John Thiel, mp3 – Preparation for the Heavenly Canaan Conference
Here are the words of Jesus to us:
John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
The subject matter of this hour is as we are preparing to enter the heavenly Canaan, we are to learn to follow the lamb whither so ever He goes. That’s the subject of this study; learning to follow the lamb whither so ever He goeth.
As a preparation to enter the heavenly Canaan, the specific message for the time in which we are living is the message of the three angels. The three angels messages and we know that those three angels messages take us directly in the third angels message to the coming of Jesus. That’s what those three angels messages are and those who are under the three angels messages, are candidates for the 144,000 because the third angel is the sealing angel that is sealing the 144,000.
Of these 144,000, it is written in Revelation 14 who will finally be there. It’s written of them being on Mount Zion. What is all about them?
Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are they which were not defiled with women;
Which of course is a symbolic term of the churches, the false churches. They were not defiled by them. This is the theme of course of our study right now.
Revelation 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men,
In their position of standing there with Jesus in Mount Zion redeemed past tense, they have come through the past experience and are now ready. They are standing there these 144,000. They will follow the lamb withersoever He goeth.
Revelation 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
These 144,000 are before the throne of God in the heavenly temple. They serve Him day and night. They are with Jesus all the time. They follow Him wherever He goes. To expand on what this really is prefiguring, Sister White writes:
They are prefigured before us as standing on Mount Zion, girt for holy service, clothed in white linen, which is the righteousness of the saints. But all who follow the Lamb in heaven will first have followed Him on earth, in trustful, loving, willing obedience, followed Him not fretfully and capriciously, but confidently, truthfully, as the flock follows the shepherd…. 3SM 424.2
The 144,000 are separated from everybody else to serve God in eternity in the temple.
As we were about to enter the holy temple, Jesus raised His lovely voice and said only that 144,000 enter this place. EW 19
In the service of the temple, the 144,000 are the only ones that enter in that temple to follow Jesus to always be with Him in eternity. Serving Him in the temple. That is what is referred to. They follow the lamb withersoever He goeth. Why are these people so privileged of all the redeemed? Only they are allowed to go into the throne room. Why only them? Why are they so privileged?
Revelation 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God,
Why are they privileged?
Revelation 7:14 Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore, they are in the throne. That’s the reason why they are so privileged. This material is for us as we are right on the border of the heavenly Canaan and everything that we are reading here, is of vital importance. The Spirit of Prophecy is taking this thought; why are they so privileged and enlarging it?
Inspiration is telling us here that what is meant with that they have come out of – great tribulation. We could misread this to think well, the greatest tribulation was during the Dark Ages, wasn’t it? No, it’s the people that come out of the period of the end just before the coming of Jesus under the three angels’ messages and it says they will they have suffered much tribulation. What was the tribulation for which they are especially blessed? They have to stand with a wonderful truth right before the whole world and receive their opposition. That tribulation, how do you like it you have to stand singly and alone in defense of your faith in front of the courts? Because this is what this is talking about. God’s people have to stand in front of the whole world defending their faith and receive the opposition from the whole world. That’s great tribulation. I know to some degree what this means. I’ve had to do it for many years already.
…and while receiving this opposition they were to remember that they were sons and daughters of God, that they must have Christ formed within them the hope of glory. They were ever keeping in view the great and blessed hope that is before them. What is it? It is an eternal weight of glory. Nothing could surpass it. 1SAT 72.3
This is a challenge. I don’t know about you; you may understand what this is saying. I definitely understand and I hope that we are picking up here why this is such a terrible experience. Do you like being opposed by everybody? Do you enjoy that your very own brothers and sisters? Your very own even church members. You know that experience. Your own brothers and sisters in the faith even that have once been with us who turn against us, it’s a horrendous experience but they persevere because they remember that they are the sons and daughters of God and they have a truth to uphold.
