Faith and Works Should be Combined

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Faith and Works Should be Combined

Today's Text: And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. Nehemiah 2:5

The Message:      At last the sorrow that burdened Nehemiah's heart could no longer be concealed. Sleepless nights devoted to earnest prayer, care-filled days, dark with the shadow of hope deferred, leave their trace upon his countenance. The keen eye of the monarch, accustomed jealously to guard his own safety, is accustomed to read countenances and to penetrate disguises. Seeing that some secret trouble is preying upon his servant, he suddenly inquires, "Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart."      The question fills the listener with apprehension. Will not the king be angry to hear that while outwardly engaged in his service, the courtier's thoughts have been far away with his afflicted people? Will not the offender's life be forfeited? And his cherished plan for restoring Jerusalem-is it not about to be overthrown? "Then," he says, "I was very sore afraid." With trembling lips and tearful eyes he reveals the cause of his sorrow-the city, which is the place of his father's sepulchre, lying waste, and its gates consumed with fire. The touching recital awakens the sympathy of the monarch without arousing his idolatrous prejudices; another question gives the opportunity for which Nehemiah has long sought: "For what dost thou make request?"      But the man of God does not reply until he has first asked the support of One higher than Artaxerxes. "I prayed," he says, "to the God of heaven." The silent petition then sent to God was the same that he had offered for many weeks-that God would prosper his request. And now, taking courage at the thought that he has a Friend, omniscient and all-powerful, to work in his behalf, the man of God calmly makes known to the king his desire to be released for a time from his office at the court and be authorized to build up the waste places of Jerusalem, and to make it once more a strong and defensed city. Momentous results to the Jewish city and nation hang upon this request. "And," says Nehemiah, "the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me."      While Nehemiah implored the help of God, he did not fold his own hands, feeling that he had no more care or responsibility in the matter. With admirable prudence and forethought, he proceeded to make all the arrangements necessary to ensure the success of the enterprise.-Manuscript 58, 1903.

Commentary: My friend, faith without corresponding works is not faith at all, but is only a profession of faith.  Many today have a profession of faith and believe that it is enough, but unless the profession of faith motivates the believer to act in accordance with their faith, it will not profit them.  If we profess to believe in God then it will be seen in everything that we say and do. The last message of hope that is to go to the world is the three angels message, but that message will not have the desired affect upon the world unless the people that have been entrusted with that message are prepared to give it.  The Seventh-day Adventist church has been proclaiming this message to the world for more than 170 years, but why has it not had the affect upon the world that is should?  The answer is simple.  The church has fallen from the pure church of Philadelphia to the corrupt church of Laodecia. The Seventh-day Adventist movement that came out of the great disappointment of 1844 no longer worships the One true God of the Bible but worships the false god of the trinity, and as such no longer has the Spirit of Christ leading it.  While this may be difficult to accept it is none the less true.  The Faithful and True Witness reveals to the church its fearful condition saying "... knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" (Revelation 3:17), but this message is not heeded by the church. The church of God is not defined by a building nor an organization, but is defined by His presence within it.  Jesus says in Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."  The presence of God in His people constitutes the church.  The reason why the SDA church is in the condition that it is today, is because the Spirit of the Lord is no longer abiding within it.  The Faithful and True Witness says to the church "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20).  The position of Christ is not on the inside but on the outside seeking to gain entrance, and unless the people once again invite Him into their hearts, He will spew them from His mouth. My friend, I give this message to you in the love of Christ, and while it is not an easy message to give, it must be given none the less.  Jesus says "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." (Revelation 3:19).  The message that God has for His people today is not just to bring them back to worship Him as the One true God, but to point out their true condition before Him.  Unless the people turn from the worship of the false god of the trinity, He cannot fill them with His Spirit and as such will, in the end, spew them from His mouth, meaning that He will no longer confess them before His Father. May you harken unto the message from the Faithful and True Witness of Jesus Christ today. God bless,

Video of the Week One God in Three Persons - Part 1 Dr. Allen Davis and Pastor Daniel Mesa giving a partial response--due to lack of time--to Dr. Norman Gulley's article, "One God in Three Persons" found online at the Adventist World website.