love

Love

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Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance are the graces of the Holy Spirit and are the products of or fruits of love. The truth is, it is impossible for a person to possess the graces of the Holy Spirit if that person is devoid of love. Furthermore, this love cannot be a part of the individual unless he or she is totally committed to Jesus, has been born again, and has been converted! This love, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, is of Heavenly Origin; it is a divine principle that cannot be appreciated and known by any human being unless he or she knows Christ as a personal Savior.

In his first epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul highlights the difference between love that is of heavenly origin and love that originates in self or that is earthly. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” I Corinthians 13:1–3.

A similar thought is addressed by Paul to the Roman Christians, where he admonished them, “[Let] love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Romans 12:9.

The word I, as used by the Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans, comes out of a Greek word that gives the meaning of hypocrisy, insecurity, and pretense.

“The imperative idea is now expressed by an adjective: ‘not hypocritical!’ ‘Hypocrite’ was the term for show actor, and the ancient actors always wore a mask while they were on stage. Genuine love is Paul’s bidding: not stage-actor love; no mask of love! I John 3:18, ‘My little children, let us not love agapomen in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.’ Where love is so highly esteemed as it is in the Christian church, counterfeit love is often passed out as the real gold coin, and the lack of love attempts to hide itself behind the mask of love and of words that are supposed to have the sound of love.” (Source: Commentary on the N.T. by R. C. H. Lenski: Romans, p. 766.)

Dr. Webster says that dissimulate means to “disguise” or “conceal under a false semblance.” What we are therefore made to understand is that there is a true love and a counterfeit love. The Apostle Peter encourages us to love one another with a pure heart: “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently.” I Peter 1:22.

What is counterfeit love?

Pretentious love.

“We are admonished by the apostle: ‘Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.’ Paul would have us distinguish between the pure, unselfish love which is prompted by the spirit of Christ, and the unmeaning, deceitful pretense with which the world abounds. This base counterfeit has misled many souls. It would blot out the distinction between right and wrong, by agreeing with the transgressor instead of faithfully showing him his errors. Such a course never springs from real friendship. The spirit by which it is prompted dwells only in the carnal heart. While the Christian will be ever kind, compassionate, and forgiving, he can feel no harmony with sin. He will abhor evil and cling to that which is good, at the sacrifice of association or friendship with the ungodly. The spirit of Christ will lead us to hate sin, while we are willing to make any sacrifice to save the sinner.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 171.

The absence of love makes us cold, critical and exacting.

“Where is the kindling of soul you once felt at the mention of the name of Jesus? In the freshness of your early dedication, how fervent was your love for souls! how earnestly you sought to represent to them the Saviour’s love! The absence of that love has made you cold, critical, exacting. Seek to win it back. …” Testimonies, vol. 5, 611.

Spasmodic love.

“In every family where Christ abides, a tender interest and love will be manifested for one another; not a spasmodic love expressed only in fond caresses, but a love that is deep and abiding.” The Adventist Home, 94.

Misguided love.

“It is not mercy or kindness to permit a child to have its own way, to submit to its rule, and to neglect to correct it on the ground that you love it too well to punish it. What kind of love is it that permits your child to develop traits of character that will make him and everyone else miserable? Away with such love! True love will look out for the present and eternal good of the soul.” Child Guidance, 186.

Miscalled love.

“On the part of too many parents there is a blind and selfish sentimentalism, miscalled love, which is manifested in leaving children, with their unformed judgment and undisciplined passions, to the control of their own will. This is the veriest cruelty to the youth and a great wrong to the world.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 142.

Impulsive love.

“True love is a high and holy principle, altogether different in character from that love which is awakened by impulse and which suddenly dies when severely tested.” Ibid., 176.

Passionate love.

“There is but little real, genuine, devoted, pure love. This precious article is very rare. Passion is termed love.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 281.

Human love.

“The heart yearns for human love, but this love is not strong enough, or pure enough, or precious enough, to supply the place of the love of Jesus.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 362.

Blind love.

“The infatuation on the part of both young men and women in thus placing the affections upon each other during school days shows a lack of good judgment. As in your own case, blind impulse controls reason and judgment. Under this bewitching delusion the momentous responsibility felt by every sincere Christian is laid aside, spirituality dies, and the judgment and eternity lose their awful significance. Every faculty of those who become affected by this contagious disease—blind love—is brought in subjection to it. They seem to be devoid of good sense, and their course of action is disgusting to all who behold it.” Ibid., 110.

Selfish love.

“Our love is frequently selfish, for we confine it to prescribed limits.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 580. “The sin which is indulged to the greatest extent, and which separates us from God and produces so many contagious spiritual disorders, is selfishness. There can be no returning to the Lord except by self-denial. Of ourselves we can do nothing; but, through God strengthening us, we can live to do good to others, and in this way shun the evil of selfishness.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 132.

Changeable love.

“Human love may change, but Christ’s love knows no change.” The Ministry of Healing, 72.

Unholy spiritual love.

“The sophistries regarding God and nature that are flooding the world with skepticism are the inspiration of the fallen foe, who is himself a Bible student, who knows the truth that it is essential for the people to receive, and whose study it is to divert minds from the great truths given to prepare them for what is coming upon the world. I have seen the results of these fanciful views of God, in apostasy, spiritualism, and free-lovism. The free love tendency of these teachings was so concealed that at first it was difficult to make plain its real character. Until the Lord presented it to me, I knew not what to call it, but I was instructed to call it unholy spiritual love.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 292.

What is true, heaven-born love?

In the Gospel of John we have recorded the words of our beloved Savior: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34.

“Jesus says, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ Love is not simply an impulse, a transitory emotion, dependent upon circumstances; it is a living principle, a permanent power. The soul is fed by the streams of pure love that flow from the heart of Christ, as a well-spring that never fails. O, how is the heart quickened, how are its motives ennobled, its affections deepened, by this communion! Under the education and discipline of the Holy Spirit, the children of God love one another, truly, sincerely, unaffectedly,—‘without partiality, and without hypocrisy.’ And this because the heart is in love with Jesus. Our affection for one another springs from our common relation to God. We are one family, we love one another as He loved us. When compared with this true, sanctified, disciplined affection, the shallow courtesy of the world, the meaningless expression of effusive friendship, are as chaff to the wheat.

“To love as Christ loved means to manifest unselfishness at all times and in all places, by kind words and pleasant looks. … Genuine love is a precious attribute of heavenly origin, which increases its fragrance in proportion as it is dispensed to others. …

“Christ’s love is deep and earnest, flowing like an irrepressible stream to all who will accept it. There is no selfishness in His love. If this heaven-born love is an abiding principle in the heart, it will make itself known, not only to those we hold most dear in sacred relationship, but to all with whom we come in contact. It will lead us to bestow little acts of attention, to make concessions, to perform deeds of kindness, to speak tender, true, encouraging words. It will lead us to sympathize with those whose hearts hunger for sympathy.” Sons and Daughters of God, 101.

We further have recorded in Testimonies, vol. 2, 133, 134: “True love is not a strong, fiery, impetuous passion. On the contrary, it is calm and deep in its nature. It looks beyond mere externals and is attracted by qualities alone. It is wise and discriminating, and its devotion is real and abiding. God tests and proves us by the common occurrences of life. It is the little things which reveal the chapters of the heart. It is the little attentions, the numerous small incidents and simple courtesies of life, that make up the sum of life’s happiness; and it is the neglect of kindly, encouraging, affectionate words, and the little courtesies of life, which helps compose the sum of life’s wretchedness. It will be found at last that the denial of self for the good and happiness of those around us constitutes a large share of the life record in heaven. And the fact will also be revealed that the care of self, irrespective of the good and happiness of others, is not beneath the notice of our heavenly Father.”

We are also told: “Love cannot live without action, and every act increases, strengthens, and extends it. Love will gain the victory when argument and authority are powerless. Love works not for profit nor reward; yet God has ordained that great gain shall be the certain result of every labor of love. It is diffusive in its nature and quiet in its operation, yet strong and mighty in its purpose to overcome great evils. It is melting and transforming in its influence, and will take hold of the lives of the sinful and affect their hearts when every other means has proved unsuccessful. Wherever the power of intellect, of authority, or of force is employed, and love is not manifestly present, the affections and will of those whom we seek to reach assume a defensive, repelling position, and their strength of resistance is increased. Jesus was the Prince of Peace. He came into the world to bring resistance and authority into subjection to Himself. Wisdom and strength He could command, but the means He employed with which to overcome evil were the wisdom and strength of love.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 135.

God’s servant penned these beautiful words: “True, pure love is precious. It is heavenly in its influence. It is deep and abiding. It is not spasmodic in its manifestations. It is not a selfish passion. It bears fruit.” Ibid., 416.

The Scripture states in Romans 13:10: “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love [is] the fulfilling of the law.”

So the question I would like to ask is: Do you have the love of God? Many say, Yes, I have the love of God! Listen to what the pen of inspiration says: “Never can the love of Jesus be received and shed abroad in the heart until envious feelings, hatred, jealousies, and evil surmisings are put away. …

“Many are deceiving themselves; for the principle of love does not dwell in their hearts. They may close their eyes to their own errors and defects; but they cannot deceive God. There must be a reformation.” Sons and Daughters of God, 49.

I read for your benefit from The Youth’s Instructor, January 13, 1898, these words: “Pure love is simple in its operations, and separate from every other principle of action. When combined with earthly motives and selfish interests, it ceases to be pure. God considers more with how much love we work, than the amount we do. Love is a heavenly attribute. The natural heart cannot originate it. This heavenly plant only flourishes where Christ reigns supreme.”

I ask you again, do you possess the love of God in your heart; does it control your life?

“Those who love God cannot harbor hatred or envy. When the heavenly principle of eternal love fills the heart, it will flow out to others, not merely because favors are received of them, but because love is the principle of action and modifies the character, governs the impulses, controls the passions, subdues enmity, and elevates and ennobles the affections. This love is not contracted so as merely to include ‘me and mine,’ but is as broad as the world and as high as heaven, and is in harmony with that of the angel workers. This love cherished in the soul sweetens the entire life and sheds a refining influence on all around. Possessing it, we cannot but be happy, let fortune smile or frown.

“If we love God with all the heart, we must love His children also. This love is the spirit of God. It is the heavenly adorning that gives true nobility and dignity to the soul and assimilates our lives to that of the Master. No matter how many good qualities we may have, however honorable and refined we may consider ourselves, if the soul is not baptized with the heavenly grace of love to God and one another, we are deficient in true goodness and unfit for heaven, where all is love and unity.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 223, 224.

What is the definition of love? The Greek word agapē is the word for Godly love. “Our word ‘love’ means so many different things, and conveys so many diverse ideas, that the true meaning of agapē is obscured by this translation. The Greeks had three words to convey the ideas we seek to express by our one word ‘love’: agapan, philein, and eran.” “Ellen G. White Comments”, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 340.

Philein in general describes affectionate, sentimental love based on the emotions and feelings. Insofar as it is based on the feelings, it is subject to change as the feelings change. Eran denotes passionate, sensual “love,” love that operates essentially on the physical plane. Eran is not used in the New Testament.

“In the New Testament agapan, when contrasted with philein, describes love from the standpoint of respect and esteem. It adds principle to feeling in such a way that principle controls the feelings. It brings into play the higher powers of the mind and intelligence. Whereas philein tends to make us ‘love’ only those who ‘love’ us, agapan extends love even to those who do not love us. Agapan is selfless, whereas eran is purely selfish, and even philein may, at times, be marred by selfishness.

“The noun form, agapē, is confined almost exclusively to the Bible. The agapē of the New Testament is love in its highest and truest form, the love than which there is no greater—love that impels a man to sacrifice himself for others, (John 15:13.) It implies reverence for God and respect for one’s fellow men. It is a divine principle of thought and action that modifies the character, governs the impulses, controls the passions, and ennobles the affections.” Ellen G. White Comments, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 340.

“Philein is spontaneous, emotional, and is nowhere commanded in the New Testament. Agapan, on the other hand, can be and is commanded, for it is under the control of the will. To agapan our bitterest enemies is to treat them with respect and courtesy and to regard them as God regards them.” Ibid.

It is on this basis that Jesus, our Savior, commands us to love our enemies. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:43, 44.

God allows trials, afflictions, and grief to come upon His children in order to test their love. John the Beloved declares in I John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” In the book Sons and Daughters of God, 193, Ellen White states, “… there are many who desire to love and serve God, and yet when affliction comes upon them, they do not discern the love of God in it, but the hand of the enemy. They mourn and murmur and complain; but this is not the fruit of love to God in the soul. If we have perfect love, we shall know that God is not seeking to injure us, but that in the midst of trials, and griefs, and pains, He is seeking to make us perfect, and to test the quality of our faith. When we cease to worry about the future, and begin to believe that God loves us, and means to do us good, we shall trust Him as a child trusts a loving parent. Then our troubles and torments will disappear, and our will will be swallowed up in the will of God.”

She also states in the book Christ Object Lessons, 61: “Through conflict the spiritual life is strengthened. Trials well borne will develop steadfastness of character and precious spiritual graces. The perfect fruit of faith, meekness, and love often matures best amid storm clouds and darkness.”

So often, many Christians will say, I want to develop the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I want to love more, I want to be more longsuffering, I need the peace of God in my life, yet they are not fully prepared to receive these graces of the Spirit, for they come with a price!

The inspired writer tells us that, “Often when we pray for the graces of the Spirit, God works to answer our prayers by placing us in circumstances to develop these fruits; but we do not understand His purpose, and wonder, and are dismayed. Yet none can develop these graces except through the process of growth and fruit bearing. Our part is to receive God’s word and to hold it fast, yielding ourselves fully to its control, and its purpose in us will be accomplished.” Christ Object Lessons, 61.

“Let the worker show his growth in grace by submission to the will of God. Thus he will gain a rich experience. As in faith he receives, believes, and obeys Christ’s words, there will be an intensity of effort; there will be cherished a faith that works by love and purifies the soul. The fruit of the Spirit will be seen in the life, and the efficiency of the Spirit will be seen in the work.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 38, 39.

In order for the believer to possess the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is love, he or she must understand that this love is of heavenly origin; that it can be gotten only when Christ is received into the life of a person: that it is a divine, unchanging principle. It grows and bears fruits best by trial, difficulties, obedience, and submission to the word of God.

We can therefore agree that only those who develop and display the fruit of the Holy Spirit—this divine love—will finally comprise God’s church. Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 18, agrees: “To His church, Christ has given ample facilities, that He may receive a large revenue of glory from His redeemed, purchased possession. The church, being endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is His depository, in which the wealth of His mercy, His love, His grace, is to appear in full and final display.”

How are we made perfect in love?

The answer is found in Testimonies, vol. 2, 550, 551; “The first great commandment is: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.’ ‘And the second is like [it?], namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ On these two commandments the whole interest and duty of moral beings hang. Those who do their duty to others as they would that others should do to them are brought into a position where God can reveal Himself to them. They will be approved of Him. They are made perfect in love, and their labors and prayers will not be in vain. They are continually receiving grace and truth from the Fountainhead, and as freely transmitting to others the divine light and salvation they receive. In them is fulfilled the language of the Scripture, ‘Ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.’ ” [Romans 6:22.]

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.” I Corinthians 13:13.

“When it is realized that of all qualities of character, love is the one that inspiration uses to describe the very nature of God, it is easy to see why the apostle should say that above all gifts of the Spirit, this is the greatest. As a manner of life, love is more effective, more victorious, more satisfying, than the possession and exercise of the various gifts of the Spirit enumerated in ch. 12. Love for God and our fellow men is the highest expression of harmony with God. Love lived out in the life of the believer is the great test of the sincerity of one’s Christianity.” Ellen G. White Comments, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 785.

“Love is the fruit that is borne on the Christian tree, the fruit that is as the leaves of the tree of life for the healing of the nations.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 187. [Emphasis added.]

The question comes to each of us today: Do I have the love of Jesus in my heart; is it the motive power that governs all my actions? You and I are the only persons who can truly, honestly answer that question. Today, Jesus lovingly appeals to us saying, Give me your anger, malice, hatred, bitterness, envy, jealousy, unhappiness, and I in turn will give you My precious, unending love. Why not say Yes to Jesus now!