For those who are sealed by the third angel, have an experience that is a preparation that needs to be considered very carefully. The metaphoric comparison of the Hebrews traveling from Egypt arriving at the promised land about to cross the river Jordan, we sang about it in our hymn; we have to go through the river Jordan. They were about to cross the river Jordan and Joshua said; ‘tomorrow you’re going to see great things. Today, sanctify yourself.’ This is the call for us if we are going to come through. We have to sanctify ourselves. The 144,000 washing their robes and making them white in the blood of the lamb. This is what it’s about so consider very carefully especially this concept of Revelation 14:4: ‘They follow the lamb with whithersoever he goeth.’ That’s what we need to understand.
“These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.” Revelation 14:4. The vision of the prophet pictures them as standing on Mount Zion, girt for holy service, clothed in white linen, which is the righteousness of the saints. But all who follow the Lamb in heaven must first have followed Him on earth, not fretfully or capriciously, but in trustful, loving, willing obedience, as the flock follows the shepherd. AA 591.1
They are following the lamb in heaven. To follow the lamb withersoever He goes in heaven, to have the privilege of being with Him in the temple to serve in the kingdom that is established there among the top Escalon’s of the kingdom of heaven, these 144,000 have to learn if they’re going to be there. They have to learn here to follow the lamb here wherever He goes so that then they can follow Him there wherever He goes.
Here is a wide field of study/meditation. We have to overcome as He overcame. We have to be in direct harmony with Jesus all the way through to the end following Him all the way. We were singing that in hymn ‘I will follow thee my Saviour.’ To follow the lamb in heaven we must first have followed Him on earth and there it is in our scripture reading that we read at the beginning to follow the lamb here and now is what Jesus said:
John 12:26 f any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Let him follow me.
We need not wait till we are translated to follow Christ. God’s people may do this here below. We shall follow the Lamb of God in the courts above only if we follow Him here…. We are not to follow Christ fitfully or capriciously, only when it is for our advantage. We must choose to follow Him. In daily life we must follow His example, as a flock trustfully follows its shepherd. We are to follow Him by suffering for His sake, saying at every step, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). His life practice must be our life practice. And as we thus seek to be like Him and to bring our wills into conformity to His will we shall reveal Him. HP 298.
When you read – they follow Him wherever He goes, does that conjecture a beautiful little thought, ah that’s lovely I’m going to follow Jesus? That’s precious isn’t it? Listen carefully what the next statement is. If I’m going to follow Him there and I’m dreaming oh how wonderful that will be, remember:
We are not in a dreamland of inaction. We are soldiers of Christ, enlisted in the work of showing our loyalty to Him who has redeemed us. What we are in the heavenly home, when saved, eternally saved, will be the reflection of what we now are in character and holy service. HP 298
Before we get there, we have to have it here because it’s a reflection of what we are doing now. That’s a high calling isn’t it?
Shall we not show our loyalty by keeping God’s commandments here, in this our place of probation? HP 298
That opens up the previous study – probation. What is it? A point of no return. We have reached a point where we have thought we are following Jesus, and I will not return. That’s when probation closes. Settling into the truth both intellectually and spiritually so that we cannot be moved so when we get there, we have done what we will be doing here following Jesus exactly all the way.
We are the people of Laodicea and the message to Laodicea directly connects us with Jesus so that we will follow Him wherever He goes. Here on earth, we are to follow Him which is cited in Revelation 3. Here on earth, He is coming to the people of Laodicea and He is knocking:
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
We are called upon to follow the lamb wherever He goes. We’re going to be sitting in the temple with Him in His throne. These are the 144,000 who come out of Laodicea and He says while you are still here on earth, I want to come in and sup with you. I want to engage with you. This is Jesus speaking to us. Here He offers the overcomer from Laodicea a place in His throne. That’s why He says only the 144,000 come in here – the temple, the throne room.
