Story – The Way to be Happy

A very long time ago, there was a king whose name was Henry.

He lived in a fine house, and he had many servants to wait upon him. He had fine clothes, beautiful horses, strongboxes full of gold, and many ships that sailed upon the sea.

He had everything that anyone could wish for. And yet he was not happy.

In the same country there was a poor miller who had a little mill close by the river Dee.

This miller was busy every hour of the day, and he was as happy as he was busy. People who lived near the mill heard him singing all the time from morning till night.

When anyone asked why he was so happy, he said, “I have all that I need, and I do not wish for more.”

One day the king was in great trouble. “Tell me,” he said, “if there is one happy man in all this land.”

His friends said, “We have heard that there is one such man. He is a miller, and he lives by the river Dee.”

“I must see this miller of the Dee,” said the king. “I will learn from him how to be happy.”

The very next day King Henry rode down to the river Dee. He stopped his horse at the door of the little mill. He could hear the miller singing at his work:

“I envy nobody; no, not I,

And nobody envies me.”

The king went into the mill. He said to the miller, “You are wrong, my friend; for I envy you. I would give all that I have if I could be as happy as you.”

The miller said, “I will help you to be happy if I can.”

“Then tell me,” said the king, “why it is that you can sing this song in your little mill on the Dee, while I, who am king of all the land, am sad every day of my life?”

The miller smiled and said, “This is why I am happy in my little mill: I trust in God each day. I work, and earn my food. I love my wife and children, and I love my friends. I owe no man, and the good river Dee turns the mill that grinds the corn to feed my family and me.”

The king turned sadly away. “Good-by, my friend,” he said. “Be happy while you may. I would rather be the miller of the Dee than king of all this land.”

“So would I,” said the happy miller.

The miller was happy because he trusted in God, he had good friends, he owed no man, and he did not wish for things which he could not have.

The king was not happy for he knew that men did not love him, and he was never content with what he had. He did not have God’s love in his heart.

“Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15).

Strong and True, Pensacola Christian College, © 1973, 37–41.

Inspiration – Practical Christianity

What is needed today is practical Christianity, not merely for a day or a year, but for a lifetime. The man who professes to be a Christian, and yet reveals in his life no practical godliness, is denying Christ. Opposite his name in the books of heaven are written the words, Unfaithful steward.

How is the world to be enlightened, save by the lives of Christ’s followers? You profess to believe in Christ, to be a follower of His. Do you do His works? Can the world see plainly that you have been with Jesus, and learned of Him? How are unbelievers to know that you belong to Christ if you show no zeal in His service, but instead cherish worldly ambition and follow worldly plans? …

There are many whose lives are but a pretense of godliness. They are a law unto themselves, and they always will be, unless the grace of Christ subdues their hearts. They lift up their souls unto vanity, and God has no use for them in His service.

Our sanctification is God’s object in all his dealing with us. He has chosen us from eternity that we might be holy. Christ gave Himself for our redemption, that through faith in His power to save from sin, we might be made complete in Him. …

As Christians we have pledged ourselves to fulfil the responsibilities resting on us, and to show to the world that we have a close connection with God. Thus, through the good words and works of His disciples, Christ is to be represented and honored.

God expects of us perfect obedience to His law. This law is the echo of His voice, saying to us, Holier, yea, holier still. Desire after the fulness of the grace of Christ, yea, long – hunger and thirst – after righteousness. The promise is, “Ye shall be filled” (Luke 6:21). Let your heart be filled with a longing for this righteousness, the work of which God’s word declares to be peace, and its effect quietness and assurance forever.

God has plainly stated that He expects us to be perfect, and because He expects this, He has made provision for us to be partakers of the divine nature. Only thus can we gain success in striving for eternal life. The power is given by Christ. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

God’s people are to reflect to the world the bright rays of His glory. But in order for them to do this, they must stand where these rays can fall on them. They must co-operate with God. The heart must be cleansed of all that leads to wrong. The word of God must be read and studied with an earnest desire to gain from it spiritual power. The bread of heaven must be eaten and assimilated, becoming part of the life. Thus we gain eternal life. Thus is answered the prayer of Christ, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth” (John 17:17).

This is the will of God, even your sanctification. Is it your will that your desires and inclinations shall be brought into harmony with the divine mind? The Review and Herald, January 28, 1904.

Old Habits, New Habits

For most of my work life I have not had to “punch the clock,” meaning clocking in and out daily at a time clock. I’ve either recorded my time on a paper form on a weekly or bi-weekly basis or entered the number of hours I worked through a company timekeeping application.

So when I began a new job that required me to once again use a time clock, it was difficult to remember that my first stop of the day should be to clock in. I don’t really have trouble remembering to clock out to go to lunch and back in when I return, nor do I have trouble remembering to clock out at the end of the day.  But clocking in each morning has become a frustrating exercise for me, because I keep forgetting and have to ask my supervisor to clock me in.