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by email at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Christian Cornerstone

by

The Christian life is a practical outworking of the basic principle of love. Love is a very simple concept that few fully understcand or practice, and yet it is the lifeline of Christianity. When we truly love someone, we are willing to give our all for that person and his or her well-being just as Christ did for us. This results in joy. Nothing brings parents more joy than to give to their children everything that is good for them. There is nothing that a sister will not share with her sister. And a brother goes to great extremes for those he loves. God gave us the desire to do great things for love. He created us in such a manner that giving is more blessed to the soul than receiving. Putting self aside and setting the needs of another above our own takes care of both the receiver and the spirit of the giver. Practical Christianity stems from the love of Christ exemplified in our lives.

God’s law is the epitome of infinite love. Love is the foundation of His commandments, which are drawn from the tender devotion of a Creator towards His creation. Our Father stops at nothing to ensure the best good for His children. Christians, by definition, are a people who live by Christ’s example. We are bound by the name and by the undeserved love God has shown to us, to also love and care for those around us. “Christ illustrates the nature of true religion. He shows that it consists not in systems, creeds, or rites, but in the performance of loving deeds, in bringing the greatest good to others, in genuine goodness.” The Desire of Ages, 497.

God wanted to ensure the safety and happiness of His people so He gave them ten commandments to obey. But when He was asked what the greatest commandment was, He responded, saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” He goes on to say, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37–40. Jesus said that all the commandments hung upon these two. This is the principle that Christianity is built upon. The heartbeat of Christianity is love—love for the Lord and for your fellow man; everything comes from this basic principle. The law is contingent upon love; our love for God, God’s love for us, and our love for one another. Jesus put our love for each other secondary only to us loving Him. Why? Because if we love God and one another, obedience to every other commandment is a given.

The life of the creator was the atonement for sin. Jesus, though, not only died for us, but He suffered over thirty years of ridicule and hatred here on earth because He wanted to teach us what true love really looks like. His life was service, sacrifice, and surrender; a life of true love. We have an overabundance of opportunity in our lives as Christians to show the endless devotion that God shows for us. Our thoughts, our speech, our actions, are all capable of reflecting Christ’s love. And in everything we do we are either bringing people close to God, or pushing them away from Him. Some may wonder at this; how can that be? When we see a beautiful sunset reflected in a still lake, do we continue to look into the waters? No, we look up to see the skies, to see the source in its true glory. When Christ is reflected in us, people will look up to see the source, knowing that it must be far more beautiful than the reflection. Our love for God and a life lived according to His Son’s perfect example—this is a true Christian’s “love life.” This is Christianity.

Some mistakenly define love as an emotion that is felt toward someone or something. Love involves commitment. When we commit ourselves to God we are committing to following His commands and His life. The reflection of Christ in a Christian entails not just the love that we show toward people that we hold dear. Unfortunately, we are merely sinful mortals, and it is not in us naturally to love everyone. In fact, we cannot love even those who are dear to our hearts nearly as much as God loves those who are far from Him. And since we are incapable of love in this manner, we love in a different way; through Christian duty. It is a choice. It is something that we show, even though we may not always feel it. Our sinful hearts tend to feel obligation only for those for whom we feel affection. We love those who love us, dislike those who are unkind to us, and are indifferent to those who ignore us. Martin Luther King once said, “Fire does not extinguish fire; only water can do that. Hate does not extinguish hate; only love can do that.”

If someone wrongs us in some way, there is a natural inward response to retaliate; a response that we are asked to suppress. When good is returned for evil, two things happen. Firstly, the individual who caused the pain is acknowledged as someone in need of tender care also, and thus is softened. Secondly, he is rebuked by the kindness. When kindness is returned for evil, the guilty is “burned” with the guilt of his actions. Paul said, “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” Romans 12:20. When Christ was crucified, his loving kindness was a reproof to the human race.

In His personal ministry, Jesus focused on people in need. He came “to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18. “But they that are whole need not a physician.” Luke 5:13. There is a saying that goes, “Keep your friends close; keep you enemies closer.” It is said as a caution to know what your enemies are up to in order to keep from getting hurt. However, the advice could really be quite applicable to Christianity. Our friends are friends for a reason. We typically share a common outlook, share like values, and have the same interests. It is our enemies that will tend to need us the most. Someone who is willing to make an enemy in one place is most likely to make them in other areas also. The anger and bitterness that would constantly accompany them calls for pity, not for anger in return, or even indifference. In our actions toward them, these people would have the opportunity to see true ministry and kindness—a picture that could well change the lives of many. It is the equivalent of a doctor living in a town where people know nothing of proper hygiene and lifestyle rather than moving to a place where proper habits are practiced and the people are healthy.

The people who are in our lives regularly are often dependent on how we interact with them. Our witness to others has a profound effect for good or for evil. This is frequently overlooked because the results are rarely immediately evident to us. God puts people in our paths who are complete strangers to whom He would like us to be of some good. The vast majority of the human race is in intense turmoil and suffering. Who better to comfort them than those who know the Ultimate Comforter? Who better to tend to them than those who know the Great Physician? We are trained in the school of Christ. For what? To congregate with those who have the same knowledge as we do? It was once said that knowledge is much like compost; it is no good unless it is spread. According to the National Geographic (November 2005), 95% of Adventists’ associates are other Seventh-day Adventists. This is a rather sad statistic, as others are neglected who direly need the truth. It is imperative that we take our knowledge to others. God gives us opportunities to do this by crossing our paths with those who need Him.

The story of the Good Samaritan is a perfect example of this. Many have treated the story as if it were just a parable that Jesus used to make a point, but it was an actual occurrence. The man who lay beaten on the side of the road was in desperate need of help. Beaten, bruised, and left to die, this man was at the mercy of anyone who would happen by. God’s divine providence sent three men to cross this poor man’s path. We are told this in inspiration: “God in His providence had brought the priest and the Levite along the road where the wounded sufferer lay, that they might see his need of mercy and help. All heaven watched to see if the hearts of these men would be touched with pity for human woe.” The Desire of Ages, 500. We are Christians; let us do something with our profession! A doctor is no good if he does not practice his art. A Christian, likewise, is no good unless practicing Christianity! God is entrusting His light to us. What are we going to do with it?

Too often we believe that our witness to others goes unnoticed because we are not witness to the effect. We do not see behind the scenes of another’s life and circumstances and emotions. Craig was a well-liked boy in the middle school he attended. He got good grades, he was involved in many extracurricular activities and was good at them, and he made friends easily. As he was walking home from school one afternoon, he bumped into another student at his school who lived on his block, knocking the stack of books out of his arms. Kyle was quite introverted and awkward. He could count his friends on one finger, and he was flunking the seventh grade. Not taking any heed of his appearance or lowliness in the middle school hierarchy, Craig picked up Kyle’s books and carried them back to their block chatting easily with him as they walked. The two boys struck up a friendship immediately. It was not until college graduation that Craig found out how much his friendship had done for Kyle. It was Kyle, not Craig, who had been elected Valedictorian of their graduating class, tall, robust, and confident. And during the course of his speech, which was delivered on the interdependence that we were created by God to have with one another, he revealed to the audience the power kindness has upon people as he told the story of his meeting with Craig and how Craig’s kindness had stayed his hand from suicide the day Craig walked him home from school. Although nothing was more natural for Craig to do, and he did not know the consequences of his benevolence, the effect on Kyle’s life was profound.

Unfortunately, these simple acts of concern and helpfulness toward each other are quite rare. Most of the time we are consumed by the daily grind and we miss the fact that the simplest and most human acts are the most profound and life altering. An individual is a witness by the love that is exhibited from one human to another. There is no need for extravagance. It is the simplest and mutest acts that are the most profound in attending to the heart and soul of our fellow man. “Many, many, have fainted and become discouraged in the great struggle of life, when one word of kindly cheer would have strengthened them to overcome. Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart to him of the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God.” The Desire of Ages, 504.

The Bible says that we need to train our children in the way they should go so they will stay true to the path as they mature (See Proverbs 22:6.) Living our lives in accordance to God’s law is the most practical way in which we can be witnesses for Christ. And we are trained from the beginning for adherence to the Holy Spirit’s voice. “The greatest evidence of the power of Christianity that can be presented to the world is a well-ordered, well-disciplined family. This will recommend the truth as nothing else can, for it is a living witness of its practical power upon the heart.” The Adventist Home, 32. God’s law is love; His government is founded on it. How can we do any less than to show just a sliver of the love and dedication Christ showed for us? Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40. This is such a commonly known text that it has taken up status as an adage in the minds of most Christians. Just in case this no longer tweaks the conscience into action, God elaborates on the point, driving it home. In verse 45, He says, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” If we saw Christ in need, what would we do? Most of us would jump quickly with a response that we would bend over backwards to overfill the need of our Savior. But with these texts in mind, what is the reality?

“Many who profess His name have lost sight of the fact that Christians are to represent Christ. Unless there is practical self-sacrifice for the good of others, in the family circle, in the neighborhood, in the church, and wherever we may be, then whatever our profession, we are not Christians. Christ has linked His interest with that of humanity, and He asks us to become one with Him for the saving of humanity. ‘Freely ye have received,’ He says, ‘freely give.’ Matthew 10:8” The Desire of Ages, 504. This is the rule of the Christian life.

Alicia Freedman works at Steps to Life on our LandMarks team. She can be contacted by email at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

A Christian Spirit

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In contemplating the love of God, it must be understood as an indispensable element in the Christian’s life. Fundamentally, it is also the prerequisite to possessing the graces of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul makes this very clear. He affirms that the fruit of the Spirit is love. Essentially, the believer must be controlled and driven by the Holy Spirit in order for him/her to have this divine attribute, this heavenly principle! That’s why the apostle Paul says, “Walk in the spirit,” for when the believer agrees with the Holy Spirit to “walk in the spirit,” the Holy Spirit brings Christ into the life of the person; thus Christ’s love is shed abroad in the life, and it becomes the ruling principle by which all actions are determined.

When the motive power in the life of the Christian is the love of Jesus, it will henceforth bring about the fruit of joy! It is on this basis that Paul speaks, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,” etc.

Joy is one of the graces of the Holy Spirit which dominates the life of the Christian as a result of possessing the love of Jesus Christ! But the question I would endeavor to answer is, What is joy? Webster’s Dictionary states that it is the emotion of gladness; happiness; gaiety; contentment; satisfaction.

In defining joy, the Holy Scripture declares, “… the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10, last part. The Hebrew word chedvah or khed-vaw means “rejoicing, gladness, joy.”

The word strength as used in Nehemiah 8:10, in association with the joy of the Lord, is the Hebrew word maw-ooz which means a fortified place; a defense, fort, rock, “a stronghold.” So the joy, rejoicing, and gladness that the Lord gives is the Christian’s defense, fortified place, his/her stronghold. The New Testament word joy, as used in Galatians 5:22, is chara and comes from chairo, meaning “to be cheerful, calmly happy or well-off.” Joyfulness is the invigorating tonic of the Christian character. The thing that makes you a strong Christian or a weak one is your possession or deprivation of the joy of the Lord.

On hearing the words of the book of the law, all the people wept. Nehemiah exhorts them to prepare themselves for serving the God of their fathers with a cheerful mind. Nehemiah 8:10: “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for [this] day [is] holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” These words contain this important truth: to the nature of true religion there belongs an inward joy which animates, strengthens, and supports virtue.

In both Old Testament and New Testament, joy is consistently the mark both individually of the believer and corporately of the church. It is a quality, and not simply an emotion, that is grounded upon God Himself and indeed derived from Him. Psalm 16:11 says, “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.” Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.” Romans 15:13, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost,” which characterizes the Christian’s life on earth. I Peter 1:8 reinforces this in saying, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory,” and also anticipates eschatologically the joy of being with Christ forever in the kingdom of heaven, e.g., Revelation 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”

In the Old Testament and the New Testament God Himself is the ground and object of the believers’ “joy.” Psalm 35:9, “And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation”; Psalm 43:4, “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.” Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh [himself] with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth [herself] with her jewels.” Luke 1:47, “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Romans 5:11, “And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Philippians 3:1, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed [is] not grievous, but for you [it is] safe.” Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.”

In his book, Conquering the Kill-Joys, 13, Bill Weber made the following remark: “God made each of us with the capacity for greatness and joy, but many people go through life never achieving their full potential. He intends for us to live happy, joyful lives, but so often we are too weighted down with the ‘kill-joys’ of life to even think about being happy. … We were never promised that we would be exempt from problems, but we were assured that our personal faith would be adequate for whatever problems we might face.”

He states further, “It is tragic that so many are missing out on God’s best—even Christians—because they have accepted failure, negative thinking, inferiority feelings, bad habits, and shallow faith as their way of life. They are not receiving all the good things that God has planned for them.

“Jesus wants us to win at life. He promised that if we would follow Him, He would give us abundant life. I believe that abundant life is a life full of joy, full of success and satisfaction—a contagiously happy life. He really wants us to reach our highest potential and maximize every opportunity that He gives us.” Ibid., 13, 14.

Dr. Weber lists eleven negative emotions or forces that definitely kill our joy; they are rejection, anger, resentment, stress, poor self-image, frustration, mediocrity, poor values, isolation, discouragement, and loneliness.

Then there is what I call a counterfeit joy that Satan gives. The servant of the Lord penned the following, “Those who indulge in chaffing, mirth, levity, and vanity of spirit, which arise from a superficial, cheap experience, have no real, solid foundation for hope and joy in the love of God and belief of the truth. The giddy, the heedless, the gay, the jovial spirit is not the joy which Paul is anxious that Christ’s followers shall have. This class spends their time in frivolity and excessive levity.” In Heavenly Places, 245.

Speaking to the Battle Creek Church, Ellen White outlined to them what God had revealed to her. Commenting on what she was given, she said, “But there has been a class of social gatherings in Battle Creek of an entirely different character, parties of pleasure that have been a disgrace to our institutions and to the church. They encourage pride of dress, pride of appearance, self-gratification, hilarity, and trifling. Satan is entertained as an honored guest, and he takes possession of those who patronize these gatherings. A view of one such company was presented to me, where were assembled those who profess to believe the truth. One was seated at the instrument of music, and such songs were poured forth as made the watching angels weep. There was mirth, there was coarse laughter, there was abundance of enthusiasm, and a kind of inspiration; but the joy was such as Satan only is able to create. This is an enthusiasm and infatuation of which all who love God will be ashamed. It prepares the participants for unholy thought and action. I have reason to think that some who were engaged in that scene heartily repented of the shameful performance.” Testimonies to Ministers, 82, 83.

It is indeed true that we live in a world that is entrenched and saturated with these negative emotions and counterfeit joy that do not and cannot bring about real joy, real happiness. People are very sad, unhappy, frustrated, depressed, discouraged, lonely, stressed and distressed, isolated—needing someone who cares. Every day they pass us by, on the street, in church, at the work place and even at home. Their eyes speak to us of their lack; our eyes speak to people of our lack. There is no joy in the Lord. For years many of us as humans, including professed Christians, have not truly smiled or laughed; we are purely artificial, and we do so much to cover up our deficiency. Many are looking for happiness in the wrong places, wrong things, and wrong persons. The youth are being drawn away from the true source of joy and happiness because of their hunger for true joy.

At least one out of every ten people in America today experiences some form of depression and discouragement.

“Hi, how are you?”

It is a standard greeting, said quickly with a smile and slight nod as two acquaintances pass hurriedly along their way. But those words, although usually well-intentioned, ring hollow; void of genuine care about how you really are. The words are superficial, said simply to acknowledge another. Any response other than “fine” would be socially unacceptable. In saying it, one is being friendly—but not a friend.

In his collection of essays, Sir Francis Bacon described this societal solitude in a work entitled, On Friendship:

Little do men perceive what solitude is, and how far it extendeth.

For a crowd is not a company, and faces are but a gallery of

pictures and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love.

“Meaningful friends are so needed today. We all need friends who care enough to dip beneath the surface, to truly care how we are inside.” Conquering the Kill-Joys, 114.

“Today, the vast majority of people are frustrated because they feel they have been turned into ‘machines’ that have to be turned on at eight and then turned off at five. Just flip the switch! As one writer lamented:

“I work, work, work without end.

Why and for whom, I know not.

I care not. I ask not.

I am a machine.

“In the modern-day age there is a prevalent sense of desperation about the future of our society that also is creating a deep sense of frustration. Many people hold jobs that are so tightly connected to the economic health of the nation that the slightest fluctuation can either cause great despair or bring needed financial relief.” Ibid., 82, 83.

