His cross, my cross, your cross . He carried what applied to Him, I must carry what applies to me, you must carry what applies to you.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny <533> himself <1438>, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny <533> himself <1438>, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny <533> himself <1438>, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
These are not suggestions, these are absolute requirements given, and enforced by Jesus Christ. These requirements are tools to achieve the plans Scripture says Jesus Christ has in mind, for all His disciples across all centuries, missing none of them.
************************
What is their cross a disciple is required to lift and continue carrying ? It is of the same nature in principle, and what it does, as what Jesus Christ carried, but it is not made of wood.
********************************************
Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross <4716>, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross <4716>, and follow me.
Matthew 27:32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross <4716>.
Matthew 27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross <4716>.
Matthew 27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross <4716>, and we will believe him.
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross <4716>, and follow me.
Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross <4716>, and follow me.
Mark 15:21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross <4716>.
Mark 15:30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross <4716>.
Mark 15:32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross <4716>, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross <4716> daily, and follow me.
Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross <4716>, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luke 23:26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross <4716>, that he might bear it after Jesus.
John 19:17 And he bearing his cross <4716> went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
John 19:19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross <4716>. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
John 19:25 Now there stood by the cross <4716> of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross <4716> on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross <4716> of Christ should be made of none effect.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross <4716> is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Galatians 5:11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross <4716> ceased.
Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross <4716> of Christ.
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross <4716> of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Ephesians 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross <4716>, having slain the enmity thereby:
Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross <4716>.
Philippians 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross <4716> of Christ:
Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross <4716>, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross <4716>;
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross <4716>, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
4716. σταυρο/ς stauros stow-ros’; from the base of 2476; a stake or post (as set upright), i.e. (specifically) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); figuratively, exposure to death, i.e. self-denial; by implication, the atonement of Christ: — cross.
2476. ι(/στημι histemi his’-tay-mee; a prolonged form of a primary σταω stao stah’-o (of the same meaning, and used for it in certain tenses); to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively): — abide, appoint, bring, continue, covenant, establish, hold up, lay, present, set (up), stanch, stand (by, forth, still, up). Compare 5087.
5087. τι/θημι tithemi tith’-ay-mee; a prolonged form of a primary θεω theo theh’-o (which is used only as alternate in certain tenses); to place (in the widest application, literally and figuratively; properly, in a passive or horizontal posture, and thus different from 2476, which properly denotes an upright and active position, while 2749 is properly reflexive and utterly prostrate): — + advise, appoint, bow, commit, conceive, give, X kneel down, lay (aside, down, up), make, ordain, purpose, put, set (forth), settle, sink down.
2749. κει=μαι keimai ki’-mahee; middle voice of a primary verb; to lie outstretched (literally or figuratively): — be (appointed, laid up, made, set), lay, lie. Compare 5087
*****************************
How many profess to be servants of Christ; but how loath are they to bear reproach and shame, for His sake. The cross is not to please self; it lies directly across the path of the pleasure-lover, and cuts through our carnal desires and selfish inclinations. . . . {LHU 245.4}
******************************************
The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing-- the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ's burdens. We cannot follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ's footsteps. . . . {OHC 100.4}
Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and He says, "Take My yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me the lessons essential for you to learn." {OHC 100.5}
Your work is not to gather up burdens of your own. . . . We often think we are having a hard time in bearing burdens, and it is too often the case, because God has not made any provision for us to carry these burdens; but when we bear His yoke and carry His burdens, we can testify that the yoke of Christ is easy and His burdens are light, because He has made provision for these. {OHC 100.6}
Yet that yoke will not give us a life of ease and freedom and selfish indulgence. The life of Christ was one of self-sacrifice and self-denial at every step; and with consistent, Christlike tenderness and love, His true follower will walk in the footsteps of the Master; and as he advances in this life, he will become more and more inspired with the spirit and life of Christ. {OHC 100.7}
******************************************
Help to Bear Every Burden.--There is a condition to the rest and peace here offered us by Christ. It is that of yoking up with Him. All who will accept the condition will find that the yoke of Christ will help them to bear every burden needful for them to carry. Without Christ at our side to bear the heaviest part of the load, we must indeed say that it is heavy. But yoked with Him to the car of duty, the burdens of life may all be lightly carried. And just as a man acts in willing obedience to the requirements of God, will come his peace of mind. . . . {5BC 1090.6}
Meekness and humility will characterize all who are obedient to the law of God, all who will wear the yoke of Christ with submission. And these graces will bring the desirable result of peace in the service of Christ (ST April 16, 1912). {5BC 1090.7}
(Ch. 16:24; 9:23.) Symbol of Submission to God's Will.--We are to bear the yoke of Christ that we may be placed in complete union with Him. "Take my yoke upon you," He says. Obey My requirements. But these requirements may be in direct opposition to the will and purposes of the human agent. What then is to be done? Hear what God says: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing,--the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ's burdens. We cannot follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ's footsteps. . . . {5BC 1090.8}
Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and He says, "Take My yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me the lessons essential for you to learn; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." The Lord never makes a false estimate concerning His heritage. He measures the men with whom He is working. When they submit to His yoke, when they give up the struggle that has been unprofitable for themselves and for the cause of God, they will find peace and rest. When they become sensible of their own weakness, their own deficiencies, they will delight to do God's will. They will submit to the yoke of Christ. Then God can work in them to will and to do of His good pleasure, which is often entirely contrary to the plans of the human mind. When the heavenly anointing comes to us, we shall learn the lesson of meekness and lowliness, which always brings rest to the soul (RH Oct. 23, 1900). {5BC 1091.1}
Christ's Yoke Never Galling.--Your work is not to gather up burdens of your own. As you take the burdens that Christ would have you, then you can realize what burdens He carried. Let us study the Bible, and find out what kind of yoke He bore. He was a help to those around Him. He says: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." You see there is a yoke to bear. Now this is the very faith that we want--a faith that will grasp the promises of God, one that will take the yoke of Christ and bear the burdens that He would have us. We often think we are having a hard time in bearing burdens, and it is too often the case, because God has not made any provision for us to carry these burdens; but when we bear His yoke and carry His burdens, we can testify that the yoke of Christ is easy and His burdens are light, because He has made provision for these. But when you feel depressed and discouraged, do not give up the battle; you have a living Saviour that will help you, and you will have rest in Him. You must not put your neck under the yoke of fashion, and yokes that God has never designed that you should bear. It is not our work to study how to meet the world's standard, but the great question with each one should be, How can I meet God's standard? Then it is that you will find rest to the soul; for Christ has said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." {5BC 1091.2}
When you have a yoke that is galling to the neck, you may know it is not Christ's yoke; for He says His yoke is easy. What God wants of us is to be learning every day of our lives how to build our characters for time and for eternity. He does not want us to get into one channel and never turn out of that; to have fixed ideas, and hold them fast, whether they are right or wrong. He will place us amid trials and difficulties, and when we have learned to overcome obstacles in a right spirit, with high and holy purpose, He will give us another lesson. And if we have not the meekness of Christ to be constantly learning of Jesus in His school, then we must know that we have not the yoke of Christ (RH May 10, 1887). {5BC 1091.3}
29 (John 15:4, 5). Hard to Give Up Own Will and Way.--If you are willing to learn meekness and lowliness of heart in Christ's school, He will surely give you rest and peace. It is a terribly hard struggle to give up your own will and your own way. But this lesson learned, you will find rest and peace. Pride, selfishness, and ambition must be overcome; your will must be swallowed up in the will of Christ. The whole life may become one constant love sacrifice, every action a manifestation, and every word an utterance of love. As the life of the vine circulates through stem and cluster, descends into the lower fibers, and reaches to the topmost leaf, so will the grace and love of Christ burn and abound in the soul, sending its virtues to every part of the being, and pervading every exercise of body and mind (Letter 14, 1887). {5BC 1091.4}
How to Wear the Yoke.--Take hold of the arm of God, and say, "I am nothing, and Thou art everything. Thou hast said, 'Without me ye can do nothing.' Now, Lord, I must have Thee abiding in me, that I may abide in Thee." Then advance step by step, by living faith abiding in Jesus Christ. This is wearing His yoke, the yoke of obedience (MS 85, 1901). {5BC 1092.1}
Wearing the yoke with Christ, means to work in His lines, to be a copartner with Him in His sufferings and toils for lost humanity. It means to be a wise instructor of souls. We shall be what we are willing to be made by Christ in these precious hours of probation. We shall be the sort of a vessel that we allow ourselves to be molded into. We must unite with God in the molding and fashioning work, having our wills submitted to the divine will (Letter 71, 1895). {5BC 1092.2}
30. Easy Yoke Does Not Give Life of Ease.--The Lord calls His yoke easy, and His burden light. Yet that yoke will not give us a life of ease and freedom and selfish indulgence. The life of Christ was one of self-sacrifice and self-denial at every step; and with consistent, Christlike tenderness and love, His true follower will walk in the footsteps of the Master; and as he advances in this life, he will become more and more inspired with the spirit and life of Christ (ST April 16, 1912). {5BC 1092.3}
******************************************
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:12. {TMK 93.1}
All of us, as beings blessed of God with reasoning powers, with intellect and judgment, should acknowledge our accountability to God. The life He has given us is a sacred responsibility, and no moment of it is to be trifled with, for we shall have to meet it again in the record of the judgment. In the books of heaven our lives are as accurately traced as in the picture on the plate of the photographer. Not only are we held accountable for what we have done, but for what we have left undone. We are held to account for our undeveloped characters, our unimproved opportunities. . . . {TMK 93.2}
It is love of selfish ease, love of pleasure, your self-esteem, self-exaltation, that prevents you from learning the precious life lessons in the school of Christ. It is the Christian's duty not to permit surroundings and circumstances to mold him, but to live above surroundings, fashioning his character according to the divine Model. He is to be faithful in whatever place he is found. He is to do his duty with fidelity, improving the opportunities given him of God, making the most of his capabilities. . . . {TMK 93.3}
If you are abiding in Christ, learning in His school, you will not be rude, dishonest, or unfaithful. The cross of Christ cuts to the root of all unholy passions and practices. Whatever the nature of your work, you will carry the principles of Christ into your labor and identify yourself with the task given into your hands. Your interest will be one with that of your employer. If you are paid for your time, you will realize that the time for work is not your own, but belongs to the one who pays you for it. If you are careless and extravagant, wasting material, squandering time, failing to be painstaking and diligent, you are registered in the books of heaven as an unfaithful servant. . . . Faithfulness, economy, caretaking, thoroughness, should characterize all our work. . . . "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much" (Luke 16:10). {TMK 93.4}
