By Camron Schofield, Audio: mp3

The words of Christ how readest thou is spoken to each one of us individually today because we are all in danger of not understanding the English language that is written in the word of God. What is in the Bible is so plain and simple that a child can understand it. But the problem is as the child grows up, it grows up under a world of philosophy and theology and loses his simplicity of reading God’s word. I want to state right at the start that I am not seeking to lay down any regulation or rule or any such thing. What I am seeking to do by the grace of God is to simply draw our minds into a situation and a state of mind where we will get into more of a habit to think and to think again. God is different to what the natural man thinks He is and His workings are mysterious and except He makes them plain, we cannot understand them. It is my belief that the following question is asked by the whole world; 

Song of Solomon 6:10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

Who is she? This is an illustration of the church triumphant. As the remnant people of God go forth to give the loud cry, the world will stand in awe. What is this glory, brightness, power and order? Who is she? As we seek to be amongst her we need to understand more and more. How can I be found amongst her under the blood stained banner of Prince Emmanuel? In the following verses we see this woman going forward and accomplishing a mighty work.

Isaiah 52:9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean [thing]; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. 12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel [will be] your rereward. 13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 52:15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for [that] which had not been told them shall they see; and [that] which they had not heard shall they consider.

Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him. 3 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.

These verses contain the very work of she who will go forth and will stand in the power and righteousness of Jesus Christ before the nations of this world. The pioneers understood it and describe the work.

Here is the arm of the Lord revealed in the sight of the nations as power, so that all the ends of the earth see the salvation of God; so that nations shall be astonished, and kings will simply shut their mouths in wonder and amazement. What has not been told them, what they could not dream of even, they will see. They will see a power, without seeing the source of power. They will see a mighty power, and yet no great appearance or show of power. They will see perfect unity of action, and yet no man possessing or claiming authority. March 4, 1897 N/A, GCDB 249.7

Who is she truly that the world will marvel at such an appearance? It will have power but no visible source of power. Perfect unity of action, terrible as an army with banners yet no one claiming authority. The world will look at this and marvel for it is not the natural man, it is not an earthly army which has one ruler. The world knows the saying ‘smite the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered’. If they want to take out a group of men they go for the leader. The world has its leaders and organizations and men that govern. This army has one master. The words of Christ said;

Matthew 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ.

This army is governed by an unseen power and that power is Jesus Christ. When the time of the Loud cry comes there will be one of a city and two of a family that will stand in their lot in the courts before the world and they will make known the character of God. One of a city in one country and two of a family in another country will they stand united and proclaim the same message yet many of them will not know each other or even know each others names but they have one head and one ruler, Jesus Christ yet no man possessing or claiming authority. There will be perfect unity. The church of God will stand forth clear as the sun, fair as the moon and as terrible as an army with banners yet there will be no authority visible at their head. Each will be acting under the dictation of Jesus Christ. Each individual in that army will have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In God’s system of government there are no kingly powers but himself. Only the service of love is what he wants. As we seek to know the love of God we become enlisted in his army. He is the King.

Men, fallible men, are not to think it is their prerogative to control, to mark out, or to prescribe the labors of their fellow men. When God works upon the human instrumentality, let men be very careful how they intermeddle; for it is its process, the work of God is divine. The work of God has often been hindered by men considering that they had power to say, Go here or Go there Do this or Do that, without consulting the individual himself, or respecting his convictions as a laborer together with God. God has promised his presence to every believer; and let those who are in positions of authority, presidents of conferences and board councils, and everyone who has to do with the human mind, respect the individuality of mind and conscience. These workers are in co-partnership with Jesus Christ, and you may interpose yourself so as to interfere with God’s plans; for the human agent is under his special authority and dictation. PC 398.3

Each individual in God’s church is under Christ’s special authority and dictation. There must be continual respect for the individuality and religious liberty of our fellow brethren to respect their convictions as labourers together with God. I want us to think. Today we see a perversion of Hebrews 13:17.

