What do you believe in? What do you put your faith, hope, trust, and love in? The Bible defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). That being said, what do you hope for? I’m not talking about a new car or a bigger house, I mean what are your greatest and deepest hopes? If you believe in God, contemplate what evidence you have of Him working in your life?
Ellen states that, “As your conscience has been quickened by the Holy Spirit, you have seen something of the evil of sin, of its power, its guilt, its woe; and you look upon it with abhorrence. You feel that sin has separated you from God, that you are in bondage to the power of evil. The more you struggle to escape, the more you realize your helplessness. Your motives are impure; your heart is unclean. You see that your life has been filled with selfishness and sin. You long to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be set free. Harmony with God, likeness to him,--what can you do to obtain it?
“It is peace that you need,--Heaven’s forgiveness and peace and love in the soul. Money cannot buy it, intellect cannot procure it, wisdom cannot attain to it; you can never hope, by your own effort, to secure it. But God offers it to you as a gift, ‘without money and without price.’ It is yours, if you will but reach out your hand and grasp it. The Lord says, ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.’ “ (Isaiah 55:1; Isaiah 1:18; Ezekiel 36:26)
What I love about her statements here is that the peace that passes all understanding that God want’s to give to you is not something that you can earn or buy, but it is a gift. Just like salvation, all we have to do is simply believe it by faith.
In talking about the paralytic who laid by the pool of Bethesda she states, “he believed Christ’s word, believed that he was made whole, and he made the effort at once; he willed to walk, and he did walk. He acted on the word of Christ, and God gave the power. He was made whole.” In another book Ellen states that “many of us are waiting for God to do for us, that which He has already given us the power to do for ourselves” (source unknown). What would our lives like like if we were to put our trust in the promises of God.
What I love time and time again throughout this book, is Ellen’s emphasis that in and of ourself we cannot earn salvation or make ourselves better and that when we try to do it is in vain and meaningless. She states on page 51 of the Youth Edition of Steps to Christ that, “you cannot change your heart and make yourself holy. But God promises to do all this for you through Christ. You believe that promise. You confess your sins and give yourself to God. You will to serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfill His word to you. If you believe the promise,--believe that you are forgiven and cleansed,--God supplies the fact; you are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he was healed. It is so if you believe it.”
So the simple question for you to follow the Steps to Christ is will you believe His promises? Maybe your response today is, “I believe, but help my unbelief.” If that is your prayer, consider yourself on the path to eternal life walking each step with Jesus!
Some have said that justification is done in a moment, but sanctification is the work of a life time. If that is true, repentance can be likened to justification because the moment a sinner repents, they are justified in the eyes of God. Consecration can be likened to sanctification because as an individual learns to consecrate themselves daily to God, permission is granted for God to work out His good and perfect will in the sinners life. This is what sanctification is all about.
Ellen writes, “He sets before us the height of blessing to which He desires to bring us, through His grace. He invites us to give ourselves to Him, that He may work His will in us. It remains for us to choose whether we will be set free from the bondage of sin, to share the glorious liberty of the sons of God.” If you miss this, you may become easily confused thinking that this is all about you and what you do or do not do in order to gain God’s favor. The key here is to keep in mind that “HE sets… HE desires, through HIS grace”! In other words, it is all about what Jesus desires for us. Please keep in mind that He desires to fulfill His good and perfect will in your life (Romans 12:2).
Take a moment to read the first chapter of Ephesians (especially through :14). When you do so, count the times that you are responsible for anything when it comes to salvation, righteousness, perfection, etc. Last time I check, which was about 20 seconds ago, you and I are only responsible for ONE thing!!!!! It is found in :14 and it occurs when we “believed in Him.” That is what consecration is all about, actually believing in God in the good times and the bad, at the beginning of, during and at the end of every day, putting our entire faith, hope and love into Jesus!
By beholding Him, we will become changed.