He offers the overcomer from Laodicea a place in His throne to rule with Him by letting Him sup with us. Now what does that mean to let Him sup with us? It is something we need to understand if we are going to be among the 144,000 that we are going to be following the lamb wherever He goes. We need to understand this and it is chronicled for us in the words of the Spirit of Prophecy. I love the testimony of Jesus, the Spirit of Prophecy and this is now Jesus speaking to us through these words:
Who are the subjects of the kingdom of God? All those who do His will. They have righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. The members of Christ’s kingdom are the sons of God, partners in His great firm. The elect of God are a chosen generation, a peculiar people, a holy nation, to show forth the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. They are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. They are living stones, a royal priesthood. They are in co-partnership with Jesus Christ. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. 20MR 114.4
We’re right on track now. What was it that they are doing? They have righteousness, they have peace, they have joy in the Holy Ghost.
How shall we follow him to learn of him who is our teacher? We can search His Word, and become acquainted with His life and His works. His words we are to receive as bread for our souls. In every sphere where man shall be placed, the Lord Jesus has left us His footprints. 20MR 114.5
What has He left us? We are to follow the lamb wherever He goes. We are to follow in His footprints.
We do well to follow him. The Spirit by which He spake we must cherish; we are to present the truth as it is in Jesus. We are to follow him especially in heart-purity, in love. Self must be hid with Christ in God; then when Christ who is our life shall appear, we also shall appear with him in glory. 20MR 114.5
This is what we must understand to sup with Him here, I must sup with Him by searching His word and becoming acquainted with Him. His life and His works, His words are to be my bread for my soul. I’m to sup with Him. To sup with Him, can you see this now? There is a subject matter here to follow in His footsteps, to sup with Him. As I said, this is no dreamland thing. What does this really involve? What does it really involve to learn to sup with Him here? To walk with Him here so that then I can be an overcomer as He overcame. See the footprints that we are to follow if we’re going to be with Him in His temple. Let our mind grasp hold of what it is to follow in His footsteps.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That’s what He was doing here on earth and were to sup with Him. Let this mind be in you. Come down, come down, come down out of heaven. We’ll enlarge that in a minute and as He came down. We had to come down with Him. Down, down, down and then having learned that following Jesus in His footsteps. Down and down in fashion as a man humbling himself, obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ‘So God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name’ and this is the 144,000 who are to overcome as He overcame so that they will be with Him in His temple following in His footsteps. That’s the picture so the first footsteps is to come down before we can be uplifted and Jesus as He was up elevated to the Father’s throne and that was the words of Jesus was it not?
You will sit in my throne as I sit in my Father’s throne. He was lifted up into the position of His Father’s throne. What were the preliminary steps? He who was equal with God made Himself of no reputation and went right down, down, down to the death of the cross. Down off the throne. Jesus made a very powerful statement in reference to this for us. Here is what He said before. We can get up before we can go up. We have to go down.
John 3:13 No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
What’s Jesus saying? If any man is going to go to heaven, He must first come down even as the Son of man came down and was lifted up. Here are the footsteps of Jesus that many people in their dream land don’t comprehend to follow Jesus where the lamb wherever He goes is a wonderful dreamland imagination. We have to learn to walk with Him here before we can walk with Him there. You and I are called to the very concept of this. What Jesus has just said there, the Apostle Peter picks up on that. Where before God could lift us up, we have to come down
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time.
The 144,000 are to be exalted to a position that is over and above every other human being but as a result of them being exalted to such a high position, they have to go down into the experience that Jesus went to fully. What did Jesus say in the thoughts from the Mount of Blessing? There it suggests this coming down because who is going to be able to be in heaven? Blessed are what?
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Let this mind be in you. Poor in spirit. Give up, come down out of the height of your self-glory. Humble yourself under the hand of God so that He can lift you up. When He lifts you up, it’s to a height that is to the degree that you have come down and Jesus came right down and He was lifted up and we are to overcome as He overcame. To be among the 144,000, strive with all your might to be among the 144,000 is what we read didn’t we?
