Paul admonished, the Corinthian church members to examine them selves whether they be in the faith. (2 Cor. 13:5.) And David cried out, "Examine ,me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart." Ps. 26:2. It would be well if quite often, even as often as once a quarter, workers and laity alike would sit down quietly with the discussion of the beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-12) given in Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, and prayerfully consider the spiritual development that has been wrought in their hearts in the recent past. Just be cause man has been reared in an environment of sin and misery is no reason why he cannot welcome the change in character that Christ has planned for him.
"Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. More than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes of God. He builds up the human character after the similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of spiritual strength and beauty. Thus the very righteousness of the law is fulfilled in the believer in Christ. God can 'be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.'" The Desire of Ages, p. 762.
Christ cannot build up this character in us unless we are anxious and willing for Him to do so. The following chart is offered as a means of assisting in such an inventory. It should be noted that the characteristics mentioned in the beautitudes really show very definite steps in the development of a character that can meet Christ's approval.
In each one of these nine different steps there are enough words descriptive of the condition to which Christ is anxious for each of us to attain, to provide ten questions for each classification. In the forming of such a list of ten questions based on a careful analysis of a few pages in Mount of Blessing given to each characteristic, one will see that the keenness of Christ's analysis of the intent of the heart will very definitely be revealed. Each one can gauge his development more accurately by jotting down these ten questions on paper, and making his own graph, revealing the extent to which he has succeeded in accomplishing Christ's desires. Let each suit such questions to his personal need and consider this chart as only a suggestion. Try it and see.
It is well known to all of us that the battle against self is the greatest battle of life, and Christ would certainly have all understand what is His desire for His children. There are so many beautiful statements in Mount of Blessing that epitomize this constantly growing experience in Christ that they can almost become slogans for us to use in seeking the divine similitude. When His nature lias finally been experienced, the results of this new life in Christ will be seen right here on the earth. For instance, the kingdom of heaven will not be something that we will envision as a far-off future event, but it will be some thing that may be enjoyed here in this life.
"As through Jesus we enter into rest, heaven begins here. We respond to His invitation, Come, learn of Me, and in thus coming we begin the life eternal. Heaven is a ceaseless approaching to God through Christ. The longer we are in the heaven of bliss, the more and still more o£ glory will be opened to us; and the more we know of God, the more intense will be our happiness. As we walk with Jesus in this life, we may be filled with His love, satisfied with His presence. All that human nature can bear, we may receive here." The Desire of Ages, p. 331.
"Heaven is to begin on this earth. When the Lord's people are filled with meekness and tenderness, they will realize that His banner over them is love, and His fruit will be sweet to their taste. They will make a heaven below in which to prepare for heaven above." Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 131.
As Jesus felt the comfort of His Father's presence, and from His heart there flowed that living water that enabled Him to develop a new kind of peace, which He called "my peace," He was enabled to envision His Father so perfectly that there was given Him the right and the power to recreate these characteristics in other lives. There must come the time when these characteristics are fully developed in all our lives. May God hasten that day, and help us to realize that "what we now are, in character and holy service, is the sure foreshadowing of what we shall be." Education, p. 307.
Feelings of Inferiority
THOMAS H. BIGGS, M.D. Siluercrest Hospital, New Albany, Indiana
Some of our favorite Bible characters had occasional feelings of inferiority. Paul felt "less than the least of all saints." Eph. 3:8. And Gideon described himself as "the least in my father's house." Judges 6:15.
A feeling of inferiority is a strong feeling of personal inadequacy, which may result in timidity, or submission, or because of overcompensation, in selfish aggression. In general we have received the impression from medical writers that feelings of inferiority are detrimental or undesirable. Certainly this is true as far as timidity and selfish aggression are concerned. A clinical timidity among our members would paralyze our mission program. And selfish aggression is recognized as a basic sin. But what about the third possibility that of submission? Submission means yielding or obedience.
At this point let us consider the definition of another word humility. According to Webster, humility is a state of being humble or having a low estimate of one's self, modest, meek, submissive, lowly, mean, obscure. Thus humility is, in some respects, practically the same as a feeling of inferiority, which has resulted in submission. Our pastors have taught that humility is a desirable Christian virtue. Therefore we are inclined to admit that, under certain conditions, feelings of inferiority are an asset to the personality. Inspired writings up hold this idea.
