REJOICING IN AFFLICTION

KEY TEXT: Psalm 119:67 (KJV) – “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy Word.”

The Psalmist is rejoicing in affliction. He says that he did not obey God’s Word before he was afflicted. Before problems came into his life, he went astray from God. The challenges he faced caused him to start regarding God’s divine Word.

Affliction Can Lead To Righteousness

“God in wisdom deals with us as some great person would do with a disobedient son that forsakes his house, and riots among his tenants. His father gives orders that they should treat him ill, affront, and chase him from them, and all, that he might bring him back. The same doth God: man is his wild and debauched son; he flies from the commands of his father, and cannot endure to live under his strict and severe government. He resorts to the pleasures of the world, and revels and riots among the creatures. But God resolves to recover him, and therefore commands every creature to handle him roughly. “Burn him, fire; toss him, tempests, and shipwreck his estate; forsake him, friends; designs, fail him; children, be rebellious to him, as he is to me; let his supports and dependencies sink under him, his riches melt away, leave him poor, and despised, and destitute.” These are all God’s servants, and must obey his will. And to what end is all this, but that, seeing himself forsaken of all, he may at length, like the beggared prodigal, return to his father?” Ezekiel Hopkins, 1633-1690.

Proverbs 14:34 (KJV) – “Righteousness exalteth a nation.”

God wants us to live righteous lives because He wants us to be exalted. Therefore, He sometimes brings affliction not to drown us or to cause us unprofitable pain but to make us more righteous. The more virtuous we are, the higher the quality and the quantity of fruit shall spring forth from our lives. An inedible tree can never bear edible fruit. God wants us to be edible trees so that the fruits we produce can be of benefit to others and, in return, be of help to ourselves. Therefore, He may make us undergo painful processes to yield the best results.

Deuteronomy 8:16 (KJV) – “Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.”

Before going to the Promised Land, God took the Israelites through a wilderness experience. As Deuteronomy 8:16 puts it, His purpose was not to kill them but to do them good in the end. God would have used a shorter route. Because He has infinite power, He could have translated them straight to the land like He translated Enoch to heaven (Hebrews 11:5), but He did not do that. Instead, He took them through a long process that might have been painful to some while boring to others. This process was meant to build up their trust in Him.

Deuteronomy 8:3 (KJV) – “And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.”

God wanted to teach the Israelites that they were not dependent upon the physical food that they ate or any of the other basic needs essential to a human being’s life but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Strict obedience to God’s Word would fit them to be taken to the next level. Obeying God would open doors for them, not all entries at once but one door after the other. It is like how a student must pass the exams and finish the syllabus of the current class grade before he goes to the next class. However, a student cannot go directly from elementary school to university. They must go step by step, passing one exam after the other. Adversity was meant to be a test to them. Tests may be complex; however, some people pass no matter how difficult a test is.

Affliction Gives Us Experience, Knowledge, And Creativity

“As prosperity blindeth the eyes of men, even so doth adversity open them. Like as the salve that remedies the disease of the eyes doth first bite and grieve the eyes, and maketh them to water, but yet afterward the eyesight is clearer than it was; even so trouble doth vex men wonderfully at the first, but afterwards it lighteneth the eyes of the mind, that it is afterward more reasonable, wise and circumspect. For trouble bringeth experience, and experience bringeth wisdom.” – Otho Wermullerus, 1551.

Normally, when one is brought a test of a previous class or any lower class, they will pass it higher than the test of the current course. This results from experience. In the school of life, there are instances where problems repeat themselves. They may not be the same, but they may have many similar characteristics. In such scenarios, the experience you have gained from the previous problem might be of value to you as you will know how to deal with that problem.

Adversity is an eye-opener. It makes you come up with creative solutions how to solve that problem. It makes you grow in knowledge since you will read more books and interact with more people when trying to overcome that challenge.

Daniel 8:15 (KJV) – “And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning.”

Daniel encountered a challenge by seeing a vision he couldn’t interpret. This encounter made him search for the meaning, trying to get more knowledge and insight concerning the vision.

Affliction From God Is Out Of Love

Proverbs 13:24 (AMP) – “He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].”

God’s discipline to us is out of love. He wants us to grow more spiritually because spiritual growth determines growth in all other areas of life. Matthew 6:33 (KJV) – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” God will add all other things if your aim is His kingdom and His righteousness.

Psalm 119:67 (KJV) – “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy Word.”

“Grace is in that heart which profits by its chastening. It is of no use to plough barren soil. When there is no spiritual life affliction works no spiritual benefit; but where the heart is sound trouble awakens conscience, wandering is confessed, the soul becomes again obedient to the command, and continues to be so. Whipping will not turn a rebel into a child; but to the true child a touch of the rod is a sure corrective. In the Psalmist’s case the medicine of affliction worked a change “but”; an immediate change “now”; a lasting change “have I” an inward change “have I kept”; a change towards God “thy word.” Before his trouble he wandered, but after it he kept within the hedge of the word, and found good pasture for his soul the trial tethered him to his proper place; it kept him, and then he kept God’s Word. Sweet are the uses of adversity, and this is one of them, it puts a bridle upon transgression and furnishes a spur for holiness.” – Commentary on Psalms 119:67, The Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon.

Romans 8:7 (KJV) – “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”

The carnal mind, the nature of all human beings after sin, is enmity against God. It does not bring us close to God; instead, it takes us far away. A distance from God brings us severe problems, which are extremely tough since God is the solution, and we have decided to be far from Him. When the prodigal son went away from his father, he experienced hard-hitting challenges, and the only solution he was left with was to return home to where he belonged. While he left home, he enjoyed the wealth he had gotten from his father for a short while (the same way we enjoy God’s blessings for a short time when we move far away from Him).