Americans are more prone to tenseness and stress than any other people on the earth. Americans wear too much expression on their faces. They are living with all their nerves in action, according to one author.

“A visiting nineteenth-century French author once wrote and told his countrymen that an American had ‘invented a chair called a rocking chair, in which he can move while he sits.’ We have been called the ‘uptight generation,’ and rightly so. This is indeed,

“The age of the half-read page

And the quick hash and the mad dash.

The bright night and the nerves tight,

The plane hop, and the brief stop,

The brain strain and the heart pain.

The cat naps till the spring snaps,

And the fun’s done.” Ibid., 56.

There is but little joy left on this earth and the sad fact is that so many professed Christians are not truly joyful or happy. They do not have the anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll.

But we all need to remember that we have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows of anger, rejection, resentment, stress, frustration, discouragement, grief, loneliness, sadness, etc., roll, fastened to the rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in our Savior’s love. The joy of the Lord is our strength, our stronghold, our defense, our fortress. David said it right, “God [is] our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1.

“John Wesley, a great Methodist preacher, arose at four o’clock every morning and often preached up to five times a day. In fifty years of ministry, he preached more than forty thousand times, which averages fifteen sermons a week! He traveled more than 250 thousand miles to spread the gospel. Yet, he never hurried, he never worried, and he never suffered the wear and tear of stress.” Conquering the Kill-Joys, 59.

How could this preacher do this? He made the Lord his trust, and today he says to us in his beautiful hymn,

“Give to the winds thy fears; hope and be undismayed.

God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears, God shall lift up thy head.

Through waves and clouds and storms, God gently clears thy way;

wait thou God’s time; so shall this night soon end in joyous day.

Leave to God’s sovereign sway to choose and to command;

so shalt thou, wondering, own that way, how wise, how strong this hand.

Let us in life, in death, thy steadfast truth declare,

and publish with our latest breath thy love and guardian care.”

Paul Gerhardt, 1653. Translated by John Wesley, 1739.

How can we receive this joy that keeps the soul under all circumstances? Jesus invites us, “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.

“The love which Christ diffuses through the whole being is a vitalizing power. Every vital part—the brain, the heart, the nerves—it touches with healing. By it the highest energies of the being are roused to activity. It frees the soul from the guilt and sorrow, the anxiety and care, that crush the life forces. With it come serenity and composure. It implants in the soul, joy that nothing earthly can destroy,—joy in the Holy Spirit,—health-giving, life-giving joy.

“Our Saviour’s words, ‘Come unto Me … and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28,) are a prescription for the healing of physical, mental, and spiritual ills. Though men have brought suffering upon themselves by their own wrongdoing, He regards them with pity. In Him they may find help. He will do great things for those who trust in Him.” The Ministry of Healing, 115.

“Believing brings peace, and trusting in God brings joy.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 319, 320.

“The only way to gain peace and joy is to have a living connection with Him who gave His life for us, who died that we might live, and who lives to unite His power with the efforts of those who are striving to overcome.” In Heavenly Places, 33.

“In Christ is fullness of joy forevermore. The desires and pleasures and amusements of the world are never satisfying nor healing to the soul.” Testimonies to Ministers, 390.

“We should never give to the world the false impression that Christians are a gloomy, unhappy people. If our eyes are fixed on Jesus, we shall see a compassionate Redeemer, and shall catch light from His countenance. Wherever His Spirit reigns, there peace abides. And there will be joy also, for there is a calm, holy trust in God.” The Desire of Ages, 153.

“Is it possible to have joy in obeying Christ? It is the only real joy that any soul can have.” Sons and Daughters of God, 195.

“He [Christ] says, ‘If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ John 15:10, 11. In Him there is joy that is not uncertain and unsatisfying. If the light that flows from Jesus has come to you, and you are reflecting it upon others, you show that you have joy that is pure, elevating, and ennobling. Why should not the religion of Christ be represented as it really is, as full of attractiveness and power? Why should we not present before the world the loveliness of Christ? Why do we not show that we have a living Saviour, one who can walk with us in the darkness as well as in the light, and that we can trust in Him?” That I May Know Him, 142.

“The life in which the fear of the Lord is cherished will not be a life of sadness and gloom. It is the absence of Christ that makes the countenance sad and the life a pilgrimage of sighs. … But Christ dwelling in the soul is a wellspring of joy. For all who receive Him, the keynote of the Word of God is ‘rejoicing.’

“Why should not our joy be full—full, lacking nothing? We have the assurance that Jesus is our Saviour, and that we may freely partake of the rich provision He has made for us. … It is our privilege to seek constantly the joy of His presence. He desires us to be cheerful and to be filled with praise to His name. He wants us to carry light in our countenances and joy in our hearts.” Ibid.

For many, many Christians there is something that has been and is destroying their joy, and that something is trial.

The book, The Upward Look, 252, records for our benefit the following: “When trials come to us, let us not dwell upon the greatness of the difficulties and feel that we cannot have joy in the Lord. It is true we will have changes of feelings. There will come to us times of discouragement and depression. But shall we live by feeling or by faith? When our brethren and friends speak unadvisedly, and cause us grief, let us not be cast down. Let us remember that we are in a world of trial and grief, of sorrow and disappointment. When these experiences come to us, they should drive us to Christ. If they do not, we meet with loss.

“When tempted to give up under discouragement and difficulty, let us study the life and experiences of Christ. He had to contend against the powers of darkness that He might not be overcome. We have the same battle to fight, the same victories to win. ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16. It is our privilege to lay hold on the strength of One who is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. He invites you to present your case at the throne of grace, and cast your helpless soul on Him.

“The purging is not pleasant, but let us remember that Christ came to our world and took humanity that He might bear the afflictions that humanity must bear and be an example of faithful endurance under every form of trial. God wants us to realize that we are a part of the great human family, and that we must bear its tests. …

“Let your humanity lay hold of divinity. Go to the footstool of God’s grace, and say, ‘Lord, I hang my helpless soul on Thee. Help me to control my speech. Teach me to overcome.’ Christ will give you a spirit of overcoming. ‘They overcame him,’ we read, ‘by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.’ Revelation 12:11.”

Listen to the reason why we should not sink under trials, “Trials are Christ’s workmen to perfect the Christian graces. … These tests are not to sink the believers’ faith, but raise it equal to the occasion, that unto all it may be made to appear more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire. Every trial permitted is designed to exalt the truth to a higher appreciation, that praise to God alone shall be upon the lips of the true disciple of Christ. And the growth in grace is to the honor and glory of God at the appearing of Jesus Christ, ‘whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.’ I Peter 1:8–10.” The Upward Look, 324.

“We grieve the Spirit of Christ by our complaints and murmurings and repinings. We should not dishonor God by the mournful relation of trials that appear grievous. All trials that are received as educators will produce joy. The whole religious life will be uplifting, elevating, ennobling, fragrant with good words and works.” God’s Amazing Grace, 325.

“So far from causing grief, persecution should bring joy to the disciples of Christ, for it is an evidence that they are following in the steps of their Master.

“While the Lord has not promised His people exemption from trials, He has promised that which is far better. He has said, ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be.’ ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Deuteronomy 33:25; II Corinthians 12:9. If you are called to go through the fiery furnace for His sake, Jesus will be by your side even as He was with the faithful three in Babylon. Those who love their Redeemer will rejoice at every opportunity of sharing with Him humiliation and reproach. The love they bear their Lord makes suffering for His sake sweet.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 30.

No real joy can be found in disobedience. “Man is doing the greatest injury and injustice to his own soul when he thinks and acts contrary to the will of God. No real joy can be found in the path forbidden by Him who knows what is best, and who plans for the good of His creatures. The path of transgression leads to misery and destruction; but wisdom’s ‘ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.’ Proverbs 3:17.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 600.

When king David sinned his great sin, he prayed a prayer that we all need to pray. “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit.” Psalm 51:12.

In Testimonies, vol. 3, 481, is recorded these wonderful words, “The sweetest joy comes to man through his sincere repentance toward God because of the transgression of His law, and faith in Christ as the sinner’s Redeemer and Advocate.”

There are three things that constitute the greatest joy, namely, “To honor Christ, to become like Him, to work for Him, is the life’s highest ambition and its greatest joy.” Education, 297.

So why is it so necessary that we experience this joy that comes from knowing Christ? Because we are planning to make heaven our home and, “Heaven is full of joy. It resounds with the praises of Him who made so wonderful a sacrifice for the redemption of the human race. Should not the church on earth be full of praise? Should not Christians publish throughout the world the joy of serving Christ? Those who in heaven join with the angelic choir in their anthem of praise must learn on earth the song of heaven, the keynote of which is thanksgiving.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 244.

The chorus goes like this,

I have a joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart.

I have a joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.

I know the devil doesn’t like it but it’s down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart.

I know the devil doesn’t like it but it’s down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.

(By George Willis Cooke)

Is the joy of the Lord your strength? Do you have the joy of the Lord down in your heart?

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers at the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Raise up a Child

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Family—the standards of society are set by its members. In turn, the members of society stem from individual families, and it is in the family that the individual has learned to live. The standard of his morals are largely developed and integrated by the habits he has formed due to the influence of his home environment.

At the present time, our world is suffering from a downfall of morals. Children and adults are just what they think, say and do, which is all a product of what they put into their minds. They are listening to pagan music, looking at pictures of people sparsely dressed, and watching TV programs of murders and immorality. Their minds are damaged by what they see and hear; then their words and actions fall into line with what they allow themselves to dwell upon. A home that has a TV for children to look at, even if the parents think it is governed, allows influences that will produce undesirable results.

One of the most blessed things the Lord did for humanity was to create the family. It was made for joy, for the accomplishment of goals in life and, most important of all, to teach us of the love of God and how to fit into society. We are in need today of just such homes, homes where children are trained to love and fear God and to love their fellow men. We are told by the pen of inspiration that, “The family tie is the closest, the most tender and sacred, of any on earth. It was designed to be a blessing to mankind. And it is a blessing wherever the marriage covenant is entered into intelligently, in the fear of God, and with due consideration for its responsibilities.

“Every home should be a place of love, a place where the angels of God abide, working with softening, subduing influence upon the hearts of parents and children.

“Our homes must be made a Bethel, our hearts a shrine. Wherever the love of God is cherished in the soul, there will be peace, there will be light and joy. Spread out the word of God before your families in love, and ask, ‘What hath God spoken?’ ” The Adventist Home, 18, 19.

“The greatest evidence of the power of Christianity that can be presented to the world is a well-ordered, well-disciplined family. This will recommend the truth as nothing else can, for it is a living witness of its practical power upon the heart. … The best test of the Christianity of a home is the type of character begotten by its influence. Actions speak louder than the most positive profession of godliness. … A well-ordered, a well-disciplined family in the sight of God is more precious than fine gold, even than the golden wedge of Ophir.” Ibid., 32.

Now we need a few tips on how we might accomplish such an arduous task. Every child is born with its own mind, its own will and stamina, its own personality; and it is up to the parents to understand. Parents must pattern their home and teaching after the principles laid out in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy.

“Mothers, take your rightful position as a loving teacher of your children. Remember that the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that moves the world. Never give expression to words of anger. Keep a cheerful countenance. Children are very susceptible to expressions of joy and sorrow.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 2,198.

There was once a mother who had three children. She nursed those babies. She read to them from the Spirit of Prophecy, and by the time the oldest one was six months old, he had heard the entire book, The Desire of Ages. These children grew up loving to read Ellen White’s writings.

Children need to be guided and restricted in many things, but it is very important that as soon as a child begins to think, he or she is given the opportunity to do some choosing for himself or herself, and after the child has been given the privilege of choosing, do not deny him his choice. He needs to learn to make decisions, so you must allow his little mind to work with proper guidance.

Another tip about raising children is that they should never be told that they are naughty or that they are bad. They may have done some naughty thing or something that is bad, but never, never tell them that they are bad. Always point them to something better and let them know that what they did was bad or naughty. But don’t tell the child that he is bad or naughty. You may tell him or her that he or she is too good to do such a naughty thing. Let him know that when he makes a mistake he has to pay for it. And when disciplining a child, never speak in an angry tone of voice. Offer up a silent prayer for the Lord to help you not to lose your temper, as children can be very trying at times. These trying experiences are to help us learn the patience that is needed if we are ever to hear the words, “Here is the patience of the saints” [Revelation 14:12.] spoken to us.

Another caution that is important is to never tell a child a lie, such as, “Santa Clause is coming,” or “A big black bear will get you if you are naughty,” or such stories as “Little Red Riding Hood.” She never existed, and they don’t need to know about her. Tell the children the truth; when they are older they will thank you for that.

The most important element in the home is love. Parents, if you think you don’t love each other, go to the Lord in prayer. A very dear family once struggled with this very issue. The wife said that after they were married she found that she really didn’t love her husband and detested having him around; she would have run away from it all, but she did want to be a true Christian, so she began to pray about the situation. At the time she was telling me about this, she said, “You know, Jesus answered my prayers and now I love my husband dearly.” All true love comes from God.

Our children need to see love, and they need to experience love in the home. They also need to know that they are individuals with their own personality, and are forming their own habits, and are responsible for the things they do.

A member of Steps to Life staff, Ruth Grosboll is a retired registered nurse. She worked for many years with her husband in the mission field. She may be contacted by e-mail at: ruthgrosboll@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Love Expressed Through Prophecy

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“ ‘The Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants and prophets.’ While ‘the secret things belong unto the Lord our God,’ ‘those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.’ Amos 3:7; Deuteronomy 29:29. God has given these things to us, and His blessing will attend the reverent, prayerful study of the prophetic scriptures.” The Desire of Ages, 234.

Before the Fall

“Lucifer in heaven, before his rebellion, was a high and exalted angel, next in honor to God’s dear Son. His countenance, like those of the other angels, was mild and expressive of happiness. His forehead was high and broad, showing a powerful intellect. His form was perfect; his bearing noble and majestic. A special light beamed in his countenance and shone around him brighter and more beautiful than around the other angels; yet Christ, God’s dear Son, had the pre-eminence over all the angelic host. He was one with the Father before the angels were created. Lucifer was envious of Christ, and gradually assumed command which devolved on Christ alone.” The Story of Redemption, 13.

Lucifer Envious and Jealous

“Lucifer was envious and jealous of Jesus Christ. Yet when all the angels bowed to Jesus to acknowledge His supremacy and high authority and rightful rule, he bowed with them; but his heart was filled with envy and hatred. Christ had been taken into the special counsel of God in regard to His plans, while Lucifer was unacquainted with them. He did not understand, neither was he permitted to know, the purposes of God. But Christ was acknowledged sovereign of heaven, His power and authority to be the same as that of God Himself. Lucifer thought that he was himself a favorite in heaven among the angels. He had been highly exalted, but … he aspired to the height of God Himself.” Ibid., 14.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:12–14.

War in Heaven

“Satan was warring against the law of God … [he was] unwilling to submit to the authority of God’s Son, heaven’s great commander.

“All the heavenly host were summoned to appear before the Father … . Satan unblushingly made known his dissatisfaction that Christ should be preferred before Him. He stood up proudly and urged that he should be equal with God and should be taken into conference with the Father and understand His purposes.” The Story of Redemption 17, 18.

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:7–9.

“God could employ only such means as were consistent with truth and righteousness. Satan could use what God could not—flattery and deceit. He had sought to falsify the word of God and had misrepresented His plan of government, claiming that God was not just … . It was therefore necessary to demonstrate before the inhabitants of heaven, and of all the worlds, that God’s government is just, His law perfect. …

“The whole universe must see the deceiver unmasked.

“Even when he was cast out of heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy Satan. … Had he been immediately blotted out of existence, some would have served God from fear rather than from love. … For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages, he must more fully develop his principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created beings, and that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of His law might be forever placed beyond all question.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 42.

Creation

“ ‘By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. … For He spake, and it was; He commanded, and it stood fast.’ Psalm 33:6, 9. He ‘laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever.’ Psalm 104:5.

“As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful. …

“After the earth with its teeming animal and vegetable life had been called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator, and the one for whom the beautiful earth had been fitted up, was brought upon the stage of action. To him was given dominion over all that his eye could behold; for ‘God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over … all the earth. … So God created man in His own image; … male and female created He them.’ ” Ibid, 44.

