In the first part of this article, we covered a story of one football team and its fans, in a country called Zamunda, which decided to erect a new standard for goals scored in a football match, after they had repeatedly failed to score. Drawing from this analogy of a football team, we learn that many things must be done by any player leading up to the scoring of a goal in a football match. Each player must train. The training must be with a ball, on a pitch. The player must belong to a team, and even though a goal is ultimately scored by one individual, this is usually done through the effort of the entire team. Each team has at least one coach. The team plays with opponents in any given match. Each match has a given timeline (usually 90 minutes), in which each team must score to gain points over their opponents. Each match has spectators. The game and its practice are regulated by a football authority. The winning team is awarded a prize. How do these concepts relate to the game of life?

The training

Imagine that you are on a football pitch with a ball under your foot aiming for the goal post. The pitch is the world in which we live and the spectators consist of the entire universe (1 Corinthians 4:9). What would that ball be and what is the goal post? The Christian’s ball consists of the mind and character, henceforth collectively referred to as character. As stated above, the goal is Christlikeness—to have a mind and character that is in harmony with and perfectly obedient to God’s law. This is not as straight forward as you might think it is. The game of life lasts a lifetime, but matches (trials or temptations), though met with every day, have a limited timeframe.

To score, usually, one must dribble the ball and run around the football pitch several times before one beats the opponent’s defense to score. Statistics put the average distance covered by soccer players at 7 miles (11km) per game. From my own experience, I can attest to the fact that it is not an easy matter to run around for 90 minutes if you have not trained hard enough. I recall in 2012 during a recreational exercise at my workplace, I joined colleagues in a football match. Within 20 minutes of play I was gasping for breath and could no longer run. One colleague passed the ball to me when I was lying on the ground very close to the goal post, but I could only look at the ball as it passed me by because I was so tired that I couldn’t even stand. That was after a mere 20 minutes of play. What kind of training does the Christian need to last for the entire duration of the game—probationary time?

Temperance

Football players (and those in other kinds of sports as well) go through vigorous physical and mental training to stay focused and in shape. The Bible, in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, uses an analogy of track and field athletes, to encourage Christians to run their race and obtain the prize of an incorruptible crown: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” The apostle knows that running is not an easy thing; he therefore adds the training required: “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Notice how he emphasizes keeping the goal in mind while one is running and the role of temperance in character building. Is it any wonder that God saw it fit to give his people the message of health reform in 1863?

“All who would perfect holiness in the fear of God must learn the lessons of temperance and self-control. The appetites and passions must be held in subjection to the higher powers of the mind. This self-discipline is essential to that mental strength and spiritual insight which will enable us to understand and to practice the sacred truths of God’s word. For this reason temperance finds its place in the work of preparation for Christ’s second coming.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 101

“Every action of the human agent should be in perfect harmony with the laws of life. The light God has given on health reform is for our salvation and the salvation of the world.” –Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 461. It is interesting that many people desire to be holy, yet still entertain the thought that their diet and lifestyle has no effect on their spirituality. “True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful. There are few who realize as they should how much their habits of diet have to do with their health, their character, their usefulness in this world, and their eternal destiny.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 562. “Anything that lessens physical strength enfeebles the mind and makes it less capable of discriminating between right and wrong. We become less capable of choosing the good and have less strength of will to do that which we know to be right.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 346

If there is such a direct relationship between our diet and mental and spiritual state, is it any wonder that there is so much junk food being advertised every day? Is it any wonder that the demands for flesh foods are so high that nowadays people find eating chicken heads and toes pleasurable? Is this a coincidence or does Satan know what game he is playing? And no, true temperance is not only about vegetarianism but about true health reform; it not only includes eating healthful food, but also knowing when to eat, how to prepare food, cleanliness, modest and healthful clothing, etc.

Seemingly little things, such as not making one’s bed in the morning, and eating between meals, have an impact on one’s character building. If this was a matter of minor importance, this testimony would not have been written: “Three meals a day and nothing between meals–not even an apple–should be the utmost limit of indulgence. Those who go further violate nature’s laws and will suffer the penalty.” –Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 182

I was impressed by one brother’s children when I visited the General Conference headquarters in 2016: After our recreational visit to the Little River Canyon, on our way back, someone offered us some snacks in the car. This brother’s young son and youngest daughter refused to eat and said they would eat during their evening meal time. They did this even though their parents were not in the same car! This is an encouraging illustration of how we can all train ourselves and our children to consider a violation of health’s laws as a violation of God’s law, and that adherence to health principles promotes a healthy body and mind that is ready to adhere to God’s law. This can be achieved with practice, for nothing is perfected without practice; even laziness requires practice for one to be good at it. Do not wait for big temptations: begin by resisting that apple or nut that would be inviting you to eat it between meals.