Luke 15:14-16 (KJV) says, “¹⁴ And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶ And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.”

The prodigal son suffered so much. God does not want us to suffer like the prodigal son. He wants us to live a royal life since He is the King of kings. Therefore, He wants to deal with our carnality and take off every spot of iniquity from us. He does this sometimes by bringing adversity to us. That adversity is meant to last for a short while, sharpen us, and make us fit for the glorious eternal blessings.

“In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33), says Christ; but in Me, ye shall have peace. The trials to which Christians are subjected in sorrow, adversity, and reproach are the means appointed of God to separate the chaff from the wheat. Our pride, selfishness, evil passions, and love of worldly pleasure must all be overcome; therefore, God sends us afflictions to test and prove us and show us that these evils exist in our characters. We must overcome through His strength and grace, that we may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. “For our light affliction,” says Paul, “which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17, 18). Afflictions, crosses, temptations, adversity, and our varied trials are God’s workmen to refine us, sanctify us, and fit us for the heavenly garner.” – Testimonies for the Church 3:115, Ellen G. White.

Affliction Teaches Us God’s Commandments

Psalm 119:71 (KJV) – “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”

God wants us to learn His law. Learning is incomplete when it’s solely in theory. It needs to be practical. Practical lessons enhance comprehension of the theory lesson. It is not enough to read the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20 and memorize them. We need to live by them. God wants us to learn them in theory but, most importantly, in practice. When we apply them practically, our understanding will be deepened.

The Decalogue was given to Moses in the wilderness while the Israelites faced adversity. God is not a careless God. He has a reason for doing everything. There was a reason why He gave the commandments to the Israelites while they were in the wilderness. He could have given them the law while they were in the Promised Land, but He did not do that. He gave it to them when they suffered affliction, knew not what they would eat or drink, and had no permanent houses to live in. If He had given them the commandments while in the Promised Land, they would probably not have taken them seriously because people don’t see the need for God when they have plenty. He gave it to them in a place of affliction where there was no arable land to grow food, and they had no one to trade with.

God spoke the commandments at a time when the Israelites had no other option but to depend on every word from God’s mouth literally. Divine power alone was responsible for sustaining the Israelites in the wilderness.

When affliction comes from God, it has good intentions. Affliction from God is a more incredible blessing than the pleasures that sin has to offer.

Hebrews 11:24-25 (KJV) – “²⁴ By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; ²⁵ Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”

Commenting on David’s affliction, Charles Spurgeon writes, “Even though the affliction came from bad men, it was overruled for good ends: though it was bad as it came from them, it was good for David. It benefited him in many ways, and he knew it. Whatever he may have thought while under the trial, he perceived himself to be the better for it when it was over. It was not good to the proud to be prosperous, for their hearts grew sensual and insensible; but affliction was good for the Psalmist. Our worst is better for us than the sinner’s best. It is bad for sinners to rejoice, and good for saints to sorrow. A thousand benefits have come to us through our pains and griefs, and among the rest is this that we have thus been schooled in the law.” – Commentary on Psalms 119, The Treasury of David.

Proper schooling is proper preparation. Adequate preparation is best when that preparation is severest. A well-educated student has received sufficient grounding to face the most challenging exam. Therefore, when facing the exam, the exam will seem easy than the toil he encountered in preparation. The same applies to the battlefield. The training needs to be more coarse than the battle itself.

The same law of practice that applies in physical contests or physical school exams is the same law that applies in learning spiritual lessons. The Israelites would understand God’s law best in the wilderness, where conditions were the most solid. When one has plenty, he feels no need to steal. But when one lacks, the idea of stealing may begin to get cultivated in the mind. However, God says, “Thou shalt not steal” in Exodus 20:15. He doesn’t set any special conditions that allow one to break His divine law.

When some face rough situations that compel them to break God’s law, they think it has a problem and try to adjust it to fit their circumstances. The Bible says in Psalm 19:7 (KJV) – “The law of the Lord is perfect.” Human beings usually have errors in the laws they formulate and implement because they are naturally erratic. God is a perfect God. Therefore, His law is perfect.

God, in His goodness and understanding nature, does not want you to try so hard by your strength to keep His law. He expects you to depend on Him to keep it. God knew there was no food and water in the wilderness but expected the Israelites to keep His law. He had set a plan to provide for them daily. His request to them was simple, Proverbs 3:5 (KJV) – “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

True faith is not measured when things are smooth and soft. True faith is counted when things are rocky and stormy. That is why Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 8:26 (KJV) – “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” He told them this because He expected them to be steadfast in their faith in that heavy storm.

God wants you to possess and display firm-footed stability when you are thrown in the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, or when facing any adversity. He wants you to maintain perfect obedience in keeping His law. And obedience can only be tested and perfected when adversity hits one hard. An employer who allows you to keep the Sabbath may make you feel that you are perfect since the situation is favorable. On the other hand, one that threatens to terminate you if you do not keep the Sabbath puts a real test on your faith, especially if you have a family that depends on you as its sole provider. This does not mean you should put yourself in such situations or pray for such cases to happen to test your faith because you can easily fall. In fact, you should pray to never encounter such tests. Matthew 24:20 (KJV) – “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day.” However, if dire tests happen to you, you should pray to God to make you overcome them.

“Many of your afflictions have been visited upon you, in the wisdom of God, to bring you closer to the throne of grace. He softens and subdues His children by sorrows and trials. This world is God’s workshop, where He fashions us for the courts of heaven. He uses the planing knife upon our quivering hearts until the roughness and irregularities are removed and we are fitted for our proper places in the heavenly building. Through tribulation and distress the Christian becomes purified and strengthened, and develops a character after the model that Christ has given.” – Testimonies for the Church 4:143, Ellen G. White.

