Christ the Head
 
        But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.  1 Corinthians 11:3
 
    The Saviour did not commit the work of the gospel to Peter individually.  At a later time, repeating the words that were spoken to Peter, He applied them directly to the church.  And the same in substance was spoken also to the twelve as representatives of the body of believers.  If Jesus had delegated any special authority to one of the disciples above the others, we should not find them so often contending as to who should be the greatest.  They would have submitted to the wish of their Master, and honored the one whom He had chosen.
 
    Instead of appointing one to be their head, Christ said to the disciples, "Be not ye called Rabbi," "neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ" (Matthew 23:8, 10).
 
    "The head of every man is Christ." God, who put all things under the Saviour's feet, "gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all on all" (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22, 23).  The church is built upon Christ as its foundation; it is to obey Christ as its head.  It is not to depend upon man, or be controlled by man.  Many claim that a position of trust in the church gives them authority to dictate what other men shall believe and what they shall do.  This claim God does not sanction.  The Saviour declares, "All ye are brethren." (The Desire of the Ages, 414)
 
Reflection:  God has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, if we are open to receive it.  The pastors and other church leaders are there to guide us, not dictate what we believe.

Run the Race
 
        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.  1 Corinthians 9:25
 
    The life of the apostle Paul was a constant conflict with self.  He said, "I die daily" (! Corinthians 15:31).  His will and his desire every day conflicted with duty and the will of God.  Instead of following inclination, he did God's will, however crucifying to his nature.
 
    At the close of his life of conflict, looking back over its struggles and triumphs, he could say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day" (2 Timothy 4:7, 8).
 
    The Christian life is a battle and a march.  In this warfare there is no release; the effort must be continuous and persevering.  It is by unceasing endeavor that we maintain the victory over the temptations of Satan.  Christian integrity must be sought with resistless energy and maintained with a resolute fixedness of purpose.
 
    No one will be borne upward without stern, persevering effort in his own behalf.  All must engage in this warfare for themselves; no one else can fight our battles.  Individually we are responsible for the issues of the struggle; though Noah, Job, and Daniel were in the land they could deliver neither son not daughter by their righteousness. (The Ministry of Healing, 452, 453)
 
Reflection:  In this battle against our sinful nature we must never give up.  We may fall, but we must get up and move forward by God's grace.

The Temple of God
 
        Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  1 Corinthians 3:16
 
    From eternal ages it was God's purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator.  Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God.  Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the Divine One.  But by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of Heaven is fulfilled.  God dwells in humanity, and through saving grace the heart of man becomes again His temple.  God designed that the temple at Jerusalem should be a continual witness to the high destiny open to every soul.  But the Jews had not understood the significance of the building they regarded with so much pride.  They did not yield themselves as holy temples for the Divine Spirit.  The courts of the temple at Jerusalem, filled with the tumult of unholy traffic, represented all too truly the temple of the heart, defiled by the presence of sensual passion and unholy thoughts.  In cleansing the temple from the world's buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin,--from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul. (The Desire of the Ages, 161)
 
Reflection:  Only Christ can cleanse the soul temple.  But He will not force an entrance.  He comes not into the heart as to the temple of old; but He says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20). (The Desire of the Ages, 161)

Christ All and All
 
        For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  1 Corinthians 2:2
 
    Paul well knew how his message would be regarded by both the Jews and the Greeks of Corinth.  "We preach Christ crucified," he admitted, "unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Among his Jewish hearers there were many who would be angered by the message he was about to proclaim.  In the estimation of the Greeks his words would be absurd folly.  He would be looked upon as weak-minded for attempting to show how the cross could have any connection with the elevation of the race or the salvation of mankind.
 
    But to Paul the cross was the one object of supreme interest.  Ever since he had been arrested in his career of persecution against the followers of the crucified Nazarene he had never ceased to glory in the cross.  At that time there had been given him a revelation of the infinite love of God, as revealed in the death of Christ; and a marvelous transformation had been wrought in his life, bringing all his plans and purposes into harmony with heaven.  From that hour he had been a new man in Christ.  He knew by personal experience that when a sinner once beholds the love of the Father, as seen in the sacrifice of His Son, and yields to the divine influence, a change of heart takes place, and henceforth Christ is all and in all. (The Acts of the Apostles, 245)
 
Reflection:  Sometimes we make the Scriptures more complicated than they are.  When you study, take time to make the principles in the Bible simple and practical, so they can work in your everyday life.

Written For Us
 
        For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.  Romans 15:4
 
    Men whom God favored, and to whom He entrusted great responsibilities, were sometimes overcome by temptation and committed sin, even as we at the present day strive, waver, and frequently fall into error.  Their lives, with all their faults and follies, are open before us, both for our encouragement and warning.  If they had been represented as without fault, we, with our sinful nature, might despair at our own mistakes and failures.  But seeing where others struggled through discouragements like our own, where they fell under temptations as we have done, and yet took heart again and conquered through the grace of God, we are encouraged in our striving after righteousness.  As they, though sometimes beaten back, recovered their ground, and were blessed of God, so we too may be overcomers in the strength of Jesus.  On the other hand, the record of their lives may serve as a warning to us.  It shows that God will by no means clear the guilty.  He sees sin in His most favored ones, and He deals with it in them even more strictly than in those who have less light and responsibility. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 238)
 
Reflection:  Here we have another principle.  Not only are we to learn from Christ's perfect example, but we can and are admonished to learn from those who made bad choices and reaped hard results.  That is a path that we do not have to travel.  Those stories were written so we could avoid repeating the same mistakes.

