Suffering and the Great Controversy – Part 3 In our last two newsletters, we looked at God, how He created His intelligent creatures to function, the mysterious fall/rebellion of Lucifer, and how God responded to the crisis. Now we pick up the story after Satan was removed from heaven and mankind was created… The Creation … Read more
Every government has laws by which it operates. The order of the kingdom and the safety of its citizens are dependent upon those laws. And God’s kingdom has a law as well—a just and unselfish law which is a reflection of God’s character. The law of God—the Law of Life—is the law that shows what love is and how it operates. And this law is the foundation of God’s government. Safety, harmony, order, and freedom are found within the confines of this law. Outside of it are danger, contention, chaos, and slavery to sin. And the happiness of all God’s creatures is dependent upon their harmony with God’s law of love and freedom.
To understand the context in which suffering exists, we must understand something far greater than our own experience in this fallen world. We must understand the great controversy between God and Satan.
Nobody likes to suffer. We all want comfort. That is because we were created for comfort, not suffering. When God created the world, there was no suffering. “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31. And when Jesus returns, there will be no more suffering. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4. So, if we began with no suffering, and we will end with no suffering, why is there suffering now?
Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to be going right? That was our trip home from Phoenix, Arizona. The family had a wonderful time at the GYC (Generation of Youth for Christ) meetings held at the Phoenix Convention Center December 28-January 1. And we had a great time going to GYC, stopping along the way at Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon National Parks. (You can ask the children about their experience hiking the Bright Angel Trail at Grand Canyon). But going home was another story.
The underlying factor behind addiction is a lack of love. The key to addiction recovery, therefore, is being full of love. Each of us needs a love that is full, constant, personal, and unselfish, and no one who needs something can be the source of what they need. So, if every person needs a love that is full, constant, personal, and unselfish, then no person can be the source of that kind of love. The only one who doesn’t need that kind of love is the One who is the source of that kind of love, and that is God. So, without God, it is impossible for anyone to be full of love and to overcome their addiction.
Our last newsletter ended with this question: “What does an addict need to overcome addiction and be truly free?” The short answer to that question is that we need God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, while we surrender to, depend upon, and cooperate with Him. But we first need to understand more about addictions before we can expand upon that thought.
I have struggled with addictions for much of my life. And I know that no one is addicted to something because they want to be addicted to it. They are addicted because they can’t stop it. They are in prison, and they can’t get out of that prison. Yes, the addict enjoys the positive sensations associated with the substance or the behavior. This is what keeps drawing them back to the addiction again and again. But no addict wants to be a slave to anything.
There are many confusing ideas about health and healing in the world. There are several major worldviews when it comes to understanding health and disease. A major worldview, which comes out of Babylon, is the idea that the human is a microcosm of the universe, and that health is the result of universal energy flowing through the individual in an unhindered manner. In this worldview, disease is caused by “blockages” of that universal energy as it flows through an individual. Treatment, therefore, focuses on removing those blockages and restoring proper energy flow. In many of these healing forms a therapist attempts to manipulate the energy of the patient, certain substances are applied or consumed, or the sufferer participates in certain exercises or meditation to bring about healing.
I went into medicine to help people. I wanted them to get better. And I had the idea that medicine was the way to help people get better. But after completing my medical school training, my specialty training in Emergency Medicine, and working in hospital and outpatient settings, I came to realize that medicine wasn’t the answer I was looking for. I could treat patients with medicine, but they didn’t usually get better. They just continued to get worse over time. Frustrated with the lack of real results, I decided to change the focus of my practice and learn something different—something that would help people truly get better.I left my practice and moved to Alabama to learn/work at Uchee Pines Institute