You see, even though my supervisor is very gracious about clocking me in when I forget to do it myself, I feel that it should be my responsibility. This is a new, necessary habit I should be developing.

So, that got me to thinking, what exactly is a habit? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has several definitions of the word habit. Let’s look at just two:

  • An acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary
  • An addiction

In the spiritual realm, humans by nature tend toward addiction. Our natures compel us toward sin. We are addicted to sinning and nothing short of divine intervention can change this habit of sinning. However, let’s keep one thing in mind regarding addiction: it is necessary that the addicted one makes the choice to end the power addiction has over his or her life. It may not be possible to end it without outside help, but the addiction cannot be overcome until the addicted one chooses that the addiction will no longer have control over them. Remember also, that while an addicted person may no longer choose to allow their addiction to have sway over their life, the addiction itself remains and can regain control without daily, determined effort on the person’s part.

Spiritually our natures are wicked. The Bible says this repeatedly:

“All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3 NIV).

“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled” (Genesis 6:5, 6 NIV).

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders” (Matthew 15:19 NASB 1995).

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. … Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths” (Isaiah 59:1–4, 6, 7).

Until we recognize what we are and choose to no longer allow sin to have domination over our lives, we will continue to sin. But understand this is not like choosing to wear red socks or blue socks today; once you make the choice, you wear those socks. This choice is an ongoing effort. I am afflicted with this spiritual habit of sinning. I can choose to change this habit, but it is rare that one chooses to change a habit (going cold turkey) and then tomorrow or next week or next year, there is no future temptation.

Let’s look at our first definition of habit – an acquired mode of behavior. Acquired suggests doing or having done something: learning, developing, gaining, or achieving as a result of one’s choosing until it becomes completely involuntary; until we do it without thinking or because to not do it would be unthinkable. Let’s look at some examples from the Bible of individuals who cultivated/achieved the habit of doing what was right.

DANIEL

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (Daniel 6:10). [Emphasis supplied.]

SHADRACH, MESHACH and ABEDNEGO

“Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (Daniel 1:6–8). [Emphasis supplied.]

After being threatened with death in the fiery furnace for refusing to worship the golden image, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up’ ” (Daniel 3:16–18). [Emphasis supplied.]

JOSEPH

“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.

“Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.’ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ ” (Genesis 39:1–9). [Emphasis supplied.]

ABRAHAM

“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’

“Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you’ ” (Genesis 22:1, 2).

Imagine Abraham’s agony and confusion. God doesn’t require child sacrifice. Isaac was the child of promise. How was Abraham to do this thing? Could you sacrifice your child, if God asked it, if you had not developed a lifelong faith in and habit of obedience to God?

“So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ Then he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.’ So the two of them went together” (verses 6–8).

Notice, Isaac does not refuse. He understood what was being asked of Abraham and himself, and still he did not refuse; he did not run away which he easily could have done. He submitted with complete trust to His father.

‘Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

“But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ So he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me’ ” (verses 9–12). [Emphasis supplied.]

Why were all these men able to do the right thing? Do you think they woke up on that particular morning and said, “Today, I’m only going to do what’s right.” I think there are a lot of people who think doing right works just that way. Today I will be better. Today I’m not going to sin at all. What did Daniel do? He purposed in his heart.  What did Joseph say? I cannot do this thing. The three worthies said we will not bow down.  These are statements of commitment, the kind of commitment developed over a lifetime.

We’ve all heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London, and her team did a study on just how long it takes to form a habit and published her findings in the European Journal of Social Psychology. The study included 96 subjects studied over a 12-week period. Each subject chose the habit they wanted to develop and “reported daily on whether or not they did the behavior and how automatic the behavior felt.” In short, this is what they found:

  1. It’s supposed to take time to form a new habit.
  2. Making mistakes is okay, but develop a strategy to get back on track quickly.
  3. It’s a process, not an event.

(taken from How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science) written by James Clear)

Spiritually, the first and third findings can be combined and applied to the habit (addiction) of sinning. Living like that cannot be changed or broken except by choosing to allow the Holy Spirit to transform the life. We can ask as did David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). While the original creation, in which God had perfect material to work with took only a few days, after 6,000 years of sin, change is just going to take time. And then there is that second finding, the one that says we’ll make mistakes. We are, after all, sinners by nature ever able to choose to sin, no matter how truly committed we are not to.