“The Lord made Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden to dress the garden and keep it for the Lord. It was for their happiness to have some employment, or else the Lord would not have appointed them their work.” Child Guidance, 345.

Consequences of Rebellion

“In the midst of the garden, near the tree of life, stood the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This tree was especially designed of God to be the pledge of their obedience, faith, and love to Him. Of this tree the Lord commanded our first parents not to eat, neither to touch it, lest they die. He told them that they might freely eat of all the trees in the garden except one, but if they ate of that tree they should surely die.

“When Adam and Eve were placed in the beautiful garden they had everything for their happiness which they could desire. But God chose, in His all-wise arrangements, to test their loyalty before they could be rendered eternally secure. They were to have His favor, and He was to converse with them and they with Him. Yet He did not place evil out of their reach. Satan was permitted to tempt them. If they endured the trial they were to be in perpetual favor with God and the heavenly angels.” The Story of Redemption, 24.

Adam and Eve Warned

“God assembled the angelic host to take measures to avert the threatened evil. It was decided in heaven’s council for angels to visit Eden and warn Adam that he was in danger from the foe. Two angels sped on their way to visit our first parents. … They … gave them the sad history of Satan’s rebellion and fall. …

“They told Adam and Eve that God would not compel them to obey—that He had not removed from them power to go contrary to His will; that they were moral agents, free to obey or disobey.” Ibid., 29, 30.

Temptation and Fall—Man’s Freedom of Choice

Sadly “both [Adam and Eve] ate [of the forbidden fruit], and the great wisdom they obtained was the knowledge of sin, and a sense of guilt. …

“After Adam’s transgression he at first imagined that he felt the rising to a new and higher existence. But soon the thought of his transgression terrified him. … They felt a dread of the future, a sense of want, a nakedness of soul. The sweet love, and peace, and happy, contented bliss, seemed removed from them, and in its place a want of something came over them that they never experienced before. …

“Satan exulted in his success.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 40–42.

“The news of man’s fall spread through heaven—every harp was hushed. The angels cast their crowns from their heads in sorrow.” …

The Plan of Salvation

“Sorrow filled heaven, as it was realized that man was lost and that world which God had created was to be filled with mortals doomed to misery, sickness, and death, and there was no way of escape for the offender. The whole family of Adam must die. I saw the lovely Jesus and beheld an expression of sympathy and sorrow upon His countenance. Soon I saw Him approach the exceeding bright light which enshrouded the Father.” Early Writings, 148.

“Before the Father He pleaded in the sinner’s behalf, while the host of heaven awaited the result with an intensity of interest that words cannot express. Long continued was that mysterious communing—‘the counsel of peace’ (Zechariah 6:13) for the fallen sons of men. The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Revelation 13:8); yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield up His Son to die for the guilty race. But ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16. Oh, the mystery of redemption! the love of God for a world that did not love Him!” Patriarchs and Prophets, 63, 64.

“Lift Him up, the Man of Calvary. Let humanity stand back, that all may behold Him in whom their hopes of eternal life are centered. Says the prophet Isaiah: ‘Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.’ [Isaiah 9:6.] Let the church and the world look upon their Redeemer. Let every voice proclaim with John: ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ [John 1:29.]” Lift Him Up, 231.

The One Possible Way of Salvation

“The angels prostrated themselves before Him (Christ). They offered their lives. Jesus said to them that He would by His death save many, that the life of an angel could not pay the debt. His life alone could be accepted of His Father as a ransom for man.” Early Writings, 150.

“The angels of God were commissioned to visit the fallen pair and inform them that although they could no longer retain possession of their holy estate, their Eden home, because of their transgression of the law of God, yet their case was not altogether hopeless. They were then informed that the Son of God, who had conversed with them in Eden, had been moved with pity as He viewed their hopeless condition, and had volunteered to take upon Himself the punishment due to them, and die for them that man might yet live.” Lift Him Up, 23.

“Adam was informed that an angel’s life could not pay the debt. The law of Jehovah, the foundation of His government in heaven and upon earth, was as sacred as God Himself. … But the Son of God, who had in unison with the Father created man, could make an atonement for man acceptable to God. …

“To Adam were revealed future important events, from his expulsion from Eden to the Flood, and onward to the first advent of Christ upon the earth … [to the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world—Adam was instructed to sacrifice a lamb for a sin offering, and this] was to him a most painful ceremony. His hand must be raised to take life, which God alone could give, and make an offering for sin. It was the first time he had witnessed death. As he looked upon the bleeding victim, writhing in the agonies of death, he was to look forward by faith to the Son of God, whom the victim prefigured, who was to die man’s sacrifice.” The Story of Redemption, 48, 50.

Prophecy

“The history of the great conflict between good and evil, from the time it first began in heaven to the final overthrow of rebellion and the total eradication of sin, is … a demonstration of God’s unchanging love.” Lift Him Up, 50.

“Plain and specific prophecies had been given regarding the appearance of the Promised One. [We have not been left in darkness.] To Adam was given an assurance of the coming of the Redeemer. The sentence pronounced on Satan, ‘I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel’ (Genesis 3:15), was to our first parents a promise of the redemption to be wrought out through Christ.

“To Abraham was given the promise that of his line the Saviour of the world should come …

“Moses, near the close of his work as a leader and teacher of Israel, plainly prophesied of the Messiah to come. …

“The Messiah was to be of the royal line, for in the prophecy uttered by Jacob the Lord said, ‘The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.’ Genesis 49:10.

“Isaiah prophesied: ‘There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.’ Isaiah 11:1. …

“Jeremiah also bore witness of the coming Redeemer: … ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. … and this is His name whereby He shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.’ Jeremiah 23:5, 6. …

“Even the birthplace of the Messiah was foretold: ‘Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.’ Micah 5:2.” The Acts of the Apostles, 222, 223.

There Are Over 300 Prophecies Concerning Christ

In the book of Daniel, chapter nine, we find an amazing prophecy concerning the first advent of Christ, His anointing, death, and final cutting off of the Jews as a nation under God. The seventy week prophecy of Daniel 9, written before 500 B.C., revealed exactly when Christ was to appear and exactly when He was to offer His life as an offering for the sins of the world. Christ was to appear 69 weeks (483 days/years) after the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. (Daniel 9:25.)

Daniel 9:24–27

“ ‘Seventy weeks,’ said the angel, ‘are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.’ Daniel 9:24. A day in prophecy stands for a year. See Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6. The seventy weeks … represent four hundred and ninety years. A starting point for this period is given: ‘Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks,’ sixty-nine weeks, or four hundred and eighty-three years. Daniel 9:25. The commandment to restore and build Jerusalem, as completed by the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus (see Ezra 6:14; 7:1, 9, margin), went into effect in the autumn of B. C. 457. From this time four hundred and eighty-three years extend to the autumn of A. D. 27. According to the prophecy, this period was to reach to the Messiah, the Anointed One. In A. D. 27, Jesus at His baptism received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and soon afterward began His ministry.” The Desire of Ages, 233.

The burden of Christ’s preaching was, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel.” [Mark 1:15.] Thus the gospel message, as given by the Saviour Himself, was based on the prophecies. The “time” which He declared to be fulfilled was the period made known by the angel Gabriel to Daniel.

“Then, said the angel, ‘He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [seven years].’ [Daniel 9:27.]

“For seven years after the Saviour entered on His ministry, the gospel was to be preached especially to the Jews; for three and a half years by Christ Himself; and afterward by the apostles. ‘In the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.’ Daniel 9:27. In the spring of A. D. 31, Christ the true sacrifice was offered on Calvary. Then the veil of the temple was rent in twain, showing that the sacredness and significance of the sacrificial service had departed. The time had come for the earthly sacrifice and oblation to cease.

“The one week—seven years—ended in A. D. 34. Then by the stoning of Stephen the Jews finally sealed their rejection of the gospel; the disciples who were scattered abroad by persecution ‘went everywhere preaching the word.’ (Acts 8:4.)” The Desire of Ages, 233.

Looking down through history toward the time of the first advent of Christ, we find a faithful few diligently studying the Scriptures to know the prophecies concerning Christ, and God honored the faithful ones.

How Did the Magi Know that Jesus Was About to Be Born?

“ ‘Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him.’

“The wise men from the East were philosophers. They belonged to a large and influential class that included men of noble birth, and comprised much of the wealth and learning of their nation. …

“The light of God is ever shining amid the darkness of heathenism. As these magi studied the starry heavens, and sought to fathom the mystery hidden in their bright paths, they beheld the glory of the Creator. Seeking clearer knowledge, they turned to the Hebrew Scriptures. In their own land were treasured prophetic writings that predicted the coming of a divine teacher. Balaam belonged to the magicians, though at one time a prophet of God; by the Holy Spirit he had foretold the prosperity of Israel and the appearing of the Messiah; and his prophecies had been handed down by tradition from century to century. … The prophecy of Balaam had declared, ‘There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.’ Numbers 24:17. … The magi learned with joy that His coming was near, and that the whole world was to be filled with a knowledge of the glory of the Lord.” The Desire of Ages, 59, 60.

The Shepherds Also Looked for the Messiah

“In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night. Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Saviour, and prayed for the coming of the King to David’s throne. ‘And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’ [Luke 2:9–11.]

“At these words, visions of glory fill the minds of the listening shepherds. The Deliverer has come to Israel! Power, exaltation, triumph, are associated with His coming. But the angel must prepare them to recognize their Saviour in poverty and humiliation. ‘This shall be a sign unto you,’ he says; ‘Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ … The whole plain was lighted up with the bright shining of the hosts of God. Earth was hushed, and heaven stooped to listen to the song,— ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men.’ [Luke 2:12, 14.]” Ibid., 47.

Simeon & Anna

“Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. In the temple the Son of God was dedicated to the work He had come to do. The priest looked upon Him as he would upon any other child. But though he neither saw nor felt anything unusual, God’s act in giving His Son to the world was acknowledged. This occasion did not pass without some recognition of Christ. ‘There was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.’ [Luke 2:25, 26.]

“As Simeon enters the temple, he sees a family presenting their first-born son before the priest. Their appearance bespeaks poverty; but Simeon understands the warnings of the Spirit, and he is deeply impressed that the infant being presented to the Lord is the Consolation of Israel, the One he has longed to see. To the astonished priest, Simeon appears like a man enraptured. The child has been returned to Mary, and he takes it in his arms and presents it to God, while a joy that he has never before felt enters his soul. As he lifts the infant Saviour toward heaven, he says, ‘Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.’ [Luke 2:29–32.]

“The spirit of prophecy was upon this man of God, and while Joseph and Mary stood by, wondering at his words, he blessed them, and said unto Mary, ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’ [Luke 2:34, 35.]

“Anna also, a prophetess, came in and confirmed Simeon’s testimony concerning Christ. As Simeon spoke, her face lighted up with the glory of God, and she poured out her heartfelt thanks that she had been permitted to behold Christ the Lord.

“ ‘And there was one Anna, a prophetess, … And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.’ Luke 2:36, 38.

“These humble worshipers had not studied the prophecies in vain. But those who held positions as rulers and priests in Israel, though they too had before them the precious utterances of prophecy, were not walking in the way of the Lord, and their eyes were not open to behold the Light of life.

“So it is still. Events upon which the attention of all heaven is centered are undiscerned, their very occurrence is unnoticed, by religious leaders, and worshipers in the house of God. Men acknowledge Christ in history, while they turn away from the living Christ. Christ in His word calling to self-sacrifice, in the poor and suffering who plead for relief, in the righteous cause that involves poverty and toil and reproach, is no more readily received today than He was eighteen hundred years ago.” The Desire of Ages, 55, 56.

Christ’s Second Advent Foretold in Prophecy

“As the message of Christ’s first advent announced the kingdom of His grace, so the message of His second advent announces the kingdom of His glory. And the second message, like the first, is based on the prophecies. The words of the angel to Daniel relating to the last days were to be understood in the time of the end. At that time, ‘many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’ ‘The wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.’ Daniel 12:4, 10. The Saviour Himself has given signs of His coming, and He says, ‘When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.’ ‘And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.’ ‘Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.’ Luke 21:31, 34, 36.

“We have reached the period foretold in these scriptures. The time of the end is come, the visions of the prophets are unsealed, and their solemn warnings point us to our Lord’s coming in glory as near at hand.

“The Jews misinterpreted and misapplied the word of God, and they knew not the time of their visitation. The years of the ministry of Christ and His apostles,—the precious last years of grace to the chosen people,—they spent in plotting the destruction of the Lord’s messengers. Earthly ambitions absorbed them, and the offer of the spiritual kingdom came to them in vain. So today the kingdom of this world absorbs men’s thoughts, and they take no note of the rapidly fulfilling prophecies and the tokens of the swift-coming kingdom of God.

“ ‘But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.’ While we are not to know the hour of our Lord’s return, we may know when it is near. ‘Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:4–6.” The Desire of Ages, 234, 235.

“Christ should never be out of the mind. The angels said concerning Him, ‘Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.’ [Matthew 1:21.] Jesus, precious Saviour! Assurance, helpfulness, security, and peace are all in Him. He is the dispeller of all our doubts, the earnest of all our hopes. How precious is the thought that we may indeed become partakers of the divine nature, whereby we may overcome as Christ overcame! Jesus is the fullness of our expectation. He is the melody of our songs, the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. He is living water to the thirsty soul. He is our refuge in the storm. He is our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption. When Christ is our personal Saviour, we shall show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Reflecting Christ, 21.

“O the depth of the riches of the love that God bestowed upon men in the gift of his only begotten Son!” Christian Education, 77

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Romans 11:33.

Karen Stoeckert serves as teacher and administrator for the Faith Haven Christian School. In addition to a Christian curriculum, Karen focuses on Bible memorization with her students through scripture songs she has composed. She can be reached by e-mail at: karenstoeckert@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.

The Power of Christ’s Healing Love

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Have you ever been hurt to such a degree that you act and make decisions without considering the possible results or outcome? Many people, amazingly even Christians, have fallen into such predicaments. I recently met a young lady who found herself in such a situation. As I made my way down the hillside on the way home, I saw a young woman walking toward the main road and offered her a ride. We began chatting in the car and she told me she was on her way to the local Catholic Church. As it was the Sabbath day, I had expected her to say she was going to a Seventh-day Adventist Church, and we began to talk about the difference between the two religions. As the conversation progressed I learned that she had, at one time, been a Seventh-day Adventist but had renounced Adventism after a disappointment suffered at the hands of the church where she had been a member. Her grandmother had become sick and no one from the church where she was a member, and regular attendee, made the effort to go and visit her. As she related the story to me, I could see the hurt still reflected in her teary eyes and I could hear the pain and disappointment in her voice! This had been the turning point in her life, and as a result, she explained, her Sabbath was now Sunday, and she felt happy and accepted by her Catholic church family.

What Cecile experienced transcended pain, it was caused by a lack of Christ’s divine love on the part of her church, and as a consequence of their behavior she responded out of the depth of her hurt. She had chosen the path of alienation, separation and rejection in response to what she had received.

It is a human response to withhold our love and shut ourselves away from those who hurt us, when instead, we should base our behavior on that of our Lord Jesus. He, our example in all things, never withheld his affection and love even from those who offended or hurt him.

“To love as Christ loved means to manifest unselfishness at all times and in all places, by kind words and pleasant looks. These cost those who give them nothing, but they leave behind a fragrance that surrounds the soul. The effect can never be estimated. Not only are they a blessing to the receiver, but to the giver; for they react upon him. Genuine love is a precious attribute of heavenly origin, which increases in fragrance in proportion as it is dispensed to others.” Letters to Young Lovers, 16.

“Christ’s love is deep and earnest, flowing like an irrepressible stream to all who will accept it. There is no selfishness in His love. In this heaven-born love is an abiding principle in the heart, it will make itself known, not only to those we hold most dear in sacred relationship, but to all with whom we come in contact. It will lead us to bestow little acts of attention, to make concessions, to perform deeds of kindness, to speak tender, true, encouraging words. It will lead us to sympathize with those whose hearts hunger for sympathy.” Ibid., 17.

While we should not needlessly expose ourselves to danger, at the same time we should not withhold our love from our enemies or from those who hurt us. We must remember that it is divine to continue giving of ourselves and our love to those who have hurt us. To love as Christ loved, this is our challenge as Christians and as a church. In the words of William Penn, Founder of the State of Pennsylvania, we are reminded that, “Love is the hardest lesson in Christianity but, for that reason, it should be most our care to learn it.” The New Dictionary of Thought, 375.

