Lily amongst the scum

[Ben]

Do not let the blighting influences that are flooding the world be the picture that is before the mind, but hold up the purity and love of God.

Do not hang in memory's hall pictures of all the corruption and iniquity that you can bundle together. No, do not do it. It discourages the mind. A discouraged man is good for nothing.

Just get the mind off these dark pictures by talking of God's love, and you may hang memory's halls with the brightest pictures that you can imagine.  
    We want to keep the perfect Pattern before us. God was so good as to send a representation of Himself in His Son Jesus Christ, and we want to get the mind and heart to unfold and reach upward.

Just as soon as Adam and Eve fell, their countenances fell at the sight of their miserableness. We may see our wretchedness, and we should pray that God will reveal our own hearts to us; but we should pray also that He will reveal Himself to us as a sin-pardoning Redeemer. Let yours be the prayer, 'Reveal Thyself to me, that in Thy matchless grace I may lay hold on the golden link, Christ, which has been let down from heaven to earth, that I may grasp it and be drawn upward.'  

Brethren, you have all seen on the bosom of the lake the beautiful white lily. How anxious we have been, how we have wished and worked, that we might get that blossom.
No matter how much scum and debris and filth there is around it, yet that does not destroy our desire for the lily. We wonder how the lily can be so beautiful and white where there is so much filth. Well, there is a stem that strikes down to the golden sands beneath and gathers nothing but the purest substance that feeds the lily until it develops into the pure and spotless flower as we see it.  

    Should not this teach us a lesson? It ought to. It shows that although there is iniquity all around us we should not approach it.
Do not talk of the iniquity and wickedness that are in the world, but elevate your minds and talk of your Saviour.
When you see iniquity all around you it makes you all the more glad that He is your Saviour, and we are His children.
Then, shall we look at the iniquity around us and dwell upon the dark side?
You cannot cure it; then talk of something that is higher, better, and more noble.
Talk of those things that will leave a good impression on the mind, and will lift every soul up out of this iniquity into the light beyond.

  Now, we may go into a cellar and stay there and look around into its dark corners, and we can talk of the darkness and say, "Oh, it is so dark here," and keep talking about it. But will it make it any lighter? Oh no! What are you going to do? Come out of it; come out of the dark into the upper chamber where the light of God's countenance shines brightly.  

    You know our bodies are made up of the food assimilated. Now, it is the same with our minds. If we have a mind to dwell on the disagreeable things of life, it will not give us any hope, but we want to dwell on the cheery scenes of heaven. Says Paul, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."  {1888 76.5}

[Sister Marie]

Yes, I agree fully. Here is what I shared with one sister who thought there was not happiness here even though we believe the truth.
Life is hard, the Lord never did say it would be easy, did He? But
the older I get the more I realize that it is our attutude toward
life, both the good and especially the bad, that really makes or
brakes us. I spend most of my life depressed. I just couldn't shake
it. But God has finelly freed me of this. Now when I am in need or I
am praying for help I realize that whatever God's answer is, it will
be good for me in the long run. The long run is what is important
here, not the wishes of the day; what we feel we need or want. God
knows what best and when we give our life over to Him, trusting Him
to know what is best, regardless of what happens we will never be
disappointed. This life is not the end of it all; there is happiness
beyond.
As for happiness here. I feel we can be happy here. The closer we get
to the Lord the happier we will be. Happiness is not based on getting
what we want or even what we need, it is based on total trust in God.
Our attitude toward life determines our happiness. If we truly trust
God we will have a good attitude toward whatever happens to us. When
we go through hard times with this good attitude, we are not robed of
our happiness. God desires for us to be happy in Him no matter what
we have to go thru.
Adam and Eve were given total happiness. Happiness does not come from
being able to do as we please without restrictions, it comes from
following God's commandments because we are so grateful for His gift
of Salvation. This is where real freedom is and true happiness. When
we don't live for Him we can not be happy. We don't follow to be
saved, we follow because we are ARE SAVED and we are given the power
to obey Him from Him, not of ourselves. He wants us to be overcomers,
and He offers the power to do so. Again, we are talking about total
trust in God, a good attitude toward God and His wishes for us and
true happiness.

Salvation by the grace of God is not the only thing to be had, but He
offers true happiness with it. It is a total change. How can we be
saved and not be happy?