Matthew 5:48 (KJV) – “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” God wants us to be perfect as He is perfect.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says that God’s ways and thoughts compared to us are as far as heaven is from the earth. Therefore, our attempts to reach the level of God’s perfected character are impossible, the same way it is impossible to travel from the world to heaven using our strength and intelligence.

God made man in His image, but sin blurred that image. The work of the cross by His son Jesus Christ desires to restore that image in us. It strives to align our ways and thoughts with the immortal One. God is aware of our weaknesses and wants to help us reach the standards He has given us by His power. Therefore, He calls upon us to surrender to Him since He cannot force us to do anything. When we submit to Him, He starts His sanctification work on us, subduing every unholy attribute through His Word.

As a nail is hammered into a piece of wood to join it into another, God’s work in our lives may cause us a little pain. However, that pain is essential, like two joined woods, to join us imperfect beings to the perfect One. “There is no pleasant surgery, there is no delightful injection” – Pastor Randy Skeete.

Surgery and injection are used to improve your body’s condition or give it healing. There are minor illnesses for which one can take painkillers, and they will get healed, but there are others that an injection or surgery is necessary to heal them.

An injection or surgery often occurs after a particular disease has persisted and the prescribed medicine fails. God may sometimes present us with a minor challenge to deal with a specific sinful condition in our lives, but if the state continues, He may bring a more intense problem to deal with it. The succeeding plagues presented to Pharaoh were more significant than the preceding ones till Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt.

“These we have come to know and to keep by feeling the smart of the rod. We prayed the Lord to teach us (Psalms 119:66), and now we see how He has already been doing it. Truly He has dealt well with us, for He has dealt wisely with us. We have been kept from the ignorance of the greasy-hearted by our trials, and this, if there were nothing else, is just cause for constant gratitude. To be larded by prosperity, is not good for the proud; but for the truth to be learned by adversity is good for the humble. Very little is to be learned without affliction. If we would be scholars, we must be sufferers. As the Latins say, “Experientia docet,” experience teaches. There is no royal road to learning the royal statutes; God’s commands are best read by eyes wet with tears.” – Commentary on Psalms 119:71, The Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon.

The best school to attend is the school of God. The best teacher to have is the Holy Spirit. The Bible may not have detailed facts on everything, but it is the foundation of all knowledge. In it, we find the principles of all forms of science, math, and languages, among other subjects. All noble and worthy topics in this world have their foundation in the Bible.

For example, Leviticus 27 talks about the valuation of various things. Valuation is part and parcel of the subject of Finance. God gave directions for the building of Noah’s ark, the Ark of the Covenant, and the temple. Those are architecture, design, and engineering principles. Jesus, as the master physician, performed various miracles of healing upon people. In one of His miracles, He healed a blind man by taking dust from the ground, forming clay, and putting it on the blind man. Jesus used the example of dust to teach a medical principle that there is healing in nature.

Ellen G. White says that if we study the Bible and understand it, all other education will be easy. Daniel and his friends advanced highly in the education of Babylon than the Babylonians themselves because they were well educated on the infinitely deep and broad truths from the Word of God. The Bible being their sole foundation, made the education of the Chaldeans easy.

Having established that, God, as the master teacher, aims to educate us because He wants us to be fully equipped to withstand Satan’s wiles. He schools us through His word. He also schools us through the natural world which He created. Thirdly, He schools us through personal experiences. Unlike the world’s education, God’s education goes beyond our current life and aims to prepare us for eternal life.

To be well vast with such an education may be challenging, but it is a worthy endeavor. God gives us challenges to teach us the value of faith and obedience to His Word. He sometimes allows us to be in situations that we can liken to being between a rock and a crocodile to make us know that through Him, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). The most challenging assignments bring out the best in students. God may give us complex tasks to bring out the best in us.

“In Miss E.J. Whately’s very interesting Life of her Father, the celebrated Archbishop of Dublin, a fact is recorded, as told by Dr. Whately, with reference to the introduction of the larch tree into England. When the plants were first brought, the gardener, hearing that they came from the south of Europe, and taking it for granted that they would require warmth, forgetting that might grow near the snow line, put them into a hothouse. Day by day they withered, until the gardener in disgust threw them on a dung heap outside; there they began to revive and bud, and at last grew into trees. They needed the cold.” -James Wareing Bardsicy, in Illustrated Texts and Texts Illustrated, 1876.

Continuing with this explanation,

“The great Husbandman often saves his plants by throwing them out into the cold. The nipping frosts of trial and affliction are needed if God’s larches are to grow. It is under such discipline that new thoughts and feelings appear. The heart becomes more dead to the world and self. From the night of sorrow rises the morning of joy. Winter is the harbinger of spring. From the crucifixion of the old man comes the resurrection of the new, as in nature life is the child of death. “The night is the mother of the day, And winter of the spring; And ever upon old decay, The greenest mosses spring.” -James Wareing Bardsicy, in Illustrated Texts and Texts Illustrated, 1876.

As plants need the cold, we sometimes need the cold. We may not want it, but we need it. Given a choice, most of us would not want to rise early, and most would not want to go to school or church. Most of us would prefer listening to music, watching movies, and playing video games to listening to sermons. Most of the things we need are not pleasant but essential. And sometimes, we must go through the things we need to get the things we want. God knows what we need best. If a vehicle lacks fuel, it does nothing about its situation, it stays immobile. The driver knows that the car needs energy and fills it with fuel so it can move.