We may direct our minds to Him who has suffered more hurt than any mortal has or will ever suffer, for “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.” Isaiah 53:5. The Bible shows that “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” John 1:11. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Isaiah 53:3. Incredibly, in spite of the hurt, wounds, pain, tears, rejection and lack of love that we as humans demonstrate to Jesus, our beloved Savior continues to remind us, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3.

It is no wonder George Matheson, the hymn writer, exclaimed, “O love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee.” It is no wonder Horatius Bonar penned these words, “O love of God, How strong and true! Eternal and yet ever new, uncomprehended and unbought, beyond all knowledge and all thought. O love of God, how deep and great, far deeper than man’s deepest hate; self-fed, self-kindled like the light, changeless, eternal, infinite. We read Thee best in Him who came to bear for us the cross of shame; sent by the Father from on high, our life to live, our death to die.”

Compared to the love God has shown us, our profession of Christianity and love for each other can only ever be a superficial and shallow representation. We must have Christ’s love reflected in us in order to share the hope of salvation with the world.

The Vulnerability of Love

True godly love is vulnerable and is always seeking for restoration and reconciliation. Yet, through the words of the English poet Martin Tupper, it can be seen that in spite of its vulnerability, “Love is the weapon which Omnipotence reserved to conquer rebel man when all the rest had failed. … There is not one human in a million, nor a thousand men in all earth’s huge quintillion whose clay heart is hardened against love.” Even while suffering on the cross Jesus demonstrated his Godly love and forgiveness in His prayer to His Father asking Him to forgive those who had bitterly hurt Him. He never stopped loving. He was able to continue loving in the face of hostility and antagonism because the love which he possessed, and which we as Christians should possess, is not earthly nor human, but God’s divine love shining through us. Human love is conditional, but the love of God survives in the face of rejection and allows us to continue loving even those who hurt us. “Love is of God. The unconverted heart cannot originate nor produce this plant of heavenly growth, which lives and flourishes only where Christ reigns.” Testimonies, vol 2, 135.

It is easy, as Christians, to use the excuse of having been hurt so badly and so often and draw into ourselves and forget about people as a way of dealing with challenges, instead of taking the example of Christ. Did Jesus stop loving those who had hurt him? The apostle Paul answers, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another.” Romans 13:8. He further counsels, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21. The Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Antonius said, “It is the duty of men to love even those who injure them.” The New Dictionary of Thought, 375. Through the example Jesus gave us through His life on earth, we are shown that all men are entitled to our love, even those who are not our friends and those who hurt us.

Christ’s Principles of Love

We can examine two important aspects of Christlike love from the perspective of Jesus’ life. He suffered the most painful and humiliating treatment that could be inflicted on a human, and in spite of it all He was able to love His tormenters. In the first place His love builds a wall that surrounds the soul, and secondly His love has a healing power.

When we let the wall of Christ’s love surround our soul, it protects us from human pain and gives us the power to love and forgive those who hurt us. Speaking of this divine love, the wise man declares, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” Song of Solomon 2:4. From the pen of inspiration we read that, “The souls of those who love Jesus will be surrounded with a pure, fragrant atmosphere.” Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, 34.

Ellen White also tells us, “The activity of Satan’s army, the danger that surrounds the human soul, calls for the energies of every worker. But no compulsion shall be exercised. Man’s depravity is to be met by the love, the patience, the long-suffering of God.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 237. The love of God which surrounds the soul forms a bulwark, a defense which neutralizes Satan’s negative elements that bombard the soul, thus allowing us to find peace in Christ. “Everyone who truly loves God will have the spirit of Christ and a fervent love for his brethren. The more a person’s heart is in communion with God, and the more his affections are centered in Christ, the less will he be disturbed by the roughness and hardships he meets in this life.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 483, 484. This was the love that Christ lived and demonstrated in His time on earth. His divine love preserves the soul through the storms and crises that may arise on our spiritual journey, giving us the strength to face negative people and situations. It surrounds the soul as a wall of protection against human pain and damage allowing us to love the offender and pray as Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. When this divine principle is implemented in our lives, it is impossible to seek revenge because it is a love that neutralizes every ugly, evil, and satanic thing which threatens the soul. Ellen White tells us, “The heart in which love rules will not be filled with passion or revenge, by injuries which pride and self-love would deem unbearable.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 168, 169. When we learn to love as Christ loved, we are strengthened through Him and able to respond with love to those whose hurtful deeds attack us in the Devil’s attempt at discouragement.

Love’s healing power kept Christ in health of body, mind and spirit even though, “There was never one who walked among men more cruelly slandered than the Son of man. He was derided and mocked because of His unswerving obedience to the principles of God’s holy law. They hated Him without a cause. Yet He stood calmly before His enemies, declaring that reproach is a part of the Christian’s legacy, counseling His followers how to meet the arrows of malice, bidding them not to faint under persecution.

While slander may blacken the reputation, it cannot stain the character. That is in God’s keeping. So long as we do not consent to sin, there is no power, whether human or satanic, that can bring a stain upon the soul. A man whose heart is stayed upon God is just the same in the hour of his most afflicting trials and most discouraging surroundings as when he was in prosperity, when the light and favor of God seemed to be upon him. His words, his motives, his actions, may be misrepresented and falsified, but he does not mind it, because he has greater interests at stake. Like Moses, he endures as ‘seeing him who is invisible.’ ” Reflecting Christ, 366.

Divine love has the power to preserve and heal the one who possesses it, and this is how Christ was preserved in spite of all the hurt and rejection he sustained while on earth. He was daily vitalized by this plant of heavenly origin by being in constant connection with His Father—the source of true love. Ellen White says, “Only the love that flows from the heart of Christ can heal. Only he in whom that love flows, even as the sap in the tree or the blood in the body, can restore the wounded soul.

“Love’s agencies have wonderful power, for they are divine. The soft answer that ‘turneth away wrath,’ the love that ‘suffereth long, and is kind,’ the charity that ‘covereth a multitude of sins’ (Proverbs 15:1; I Corinthians 13:4, R.V.; I Peter 4:8, R.V.)—would we learn the lesson, with what power for healing would our lives be gifted! How life would be transformed, and the earth become a very likeness and foretaste of heaven!” Education, 114.

God shows us that as we connect ourselves to him through surrender to Jesus Christ, we are endowed with divine love—the fruit of the Holy Spirit. This divine principle preserves and heals us from the evils that encompass our soul, keeping us focused on His love, and in turn allowing us to love even our enemies. This love towards our enemies and those who have hurt us also provides healing for them in the way David says: “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3. “The law of the Lord [is] perfect, converting the soul.” Psalm 19:7. “The word employed, (converting) Meshibah, (Psalm 19:7) is used of restoring from disorder and decay, from sorrow and affliction, from death. The Law, by instructing men, restores them from moral blindness to the light which is theirs by nature, and, as a further consequence, in many cases, restores them from sin to righteousness.” Pulpit Commentary, vol. 8, 129.

When asked which of the commandments was the greatest, the Savior clearly showed us that the foundation of the law is love, saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37–40. Jesus also states in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” In the keeping of the commandments we connect to a continual supply of the medicine of God’s divine love.

In the words of Ellen White, “When the gospel is received in its purity and power, it is a cure for the maladies that originated in sin. The Sun of Righteousness arises, ‘with healing in His wings.’ Malachi 4:2. Not all this world bestows can heal a broken heart, or impart peace of mind, or remove care, or banish disease. Fame, genius, talent—all are powerless to gladden the sorrowful heart or to restore the wasted life. The life of God in the soul is man’s only hope.

“The love which Christ diffuses through the whole being is a vitalizing power. Every vital part—the brain, the heart, the nerves—it touches with healing. By it the highest energies of the being are roused to activity. It frees the soul from the guilt and sorrow, the anxiety and care, that crush the life forces. With it come serenity and composure. It implants in the soul, joy that nothing earthly can destroy,—joy in the Holy Spirit,—health-giving, life-giving joy.” Ministry of Healing, 115. Christ was constantly healed by the power of God’s love and when we surrender fully and completely to him, we too will receive the vitalizing energy that can heal us from the buffeting of man and demons.

Love’s Forgiveness

The principle of forgiveness is embedded in divine love and is fully exemplified by God the Father and Jesus Christ. God made a covenant with humanity in order to forgive us—the offenders. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. This covenant of forgiveness is possible only through divine love. No human being can ever, or will ever, forgive another human being without having first experienced the love of God. If we have not fully surrendered to Christ in acceptance of the love He offers, we are not able to follow His example and forgive those who have hurt or offended us. Jesus says, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34. Consequently, what we see displayed by the brethren in church, at home, and at work is love controlled by our human limits; a love that flourishes until one is hurt and then changes into resentment, anger and bitterness. Divine love is a wall that protects us from the toxic elements of sin so that they cannot harm the soul and makes forgiveness a joy and a delight. “Love is the fruit that is borne on the Christian tree, the fruit that is as the leaves of the tree of life for the healing of the nations.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 187.

This love protects the soul no matter how deep the wound, and prevents us from displaying unchristlike qualities. As human beings it is to be expected that we sometimes feel pain and sadness, yet by demonstrating the love of Christ through tribulation, we become divine agents for positive spiritual change in the lives of fellow human beings. The Holy Spirit supervises this process of transformation, thus establishing reconciliation between man and God, as well as between man and man.

A New Commandment

In His words to the disciples Jesus says to us, “A new commandment I give unto you.” John 13:34. “Why was this called ‘a new commandment’? The disciples had not loved one another as Christ had loved them. They had not yet seen the fullness of the love that He was to reveal in man’s behalf. They were yet to see Him dying on the cross for their sins. Through His life and death they were to receive a new conception of love. The command to ‘love one another’ was to gain a new meaning in the light of His self-sacrifice. In the light shining from the cross of Calvary they were to read the meaning of the words, ‘As I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’ ” The Review and Herald, June 30, 1910.

In conclusion we read the words of the disciple, John,

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” I John 4:7–12.

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-822-3900.

The Vistorious Life

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Dear Friend:  The Lord has given me a message for you, and not for you only, but also for other faithful souls who are troubled by doubts and fears regarding their acceptance by the Lord Jesus Christ. His word to you is, “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.” You desire to please the Lord, and you can do this by believing His promises. He is waiting to take you into a harbor of gracious experience, and He bids you, “Be still, and know that I am God.” You have had a time of unrest; but Jesus says to you, “Come unto Me, . . . and I will give you rest.” The joy of Christ in the soul is worth everything. “Then are they glad,” because they are privileged to rest in the arms of everlasting love.

Put away your distrust of our heavenly Father. Instead of talking of your doubts, break away from them in the strength of Jesus, and let light shine into your soul by letting your voice express confidence and trust in God. I know that the Lord is very nigh to give you victory, and I say to you, Be helped, be strengthened, be lifted out of and away from the dark dungeon of unbelief. Doubts will rush into your mind, because Satan is trying to hold you in captivity to his cruel power; but face him in the strength that Jesus is willing to give you, and conquer the inclination to express unbelief in your Saviour.

Do not talk of your inefficiency and your defects. When despair would seem to be sweeping over your soul, look to Jesus, saying, He lives to make intercession for me. Forget the things that are behind, and believe the promise, “I will come to you,” and “abide with you.”

God is waiting to bestow the blessing of forgiveness, of pardon for iniquity, of the gifts of righteousness, upon all who will believe in His love and accept the salvation He offers. Christ is ready to say to the repenting sinner, “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” The blood of Jesus Christ is the eloquent plea that speaks in behalf of sinners. This blood “cleanseth us from all sin.”

It is your privilege to trust in the love of Jesus for salvation, in the fullest, surest, noblest manner; to say, He loves me, He receives me; I will trust Him, for He gave His life for me. Nothing so dispels doubt as coming in contact with the character of Christ. He declares, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out;” that is, there is no possibility of My casting him out, for I have pledged My word to receive him. Take Christ at His word, and let your lips declare that you have gained the victory.

Is Jesus true? Does He mean what He says? Answer decidedly, Yes, every word. Then if you have settled this, by faith claim every promise that He has made, and receive the blessing; for this acceptance by faith gives life to the soul. You may believe that Jesus is true to you, even though you feel yourself to be the weakest and most unworthy of His children. And as you believe, all your dark, brooding doubts are thrown back upon the archdeceiver who originated them. You can be a great blessing if you will take God at His word. By living faith you are to trust Him, even though the impulse is strong within you to speak words of distrust.

Peace comes with dependence on divine power. As fast as the soul resolves to act in accordance with the light given, the Holy Spirit gives more light and strength. The grace of the Spirit is supplied to cooperate with the soul’s resolve, but it is not a substitute for the individual exercise of faith. Success in the Christian life depends upon the appropriation of the light that God has given. It is not an abundance of light and evidence that makes the soul free in Christ; it is the rising of the powers and the will and the energies of the soul to cry out sincerely, “Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.”

I rejoice in the bright prospects of the future, and so may you. Be cheerful, and praise the Lord for His loving-kindness. That which you cannot understand, commit to Him. He loves you and pities your every weakness. He “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” It would not satisfy the heart of the Infinite One to give those who love His Son a lesser blessing than He gives His Son.

Satan seeks to draw our minds away from the mighty Helper, to lead us to ponder over our degeneration of soul. But though Jesus sees the guilt of the past, He speaks pardon; and we should not dishonor Him by doubting His love. The feeling of guiltiness must be laid at the foot of the cross, or it will poison the springs of life. When Satan thrusts his threatenings upon you, turn from them, and comfort your soul with the promises of God. The cloud may be dark in itself, but when filled with the light of heaven, it turns to the brightness of gold; for the glory of God rests upon it.

God’s children are not to be subject to feelings and emotions. When they fluctuate between hope and fear, the heart of Christ is hurt; for He has given them unmistakable evidence of His love. He wants them to be established, strengthened, and settled in the most holy faith. He wants them to do the work He has given them; then their hearts will become in His hands as sacred harps, every chord of which will send forth praise and thanksgiving to the One sent by God to take away the sins of the world.

Christ’s love for His children is as tender as it is strong. And it is stronger than death; for He died to purchase our salvation, and to make us one with Him, mystically and eternally one. So strong is His love that it controls all His powers, and employs the vast resources of heaven in doing His people good. It is without variableness or shadow of turning—the same yesterday, today, and forever. Although sin has existed for ages, trying to counteract this love and obstruct its flowing earthward, it still flows in rich currents to those for whom Christ died.

God loves the sinless angels, who do His service and are obedient to all His commands; but He does not give them grace; they have never needed it, for they have never sinned. Grace is an attribute shown to undeserving human beings. We did not seek after it; it was sent in search of us. God rejoices to bestow grace upon all who hunger and thirst for it, not because we are worthy, but because we are unworthy. Our need is the qualification which gives us the assurance that we shall receive the gift.

It should not be difficult to remember that the Lord desires you to lay your troubles and perplexities at His feet, and leave them there. Go to Him, saying: “Lord, my burdens are too heavy for me to carry. Wilt Thou bear them for me?” And He will answer: “I will take them. ‘With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee.’ I will take your sins, and will give you peace. Banish no longer your self-respect; for I have bought you with the price of My own blood. You are Mine. Your weakened will I will strengthen. Your remorse for sin I will remove.”

“I, even I, am He,” the Lord declares, “that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put Me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.” “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.” “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Respond to the calls of God’s mercy, and say: “I will trust in the Lord and be comforted. I will praise the Lord; for His anger is turned away. I will rejoice in God, who gives the victory.”

The last writings of Ellen White, written in California, June 14, 1914. Taken from Testimonies to Ministers, 216–220.

 

Ye Would Not

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The cry of the human heart is for love and acceptance. There is an irrepressible longing to belong, to have a true friend who sympathizes with us. Nothing else can satisfy the heart. Many have tried to fill this longing with popularity, wealth, education or position. But none of these have ever filled the most basic longing of the human heart—the longing to be loved and comforted, to be needed and respected. Billions have turned to the religions of this world to satisfy the great need of their hearts. But to most, this deep longing has never been satisfied. Bewildered and deceived, they move “on in a gloomy procession toward eternal ruin—to death in which there is no hope of life, toward night to which comes no morning.” The Desire of Ages, 36.

