Remnant Seventh Day Adventist Church
Remnant Seventh Day Adventist Church
“And I beheld another beast [America] coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exercised all the power of the first beast [Papacy] before him….And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, except he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name [666].” Revelation 13:11-18
Jesus desires His people to move into the country, where you can settle on the land, and raise your own fruit and vegetables, and where your children can be brought in direct contact with the works of God in nature. In the very near future the problem of buying and selling (cashless society) will be a very serious one! Get out of cities into rural districts, where the houses are not crowded closely together, and where you will be free from the interference of enemies. Take your family away from the cities.
The physical surroundings in densely populated cities are often a peril to health. The constant liability to contact with disease, the prevalence of foul air, impure water, impure food, our crowded, dark, unhealthful dwellings, are some of the many evils to be met. It was never God’s purpose that people should be crowded into cities, huddled together in terraces and tenements. The more nearly we come into harmony with God’s original plan, the more favorable will be our position to secure health of body, and mind, and soul.
Instead of dwelling where only the works of men can be seen, where the sights and sounds frequently suggest thoughts of evil, where turmoil and confusion bring weariness and disquietude, go where you can look upon the works of God. Find rest of spirit in the beauty and quietude and peace of nature. Let the eye rest on the green fields, the groves, and the hills. Look up to the blue sky, unobscured by the city’s dust and smoke, and breathe the invigorating air of heaven. Go where, apart from the distractions and dissipations of city life, you can give your children your companionship, where you can teach them to learn of God through His works, and train them for lives of integrity and usefulness.
Let the subject of health reform be made distinct and plain that it is not possible to effect anything in our standing before God or in the gift of God to us through our own efforts. If any man can achieve perfect physical health by anything he may do, then the Creator is under obligation to the creature. Good health is then no longer a blessing from God but partly earned according to your diet and exercise. Here is where falsehood is accepted as truth. If we cannot, by our own efforts, achieve perfect health, then it is wholly by God’s free grace, bestowed upon man while a sinner because you receive and believe in Jesus Christ. It is wholly a free gift.
“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:25-28
Every gift of God received by faith is placed beyond controversy. And all controversy is ended as soon as the matter is settled that our justification towards God is not procured by any works that fallen man can do. This matter has been presented before me in clear lines that if a rich man has money and possessions, and he returns those things as an offering to the Lord, false ideas come in to spoil his offering by the thought that he has earned the special favor of God, that Jesus Christ is obligated to regard him with special favor because of his gifts. There is too little educating in clear lines upon this point. Jesus lent mankind His own goods in trust—means which He requires be handed back to Him when His providence signifies and the upbuilding of His cause demands it. Jesus gives the intellect. He gives the health and the ability to gather earthly gain. He created the things of earth. He manifests His divine power to develop all its riches. They are His fruit from His own husbandry. He gave the sun, the clouds, the showers of rain to cause vegetation to flourish. As God’s employed servants we gather in His harvest, to use what our wants require in an economical way and hold the balance (return) for the call of God. You can say with David, “For all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” 1 Chronicles 28:14. So the satisfaction of creature merit cannot be in returning to the Lord His own, for it was always His own property to be used as He in His providence should direct.
Discussions may be entered into by mortals strenuously advocating good works, and each man striving for the supremacy, but we simply do not know that all the time, in principle and character, we are misrepresenting the truth as it is in Jesus. We are in a fog of bewilderment (delusion). There may be a fervor of labor and an intense affection, high and noble achievement of intellect, a breadth of understanding, and the humblest self abasement, laid at the feet of our Redeemer; but there is not one jot more than the grace and talent first given of God. There must be nothing less given than duty prescribes, and there cannot be one jot more given than you first received from God; and all must be laid upon the fire of Christ’s righteousness to cleanse it from its earthly, selfish odor before it rises in a cloud of fragrant incense to the great Jehovah and is accepted as a sweet savor.
We are to love God, not only with all our heart, mind, and soul, but with all our strength. This covers the full, intelligent use of your physical powers. The things of heaven and earth are more closely connected and are more directly under the supervision of Jesus Christ than many realize. The One who in His earthly life worked as a carpenter in the village of Nazareth is the heavenly architect who marked out the plan for the sacred building where His name is to be honored (our bodies).
