Friday: Further Thought ~ The Roots of Restlessness
Further Thought:
“There can be no growth or fruitfulness in the life that is centered in self. If you have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, you are to forget yourself, and try to help others. Talk of the love of Christ, tell of His goodness. Do every duty that presents itself.
Image @ Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Carry the burden of souls upon your heart, and by every means in your power seek to save the lost. As you receive the Spirit of Christ — the Spirit of unselfish love and labor for others — you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely.” — Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pages 67, 68.
In dealing with issues between church members, “conversation has been protracted for hours between the parties concerned, and not only has their time been wasted, but the servants of God are held to listen to them, when the hearts of both parties are unsubdued by grace. If pride and selfishness were laid aside, five minutes would remove most difficulties.” — Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 119.
Discussion Questions:
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We have been discussing selfishness, hypocrisy, and ambition this week. In our own minds, we have been ranking ourselves on a scale of 1 - 10 on where we stand on each of these characteristics. We probably reminded ourselves that if we are close to Jesus, study his word, and pray frequently we will guard against all of these vices. However, there is another issue that sometimes traps us; spiritual arrogance.
We can become very protective of our religion, our views, our freedoms and our biblical knowledge. Is it possible that our spirituality can become arrogant (read selfish and ambitious)? Paul was aware of this issue and talks about it using the illustration of running a race.
That advice is particularly pertinent for me. I am a fairly vocal participant on this forum, having made well in excess of 2000 comments (not counting my participation in Sabbath School Net long before the Blog came into existence). It is all too easy to become used to the sound of my own voice and enchanted by the number of amens that I get. Spiritual arrogance is a real temptation. Fortunately, there are people who disagree with me and bring me back to earth.
Take the time to read the quote from "Christ's Object Lessons" in the lesson study above. We need to remind ourselves that spiritually, we are all learners. None of us can sit on the peak of the mountain and say. "I have arrived!" Our best defence against spiritual arrogance is a willingness to learn by interaction with others.
Brother Ashton,
Thank you for your diligence in commentary and being the moderator of the comments posted on ssnet.org. I find ssnet.org to be a valuable unifying resource of our Church. In regards to the lesson this week which was the "roots of restlessness," it has become apparent to me that arrogance and pride exist in my life when i think that I deserve or earn ANYTHING. As i study and meditate on The Word it becomes clearer and clearer that being a Disciple of Our LORD Jesus Christ is a process of emptying self and being filled with The Holy Spirit Spiritually and filled with The Wisdom of The LORD mentally. All of my thoughts, actions, desires, viewpoints, emotions, concepts, beliefs are put on the foot of The Cross and die with the Death of Jesus Christ. I have a New mind, a New Spirit and a permanent Hope and an abundance of Life and a promise of Eternal Life in the New Earth.
I believe the ward against spiritual arrogance is not only done by interacting with others, but also by sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Sonia – thank you, you make an important point. Staying ‘seated at the feet of Jesus’ – not becoming presumptuous, laden with self-importance and judgement when interacting with one’s fellow man. Desire to learn and apply the Faith of Christ elevates man, but it does not make him/her more valuable in the eyes of God – God loves all His children and does not want any one of them to be lost.
Our heavenly Father loves the creature 'man' who He formed in His Image, coming to offer healing and so restore fellowship with him.
I think the more we understand the mystery of the Grace of God which gives/restores life in man, the more humble we become. The humble soul serves those who seek, those who are waiting to learn about the Grace of God, and those who still reject God’s Truth of Light and Life.
Regarding the discussion questions:
1. We cannot really help each other except to encourage faith in God, His Word, and His Spirit. As we uplift Christ, all who receive Him will stay on course. To overcome selfishness, consider passages such as Dan 4:27. We have no mandate to fight against specific sins/temptations, but rather, have been taught to “seek righteousness, seek meekness”(Zeph 2:3), and we will see that sin will fall away as we do this. The Word of God is the sanctifying power for all who would “follow the Lamb where He leads”(John 17:17, Rev 14:4).
2. If we “buy of [Jesus]” what He offers His people(Rev 3:18) we won't need to focus on being consumed by ambition. The passages in Daniel and Zephaniah above are very revealing on this matter of where our focus must be to overcome. This all takes place when we repent(Rev 3:19).
3. “Repent and believe the Gospel” is Jesus' message to sinners. This remedy will cure restlessness. If we wish, we may be yoked together with Christ, who promises “rest unto your soul”. If we “deny self, take up our cross and follow Him”, victory is assured.
4. As wonderful, vital, and central the return of Jesus is, it remains secondary to gaining the victory in this life, without which “no man shall see the Lord”(Heb 12:14). Only those who have overcome will be expressing Joy on the day of Christ's return.
Our sinful nature have cause us to be prone to selfishness. Nevertheless, 2 Cor. 5:17 states, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new. If we walk in the newness of life we will learn to adapt the characteristics of Christ “put on the new man “To fear the LORD is to hate evil. I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech said the Lord Proverb 8:13. Arrogance is what separates us and divides us and interferes with humility and empathy and respect. That is why arrogance & pride is sinful, God hate them, and they produce selfishness . Let us all abide in the vine that we may all put on the characteristic of Christ.
I don’t know why that first question rubbed me the wrong way, but it did. As I see it, it is not our job to hold others accountable. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. He knows each persons heart and motive, we can only rely on what we see, which really is subject to our own experience. I put my motives onto other people’s actions. Our job, my job, is to live my life in such a way, that it encourages others to want to know Jesus, to want to have a victorious life. Salvation is the fringe benefit to a life well lived here on this earth. Who wouldn’t want a world full of people living a Christ like life?
Maurice, so often I have enjoyed your comments on certain days. I totally agree with your comment today on spiritual arrogance. For us as Seventh Day Adventists this is a type of selfishness we have to be on guard against. God has blessed us with this "present truth" that we have but we are not to allow the present truth to bring us to the level of hypocrisy Christ condemned the Pharisee's for. Spirtual arrogance can lead us into all the things we studied about this week, division,selfishness, ambition and hypocrisy. Let not our hearts be troubled with these things but lift up Christ on the cross and look forward to his second coming soon.
The cause of the 'Roots of Restlessness' is what Christ Jesus came to expose and offerd to eliminate. In this lesson, Ellen White's statement points out that the ‘Spirit of Christ’ is the Spirit of unselfish love and labor for others’; if this is what we aim for, restlessness will cease.
My response to questions:
1-3. Selfishness and ambition are two serious character defects which should not be tolerated in the lifes of the brotherhood of believers who say they want to live in the Father's kingdom of heaven her on earth.
1Peter3:4KJV – “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quite spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.’
Phil.4:6KJV - All believers in the Faith of Christ are offered help to deal with their shortcomings. In Christ Jesus the doors are wide open to come into the presence of the Father and ask for anything. It will be granted in accordance with the Father's Will, and sanctification of the living soul is the Father's Will.
4. Matt.7:19-27KJV - The Father’s Grace has opened our eyes to know the Father's Will. We also have been given the understanding that there will be a reckoning of all things related to the old earth, the church member's conduct included; it is called ‘Judgement Day’.
With all the Light we have been given, is there still anyone in the church who does not care about what God sees in his/her heart?
Matt.7:5KJV -I am looking forward to Christ’s return and hope that we will examine ourselves with all sincerity and look to find the beams in our own eyes before we go and judge the speck in our neighbor's eye.