If the driver puts diesel fuel because it is cheaper in a petrol vehicle, he will spoil the engine. The car cannot talk and say the type of fuel it needs. The driver or the mechanic must know the fuel the vehicle needs based on its engine type. God is our master driver. He is our master mechanic. We should allow Him to fill us with the proper fuel, and we should allow Him to repair us how He knows best. We cannot fix ourselves, just like a car cannot repair itself. We cannot plant ourselves just like a seed cannot plant itself. Often, the repairing has instances of pain, pain that is essential for us to function correctly.

The Psalm writer says that the affliction he faced was good because it made him learn God’s Law. The question is, how important is God’s Law?

Psalm 119:72 (KJV) – “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”

What do gold and silver represent? Gold and silver are symbols of wealth. They are currency forms from the olden days till now. Now we have money, but in the olden days, there was no money. They used to trade gold and silver. Therefore, the Psalmist says God’s Law is better than great earthly riches. One of the reasons he says this is because keeping the commandments can make you wealthy and healthy.

But material wealth alone cannot make you keep the commandments and cannot prolong your life. However, most of us need to recognize this. We go to great lengths to break God’s law at the expense of getting material possessions. Like Esau, who despised his birthright for one meal, we despise eternal life and eternal riches for worldly short-term riches, which seem a lot but, in essence, are very little. If you are told that there is an ounce of gold in this land, you will dig deep until you find it. God’s Word is more precious than thousands of gold, silver, and all precious minerals. Why don’t you dig deep to understand truth?

It would be best if you were zealous in finding the truth than how you are zealous in your money-making career. Spending more time with God will make your earthly career and education thrive. Psalm 127:2 says, “He giveth His beloved sleep.” It is not God’s will for you to spend so much time in your earthly career or schoolwork because if you do that, when will you get time to pray and study the Bible?

Most people spend a lot of time on their jobs because they are not living according to their purpose. God’s purpose for you might be to be an artist, but because you want instant gratification to pay bills, you go to America to wash plates in a restaurant working twenty hours a day, thus despising your purpose. If you follow your purpose, you will find yourself working less, earning more, and receiving a lot of satisfaction.

Many people don’t like their jobs. They work for the pay cheque. Prayer and Bible study should be daily, not once a week. God, in His love, asks for one day of the week, which is the Sabbath, and if you give Him that one day only, He is okay with that. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give Him time during the week. The more time you give to God, the better. He will realize your sacrifice, and He will be pleased by it. Hebrews 13:16 (NKJV) – “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

God is pleased when you sacrifice for Him, and He will reward you if you do that (Hebrews 13:16). He will ensure He has accelerated you to heights that will take others who have no time for Him such a long time to reach.

In 1 Kings 3:4, Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings to God. One thousand burnt offerings are a lot, and it takes a lot of time to burn a thousand offerings. Therefore, Solomon sacrificed a large part of his possessions and a great deal of time to God. What did God do in return? God came to him in a dream and asked him what he wanted. Whatever he was going to say, God was going to give him. That act of sacrifice augmented Solomon in various areas of his life. God was pleased, so He made him the wisest and richest man to ever live in this world. God fast-tracked Solomon so incredibly that thousands of years have passed since he died, but no one has surpassed him in wisdom and wealth.

God’s Law Is Better Than Material Possessions

Psalm 119:72 (KJV) – “The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”

“If a poor man had said this, the world’s witlings would have hinted that the grapes are sour, and that men who have no wealth are the first to despise it; but this is the verdict of a man who owned his thousands, and could judge by actual experience of the value of money and the value of truth. He speaks of great riches, he heaps it up by thousands, he mentions the varieties of its forms, “gold and silver”; and then he sets the Word of God before it all, as better to him, even if others did not think it better to them. Wealth is good in some respects, but obedience is better in all respects. It is well to keep the treasures of this life; but far more commendable to keep the Law of the Lord. The Law is better than gold and silver, for these may be stolen from us, but not the Word; these take to themselves wings, but the Word of God remains; these are useless in the hour of death, but then it is that the promise is most dear. Instructed Christians recognize the value of the Lord’s Word, and warmly express it, not only in their testimony to their fellow men, but in their devotions to God. It is a sure sign of a heart which has learned God’s statutes when it prizes them above all earthly possessions; and it is an equally certain mark of grace when the precepts of Scripture are as precious as its promises. The Lord cause us thus to prize the Law of His mouth.” – Commentary on Psalms 119, The Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon.

Deuteronomy 28:1-13 shows us a small portion of the infinite value of God’s law by listing various blessings that stem from obeying it.

Deuteronomy 28:1 (KJV) – “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth.”

The verse ends by saying, “all nations of the earth.” Many people don’t obey God because they think obedience to God is only relevant to go to heaven, and since it will take a long time for Christ to come back, they choose to live in frivolity in the meantime.

Obedience to God has blessings that will flow from this life on earth to eternity. If the law was only relevant for blessings in heaven, God would have given them to us when we go to heaven. But that is not the case. God gave Moses the commandments as practical guidelines for living on earth. Those same laws that God gave to govern earth are the same laws that govern heaven.

Matthew 6:10 (KJV) – “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” God desires our present lives on earth to reflect the future life in heaven. He wants us to have a little heaven where we are. It may not be entirely possible to achieve that because we live in a corrupted world, but if we obey God’s word, we will live a life on earth that is almost problem-free since most problems we face come from our sins.

As said in Deuteronomy 28:1, God wants to set us Christians above everybody else in the world. He does not want to do that because He despises unbelievers. God loves everybody, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world.” God wants to set His children above everyone else so that when people look at the blessed lives of believers, they can see the hand of God in our lives. He wants to bless us so that other people can see the blessings that He has bestowed on us and get saved because He is willing that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9). He wants us to thrive in health that is why He has given us the health message through various servants such as Ellen G. White.