Hebrews13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that [is] unprofitable for you.

God has under shepherds and they have a responsibility to give warnings and reproofs and meat in due season. They have a great sense of burden if they do not give the cry and people are snared their blood is on their hands. Yet in many of the churches today we have a perversion of this scripture. The leaders style themselves as leaders and say go here, go there, do this and do that and they actually do it very consciously. They believe if you do not do what they ask you to do you will die and go to hell. Is this not Catholic thinking and mirrored in the protestant churches? Very soon Sunday laws will be upon us and conscientiously they believe if you will be saved you must keep Sunday. They say you can’t work on Sunday but any other day is okay. They will force you to do it thinking thereby they can save your life. If it be a church institution, a church ordinance, that the church commands men to perform, it is the same thing. It is the same evil thing. Because any church that would attempt to do it becomes in the nature of the attempt, an apostate church. Trace it to the days of the apostles. The church that did it is in the nature of things an apostate church attempting to save itself and others without the power of God. Therefore whatever church did it, it is in the nature of things a fallen church because it is not the church’s office in the world to command men. The church’s office in the world is to obey God only.

Any church, therefore, that presumes to command men is, at the very motion of it, an apostate church. The church that obeys God is the church of God. God commands; His is the power. His is the authority. He used the church, that through it He may reflect His power and His glory unto men. But the church has no right to command anybody. It obeys God alone, too.
March 3, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 468.15

The church is to respect the individual’s obedience to God. The church that obeys God is the church of God. Any church that presumes to command men in the way of salvation is an apostate church. It is not the church that looks as fair as the sun and terrible as an army with banners. The scriptures describe the church as a body with its many members. Your body received its messages directly from the head. If it doesn’t receive messages correctly from the head, it does not work properly. If these messages are confused you end up with very strange behaviour and actions. Christ said I am the vine and you are the branches.

By the figure of the vine and the branches, Christ illustrated not only the relation that should exist between him and his followers, but also the union between every believer and his fellow believer. The branches of the vine are related to each other; but they are not alike. Each has its own individuality, which can not be merged into that of another, but all have a special connection with each other. The root that supplies nourishment to one branch supplies nourishment to every other branch. Each must depend alike on the vine for sustenance; all must be joined to the parent stalk. The life and growth and fruitfulness of each depend alike on the parent vine. In obedience to the laws of nature, their common hold of the true vine make them one; in their diversity there is unity. SpM 404.1

How poorly this is understood today. The ecumenical churches rejoice in unity in diversity. They leave the floodgates open to every whim, passion and impulse of man. They unite on liberality toward each other to believe what you want to believe. They call it unity. True unity in diversity is where the individual has a personal relationship with Jesus but it is a relationship with the one man and each of the individual interact with him the same.

The lesson of the vine and its branches holds a deep meaning for the workers in the cause of God. Every worker is to draw his strength from the same Source; and while the individuality of each is to be maintained, unity and harmony is to be preserved. When this spirit of oneness pervades the work, our institutions throughout the world will be united in their interests, while the individuality of any one of them will not be merged into that of any other one. {SpM 404.2}

As you contemplate this do you feel the need of the Holy Spirit to help understand this? It is not one powerful mind and all other minds sink their small minds into that one powerful mind and taking up all that he likes and does. We see that in society especially the youth. We are all individuals – each a branch on the vine, one growing this way, the other that way. We are not to merge our individuality into that of another. We are to depend upon the vine for sustenance and for each to have a personal relationship with Jesus yet we are to be one. Our unity in diversity is found in our unity with Jesus Christ. This is our heart’s desire and indeed it was the prayer of Jesus Christ that they all might be one. We individually must have a personal relationship with Jesus for ourselves yet we are to be one. We can only have unity if that life source is the same. Jesus prayed to His father that we might all be one. His father heard Him. Jesus is crying today that we may all be one. He knows the dangers we are in today the weakness and lack of fortitude of our own minds to preserver our own individuality. How easy is it when we have a problem to call someone and say what shall I do instead of trying to prayerfully work things out for ourselves. We are all in danger. It is in the very air we breathe that we would merge our individuality in that of another that we might set up someone else’s tastes as our own tastes and set up their opinion as our opinion.