For technical reasons the term "inferiority complex" is inaccurate and should not be used.
Alfred Adler stated that every human being is born with an inferiority, either organic or as a belief of the mind, and that the way a person handles his inferiority determines his style of life. Often this in adequate feeling continues throughout life. Faulty management of the feeling by the individual causes a psychiatric state.
From a medical standpoint it is unhealthy for one person to submit to and be completely dominated by another. Yet in any organized work lines of authority and subordination must be drawn to a certain extent and are all right if executed with justice and love. All members of the team should be submissive to the great leader, Christ. This is more than mental gymnastics, because it is possible for Christ to live in us. (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:17.)
Biblical Examples
In order to get a better view of this subject, we need to study the lives of certain men mentioned in the Scriptures, and find what an asset it was for them to have feelings of inferiority, and more specifically, humility. David was described as one who, "while little in his own sight, could be trained by God for the responsibilities of the kingdom." Education, p. 266. (Italics supplied.) Also Moses, when called to lead the children of Israel, was "overwhelmed by the thought of the strange and wonderful work before him. . . . The divine command given to Moses found him self-dis trustful, slow of speech, and timid. He was overwhelmed with a sense of his incapacity to be a mouth-piece for God to Israel." Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 254, 255. (Italics supplied.)
How did these men achieve success?
Before answering this question, let us consider some of the basic difficulties of the human mind. In a discussion of man's in ability to absorb certain spiritual truths, we find this statement:
"In the natural world we are constantly surrounded with wonders beyond our comprehension. Should we then be surprised to find in the spiritual world also mysteries that we can not fathom? The difficulty lies solely in the weakness and narrowness of the human mind." Education, p. 170. (Italics supplied.)
A river cannot rise above its source. Neither can a human being, of himself, rise above the level of the heredity passed on to him from Adam and Noah. Adam, in his Eden experience, made one of the most foolish mistakes in history.
"She [Eve] offered the fruit to her husband, thereby tempting him. She related to Adam all that the serpent had said, and expressed her astonishment that he had the power of speech. I saw a sadness come over Adam's countenance. He appeared afraid and astonished. A struggle seemed to be going on in his mind. He felt sure that this was the foe against whom they had been warned, and that his wife must die. They must be separated. His love for Eve was strong, and in utter discouragement he resolved to share her fate. He seized the fruit, and quickly ate it." Early Writings, pp. 147, 148. (Italics supplied.)
This was indeed a hasty decision. Adam did not take time enough to think it over. Neither did he go to God and ask for advice before making his decision. He relied on his own judgment, and was wrong. Noah passed through an unusual experience when he was saved from the Flood. After that, God established a covenant with him. We might think that Noah from then on would have had unwavering faith, but the record indicates a lapse. We read, "Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken." Gen. 9:20, 21. This could hardly have been an accident with Noah. The difference between fermented wine and unfermented wine must have been well known to him, for before the Flood "eating and drinking" and in temperance were rampant. There may have been reasons for his discouragement, but he should have found refuge in God. Self-distrust is all right, provided it leads us to place our dependence on Christ and become submissive to His will.
Dependence on God Instead of discouragement leading a timid soul to lean on others and depend on them for leadership and decisions, it should lead him to lean harder on his God. "The mind that depends upon the judgment of others is certain, sooner or later, to be misled." Education, p. 231. This does not mean that it is dangerous to seek counsel from men of large experience or special training, when indicated. If this were so, it would be wrong to go to a physician when sick or to appoint committees and have men in authority in any organized work, or to discuss our problems with our associates. But it means that the mind of one person is not to be under the control of the mind of another person or combination of persons, and be absolutely dependent on them. Here is good counsel:
"Let the self-distrustful, whose lack of self-reliance leads them to shrink from care and responsibility, be taught reliance upon God. Thus many a one who otherwise would be but a cipher in the world, perhaps only a helpless burden, will be able to say with the apostle Paul, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.'" Ibid., p. 256. (Italics supplied.)
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. . . . For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."Isa. 41:10-13.