An excellent example of this is the blue zones. A blue zone is where people live longer than usual and are vigorous in old age. There are five blue zones worldwide, and one of the Blue Zones listed is the Seventh Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California. Loma Linda is a city that has people of all religions but a considerable population of Seventh-Day Adventists. It is a city where it is difficult to find stores that sell alcohol and cigarettes because they are restricted. Ellen G. White wrote a lot on health, including vegetarianism (abstinence from all types of flesh foods and animal products), temperance, air, sunshine, exercise, and mind cure.

The Adventists in Loma Linda are aware of her messages, and many live by them; that’s why they averagely live longer than many people worldwide. However, the laws of health were not designed for one to live long; they were designed for one to live well as long as they live. If followed strictly, we will enjoy a higher quality of life. Our minds will be elevated than they currently are.

Many Christians have attained massive success, but fortunately or unfortunately, the media doesn’t display that because it won’t bring much news. Secondly, some Christians who have succeeded are humble and don’t want to show their success. Instead, they glorify God and live a quiet life away from the lights and cameras. That is why sometimes it looks like evil people are succeeding more than righteous people because evil people love pomp and display. Also, since the world is in darkness, the world makes it look like darkness prevails over light. This is one of the tactics devised by Satan to bring more people to him.

Ellen G. White writes in her book Education, Page 108.2, “It is in appearance, not in reality, that evil succeeds. The child who plays truant from school, the youth who is slothful in his studies, the clerk or apprentice who fails of serving the interests of his employer, the man in any business or profession who is untrue to his highest responsibilities, may flatter himself that, so long as the wrong is concealed, he is gaining an advantage. But not so; he is cheating himself. The harvest of life is character, and it is this that determines destiny, both for this life and for the life to come.” Our limitations in what we see makes us think that evil succeeds over righteousness. To make it more precise, we often think that evil people succeed more than the righteous do because we judge that success by the outward and shallow displays of success that we see.

The Word of God is meant for prosperity. While doing high school ministry, one of the schools we minister to is Highway Secondary School in South B, Nairobi, Kenya. One of the Seventh-Day Adventist patrons gave a testimony that amazed us. She teaches Physics and Chemistry. She says that she is usually the first teacher to finish the syllabus, and sometimes she finishes the syllabus on the first term (a semester for three months) in a school year with three consecutive terms. She said other teachers wonder how she can do this, and she doesn’t teach on Saturday (Sabbath) like the others.

A friend told me how he used to be the leader of the Seventh Day Adventist Group at University. He told me that he would be occupied by church activities on Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, meaning he only had three days to study, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. He did not fail. He graduated with a Second-class honors Upper division (Equivalent to a GPA of 3.0/4.0, or mean grade of B) from the university in an Electrical Engineering course and ended up being given a job in the place he had always envisioned working. He narrated that there were others, some Sabbath-believing Christians, who used to study seven days a week without rest but were not able to prevail over him in studies.

In my early elementary years, I led the class in whichever school I attended without attending classes on Sabbath. After I started attending classes on Sabbath, my marks and my position in the class started to dwindle. In life, there are many times that I neglected keeping the Sabbath and resolved to do my things on that day. However, whatever I did on Sabbath never succeeded because if you do not allow God to actively take part in building your house, you labor in vain while building it (Psalm 127:1). Others who I used to hang out with would succeed better than me in whatever we were doing, i.e., studies, because they didn’t know the truth.

God doesn’t punish or hold someone accountable for a sin of ignorance. A friend told me a story about his friend. The young man went to church with his parents on Saturday and sneaked from church to join friends in a party-like event. The same day there was an altercation in that event where a stampede arose, and the boy died. If he had remained in the church, he would still be alive. Keeping God’s commands prevents us from many problems we may not be aware of.

When I was teaching teens class in Nairobi South Seventh Day Adventist Church, I gave them some of these examples. I told them of the Westgate Mall terrorist attack that happened on Saturday, 21st September 2013 in Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. I made an assumption to them that on that fateful day, there might have been a Sabbath keeping Christian who perished in that attack. I told them if that Sabbath keeping Christian had kept the Sabbath day holy, they would not have perished in that attack. I made that assumption because I knew it is not uncommon to see professed Sabbath keepers willfully breaking God’s fourth commandment.

When I made that assumption Adrian (a student in my teen’s class) said that they were told (possibly by one of the preachers who goes to preach to them in their high school) that there was a Seventh Day Adventist dad whose daughter told him to drop her at Westgate mall on that disastrous Saturday. The dad dropped her and went his way (possibly to church). Unfortunately, that daughter was caught up in the attack and perished by the merciless acts of those terrorists. If she had been at the right place at the right time, she would not have perished.

The Decalogue is for our benefit, not God’s. Keeping it gives us freedom (Exodus 20:1-2). Many people are in prison because of killing and stealing, breaking the sixth and the eighth commandment, respectively (Exodus 20:13, 15). Many have gotten into trouble because of failure to honor and obey their parents, thus breaking the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12). I have observed in various instances that many people who die young, often (not always) die as a result of disobedience and dishonor to their parents.

Many have brought curses to themselves and their families because of visiting witches and wizards and putting them above God, thus breaking the first commandment (Exodus 20:3). Some have gotten into debt and ended up into bankruptcy because of breaking the tenth commandment that commands us not to covet (Exodus 20:17). Others have contracted sexually transmitted diseases and have acquired sexually transmitted demons (which are worse than the diseases) because of breaking the seventh commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

If we put God first, by keeping the first commandment and acknowledge Him as our only God, how can we not succeed? Having no other gods before God will make one grow because He will get to know His purpose in life (for those who have trouble discovering their purpose). Putting God first will make one focus because they will avoid all distractions of serving other gods.

