It’s Not an Easy Road

When we decided to take our journey to Heavenly Canaan, many expected easy and smooth traveling, but soon realized that it is not an easy road. It is easy to go down, but difficult to go up.

Adam and Eve fell down so easily. In one moment they lost their purity, holiness and their love to God and to one another. But it takes a lifetime of struggle to reach the perfection that they had before.

God made a plan how to save man from his fallen condition, and with a supreme sacrifice, a way of return was made for every human being. Jesus had to die and man himself had to put out a great effort to change his sinful nature to holiness.
God sent to the people, messengers and prophets to call them to salvation. Noah preached to the people, but very few decided to follow God’s plan. They were satisfied in their sinful lives and did not want to put out the effort to reach the standard of God.

By modern inventions our life is made easy. With a flip of a switch a room is lighted. Kitchen appliances make cooking easy. Traveling by air is comfortable and fast, compared to the old ways of traveling. But there is no easy way to develop a character fit for heaven.

We are singing in our gospel hymn:

“I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

This does not give us a picture of quiet, peaceful living in ease and comfort. Jesus said, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Luke 13:24

Many have started eagerly on the Christian way. They leave the world behind and join with the travelers toward the celestial city. But then what happens? “But, soon some grew weary and said the city was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before… they stumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down into the dark and wicked world below.” EW, p. 14-15.

Some years ago, I took a language course in night school. We started out with 40 students, each one eager to learn a new language. Three months later we were down to 20 students. When the course was finished, there were only six of us left.
People love ease and comfort, the constant strife and struggle does not appeal to them. But Amos writes, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!” Amos 6:1

These ease-loving persons are in the church, but the punishment of the Lord will fall upon them. “Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.” Amos 6:7
“Many are ruined by their desire for a life of ease and pleasure. Self-denial is disagreeable to them. They are constantly seeking to escape trials that are inseparable from a course of fidelity to God. They set their hearts upon having the good things of this life. This is human ?success, but is it not won at the expense of future, eternal interests?” Test. Vol. 5, p. 70.
The old Israel constantly murmured and complained because of the hardships in the wilderness journey, and the Lord said, “Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against Me.” Num. 14:29.

The Lord had made a perfect plan to develop the characters of His people in the wilderness, and this plan included hardships and trials, but because they complained and were dissatisfied of the leading of God, they all perished.
Only two of the adults entered the Promised Land of the old Israel. But today, Satan’s temptations have multiplied, therefore it is harder to develop our characters to the perfection now when all the worldly attractions surround us on every side.

In the plan of God, Adam had to work, sweat in his forehead to earn his living. Joseph had to spend years as a slave and prisoner to learn the lessons that were necessary. Moses spent 40 years in caring sheep to learn meekness. Even that Job was already a perfect man, he was put into a fiery trial to further develop his character.

Jesus said to His disciples that in the world they shall have tribulation; it was not an easy road to them after they joined with Christ. The Sunday law and persecution for the people of God in the last days is necessary to prepare them for heaven. Not one pang of pain or suffering is given to any child of God needlessly. God in His wisdom has seen it necessary.

“The strongest evidence of man’s fall from a higher state is the fact that it costs so much to return. The way of return can be gained only by hard fighting, inch by inch every hour. By a momentary act of will, one may place himself in the power of evil; but it requires more than a momentary act of will to break these fetters, and attain to a higher, holier life. The purpose may be formed, the work begun; but its accomplishments will require toil, time, and perseverance, patience and sacrifice.” Test. Vol. 8, p. 313.

It is not an easy road. Many seemingly honest and sincere Christians will fail in the end. They were satisfied with a low standard instead of reaching the perfection that God requires. But some did put out an earnest effort and reached the condition from which man fell off.

“I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. Their countenances were pale and marked with deep anxiety, expressive of their internal struggle. Firmness and great earnestness was expressed in their countenances;large drops of perspiration fell from their foreheads. Now and then their faces would light up with the marks of God’s approbation, and again the same solemn, earnest, anxious look would settle upon them… As the praying ones continued their earnest cries, at times a ray of light from Jesus came to them to encourage their hearts and light up their countenances. Some, I saw, did not participate in this work of agonizing and pleading. They seemed indifferent and careless. They were not resisting the darkness around them, and it shut them in like a thick cloud. The angelsof God left these and went to the aid of the earnest, praying ones. I saw angels of God hasten to the assistance of all who were struggling with all their power to resist the evil angels and trying to help themselves by calling upon God with perseverance. But His angels left those who made no effort to help themselves, and I lost sight of them.” EW, p. 269, 270.

The church of God has two classes of members. Some are lukewarm and careless. They are slowly backsliding and eventually they will be shaken out. Others are developing their characters daily. They become more faithful, more humble, more missionary minded, and they give thanks to God for the fiery trials that they have to go through. They see the importance of them.

The fallen condition of human beings is so bad that without God’s help it cannot be changed. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it.” Jer. 17:9

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me: but how to perform that which is good I find not.” “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from ?the body of this death?” Rom. 7:18, 24.

Yet this miserable, poor, blind and naked person is claiming to be righteous. He says that, “he is rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.”

There is no greater deception than this. It is self-righteousness. The self-righteous Pharisees hated Jesus. They saw nothing good in the righteousness of Christ.

In 1888, at the Conference of Minneapolis the self-righteous leaders saw nothing good in the message of Jones and Waggoner, and therefore they ridiculed and rejected it.

Paul writes to Timothy, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession, before many witnesses.” 1 Tim. 6:11, 12.

This is the greatest battle that anyone is called to fight, and it is a lifelong struggle.

“The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness.” SC, p. 43.

Our enemies are selfishness, pride,covetousness, envy and love of the world, and all these enemies are in us. It means that we must fight against ourselves. And this is the reason why the restoration to holiness is not an easy road, but it involves self-denial and carrying a cross.

Very soon our time will be up. The end will come upon us, and if we have not completed our character development, then all will be lost.

If the Lord must place you in the furnace fire, do not complain, but try to learn the lessons that He is trying to teach you, and the end result will be a perfect Christlike character, fit for heaven. May the Lord help each one of us to reach the perfection that Adam had before his fall.
AMEN.

Timo Martin, Canada