******************************************
We are to bear the yoke of Christ that we may be placed in complete union with him. "Take my yoke upon you," he says. Obey my requirements. But these requirements may be in direct opposition to the will and purposes of the human agent. What then is to be done? -- Hear what God says: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing, -- the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ's burdens. We can not follow Christ without wearing his yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ's footsteps. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 3}
The Lord does not encourage the wisest, the most cherished plans of human beings if he sees that they are not for the health of the spirituality of his cause. Sometimes the Lord's purposes come in direct opposition to plans in which the human agent can not see a flaw. Then it is that the right hand must be sacrificed and the right eye taken out. Purposes that seem in every way desirable may have to be given up. The Lord sees that for the spiritual health of the human agent and for the future well-being of his cause all self-confidence must be cut away. Human wisdom and self-sufficiency must be broken down. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 4}
Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and he says, Take my yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me the lessons essential for you to learn; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. The Lord never makes a false estimate concerning his heritage. He measures the men with whom he is working. When they submit to his yoke, when they give up the struggle that has been unprofitable for themselves and for the cause of God, they will find peace and rest. When they become sensible of their own weakness, their own deficiencies, they will delight to do God's will. They will submit to the yoke of Christ. Then God can work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure, which is often entirely contrary to the plans of the human mind. When the heavenly anointing comes to us, we shall learn the lesson of meekness and lowliness, which always brings rest to the soul. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 5}
God brings men into trying places, to see if they will trust in a power out of and above themselves. He sees not as man sees. He often has to break up human connections and change the order which man has mapped out, which is perfect in his estimation. What man thinks is for his spiritual and temporal interests may be altogether at variance with the experience he must have in order to be a follower of Christ. His idea of his own value may be far out of the way. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 6}
Tests are placed all along the way from earth to heaven. It is because of this that the road to heaven is called the narrow way. Character must be tested, else there would be many spurious Christians, who would keep up a fair semblance of religion until their inclinations, their desire to have their own way, their pride and ambition, were crossed. When, by the Lord's permission, sharp trials come to them, their lack of genuine religion, of the meekness and lowliness of Christ, shows them to be in need of the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ's command, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me," is the touchstone that discovers the quality of the experience. When a man's inclinations or ambitious hopes are crossed, he reveals the spirit that governs him. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 7}
Christ declares that the only course for men and women to pursue for their present and eternal good is to comply with his invitation. He invites all to wear his yoke and learn his meekness and lowliness. He knows that it is positively necessary for them to do this. But no human being can wear the yoke of submission and obedience who does not learn daily in the school of Christ. Whatever may be a person's supposed amiability, however qualified for usefulness he may appear to be, however righteous he may be apparently, he can not work for God unless he learns of Christ. Qualifications for true service can never be acquired apart from Christ. No one, whatever his supposed abilities, can bear the test of trial unless he is a student in the school of Christ. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 8}
******************************************
June 29, 1904 "Take My Yoke Upon You, and
Learn of Me."
By Mrs. E. G. White.
Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 1}
In these words Christ is speaking to every human being. Whether they know it or not, all are weary and heavy laden. All are weighed down with burdens that Christ only can remove. The heaviest burden that we bear is the burden of sin. If we were left to bear this burden, it would crush us. But the Sinless One has taken our place. "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." He has borne the burden of our guilt. He will take the load from our weary shoulders. He will give us rest. The burden of care and sorrow also, He will bear. He invites us to cast all our care upon Him; for He carries us on His heart. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 2}
"Take My yoke upon you," Jesus says. The yoke is an instrument of service. Cattle are yoked for labor, and the yoke is essential that they may labor effectually. By this illustration Christ teaches us that we are called to service as long as life shall last. We are to take upon us His yoke, that we may be co-laborers with Him. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 3}
The yoke that binds to service is the law of God. The great law of love revealed in Eden, proclaimed upon Sinai, and in the new covenant written in the heart, is that which binds the human worker to the will of God. If we were left to follow our own inclinations, to go just where our will would lead us, we should fall into Satan's snare, and become possessors of his attributes. Therefore, God confines us to His will, which is high, noble, elevating. He desires that we shall patiently and wisely take up the duties of service. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 4}
Men frame for their own necks, yokes which seem light and easy, but which will prove heavy and galling. Christ sees this, and He says, "Take My yoke upon you." The yoke you desire to place on your neck will become intolerably heavy. Take My yoke; it is easy. Learn from Me the lessons that you so much need to learn. When you submit to My yoke, when you give up the struggle that is so unprofitable, you will find rest. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 5}
Christ's yoke is a yoke of restraint and obedience. We are to wear it in order that we may labor in harmony with Him. This may necessitate a complete change in our plans and purposes. "If any man will come after Me," Christ says, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing--the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke places man in companionship with the Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away selfishness from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear burdens. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 6}