“The rabbins say, that a mountain of sense hangs upon every apex and title of Scripture. “The law of the Lord is perfect”: Psalms 19:7. The Scripture is the library of the Holy Ghost; it is a pandect of divine knowledge, an exact model and platform of religion. The Scripture contains in it the credenda, “the things which we are to believe, “and the agenda, “the things which we are to practice.” It is “able to make us wise unto salvation”: 2 Timothy 3:15. The Scripture is the standard of truth, the judge of controversies; it is the pole star to direct us to heaven: Isaiah 8:20. “The commandment is a lamp”: Proverbs 6:23. The Scripture is the compass by which the rudder of our will is to be steered; it is the field in which Christ, the Pearl of price, is hid; it is a rock of diamonds; it is a sacred collyrium, or eyesalve; it mends their eyes that look upon it; it is a spiritual optic glass in which the glory of God is resplendent; it is the panacy, or universal medicine for the soul. The leaves of Scripture are like the “leaves of the tree of life, for the healing of the nations”: Revelation 22:2. The Scripture is both the breeder and feeder of grace. How is the convert born, but by “the Word of truth”? James 1:18. How doth he grow, but by “the sincere milk of the Word”? 1 Peter 2:2. The Word written is the book out of which our evidences for heaven are fetched; it is the sea mark which shows us the rocks of sin to avoid; it is the antidote against error and apostasy, the two-edged sword which wounds the old serpent. It is our bulwark to withstand the force of lust, like the Capitol of Rome, which was a place of strength and ammunition. The Scripture is the “tower of David, “wherein the shields of our faith hang: So 4:4. “Take away the Word and you deprive us of the sun,” said Luther. The Word written is above an angelic embassy, or voice from heaven. “This voice which came from heaven we heard… We have also a more sure Word”: 2 Peter 1:18, 2 Peter 1:19. O, prize the Word written; prizing is the way to profiting. If Caesar so valued his commentaries, that for preserving them he lost his purple robe, how should we estimate the sacred oracles of God? “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” – Thomas Watson, in “The Morning Exercises.”

Genesis 1, the story of creation is filled with the Phrase, “And God said.” God brought the vast universe to existence and everything in it through His Word. God’s Word created the angels that excel in strength. Psalm 33:6 (KJV) – “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” Psalm 33:9 (KJV) – “For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood first.” God creates through His Word, saves through His Word, and sanctifies us through His Word.

Psalm 138:2 (KJV) – “For thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name.” God has placed His word above all His names. His Word has power that our finite minds cannot fathom. His Word brought silver, gold, diamonds, rubies, and all the precious minerals into existence. His Word brought man who has excelled in making marvelous inventions around the world into existence. Knowing this, how can we value material possessions above His word? How can we fail to return the tithe because we feel the salary we have been given in our workplaces cannot cater to all our needs? How can we fail to keep the Sabbath because the school administration has compelled us to attend school on Sabbath? How can we disobey our parents because we think their advice is old-fashioned and irrelevant in this new age?

Psalm 1:1-3 (KJV) – “¹ Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.² But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.³ And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

A man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly is a man who walks in the counsel of God. A person who does not stand in the way of sinners is a person who stands in the way of Jesus because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Someone who does not sit in the seat of the scornful, sits in the heart of the master encourager who is Jesus. Someone who does not do all these things delights in the law of God and loves to think about it twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. He searches Scripture, line upon line, to learn more about it. He lives by faith not by sight. He is not afraid of the truth as much as it sometimes hurts, but he embraces it and is willing that the truth will do its best work in him, fashioning him to be fit for entrance into the pearly gates.

Someone who possesses these attributes is compared to a tree that is planted by the rivers of water that never runs short of supply. Since he never runs short of supply, he supplies others with fully developed and ripened fruits from his life. Whatever that righteous man will do, it will always prosper. This is because he is always doing the right thing; if you do the right thing, you will never go wrong.

Revelation 22:14 (KJV) – “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

Genesis 3:24 (KJV) – “So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

God set two Cherubims (the highest level of angels) to guard the garden of Eden so that man could not access the tree of life. The Bible says in Revelation 22:14 that doing God’s commandments will give us access to the tree of life that is currently inaccessible. What does this mean? This means that obedience to God gives you access to the inaccessible. Revelation 22:14 also says that obedience will open the gates of heaven for those who obey God. Obedience to God opens doors. And if obedience to God can open doors in heaven which is unfathomably high, it can surely open doors on earth, where we are.

We have seen how much of a blessing God’s law is, and in His profound love, God wants you to keep it so that you can get the benefits that flow from it. As a result, He allows you to face affliction in life or punishes you so that you can keep His law and get those blessings. This is because, without despair, many of us will not seek God. Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV) – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” We have a heart that naturally prefers wickedness, and so God brings affliction into our lives so that we can seek Him.

There are people who are rich materially who knew God when they were in a hospital bed. God brought them to the understanding that their large amount of money cannot save them, it is only God who can. Others were atheists but got to believe that God lives after their marriages were broken. Some believed in God after their wealthy empires fell and were put in a position to know that God’s word sustains them, not their wealth. There are Adventists who despised the Adventist health messages till they got sick and were placed in a position to follow it, and got healed after they reformed their health practices.