In his presentation of the ladder of progress to Christian perfection, the apostle Peter puts temperance as a prerequisite step to other steps, such as patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and love (2 Peter 1:5–7). This means you can never have patience if you are intemperate. Likewise, you cannot be godly if you are impatient, and you cannot truly love without being godly. To score goals in this game of life, begin by observing strict temperance; that way, you provide yourself with the necessary strength to run for, not only 90 minutes as in a football match, but for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, until you die or until Jesus comes (whichever comes first).

Social life

Many fail in their attempts to perfect Christian character because they distance God’s commandments from their daily life. They create a separation between their religious life and business life. However, to be a successful Christian—and by success, I mean to be able to score goals of perfection—one must know that the business life should be the religious life in practice. Whatever your line of work maybe, you are to bring Christ’s spirit and principles into it. “We have not the genuine religion, unless it exerts a controlling influence upon us in every business transaction. We should have practical godliness to weave into our life-work.” –The Signs of the Times, February 3, 1890

We mourn our failure to be perfect, yet we do not want to practice our Christianity at work, school, or even at home. Indeed, the first step to denying Christ is to be shy or be ashamed to show our family, friends, workmates, or school mates, that we stand with Christ and principles that govern His Kingdom. This is exactly what led Peter to denying Jesus. He was afraid and ashamed to be identified as one of Christ’s disciples, and this made it difficult for him to practice his faith; he decided to pretend to be one of those against Christ, but he was not good at that either. Similarly, if we want to score goals and avoid falling into Satan’s traps we must begin by being bold enough to let others know what we believe and stand for, even in seemingly little things. It is little things, like being able to offer a prayer for a meal even when amidst friends or colleagues that are atheists, that help us take a bolder stand for Christ in bigger things.

“In our mingling in society, in families or in whatever relations of life we are placed, either limited or extended, there are many ways wherein we may acknowledge our Lord and many ways wherein we may deny Him. We may deny Him in our words, by speaking evil of others, by foolish talking, jesting and joking, by idle or unkind words, or by prevaricating, speaking contrary to truth. In our words we may confess that Christ is not in us. In our character we may deny Him by loving our ease, by shunning the duties and burdens of life which someone must bear if we do not, and by loving sinful pleasure. We may also deny Christ by pride of dress and conformity to the world, or by uncourteous behavior. We may deny Him by loving our own opinions and by seeking to maintain and justify self. . . No one can truly confess Christ before the world unless the mind and spirit of Christ live in him. It is impossible to communicate that which we have not.” –Counsels for the Church, p. 81–82

While many sincere Christians pray for the possession of several Christian virtues, such as patience, I tend to think that often, many think God does not answer their prayers because they probably do not know or fail to see the answer. When we pray to God for courage, how do we think He would answer such a prayer? Does He miraculously fill us with courage, or does He give us circumstances that demand our courage? When we pray to God for a job, does He give us a job or an opportunity? God provides the opportunities and it is left with us to make use of them. Similarly, when we pray to God for patience He does not miraculously fill us with patience but gives us circumstances that would test and build our patience. By choosing to remain under the control of the Holy Spirit amidst life’s annoyances and irritating circumstances, we gain patience. You might have noticed that the day when you decide to be happy and not allow yourself to be annoyed or irritated by anything, is the day you meet with the most annoyances! Do not be surprised, that is an answer to your prayer!