We can not follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting His cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our wishes, and follow in Christ's steps. The Lord does not encourage the most cherished plans of human beings if He sees they are not for the best good of His children. Sometimes His purposes come in direct opposition to the plans in which human beings can not see a flaw. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 7}
The yoke is placed upon the oxen to aid them in drawing the load, to lighten the burden. So with the yoke of Christ. When our will is swallowed up in the will of God, and we use His gifts to bless others, we shall find life's burdens light. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 8}
He who bears the yoke of Christ no longer follows his own way or does his own pleasure. In times of difficulty he looks to his Master to direct his course, and follows not the way of his own choosing. The more trying the circumstances under which he is placed, the more closely he presses to the side of Jesus. He finds that the heaviest labor can be performed, the heaviest burdens borne, because the Lord gives strength, and He gives gladness in doing the work. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 9}
******************************************
"Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price." We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish. What a price is this, unparalleled, infinite! But though Christ has bought us, and invites us to come to him, still the world holds out its attractions to us, and strives for the mastery. Shall love for God, or love for the world, triumph in the conflict? Satan and his evil angels are watching at every avenue leading to the human heart, seeking to force souls to accept evil suggestions. The enemy presents bribes to win us to the world, as he presented bribes to Christ in the wilderness of temptation. Unless we depend upon a power out of and above ourselves, the enemy will succeed in accomplishing our ruin. But in looking to Jesus, by studying his life and character, by earnestly desiring to be like him, our minds will be balanced in the right direction, that we may overcome selfishness, and choose a course of righteousness. Looking unto Jesus, we shall hear a voice saying, "This is the way; walk ye in it." "If any man will come after me [now the conditions], let him deny himself, and take up his cross [which cuts directly across the natural inclinations], and follow me." {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 1}
Who will turn away from every worldly attraction, from earthly enterprises that promise great gain and selfish gratification, and count all things but loss if he may win Christ? Winning Christ, we win everything. Jesus says he will be in us "a well of water springing up into everlasting life." {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 2}
I appeal to the youth: "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve." There is a necessity for a decided choice; for Jesus said, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 3}
He who is mighty in counsel speaks to you; will you hear his voice, will you obey his words? Jesus says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." He invites you to step upon new and higher ground than that which you have occupied in the past. If your heart is filled with love to Christ, it will be demonstrated that he is stronger than the passions which have ruled you, whose indulgence have undermined noble impulses, and left the soul to the mercy of Satan's temptations. {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 4}
"Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price." The world is under the most solemn obligation to render to the Lord Jesus his purchased possession,--soul, body, and spirit. But because the people of the world ignore their responsibility to God, and refuse to accept the great gift of salvation, they are not excused from their obligation to be faithful servants of Christ. In serving their own lust, they make it manifest that they are not subject to the rule of Christ, but day by day are robbing God of that which is his due. They refuse to be the children of Christ, and choose rather to be the slaves of Satan. In astonishment at their blindness, we reiterate the words of the apostle, "Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?" {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 5}
Christ invites the sinner to come to him. With what loving entreaties he follows the sinner! When the heart of the sinner is touched, he yields his will to God's will, and selfish inclination is no longer the controlling power; for the slavery of Satan is broken, and the soul brought into subjection to Christ. Impressed with the sense of the Saviour's long-suffering, forbearance, compassion, and measureless love, the repenting soul is deeply conscious of his own unworthiness and guilt. He yields his will to the will of God, and longs to reveal his loyalty to Christ, watching for opportunities to speak forth his goodness and love. He sees in Jesus matchless charms, and his heart is captivated. He has tasted of the love of Christ, and the gratitude of his heart is expressed in speaking to those who do not know the goodness of the Lord. He becomes a partaker of the divine nature.
Mrs. E. G. White. {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 6}
******************************************
Every church should be a working church. We should make ourselves useful, and do the little duties around us and that will prepare us for the greater responsibilities. When Christ ascended on high He left His disciples to carry forward the work. However unpleasant it may be, we should take up the humble duties of life. Christ says, "Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Mark 8:34. What is the cross of Christ? It is not an ornament to the neck, but something that cuts right across our pathway. Satan is constantly watching for our souls. He seeks to lead us from the cross of Christ. {3MR 109.2}
God will help us in time of need, but He will not compel us to love and obey Him. We must give Him our undivided love. He wants us to trust Him, and confide in Him. He understands our wants and has ample resources to help in every time of trouble. We are not left to fight our own battles, but we have the help of Christ, and in His name we can come off victorious. {3MR 109.3}
One may ask, What is our work? It is to take up duties at home. Cultivate the plot of ground at our own doors. Here are our friends that need help. Will we be workers with God? Every one should be at his post to save his fellow men, and whosoever will accept the plan of salvation will commence to work for his fellow men. {3MR 110.1}
The prospect to save souls may not be very flattering, neither was it when our Saviour came to this earth; but if one soul is reached that soul will reach out for others and thus the work is carried forward. It is our business to work for the Master, and if we are faithful in sowing the seed, God will take care of the seed sown. {3MR 110.2}
