Gods Sabbath

T HE R ESURRECTION OF L AZARUS

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Those who adopt such an attitude reveal but a low level of faith. For them, life’s trials and burdens are a mystery, bringing them perplexity, confusion, and doubt about God’s character and methods. Because they cannot see God working for their bless ing and salvation, they turn to their own plan making, expect ing God to add His mighty power to their schemes. These people do not know Sabbath rest, nor are they instruments through whom God can do His mighty work. They spend their lives in self-appointed work for Him, instead of allowing God to work through them. If we look at ourselves honestly and find our selves in this category, we must recognize our need to rise to higher levels of understanding and faith. We need to “... make every effort to enter that rest ....” Hebrews 4:11. We should al low ourselves no respite until our grasp of God’s ways and our trust in His workings enable us to rest during the severest tri als and perplexities. When our faith grows to higher levels, we are able to see a necessary education in the trials which an all-wise God lovingly permits. This thought is well expressed in these paragraphs: “Many who sincerely consecrate their lives to God’s service are surprised and disappointed to find themselves, as never be fore, confronted by obstacles and beset by trials and perplexities. They pray for Christlikeness of character, for a fitness for the Lord’s work, and they are placed in circumstances that seem to call forth all the evil of their nature. Faults are revealed of which they did not even suspect the existence. Like Israel of old they question, ‘If God is leading us, why do all these things come upon us?’ “It is because God is leading them that these things come up on them. Trials and obstacles are the Lord’s chosen methods of discipline and His appointed conditions of success. He who reads the hearts of men knows their characters better than they themselves know them. He sees that some have powers and susceptibilities which, rightly directed, might be used in the advancement of His work. In His providence He brings God’s Leading