Jesus was a man of sorrows because He sorrowed for mankind, not for
himself. He knew how we would continue to fall away from Him. But He
found strength and love and happiness in His all night prayers with
His Father in heaven. If He did not have this He could never have
gone on.

We gain a closer walk with Jesus as we draw closer to Him. When we
hang on to Him in the hard times it will draw us ever closer and
closer to our Lord.

Not one of us is worthy of Salvation, and no matter what a man has
done for God in this life, it does not make him more worthy of
Salvation then anyone else. Christ died for us all, and we are ALL
sinners and unworthy; every one. It is a gift He gives to us. When we
look in the mirror and see us as Christ sees us----forgiven and a
Child of His----------we will put great worth on ourselves. There is
so much worth there that Jesus would have died JUST FOR YOU ALONE!

God Bless,
Marie

[Joan]

You two have brought up a nicely needed balance here in this Forum room "Signs of the Times"   what with your drawing attention to the good and beauty of this life.

Our goal is to prepare a folk for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. He prepared his disciples with warnings of what was to come. I found that to be so very protectively considerate of Him. It is the suddenness of unexpected tragical crisis that leaves one in a spin of vunerablity.
Jesus doesn't want us to loose our minds to fear and dispair when crisis is there around us. He wants us to be prepared for the crisis ahead.

Reporting in this forum sector about the signs of the times pointing to the near coming of Christ is serving a purpose....

1.) Giving a wake-up call that changes are coming rapidly and we should adjust some wrong attitudes we may be harboring of peace and tranquility is our political rights in life.

2.) Giving us the chance to test our standing in Jesus. To prepare ourselves with putting on the righteousness of Christ by faith and walking in trust in His merits.

3.) Giving us the chance to be informed by the words of Jesus to let no man deceive us we compare what he said about the near end of time and compare what is actually taking place around us.

Jesus warned us to be constantly on guard. Deception will increase in the last days.

Signs of the times include :

* A universally accepted false Messiah coming

* We'll be over runned with a hoard of magicians, seducers, imposters, miracle workers, charlatans and faith healers.

* There will be wars and rumors of wars
(here is comfort direct from Jesus as he said for us not to be troubled by this)

*Kingdoms and nations will rise up against each other

*There are famines just before his coming

*Virulent epidemic diseases will take place

*Lots of awful earthquakes were perdicted by him taking place in various places on the globe

That all takes place at the beginnings of our sorrows.

*False prophets will pop up with false messages and a great majority will swallow whole in belief their deceptive words

*Depravity, gross injustice and wickedness will increase among people. Hardness to others will so make the hearts cold and indifferent to suffering. No more shame at evil.

*When it gets real personal is the time we are delivered up for afflictions, even some being killed, all of us being hated for his name sake.

What I see as an awful sign of real social breakdown between us is that he reported how many among us will be offended, will hate the other one and betray them to the authorities.

Praise be to God. We who hold the words of Jesus in faith are not left desolate. He is preparing us for the crisis so the shock won't catch our breath away in wonderment and unpreparness. He does not want us to be deceived and go after false prophets or grab shortlived imaginary comfort being offered by the false Messiah.

Praise be to God that Jesus has comforted us with the words "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved"

Joan

[Ben]

Ladies...I did not expect such thoughtful responses so soon! It's nice to be among Bereans.

This extract of Sister White's is one of those rare occasions where she spells things out in ABC style; it happens so infrequently that we tend to miss it. Let's break the key passage down:

"Should not this teach us a lesson? It ought to. It shows that although there is iniquity all around us we should not approach it."

*~ Frankly I take her much more literally as time passes; she advises strongly not only not to participate in sin, but not even dwell on it. You become what you dwell on, willingly or not.

"Do not talk of the iniquity and wickedness that are in the world, but elevate your minds and talk of your Saviour."

*~I tend to discount the religious words of any "saint" that must tell me all about the horrors of this or that...at all! What is the point? Is the exposure of sin supposed to prod one towards righteousness? Light draws...darkness repels. If one has just a intellectual connection to a "teaching" and not to the Source of Light Himself then the  temptation to pick up on cellar rats and lumps of coal can be overwhelming.

"When you see iniquity all around you it makes you all the more glad that He is your Saviour, and we are His children.
Then, shall we look at the iniquity around us and dwell upon the dark side?"

*~You will see it; we are not become monks and nuns. But to become the heralds of the darkness by constant reporting is to sap the energy He wishes to fill you with. The world hears the evil news all the time; they are not interested in your spin on it...it will not bring souls to Jesus. Only showering them with Jesus' power from within you will. Darkness and light cannot dwell together in any heart in peace.

