillment of His promises to all who trust in Him. He has means for the removal of every difficulty, that those who serve Him and respect the means He employs may be sustained. His love is as far above all other love as the heavens are above the earth. He watches over His children with a love that is measureless and everlasting.

“In the darkest days, when appearances seem most forbidding, have faith in God. He is working out His will, doing all things well in behalf of His people. The strength of those who love and serve Him will be renewed day by day.”

After several months of asking the Lord to direct us, my parents decided to relocate to Perth, Western Australia. My aunt had married an Australian and was living there and my brother was still living in Sydney. In 1975 we arrived in Perth and found an apartment overlooking the Swan River. My parents encouraged me to visit the nurses board to make inquiries as to the programs available at that time, so I made an appointment with the secretary to see the director.

A week later I met with the director of nursing, taking with me my high school final exam papers of which I was not proud. Mrs. Chamberlain had a kind, gentle face, and was very professional. After explaining the reason for no diploma and adding my grades, she informed me that with a couple of subjects added I could get a grade that would be accepted before applying for the nursing program. My fears of rejection turned to hope as she instructed me on what two subjects I needed. I could take evening classes as an external student at the University of Perth. It seemed as though she had taken on the responsibility to get me where I wanted to be and I knew the Lord was opening a door. At the university, I was encouraged along the way by my instructor who wrote kind notes along with the lessons he sent.

Six months later I again saw Mrs. Chamberlain, and she was just as excited as I was to be in a position to apply for nursing school and recommended what she believed to be the best school. The application process for nursing was in several stages with questions, interviews, paperwork to fill out and psychological tests. After the principal’s interview I was told, “We will contact you.” Months passed with no word, but strangely I did not lose hope this time thinking of Mrs. Chamberlain and how excited she was to launch me into my career.

Finally, a letter arrived, and I was overjoyed to be accepted into the second intake for the year of 1976. I praise God for leading, directing and placing in my pathway the people who helped me on my journey.

After three years of study and working in the various units in the Royal Perth Hospital, we were ready to take the final nursing school exam. We were informed that the hospital exam would be more difficult than the state exam, because the school had a reputation of very few failures. The school exams were on two days, each took four hours. I thanked God that He had led me thus far and I did not want to fail Him. Out of my class of 75, I stood with the 69 students who graduated that day and proudly repeated the Florence Nightingale Pledge:

“I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”

One by one our names were called. I was so excited and even more so when I noticed that it was Mrs. Chamberlain who was handing out the certificates. She was so happy that I had finally become a nurse.

Forty-one years have passed since graduation and I can say with confidence that only God can turn a high school failure into a successful career. We do serve an AMAZING GOD. He can take our nothingness, which we are, and turn it into something, which we are not, for His glory. Therefore, there is no room in our lives for pride, envy, jealousy and strife. It does not matter your culture, your background, your past, your heritage or any other human experience, Jesus has the final say and He will win in the end. Let us cling to Jesus and to one another and live to praise God and bless others.

God has a plan for our lives, and we will be happiest when we choose the path where He leads us. He can open and close doors for us and when at times we feel abandoned, know that He is already working on a better path of which we know nothing. Looking back, I can truly say that His way is the safest and best. He led my life in a direction I never thought possible, and I am so grateful to Him.

“Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His Providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.” Steps to Christ, 70.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20, 21 NKJV).

Revella Knight continues to serve others working as a nurse and writes from her home in North West Arkansas.

God Never Quits He Keeps Appealing

by

As Seventh-day Adventists, we could identify with Samson, in particular regarding young Seventh-day Adventists who have been raised in the Adventist faith and teachings, but who like Samson, have come to a point in their life where they have said, “That’s it. I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to live my life, I just want,” as Samson said, “to please myself well.” There are several reasons why this is happening:

  • Compromise
  • Legalism
  • Turned off or hurt by the church
  • They just decide to leave
  • Trials, heartache, loss or trauma

None of these are a good reason to leave Jesus because He is true and faithful to us whether we are faithful to Him or not, but some people leave for one or a combination of these reasons.