I have felt that if God would give me my own children, my life has not been in vain, but it has required labor and tears. There is a great responsibility resting upon the head of the family. When I have seen my children wading through temptation I have spent all night with them in prayer. I am a mother of boys, and my heart is drawn out for everyone who has the responsibility of a family. Those who are engaged in the training of children are engaged in a great work. It will take patience and perseverance to do the work aright. {3MR 110.3}
All need much of the blessing of God, and here is the place to be tried. We are in God's workshop. The cleaver of truth takes men and women out of the world, and they have to be refined and fitted for the Master. We must let the truth take possession of our hearts and then the work can be accomplished for us. {3MR 110.4}
I labored for a young man who was an infidel. He wanted me to place my hand on his head to see how low his reverence was, and he said it was impossible for him to honor God. I told him that he must. I labored and prayed with him, and at times its seemed like a hopeless case, but the Spirit of the Lord followed this young man until one day while on a steamer going down the Mississippi he yielded his stubborn will and gave his heart to God. It makes no difference about the head; if we only have a willingness, the Lord will assist us in overcoming as He did this young man. This man now stands at the head of the General Conference. Now that the Lord has worked for him, he knows how to work for infidels. {3MR 111.1}
God permits affliction to come on us at times that we may know how to sympathize with others who are passing through sorrow. The Lord has given me my work, and even when physicians have despaired of my life I have felt it my duty to labor on, even if I died at my post of duty. Our heavenly Father gives us experiences so that we can know how to help others. When the youngest branch of my family was broken off and I could no longer have my infant by my side, I knew better how to sympathize with the mourning mother. When I laid away the oldest member of my family, Jesus supplanted him, and now I can tell mothers to go to Jesus. When the unexpected blow came to him who had stood by my side for thirty-six years it was then that I could lean on my Saviour. I was not left alone, for Christ is a father to the widow. Everyone can benefit others by his own experience. {3MR 111.2}
I would not spend time at the grave to cause a shadow of gloom to beset my pathway, because I know that Jesus passed into the prison house and He came forth, and this should be a comfort to all who have lost friends who have died in the faith. I am left here to take the work of my husband, to carry it forward, and I have no complaints to make for the gate of heaven is ajar and light is shining on my pathway. {3MR 111.3}
I would say to all, Come to Jesus just as you are. He asks for your heart. He has paid the price for us. Now He wants our affections, our intelligence--in fact, all our powers belong to Him. And after we have done all it is a small gift on our part. {3MR 112.1}
We may work intelligently and be laborers for God, and in [our] doing this work He will give us strength. If we sow we shall also reap, and an abundant harvest will be gathered. In order to work the works of God we must have the help of Christ. We should not be satisfied by working out our own salvation, but we must work for the salvation of others. There are hundreds around us that need our personal efforts. It will be our rejoicing to see souls saved through our instrumentality. The work done here for God will show through out all ages, so all should work while there is an opportunity. There is a work for all to do, and if we will let the refining influence of the Spirit of God sanctify us through the Word we can be fitted to reach others, and the glory that awaits the faithful is beyond our comprehension. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9. {3MR 112.2}
Then let us take hold of the lifework that we might bring others to see the importance of truth. There is a heaven for us to win, and a life that will measure with the life of God. Can you not give to God the little time you have, and also your best affections? Give Jesus your polluted soul, and have it washed from all its stains. Fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold of eternal life. {3MR 112.3}
I would entreat those here to think of those things. Go to work for the Master. Take the Lord with you, and then you will hear from the lips of the Master, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Heaven, sweet heaven of rest! It is then that we shall cast our glittering crowns at the feet of Jesus, and touch our harps and sing the song, "Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that died for us." I see in Him matchless charms. I want all to have a part and share in the eternal weight of glory, and to sing songs of rejoicing through the endless ages of eternity.--Ms 46, 1886, pp. 1-6. ("Two Standards," sermon at Nimes, France, Oct. 30, 1886.) {3MR 113.1}
******************************************
MR No. 969 - Faithfulness in Confessing Christ
"Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven" [Matthew 10:32]. Do you confess Christ in your expenditure of His entrusted means? Is He confessed when most of your income is spent on self, when the Lord's tenth is withheld, and when gifts and offerings are used for your own pleasure and benefit? It would not be out of place for you to head a column in your domestic account book "Charity." Had you done this, and had you put down all that you have spent for self, and all that you have used for charity, the list of that spent for self would make a large amount; but how would your column set apart for charity come out? Again I urge you to ask yourself, Do I confess Christ in my expenditure? Heading a column of your account book "Charity" would make a revelation to you. No other human eye may see that book but yourself, but the Lord Jesus Christ sees it, and your reward in the day of reckoning will be in accordance with your works. {12MR 227.1}
When the question is asked those who have professed to be Christians, "How much owest thou unto my Lord?" many will stand silent and convicted, unprepared to answer, because they have not considered the Lord's dues and have set apart nothing for charity. Have you been forward with gifts and offerings? Would not an examination of your account book reveal that you have neglected your duty in this respect? {12MR 227.2}
If Christ had that which is His own in tithes and offerings, so much would not be left for selfish outlay on nicknacks and display. Less would be spent for dress, for pleasure excursions, for entertainments, or for display in table fare. We may confess Christ by making no elaborate preparations for visitors; we may deny Him by making more than ordinary preparations, which takes time that rightly belongs to the Lord. Not only do you rob your family of the attention they need, in order to prepare an elaborate entertainment, but the practice is followed by others whom you have influenced by your example. The Lord does not judge us according to the highness and elevation of our various spheres, but according to the faithfulness with which we fill them. Before you enter into amusement for the gratification of self, ask yourself the question, Is not this God's time and money that I am expending needlessly? Open your account book and see how your account stands with God, with your household, and with the world. {12MR 228.1}