David is referred to in the Bible as “a man after God’s own heart,” and yet David, when he saw Bathsheba bathing on her roof, rather than turning away and seeking God’s deliverance from the temptations that were assailing him, he lingered (see James 1:14, 15). He began a not-so-secret relationship with Bathsheba. She became pregnant and in an effort to hide what he had done, he had her husband Uriah killed. Even worse, David’s sin with Bathsheba came nigh to spiritually destroying the children of Israel. He made a mistake, but didn’t utilize that strategy to get back on track mentioned in the second of the study findings.

Peter walked and talked with Jesus for three and a half years during His earthly ministry. Peter committed himself to be ever faithful to Jesus. He refused to believe that he would ever deny Christ and yet, he did three times, just as Jesus said he would (Matthew 26:33). The problem for Peter, and I’d say David and us as well, is that he didn’t know himself as well as he thought he did; so sure of himself that he didn’t know what he really lacked. As the sound of the final denial disappeared into the night, it was then that Peter recognized what he was: a sinner in need of a Saviour. “Peter denied his Lord in the hour of trial, but Jesus did not forsake His poor disciple. Although Peter hated himself, the Lord loved him, and after His resurrection He called him by name and sent him a loving message. Oh, what a kind, loving, compassionate Saviour we have! And He loves us though we err.” That I May Know Him, 285.

Yes, the idea that forming habits takes time and is a process, not an event, reminds us that the development of a Christian character is described in the Spirit of Prophecy as “the work of a lifetime.” My Life Today, 267. The Bible calls this process sanctification – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Sanctification is accomplished by our willingness to be transformed and then through the power of the Holy Spirit being transformed day by day.

Sometimes, even when we have fully made the commitment for the Holy Spirit to work this process of sanctification in our lives, we may still make mistakes. But by recognizing what we are and what the remedy is, we know that we can confess those mistakes, repent and be forgiven.

However, we should be keenly aware of how important sanctification and character building are. Ellen White says, “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.” Child Guidance, 161.

“It is your work to advance toward perfection, making constant improvement, until at last you are pronounced worthy to receive immortal life. And even then the work of progression will not cease, but will continue throughout eternity.” In Heavenly Places, 186.

I’m working hard every day to develop the habit of clocking in, but am I working as hard to commit my life to the formation of a perfected character by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. …

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. …

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:1, 2, 7, 10, 11).

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

Judy Rebarchek is a member of the LandMarks team. She can be contacted at: judyrebarchek@stepstolife.org.

Purpose and Pleasure

If this Covid-19 pandemic has done anything good, it would be the opportunity to be together as a family. Too often, the cares and demands of the world: making a living, the care and upkeep of the physical dwelling, even participation in church activities and responsibilities, have made us unaware of the needs within our own home. As a minister of the gospel, I spend my time tending to the needs of others, so when our ability to freely move about was restricted and I had the opportunity to spend more time with my family, I was able to more clearly see the needs of my own house and my own life.

We hear so many things these days about the end of time, the mark of the beast, the slow erosion of religious liberty, forces in the background manipulating everything in the world; and they cause us concern. But as a Seventh-day Adventist parent, we often hear the words we never want to hear from a child. “Dad. Mom. I already know all this stuff. I’ve heard it my whole life. I get it about love, but this is all over my head and I just want to live my life, hang out with my friends, do and be what I want.”

The first thought is, what did I do wrong? Young people losing or leaving their faith and the church is happening throughout Adventism. God has a message for us. He has a purpose for your life, youth and adult. And we can find that message in one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. Beginning in Judges 13, we find the story of Samson, a young man for whom God had a purpose, but who had his own ideas about how he wanted to live his life. The story of Samson is one both of tragedy and redemption.

Judges 13:1–5 says, “Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.’ ”

Then we see that Manoah and his wife sought the messenger and asked God to send him again so that Manoah might hear the instructions that had earlier been given to his wife regarding their son. He returns and at first they believe He is a prophet, but as the conversation continues, Manoah and his wife realize that the Angel of the Lord who has delivered this message to them is actually the Son of God; that through Him, they have been speaking with God (Judges 13:22). Finally, in Judges 13:24 and 25 we read, “So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him … .”

As a Nazarite, an individual would be consecrated to God and a vow taken to commit himself for a holy purpose. Numbers 6:3, 4 gives us a clear understanding of the life of a Nazarite. It says, “… he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.” The Nazarite was held to a higher standard regarding diet much like Seventh-day Adventists today. Continuing in Numbers 6, “All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body … he shall be holy to the Lord” (verses 5, 6, 8).

Judges 13:5, 6 and Numbers 6:5 confirm,  that Samson’s hair was divided into seven locks and was not to be cut, as a Nazarite’s hair was a sign of his consecration to God. The seven locks is a parallel to the seventh-day Sabbath which is a sign of consecration of those who keep it. God’s purpose for Samson was that he would begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

So, we find that from the day Samson was born, he was consecrated to the Lord for a holy purpose. He took a vow of commitment to that purpose. He refrained from strong drink and ate according to a specific diet. Also, his hair was never to be cut as a sign of his consecration to God. It is likely that he was reminded daily of his holy purpose, not just by his parents, but by his diet, the length of his hair and by the fact that he could not partake in certain things. He knew he was to deliver his people from the Philistines. A weighty expectation to live with.