Thus our spirits should become revived by walking hand in hand with the Master, and not by worldly psychology or trying to lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps.
This method of thinking and of getting things done was used by Jesus. He admitted, "I can of mine own self do nothing." John 5:30. "But the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." John 14:10.
If, then, a person becomes convinced that feelings of inferiority, directed into the channel of humility, are an asset mentally and spiritually, but finds that he does not feel humble, how can he get that way? That is one of the main psychiatric problems that we face as Christians and as a church, rather than the problem of learning how to think that we are level with or above our fellows. The Bible has some good examples of people who developed the proper self-distrust, after having at one time felt superior.
"Educated in Jerusalem by the most eminent of the rabbis, and instructed in all of the laws and traditions of the fathers, Saul of Tarsus [a rabbi] shared to the fullest extent the pride and the prejudices of his nation. . . . The rabbis gloried in their superiority, not only for the people of other nations, but to the masses of their own. . . .
"At the gate of Damascus the vision of the Crucified One changed the whole current of his life. The persecutor became a disciple, the teacher a learner. The days of darkness [blindness] spent in solitude at Damascus were as years in his experience. The Old Testament Scriptures stored in his memory were his study, and Christ his teacher. To him also nature's solitudes became a school. To the desert of Arabia he went, there to study the Scriptures and to learn of God. He emptied his soul of the prejudices and traditions that had shaped his life, and received instruction from the Source of truth." Ibid., pp. 64, 65. (Italics sup plied.)
Saul the scholar became Paul the apostle, whose self-distrust and true humility led him to say: "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given." Eph. 3:8. "I am debtor . . . both to the wise, and to the unwise." Rom. 1:14. "What things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. . . . For whom I suffer the loss of all things, and do count them refuse, that I may gain Christ." Phil. 3:7, 8, R.V., margin. He did not want to go back to his old way of thinking, but regarded superior ity and even the feelings of equality as something to be cast off as refuse. If Paul had developed timidity after coming to feel inferior, he would have become a cipher or helpless burden on society. But even this would have been better than remaining a "superior" persecutor of the saints.
A different but equally interesting experience was that of Moses, who was also educated in a school of superiority.
"In the military schools of Egypt, Moses was taught the law of force." Ibid., p. 65.
"Moses had been learning much that he must unlearn. . . . His own high position as the king's grandson . . . had left deep impressions upon his developing mind, and had moulded, to some ex tent, his habits and character." Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 248. (Italics supplied.)
"In the wilds of Midian, Moses spent forty years as a keeper of sheep. Apparently cut off forever from his life's mission, he was receiving the discipline essential for its fulfillment. . . .
Here his self-sufficiency was swept away. [So he had not previously felt inferior!] In the presence of the Infinite One he realized how weak, how inefficient, how short-sighted, is man. . . . To impart such an experience, Infinite Wisdom counted not the period [of forty years] too long or the price too great." Education, pp. 62-64. (Italics supplied.) "Here his pride and self-sufficiency were swept away." Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 251.
Offensive Sins
The questions may well be asked: "How great a sin is pride? And is self-sufficiency also a sin?" Let the messenger of the Lord give us the answer:
"God does not regard all sins as of equal magnitude. . . . Pride, selfishness, and covetousness too often go unrebuked. But these are sins that are especially offensive to God. . . . Pride feels no need, and so it closes the heart against Christ, and the infinite blessings He came to give." Steps to Christ, pp. 34, 35.
"The Lord will not admit into the mansions He is preparing for the righteous, one soul who is self-sufficient." Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 285.
This method of treating feelings of superiority and selfish aggression may seem hard and drastic. It is, admittedly, contrary to human nature. Yet it is the only solution of eternal value. "By nature we are alienated from God." Steps to Christ, p. 47. In the post-Eden world man's heredity, instinct, and natural tendency are to rebel against God, trust in self, and serve the devil.
"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." Ibid. (Italics supplied.)
If the greatest battle ever fought is the warfare against self, why should human beings try to fight for self by trying to get over a feeling of inferiority and humility? The great danger to all of us is indicated by the fact that the leaders in our institutions have been especially warned and ad monished:
"Some have strong traits of character that will need to be constantly repressed." Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 538.