In the last paragraph of this chapter, Ellen states that, “By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith.” Are you ready to live the consecrated and victorious life? Simply surrender all to Jesus!
As we start today, I wanted to point out that I am also shooting a companion video blog to go with these comments below. You can see it at YouTube: VagaBondservant.
Okay peeps… so this chapter is a long one, but soooo good! My hope is that you are truly following along with reading the entire chapter, even before you come to this site. And PLEASE if you have any comments or points of clarification, don’t hesitate to ask by clicking the comment link below or by emailing me directly at matthew@matthewgamble.com.
So Ellen states right off the bat, “How shall a man be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous? It is only through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God, with holiness; but how are we to come to Christ? Many are asking the same question as did the multitude on the day of Pentecost, when, convicted of sin, they cried out, ‘What shall we do?’ The first word of Peter’s answer was, ‘Repent.’ At another time, shortly after, he said, ‘Repent . . . and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.’ “ (Acts 3:19)
Repentance is actually a gift from God. It means a turning away from. I remember when I first started following the teachings of Jesus. I was so overwhelmed at times because at the core of my being I was so selfish (still am in some respects!). All I was into was worldly pleasures and worldly gain. As I started growing closer to Jesus and understanding Him more, I was more and more convicted of sin in my life. Simply put, Jesus invited me through the Holy Spirit convicting me, to turn away from sins in my life. He didn’t leave me hanging to do it all on my own, however. He led me and is still leading me to become more like Him and less like sinful self.
What it comes down to is a simple yielding of myself to Jesus. Ellen states, “But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God’s holy law...” What does this yielding look like? The Psalmist David writes, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving kindness. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51).
“A repentance such as this,” Ellen writes, “is beyond the reach of our own power to accomplish; it is obtained only from Christ...” That being said, go to God and ask from Him the gift of repentance. Later she states, “Ask Him to give you repentance, to reveal Christ to you in His infinite love, in His perfect purity.”
At the end of the day, I believe that all Jesus is trying to do is help each one of us come to the place where we recognize our deficiency and learn to TRUST Jesus wholly and completely. If you’ve ever wondered what the Bible is about, what going to church is all about, what paying tithe is all about, what singing songs of praise is all about, in my humble opinion it all comes down to God wanting to teach us to TRUST Him with everything and in so doing stop putting our faith in ourselves.
Lastly, remember that “It was sinners that Christ came to save. We have not to reconcile God to us, but--O wondrous love!--’God in Christ is reconciling the world unto Himself.’ “ We simply must come to the place where we cry out to God like blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:47-48) and Jesus will be faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Remember that in Revelation 3:19, the Bible tells us that because Jesus loves us, he will rebuke us and discipline us, so be excited and repent! Repentance is an invitation that God gives us and is GREAT NEWS!
This is such a crucial chapter in this book. If a person doesn’t come to the place where they recognize that they are not all that they desire to be, then God/religion/Jesus won’t mean a thing to them. Jesus dying for their sins wouldn’t make sense unless they recognize and take ownership of the fact that in and of themselves, they are unable to live a life without selfishness.
Last week on a plane ride, I met a lady by the name of Loretta. Within a few minutes of talking she discovered that I used to be an atheist and was now a follower of Jesus. She, a full time women’s advocate and humanitarian, told me that she was raised a believer but was now an atheist. As we talked she told me that she believes that the morality of humanity is “evolving” in a positive direction. Honestly I could hardly believe my ears as it seems to me that the morality of man is not moving forward, but rather digressing.
Ellen mentions that “Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil.” So in the beginning we were created in the image of God to live a life of selflessness and love. Through sin, however, selfishness became paramount and now we are no longer able to resist the power of evil.
Furthermore she states that “It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we can not change them. ‘Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?--Not one.’ ‘The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be‘ (Job 14:4; Romans 8:7). Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they can not change the heart; they can not purify the springs of life.”