Jesus says, “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” If we are following Jesus, we shall not walk in darkness. If his light illuminates the mind and shines into the chambers of the heart, we shall be as Christ has said, “the light of the world.” We shall see light, and shall talk of the love of Christ, talk of his goodness and marvellous mercy, and we shall always find enough to talk about on these themes, even to all eternity, when we have that life which measures with the life of God. ST June 1 1892.1
I love this statement and I’ve referred to it a few times in our time. Here you know we can talk at length about all sorts of things that we get interested in but I hear little detail of all the details of the joys of the glory of God. These people that follow Him wherever He goes are walking and talking about the themes of eternity.
The trouble with many of us is, we get our eye fixed upon the shadow that Satan casts between our souls and God, and fail to discover the light beyond the shadow. We talk in a kind of hopeless way, as if we were slaves serving a tyrant. We represent ourselves to the world as having a hard time serving the Lord. We pick up things to find fault about, to mourn over, and pity and sympathize with ourselves, and fail to make a favorable impression upon those who have not tasted of the gift of God.
Isn’t it interesting we can talk so readily about the faults of others or about my faults. As soon as I see something, we talk about it. What should we be talking about? The glories of Jesus.
We shall see light, and shall talk of the love of Christ, talk of his goodness and marvellous mercy, and we shall always find enough to talk about on these themes, even to all eternity, when we have that life which measures with the life of God. ST June 1 1892.1
Eternity is going to be occupied with conversation about these things. Here we are on earth with material to talk about that we never talk about, and we talk about everything else. We have to prepare to be among the 144,000 by occupying our mind. Let this mind be in us. Here you can see the contrast of what we are tending to do. Isn’t it true that sometimes we think oh the path of being a true Christian is just so hard. I’m having such a hard time, and we talk as though God is a tyrant giving me a hard time. We represent ourselves to the world as having a hard time serving the Lord. We pick up things that to find fault about. We pick up things to find thought about, to mourn over and pity and sympathise with ourselves. This is the contrast of what we are to occupy our minds with.
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Any man that follows me, what would Jesus say? If you want to follow me, you will follow my way. If we are walking with Christ, if we are following Him, we’re going to travel through Gethsemane, the cross and heaven. That’s the footprints.
It is necessary that we understand this subject of coming down from our pride position. If my pride is being hurt, if my negative experiences are being brought up before me, I need to understand what I must do so that I can come through this tribulation when we have to stand with the truth with the whole world against us. If I’m there feeling miserable about myself in this experience, am I going to follow in the footsteps of Jesus? It’s obvious. The message comes to Laodicea in Revelation 3. This is an interesting mind exercise. What does Jesus say here to the Laodiceans?
Revelation 3 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Come down. Come down to discover it. Come down out of our heaven of Laodicea; rich and increased with goods. I have knowledge of everything. Come down out of that, come down in the footsteps of Jesus who made Himself of no reputation and discover yes, I’m wretched, poor, blind and naked because I see what a shocker I am because I’m following in the footsteps of Jesus at the cross in Gethsemane.
How can we tell that we are still in the heaven of our own stilts? How can we tell that and I need to come down from my stilts? It’s so easy to just say, you’ve got to come down, but what really is that experience? I could spend time going through this in different statements of Spirit of Prophecy but here is a statement that really rocked me when I first read it and you might be able to pick up.
Sister White is writing to this sister and as I read this, you see what God is actually trying to say. Remember when we were studying about reading Sister White’s writings? We had to read what Sister White is writing to others and learn from what she’s telling them, how to apply it to ourselves and here is just such an experience of learning to come out of my high stilts of where I think I am in this particular quote:
You deceive yourself with the idea that these unamiable traits do not exist. 2T 572.1
She’s talking about her unamiable traits, she doesn’t even realise that she’s got them.
…until you are brought into positions which make you act and speak in a manner that reveals them to all. You are not willing to see and confess that it is your carnal nature which has not yet been transformed and brought into subjection to Christ. You have not yet crucified self. 2T 572.1
Notice what she says?