Christians have been promised that their need of joy and love, comfort and satisfaction would be met. God Himself has promised to ravish the heart of men with love and satisfy the longings of the heart. But even here, few have realized the reality of God’s promises. In this article we will look at why such wonderful promises are enjoyed by only a few, why only such a small number realize complete fulfillment.

 

Promises

 

“Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” Psalm 145:16. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” John 14:27. “These things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” John 17:13.

One of the greatest promises in the Bible is found in this verse: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” John 14:18. No one can find love if he is alone. That is why Jesus promised to “come to you.” The realization of love and being loved takes more than one person. That is why our great longing for love can only be fulfilled by having a companion.

We should be amazed that the One who is the Creator of love came to this loveless world and that coming here was the only way to bring us love and joy! The One who basked in the sunlight of His Father’s presence and received the love and admiration of all the angels came here to be despised. The One who was surrounded with admiring friends came to this cold and friendless world. Why did His come? He came to bring love to the unloved, joy to the sorrowing, health to the sick and peace to the restless and troubled heart. Oh, the wonder of His love! He came to understand what it means to be alone and friendless, so He could bring us friendship. He came to save us from hatred and loneliness and sin. The price of this salvation was infinitely expensive. We will never understand the cost until we see Christ in His glory and then realize that He left all that is lovely to come here and die for us.

 

To His Own

 

When Jesus came, He was treated as though He came to His enemies. No one, who was looking on, would have guessed He had come to His friends. His friends treated Him like an enemy. “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” John 1:11. How could it be? Those who were “His own” did not receive Him. Jesus was the central figure in the economy of the Jewish nation. He was the fulfillment of every sacrifice and ceremony of the Jewish sanctuary. But when He appeared, they refused to recognize Him—to surrender their ways to His way.

It was He—the unrecognized One, who made these marvelous promises that will satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. He gave unsurpassed promises like this one: “If we surrender our lives to His service, we can never be placed in a position for which God has not made provision. Whatever may be our situation, we have a Guide to direct our way; whatever our perplexities, we have a sure Counselor; whatever our sorrow, bereavement, or loneliness, we have a sympathizing Friend. If in our ignorance we make missteps, Christ does not leave us.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 173. [All emphasis supplied.]

There it is, spelled out clearly. “Whatever our sorrow, bereavement, or loneliness, we have a sympathizing Friend.” That promise meets the need of the human heart. Every person longs for a sympathizing Friend. But the promise is given on this condition: “IF we surrender our lives to His service.”

When we realizes the possibility of unsurpassed love and friendship, of acceptance and understanding, we naturally want it. We are quick to want our hearts to be satisfied. The cry of the soul is: “Just give me this love, I want it.” That is what the woman at the well said, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not.” John 4:15.

Christ is quick to answer the request of such a one. He who put the desire for love in our hearts is waiting to satisfy our needs. “To every soul, however sinful, Jesus says, If thou hadst asked to Me, I would have given thee the living water.” The Desire of Ages, 194.

Right here, at this very point, is where a great struggle starts. Christ gladly claims us as His child and He loves to satisfy our longing heart. He came to this world to save just such ones, but, as the woman at the well, He has some things to show us. He wants to reveal Himself to us, but to receive of the water of life, we must give ourselves to Him—“surrender our lives to His service.” Surrender our sin, surrender our pride of opinion, surrender everything to Him—He (and us) will be satisfied with nothing less. So Jesus asked the woman at the well, about her husband and He hit the sore point. This is the point where many walk away from Christ and consequently, never receive the desired blessing. They want all the blessings of Christ’s presence, but they do not want to surrender their own way. They do not want their sin pointed out. They thereby refuse the gift of life.

Just as Jesus blessed the woman at the well, He longed to bless everyone—but the Jews refused to surrender themselves to Him so He could heal their infirmities. They wanted to receive love and admiration, but they did not want their own unloveliness pointed out, so it could be healed. They wanted to be loved and respected, but they did not love and respect others. “Instead of returning His love with gratitude, they thrust Christ from them.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 11. They rejected His love which is the only thing that would give them true happiness. They resisted Him, the giver of every good and perfect gift. Christ weeps for those who refuse His love. He knows the bitterness of loneliness and He longs to deliver us from it. “The tears of Christ as he wept over Jerusalem were for the sins of all time. The Jewish nation was a symbol of the people of all ages who scorn the pleadings of Infinite love. Those who profess to be the representatives of Christ upon earth, yet whose lives are a continual denial of Him, may read their own condemnation in Christ’s denunciation of the self-righteous Jews.” Ibid., 9.

 

Bold Professions

 

All the while the Jews were rejecting Jesus, they kept up a wonderful form of religion. “The Jewish nation were outwardly religious, priding themselves upon their sacred temple, the pomp of priests and the imposing ceremonies of the morning and evening services, gorgeous synagogues and sacrificial offerings.” Ibid., 19. So today, we can send out beautiful papers, hold magnificent meetings and have exciting worship services, but are we following the Lord’s instructions in the Spirit of Prophecy? Are we holding up the law of God? Are we becoming more like Him and less like the world? In spite of our religious activities, it appears that we are departing from God just like the Jews did. Unfortunately, this description of them fits us: “The Jewish religion with its magnificent display of temple, sacred altars, sacrificial pomp, mitred priests and impressive ceremonies, was but a superficial covering under which pride, oppression and iniquity held sway.” Ibid., 18.

The forms of religion will never keep us from destruction. A profession of Christ does not satisfy the wants of the soul. Our only remedy is to accept the One who, so often, does not come as we expect. He did not come the way the Jews thought He should—the way they taught from the scriptures that He “had” to come. He did not come to pamper their pride and convenience. So He was unrecognized and rejected. Jesus coming in an unexpected way reminds me of a story that I heard once.

There was a couple who so much wanted a son. One day a baby boy was born into their home. How happy he made his new mother and father. They lavished every gift that money could buy on their son. He grew to be strong and healthy. One sad day he was called away to war. He faithfully wrote his parents, and how they looked forward to his letters.

One day all letters stopped. Months went by with no word from their son and the sad parents supposed he was dead. Then, unexpectedly, they received a letter from the army that their son was discharged and would soon be home. Not long after, they received a phone call from their son. It was so good to hear his voice. He told them he would soon be home, but first he had one request. He wanted to bring a friend home with him. He said his friend had no home but his. His friend had been terribly injured in the war. He was maimed, a leg had been shot and had to be removed. His friend had half of his face badly burned. He explained to his parents that he would do all of the work of taking care of his friend, they only needed to agree to let him come. “I’ll call you back tomorrow,” the son said. “That will give you time to think about it.”

His parents thought about their sons proposal. They could not wait to have their son home—but an invalid? That would be an inconvenience. Certainly, there is someplace else their son’s friend could go, they reasoned. No, they did not want him to come. So they told him of their decision. “OK,” He said, “I wouldn’t want to bother you or be an inconvenience.”

In a week they received a letter from the armed services announcing the unexpected death of their son. He was actually the one who was maimed and burned. It was he, not another, who needed their love and attention. But he was unrecognized and unwanted.

We want Jesus to come and make us great and popular, to give us wealth and fame. We do not want Him to disturb our convenience and comfort. We seldom expect Him the way He comes—despised and rejected of men. Consequently, again today, He is unrecognized and unnoticed. He will not come where He is not wanted. Many, in thinking about their own happiness, end up rejecting Jesus. But when everything is said and done, just as this couple, all they find is grief. This couple thought they were doing the thing that would bring them the most happiness. They thought they did not want to be inconvenienced. But their selfishness brought them unexplainable grief and despair. That is the was sin is. It is very deceitful. It looks like the way to happiness, but it is the way to loneliness and despair. The way to happiness is in forgetting about our own comfort and thinking about others. How differently things would have been for this couple, if they would have forgot about their own convenience and helped someone else.

Jesus forgot about His own comfort to save us. If we are ever to be happy we must be that way too. Sin has fooled us into believing that the way of happiness is found in thinking of our self, our church, our image, our money—anything for self. Oh, the deceitfulness of the mystery of iniquity is terribly cruel and unexplainable! Even though Jesus did everything to save the Jews from grief and destruction, He could not, because they refused to put self aside and receive His love. They wanted their own way. They disregarded and disobeyed His counsel and by that they refused to be loved. Eventually, they rejected love itself. “The sin of Jerusalem was in the rejection of her then present mercies and warnings. As a tender father pities a loved but erring and rebellious son, so had Jesus compassion upon Jerusalem.” Ibid., 10.

Are we committing the same sin as the Jews did? The Lord in His great mercy has sent the message of revival and reformation, of mercy and warning, to the Seventh-day Adventist church. Has the message or the messengers been accepted? Has there been any change towards following God’s counsel in the Spirit of Prophecy? No! Instead, we want our own way. There has been a continual advancement towards the world. There has been a growing and open rebellion towards the Spirit of Prophecy. There has been a hatred for God’s messengers. The reality of the situation is grim, because, the church can no more reject the message today and be saved from destruction, then the Jews could safely reject Jesus. God does not want destruction to come to us, but we are refusing to come to Him so we could receive life. We are rejecting the messengers that God has sent. If we come to hate those who are giving the warning message, we will eventually be destroyed. What a terrible cup of iniquity we are filling up!

It is no wonder that the messengers are hated today! It has always been that way. “The prophets of God did not find favor with apostate Israel because through them their hidden sins were brought to light. Ahab regarded Elijah as his enemy, because the prophet was faithful to unfold the monarch’s secret iniquities. So, today, the servant of Christ, the reprover of sin, meets with scorn and rebuffs. Bible truth, the religion of Christ, struggles against a strong current of moral impurity.” Ibid., 12.

The warning is being given, pleading for God’s people to return to the old paths—to follow the Spirit of Prophecy. This warning is being continually rejected and scorned. Time is marching on. Someday the last warning will be given, the last call of mercy will be heard. “This is our day of mercies and privileges. In every age of the world there is given to men their day of light and privileges, a probationary time in which they may become reconciled with God. But there is a limit to this grace. Mercy may plead for years and be rejected and slighted; but there comes a time when mercy makes her last plea. The sweet, winning voice entreats the sinner no longer, and reproofs and warnings cease.” Ibid., 11. When will that time come? Oh, reader, we must respond to His mercy while Christ still pleads io our behalf, in the heavenly sanctuary.

If we will turn to Him with a full surrender, He will accept us. His love can never be explained or understood, it can only be experienced! It will be extended to the most unworthy, to the worst sinner. Before it is too late we must come to Him. We must put aside the bigotry against the message of reproof. God sends a warning message in love to the sinner. “If the Jewish people would have thrown off their bigotry and blind unbelief long enough to have looked into the depths of the loving, compassionate heart of Jesus, they could never have crucified the Lord of glory. But they were perverse and self-righteous.” Ibid., 14.

 

How Can I Give Thee Up?

 

Eventually, the sad day came when Jesus said: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Matthew 23:37. Ye would not be loved. Ye would not be healed. Ye would not be saved. I would have healed you, I would have loved you, but you refused. Ye would not be gathered together.

Oh to be gathered together! To be one with God and with each other! This fulfills the great longing of the heart. But the Jews refused. Have not we refused? To have this love, that we so much want, the love must go two ways. For God to claim us as His children alone is not the finished product of love. Love must not only be received, it must be given! Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15. Obedience is the fruit of love. We must not only be His child, but He must be our God, the Lord and Master of our lives, or love will never be fulfilled. That is the essential part of the new covenant relationship. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Hebrews 8:10. In other words, I will be yours and you will be mine. We must be gathered together. That is God’s description of true love, true companionship and happiness. Notice, the new covenant is a two-way contract. But if we refuse our part of the agreement, the contract has been broken!

The problem has never been that God leaves us, but rather that we leave Him. “Christ will never abandon those for whom He has died. We may leave Him and be overwhelmed with temptation, but Christ can never turn from one for whom He has paid the ransom of His own life.” Prophets and Kings, 175. If there is a separation, it is because we have left Him and gone towards the world. We show that we have left Him be refusing to obey His counsel. We are not surrendered to Him if we disregard His messengers. When we set aside the Spirit of Prophecy we do not love Jesus. Many today have in reality rejected Christ by ignoring His counsel. We reject Christ when we do despite to God’s law and tell people they cannot overcome sin. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6.

 

Who is Their Father?

 

The subject of those who reject Him, brings up a question. Are they His people? Can those who join the world still be the sons of God? (Of course anyone can claim anything.) What about those people in Jesus’ day who rejected Him? Were they “His own”? Did they receive these promises of love and joy? They definitely did not receive the fulfillment of these promises because they crucified Jesus. Persecuting others could never bring love and joy! But were they His? Did He claim them as His children? No He did not! He plainly said who their father was. He said, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” John 8:44, 45.

When one is told the truth, and does not believe it, but believes a lie instead, he is in a deadly relationship with evil. When the sins of worldliness and pride are pointed out to a sleepy church—and the messenger is hated and defamed—who is the father (originator) of that? When the dangers of the “new theology” (that one does not need to overcome sin now) are pointed out, and the messengers are fired—who is the originator of that? When people mock at health reform, education reform and dress reform, who is the father of that kind of spirit? Is the Lord at the head of such things? People say, “The Lord is still at the helm.” What does that mean? Is He the One responsible for the total disregard of the counsels given in the Testimonies to the Church? Was it the Lord’s idea to bring NLP into the church? Is He at the helm of that atrocity? Was He at the helm when Jesus was crucified? When all truth and justice and fairness were laid aside at Jesus’ trial—who was at the helm? Was God the originator of Jesus (God’s) death?

When will Jesus say again as he did before: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” Matthew 23:37, 38. Until it is too late, we can never understand the horribleness of that desolation—total aloneness. It is mysterious that the human soul that was created for love and companionship would choose instead desolation and loneliness.

Love has always been a two way street. (The direction of the street for humans to walk on is obedience to God.) We need never worry that Jesus may not love us. He proved that He loved us on Calvary. Now He says to us: “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15. If we do not love Him, the covenant is broken. Without that love we would be miserable in heaven, because heaven is a place of love. The most loving thing to do would be to end our misery. But that is not what God wants!! He wants to save everyone! He wants us to turn from our backsliding so that He may give us peace and joy and life. Reader, please do not let Jesus go through the agony of being separated from you.

“It was the sight of Jerusalem that pierced the heart of Jesus—Jerusalem that had rejected the Son of God and scorned His love, that refused to be convinced by His mighty miracles, and was about to take His life. He saw what she was in her guilt of rejecting her Redeemer, and what she might have been had she accepted Him who alone could heal her wound. He had come to save her; how could He give her up?

“Israel had been a favored people; God had made their temple His habitation; it was ‘beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth.’ Ps. 48:2. The record of more than a thousand years of Christ’s guardian care and tender love, such as a father bears his only child, was there. In that temple the prophets had uttered their solemn warnings. There had the burning censers waved, while incense, mingled with the prayers of the worshipers, had ascended to God. There the blood of beasts had flowed, typical of the blood of Christ. There Jehovah had manifested His glory above the mercy seat. There the priests had officiated, and the pomp of symbol and ceremony had gone on for ages. But all this must have an end.

“Jesus raised His hand,—that had so often blessed the sick and suffering,—and waving it toward the doomed city, in broken utterances of grief exclaimed: ‘If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! . . . Jerusalem had been the child of His care, and as a tender father mourns over a wayward son, so Jesus wept over the beloved city. How can I give thee up? How can I see thee devoted to destruction? Must I let thee go to fill up the cup of thine iniquity? One soul is of such value that, in comparison with it, worlds sink into insignificance; but here was a whole nation to be lost . . . Christ’s great heart of love still pleaded for Jerusalem, that had scorned His mercies, despised His warnings, and was about to imbrue her hands in His blood. If Jerusalem would but repent, it was not yet too late. While the last rays of the setting sun were lingering on temple, tower, and pinnacle, would not some good angel lead her to the Saviour’s love, and avert her doom? Beautiful and unholy city, that had stoned the prophets, that had rejected the Son of God, that was locking herself by her impenitence in fetters of bondage,—her day of mercy was almost spent!” The Desire of Ages, 576–578.