As Samson grew, he began to associate with the Philistines and friendships developed. When he became a young man, he was well aware of the Nazarite vow he had taken and the restrictions that accompanied that vow, but he began to look around and the world looked inviting. He began to socialize more with the Philistines when a young woman came to his attention in the city of Timnah whom he determined should become his wife.

Samson went to his parents and said, “ ‘I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife’ ” (Judges 14:2).

His parents’ response, found in verse 3, was, “ ‘Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?’ And Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, for she pleases me well.’ ”

“Just as he was entering upon manhood, the time when he must execute his divine mission—the time above all others when he should have been true to God—Samson connected himself with the enemies of Israel. He did not ask whether he could better glorify God when united with the object of his choice, or whether he was placing himself in a position where he could not fulfill the purpose to be accomplished by his life.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 563.

Samson’s only interest was in pleasing himself. “To all who seek first to honor Him, God has promised wisdom; but there is no promise to those who are bent upon self-pleasing.” Ibid.

Though his parents tried to dissuade him, Samson was determined to go his own way, so Manoah and his wife yielded to his wishes and he married the woman from Timnah.

Friends, consider how Samson is an example of what is happening in the Seventh-day Adventist Church today, primarily with our young people. As children of God, we also are called to be separate, consecrated for a holy purpose. 1 John 3:1 tells us, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”

In addition, notice what we find in 1 Peter 1:15: “… but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” We have been called to be holy in our conversation and lifestyle. We read further, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Here is a picture of God calling Christians to be separate from the world like the Nazarites of the Old Testament.

Luke 4:18 and 19 tells us what our mission is. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” This is the same message Jesus gave to the apostles in Matthew 28:19 and 20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” This is a God-given commission for His people.

As God’s people, we have been instructed regarding our diet (see Revelation 22:2). We have been given the Sabbath day as a holy day, consecrated and set apart to commune with God (see Ezekiel 20:12). Samson was strong because he did not cut his hair, but his strength was not in his hair, rather in his relationship with and obedience to God. It is the same with the Sabbath. The power is not in the Sabbath, but in our relationship with God and that we obey His commandment to keep the seventh day holy. Our purpose is to love God and love man; and in loving and serving Him, we will desire to love and serve others (see Matthew 22:37–39). Once we know what God has done for us, we will want to share it with others. The more time we spend with Christ, the more feelings and affections we will have for other people.

We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and spirit and when we do this, when He is in our hearts, then His purpose for our lives will become our pleasure. We will seek to fulfill His purpose for our lives. Without Him in our hearts, we will love the things that turn us from His purpose. There are so many things that can and will distract us from doing God’s purpose, if we allow it. This is particularly so for young people.

We preach the three angels’ messages found in Revelation 14:6–12 warning people of the coming judgment. We preach about Babylon and prophecy, the seal of God and the mark of the beast. We raise our children with the Bible. We have camp meetings, Revelation seminars, evangelistic meetings. We live a temperate lifestyle. We keep the Sabbath. We provide biblical instruction to our children and diligently work to raise them to follow and obey the Lord. But even with all of this, everything that is available to them, they do something that seems so contrary to what we would expect.

Let me give you an example. We have all heard the name J. P. Morgan. His father, Junius Spencer Morgan was a financial businessman who learned and trained under the house of Rothschild. His purpose and intention for his son was to make him a better financial investment businessman than he was himself. Did he succeed? Yes, he did. The father was responsible for how the son presented himself. This is a worldly example. How much more then, as Christians, are we responsible for how our children are raised?

We live in a broken world and because of that, there are broken homes, so this may not apply to everyone in the strictest sense. Not all homes have the privilege of having two parents in the household, but in those homes where both parents are present, we need to be diligent that we are taking advantage of the opportunity of being in touch with our children, of connecting with them.

There are Adventist parents who come to the pastor or Sabbath School teacher because they are having trouble with their child and expect the pastor or teacher to fix the problem. The question to be asked is, “What are you, the parents, doing?” Many fathers and mothers place the responsibility of seeing their child converted into the hands of others. Do not depend on others to do the work of training your children in the way that they should go. Follow the example of Manoah and his wife before and after the birth of Samson, be responsible for your own life and relationship with God and bear the responsibility toward your children, with prayer and searching for God’s guidance in their lives as well.