"You cannot cure it;.."

*~ There is no social Gospel! We are not here to fix the system, defend our rights or establish and Adventist society. We cannot do what God plans to do with mankind. We will imitate Jesus the Healer and Encourager out of a spontaneous reaction to His mercy to ourselves, not as vindication of some set of precepts or some community project. Now in our day it is even more an individual response to the unction of the Spirit.

"... then talk of something that is higher, better, and more noble.
Talk of those things that will leave a good impression on the mind, and will lift every soul up out of this iniquity into the light beyond."

*~I see these words as orders of the High Command. They are for your survival.

"Christ bids you bring all of heaven you can into your life.
Talk of the great reward that awaits the overcomer.
Set your face as a flint heavenward, saying, as you advance,
'Hear what the Lord has wrought for me.' Shall we not come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty?
Shall we not work with all the power that God has given us to oppose the work of Satan?
An eternal weight of glory awaits the overcomer.
If we gain heaven, we gain everything.
Shall we not put away sin, and let Christ abide in our hearts by faith?
Not until we have the mind of Christ shall we be like Him, and see Him as He is.  
When the warfare is ended, and we have gained the crown of immortality, the harp of God, the palm branch of victory, and wear the white robe of Christ's righteousness, we shall say,
        'Heaven is cheap enough.'  

{Youth's Instructor, January 11, 1900 par. 1}

[Sister Marie]

AMEN!!!!

[Joan]

I second that amen, Marie !

Positive all the time is not natural for many. But the firmness of trust in Christ as saviour, healer, companion, friend, protector has to do with positive trust in his constant caring love. Attacks on our comfort zones will then be easier to cope with in victory when our trust is grounded firmly in Him.

But this is still a section for reporting Signs of the Times that give clues to the political happenings that are shoving puzzle pieces together to make the whole picture more clear.

Detail reporting about crime is a bit depressive and might cause harm to sensitive souls needing to get away from the barragement of public media depicting evil in gruesome details. So it is better in this sector to report what Jesus said would happen so or so.

Joan

[Richard Myers]

This is a good discussion. Let us remember why the Forum was set up to begin with and try and keep our "New Topics" in line with the purpose. Yes, there are other things happening in the church that we need to know about, but there are some things that we do not need to report. All and all, the members have been pretty good about their new topics.

Brother Ben's gentle reproof will help us all to remember our purpose here.  

Richard

[Sister Marie]

One thing that we are seeing more and more of in our world today in negitive thinking. Is it no wonder, the music and the words and satanism going on now days. For us as Christians this is only the begainning and we need to come close to our Lord so that when things get worse and worse we will be prepared to lean on Him no matter what!!!

[Ben]

"Count the mercies! count the mercies!
      Number all the gifts of love;
    Keep a daily, faithful record
      Of the comforts from above.
    Look at all the lovely green spots
      In life's weary desert way;
    Think how many cooling fountains
      Cheer our fainting hearts each day.
    Count the mercies! count the mercies!
      See them strewn along our way!

   "Count the mercies, though the trials
      Seem to number more each day,
    Count the trials, too, as mercies,
      Add them to the grand array.
    Trials are God's richest blessings,
      Sent to prompt our upward flight
    As the eaglet's nest--all broken,
      Makes them fly to loftier heights.
    Count the mercies! count the mercies!
      That bring heaven within our sight.

   "Let us number all our jewels,
      Let us estimate their worth;
    Let us thank the gracious Giver,
      Strewing blessings o'er the earth;
    Let our hearts o'erflow with gladness.
      Let us tell the wonders o'er,
    Till our multiplying treasures
      Seem a countless, boundless store;
    Then let praises, grateful praises,
      Be our language, evermore."

[Joan]

Wauf! Who wrote that prose ?
It's strong and vibrant like I like it.

We have a poem section in S.Hall for more of same caliber if more you readers get inspired  

Joan

[Ben]

It's from an unknown poet Sister White quoted in a sermon; she clipped it from a newspaper in the 1890's.
I thought it reflected the point Sister Glass was suggesting~~too much peeking at the darkness around us.

I dare not hang around the infamous poem section there in the Social Hall, Joan. I will get much too "gefüllt mit Gefühlen, die mich zum künstlerischen Berg weg tragen können, übersteigt!"