An Appearance of Unity

Have you noticed when individuality is merged into another there is an amazing appearance of unity? There really is. There is no more rubbing against each other. It is easy and when someone says something it’s amen and we all agreed. We all seem to be getting along so well. We see it in church in business and in government and in all the different religions today. There is an appearance of peace. When they say peace and safety then there is sudden destruction. Have you ever gone home from church disappointed feeling you have been let down or have you met an experience where you feel your whole world has come crashing down? The problem is you have made the church to be your world. The church is not our home, our home is to be found in the truth which the church is to be founded upon. We are to find a home amongst God’s church. It is found in the truths in the word of God. Jesus himself is to be our home.

Two Dangerous Things

We are in danger of two things. Firstly, that we might be dominating the minds of others and thus taking control over their minds or losing our own personal identity in the individuality of another. I want us to examine where we are standing as individuals and to consider what influence we may be having upon others. We need to examine whether we are making our own experience with Jesus Christ or simply leaning upon the experience of another. Examine yourselves and see whether you are in the faith. Prove your own selves. In order for the individual to develop and grow in the Lord they must have their own personal experience. We cannot rely upon the experience of another. We must have our own experience.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.

How shall we know for ourselves God’s goodness and His love? The psalmist tells us– not, hear and know, read and know, or believe and know; but–Taste and see that the Lord is good. Instead of relying upon the word of another, taste for yourself. Experience is knowledge derived from experiment. Experimental religion is what is needed now. 5T 221.2

People get confused. What we need is experiential religion. People say my experience tells me this or that therefore I am right and things need to go my way.

Experience is said to be the best teacher. Genuine experience is indeed superior to mere theoretical knowledge, but many have an erroneous idea as to what constitutes experience. Real experience is gained by a variety of careful experiments, made with the mind free from prejudice, uncontrolled by previously established opinions and habits. The results are marked with careful solicitude, and an anxious desire to learn, to improve, and to reform on every point that is not in harmony with physical and moral laws. BEcho, December 19, 1904 par. 1

This is the experience we are to go by. Experimental religion is what is needed now – why? Because if we would be part of that mighty army that will give the loud cry, then we must know the Lord for ourselves. We need to make our own experiment and we must not interfere in each other’s experience. In our meditation today I do no want to draw any lines or to set any rules in our engagements with one another but I simply want to cause us to think and to think again. Sometimes our experiments can appear to be going really bad. We often meddle in one another’s affairs because we are uncomfortable with the experience others are making. Or it may be different to my own experience. Remember the story of Uzzar when he stepped in and was instantly killed. We must remember that every man must have his or her experience. We cannot set up our own experience as a criterion for anyone. Experience God. Taste God. Remember God’s ways are not our ways

Isaiah 55:8, 9For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The angels that stand around the throne cry holy, holy, holy each time they see a greater revelation of God’s character. How long have we lived? How wrong are we to think we know what God is doing with the individual.

Psalm 50:16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or [that] thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? 17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. 18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. 19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. 20 Thou sittest [and] speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s son. 21 These [things] hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether [such an one] as thyself: [but] I will reprove thee, and set [them] in order before thine eyes.

We are in danger thinking God is like me. In the same verse God said he keeps silent. He let them do what they wanted to do. God is not like us. We may have been created in his image but we are not God. Here are a few examples of God’s strange dealings. We need to think before we act and speak very prayerfully.