We must heed the guidance provided in The Adventist Home, page 190, “Some parents do not understand their children and are not really acquainted with them. There is often a great distance between parents and children. If the parents would enter more fully into the feelings of their children and draw out what is in their hearts, it would have a beneficial influence upon them.

“The father and the mother should work together in full sympathy with each other. They should make themselves companions to their children.

“Parents should study the best and most successful manner of winning the love and confidence of their children, that they may lead them in the right path. They should reflect the sunshine of love upon the household.”

We must encourage and commend our children. As Adventists, we tend to focus on all the don’ts and when a child does something right, our feeling is, that’s what they were supposed to do. We seem to feel that encouragement and commendation are bad, but notice what it says, “Young children love companionship and can seldom enjoy themselves alone. They yearn for sympathy and tenderness. That which they enjoy they think will please mother also, and it is natural for them to go to her with their little joys and sorrows. The mother should not wound their sensitive hearts by treating with indifference matters that, though trifling to her, are of great importance to them. Her sympathy and approval are precious. An approving glance, a word of encouragement or commendation, will be like sunshine in their hearts, often making the whole day happy.

“Parents should encourage their children to confide in them and unburden to them their heart griefs, their little daily annoyances and trials.

“Kindly instruct them and bind them to your hearts. It is a critical time for children. Influences will be thrown around them to wean them from you which you must counteract. Teach them to make you their confidant. Let them whisper in your ear their trials and joys.

“Children would be saved from many evils if they would be more familiar with their parents. Parents should encourage in their children a disposition to be open and frank with them, to come to them with their difficulties and, when they are perplexed as to what course is right, to lay the matter just as they view it before the parents and ask their advice.” The Adventist Home, 190, 191.

This also requires that the father and mother are connected, individually, with God, and by God’s grace, to each other. Without this, there will only be discord and strife. There are books and many other resources that can be of help. I strongly recommend The Adventist Home.

We must ask ourselves these questions: How much time do I spend praying for my spouse? How much time do I spend praying for my children? How often do I interact with them and ask them how they are feeling, how they are doing? If your response is, “Not enough,” then a change must be made. We must make ourselves available to our children, even be vulnerable. Let them see that you struggle with weakness just as they do.

Do not imagine that there is no help at all from your church family. Older individuals with more life experience and married couples can be guardians and a help to young people. Even the pastor and teacher can help, but the responsibility of the salvation of your children belongs to you.

Following are four reasons that I believe explain why young people are losing and leaving their faith.

  1. Compromise – Is there compromise in your home? If so, it is likely that as your children grow they will begin to do things they have observed rather than as they were taught. For example, have you violated the edges of the Sabbath by heading to an activity or event that is not acceptable for the Sabbath rest and before the Sabbath hours are completely passed?
  2. Legalism/Too much head knowledge – We have so much powerful information/doctrine that is stimulating to the mind. The Seventh-day Adventist teachings really grab the intellect. But the danger is that we can fill our young people with so much head knowledge, yet we leave out the Giver and the Teacher of the doctrine. There is nothing wrong with knowledge and doctrine, but if what you teach does not lead your children to a relationship with God that changes the heart and mind, then it is meaningless.
  3. Turned off by the Church – How often do we observe that God’s people are not perfect? Gossiping, backbiting, church politics, hypocrisy; all these things can simply wear out a person. These may be legitimate reasons to become disillusioned by your church, but they are not real reasons to leave.
  4. They Just Decide to Leave – This probably surprises us the most, mainly because the general feeling is that if our children do not stay in the faith, we must have done something wrong. Let me ask a question: Can you think of a single case in the history of the world, after sin entered, that there were perfect parents? No, not one. But here is another question: When Lucifer sinned, what did God do wrong? Parents do the best they can. They raise their children to love the Saviour. They encourage them to read the Bible and learn its promises. God gave us all a free will. You can train your children while you can, but when they reach a certain age, they choose for themselves. Too many parents carry the burden that because their children have left the faith, it must be their fault in some way when it is simply that many Adventist young people choose to do as they please.

Let’s look again at Samson. “And he came up and told his father and his mother, and said, ‘I have seen a woman in Timnah … Get her for me, for she pleases me well.’ ” Samson was clear on the purpose God had for him. He had lived his whole life as a Nazarite, but he chose to follow his own desires. He was not considering what would bring glory to God or if he was placing himself in a position where he would be unable to fulfill that purpose.

Maybe you relate to the story of Samson. Maybe you are a parent watching your child potentially throwing his or her life away on frivolous pursuits. Maybe you are a child who is turned off by the church or is just tired of all the knowledge and strictness of the faith. You need to know that it was God’s pleasure to die for you. Hebrews 12:2 says, “… looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” His pleasure was to fulfill His purpose in saving you and me. You, too, can have pleasure in following His purpose for your life.