I hope that this doesn’t come across as judgmental, but I am fearful of some approaches that the SDA Church takes when it comes to evangelism. Sometimes it seems that we focus on education and human effort to get the life in order. And while people may look/talk/act better, does that mean that the heart is right with Jesus? In the next paragraph, Ellen states that “The idea that it is necessary only to develop the good that exists in man by nature, is a fatal deception.” Could it be that many are being led astray as the emphasis is placed on their behavior and not the life and death and resurrection of Jesus?
I love the Apostle Paul’s words when he exclaims, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25 ESV). In John 14:6 we are reminded that, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If we could earn our way to Heaven, then Jesus wouldn’t have had to come to this planet to die for our sins.
I encourage you today to simply acknowledge your sins to Jesus, accept His free gift of salvation, and now walk with Him in newness of life!
For the next 13 consecutive days I am (by God’s grace) going to be posting a daily blog based on a chapter out of the devotional by Ellen White, Steps to Christ. If you would like to obtain a copy of the book or read along online, you can do so by CLICKING HERE. Please keep in mind that different versions of this book, which has been translated in over 140 languages, contain different page numbers. As a result I will not be referencing pages numbers so as not to confuse you. The version that you can download both on your iPod and in print form (PDF) from the site above is the 1892 version of the book, which didn’t contain this first chapter that we are going to look at today.
CHAPTER 1: God’s Love for Man
The book starts with a very simple, yet profound statement, “Nature and revelation alike testify of God’s love.” At the beginning of this chapter, Ellen primarily focuses on the aspects of nature that testify of God’s love. She states that “even amid the suffering that results from sin, God’s love is revealed.... The thorn and the thistle--the difficulties and the trials that make his life one of toil and care--were appointed for his good as a part of the training needful in God’s plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has wrought. The world, though fallen, is not all sorry and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses.” Is it not amazing how God brings such blessing out of tragedy in our lives?
Can you think of a time when something tragic occurred in your life, later revealed God’s glory? In my life, I know that I look back at all the pain that I was in as a teenager confused and depressed. A life of stealing, lying, cheating, partying, etc. was turned around when Jesus revealed Himself to me.
Going back to the second part of the opening line of this book, Ellen then states, “The word of God reveals His character.” She mentions regarding nature that it “imperfectly represent(s) His (Gods) love.” Further she states that “the enemy of good (Satan) blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fearl that thought of Him as severed and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice,--one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor.” It is because of this flawed view of the character of God, that we have the Bible to set the record straight. Jesus says, “When you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the father” (John 14:9). If you want to know what the character of God is really like, look to Jesus.
“He took man’s nature, that He (Jesus) might reach man’s wants. The poorest and the humblest were not afraid to approach Him. Even little children were attracted to Him. They love to climb upon His knees and gaze into the pensive face, benignant with love.”
Here are a few more lines that really jumped out to me:
“His life was one of self-denial and thoughtful care for others. Every soul was precious in His eyes.”
“In all men He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save.”
“He became ‘a Man of Sorrows,’ that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy.”
He (God the Father) permitted Him (Jesus) to leave the bosom of His love, the adoration of the angels, to suffer shame, insult, humiliation, hatred, and death.”
“But this great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father’s heart a love for man, not to make Him willing to save. No, no! ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.’ John 3:16. The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us.... ‘God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself’ (2 Corinthians 5:19).
“Nothing less than the infinite sacrifice made by Christ in behalf of fallen man could express the Father’s love to lost humanity.”
“Jesus is ‘not ashamed to call them (you) brethern (brother)’ (Hebrews 2:11).
Blessings to you as you read this powerful chapter. Please let me know what stuck out to you as well as if you have any questions about this chapter.
Since Tuesday of this week I have been in West Virginia at the Mountain View Conference Campmeeting speaking to the youth. We have been richly blessed to have the students from Miracle Meadows join us as well.