Some people think that the best way to attain holiness and wholeness to God is to live in seclusion and dedicate oneself to a life of prayer, perhaps as a monk or nun, shut away in a monastery, or simply live far away in the forest without anyone to annoy them. But, how would you know that you are selfish, unless you meet with circumstances that require you to think of others first? How would you know that you are short tempered, unless you meet with irritation? By secluding ourselves from others, we lose the true object of life and prayer, which is ministry. Therefore, we cannot separate our attempts to attain Christian perfection from our daily life. “When men take themselves out of social life, away from the sphere of Christian duty and cross bearing; when they cease to work earnestly for the Master, who worked earnestly for them, they lose the subject matter of prayer and have no incentive to devotion. Their prayers become personal and selfish. They cannot pray in regard to the wants of humanity or the upbuilding of Christ’s kingdom, pleading for strength wherewith to work.” –Steps to Christ, p. 101

“Satan is playing the game of life for every soul. He knows that practical sympathy is a test of the purity and unselfishness of the heart, and he will make every possible effort to close our hearts to the needs of others.”—Conflict and Courage, p. 286

“No loose, shiftless work is to come into our religious experience and training. Those who are truly converted will understand that they will never see the Lord in His glory unless they form characters that will harmonize with the character of Christ. Those who are indifferent in regard to bringing thoughts and words and actions into harmony with Christ will never enter the gates of the City of God. Precious results will follow the efforts made out of sincere love for Christ.” –The Upward Look, p. 305

Service

In Matthew 25:14–30, we learn of the parable of the talents, which Christ gave to illustrate the fact that those who are waiting for His second appearing, are not to wait in idle expectancy, but are to put their entrusted talents to use in the Master’s service. The responsibilities that God entrusts to each person bind that person to God and his fellow men. Indeed, “Christ’s followers have been redeemed for service. Our Lord teaches that the true object of life is ministry. Christ Himself was a worker, and to all His followers He gives the law of service—service to God and to their fellow men. Here Christ has presented to the world a higher conception of life than they had ever known. By living to minister for others, man is brought into connection with Christ. The law of service becomes the connecting link which binds us to God and to our fellow men.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 326

By engaging ourselves in the Lord’s service, in whatever capacity—for instance, teaching God’s word to our children, our siblings, friends at school or work—naturally we will tend to keep ourselves from those things that would bring a reproach upon God’s name because we would be aware that the people we have spoken to are watching to see whether we believe and practice what we teach. The reason many struggle and think holiness is an impossibility is because they choose to do nothing for Christ and think Christian service is only for ministers and Bible workers. To many, their Christian service begins and ends with attending worship. However, we have an object lesson from Jacob. To help Jacob preserve his purity, God made him know his responsibility as the progenitor of the faithful:

“The Lord knew the evil influences that would surround Jacob, and the perils to which he would be exposed. In mercy He opened up the future before the repentant fugitive, that he might understand the divine purpose with reference to himself, and be prepared to resist the temptations that would surely come to him when alone amid idolaters and scheming men. There would be ever before him the high standard at which he must aim; and the knowledge that through him the purpose of God was reaching its accomplishment, would constantly prompt him to faithfulness.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 184 (emphasis supplied)

We too should be prompted to faithfulness, knowing that “there will be no one saved in heaven with a starless crown. If you enter, there will be some soul in the courts of glory that has found an entrance there through your instrumentality.” –Signs of the Times, June 6, 1892. You can never be perfect if you do nothing for Christ. It does not matter how much you read your Bible and pray, if you choose not to help others in their salvation, you can never attain perfection. In fact, it is impossible for one to sincerely read the Bible and then do nothing for Christ.

WillPower

Many Christians fail to perfect their characters because of not understanding the true force of the will—the power of choice. Instead of choosing to serve Christ, they only promise to do so. Like ancient Israel, many say, “all that the LORD has said, we promise, we will do”, and then immediately turn to their old Egyptian ways, for instance, parties of pleasure and idol worship—by creating a molten image to worship (Exodus 32). It is not our duty to promise God anything; ours is to choose Him and His way, choose life, choose to serve Him at every point we are called to make such a choice, and God will fulfil His promises. Rather than saying, “Lord I promise to be a good person”, just choose to be a good person; because our promises are like ropes of sand. Many desire to be like Christ but do not choose to be so when faced with a choice. Choose to be a Christian rather than promising to be one. Desire is not enough (see Steps to Christ, p. 47–48). “You will be in constant peril until you understand the true force of the will. You may believe and promise all things, but your promises and your faith are of no account until you put your will on the right side. If you will fight the fight of faith with your will-power, there is no doubt that you will conquer.” –Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, p. 148

Study

But how can one have this firm, decided will if the mind is not properly trained? This is where the study of God’s word comes in.