I am reminded of a song written years ago by Keith Green. He lived a life of rock and roll, but God changed his heart. Maybe this is you.

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me

But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You
Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your blood

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me

We must ask the Lord to help us see that doing what is outside His will, will hurt us. But when we do what pleases Him, we will never go wrong.

(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, TN. He enjoys apologetics, Bible history, expounding on the topic of righteousness by faith and making the Bible simple and easy to understand.

One Way Out

The Bible says, “On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [made it holy], because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:2, 3). Notice He blessed the seventh day and made it holy, and then He rested. The seventh day has a triple significance: it’s the day that God rested from His work, the day He blessed and the day He made holy.

Have you ever wondered why God created the world and the Sabbath in seven days? God is all powerful; He could have chosen to make the world in any period of time He wanted. But He created everything in the world in six days and rested the seventh day.

The Bible makes clear that everything God does is significant. So there is something significant about the fact that after He created the world in six days, God rested on the seventh day. Reading through the Bible, we find that the number 7 is a special number. People who study Biblical numbers say there are four perfect numbers in the Bible: numbers 3, 7, 10 and 12. Let’s look at the number 7.

While studying Hebrew, I found that the number 7 comes from a verb that means to swear or in other words, to take an oath or to make something complete or official. Seven, in the Bible, signifies spiritual perfection and is used in ways that no other number is used in Scripture. For example, the first word in the Hebrew Bible has seven letters. The first sentence in the Hebrew Bible has seven words. The first commandment in the Hebrew Bible has seven words. In addition to that, the fourth commandment lists seven categories of individuals that are to rest, and the tenth commandment lists seven things that you should not covet. The number 7 occurs multiple times in the ten commandments. In the New Testament the Lord’s Prayer has seven petitions (Matthew 6:9–13). So 7 indicates totalness or completeness.

The number 7 is used many times in the book of Revelation. It talks about 7 churches, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 thunders, 7 last plagues, etc. In The Acts of the Apostles, 585, it says, “The names of the seven churches are symbolic of the church in different periods of the Christian Era. The number 7 indicates completeness, and is symbolic of the fact that the messages extend to the end of time.” As Adventists, we look at them through the seven periods of time and discover that we are living in the last period of time, found in the message to the church in Laodicea. However, any church could have the experience of any one of the seven churches. Ellen White often used the Sardis church, a dead church, when describing the experience of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She also referred to the experience of the church in Ephesus, a loveless church.

There is something to note when reading through the seven churches. In every church, the person promised salvation must be an overcomer.

In Revelation 2:7, speaking to the church of Ephesus, the Bible says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

To the church of Smyrna is written: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death” (verse 11).

In verse 17, speaking to the church of Pergamos, we read, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”

The Bible says of the church of Thyatira: “He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” (verse 26).

We need to especially study the church of Sardis. Revelation 3:5 says, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”

If a person’s name is written in the Book of Life, they are an overcomer. How important is it to have your name written there? Revelation 20:15 says, “Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

When you surrender yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ and your name is recorded in the Book of Life, can it be blotted out? Revelation 3:5 says, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life.” Notice, if I don’t overcome, my name will be blotted out of God’s book. Exodus 32:33 says, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.’ ” And Acts 3:19, 20 continues, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out … .” So if you repent and are converted, in the judgment your sins will be blotted out. If you do not overcome and choose to continue in sin, your name will be blotted out. When you surrender yourself to Jesus Christ, your name is registered in the Book of Life, but it is there on probation.

In Revelation 3:12, we find God speaking to the church of Philadelphia: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”

Finally, to the church of Laodicea, God says, “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (verse 21).

In the New Testament, salvation is not promised except to those who overcome, but God gives His Holy Spirit so you will have divine power to overcome. Only those who are overcomers will be saved out of the seven churches, but some people outrage the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 10:26–29 says, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” We must be careful not to insult the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is given as a divine power to help us overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil. Ellen White says, “Sin could be … overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead.” The Desire of Ages, 671. Divine power is promised to those who give their hearts to the Lord to make it possible to overcome. Then, continuing to sin is an insult to the Holy Spirit.

The Acts of the Apostles, 482, says, “The work of gaining salvation is one of co-partnership, a joint operation.” You can’t save yourself; only God can save you, but God will not save you if you don’t co-operate. “There is to be co-operation between God and the repentant sinner. This is necessary for the formation of right principles in the character. Man is to make earnest efforts to overcome that which hinders him from attaining to perfection.” Ibid. We are to go to the Lord claiming the promise of the power to overcome our besetting sins; exerting all human effort, but understanding that we are totally helpless unless the divine power works in our lives. This is a co-partnership. God gives the Holy Spirit. We do the best we can. We work together with the Spirit.

