“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:26-29
If we would let our hearts be impressed with the following important words, and ever bear them in mind, we should not so easily fall into temptation; but our words would be few, and well chosen.
“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”—“Thou God seest me.”
The Review and Herald – February 17, 1853
Whatever attracts the mind from God, whatever draws the affections away from Christ, is an enemy to the soul.
Christ’s Object Lessons, 53
Sometimes when I think about preparing for the “Second Coming of Jesus”, I get a little overwhelmed. I’ll admit I am a bit of a scatter-brain, and keeping my focus on one thing is a little difficult for me. Yes, I am the person with not just 10 tabs open on my computer… but 3 different browsers each with a couple windows open and each with many tabs open… sometimes as many as 30 each!!. Can I be scatter-brained? You bet, I can. I’d love to say it is just when I get on the computer, but my husband will tell you that I have so many interests and so many projects going on at the same time, *sigh*. So with so many things running through my mind, I try to remember to focus on the “good things”. When the thought of the “Second Coming” comes up, sometimes I wonder if I will have my focus on the right things…and that I am not so caught up with all of my other ideas that are running around in my head.
Well, a few years ago, I was beginning to struggle with getting ready on Sabbath. When younger, it was not a big deal, but with a home with 5 girls, planning a wedding or two, keeping up with homeschooling and helping with online ministries, and lots of activities at church… I was running on thin. Week after week, I told myself I was such a failure because I couldn’t get “ready” for Sabbath. What was my problem? I dreaded the weekly preparation day because I couldn’t keep things together. I realize looking back that I was going through some depression, dealing with some anger/forgiveness with issues in my life and the way I felt better was to stay busy. When busy, I didn’t tell myself what a failure I was… until Friday evening… when it all came crashing down on me that I once again was not ready for Sabbath.
I prayed about this. I sought studies on this. I asked the Lord what is it that I need to give up so that I can be ready. I was looking for the right way to accomplish it… perhaps a bit of a works type of readiness. “JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO SO I CAN DO IT”. And you know what… I didn’t get an answer… not the answer that I wanted, but instead, I got a word. Preparation. I know what the word means… and I can prepare for an event… but I am a great person to do a big job… at the LAST minute! So, as I went to church… that word… “Preparation” began to gnaw at my very soul. We had a season of many many sermons in a row being focused on the second coming of Jesus, and preparation is needed… in my character, in my heart, in my actions, in my life.
One thought that came to me time and time again was… “If you can’t get ready for Sabbath, how will you ever be ready for the Second Coming?” That thought was deeply convicting. I used to have no problem getting ready for Sabbath, so I had to seek to find out what the problem was. God didn’t tell it to me… He gave me time to search out my own heart. I saw things I wasn’t very happy about. I saw things that needed to change. When I came to them, I simply asked, “Is it this?” And I felt a pitiful but a very deep love come upon me that just said… “Yes”. I began to let go of some of those things. And Sabbaths are beginning to be a joy in our home once again as my heart is ready and prepared to meet my Saviour as the evening hours come upon us.
As I have gotten back on track, I realized that none of us are safe. We are not saved by the things we did right in our youth. We are not saved by the things we are doing now. We are not saved by what we think we will accomplish. But we are saved when we know our Lord and Saviour and we seek to know Him day by day. That was where I was lacking… I somehow felt I had done things right when younger… but I was so busy with life that I was leaving behind the one thing that I truly needed… the “Seeking” of my God. I prayed, I talked to Him daily… but I wasn’t seeking Him… It was a more of a stale relationship. I knew I could trust Him. I knew His words were true. I knew the right things to do. But I didn’t seek Him out. Kind of like a marriage gone stale. You still love your mate, but you aren’t doing anything to bless your mate. I realized I had missed that time when I could bless my Lord and my Lord could bless me.
As Sabbath comes around, if you find yourself not ready… take time to figure out why. It may take months or years to get to the true root, but begin to seek it out! Now, when I look to Sabbath and I feel such joy upon it’s coming… I now no longer have the words above running through my head (“If you can’t get ready for Sabbath, how will you ever be ready for the Second Coming?”) Instead, I have lovely thoughts… I can’t imagine not being ready for that Big Day! I smile all day Friday… knowing what is coming… a blessed time reserved for me to seek Him just with an extra measure than I am able on the other 6 days. And you know… that’s the real reason for my joy when I think of the Second Coming… that I will have eternity to see His face, to hear His voice, to be ever near to the one that knows me so well.
“The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.” Psalm 18:46
“Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me. ” Psalm 66:20
“Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.” Psalm 104:1
I recently shared this on my Instagram account. I decided to share it here because I think it is important to recognize those object lessons we find in the garden… or in this case… out of the garden.
Found by my back door…a Bok Choy plant which planted itself. It takes a beating, but I leave it there to remind me to grow where I am planted…despite the hard days I have.
Sometimes in life, we don’t feel we are where we should be. We seem to be getting beat up. We seem to be in the wrong place. But, I believe we sometimes walk these times in our lives because God wants us to grow despite our circumstances.
May we all grow where we are planted!
*If you have a garden object lesson you would like to share here, contact us at adventisthomeducator@gmail.com
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
If the Christian thrives and progresses at all, he must do so amid strangers to God, amid scoffing, subject to ridicule. He must stand upright, like the palm-tree in the desert. The sky may be as brass, the desert sand may beat about the palm-tree’s roots, and pile itself in heaps about its trunk. Yet the tree lives as an evergreen, fresh and vigorous amid the burning desert sands. Remove the sand till you reach the rootlets of the palm tree, and you discover the secret of its life; it strikes down deep beneath the surface, to the secret waters hidden in the earth. Christians indeed may be fitly represented by the palm tree. They are like Enoch; although surrounded with corrupting influences their faith takes hold of the Unseen. They walk with God, deriving strength and grace from him to withstand the moral pollution surrounding them. Like Daniel in the courts of Babylon, they stand pure and uncontaminated; their life is hid with Christ in God. They are virtuous in spirit amid depravity; they are true and loyal, fervent and zealous, while surrounded by infidels, hypocritical professors, godless and worldly men. Their faith and life are hid with Christ in God. Jesus is in them a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Faith, like the rootlets of the palm-tree, penetrates beneath the things which are seen, drawing spiritual nourishment from the fountain of life.
The Review and Herald, January 2, 1897
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