God's Methods of Training Different from Man's

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

God's Methods of Training Different from Man's

Today's Text: Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian. Exodus 2:15

The Message:      Moses spent forty years as a shepherd of flocks to prepare him to understand himself, and to purify himself by emptying himself so that the Lord could accomplish His will in him. The Lord does not take for His workers mere machines in intellect or feelings. Both are essential to do the work, but these human elements of character must be purged from defects, not by talking of the will of God, but by doing His will. If any will do His will, they shall know of the doctrine. Moses was under training to God. He endured a long process of mental training to fit him to be leader of the armies of Israel.      Inspiration will come to people of God's appointment, but not to those who retain a high idea of their own mental superiority. Every person whom God will use to do His will must have humble ideas of self and must seek, in persevering earnestness, for light. God will not require any person to become a novice and to sink down into a voluntary humility, and become more and more incapacitated. God calls upon everyone with whom He works to do the very highest kind of thinking and praying and hoping and believing.      Many have, as had Moses, very much to unlearn in order to learn the very lessons that they need to learn. Moses had need to be self-trained by severest mental and moral discipline, and God wrought with him before he could be fitted to train others in mind and heart. He had been instructed in the Egyptian courts. Nothing was left as unnecessary to train him to become a general of armies. The false theories of the idolatrous Egyptians had been instilled into his mind, and the influences surrounding him, and the things his eyes looked upon, could not be easily shaken off or corrected.      Thus it is with many who have had a false training in any line. All the idolatrous rubbish of heathen lore must be removed-bit by bit, item by item-from Moses' mind. Jethro helped him in many things to a correct faith, as far as he himself understood. He was working upward toward the light where he could see God in singleness of heart. God Jehovah was revealed to him. This thorough intellectual training in Egypt, and as a shepherd among the mountains, in the pure air, made him a strong thinker and a strong doer of the Word of God.-Manuscript 45, 1890 (Manuscript Releases 2:324-326).

Commentary: My friend, each of us is being trained to do service for God, but His method of working with us may differ one from another.  God knows the defects of our hearts and endeavors to mold and shape us into that which He desires for us to be.  We all have cultivated various sinful traits of character that must be worked out that we may perfectly reflect His glory and fulfill our role in His great plan. In order for us to reflect the image of God we must first know who God is.  For many in the church today their view of God is based upon the doctrine of the trinity and as such reflect its image.  But the God of the Bible is not a triune god, but the One true God as revealed to us through His Son (John 17:3), and if we are to be fitted to proclaim the last message of hope to the world we must know the One true God of the Bible. Like Moses we need to unlearn many things that we have been taught that we may be ready to do a great work for the Lord.  The three angels message is the last message of hope that is to go to the whole world, but before it can go to the world with the power of God, we must be prepared to be filed with the Spirit of God.  That preparation is found in the first angels message.  "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation 14:7). In order for us to fear God we must first know who God is, and the reason why this is important is because "the hour of his judgment is come".  The only way that we can give glory to Him is by our works.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."  There is no work that we can do to save us, but as Christ lives His perfect life in us, the work that we do is simply the reflection of of the indwelling of His Spirit.  When this is accomplished in His people, then the last message of hope will go to the world with the power of God and then the end shall come. My friend, you have the opportunity to participate in the salvation of many souls.  But in order to do this you must be filled with the Spirit of the Son of God.  This cannot happen while you hold on to false theories of God.  It is only as we look unto the One true God as revealed through His Son that we can be filled with His Spirit. May you look unto Jesus and be filled with His Spirit today. God bless,

Video of the Week The Final Protest - Who Will You Worship This is the first in a series of videos. The Final protest is dedicated to showing that the foundation for the Ecumenical Movement, the Trinity, is not the true God of the Bible. We invite everyone to come and see for themselves and discover the beautiful truth of a Father and a Son.