You sometimes pass along days and weeks without developing the spirit of evil which I have named impatience, and a dictatorial spirit, a desire to control your husband. Your loving to rule and to bring others to your ideas has nearly ruined yourself and him. You love to suggest and to dictate to others. You love to have them feel and see that you have the very best light, and are especially led of God. If they do not, you begin to surmise, to become jealous, to feel a spirit of unrest; you are dissatisfied and exceedingly unhappy. 2T 572.2
She’s talking about this woman, and she has this dictatorial spirit to control. What’s the principle there? The desire to control. What is it the loving to rule to bring others to your ideas? Rich and increased with goods, have need of nothing. Exceedingly unhappy with the people around you. Can you pick up the high stilts that I have? People have to come down from the humbling of oneself to the point where I don’t know when I’m right anymore.
Nothing so readily arouses the evil traits in your character as to dispute your wisdom and judgment in exercising your authority. 2T 572.3
We are describing here someone on high stills to come down:
Your strong, overbearing spirit, which has appeared to slumber, is roused to its fullest energy. Self then controls you, and you are no more governed by candid reason and calm judgment than is an insane person. Self in all its strength wrestles for the mastery, and it will take the firmest mind to hold you in restraint. After your fit of insanity has gone by, then you can bear to have your course questioned. But you stand ready to justify yourself by the plea that you are so sensitive; you feel so deeply; you suffer so much. I saw that all this will not excuse you in the sight of God. You mistake pride for sensitiveness. Self is prominent. When self is crucified, then this sensitiveness, or pride, will die; until then you are not a Christian. To be a Christian is to be Christlike, to possess humility and a meek and quiet spirit that will bear contradiction without being enraged or becoming insane. If the deceptive covering which is about you could be rent asunder, so that you could see yourself as God sees you, you would no longer seek to justify self, but would fall all broken upon Christ, the only One who can remove the defects in your character and then bind you up. 2T 572.3
We have to meditate on this. How real this is that our sensitivity is pride when somebody touches and hurts me? How dare they say that about me! It rises up within me and I have to excuse myself and I have to try and make it feel better, but can you see if we are going to stand in with the truth in front of the whole world, if we have this character, can we manage? We won’t survive. We’ll crumble. We won’t reveal the beautiful character of God at all.
There is a fit of insanity that takes place and that’s what we studied, meeting the crisis. Remember our study on that. The fit of insanity causes war and strife, and we will be involved in the war and strife if we don’t understand this.
After your fit of insanity has gone by, you …justify yourself …in the sight of God. You mistake pride for sensitiveness. Self is prominent. When self is crucified, then this sensitiveness, or pride, will die; until then you are not a Christian. To be a Christian is to be Christlike, to possess humility and a meek and quiet spirit that will bear contradiction without being enraged or becoming insane. If the deceptive covering which is about you could be rent asunder, so that you could see yourself as God sees you, you would no longer seek to justify self, but would fall all broken upon Christ, the only One who can remove the defects in your character and then bind you up. 2T 572.3
This is for us to realise. Laodicea and what Laodicea is. It doesn’t even know what it’s like. There spelt right out for us.
We are to prepare ourselves to follow the lamb wherever He goes. To respond to the true witness what am I to heed, I’m going to read three more quotes to just conclude this meditation.
Many have a vivid, unsanctified sensitiveness which keeps them constantly on the alert for some word, some look, or some action which they can construe as a lack of respect and appreciation. All this must be overcome. Everyone should go forward in the fear of God, doing his best without being troubled by praise or offended by censure, serving God fervently, and learning to place the most favorable interpretation upon whatever in others may seem offensive. 40Manuscript 24, 1887. OHC 240.2
You see the answer here. Not to become embroiled in the conflict at the end. To always put the most favourable interpretation on whatever in others may seem offensive. There’s the answer it does not behove those from whom Jesus has so much to bear in their failings and perversity to be ever mindful of slights and real or imaginary offense.