Yes, our day of mercy is almost spent, too. Should we not turn with great earnestness to love and obey God? Or have we forgotten the things that belong to our peace? If we followed every one of His directions, how blessed we would be. How happy God would be. But instead it looks as if God’s professed people would like to destroy the messengers He has sent. Already one has been beaten by a conference pastor and local elders. More persecution is sure to follow. It may be now as in Jesus’ day, that those who are willing to follow Jesus will be very few! But how our hearts weep for the multitudes that have refused to come to Him and receive life! “But in blind prejudice they refused the mercies offered them by Jesus. His love was lavished upon them in vain, and they regarded not His wondrous works. Sorrow fled at His approach; infirmity and deformity were healed; injustice and oppression shrunk ashamed from His rebuke; while death and the grave humbled themselves in His presence and obeyed His commands. Yet the people of His choice rejected him and his mighty miracles with scorn. The Majesty of Heaven came unto His own, and His own received him not.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 19.

The great need of many hearts are not being met because of a refusal to love and obey God. God has enough love and mercy to satisfy every heart, but by our disobedience we have rejected His love. There are many discontented and lonely people because a full surrender of the heart has not been made to Jesus. Not only individuals, but whole churches (just as the Jews) are seeking for happiness at the broken cisterns of this world. Christ’s great heart of love is calling for you! “How often would I have gathered thy children together . . . and ye would not.”

 

The Power of Divine Love

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It was the American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who penned these words which I find to be so true, “Love gives itself; it is not bought.” The New Dictionary of Thoughts, 369.

The English author, Hanna Moore, agrees with Longfellow when she wrote, “Love never reasons, but profusely gives; gives, like a thoughtless prodigal, its all, and trembles then lest it has done too little.” Ibid., 370.

The great German Reformer, Martin Luther, in his summation on God’s love, says, “Love is an image of God, and not a lifeless image, but the living essence of the divine nature which beams full of all goodness.” Ibid., 369.

Therefore, dearly beloved, “They are the true disciples of Christ, not who know most, but who love most.” Fredrick Spanheim, German Theologian.

Jesus Christ our divine Savior taught specifically, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:34, 35.

What defines this “New Commandment”? What is it all about and why is it so important to the extent that Jesus says it is the trademark of discipleship?

One of Satan’s main activities among Christians is to destroy love for God and love for one another. He well knows the value and power of divine love. He knows what it can accomplish and what it will do for us individually, so he works determinedly to exterminate this plant of heavenly origin from every Christian’s life and the true church.

This commandment of Jesus to love was not in itself new. It was part of the instructions given to Moses, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:18.

This verse contains some divine prohibitions. Firstly, God says, “Thou shalt not avenge.” This is another way of saying, “Thou shalt forgive.” With the spirit of vengeance there can be no peace on the earth. God says, “Vengeance is mine.” Secondly, God commands, Thou shalt not “bear any grudge against the children of thy people.” Here God specifically gives instruction to his people not to cherish anger or keep a record, or reserve of wrongs or hurts done to them by their fellow men.

Christ’s love was revealed by the things He taught and did, which sometimes seemed very unusual. He said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:43, 44.

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:38, 39.

“And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.” Matthew 5:40.

“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?” Matthew 5:46, 47.

“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” Luke 6:35.

“Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.” John 13:3–5.

“And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” Matthew 26:51, 52.

Jesus’ love which is eternal and divine cannot be affected by circumstances. It is unchanging and focuses more on the person than the action of the person. We are told by God’s servant that “Christ has borne with the erring through all his manifest perversity and rebellion. His love for the sinner does not grow cold, His efforts do not cease, and He does not give him up to the buffeting of Satan. He has stood with open arms to welcome again the erring, the rebellious, and even the apostate.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 420.

Jesus, preparing himself for Calvary and his ascension back to heaven, was deeply concerned about the spiritual condition of the men he would leave in charge of his church. So, “in this last meeting with His disciples, the great desire which Christ expressed for them was that they might love one another as He had loved them. Again and again He spoke of this. ‘These things I command you,’ He said repeatedly, ‘that ye love one another.’ (John 15:17.) His very first injunction when alone with them in the upper chamber was, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’ (John 13:34.) To the disciples this commandment was new; for they had not loved one another as Christ had loved them. He saw that new ideas and impulses must control them; that new principles must be practiced by them; through His life and death they were to receive a new conception of love. The command to love one another had a new meaning in the light of His self-sacrifice. The whole work of grace is one continual service of love, of self-denying, self-sacrificing effort. During every hour of Christ’s sojourn upon the earth, the love of God was flowing from Him in irrepressible streams. All who are imbued with His Spirit will love as He loved. The very principle that actuated Christ will actuate them in all their dealing one with another.” The Desire of Ages, 677, 678.

The apostle John speaks conclusively and emphatically of this love which is so different from anything earthly and human: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” I John 4:10. God, the offended, chose, and continues to choose, to love us, the offenders. He looks beyond our faults and sees our needs.

The measure of this love is the standard found in I Corinthians 13. “Every true Christian will develop in his life the characteristics of this divine love; he will reveal a spirit of forbearance, of beneficence, and a freedom from envy and jealousy. This character developed in word and act will not repulse, and will not be unapproachable, cold, and indifferent to the interests of others. The person who cultivates the precious plant of love will be self-denying in spirit, and will not yield self-control even under provocation. He will not impute wrong motives and evil intentions to others, but will feel deeply over sin when discovered in any of the disciples of Christ.

“Love vaunteth not itself. It is a humble element; it never prompts a man to boast, to exalt himself. Love for God and for our fellow men will not be revealed in acts of rashness nor lead us to be overbearing, faultfinding, or dictatorial. Love is not puffed up. The heart where love reigns will be guided to a gentle, courteous, compassionate course of conduct toward others, whether they suit our fancy or not, whether they respect us or treat us ill. Love is an active principle; it keeps the good of others continually before us, thus restraining us from inconsiderate actions lest we fail of our object in winning souls to Christ. Love seeks not its own. It will not prompt men to seek their own ease and indulgence of self. It is the respect we render to I that so often hinders the growth of love.” Testimonies, vol 5, 123, 124.

“This is the love Jesus brought, and it was a new thing in this world.” The Gospel of John, vol. 4, 1040, by James Montgomery Boice. This love focuses more on who we are than on what we do. It works from the inside out. The fruit of love reveals the true Christian, for if this fruit is absent, regardless of the profession, that person is not a disciple of Christ.

The apostle Paul struggles to provide an understanding of this wonderful love. He calls us to remember: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6–8.

Paul is emphasizing that this is the utmost that can be expected of human love. It is remotely possible that someone would be willing to sacrifice himself for a dear friend who is sufficiently good and lovable. But so great is the love of God for His erring creatures that Jesus died for us when we were godless and rebellious enemies. By the death of Jesus, God gives proof of His love to us.

Jesus sought for the best way to explain this new commandment. He said, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12, 13. He wanted them to exercise the same love towards one another that He had manifested towards them. He was about to demonstrate the extent of that love and lay down His own life for them. His love exceeded that which He had commended to them: “while we were yet sinners” He died for us.

This brings to light His strange and unfathomable teaching recorded in the Sermon on the Mount: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:43, 44. Christ’s love transcends love for friends; it reaches out constantly to those who have done the greatest amount of evil. It confronts those who have done to us the greatest amount of wrong! Jesus’ love and example dictate to us that we should be as eager to demonstrate the same unchanging, unselfish love towards our fellowmen, in spite of whatever evil or wrong they may have done to us!

The Human Relationship Factor That Prevents Us From Experiencing God’s Love

What is it that prevents us from experiencing the love of God? We find our answer in the book, Our High Calling, page 348: “Love of self excludes the love of Christ. Those who live for self are ranged under the head of the Laodicean church who are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. The ardor of the first love has lapsed into a selfish egotism. The love of Christ in the heart is expressed in the actions. If love for Christ is dull, the love for those for whom Christ has died will degenerate. There may be a wonderful appearance for zeal and ceremonies, but this is the substance of their self-inflated religion. Christ represents them as nauseating to His taste.”

The greatest challenge to man is to denounce self. It feels good to promote self, for then we can be revengeful, grudging, resentful, unkind, impatient, unloving, and selfish. In this way we can protect ourselves from being hurt or wronged; thus we take measures to prevent such things from ever happening to us. The question then that we need to answer is: Is this the way Christ loves? Does He love with reservation or with stipulated conditions, e.g., “I will love you only if …”? Please remember, Jesus is our paradigm!

Dr. Leo Buscaglia in his book, Loving Each Other, pages 95, 96, highlights the principle of love in this way: “When we give ourselves in love we become our most vulnerable. We are never safe. We become open to disappointment and hurt. In a relationship, individuals come together with separate histories and experiences. They do this in hope of creating new worlds by writing, living out and sharing new experiences together. But this is not easy, since we all interact in the shadow of past fears, expectations and habits; since we are all different, all imperfect, it is seldom possible without encountering conflict.”

In the church, people are brought together with different experiences, viewpoints, and characters, to build loving relationships in Christ that will be a marvel to the world. The church ought to be a microcosm of what the world should be. I believe Jesus had this thought in mind when He called His followers the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world”!

Dr. Buscaglia continues by stating, “When we feel wronged, we immediately look to the other for blame. We perceive ourselves as victims. Something has been done to us, ‘the innocent.’ We have a right, therefore, to demand justice. We believe justice has been accomplished only when we can hurt those who have hurt us, disappoint those who have disillusioned us, make those suffer who have injured us and given us pain. They must experience our revenge at once and preferably continue to experience it forever. We are certain that wrongs will be righted in this way. Only then will the slate be wiped clean and our pain disappear. After all, we rationalize, it was the other’s fault. … Why then should we be the one to suffer? We seek vengeance for we know that the experience will be sweet. But do we find it so? How many of us have gone to great pains to avenge a wrongdoing, only to find that once we have had our revenge we have accomplished little more than finding ourselves loveless and alone? What satisfaction is there in causing another to suffer if our pain still remains?”

So we see that to be human is so dangerous, for it is only about self-seeking and self-satisfaction. After self has displayed all the selfishness there is, we find ourselves more sad, unhappy, sick and lonely! One author, namely Dr. Gerald Jampolsky states, “Hate, bitterness and vindictiveness are overpowering, self-defeating and intellectually as well as emotionally depleting.” Ibid., 95.

According to Dr. Buscaglia, “When wronged by those we love we seem to devalue years of relationship—a relationship that may have brought us many joys and which required much intellectual and emotional energy to have lasted so long. Still, with a single harsh statement, a thoughtless act, an unfeeling criticism, we are capable of destroying even the closest of our relationships. We quickly forget the good and set out to rationalize scenarios of hate. We do this rather than take up the challenge of honest evaluation and confrontation. We ignore the possibility that in the act of forgiving and showing compassion we are very likely to discover new depths in ourselves and new possibilities for relating in the future. We are too proud. We engage in self-defeating activities which keep us from forgiving; beliefs that if we withdraw and run from the situation we will hurt the other and absence will heal us; the fantasy that in avoidance there can be closure; the naïve hope that in hurting, shaming, blaming and condemning we will be made to feel better. We fail to realize that when we refuse to engage in forgiving behaviors, it is we who assume the useless weight of hate, pain and vengeance which is never ending, and, instead, weighs upon us rather than the wrongdoer.” Ibid., 96, 97.

It is far better to be governed by the love of God, for Divine love has healing power. “The power of love was in all Christ’s healing, and only by partaking of that love, through faith, can we be instruments for His work. If we neglect to link ourselves in divine connection with Christ, the current of life-giving energy cannot flow in rich streams from us to the people.” The Desire of Ages, 825. With this in mind a number of questions come to mind.

What Has Happened To God’s Love In His Church?

“The love of God has been waning in the church, and as a result, the love of self has sprung up into new activity. With the loss of love for God there has come the loss of love for the brethren.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 387. “Selfishness is driving benevolence and the love of Christ from the church.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 205.

When The Church Lacks Love, What Is The Result?

“The church is greatly deficient in love and humanity. Some preserve a cold, chilling reserve, an iron dignity that repels those who are brought within their influence. This spirit is contagious; it creates an atmosphere that is withering to good impulses and good resolves; it chokes the natural current of human sympathy, cordiality, and love; and under its influence people become constrained, and their social and generous attributes are destroyed for want of exercise. Not only is the spiritual health affected, but the physical health suffers by this unnatural depression. The gloom and chill of this unsocial atmosphere is reflected upon the countenance. The faces of those who are benevolent and sympathetic will shine with the luster of true goodness, while those who do not cherish kindly thoughts and unselfish motives express in their faces the sentiments cherished in their hearts.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 63. “There is nothing that can so weaken the influence of the church as the lack of love.” That I May Know Him, 153.

What Is It That Will Make The Church Prosper?

“In order for the church to prosper there must be a studious effort on the part of its members to cherish the precious plant of love. Let it have every advantage that it may flourish in the heart.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 123. “Nothing will so successfully defeat the devices of Satan and his emissaries, nothing will so build up the Redeemer’s kingdom, as will the love of Christ manifested by the members of the church. Peace and prosperity can be enjoyed only as meekness and love are in active exercise.” Ibid., 167.

What Will Be The Product Of Love?

“Nothing can perfect a perfect unity in the church but the spirit of Christlike forbearance. Satan can sow discord; Christ alone can harmonize the disagreeing elements. … When you as individual workers of the church love God supremely and your neighbor as yourself, then there will be no labored efforts to be in unity, there will be oneness in Christ, the ears to report will be closed, and no one will take up a reproach against his neighbor. The members of the church will cherish love and unity and be as one great family. Then we shall bear the credentials to the world that will testify that God has sent His Son into the world.” Reflecting Christ, 200.

What Will Be The Instrument That The Church Will Use To Move The World?

“When those who profess to serve God follow Christ’s example, practicing the principles of the law in their daily life; when every act bears witness that they love God supremely and their neighbor as themselves, then will the church have power to move the world.” Ibid., 298.

“Christ’s most favorite theme was the paternal character and abundant love of God. The curse of every church today is that men do not adopt Christ’s methods.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 192.

Seriously ponder this question. Are you a true Christian, a true disciple of the meek and lowly Jesus? Are you? Our Savior emphatically affirms, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13: 35.

Jesus says to you today, “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.” John 15:12. Amen!

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-822-3900.

Heaven is a Good Place

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Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth where moth and rust corrupts or disfigures and where thieves dig through or break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust corrupts and where thieves do not dig through, neither steal. For where your treasure is, there also your heart will be.” Matthew 6:19–21.

“Satan is constantly at work to present worldly things in so attractive a light that the Christian may be bribed to make the world his first consideration. Should he induce the Christian to seek for worldly treasures, and make things of God of secondary importance, he could readily efface the image of God from the soul. There is continual danger that the things of this world will gain the supremacy and cause us to neglect the things of priceless value.” The Signs of the Times, April 4, 1895.

More time should be spent on the subject of heaven. The devil is presenting all kinds of things in this world in such an attractive light that we are in constant danger of making the things of this world first and more important than the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. The devil plans to rob us of our eternal inheritance.

“The great Teacher gives man a view of the future world. He brings it, with its attractive possessions, within the range of his vision. He presents the actual claims of God and heaven. If He can fasten the mind upon its future life and its blessedness, in comparison with the temporal concerns of this world, the striking contrast is deeply impressed upon the mind, absorbing the heart and soul in the whole being. He [Christ] thus removes the things of time and sense from the affections where they have had the supremacy and gives them their place as subordinate to the higher and eternal realities.” Our High Calling, 286.

Jesus presents the attractions of heaven to us to remove the temporal things of this world from our affections where they have had the supremacy. If we lose our vision of heaven, it will be impossible to get ready to go to a place that is out of mind. Constantly imagine the kind of a place it is and the things we will do there.

Firstly, let’s look at some things that will not be in heaven. Some time ago I knew a gentleman who had become a Seventh-day Adventist a short time before he died. His funeral was held in the Lutheran church which was packed with hundreds of people. Almost his whole family and friends were of the Lutheran faith. One of his friends suggested that I talk about heaven and in researching this subject, most of what I found in my Bible were things that would not be there.

No More Trouble

“There the wicked cease [from] troubling; and there the weary be at rest.” Job 3:17.

There will never be any trouble from any wicked person in heaven because they cease from troubling. Here in this world people are in trouble because of what they or others are saying or doing, something contrary to the law of God causing all kinds of trouble, stress, and strife in our world. In heaven, there will be no more trouble.