Have you confessed Christ by faithfully tithing the mint, the anise, and the rue? When we give the Lord the tithe, we are only giving Him that which is His own, to withhold which is theft and robbery. When we withhold the tithe we keep back that which God designs shall sustain His work on the earth. For this work of redemption God gave the richest gift of heaven; can we not give one tenth of what we have? Many have forgotten God, and have kept back the tithe. Does your account book reveal that you have dealt faithfully with your Lord? Are you poor? Then give your little. Have you been blessed with abundance? Then be sure to lay aside that which the Lord registers as His own. {12MR 228.2}
By dealing truly with God, we really deal much more benevolently with ourselves; for when the great day of reckoning comes, every man will be asked, What have you done with the goods which I lent you? As we consider this question many of us need to walk more humbly and with greater self-denial before God. All who feel it a cross not to keep up an appearance in the eyes of the world, I would point to the life and work of Christ, who for our sake became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. The fear of not keeping up an appearance need not exist; for an appropriate course of action will bring honor rather than discredit from all sensible minds. Confess Christ in this particular; for He has said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" [Luke 9:23]. The neglect to confess Christ in your account books cuts you off from the great privilege of having your name registered in the Lamb's book of life. {12MR 229.1}
Do you confess Christ by visiting the sick, the needy, and the poor? "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" [James 1:27]. Do your works testify, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me"? [Galatians 2:20]. {12MR 229.2}
As Christ represented the Father to the world, so we are to represent Christ; and every inducement is presented to us that we may represent Christ by keeping the way of the Lord, and faithfully living out every requirement of His Word. This is the power of the gospel. By doing this we will be as lights shining in a dark place, and will be of more value to the world than sermons or religious ceremonies. The world is watching us, and will criticize us severely. We are constantly making an impression, favorable or unfavorable, upon those with whom we associate. Through us others will look at Christ, but unless we practice the lessons of Christ, we are none of His, and cannot properly represent Him. Cheerfulness will be the fruit borne by the Christian tree, but levity and coarse, unruly conduct are as thorn berries. {12MR 229.3}
The religion of Jesus Christ is a religion of practical godliness, and while the grace of God abides in the heart, the Christian will produce the fruit of industry, frugality, economy; he will not waste, but will gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost. In the lives of those who have Christ abiding in the heart will be seen no avarice, no dishonesty in trade, no overreaching, for all covetousness is pronounced idolatry, but every species of dishonesty will be put away from the character. Unkindness of disposition will be overcome; for they are made new men in Christ Jesus, and sin no longer reigns in their mortal bodies. Everyone who has thus been renewed will manifest kindness, forbearance, and generosity, in this confessing that Christ, the hope of glory, is formed within. {12MR 230.1}
The cause of God should be kept in a healthful condition; the treasury should be supplied with means for carrying forward the work of God. Institutions which are established to help orphans, those who are dependent and destitute, the infirm and the aged, should be aided. Those who have the blessing of health should cooperate with Christ by helping the weak. The blessing of God rests upon those who represent Christ by doing this work.
Christmas and New Year celebrations can and should be held in behalf of those who are helpless. God is glorified when we give to help those who have large families to support. But no man who can earn his own livelihood has a right to live on the produce of others. The proverb, "The world owes me a living," has in it the essence of falsehood, fraud, and robbery. The world owes no man a living who is able to work to gain a living for himself. {12MR 230.2}
[2 Corinthians 8:7-15 and 9:6-8, quoted.]
Christ demands the entire service of the soldiers in His army. In His Word he has given the principles of action: "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" [Romans 12:11]. These principles should govern our conduct at all times. No allowance is made for lazy, negligent work, or for want of zeal. God has a righteous claim to constant service and supreme love. Your body, your soul, your life, all your God-given capabilities should be consecrated to God for the promotion of His glory. No one can be a sincere Christian unless he is a laborer together with God, unless he belongs to the family of workers. We must ever bear in mind that we are in copartnership with God. His work and His cause demand the first consideration. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" [Matthew 6:33].--Ms 13, 1896.
White Estate Washington, D. C. February 3, 1983 {12MR 231.1}
******************************************
What constitutes the cross? The requirements of Jesus, that cut directly across human devisings, human indulgence of appetite, human calculations, human practices and habits. The child of God is to come into perfect relationship with Jesus Christ. We are to be in constant communion, not with our own minds, but with the mind and will of Jesus. To be a practical Christian accepting duties that involve self-denial, cuts across human inclinations and human habits. {20MR 104.3}
Instead of seeking to hold our own position upon a subject on which the Lord has spoken decidedly, we are to follow His counsel. But you vindicate your own position. {20MR 104.4}
The Lord Jesus connected Judas with Himself, not because Judas was correct in all his principles, for he cherished selfishness, which is an attribute of the devil; but notwithstanding this, the Lord Jesus consented to unite Judas with the other disciples, and give him opportunity to improve in character building through the education and training He would give all His followers. But Judas did not correct his course of action. The painstaking efforts, the many lessons of the divine Teacher, were lost upon him. {20MR 104.5}
The grace of Christ, if received into his heart, would have converted him from his selfishness, working wonderful changes in him, as in John and Peter. I mention Judas, because this was an extreme case. But as he did not receive the words of Christ and improve, there arose in his heart an opposition to the light. He treasured his defects, and held them as if he considered them a precious treasure. The defects poisoned the whole man, in principle, in spirit, in life, in character, until he sold his Lord for a trifling sum of money. This history has a warning for us. {20MR 105.1}
***********************************
***********************************
Since lifting the cross and wearing the yoke of Christ are kindred symbols, speaking of giving the will ( power of decision and willingness to choose ) to Christ instead of to Satan, looking up ( “your will” “cross” equals 10 SOP hits or quotes.
1. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10. {LHU 252.1}
God alone can lead you to so recognize His mercy, love, and forbearance that you will have the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. This is the gift of God. It is the opening of the heart to receive the word which is as the leaves of the tree of life. May God fill your heart with His love, so that it may be said that you . . . have purified your soul by obeying the truth. {LHU 252.2}
Believing in Christ and receiving His transforming grace is not guesswork, but a work which causes Christ's virtues to be reflected in mind and character. When you gain this experience, you will say, "I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. The Lord Jesus shall be my portion forever." The power of the cross will move in you the mysterious springs of hope and fear, adoration, and love. Angels are watching and waiting, and will witness to the fact that the world has you not. Jesus has found you sitting at His feet to learn from Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Henceforth, surrendering your will to the will of Christ, you are drawn into a region where the cross is the central object. The world fades from your view. The glory shining from the threshold of heaven is the all-attractive influence. The riches of the grace of Christ hold you in willing obedience. . . . You are only too glad to impart to others the gift you have received. {LHU 252.3}
I long to see you improving the capabilities given you by God, so that you can respond to the inquiry, "What must I do to be saved?" Let the words fall from sanctified lips, "Be saved by accepting Christ by faith as your personal Saviour." God is love. The sinner need not perish if he will exercise faith in the wonderful efficacy of the cross of Christ. The cross is the stupendous expedient by which is harmonized the love and justice of God. It is the sinner's only means of salvation. . . . The image of His love may be so stamped upon the mind that it can never be effaced. Then Jesus Christ will be so evidently set forth crucified before you that you will be a partaker of the dignity of His suffering. I have such an intense longing that you may look into the heart of this great mystery, and find that its interpretation is love. . . . {LHU 252.4}
As you make a full surrender of your will to God's will, your way to God's way, you will learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart, and will find rest unto your soul. A calm confidence will preside over you. . . . You will experience more and more clearly the sense of an ever-present, all-pervading Saviour. This will give the soul power . . . , which the changing circumstances of earth cannot undermine. It plants the feet upon a solid rock (letter 123, 1901). {LHU 252.5}
***********************************
hit #2. in context
Chap. 40 - Exercise of the Will
Pure religion has to do with the will. The will is the governing power in the nature of man, bringing all the other faculties under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the deciding power, which works in the children of men unto obedience to God, or unto disobedience. {MYP 151.1}
Instability and Doubt
You are a young man of intelligence; you desire to make your life such as will fit you for heaven at last. You are often discouraged at finding yourself weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits and customs of your old life in sin. You find your emotional nature untrue to yourself, to your best resolutions, and to your most solemn pledges. Nothing seems real. Your own instability leads you to doubt the sincerity of those who would do you good. The more you struggle in doubt, the more unreal everything looks to you, until it seems that there is no solid ground for you anywhere. Your promises are like ropes of sand, and you regard in the same unreal light the words and works of those in whom you should trust. {MYP 151.2}
Strength Through Yielding the Will
You will be in constant peril until you understand the true force of the will. You may believe and promise all things, but your promises or your faith
152
are of no value until you put your will on the side of faith and action. If you fight the fight of faith with all your will-power, you will conquer. Your feelings, your impressions, your emotions, are not to be trusted, for they are not reliable, especially with your perverted ideas; and the knowledge of your broken promises and your forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in yourself, and the faith of others in you. {MYP 151.3}
But you need not despair. You must be determined to believe, although nothing seems true and real to you. I need not tell you it is yourself that has brought you into this unenviable position. You must win back your confidence in God and in your brethren. It is for you to yield up your will to the will of Jesus Christ; and as you do this, God will immediately take possession, and work in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. Your whole nature will then be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; and even your thoughts will be subject to Him. {MYP 152.1}
You cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as you may desire, but you can control the will, and you can make an entire change in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, your life will be hid with Christ in God, and allied to the power which is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from God that will hold you fast to His strength; and a new light, even the light of living faith, will be possible to you. But your will must co-operate with God's will, not with the will of associates through whom Satan is constantly working to ensnare and destroy you.
153
{MYP 152.2}
Will you not, without delay, place yourself in right relation to God? Will you not say, "I will give my will to Jesus, and I will do it now," and from this moment be wholly on the Lord's side? Disregard custom, and the strong clamoring of appetite and passion. Give Satan no chance to say, "You are a wretched hypocrite." Close the door, so that Satan will not thus accuse and dishearten you. Say, "I will believe, I do believe that God is my helper," and you will find that you are triumphant in God. By steadfastly keeping the will on the Lord's side, every emotion will be brought into captivity to the will of Jesus. You will then find your feet on solid rock. It will take, at times, every particle of will-power that you possess, but it is God that is working for you, and you will come forth from the molding process a vessel unto honor. {MYP 153.1}
God's Will and Man's Will United
Talk faith. Keep on God's side of the line. Set not your foot on the enemy's side, and the Lord will be your Helper. He will do for you that which it is not possible for you to do for yourself. The result will be that you will become like a "cedar of Lebanon." Your life will be noble, and your works will be wrought in God. There will be in you a power, an earnestness, and a simplicity that will make you a polished instrument in the hands of God. {MYP 153.2}
You need to drink daily at the fountain of truth, that you may understand the secret of pleasure and joy in the Lord. But you must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions. This
154
will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man. {MYP 153.3}
But the infinite sacrifice of God in giving Jesus, His beloved Son, to become a sacrifice for sin, enables Him to say, without violating one principle of His government, "Yield yourself up to Me; give Me that will; take it from the control of Satan, and I will take possession of it; then I can work in you to will and to do of My good pleasure." When He gives you the mind of Christ, your will becomes as His will, and your character is transformed to be like Christ's character. Is it your purpose to do God's will? Do you wish to obey the Scriptures? "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." {MYP 154.1}
There is no such thing as following Christ unless you refuse to gratify inclination and determine to obey God. It is not your feelings, your emotions, that make you a child of God, but the doing of God's will. A life of usefulness is before you, if your will becomes God's will. Then you may stand in your God-given manhood, an example of good works. You will then help to maintain rules of discipline, instead of helping to break them down. You will then help to maintain order, instead of despising it, and inciting to irregularity of life by your own course of action. {MYP 154.2}
I tell you in the fear of God, I know what you may be, if your will is placed on the side of God.