“Had Samson obeyed the divine commands as faithfully as his parents had done, his would have been a nobler and happier destiny. But association with idolaters corrupted him. The town of Zorah being near the country of the Philistines, Samson came to mingle with them on friendly terms. Thus in his youth intimacies sprang up, the influence of which darkened his whole life. A young woman dwelling in the Philistine town of Timnath engaged Samson’s affections, and he determined to make her his wife. To his God-fearing parents, who endeavored to dissuade him from his purpose, his only answer was ‘She pleaseth me well’ (Judges 14:3, last part). The parents at last yielded to his wishes, and the marriage took place.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 562.

Some people say this is where Samson’s parents went wrong; they compromised. Telling his parents to arrange the marriage was merely a formality. Samson was a grown man. Had they said no, he would most probably still have done it. Samson’s parents simply recognized that they weren’t going to change his mind. This left the door open so that he could return if things didn’t turn out as planned. It is an example to us as well for our children, to return rather than being too embarrassed or afraid to seek us out at a time they need us most. We should tell them if we do not agree with their decision, but we need to recognize that it is their choice to make and yet be available should they need us. One thing we can be sure of, Samson’s parents did not stop praying for their son, and we also should continue to pray for our children, interceding with God on their behalf.

Ultimately our children have a mind and a conscience of their own. They have the liberty as free moral agents when they become adults to make their own decisions. As parents, we are not responsible for those decisions. When children begin to make their own decisions, to do their “own thing,” they are responsible for their own choices and their own lives. We are only responsible to confess and repent of our own shortcomings.

If a young person has left the church for any one or all of the five reasons listed above, we all need to know something about God: He does not give up. You can’t just simply ignore Him and His calling for your life, because He will leave no stone unturned until He has given you every opportunity to return. You can leave, you can please yourself, you can watch what you want, go where you want, wear what you want, marry who you want, but ultimately God will say to you, “Let’s try this one more time.” That is the God that we serve.

Samson’s parents were unable to change his mind. Then is stated one of the most interesting verses in the Bible. It says, “His father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel” (Judges 14:4 KJV).

As we look at this story in Judges 14 and 15, we find God’s people are in apostasy. As a result, God allows the enemy to overcome them. The children of Israel cry out to Him to save them, and God raises up a deliverer. Samson was a judge among the Israelites and was meant to be an example for the people. God had a mission laid out for him, a purpose to deliver the Israelites from the dominion of the Philistines, the enemies of God.

Every chapter in the book of Judges tells about a judge who had a mission, except for chapter 9 which tells us about Abimelech who was not a judge, but a usurper. Ehud, Othniel, Gideon, Deborah, and Jephthah each had a mission that they fulfilled. But in Judges 14 and 15 we find a judge who is called from birth with miraculous powers, in the spirit of God, a Nazarite consecrated to be the deliverer of God’s people. And what was his mission? To get married.

So looking at these two chapters, we will be looking at Samson’s life as it relates to Judges 14:4. Was Samson fulfilling God’s mission for him at this time? No. Does God want us to marry people who are not of our faith? No. So how could this be of the Lord?

The Bible tells us that God’s ways are not our ways. “ ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. … So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it’ ” (Isaiah 55:8, 9, 11). So even if we blunder, God’s purposes will still be fulfilled.

Looking at Isaiah 55:11 from The Bible in Basic English (BBE) translation, it says, “So will My word be which goes out of My mouth: it will not come back to Me with nothing done, but it will give effect to My purpose, and do that for which I have sent it.” God’s purposes are not limited by you and me. He wants us to cooperate with Him and co-labor with Him, but even if we refuse, things will still work out according to His will.

We see clearly from Samson’s experience that we can be in line with God’s will and fulfill His purpose in cooperation with Him or we can indirectly be used by Him to fulfill His purpose. And this is where we find Samson. If you are a young person trying to live your own life and leave out the things that you learned as a young Adventist, this is the experience you will have.

“Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done” (Judges 14:5, 6 KJV).

There are some things that we need to stress here. First of all, Samson was walking alone through the vineyards having separated from his parents somewhere along the journey. According to the Nazarite vows he was not to have anything to do with wine, but here he is walking through the vineyard. Then he is attacked by a lion. The Bible says, “… your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8, last part). So we see Samson walking in a place where he should not be walking and then the lion appears, but notice how he overcomes the lion. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and that is when he had the power. “ ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). In order to overcome temptation, even if on temptation’s ground, you need the Spirit of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “… but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Claim that promise when you fall into hard times. God is powerful and if you trust in Him, even in the worst circumstances, He can show you what He can do in your life, just as we see here.

Returning to the story, several months later Samson is on his way to Timnath to be married. He decides to stop at the vineyard to see what has happened to the lion he killed. The lion is now nothing but bones, but bees have made a hive in the bones and Samson scoops out some honey to eat and he took some to give to his parents. This lion is an unclean, dead thing and to touch it was a violation of his Nazarite vow. You will also recall that Samson had not told his parents that he had killed the lion. Samson repeatedly shows himself to be an intemperate man; though strong physically, he was morally weak.

Samson’s decision to marry the woman from Timnath was not a wise one. Remember, God’s instructions to Israel when they went into the promised land, “When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites … and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly” (Deuteronomy 7:1–4).

There is a valid reason why the Bible tells us not to have close association with friends or family who are not interested in or who despise spiritual things. It says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’ ” (1 Corinthians 15:33). How often do we surround ourselves with people who have no desire to know God, no desire for the Word believing that we will witness to them, but instead we are influenced by them, and our standard of holiness is lowered just like Samson? Booker T. Washington said, “Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than to be in bad company.”

“At his marriage feast Samson was brought into familiar association with those who hated the God of Israel. Whoever voluntarily enters into such relations will feel it necessary to conform, to some degree, to the habits and customs of his companions. The time thus spent is worse than wasted. Thoughts are entertained and words are spoken that tend to break down the strongholds of principle and to weaken the citadel of the soul.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 563. This will happen to all of us. We are drawn to and influenced by the things arounds us. We are not strong enough to resist and very subtly, we become demoralized by those with whom we associate.

Associating with these Philistine fellows, Samson bragged showing them what an intelligent guy he was by giving them a riddle. If they were not able to answer the riddle, then they would have to give him some clothing, but if they were able to find the answer to the riddle, then he would give them the clothing. Here was the riddle:

“Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet” (Judges 14:14).

Of course, this riddle was about the lion Samson had killed and the honey in the lion’s bones, but the Philistines were unable to figure it out. Not wanting to lose, they demanded Samson’s new wife to find out the answer to the riddle or they would kill her and her family. She begged Samson to tell her the answer, but he refused. Becoming very insistent because she had been threatened, she said, “ ‘You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me’ ” (Judges 14:16). Samson told her that he had not even told his parents, so why would he tell her? But, “Now she had wept on him for seven days while the feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day [because he had no peace] that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people” (Judges 14:17). Then the Philistines came to him with the answer to the riddle. “And he said to them: ‘If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would have not solved my riddle’ ” (Judges 14:18, last part)!

So what is all this really about? Let’s think about it: Samson was a Nazarite, a judge, from birth given a special mission or purpose by God to deliver the Israelites out of the hands of His enemies, the Philistines, but what was Samson doing? He was associating with the enemy, taking a wife from among them. At that moment he had no interest at all in God’s plan. He associated with the enemy, he gave them a riddle, made a bet with them and then felt betrayed when they did wrong to him. Then, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house” (Judges 14:19 KJV). This is the first mention of Samson doing anything against the Philistines and what was his reason? He had to pay a debt. He felt betrayed, he was angry, so he killed 30 men from Ashkelon to give their clothes as payment for the debt and went home.