No More Tears

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death will not be anymore, neither sorrow, neither crying, neither pain will be anymore, because the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4. No more sin, no more death, no more sorrow. Just a few days before she died, Ellen White wrote, “All will be a happy, united family, clothed with garments of praise and thanksgiving. Over the scene the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy, while God and Christ will unite in proclaiming, ‘There shall be no more sin, neither shall there be any more death.’ ” The Adventist Home, 544.

No Violence

“Violence will no longer be heard in your land, wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.” Isaiah 60:18. It goes on to say how the days of mourning will be ended and the people will all be righteous. It is a wonderful passage of Scripture. There will not be any mourning or any violence, and there will not be any destruction.

No Deformities

There are many deformities in this world. Most of us have fillings in our teeth, wear glasses and have many other kinds of deformities. But in heaven there will only be perfection. Isaiah 35:5, 6, says, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. The lame man shall leap as a hart [a deer], and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.” The deformities so common in this world will be gone, and no one will ever say again, “I am sick.” “Not, he will say, the inhabitant, I am sick.” Isaiah 33:24. Sickness and deformity will be something of the past. We look forward to the time when those using canes and wheelchairs and crutches will be able to throw them away and be rid of all their deformities.

No Selfishness

The disciples at one time came to Jesus inquiring who would be the greatest in heaven. He answered them in Matthew 18:3, 4 saying, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

There will be no rough, unkind or selfish person in heaven; only those who have the meekness of a little child will be there. “In the family of God in heaven, there will not be found one who is selfish. The peace and harmony of the heavenly courts will not be marred by the presence of one who is rough or unkind. He who in this world exalts self in the work given him to do will never see the kingdom of God unless he is changed in his spirit, unless he becomes meek and lowly, revealing the simplicity of a little child.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 140.

If I recognize myself as rough, harsh, unkind, or selfish, I need to go to the Lord immediately and plead with Him to create in me a new heart and renew a right spirit within me. In heaven there will be no roughness or selfishness.

No Contentions

It is recorded in the Bible that on the night of Jesus’ betrayal there was strife and quarrelling amongst His disciples over which of them would be accounted the greatest. Jesus told them to be at peace with each other. You can read about it in Luke 22:23–27. Many times, whether being serious, or even in a joking manner, we fall into the devil’s temptation of shocking or jarring others, but there will be no contentions or war of words in heaven.

“Heaven is a home where sympathy is alive in every heart, expressed in every look. Love reigns there. There are no jarring elements, no discord or contentions or war of words.” Last Day Events, 296.

Does this mean people will be free to think in heaven? Yes, we will be free to have a different opinion; however, we are not going to have a war about it. Heaven is going to be a place full of individuals with different tastes. Here on earth Christians don’t all wear the same clothes or eat exactly alike because of our different tastes and cultures, and God made us to exercise the power of choice in these matters. There are many good things to choose from, making the world so diverse and interesting, but in heaven there will be no war of words over individual likes or dislikes.

No Tempter

This is really something to anticipate. There will be no tempter in heaven. “No tree of knowledge of good and evil will afford opportunity for temptation. No tempter is there, no possibility of wrong. Every character has withstood the testing of evil, and none are longer susceptible to its power.” Education, 301.

For a thousand years he (Satan) will experience the fruit of the curse which he has caused.

“Limited alone to the earth, he will not have the privilege of ranging to other planets, to tempt and annoy those who have not fallen. During this time Satan suffers extremely. … But he is then to be deprived of his power and left to reflect upon the part which he has acted since his fall, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future, when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for all the sins that he has caused to be committed.” The Story of Redemption, 416.

This is not only deliverance for the people on the earth, but also for the beings on other worlds who have never fallen. The devil has also tempted the intelligences in all the other worlds, and they will be delighted to not have him around to tempt them anymore.

“I heard shouts of triumph from the angels and from the redeemed saints which sounded like ten thousand musical instruments, because they were to be no more annoyed and tempted by Satan and because the inhabitants of other worlds were delivered from his presence and his temptations.” Early Writings, 290.

No Funerals, No Tears, No Pain

“Pain cannot exist in the atmosphere of heaven. In the home of the redeemed there will be no tears, no funeral trains, no badges of mourning.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 286. I knew of a young man who was in so much pain before he died that he begged his father, “Please get a gun and shoot me; I can’t stand the pain anymore.” Any physician, preacher or anyone having to visit people who are very sick has run into situations where they have witnessed unbearable pain. That experience is seared into the memory for the rest of your life. I have personally experienced many things that I wish I had not witnessed or heard. All this pain and suffering is just a part of the results of sin. We are so familiar with the fact that this earth causes pain from time to time that it is almost impossible to imagine heaven being a place devoid of both physical and emotional pain. No tears, and no funeral trains or badges of mourning because there is no death, no hospitals, and no funeral homes.

This tells us what will not be in heaven, but what is it that makes heaven, heaven?

Jesus is what makes heaven, heaven. When Jesus was here on this earth it was like heaven to be in His presence. Heaven is where Jesus is. The reason the disciples were so troubled when He said that He was going away was because after they got acquainted with Jesus, they found more happiness, more enjoyment in being in His presence, than they had ever had in all their previous lives.

If you want to be ready to go to heaven, you need to get acquainted with Jesus. He is the King of that place, the One whom everybody loves and worships. The wonderfulness of His character is something no human being or angel can really describe. You have to be there in heaven and experience eternal life to fully realize how wonderful He is. But there are several other things that have been promised when we get there.

Rest

Over the years I have met many people who have worked so hard for so long that they are just plain tired. Heaven is a place where people, who are physically and mentally tired, will have time to rest. Those who are weary from the struggles and trials of this world are going to be able to rest. They will no longer be under pressure to go somewhere or do something. That is very comforting to many people who have been struggling under all kinds of pressing circumstances for many years.

Fullness of Joy

David said, “You will teach me (or show me) the path of life: in your presence there [is] fullness of joy; at your right hand [there are] pleasures for ever more.” Psalm 16:11. In the Hebrew text it says, “There is fullness of joys,” plural. There is more than one kind of joy; there are many joys. And fullness of joy is found in His presence. This means that in heaven we will be the happiest of human beings.

Ellen White describes it this way. “If we can meet Jesus in peace and be saved, forever saved, we shall be the happiest of beings!” Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 343. “The Lord has made every provision for our happiness in the future life.” Marantha, 369. Then we are told that we are not “to measure the conditions of the future life by the conditions of this life.” Ibid.

“Everything in heaven is noble and elevated. All seek the happiness of others. No one devotes himself to looking out and caring for self. It is the chief joy of all holy beings to witness the joy and happiness of those around them.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 239 “One rich tide of happiness will flow and deepen as eternity rolls on.” Ibid., vol. 9, 286.

It is impossible for us to imagine a place of permanent bliss. For the average person, the happiest moments of this life were when they first got married. The Lord uses illustrations to help us understand how happy we are going to be in heaven. In the book, Song of Solomon, the most sensual language is used to describe this bliss. Unfortunately for many, marriage does not stay blissful, but in heaven, that bliss just goes on and on. One rich tide of happiness will flow and deepen as eternity rolls on, and we will be the happiest of beings.

Permanent Dwelling

Just prior to Jesus’ ascension he told his troubled disciples that He was going to leave. He encouraged them by saying, “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go also, I will prepare a place for you. Again I am coming and I will receive you to Myself, in order that where I myself am, also you might be.” John 14:1–3.

Heaven is a place where you will have a permanent dwelling. The word monai, translated mansions, means places or “places” or “permanent dwellings.” There will not be any trailer parks or mobile homes in heaven. All will have a permanent home that will last forever.

Everyone WIll Be Known

“For we see now through a glass in an indistinct image, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know as also I am known.” I Corinthians 13:12. This means that in heaven those who are saved will know the friends that they had here in this world.

“The resurrection of Jesus was a type of the final resurrection of all who sleep in Him. The countenance of the risen Savior, His manner, His speech, were all familiar to His disciples. As Jesus arose from the dead, so those who sleep in Him are to arise again. We shall know our friends, even as the disciples knew Jesus. They may have been deformed, diseased, or disfigured in this mortal life and they rise in perfect health and symmetry; yet in the glorified body their identity will be perfectly preserved.” The Desire of Ages, 804.

“Our personal identity is preserved in the resurrection.” The Faith I Live By, 185. God in His own time will call forth the dead, giving again the breath of life. The same form will come forth, but it will be free from disease and every defect. It lives again, bearing the same individuality of features so that friend will recognize friend.

“The loves and sympathies that God has planted in the soul will find truest and sweetest exercise.” Ibid., 279.

“Every saint connected in family relationship here will know each other there.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 316. In heaven there will be a reunion of friends and loved ones who are now separated by death. There, the saved will be together forever and never separated for more than a week. It is possible that one of your friends, or your family members may decide to stay in the Holy City and you may be taking a trip somewhere in the universe, but never more than a week. Why? Because it says in Isaiah 66:22, 23, “Every Sabbath and every new moon, all flesh is going to come together and worship before Me.” There will be no more “goodbyes” for more than a week.

A Home, Roots

“For those saying these things make it manifest that they seek a fatherland. And if, on the one hand, they had wanted to return to the one they left, they would have had time to return. But now they seek a better one, that is an heavenly. Wherefore God, is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:14–16.

Notice, these people are seeking a fatherland, or a country, and God has prepared for them a city. In the Bible, the inheritance of the saved is called a fatherland or a country that also has a city. It has lakes, rivers, woods and mountains. Ellen White saw this in vision: “We entered a field full of all kinds of beasts—the lion, the lamb, the leopard, and the wolf, all together in perfect union. We passed through the midst of them, and they followed on peaceably after. Then we entered a wood, not like the dark woods we have here; no, no; but light, and all over glorious; the branches of the trees moved to and fro, and we all cried out, ‘We will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.’ We passed through the woods, for we were on our way to Mount Zion.” Early Writings, 18. Heaven is a beautiful place. It has everything the heart could possibly desire.

Occupation

What will we do in heaven? Isaiah 65:21, 22 tells us that we are going to build houses. You are already going to have a house in the city, but you are also going to be able to build yourself a country house, inhabit it and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. It will never be taken from you. You are not going to build and another inhabit or plant and another eat. It goes on to say, “My elect are going to enjoy the work of their hands for a long time.”

“There [in heaven] every power will be developed. Every capability increased. The grandest enterprises will be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations will be reached, the highest ambitions realized. And still there will appear new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to study to call forth the powers of mind and soul.” The Review and Herald, July 1, 1915. “All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s redeemed. Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar.” The Great Controversy, 677.

In Abraham’s day, looking at the sky without telescopes, it was thought that there were a few thousand stars. Later, with the use of telescopes, we found that there were millions of stars, and today with more sophisticated telescopes we know that there are billions. Every time we build a bigger telescope, we find that there are more.

How many galaxies are there? We have no idea, but in heaven you will be able to go to those places and also do things that Adam and Eve enjoyed doing: build houses and plant vineyards. All the treasures of the universe will be open to your study.

Music

Heaven is a place where we are going to enjoy music. No one will be singing the blues in heaven. A different kind of music will be heard there. “The ransomed of the Lord will return, they will come to Zion with songs.” Notice what kinds of songs. “And everlasting joy upon their heads. They will obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:10.

Isaiah 51:3 also talks about joy and gladness, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. And there will be instruments: “The singers and the players on instruments: will be there.” Psalm 87:7.

When I get to heaven I want to have a music room with different kinds of instruments.

I learned when I was very young that there were all kinds of things I wanted to do that there would not be time to do in this world. I took trumpet lessons for a few years when I was young, but I actually wanted to be able to play a saxophone, the clarinet, the trombone, the piano, and the organ. It was impossible to learn all those instruments in this short lifetime.

In high school I thought it would be interesting to study science, history, biology, chemistry, and physics. Unfortunately, you cannot become a specialist in all those areas because we simply do not live long enough. I decided then that if I only had enough time to look at one of those subjects I had better study theology; I had better study, how to get to heaven so I will have enough time to study all the other interesting things throughout eternity.

Music is something I haven’t had much time to study, but someday I want to be a professional musician. Heaven will be a place where we will all be able to become musicians. “There will be music there, and song, such music and song as, save in the visions of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind conceived.” Maranatha, 361. For those of us who enjoy music, that is an exciting thing to look forward to.

Restoration of the First Dominion

In Micah 4:8, it says that we are going to be restored to the first dominion. When Adam was created, he was made the ruler, the king, or master of the whole world. All animals, birds, fish, and every living creature was under his direct control. “Man will be restored to his lost kingship, and the lower order of beings will again recognize his sway; the fierce will become gentle, and the timid trustful.” Marantha, 353. The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion and fatling together. A little child shall lead them. Why? Once more man will have dominion over the animals and they will do whatever the little child says. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together. The lions shall eat straw like the ox. They won’t hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, says the Lord. (See Isaiah 11:6–9.)

Man will again have dominion over the entire earth. The first dominion will be restored and all other living creatures will obey his will.

Living in God’s Presence

“There shall be no more curse; the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be upon their foreheads.” Revelation 22:3, 4. In heaven there will be face to face communication with the Father and the Son. If you are alive at His Second Coming and make up part of the 144,000, you will go with Jesus wherever He goes throughout the universe for eternity. It is hard to imagine this, but it’s fun to try.

Youth and Beauty

At the resurrection, “All come forth from their graves the same in stature as when they entered the tomb. … But all arise with the freshness and vigor of eternal youth.” Maranatha, 299. “The mortal, corruptible form, devoid of comeliness, once polluted with sin, becomes perfect, beautiful, and immortal. All blemishes and deformities are left in the grave.” The Great Controversy, 644, 645.

Heaven is a place of youth and beauty. There are people now with defects or blemishes in their appearance that make it hard for them to socialize and live a normal life because of embarrassment. This is often more difficult for a woman than a man, but soon that will all be gone. Everyone in heaven will be beautiful with the healthful vigor of youth.

Sympathy and Love

Never again will it be heard, “Oh, nobody understands me!” Heaven is a place of sympathy and love. “Heaven is a home where sympathy is alive in every heart, expressed in every look. Love reigns there.” Manuscript Releases, vol.9, 105.

Heaven is a Place of Learning

Is there something here on earth that you would like to know and don’t get the opportunity to study? “Heaven is a school; its field of study, the universe; its teacher, the Infinite One.” The Faith I Live By, 360.

Maybe you want to study science or history. Maybe it is the plan of redemption, or how sin entered the universe and how the Lord has dealt with it for the last 6,000 years. What about understanding how the angels work in your own life? Do you want to understand what happened to you that seemed so awful that you said, “Lord, why did you even allow this to happen?” In heaven, “Jesus will lead us beside the living stream flowing from the throne of God and will explain to us the dark providences through which on this earth He brought us in order to perfect our characters.” The Adventist Home, 544. “All that has perplexed us in the providences of God will in the world to come be made plain.” Ibid., 542. This is something to really look forward to.

Inheritance

Hebrews 11:24–27 tells us that Moses chose to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin. He chose that course because he had respect unto the recompense or the amount of the reward—the inheritance. Jesus also referred to this inheritance in Matthew 19:29. He said that “whatever you have lost in this world, when I come again you are going to receive one hundred fold, plus you are going to receive eternal life.” Ellen White also writes about this: “Whatever crosses they have been called to bear, whatever losses they have sustained, whatever persecution they have suffered, even to the loss of their temporal life, the children of God are amply recompensed.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 180. The word amply means plentifully. If we could just grasp that one fact it would change our whole life. We would never be mourning when we lose something here, for He has promised that we will be paid back one hundred fold when the Lord comes.

All that is pure, all that is excellent and lovely is there. The possession of heaven is endless bliss, infinite glory, riches, and knowledge. The character of heaven is perfect love, and holiness, and peace. We know these things now only in part. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.” I Corinthians 2:9.

Oh, friend, you have to be there. We need to review these things so that we are not caught up with what this world has to offer. Everything in this world is coming to an end and is going to be destroyed. In heaven your happiness and joy will continually increase for eternity.

To miss out on heaven would be an infinite loss. For one soul to miss out on heaven is worse than missing out on a whole world of material possessions. In all of our relations with our fellow men, in our home, with our families, with our friends, we need to keep in mind at all times that we are all choosing day by day our eternal destiny.

Our mission as Christians is to reflect to others the character of Christ so that they also will be attracted to Jesus and desire to be in the place where He is. If they see Him in us, they will want to be there.

(Literal translation is used in many Bible quotes.)

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