There is a type of self-reliance that Christians should have and that ought to be taught to children. It is that of using our talents to learn practical skills, to coordinate mind and body, to take responsibility, and to make decisions independent of other human beings. Yet, even in this, God is the giver of all talents, strength, wisdom, and skill. "For I know nothing by myself." 1 Cor. 4:4.
What, then, is to be done with success? Are we to take any glory to self when some righteous task has been successfully accomplished?
"This great work is of God. Therefore magnify not the men. . . . Glorify God, and He will continue to work." Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 79. "God does not design that His workmen shall stand apart as separate atoms. All have a great and solemn work to do, and it is to be done under God's supervision." Ibid., p. 78.
Thus, in a sense, we are to lose our individual identity and unite as one body for the advancement of His interests. It is all right to be happy, joyful, and cheerful over the success of our collaboration with Christ, but not in this present world to accept any praise. In prayer to God we should sincerely say: "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Matt. 6:13. "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:11
"Therewith to Be Content"
ROSS C. PIPER Associate Speaker, Australian Voice of Prophecy
In many lands today, particularly in those countries that are passing through a period of economic stress, the political doctrine of socialism is being ardently expounded. The "have-nots," as 1 they view the prosperity of the "haves," are loud in their clamor for equality. On every hand the cry seems to be "equality." And yet, one cannot help noticing that in all God's handiwork there is a strong evidence of what men might be pleased to call inequality. By mass-production methods man turns out thousands of articles, all of them exactly alike. God, how ever, makes no two snowflakes of identical design. Plants, animals, human beings, even the individual hairs on our head, each has that certain something that marks it as being different and distinct. If we confuse the issue and consider that inequality is injustice, then God's creation is full of in justice.
On the occasion of Christ's first public sermon He propounded the question, "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" Matt. 6:27. We can see a smile playing around the corners of His mouth as He spoke these words, for Christ's teachings were not with out their humor. To suggest that one might endeavor to add extra inches to one's height by merely thinking about it, is so forlorn a hope as to be almost facetious. If you are short and I am tall, that is just the way we shall have to go through life. You might have an iron constitution, and yet I might fall a prey to every epidemic that comes along. You might be fortunate enough to have the brain of an Einstein, whereas, on the other hand, I am limited by those bounds of which I am all too conscious. You are you, and I am I, and we are eternally different. And it has not just happened this way. It is God's doing. He gives or withholds as He sees best, and thus He places limitations on all, beyond which they are not to pass. "It was not the purpose of God that poverty should ever leave the world. The ranks of society were never to be equalized, for the diversity of condition which characterizes our race is one of the means by which God has designed to prove and develop character. Many have urged with great enthusiasm that all men should have an equal share in the temporal blessings of God, but this was not the purpose of the Creator. Christ has said that we shall have the poor always with us. ... It would be the greatest misfortune that has ever befallen mankind if all were to be placed upon an equality in worldly possessions." Testimonies, vol. 4, pp. 551, 552.
But isn't this unjust? Christ evidently did not think so, for He introduced one of His most forceful parables with the statement, "Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one." Strange to say, the very thing that seems to arouse so much resentment in some today was used by Jesus, not to impeach the justice or Fatherhood of God, but to reveal His love and care. There were many things that distressed Christ when on earth. Sin hurt Him. He detested the sanctimonious hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. An injustice done to a widow by an unscrupulous scoundrel roused His ire. A hurt done to a child caused His righteous indignation to flame white-hot. And yet, we do not find any suggestion that He ever questioned the justice of the divinely appointed inequalities that were evident on every hand. Nor are these inequalities limited to the material possessions of life; they extend to the more personal endowments, such as powers of mind, ability, and personality. There are some inequalities that are purely and simply man-made, but it is not of these that we are speaking.
