John 20:5

“And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in.” John 20:5.

When I entered basic training in the army many years ago, one of the first things we learned was to manage our personal locker. By the headrest of where we’d lie down for sleeping was a locker where we kept all of our personal belongings including our blankets. Everything needed to be in order. There were rules, too. You couldn’t place anything anywhere you wanted. There was a proper location for everything.

They also had rules on how to fold your clothes. You couldn’t fold your clothes in any way you wanted, but there were proper steps to fold the clothes. It was the same with the blankets as well. One thing I remember about the blankets was that once you fold the blankets, you had to use your fingers to pinch the edges of the folded parts so that it’d be a perfect 90-degree angle. Once you stack up the blankets it would be a perfect square. It took us minutes to do that. It wasn’t about how fast you can do it but rather about how disciplined you can be.

Once all the lockers of the trainee are fully made you’d be able to feel the uniformity and the discipline of everyone. When Jesus was resurrected He didn’t just leave the gravesite. He made sure that the linens that had wrapped Him were neatly folded. This simple statement tells us a lot about Jesus. He wasn’t careless. He was always organized and disciplined. It’s something we can learn from Him.

The Great Controversy, p. 508, 509

Satan is continually seeking to overcome the people of God by breaking down the barriers which separate them from the world. Ancient Israel were enticed into sin when they ventured into forbidden association with the heathen. In a similar manner are modern Israel led astray. “The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4. All who are not decided followers of Christ are servants of Satan. In the unregenerate heart there is love of sin and a disposition to cherish and excuse it. In the renewed heart there is hatred of sin and determined resistance against it. When Christians choose the society of the ungodly and unbelieving, they expose themselves to temptation. Satan conceals himself from view and stealthily draws his deceptive covering over their eyes. They cannot see that such company is calculated to do them harm; and while all the time assimilating to the world in character, words, and actions, they are becoming more and more blinded.

Conformity to worldly customs converts the church to the world; it never converts the world to Christ. Familiarity with sin will inevitably cause it to appear less repulsive. He who chooses to associate with the servants of Satan will soon cease to fear their master. When in the way of duty we are brought into trial, as was Daniel in the king’s court, we may be sure that God will protect us; but if we place ourselves under temptation we shall fall sooner or later.

The tempter often works most successfully through those who are least suspected of being under his control. The possessors of talent and education are admired and honored, as if these qualities could atone for the absence of the fear of God or entitle men to His favor. Talent and culture, considered in themselves, are gifts of God; but when these are made to supply the place of piety, when, instead of bringing the soul nearer to God, they lead away from Him, then they become a curse and a snare. The opinion prevails with many that all which appears like courtesy or refinement must, in some sense, pertain to Christ. Never was there a greater mistake. These qualities should grace the character of every Christian, for they would exert a powerful influence in favor of true religion; but they must be consecrated to God, or they also are a power for evil.

The Great Controversy, pp. 508, 509

Constant Reminder

“And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What di you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.” Exodus 12:26,27.

In the above passage, God instructs Moses that they should be reminded of the meaning of the service. Reminder is quite important because we have the tendency to forget easily. That is why you see God telling us in the Bible that we should remember.

One time Hyemi read this article on the importance of protecting the eyes, so we decided to buy Sebin a pair of sunglasses. We wanted to make sure that she gets sunglasses with proper protection, we purchased a rather pricey pair of sunglasses. It only went for so long. In less than couple months, Sebin had scratched the lens on the hard ground so much that it was impossible for her to wear her sunglasses.

Eventually I had to call and order spare lens to be replaced. The spare lens arrived a few weeks later and we got it replaced. The first thing I did was to warn and instruct her to never scratch the lens anywhere. I know that is not enough. Because she forgets I have to keep reminding her to be careful with her sunglasses.

Remembering is very important for us. Because we forget, we must be able to remind ourselves regularly of the things that God has told us in the Bible.