It is Jesus Christ who gives to chefs and food preps wisdom to execute the most beautiful and palatable meals. God desires that His workers in every line shall look to Him as the Giver of all we possess. All right inventions and improvements have their source in Him who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working. The skillful touch of the physician’s hand, his power over nerve and muscle, his knowledge of the delicate organism of the body, is the wisdom of divine power, to be used in behalf of the suffering. The skill with which the carpenter uses the hammer, the strength with which the blacksmith makes the anvil ring, comes from God. He has entrusted men with talents, and He expects you to look to Him for counsel. Whatever you do, in whatever department of the work you are placed, He desires to control your mind that you may do perfect work. Religion and business are not two separate things; they are one. Bible religion is interwoven with all we do or say. Divine and human agencies combine in our temporal as well as spiritual achievements. There must be co-operation in everything embraced in our Christian activity. God has proclaimed the principles on which this co-operation is possible. His glory alone must be the motive of all who are laborers together with Him. All our work is to be done from love to God and in accordance with His will. It is just as essential to do the will of God when erecting a building as when taking part in religious service. And if the workers bring the right principles into their own character making, then in the erection of every building you will also grow in grace and knowledge. Yet God does not accept your greatest talents or your most splendid service unless (your)self is laid upon the altar, a living, consuming sacrifice. Your root [motive] must be holy even when eating a nutritious meal and exercising, else there can be no fruit acceptable to God. Jesus made Daniel and Joseph shrewd managers. He could work through them because they did not live to please their own inclination but to please God. Jesus desires to have in His service intelligent men, men qualified for various lines of work. There is need of businessmen who weave the grand principles of truth into all their transactions. Of Daniel we learn that in all his business transactions, when subjected to the closest scrutiny, not one fault or error could be found. He was a sample of what every businessman may be. His history shows what may be accomplished by one who consecrates the strength of brain and bone and muscle, of heart and life, to the service of God.
Good health is a blessing of which few appreciate the value; yet upon it the efficiency of our mental and physical powers largely depends. Our impulses and passions have their seat in the body, and it must be kept in the best condition physically and under the most spiritual influences in order that our talents may be put to the highest use. Anything that lessens your physical strength weakens your mind and makes it less capable of discriminating between right and wrong. You become less capable of choosing the good and have less strength of will to do that which you know to be right. The misuse of your physical powers shortens the period of time in which your life can be used for the glory of God. And it unfits you to accomplish the work God has given you to do. By allowing yourself to form wrong habits, by keeping late hours, by gratifying appetite at the expense of health, you lay the foundation for feebleness. By neglecting physical exercise, by overworking your mind or body, you unbalance your nervous system. Those who thus shorten their lives and unfit themselves for service by disregarding nature’s laws, are guilty of robbery toward God. You are robbing others also. The opportunity of blessing others, the very work for which God created and sent you into the world, is by your own course of action cut short. The Lord holds us guilty when by our own injurious habits we thus deprive the world of good. Transgression of our physical laws is transgression of God’s moral law; for God is as truly the author of physical laws as He is the author of moral laws. His law is written with His own finger upon every nerve, every muscle, every faculty, which has been entrusted to you. And every misuse of any part of your organism is a violation of that law.
All should have an intelligent knowledge of the human frame (Anatomy & Physiology) that you may keep your body in the best condition necessary to the do work of the Lord. Our physical life is to be carefully preserved and developed that through humanity God’s divine nature may be revealed in its fullness. The relation of our physical organism to our spiritual life is one of the most important branches of education. It should receive careful attention in the home and in the school. All need to become acquainted with their physical structure and the laws that control their natural life. He who remains in willing ignorance of the laws of his physical being and who violates those laws through ignorance is sinning against God. All should place themselves in the best possible relation to life and health. Our habits should be brought under the control of a mind that is itself under the control of God. “Know ye not,” says Paul, “that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.
Your time also belongs to God. Every moment is His, and you are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory. Of no talent He has given will He require a more strict account than of your time. The value of time is beyond computation. Christ regarded every moment as precious, and it is thus that we should regard it. Life is too short to be trifled away. We have but a few days of probation on earth in which to prepare for eternity. We have no time to waste, no time to devote to selfish pleasure, no time for the indulgence of sin. It is now that we are to form characters for our future, immortal life. The human family have scarcely begun to live when we begin to die, and this world’s incessant labor ends in nothingness unless a true knowledge in regard to your eternal life is gained.
We are admonished in the Bible to redeem the time. But time squandered can never be recovered. You cannot call back even one moment. The only way in which you can redeem your time is by making the most of the time you have left, by being co-workers with God in His great plan of redemption. In him who does this, a transformation of character takes place. You are a child of God, a member of His royal family, a child of the heavenly King. Now is the time to labor for the salvation of others. There are those who believe that if they give money to the cause of Christ, this is all they are required to do; the precious time in which you might do personal service for Him passes unimproved. But it is the privilege and duty of all who have health and strength to render to God active service. All are to labor in winning souls to Jesus Christ. Donations of your money can never take the place of this. Every moment is freighted with eternal consequences. We are to stand as minute men, ready for service at a moment’s notice. The opportunity that is now yours to speak to some needy soul the word of life may never offer itself again. God may say to that one, “This night thy soul shall be required of thee,” and through your neglect he/she may not be ready. In this great judgment hour, how shall we render our account to God? Life is too solemn to be selfishly absorbed in temporal and earthly matters, in a treadmill of care and anxiety for the things that are but an atom in comparison with the things of our eternal interest. Yet God has called us to service in the temporal affairs of our life. Diligence in this work is as much a part of true religion as is devotion.