Time passed and Samson determined to see his wife again. But her father, believing that Samson had completely forsaken her, gave her as wife to Samson’s friend and offered him her younger sister. His response is found in Judges 15:3–5 KJV: “Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure [or hurt]. And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between the two tails. And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.”

This was an agricultural society and losing the corn in the fields, the vineyards and olives might not mean a lot to us today, but that is how people then survived. By Samson’s actions, their livelihood is ruined. We do not know how many people may have died from famine because of what Samson had done.

So, let’s take a closer look at why Samson did this. The father of Samson’s wife had given her to another man because Samson had left and the father thought he would not be coming back. Samson left because he felt betrayed when his wife had pressured him to give her the answer to the riddle when her life and the lives of her family were being threatened. But ultimately, if Samson had not chosen to befriend the Philistines and marry a Philistine woman, none of this would have happened in the first place. So who was really to blame for this and all the terrible consequences?

The Philistines, realizing that Samson was responsible for the destruction because his wife had been given to another man, went where the woman and her father were and burned the whole house down killing them inside. “And Samson said unto them, ‘Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.’ And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam” (Judges 15:7, 8 KJV).

Do we see Samson consulting with God before he does any of these things? Has he asked as David did when he said, “Lord, shall I go up, shall I not go up. Shall I forebear?” No. He killed 30 men in Ashkelon, then he destroyed the crops and the economy of one of the Philistine cities which would result in many deaths and killed a great number of people. As a result, his wife and her family are horrifically killed by her own people. So what are we seeing here? Samson was not thinking of God at all. His sole desire was to please himself and seek revenge for the slights and betrayals that he had suffered. Yet, he was indirectly fulfilling God’s mission for him as the deliverer of Israel.

By this time the Philistines were really upset and they went down to Judah to find him. They told the people of Judah, “ ‘We have come up to arrest Samson, to do to him as he has done to us’ ” (Judges 15:9, 10, last part).  How did the people of Israel respond? Three thousand of Samson’s own people came to him at Etam and said, “ ‘Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?’ … ‘We have come down to arrest you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines’ ” (Judges 15:11, 12). Not wanting to harm his own people, he allowed them to take him as long as they swore not to kill him themselves. They bound him with two new ropes and took him to the Philistines.

We need to understand from Samson’s story that if God has a purpose for your life, you cannot escape it. Samson’s whole issue at this point was “ ‘As they did to me, so I have done to them’ ” (verse 11). Is there anything about the Lord here on his mind? No. That’s the reason he was in this situation. He wasn’t interested in doing God’s will, he just wanted to please himself. Even still, God’s will was fulfilled.

The Bible then says in Judges 15:14, “The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.” Samson took the jawbone of a donkey and again takes revenge on the Philistines killing a thousand men. “Then Samson said: ‘With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!’ And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi” (Judges 15:16, 17). Samson gave himself the glory for what he had done.

So what happened to finally make Samson see that he was not in control of his life? Verse 18, first part, says, “Then he became very thirsty, so he cried out to the Lord.” For the first time in this entire story that you see Samson call on the Lord. Continuing in verse 18, “ ‘You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?’ ” Samson still sounded a bit arrogant, but God knew his heart and answered his prayer, cleaving a hollow place so that water would come gushing out (verse 19). Without water, Samson would have died. He thought he was so mighty and strong, but he realized he had a need. When he called on God, God filled that need. After he drank his fill, he renamed the place where he had killed all the Philistines from Ramath Lehi (the lifting up of the jawbone) to En Hakkore (fountain of one calling).

As the dust settled, the screaming stopped, the clanking of armor died down and the survivors had all run away, Samson looked around and realized that the very thing he had been running from had found him anyway and everything he had wanted, he had lost. He had been running for so long and finally he realized the very thing he had wanted nothing to do with was the one thing he couldn’t get away from – the purpose God had for his life.

Friends, if you have fallen off the path, given up, or felt like you have no purpose anymore because of compromise, legalism, apostasy in your church, or because you wanted to see what the world was like, or because of trial or trauma, you will finally realize that the Lord’s way is always better. His purpose for you is for you to love Him with all your heart, soul and mind, to love your neighbor as yourself and to go home with Him. That is His purpose for all of us.