“Why is it that our youth, and even those of maturer years, are so easily led into temptation and sin?—It is because the word of God is not studied and meditated upon as it should be. If it were appreciated, there would be an inward rectitude, a strength of spirit, that would resist the temptations of Satan to do evil. A firm, decided will-power is not brought into the life and character, because the sacred instruction of God is not made the study and the subject of meditation. There is not the effort put forth that there should be, to associate the mind with pure, holy thoughts, and to divert it from what is impure and untrue . . . . Meditation upon holy things will elevate and refine the mind, and will develop Christian ladies and gentlemen.” –Messages to Young People, p. 426

It is common knowledge that when a lion catches its prey, the first point it bites is the throat—to choke the life out of its victim. In 1 Peter 5:8, the Bible tells us that the devil is like a roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour. Many think perfecting character is an impossibility but seem not to realize that they have the devil on their throats, choking their Bible study and prayer life out of them. Quite often we talk of being busy with secular work, movies, or other kinds of earthly distractions and attractions, but rarely do we consider religious music to be a snare that Satan uses to choke life out of us.

The first hook Satan uses has to do with singing and choir practices. How can this be? Is not religious music a good thing? “No words can properly set forth the deep blessedness of genuine worship. When human beings sing with the Spirit and the understanding, heavenly musicians take up the strain, and join in the song of thanksgiving.” –Evangelism, p. 504. The following quote will give a good explanation, as to when religious music can be a snare.

“There are many things which are right in themselves, but which, perverted by Satan, prove a snare to the unwary. The gathering together of our youth for a singing exercise sounds very harmless, but it has been my experience, during half a century, that these singing exercises often prove a source of much harm to souls. . . God’s Holy Word is not studied diligently day by day, and because of lack of spiritual food, they [singers] grow weak in moral power.” –The Upward Look, p. 138. “Singing should not be allowed to divert the mind from the hours of devotion. If one must be neglected, let it be the singing. It is one of the great temptations of the present age to carry the practice of music to extremes, to make a great deal more of music than of prayer. . .  By the temptations attending these singing exercises, many who were once really converted to the truth have been led to separate themselves from God. They have chosen singing before prayer, attending singing schools in preference to religious meetings, until the truth no longer exerts its sanctifying power upon their souls. Such singing is an offense to God.” –The Review and Herald, July 24, 1883

The second hook also has to do with music, however, it has to do with listening to (religious) music. Many spend hours listening to gospel music, yet never seem to have time to study their Bibles. Others seem to have much more affinity with their music instruments than with the Bible. Again, there is no sin in listening to wholesome, religious music, but, when carried to excess at the neglect of Bible reading, it can become a snare as is true with many other good things, when carried to excess, they can become snares.

Satan has effectively snared many people with the use of something good God gave—music. “I feel alarmed as I witness everywhere the frivolity of young men and young women who profess to believe the truth. God does not seem to be in their thoughts. Their minds are filled with nonsense. Their conversation is only empty, vain talk. They have a keen ear for music, and Satan knows what organs to excite to animate, engross, and charm the mind so that Christ is not desired. The spiritual longings of the soul for divine knowledge, for a growth in grace, are wanting. . . The introduction of music into their homes, instead of inciting to holiness and spirituality, has been the means of diverting their minds from the truth. . . The instruments of music have taken time which should have been devoted to prayer. Music, when not abused, is a great blessing; but when put to a wrong use, it is a terrible curse. It excites, but does not impart that strength and courage which the Christian can find only at the throne of grace while humbly making known his wants and with strong cries and tears pleading for heavenly strength to be fortified against the powerful temptations of the evil one. . . Music has occupied the hours which should have been devoted to prayer. Music is the idol which many professed Sabbathkeeping Christians worship.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, page 496–497, 505–506. For more details, see also The Voice in Speech and Song, p. 417–426

Instead of just listening to music to the exclusion of Bible reading every time when we are too busy, it would be more beneficial to leave off with the music and to read, listen to the audio Bible, or any of the several audio versions of the Spirit of Prophecy books, such as Steps to Christ, The Great Controversy, The Desire of Ages, and the Testimonies for the Church, volume 1–9.

To be like Jesus, we must know Him, for “It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you are to be transformed into His likeness.” –Steps to Christ, p. 70

But, who are our opponents in the game of life?

To be continued . . .

Mukelabai Mukelabai, Sweden