It does not behoove those from whom Jesus has so much to bear, in their failings and perversity, to be ever mindful of slights and real or imaginary offense…. The heart filled with that love which thinketh no evil will not be on the watch to notice discourtesies and grievances of which he may be the object. The will of God is that His love shall close the eyes, the ears and the heart to all such provocations and to all the suggestions with which Satan would fill them. There is a noble majesty in the silence of the one exposed to evil surmising or outrage. To be master of one’s spirit is to be stronger than kings or conquerors.42SDA Bible Commentary 3:1160.
Did you pick the thought up here that Jesus has so much to bear with us. You see what we’ve got to do to prepare?
We may expect that false reports will circulate about us; but if we follow a straight course, if we remain indifferent to these things, others will also be indifferent. 41SDA Bible Commentary 3:1160, 1161.
Whatever reports are circulating around us whether they be true or whether they be false, if we are humbled before the Lord, we will say nothing. We will just keep on upholding the pure things of God and speak of Him nothing else. There is the following Jesus because wasn’t He attacked? Wasn’t He told, oh you said you’re going to pull this temple down in three days build it again. He said that didn’t he? But did He answer? That noble majestic quietness didn’t answer that. Falsely accused, put a wrong construction on what He has said. What are we learning from Jesus here so in our preparation to follow the lamb hereafter wherever He leads, we must follow His path down off our high stilts of selfishness and let Him help us. Let Him lift us up. In conclusion, this profound experience that we have to go through to learn this message.
God has shown me that He gave His people a bitter cup to drink. EW 47.1
Didn’t Jesus drink the bitter cup?
A bitter cup to drink to purify and cleanse them. It is a bitter draught, and they can make it still more bitter by murmuring, complaining and repining. EW 47/1
You can see what that all means with what we just read.
But those who receive it thus must have another draught, for the first does not have its designed effect upon the heart. And if the second does not effect the work, then they must have another, and another, until it does have its designed effect, or they will be left filthy, impure in heart. I saw that this bitter cup can be sweetened by patience, endurance, and prayer, and that it will have its designed effect upon the hearts of those who thus receive it, and God will be honored and glorified. It is no small thing to be a Christian and to be owned and approved of God. The Lord has shown me some who profess the present truth, whose lives do not correspond with their profession. EW 47.1
We are to wash our robes in the blood of the lamb. We are to follow Jesus down into Gethsemane and let it cleanse us from all that needs to be cleansed so we can live with Him in eternity.
We must be partakers of Christ’s sufferings here if we would share in His glory hereafter. If we seek our own interest, how we can best please ourselves, instead of seeking to please God and advance His precious, suffering cause, we shall dishonor God and the holy cause we profess to love. We have but a little space of time left in which to work for God. Nothing should be too dear to sacrifice for the salvation of the scattered and torn flock of Jesus. Those who make a covenant with God by sacrifice now will soon be gathered home to share a rich reward and possess the new kingdom forever and ever. EW 47.2
The glory the exonerated position of the 144,000 we must first experience the preparation. We are in this world aren’t we? We’re not in heaven yet.
So long as we are in the world, we shall meet with adverse influences. MH 487.2
We can’t escape it. It’s a reality I’m meeting it all the time. There will be provocations to test the temper; and it is by meeting these in a right spirit that the Christian graces are developed.
If Christ dwells in us, we shall be patient, kind, and forbearing, cheerful amid frets and irritations. Day by day and year by year we shall conquer self and grow into a noble heroism. This is our allotted task; but it cannot be accomplished without help from Jesus, resolute decision, unwavering purpose, continual watchfulness, and unceasing prayer. Each one has a personal battle to fight. Not even God can make our characters noble or our lives useful, unless we become co-workers with Him. Those who decline the struggle lose the strength and joy of victory. MH 487.2
I love the way that God’s word expands and magnifies what is behind the words following the lamb whithersoever He goes. Learning here to follow Him so that there we will follow Him as well.
May God grant us a willingness to deal with this view and opinion of myself.
Even in religious matters, we are arguing many times defending my position like a proud individual. No, none of that.
May God teach us that because we’re going to have to stand in the courts and defend our position with opposition. To do that successfully we have to be down for the Lord to lift us up.