Revelation 21:1–4 is one of the most comforting descriptions in all the Bible, describing how wonderful it will be for God’s saved people. But note who will enjoy all these things: “ ‘He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son’ ” (verse 7). Who receives the promise of salvation and this inheritance? The one who overcomes. That promise is given to everyone in the seven churches, all those who choose to follow Christ.

When There is Only One Way Out

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, His soul longed for another way out. He said to His Father, “Lord, everything is possible with You” (Mark 14:36). Everything is possible with God, but we could not be saved any other way. There was silence in heaven. No harp was touched (see The Desire of Ages, 686, 690, 693.) The whole universe was silent as it watched this battle that would not only decide the future of this world, but also that of the whole universe. The only way out for Jesus was the cross.

There are many people who say they are sorry for their sins, but make no attempt to turn away from them. To be truly sorry for a sin committed means to confess it and turn away from it. If you are looking at something bad, look somewhere else and do not look at it again. If you are listening to worldly music, turn it off and don’t listen to it anymore. If you are convicted that you are eating something forbidden by the word of God, get it out of your house and do not bring it in again.

True repentance involves not just being sorry, but being sorry enough to stop. When you are sorry enough to say, “Lord, I’m choosing not to do this anymore,” the Lord will send His Holy Spirit to enable you to stop.

“No repentance is genuine that does not work reformation.” The Desire of Ages, 555. Genuine repentance results in a changed life. Repentance, turning away from sin, does not cover up something already done. “The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin.” Ibid., 555, 556. To be forgiven, the Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just [righteous] to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Repentance will be followed by confession. If it is a secret sin, it should be confessed to God. Secret sins are not openly confessed (see Testimonies, vol. 5, 635–650). Much harm has been done by people openly confessing that which should be confessed to God alone. But sins that have harmed others need to be confessed openly.

Sins that are unconfessed are unforgiven. Someone might say that there is not enough time to confess their sins before Jesus comes. Then let the Lord take care of that and make a start. The Bible says, “If there is first a willing mind …” (2 Corinthians 8:12, first part). This speaks of a person willing to confess everything.

Is there a possibility that there is some sin that is impossible to confess? Yes, if a sin is committed against someone and that person dies there is no way confession can be made. Consider the thief on the cross. He wasn’t able to make right what he had stolen, but he confessed to the Lord and the Lord saved him. The Lord will do the same for you. Remember, “If there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” Don’t worry about what you don’t know. The Lord will help you to make right what you know and what you need to make right that you don’t know, the Holy Spirit will bring to your attention at the right time. Repentance is sorrow for sin enough to turn away from it, to confess and make things right, and surrender to the Lord.

Just as the cross was the only way out for Jesus, there is only one way out for you and me. Matthew 16:24–26: “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?’ ” To follow Jesus means denying self and taking up your cross. Jesus also said, “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27). It is only through the Son that you can approach the Father.

In John 14:6 we read, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” And the apostle Peter said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). There is only one way out of this world. Ellen White says, “One fountain only has been opened for sin, a fountain for the poor in spirit.” The Desire of Ages, 300.

Let’s look at the only way out of this world. It answers the question: What must I do to be saved and get out of this world alive? “He [Christ] has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant soul, to keep him from sinning.” Ibid., 311. Notice, there are two things in that sentence. When a person repents, they receive the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit enables them to stop sinning. “Without Me [Christ] you cannot overcome one sin, or resist one temptation.” Ibid., 676. In fact, Ellen White says that without Jesus, “We cannot keep ourselves from sin for one moment.” The Ministry of Healing, 180. We are totally helpless without divine help because of the cravings of our own sinful nature. Without divine help every moment of every day, we cannot control our nature.

The meaning of the Greek word translated repentance means to change your mind. “True repentance is more than sorrow for sin. It is a resolute turning away from evil (2 Corinthians 7:7–10).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 557. “At every advance step in our Christian experience our repentance will deepen.” The Acts of the Apostles, 561. So, repentance is sorrow for sin; not just sorrow for sin, but a resolute turning away from sin.

The Desire of Ages, 523, says, “Self-surrender is the substance of the teachings of Christ.” “If we ever attain unto holiness, it will be through the renunciation of self and the reception of the mind of Christ.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 143. “The battle which we have to fight—the greatest battle that was ever fought by man—is the surrender of self to the will of God, the yielding of the heart to the sovereignty of love.” Ibid., 141. This is one of the reasons many people do not overcome. They do not fully surrender, so they do not receive the power they need.