Jesus, I love You and I want to be Your child,

but for now I’m busy, will You come back in a while.

I’m sorry, Lord, but for now I have other things to do.

It’s just in the plans I’ve made, I’ve made no time for You.

How many times have you pushed the Lord aside

to make room for your foolish, earthly pride?

 

Time and time, God waits for you to open up to Him,

but instead of giving Him our hearts, we cast Him out again.

Jesus, I’m sorry, Lord, for the way that I have been.

Pushing you aside for things that always seem to win.

 

Now my eyes are open, Lord, and I can see Your light

shining on my pathway to eternal life.

His desire is to save us, and He will not leave one stone unturned until He has given us every opportunity to make that decision.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor Damien Jenkins was raised in a non-religious home, but at the age of 18 was introduced to the Gospel and his life was forever changed. Today he is pastor of the Water of Life Free Seventh-day Adventist church in Hohenwald, Tennessee. He enjoys apologetics, Bible history, expounding on the topic of righteousness by faith and making the Bible simple and easy to understand.

No Fear in Love

by

Do you believe that God’s work is soon to close? When God’s work is finished, everything in this world is coming to an end. The Bible gives us a lot of instruction about being ready for the end. As Adventists, we believe that we must help others get ready as well as being ready for the end ourselves.

A spirit of unity and harmony is needed among God’s professed people that has not yet been experienced. This is only possible if we are united on Bible truth. There is a true and a false unity. True unity is based on the word of God, but a false unity is based on negotiating. We see a movement to unite the Catholic and Protestant faiths, including Adventism, to be in harmony with one another. This movement also seeks a way to unite with Buddhists and the Muslims. However, Revelation 16 says it will not work and all such supposed unity will crumble.

The Upward Look, 149, tells us, “The great apostasy … began in a denial of the love of God, as it is plainly revealed in the Word.” The person who first made this denial was one of the highest angels in heaven. We know him by his Latin name, the name given to him by the translators of the King James Bible – Lucifer. Before the translation of the King James Bible, people thought Lucifer was a wonderful word. The Hebrew word with the closest translation means a shining one or a brilliant one or a star. Before he fell, Lucifer was also called a morning star. He is not a morning star anymore. Jesus Christ is the true morning star. But with this one angel (Satan as we know him today), the greatest apostasy began because he denied the love of God.

Denying the love of God has resulted in discouragement, despair and depression. It is such a great problem that suicide has become a leading cause of death among young people. Denying the love of God has led people to fear the future and, as a result, there is great discouragement and despair in our society today. The fear of not knowing how things will work out brings darkness in the life.

Would you like to have light instead of darkness? 1 John 1:5–7 says, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Jesus spoke about this with His disciples just a few days before His crucifixion in John 12:35: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.’ ” Walking in darkness without Jesus, the Light, produces a feeling of great hopelessness, which is the reason for so much sorrow, discouragement and despair in the world today.

Many people turn to other things – drugs, alcohol, gambling, adultery – all in an effort to replace the negative feelings, the depression and darkness in their lives, when what they need is to experience the love of God. Doubting the love of God can result in a number of mental or psychological issues. We all have to meet difficulties, trials, troubles and uncertainty. So, what do we do?

First of all, know that darkness and distress are not caused by our heavenly Father. These things are caused by demons, supernatural powers that have rebelled against and denied the love of God for thousands of years. These demons do not want you to know it, but faith enables you to pierce the darkness so that you can know that there is Someone who loves and cares for you, Someone close who wants to help you to work things out.

If you know and understand the love of God, then when trouble comes and you see no way out, you can know that God is with you. You may not know how things will turn out, but you will have a chart book that tells you. When David was in this situation, he said, “Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You. … All Your waves and billows have gone over me. The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me. … I will say to God my Rock, ‘Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?’ As with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance” (Psalm 42:5–11). With praise and thanksgiving David had faith that God would bring him out right.