Affliction is not always a bad thing. Commenting on the punishment given to Adam and Eve when they sinned, Ellen G. White writes in her book Patriarchs and Prophet, Page 60.1, “And the life of toil and care which was henceforth to be man’s lot was appointed in love. It was a discipline rendered needful by his sin, to place a check upon the indulgence of appetite and passion, to develop habits of self-control. It was a part of God’s great plan of man’s recovery from the ruin and degradation of sin.”

God is always faithful. He cannot lie (Numbers 23:19). You may be returning tithes and offerings faithfully, and you still feel that you haven’t gotten what the Bible promises in Malachi 3:10 because God has not yet given you what you are asking for. God may have tremendous blessings for you in store but is waiting for you to correct one or two things in your life so that He can give you those blessings because He doesn’t want those blessings to result in a curse.

Some people around the world won millions of dollars in the lottery but are now completely broke. Some said that winning the lottery was the worst thing that ever happened to them. Many have been given great talents, which have ended up being a curse instead of a blessing because they did not use them to the glory of God. Some people’s wealth has ended up bringing curses to them. While some their beauty has ended up being a curse to them. Wealth, talent, and beauty are good things God gives us, but when misused, they may end up being a curse. Samson was the strongest person that lived on earth. His strength was a curse to him rather than a blessing as God had intended it to be. Solomon’s wisdom became a curse when he stopped depending on God and worshipped idols.

After Adam and Eve sinned, they blamed God for what He created. Adam said it is the woman given to him by God that made him sin, while Eve said it is the serpent that God created that made her sin. Because God loves you dearly, He does not want you to say that the blessings He has given you are the ones responsible for bringing problems to your life. Like the bankrupt lottery winners, He does not want you to say, “This blessing God has given me is the worst thing that has ever happened to me.” Therefore, He allows you to face affliction for you to be well refined to receive the blessings. And when He blesses you, the blessings find you ready to receive them.

Affliction might be a door to an enormous blessing. In the book “Why A students work for C students and B students work for the government, Robert Kiyosaki talks about his famous book, Rich Dad Poor Dad. He says that the book was rejected by all publishers, which forced him to self-publish the book. The book has sold over 30,000,000 copies worldwide, thus making him earn more money than he would have earned from publishers. My friend Dan collaborated with other friends to write Physics textbooks. At first, they did not have the money to publish the book. This made them register a publishing company. Therefore, as they earn from their book sales (which will be a higher percentage of money compared to using other publishers since they are publishing from their own company), they will also gain from other people using their company to publish their books. The affliction resulted in an immense blessing.

A Kenyan gospel musician was banned from gospel shows and gospel awards. I am not sure why he was banned. He took this affliction positively and went to almost all high schools around the country, giving students motivational talks while selling his music. He ended up making more money than other musicians, through the affliction he faced. Some musicians worldwide have had hit songs that have sold millions of records and won numerous awards because they sang out of a painful real-life experience they were facing. Their journey may be challenging and rough, but it is delightful. Sometimes sweeter than the destination.

Joseph was sold to Egypt by his brothers, and while in Egypt, he was jailed for a crime he did not commit. God loved Joseph and favored him highly and Joseph was faithful to God. However, He allowed Joseph to go through all that pain and suffering. God not only hears our cries, but whenever we feel any pain, He also feels that pain. Joseph persevered through the pain, and God persevered with Him. He passed the test and was elevated to the position of prime minister in Egypt (in a foreign land where he was enslaved and a prisoner). Only Pharaoh was higher than him. The affliction he faced turned out to be a blessing. It turned out to be an opening of an enormous door and a royal and luxurious lifestyle.

“Joseph’s gentleness and fidelity won the heart of the chief captain, who came to regard him as a son rather than a slave. The youth was brought in contact with men of rank and learning, and he acquired a knowledge of science, of languages, and of affairs—an education needful to the future prime minister of Egypt.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 217.1, Ellen G. White.

The best place, Joseph would have acquired this education while on earth was in Egypt because that was the purpose of God in His life. He saw a dream of him being a ruler, but he did not understand how that dream will come true. He was among the youngest sons of Jacob and physically weaker than all the others. He had seen in a dream that he would be a ruler but did not know where his jurisdiction of leadership will be. God may give you a vision of your future life and you may fail to figure out how it will come through when you judge your current situation.

When taken to Egypt, as Joseph held on tightly to God’s Word as his foundation, he learned the essential lessons of governance and leadership through affliction. He had steadfastness of purpose, so the torment he faced did not seem heavy. Washington Irvin once commented, “Great minds have purposes; others have wishes. Little minds are subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them.”

Commenting on Joseph when he was thrown in prison in Egypt, the servant of God writes, “At the first Joseph was treated with great severity by his jailers. The Psalmist says, “His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron: until the time that his word came to pass; the Word of the Lord tried him.” Psalm 105:18, 19, RV But Joseph’s real character shines out, even in the darkness of the dungeon. He held fast his faith and patience; his years of faithful service had been most cruelly repaid, yet this did not render him morose or distrustful. He had the peace that comes from conscious innocence, and he trusted his case with God. He did not brood upon his own wrongs, but forgot his sorrow in trying to lighten the sorrows of others. He found a work to do, even in the prison. God was preparing him in the school of affliction for greater usefulness, and he did not refuse the needful discipline. In prison, witnessing the results of oppression and tyranny and the effects of crime, he learned lessons of justice, sympathy, and mercy that prepared him to exercise power with wisdom and compassion.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 218.2, Ellen G. White.