No Peace in Compromising
 
        Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.  Romans 14:19
 
    Jesus himself never purchased peace by compromise.  His heart overflowed with love for the whole human race, but He was never indulgent to their sins.  He was too much their friend to remain silent while they were pursuing a course that would ruin their souls,--the souls He had purchased with His own blood.  He labored that man should be true to himself, true to his higher and eternal interest.  The servants of Christ are called to the same work, and they should beware lest, in seeking to prevent discord, they surrender the truth.  They are to "follow after the things which make for peace" (Romans 14:19); but real peace can never be secured by compromising principle.  And no man can be true to principle without exciting opposition.  A Christianity that is spiritual will be opposed by the children of disobedience.  But Jesus bade His disciples, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul."  Those who are true to God need not fear the power of men nor the enmity of Satan.  In Christ their eternal life is secure.  Their only fear should be lest they surrender the truth, and thus betray the trust with which God has honored them. (The Desire of Ages, 356)
 
Reflection:  We will never satisfy everyone, but we can edify or build up one another.  Peace has always come with a price, but the path that Christ asks us to travel will end with the words "well done, good and faithful servant."  Then we will have everlasting peace.

How to Receive Righteousness
 
        Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.  Romans 13:10
 
    Righteousness is holiness, likeness to God, and "God is love" (1 John 4:16).  It is conformity to the law of God, for "all Thy commandments are righteousness" (Psalm 119:172), and "love is the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:10).  Righteousness is love, and love is the light and the life of God.  The righteousness of God is embodied in Christ.  We receive righteousness by receiving Him.
 
    Not by painful struggles or wearisome toil, not by gift or sacrifice, is righteousness obtained; but it is freely given to every soul who hungers and thirsts to receive it.  "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat,...without money and without price."  "Their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord," and "This is His name whereby He shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness" (Isaiah 55:1; 54:17; Jeremiah 23:6).
 
    No human agent can supply that which will satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul.  But Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."  "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst" (Revelation 3:20; John 6:35). (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 18)
 
Reflection:  We must hunger after His righteousness, not our own.  Do we hunger like we do when we don't eat for a day?  He is standing and knocking at your heart's door.  Won't you let Him come in?

Overcome Evil With Good
 
        Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.  Romans 12:21
 
    Do not retaliate. So far as you can do so, remove all cause for misapprehension.  Avoid the appearance of evil.  Do all that lies in your power, without the sacrifice of principle, to conciliate others.  "If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift" (Matthew 5:23, 24).
 
    If impatient words are spoken to you, never reply in the same spirit.  Remember that "a soft answer turneth away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1).  And there is wonderful power in silence.  Words spoken in reply to one who is angry sometimes serve only to exasperate.  But anger met with silence, in a tender, forbearing spirit, quickly dies away.
 
    Under a storm of stinging, faultfinding words, keep the mind stayed upon the word of God.  Let mind and heart be stored with God's promises.  If you are ill-treated or wrongfully accused, instead of returning an angry answer, repeat to yourself the precious promises: "Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21) (The Ministry of Healing, 485, 486)
 
Reflection:  I have experienced first hand that it is hard to fight with someone that will not fight back.  Try this out for yourself.  Give a soft answer even if you are wronged.  Anger that has been vented against you will evaporate and the contention in most cases will cease.  Then you can continue having a good day.  Christ's council is to "Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly I heart" (Matthew 11:29).

  The Faithful Remnant
 
        Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.  Romans 11:5
 
    Notwithstanding Israel's failure as a nation, there remained among them a goodly remnant of such as should be saved.  At the time of the Saviour's advent there were faithful men and women who had received with gladness the message of John the Baptist, and had thus been led to study anew the prophecies concerning the Messiah.  When the early Christian church was founded, it was composed of these faithful Jews who recognized Jesus of Nazareth as the one for whose advent they had been longing.  It is to this remnant that Paul refers when he writes, "If the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches."
 
    Paul likens the remnant in Israel to a noble olive tree, some of whose branches have been broken off.  He compares the Gentiles to branches from a wild olive tree, grafted into the parent stock.  If some of the branches be broken off, he writes to the Gentile believers, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. (The Acts of the Apostles, 376)
 
Reflection:  God has always had a faithful remnant.  With the believing Jews, the remnant, God was able to graft in the believing Gentiles.

 All Things Work Together for God
 
    And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28
 
    Study the history of Joseph and of Daniel.  The Lord did not prevent the plottings of men who sought to do them harm; but He caused all these devices to work for good to His servants who amidst trial and conflict preserved their faith and loyalty. 
 
    So long as we are in the world, we shall meet with adverse influences.  There will be provocations to test the tempter; and it is by meeting these in a right spirit that the Christian graces are developed.  If Christ dwells in us, we shall be patient, kind, and forbearing, cheerful amid frets and irritations.  Day by day and year by year we shall conquer self, and grow into a noble heroism.  This is our allotted task; but it cannot be accomplished without help from Jesus, resolute decision, unwavering purpose, continual watchfulness, and unceasing prayer.  Each one has a personal battle to fight.  Not even God can make our characters noble or our lives useful, unless we become co-workers with Him.  Those who decline the struggle lose strength and joy of victory.
 
    God will not suffer one of His truehearted workers to be left alone, to struggle against great odds and be overcome.  He preserves as a precious jewel everyone whose life is hid with Christ in Him.  Of every such one He says: "I...will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee" (Haggai 2:23). (The Ministry of Healing, 487, 488)
 
Reflection:  Are you facing challenges as did Joseph or Daniel?  Face them with "help from Jesus, resolute decision, unwavering purpose, continual watchfulness, and unceasing prayer."