Ezekiel 4:1 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city, [even] Jerusalem: 2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set [battering] rams against it round about. 3 Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it [for] a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This [shall be] a sign to the house of Israel. 4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: [according] to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. 7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm [shall be] uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it. 8 And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege. 9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, [according] to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. 10 And thy meat which thou shalt eat [shall be] by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. 11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink. 12 And thou shalt eat it [as] barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. 13 And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. 14 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. 15 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. 16 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: 17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.

God is very different to what we think he is. How many today loose their souls over this parable? Yet God saw fit to speak it.

Luke 16:19 The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. 18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from [her] husband committeth adultery. 19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence. 17 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

What does this parable contain? Isn’t it a story of hell as is taught by the apostate churches today? That one died and went to the bosom of Abraham and another died and went to hell and held communication with each other. God is true and every man a liar. What a parable. Is he not advocating today’s error? How many people stumble over this and loose their souls? Millions of people loose their souls because of these scriptures. What was God doing? We need to understand what he was doing. If we don’t understand, don’t stumble over it. God is his own interpreter and he will make it plain.

In this parable Christ was meeting the people on their own ground. The doctrine of a conscious state of existence between death and the resurrection was held by many of those who were listening to Christ’s words. The Saviour knew of their ideas, and He framed His parable so as to inculcate important truths through these preconceived opinions. He held up before His hearers a mirror wherein they might see themselves in their true relation to God. He used the prevailing opinion to convey the idea He wished to make prominent to all–that no man is valued for his possessions; for all he has belongs to him only as lent by the Lord. A misuse of these gifts will place him below the poorest and most afflicted man who loves God and trusts in Him. COL 263.2

Isn’t that wisdom beyond ours? We have in our church people of different backgrounds and different experiences and opinions and ideas. Christ condescended to meet these people where they were at and today God does the same. We can look and say that is bizarre but God is doing the same things today when we look at how he is dealing with our fellow men. God says step back I am working here. We are to grant each other liberty to experiment with his word. Yes we have baptismal vows. These are tests and things we are to hold each other to but there are other aspects of the individual experience that is not for man to tread upon at all but to leave and give them room to build and develop his own personal relationship to Jesus. There are many aspects to reform. There is so much written to understand. One person will read one passage and think it is a thus saith the Lord and another person reads another part and they think it is a thus saith the LORD. Issues arise because there seems no correlation between the two but as we learned previous we need to study wider and respect the individual dealings of God with others. One mans poison is another mans medicine.

Food

In the use of foods we should exercise good judgment, and sound sense. When we find that something does not agree with us, we need not write letters of inquiry to learn the cause of the disturbance. We are to use our reason. Change the diet; use less of some of the foods; try other preparations. Soon we shall know the effect that certain combinations have on us. We are not machines; we are intelligent human beings; and we are to exercise our common sense. We can experiment with different combinations of foods. KC 144.5

God has given each individual an intellect and God holds the person responsible for it. An illustration of how the individual has their personal experience follows.

Two Meals a Day

Should we eat two or three meals per day? This is a very controversial subject to many people. Some enthusiastically promote two meals but some with equal enthusiasm say three meals is essential. The following is a private letter to a man about his personal experience.

Letter to Br H. The course of Brother H has not been what it should have been. His likes and dislikes are very strong, and he has not kept his own feelings under the control of reason. Brother H, your health is greatly injured by overeating and eating at improper times. This causes a determination of blood to the brain. The mind becomes confused, and you have not the proper control of yourself. You appear like a man whose mind is unbalanced. You make strong moves, are easily irritated, and view things in an exaggerated and perverted light. Plenty of exercise in the open air, and an abstemious diet, are essential to your health. You should not eat more than two meals a day. If you feel that you must eat at night, take a drink of cold water, and in the morning you will feel much better for not having eaten. Your children should not be allowed to eat candies, fruit, nuts, or anything in line of food, between their meals. Two meals a day are better for them than three. If the parents set the example, and move from principle, the children will soon fall into line. Irregularities in eating destroy the healthy tone of the digestive organs, and when your children come to the table they do not relish wholesome food; their appetites crave that which is the most hurtful for them. Many times your children have suffered from fever and ague brought on by improper eating, when their parents were accountable for their sickness. It is the duty of parents to see that their children form habits conducive to health, thereby saving much distress. 4T 501.4; 4T 502.1

Both he and his children have been counselled to eat only two meals per day. This is a letter to the individual and we are to take into account time and place.