Praising the Lord is one of the most powerful weapons against discouragement and depression. (See The Ministry of Healing, the chapter titled, “Mind Cure.”) Thanksgiving and praise are the very keynotes of heaven. If you are going to sing with the angels someday, you have to learn to sing the songs that they sing. The angels’ songs are of praise and thanksgiving and when people experience the love of God, they begin to praise and sing to the Lord.

When Adam and Eve sinned as a result of the devil’s deceptive arts, they and all of their descendants were doomed to death. And the Bible says, “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin” (Romans 5:12). Reading further in The Upward Look, 149, we find, “Provision was then made whereby fallen man might have a powerful revelation of the love of God, and be given an opportunity to return to his allegiance to Jehovah.” This revelation of the love of God was so powerful that throughout all eternity there will never again be the need for another.

The apostle James wrote in James 1:13–15, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire [lust, a strong or overwhelming desire] has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” So all of mankind is doomed to die and this is the reason why. “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Psalm 89:14, first part, further describes it as: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.”

Because righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne, Lucifer said God could not forgive what the people had done. How could God be just, upholding the requirements of His law and forgive those who break it? How could a single member of the human race be saved from eternal death? There was a way that God could devise so that He could be both just and forgiving. The plan of salvation was the only way.

The plan of salvation was conceived before the earth was created, before Lucifer fell and before Adam and Eve sinned (see The Desire of Ages, chapter 1). The Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, knew that man would sin and that a plan would be needed to save mankind. Jesus told the angels that He would become a man and go down to earth Himself. He would teach man about the love of God and show them that Satan was wrong. He told them that He ultimately would be condemned to die, to hang between heaven and earth. It would be a terrible thing for the angels to see, but after He had died as a man, on the third day He would rise up from the dead and by His sacrifice and resurrection He would save every one of the human race who would come back to allegiance to the law of God. And in dying to save man, He would also destroy the destroyer (Hebrews 2:14).

As the angels listened, they could not rejoice because they realized what the plan of salvation would cost Him. There were among the angels some who suggested that one of them would take His place, but Jesus told them it could not be a created being subject to the law. As the Son of God, one with His Father and Creator of the law and the world, He would have to be the One to save mankind.

Contrary to what Satan might tell us, the use of force is against the principles of God’s government. People are saved when they see and comprehend the love of God and what He is really like.  The majority of the people in the world are serving the devil. 1 John 3:8 says, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” If you are living in sin, the devil claims you as his child, and you will eventually go where the devil is going because sin brings people into bondage. But, if you don’t want to serve the devil anymore, you can choose to be God’s child and be free from his bondage.

Jesus says, “ ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ ” (John 8:31, 32). The way to be free is to know Jesus Christ, to know and experience His love, and to surrender to His divine power. The way to learn about the love of Christ is to study the record of His life on earth. Christ’s life on earth is so important that it was recorded in all of the first four books of the New Testament.

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts though faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think … ” (Ephesians 3:14–21).

In recent years, the human race seems to have become more fearful than ever before. This leads to depression, hopelessness and discouragement. They are tormented with fear. But the solution for fear is found in 1 John 4:16–18: “We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” This Scripture tells us that if we experience the love of God, there is no fear because perfect love casts out fear.

Ellen White, writing about Jesus’ thoughts while on the way to Calvary, says He did not even have a murmuring thought and as He hung on the cross He did not curse, but instead He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). He wasn’t trying to think of a way out of the situation. He wasn’t wondering why He had to go through this. His heart was breaking as He looked around Him and saw so many who did not believe in Him, yet weeping from human sympathy for Him, but He knew that in a few short years they and their children would perish in the destruction of Jerusalem.  With His attention focused on them, He said, “Do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:28).