The Bible gives no indorsement to idleness. It is the greatest curse that afflicts our world. Every man and woman who is truly converted will be a diligent worker. Upon the right improvement of your time depends your success in acquiring knowledge and mental culture. The cultivation of the intellect need not be prevented by poverty, humble origin, or unfavorable surroundings. Only let the moments be treasured. A few moments here and a few there, that might be frittered away in aimless talk; the morning hours we so often waste in bed; the time spent in traveling on planes, trains, and buses, or waiting at the station; the moments of waiting for meals, waiting for those who are tardy in keeping an appointment—if a book were kept in your hand, and these fragments of time were improved in study, reading, or careful thought, what might not be accomplished. A resolute purpose, persistent industry, and careful economy of your time, will enable you to acquire knowledge and mental discipline which will qualify you for almost any position of influence and usefulness. It is the duty of every Christian to acquire habits of order, thoroughness, and dispatch. There is no excuse for slow bungling at work of any character. When you are always at work and your work is never done, it is because your mind and heart are not put into the labor. The one who is slow and who works at a disadvantage should realize that these are faults to be corrected. You need to exercise your mind in planning how to use your time so as to secure the best results. By tact and method, some accomplish as much in five hours as others do in ten. Some who are engaged in domestic (home) labor are always at work not because you have so much to do but because you do not plan so as to save time. By your slow, dilatory ways you make much work out of very little. But all who will, may overcome these fussy, lingering habits. In your work have a definite aim. Decide how long a time is required for a given task, and then bend every effort toward accomplishing your work in that timeframe. The exercise of your willpower will make your hands move deftly. Through lack of determination to take oneself in hand and reform, persons become stereotyped in a wrong course of action; or by cultivating their powers they may acquire ability to do the very best of service. Then they will find themselves in demand anywhere and everywhere. You will be appreciated for all that you are worth.
Finally, by many children and youth, time is wasted that might be spent in carrying home burdens, and thus showing a loving interest in father and mother. Our youth might take upon their strong young shoulders many responsibilities which someone must bear. The life of Jesus Christ from His earliest years was a life of earnest activity. He lived not to please Himself. He was the Son of the infinite God, yet He worked at the carpenter’s trade with His father Joseph. Into all His secular labor He brought the same perfection as into the characters He was transforming by His divine power. He is our pattern man. Parents teach your children the value and right use of their time. Teach them that to do something which honors God and blesses humanity is worth striving for. Even in their early years they are missionaries for God. Parents cannot commit a greater sin than to allow your children to have nothing to do. Children soon learn to love idleness, and they grow up shiftless, useless men and women. When they are old enough to earn their living, and find employment, they work in a lazy, droning way, yet expect to be paid as much as if they were faithful. There is a world-wide difference between this class of workers and those who realize that they must be faithful stewards. Indolent, careless habits indulged in secular work are brought into your religious life and unfit you to do any efficient service for God. Many who through diligent labor might have been a blessing to the world, have been ruined through idleness. Lack of employment and of steadfast purpose opens the door to a thousand temptations. Evil companions and vicious habits deprave mind and soul, and the result is ruin for this life and for the life to come. Whatever your line of work in which you engage, the Word of God [Bible] teaches you to be “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” “Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with thy might,” “knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Romans 12:11; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:24.
No man can serve two masters: for either you will hate God, and love the world; or else you will hold to God, and despise this world (1 John 2:15-17). Ye cannot serve God and mammon (fame & fortune). Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?....But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:24-25, 33
“All these things” added refers to your temporal (physical) needs. Though Jesus Christ has a spiritual kingdom, fear not that your needs for this life is uncared-for. If you give yourself to God’s service first, He who has all power in heaven and earth will provide for your physical needs. We are to engage in no business, follow no pursuit, seek no pleasure, that hinders the outworking of His righteousness in our character. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Jesus, when He walked on earth, dignified life in all its details by keeping before others the glory of God, and by subordinating everything to the will of our Father. If you follow His example, His assurance to you is that all things needful in this life “shall be added.” Poverty or wealth, sickness or health, simplicity or wisdom—all are provided for in the promises of His grace. All that is in this world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, passes away: only he that does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17.
“For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that has mercy on thee….No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 54:7-10, 17.
Heavenly Father thus far we have first asked that your name may be honored, your kingdom established, and your will performed. It is your service, Father, that is our first interest. Now we may ask with confidence that our own daily needs may be supplied.
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in [physical] health, even as thy soul prospers.” 3 John 2.
Trust in God at morning and evening worship to maintain your moral purity. Abstain from all things harmful when eating a nutritious breakfast and dinner. Drink lots of water throughout the entire day and before going out in the sunlight and fresh air to exercise. Remember, a clean environment and sanitary living conditions are necessary prior to getting plenty of rest in the evening. Trust God will heal you throughout the night and wake you every morning. (Trust in God, Moral purity, Abstemiousness, Nutrition, Water, Sunlight, Fresh air, Exercise, Cleanliness, Rest)