Our Attitude as Workers
There are two dangers that confront us as workers in the cause of God when we are faced with the insurmountable barriers which seemingly bar our progress to wider fields of service. One is that we become restless, disgruntled, and dissatisfied because our lot in life is a comparatively humble one. How often an otherwise excellent pas tor or evangelist has lost his vision and weakened his work, all because he felt he was called to some other responsibility, perhaps administration, and could not under stand how the brethren failed to appreciate his undoubted qualifications. The desire and determination to direct the fellow workers was evident among the apostles be-fore Pentecost. If we have at any time felt that we were confronted by limitations imposed by our brethren, we should read again this counsel:
"Let those who feel that their work is not appreciated, and who crave a position of greater responsibility, consider that 'Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.' Every man has his place in the eternal plan of heaven. Whether we fill that place depends upon our own faithfulness in co-operating with God. . . . 'Seekest thou great things for thy self? seek them not." The Lord has no place in His work for those who have a greater desire to win the crown than to bear the cross. He wants men who are more intent upon doing their duty than upon receiving their reward, men who are more solicitous for principle than for promotion." Ministry of Healing, pp. 476, 477. (Italics supplied.)
The second danger is that we shall settle down into a lethargic state of mediocrity and not make any attempt to better our selves. To lose our vision this way is just as tragic as to lose it the other way. God expects us to make the very best use of every faculty with which He has endowed us. We must spare no effort to improve every power of mind and soul and body for His service. But having done all we can do to develop ourselves worthily, then for our own peace of mind we should recognize that there are limits of God's choosing beyond which we may not pass. And then, having settled that, we should begin to work within the frame work of these limitations. There are things we can never do. There are heights to which we individually may never attain. But there is a serenity in the heart of him who practices the philosophy of Robert Louis Stevenson and who "continues to fail in good spirits." Thoreau once said, "Youth gets together materials for a bridge to the moon and maturity uses them to build a wood shed." But a woodshed properly constructed is an extremely useful thing.
Some time ago I was given a young lemon tree. I did not have a permanent site for it, so I set it in the soil in a temporary spot. Its stay in this "temporary" location was much longer than had been intended, and, hedged in as it was on one side by a plum tree, on another side by a fence, and else where by a stone wall, it grew in the only possible direction upward. Just so, when our lives seem to be hedged about by limitations oh this side and that, let them grow and develop in the one direction in which no barriers will ever be placed heaven ward.
God's View of Success
We should always bear in mind that with God. success is only a relative term. High position in the world or even in the church may not be regarded by God as evidence of real success. In the parable the two- and one-talent men were not expected to bring back an extra five talents. All the Lord re quires is that we do our best with what we have.
"However small your talent, God has a place for it. That one talent, wisely used, will accomplish its appointed work. By faithfulness in little duties, we are to work on the plan of addition, and God will work for us on the plan of multiplication. These littles will become the most precious influences in His work." Christ's Object Lessons, p. 360.
If we are tempted to look with covetous eye on wider horizons of life which seem somewhat unattainable, let us not be sad or vexed when a gentle voice, either through circumstance or through inner conviction, says, "No, My child, this is not for you." And if, having done our best, we find our way barred, let us not judge our Lord. He knows. He understands. He will not expect from us that which He has never given. If we are lame He will not expect us to "run, and not be weary." Let us not forget that within the bounds of the stature with which He has endowed us, God wants us as workers to go on trusting and working "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Eph. 4:13.
Much grace is revealed in Paul's statement, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." It was in the school of suffering and even disappointment that the apostle learned the great lesson of life. God give us grace to learn the same lesson.
I'll stay where you've put me; I will, dear Lord, Though I wanted so badly to go; I was eager to march with the rank and file, Yes, I wanted to lead them, you know. I planned to keep step to the music loud, To cheer when the banner unfurled, To stand in the midst of the fight straight and proud, To conquer God's foes in the world, But I'll stay where you've put me, Lord. I'll stay where you've put me; I'll work, dear Lord, Though the field be narrow and small, And the ground be fallow, and the stones lie thick, And there seems to be no life at all. The field is Thine own, only give me the seed, I'll sow it with never a fear; I'll till the dry soil while I wait for the rain, And rejoice when the green blades appear; I'll work where you've put me, Lord. I'll stay where you've put me; I will, dear Lord; I'll bear the day's burden and heat, Always trusting Thee fully; when even has come I'll lay heavy sheaves at Thy feet. And then, when my earth work is ended and done, In the light of eternity's glow, Life's record all closed, I surely shall find It was better to stay than to go; I'll stay where you've put me, Lord. Author Unknown.