Few realized at that time that Jesus was dying for the sins of the world. Peter later said, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:18). Imagine the thief on the cross, first ridiculing Jesus with the other thief, but then realizing the truth about himself and even more, the truth about who Jesus was. Knowing he was a sinner and going to die soon, he said to the other thief, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:40, last part, 41). Then realizing that Jesus was dying for the sins of the world, for his sins, he asked, “ ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom’ ” (Luke 23:42). Quickly the reply came. In modern English it would be: “Most assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise” (verse 43).

Friends, the same One who saved the thief on the cross, Peter and Mary Magdalene can save any sinner who is willing to come to Him. You must experience His love so that you can escape the darkness that is all around us in this world. We might not always be able to see how, but we can know where we are going.

The Christian religion is the most spiritual religion in the world. It is not based on some ceremony or rite, but rather on the decision you make regarding who your Lord is going to be and if you are determined to follow and obey Him. If you make the right decision, you will have light in your mind, the love of God in your heart and songs of praise to the Lord on your lips. With thanksgiving and praise you will talk about the love of God. The devil will no longer have control of your life because now you are following a different leader. No one can make the decision for another. Your husband or your wife cannot make the decision for you. Your father or your mother or your son or your daughter cannot make the decision for you. You must decide for yourself if you are going to be saved.

Peter said, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Only Jesus can save you, if you commit to Him. It is absolutely vital for you to know what it means to make that decision. This is not an intellectual decision where you just believe something. The decision to follow Jesus involves commitment.

Jean Francois Gravelet, a Frenchman known professionally as Charles Blondin, had a tightrope stretched across Niagara Falls. After pushing a wheelbarrow blindfolded across the tightrope, he asked the crowd below if they believed that he could carry a person across on the tightrope. “Yes,” was the answer, they believed he could do it. But then he said, “Okay, if you believe, get in the wheelbarrow!” Getting in the wheelbarrow involved commitment, and it is commitment you must have if you are going to be saved. You must say, “Lord, I am committing my life to You and I am going to follow You regardless of the consequences, whether I live or die, whether I can understand or not. I am committing to You because I trust You. You have demonstrated to me that You are trustworthy.”

Dear friend, if you haven’t made that commitment, you are not saved and you never will be saved until you make that commitment. But here is the good news – Jesus Christ has never ever lost one case that has been committed to Him. In the final day of judgment, not one will be able to say, “Lord, I committed everything to You and now I’m lost.” There are millions of half-hearted Christians that will not be in the kingdom of heaven. Be serious, friend. Time is short, choose today to commit your life to His sovereignty as your Lord and Saviour.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

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

Editorial – The Everlasting Gospel

by

God’s remnant people have been commissioned to take a message to the world. Outlined below are the elements of that message:

The everlasting gospel is the good news that the Son of God paid an infinite price for man’s redemption and all who will repent of their sins and unreservedly commit their lives and be baptized will be forgiven and will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In 1844, angel messengers connected earth with heaven and all the deeds of man, good or evil, were opened before the eye of Infinite Justice. The hour of God’s judgment had come.

God, our Creator, is to be worshiped by man (see Exodus 20:8–11).

We are to forsake all worship, religious systems and philosophies which cause us to break any of the Ten Commandments.

We are not to worship the beast power of Revelation 13:1–10. “It was apostasy that led the early church to seek the aid of the civil government, and this prepared the way for the development of the papacy—the beast. … So apostasy in the church will prepare the way for the image to the beast.” The Great Controversy, 443.

We are not to worship the image to the beast power described in Revelation 13:11–17. “When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” Ibid., 445.

We are not to accept the mark of the beast. This special mark is the deliberate attempt to change the times in the law of God (see Daniel 7:25).

“As the sign of the authority of the Catholic Church, papist writers cite ‘the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; … because by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the church’s power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin.’ ” — Henry Tuberville, An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine, page 58.

We are to keep all the commandments of God (Revelation 14:12; James 2:10–12).

We are to have the same faith that Jesus had. “Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father’s acceptance heretofore given Him. He was acquainted with the character of His Father; He understood His justice, His mercy, and His great love. ” The Desire of Ages, 756.