The theme for this week is “Give it Up! Give it All! Give it Now!” As a result we have been talking about giving it all to Jesus. Learning to trust Him with everything!
In the evenings we have been looking at scripture from Genesis to 1 John 2 to Romans. God has really shown up and I can honestly say challenged me that much more in my faith and commitment to Him.
In the morning sessions we’ve been looking at what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. The first morning (Wednesday) we looked further into how to deepen our prayer experience. Thursday morning we looked at deepening our prayer experience. And Friday we looked into the core elements of what it means to worship God with our whole heart. This ended with a great discussion of music and what is and isn’t appropriate.
Blessings to you all! I look forward to keeping in touch!
And don’t forget that on Monday (6/29) I will be sharing a daily blog based out of Steps to Christ.
So some people have told me that I am much more tame online than in person. Here is a bit of entertainment for you ADHD fans out there! Just go to Menu and click on View Flick.
For more information you can check out flickaday.com.
This week I am in Baltimore, MD sharing a series of messages with the overarching theme of “What Would Jesus Really Do?” The series take a look at the life and teachings of Jesus to determine whether or not what Jesus taught is applicable and relevant to our lives. Obviously I believe that the answer is a resounding YES and it seems that those who are coming out would agree. The series is being hosted by the Brooklyn SDA Church in Baltimore. You can find more information on the website.
If you are in the area, we want to encourage you to come out and join us. If you are unable to make it in person, the messages will be available on the church’s website soon. We are at the church starting promptly at 7pm each evening and Saturday mornings as 11am for a full-church service.
Location: Brooklyn Seventh-day Adventist Church
3533 Fourth St.
Baltimore, MD 21225
Contact: Pastor Nelson
Phone: 410-354-0027
Email:nelsray@juno.com
GODencounters: FLORIDA was absolutely amazing this year. Held May 22-23 in Orlando, FL on the campus of Forest Lake Academy, we had an outstanding experience in worship, community, and the Word!
For the ‘09 & ;’10 sessions of GODencounters: FLORIDA the theme is “The Greatest of These...” based on the verse found at the end of 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter), “:13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Furthermore, Jesus says, quoting Deutoronomy 6:5, in Matthew 22:37-39 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” For 2009, we focused on the first of these two, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
If you were able to attend GODencounters this year, please let us know what you thought. And as always, if you have any questions/comments or prayer request, just let us know.
Today at Avondale we had an absolutely amazing time worshiping and connecting with Jesus! A BIG THANK YOU to all the participants and to Bevan Craig and Jeff Parker (www.nnswyouth.com) for their leadership in pulling this together. There was a sweet spirit in the place as we heard numerous testimonies about how God was working in and through people both locally and around the globe. It seems to me that God is on the move and that He truly is working out His good and perfect will in the lives of young people.
While I was really blessed hearing the stories about overseas mission projects (a great passion of mine!), I was especially blessed with the story of the mountain bike ministry that was started. The story was told about how a group of guys loved mountain biking, but came to a recognition that it was all about them. Deciding to follow Jesus, they choose to take their passion and make it a ministry that would be about others. The group has grown, establishing several different clubs. It is simply powerful to consider what can be done when Jesus is at the helm of our lives!
Blessings to you all NNSW youth! I look forward to seeing you in a few months at Big Camp 18+ tent!
For the next 13 consecutive days I am (by God’s grace) going to be posting a daily blog based on a chapter out of the devotional by Ellen White, 
This week I am in Baltimore, MD sharing a series of messages with the overarching theme of “What Would Jesus Really Do?” The series take a look at the life and teachings of Jesus to determine whether or not what Jesus taught is applicable and relevant to our lives. Obviously I believe that the answer is a resounding YES and it seems that those who are coming out would agree. The series is being hosted by the 
Today at Avondale we had an absolutely amazing time worshiping and connecting with Jesus! A BIG THANK YOU to all the participants and to Bevan Craig and Jeff Parker (