We are now living in the great age of unbelief spoken of in 2 Peter 3. Ellen White wrote, “There is no escape from its power [the power of sin], no hope of the higher life, but through the submission of the soul to Christ.” Steps to Christ, 32. There is no other way out. The Desire of Ages, 825, says, “Now unbelief separates the church from her divine Helper.” And Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 160, says, “Christ cannot share a divided heart; sin and Jesus are never in co-partnership.” The devil has a power over humanity that we are not able to overcome except through Jesus. “It is only through Christ that Satan’s power is limited. This is a momentous truth that all should understand.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 294.

As we approach the end of the world, everyone is going to be marked. Most of the world will receive the mark of the beast, the mark of destruction or the mark of anti-christ (Revelation 13, 14). Those who do not receive the mark of the beast will receive the seal of God, the mark of deliverance (Revelation 7). Everyone will receive a mark. What determines which mark a person receives is described by Ellen White in The Desire of Ages, 324: “We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. … We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light in order to come under the devil’s control.” Ibid. The devil will take control of your life without your permission. God will not take control of your life without your consent. He leaves you free to choose. At the end of the world, everyone will either become more and more like the devil or they will be filled with the Spirit of God and become more and more like Jesus.

God will have a people at the end of the world, not just a few people, but a church. What will God’s church be like as we approach the end? In The Desire of Ages, 680, Ellen White writes, “Christ designs that heaven’s order, heaven’s plan of government, heaven’s divine harmony, shall be represented in His church on earth.” She says it is Christ’s design.

There will be a church at the end that will be governed according to heaven’s plan of government. Heaven is perfectly organized. Heaven has no hierarchy, is not a democracy or a republic; it’s a kingdom with one king. Hierarchical governments are all of the devil. We should study and understand the New Testament church organization. The New Testament church followed heaven’s organizational plan.

God will have a church filled with the divine harmony of heaven. “The church, endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is His depositary, in which the riches of His mercy, His grace, and His love, are to appear [notice, this is a prophecy] in full and final display.” Ibid. [Emphasis supplied.] What an amazing statement!

The riches of God’s mercy, grace and love will not be in “full display and final display” in heaven. Why? It is not needed. If you and I are ever going to display the mercy of God, it will be here. God will have a church through which the riches of His mercy and grace will be displayed in full and final display.

The day is coming when all opportunities will be over. There are many in the world who love Jesus, even enough to die for Him, but they do not keep His commandments or understand the three angels’ messages, the sanctuary truth or the Spirit of Prophecy. Who will tell them, if not us? We must ask the Lord to help us, not just as individuals, but as a church to display His mercy, grace and love to a world that is perishing. If we don’t do it, the Lord will use someone else.

Friend, we have to pray that our first love will be restored. Because when God has a people that have that love in their hearts and have the final message to the world, there will be a display of the mercy, grace and love of God not seen in this world since the time of Jesus and the apostles. I would like to be part of it. Wouldn’t you?

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

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

Editorial – Are You Humble Enough to go to Heaven?

“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).

The truth always corrects erroneous ideas. Jesus said, “If you continue in My word … you will know the truth and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31, 32). Unfortunately, the truth is unpopular. “Truth was unpopular in Christ’s day. It is unpopular in our day. It has been unpopular ever since Satan first gave man a disrelish for it by presenting fables that lead to self-exaltation.” The Desire of Ages, 242.

The scribes and Pharisees prided themselves upon the idea that they were God’s chosen people, but when He came to them, they did not receive Him. “He did not flatter the Pharisees or exalt them in any way. He received the publicans and sinners whom the Jews heartily despised, and because His lessons of humility, compassion, and love rebuked their selfishness and pride, they would have none of Him, but turned from Him in scorn. They made great ostentation, wore long robes, and stood praying on the corners of the streets, but none of these pretensions to piety awed the great Teacher or drew from Him one word of approval. … The teaching of Christ was against all vanity and pride, for these were abhorrent to the Most High. It is the humble and the contrite whose prayers are heard in heaven. The Lord declares that He knoweth ‘the proud afar off’ (Psalm 138:6). He says, ‘To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word’ (Isaiah 66:2).” The Signs of the Times, May 24, 1899.

“Many look upon the great work to be accomplished for God’s people, and their prayers go up to God for help in the great harvest. But like the Jewish nation, if help does not come in just the manner they have arranged, they will not receive it, but turn from that help as the Jewish nation turned from Christ, because disappointed in the manner of His appearing. Too much poverty and humility marked His advent, and in their pride they refused Him who came to give them life. … Had the church all humbled themselves before God, and corrected their past errors so fully as to meet the mind of God, they would not be so deficient in estimating moral excellence of character.” Testimony for the Church at Battle Creek (1868), 53.

“Be sure that Christ is in you, that your heart is broken and submissive and humble. God will accept only the humble and contrite. Heaven is worth a lifelong, persevering effort; yes, it is worth everything. God will help you in your efforts if you strive only in Him.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 259.