Had Joseph not learned these lessons, He may not have possessed specific essential attributes that make a great leader. Other leaders in Egypt that were before him had poor administration because they were not righteous. Therefore, their carnal decisions caused harm to the people. God, in His divine wisdom, did not want the same to be with Joseph. His desire was for Joseph, who acknowledged Him, to be excellent in every good work. He wanted to set a clear distinction between other worldly leaders and a leader who put God first. He wanted people to see His Light in Joseph and that He was walking with Joseph. Therefore, He educated Joseph in the highest school possible that no other school was higher, which is the school of God.

Some of the results of His education were proved when Joseph did not take revenge on his brothers but forgave them when they came to ask him for food. He forgave them and gave them what they were asking for (when God forgives you, He gives you whatever you ask for according to His will). Joseph preached a message of God’s love to his brothers through the action of forgiveness. The sermon on shoes is more potent than a sermon on the pulpit. Touched by the divine love shown to them by Joseph, his brothers understood God better and drew closer to Him. Love is the greatest gift of all. Joseph’s love grew more vigorous in His years of affliction.

Romans 8:28 (KJV) – “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.”

Each thing may not be good but all things combined, whether good or bad, will always work out for good for those who love God. Everything will work out for good for those who unwaveringly follow God’s purpose. The school of affliction may have tough lessons, but if God is with you, you will pass whichever test that comes with those lessons.

“It is a remarkable circumstance that the most brilliant colours of plants are to be seen on the highest mountains, in spots that are most exposed to the wildest weather. The brightest lichens and mosses, the loveliest gems of wild flowers, abound far up on the bleak, storm scalped peak. One of the richest displays of organic colouring I ever beheld was near the summit of Mount Chenebettaz, a hill about 10,000 feet high, immediately above the great St. Bernard Hospice. The whole face of an extensive rock was covered with a most vivid yellow lichen, which shone in the sunshine like the golden battlement of an enchanted castle. There, in that lofty region, amid the most frowning desolation, exposed to the fiercest tempest of the sky, this lichen exhibited a glory of colour such as it never showed in the sheltered valley. I have two specimens of the same lichen before me while I write these lines, one from the great St. Bernard, and the other from the wall of a Scottish castle, deeply embosomed among sycamore trees; and the difference in point of form and colouring between them is most striking. The specimen nurtured amid the wild storms of the mountain peak is of a lovely primrose hue, and is smooth in texture and complete in outline; while the specimen nurtured amid the soft airs and the delicate showers of the lowland valley is of a dim rusty hue, and is scurfy in texture, and broken in outline. And is it not so with the Christian who is afflicted, tempest tossed, and not comforted? Till the storms and vicissitudes of God’s providence beat upon him again and again, his character appears marred and clouded by selfish and worldly influences. But trials clear away the obscurity, perfect the outlines of his disposition, and give brightness and blessings to his piety. Amidst my list of blessings infinite Stands this the foremost that my heart has bled; For all I bless thee, most for the severe.” – Hugh Macmillan.

“I am mended by my sickness, enriched by my poverty, and strengthened by my weakness, O Lord, be angry with me For if you chide me not, you consider me not; if I taste no bitterness, I have no physic; if thou correct me not, I am not thy son. Thus was it with the great grandchild of David, Manasseh, when he was in affliction, “He besought the Lord his God”: even that king’s iron was more precious to him than his gold, his jail a more happy lodging than his palace, Babylon a better school than Jerusalem. What fools are we, then to frown upon our afflictions! These, how crabbed soever, are our best friends. They are not indeed for our pleasure, they are for our profit; their issue makes them worthy of a welcome. What do we care how bitter that potion be that brings Health.” – Abraham Wright.

“The Christian has reason to thank God that things have not been accommodated to his wishes. When the mist of tears was in his eyes, he looked into the Word of God and saw magnificent things. When Jonah came up from the depths of ocean, he showed that he had learned the statutes of God. One could not go too deep to get such knowledge as he obtained. Nothing now could hinder him from going to Nineveh. It is just the same as though he had brought up from the deep an army of twelve legions of the most formidable troops. The Word of God, grasped by faith, was all this to him, and more. He still, however, needed further affliction; for there were some statutes not yet learned. Some gourds were to wither. He was to descend into a further vale of humiliation. Even the profoundest affliction does not, perhaps, teach us everything; a mistake we sometimes make. But why should we compel God to use harsh measures with us? Why not sit at the feet of Jesus and learn quietly what we need to learn?” – George Bowen, in “Daily Meditations,” 1873.

Philippians 4:4 (KJV) – “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”

Rejoice in God at all times.

Affliction brings Man Home (Poem by Thomas Washbourne, 1606-1687)

“Man like a silly sheep doth often stray,

Not knowing of his way,

Blind deserts and the wilderness of sin

He daily travels in;

There’s nothing will reduce him sooner than

Afflictions to his pen.

He wanders in the sunshine, but in rain

And stormy weather hastens home again.”

“Thou, the great Shepherd of my soul, O keep

Me, my unworthy sheep

From gadding: or if fair means will not do it,

Let foul, then, bring me to it.

Rather then I should perish in my error,

Lord, bring me back with terror;

Better I be chastised with thy rod

And Shepherd’s staff, than stray from thee, my God.”

“Though for the present stripes do grieve me sore,

At last they profit more,

And make me to observe thy word, which I

Neglected formerly;

Let me come home rather by weeping cross

Than still be at a loss.

For health I would rather take a bitter pill,

Than eating sweet meats to be always ill.”

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Dear God, as I face this problem, I ask You to be with me. Please help me never to lose hope or feel discouraged. Please help me to hold firmly to You even when trials are most challenging. God, I believe You have an excellent plan for my life through this affliction because you are a righteous God, and You do everything for our own profit. Heal my pain, Oh Lord. I pray this trusting and believing in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.