Another Letter

It is cruelty to sit down yourself to the third meal, and take satisfaction in talking and enjoying yourselves while you have your children sit by and eat nothing, representing the excellent discipline your children are under to let them watch your eating and not rebel against your authority. They do rebel. They are young now, but you continue this kind of discipline and you will spoil your authority. Then again you seem to fear when your children are at the table that they will not eat enough and urge them to eat and to drink. You need not have the slightest concern and show the anxiety you have manifested lest they shall not eat sufficiently. Their little stomachs are small and cannot hold a large amount. Better far let them have three meals than two for this reason. You let them have a large amount of food at one meal. The foundation is being laid for distention of the stomach which results in dyspepsia. 8MR 379.2

Here is different counsel to another family. One family was admonished to have two meals and another family three. The Review and Herald is a paper for everyone and when Ellen White writes to the whole church she wrote in the Review and Herald.

The first education children should receive from the mother in infancy, should be in regard to their physical health. They should be allowed only plain food, of that quality that will preserve to them the best condition of health; and that should be partaken of only at regular periods, not oftener than three times a day, and two meals would be better than three. If children are disciplined aright, they will soon learn that they can receive nothing by crying or fretting. In training her children, a judicious mother will act not merely in regard to her own present comfort, but for their future good. And to this end, she will teach them the important lesson of controlling the appetite, and of self-denial, that they should eat, drink, and dress with reference to health. Review and Herald RH, August 8, 1899 par. 6

This is an admonishment to the whole church.

The term properly called infancy, requires several changes as to the periods of taking food. Before birth it is receiving nourishment constantly. And the changes from this to the establishment of only two meals a day, which may, in most children, be done from the ages of one to three years, must be gradual. RH, April 14, 1868 par. 5

There needs to be a natural progression from feeding constantly in the womb to two meals. But then she says.

Do an Experiment

Those who are changing from three meals a day, to two, will at first be troubled more or less with faintness, especially about the time they have been in the habit of eating their third meal. But if they persevere for a short time, this faintness will disappear. CD 175.1

Third Meal Recommendation

The practice of eating but two meals a day is generally found a benefit to health; yet under some circumstances persons may require a third meal. This should, however, if taken at all, be very light, and of food most easily digested. Crackers–the English biscuit–or zwieback, and fruit, or cereal coffee, are the foods best suited for the evening meal. MH 321.1

We cannot proscribe for others. She says if you have a third meal make it light and not too close to bedtime.

Sr. White’s Experiment

For more than twelve years we have taken only two meals each day, of plain, unstimulating food. During that time, we have had almost constantly the care of children, varying in age from three to thirteen years. We worked gradually and carefully to change their habit of eating three times a day to two; we also worked cautiously to change their diet from stimulating food, as meat, rich gravies, pies, cakes, butter, spices, etc., to simple, wholesome fruits, vegetables, and grains. The consequence has been that our children have not been troubled with the various maladies to which children are more or less subject. They occasionally take cold by reason of carelessness, but this seldom makes them sick. HR, May 1, 1877 par. 5

We have, as an occasional experiment, changed the number of their daily meals from two to three; but the result was not good. In the morning their breath was offensive; and after testing the matter for a few weeks, we were thoroughly convinced that the children were better upon two meals a day than upon three; and we therefore returned to our former system, with marked improvement in the health of the children as a result. If tempted with the sight of food prepared for others, they incline to think they are hungry, but usually they do not miss or think about the third meal. Children reared in this way are much more easily controlled than those who are indulged in eating everything their appetite craves, and at all times. They are usually cheerful, contented, and healthy. Even the most stubborn, passionate, and wayward, have become submissive, patient, and possessed of self- control by persistently following up this order of diet, united with a firm but kind management in regard to other matters. {HR, May 1, 1877 par. 6}

Not a Test

In regard to the third meal, do not make eating but two meals compulsory. Some do best healthwise when eating three light meals, and when they are restricted to two, they feel the change severely. 1MR 289.6

I eat only two meals a day. But I do not think that the number of meals should be made a test. If there are those who are better in health when eating three meals, it is their privilege to have three. I choose two meals. For thirty-five years I have practiced the two-meal system. CD 178.2 279.

There is a lesson for us all. There is a ‘Thus saith the LORD’ for everything and a ‘Thus saith the LORD’ for the individual. The individual is to be granted liberty to seek out their personal walk with God himself. Perhaps we can encroach upon each other even in the food we eat. We can be sitting next to someone and think what they are eating is not good food. They have already prepared it and perhaps they are still working out what is best. If we are in constant fear our food will hurt us it most certainly will. We must not stress about our food.

Some are continually anxious lest their food, however simple and healthful, may hurt them. To these let me say, Do not think that your food will injure you; do not think about it at all. Eat according to your best judgment; and when you have asked the Lord to bless the food for the strengthening of your body, believe that He hears your prayer, and be at rest. MH 321.2

If you are in constant fear that your food will hurt you, it most assuredly will. Forget self, and think of something cheerful. 2T 530.1

Be at peace and rest. Isn’t that what we want in all our interactions? We can become so familiar with each other when we see something we perceive not right that we think we can cut in whether we think that person wants to hear it or not. It is not our place to do it. If some one does it to us don’t get annoyed at them.

The apostles differed widely in habits and disposition. There were the publican, Levi- Matthew, and the fiery zealot Simon, the uncompromising hater of the authority of Rome; the generous, impulsive Peter, and the mean-spirited Judas; Thomas, truehearted, yet timid and fearful, Philip, slow of heart, and inclined to doubt, and the ambitious, outspoken sons of Zebedee, with their brethren. These were brought together, with their different faults, all with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil; but in and through Christ they were to dwell in the family of God, learning to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit. They would have their tests, their grievances, their differences of opinion; but while Christ was abiding in the heart, there could be no dissension. His love would lead to love for one another; the lessons of the Master would lead to the harmonizing of all differences, bringing the disciples into unity, till they would be of one mind and one judgment. Christ is the great center, and they would approach one another just in proportion as they approached the center. DA 296.2

Let’s help each other have Christ in the heart. Let’s lead each other to Jesus. We are enrolled in an experimental religion a religion of liberty. There are spokes in the wheel. As we draw close to Jesus we will draw close to each other. What will happen if we poke a stick in the wheel?

The Secret of Unity

Romans Chapter14 holds the secret of unity.

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, [but] not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth [it] unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard [it]. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

God looks at the heart. We need to believe in each other that they are doing it unto the LORD.

Romans 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in [his] brother’s way. 14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that [there is] nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him [it is] unclean. 15 But if thy brother be grieved with [thy] meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. 16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of: 17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ [is] acceptable to God, and approved of men. 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. 20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed [are] pure; but [it is] evil for that man who eateth with offence. 21 [It is] good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor [any thing] whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. 22 Hast thou faith? have [it] to thyself before God. Happy [is] he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. 23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because [he eateth] not of faith: for whatsoever [is] not of faith is sin. 1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let every one of us please [his] neighbour for [his] good to edification. 3 For even Christ pleased not himself;

Holy, holy, holy! We need to see clearer views of the throne of God . We need to see that God’s ways are not our ways and lay down our own ways so He will work His way within us both toward the men and women in the world and toward each other.

Amen.