155
{MYP 154.3}
"We are laborers together with God," You may be doing your work for time and eternity in such a manner that it will stand the test of the judgment. Will you try? Will you now turn square about? You are the object of Christ's love and intercession. Will you now surrender to God, and help those who are placed as sentinels to guard the interests of His work, instead of causing them grief and discouragement?--"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 5, pp. 513-516.
-
{MYP 155.1}
Special Effort Essential
God has appointed means, if we will use them diligently and prayerfully, that no vessel shall be shipwrecked, but outride the tempest and storm, and anchor in the haven of bliss at last. But if we despise and neglect these appointments and privileges, God will not work a miracle to save any of us, and we will be lost as were Judas and Satan. {MYP 155.2}
Do not think that God will work a miracle to save those weak souls who cherish evil, who practice sin; or that some supernatural element will be brought into their lives, lifting them out of self into a higher sphere, where it will be comparatively easy work, without any special effort, any special fighting, without any crucifixion of self; because all who dally on Satan's ground for this to be done will perish with the evildoers. They will be suddenly destroyed, and that without remedy.--"Testimonies to Ministers," p. 453. {MYP 155.3}
Chap. 41 - Divine Guidance
There are three ways in which the Lord reveals His will to us, to guide us. . . . {MYP 156.1}
God reveals His will to us in His word, the Holy Scriptures. {MYP 156.2}
His voice is also revealed in His providential workings; and it will be recognized if we do not separate our souls from Him by walking in our own ways, doing according to our own wills, and following the promptings of an unsanctified heart, until the senses have become so confused that eternal things are not discerned, and the voice of Satan is so disguised that it is accepted as the voice of God. {MYP 156.3}
Another way in which God's voice is heard, is through the appeals of His Holy Spirit, making impressions upon the heart, which will be wrought out in the character. {MYP 156.4}
If you are in doubt upon any subject, you must first consult the Scriptures. If you have truly begun the life of faith, you have given yourself to the Lord, to be wholly His, and He has taken you to mold and fashion according to His purpose, that you may be a vessel unto honor. You should have an earnest desire to be pliable in His hands, and to follow whithersoever He may lead you. You are then trusting Him to work out His designs, while at the same time you are co-operating with Him by working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.--"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 5, p. 512. {MYP 156.5}
***********************************
Hit #3. in context
Chap. 43 - Marriage with Unbelievers
Dear Sister L: I have learned of your contemplated marriage with one who is not united with you in religious faith, and I fear that you have not carefully weighed this important matter. Before taking a step which is to exert an influence upon all your future life, I urge you to give the subject careful and prayerful deliberation. Will this new relationship prove a source of true happiness? Will it be a help to you in the Christian life? Will it be pleasing to God? Will your example be a safe one for others to follow? {5T 361.3}
Before giving her hand in marriage, every woman should inquire whether he with whom she is about to unite her destiny is worthy. What has been his past record? Is his life pure? Is the love which he expresses of a noble, elevated character, or is it a mere emotional fondness? Has he the traits of character that will make her happy? Can she find true peace and joy in his affection? Will she be allowed to preserve her individuality, or must her judgment and conscience be surrendered to the control of her husband? As a disciple of Christ, she is not her own; she has been bought with a price. Can she honor the Saviour's claims as supreme? Will body and soul, thoughts and purposes, be preserved pure and holy? These questions have a vital bearing upon the well-being of every woman who enters the marriage relation. {5T 362.1}
Religion is needed in the home. Only this can prevent the grievous wrongs which so often embitter married life. Only where Christ reigns can there be deep, true, unselfish love. Then soul will be knit with soul, and the two lives will blend in harmony. Angels of God will be guests in the home, and their holy vigils will hallow the marriage chamber. Debasing sensuality will be banished. Upward to God will the thoughts be directed; to Him will the heart's devotion ascend. {5T 362.2}
The heart yearns for human love, but this love is not strong enough, or pure enough, or precious enough, to supply the place of the love of Jesus. Only in her Saviour can the wife find wisdom, strength, and grace to meet the cares, responsibilities, and sorrows of life. She should make Him her strength and her guide. Let woman give herself to Christ before giving herself to any earthly friend, and enter into no relation which shall conflict with this. Those who would find true happiness must have the blessing of heaven upon all that they possess and all that they do. It is disobedience to God that fills so many hearts and homes with misery. My sister, unless you would have a home where the shadows are never lifted, do not unite yourself with one who is an enemy of God. {5T 362.3}
As one who expects to meet these words in the judgment, I entreat you to ponder the step you contemplate taking. Ask yourself: "Will not an unbelieving husband lead my thoughts away from Jesus? He is a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God; will he not lead me to enjoy the things that he enjoys?" The path to eternal life is steep and rugged. Take no additional weights to retard your progress. You have too little spiritual strength, and you need help instead of hindrance. {5T 363.1}
The Lord commanded ancient Israel not to intermarry with the idolatrous nations around them: "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son." The reason is given. Infinite Wisdom, foreseeing the result of such unions, declares: "For they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly." "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them: He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face." {5T 363.2}
In the New Testament are similar prohibitions concerning the marriage of Christians with the ungodly. The apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, declares: "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." Again, in his second epistle, he writes: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." {5T 363.3}
My sister, dare you disregard these plain and positive directions? As a child of God, a subject of Christ's kingdom, the purchase of His blood, how can you connect yourself with one who does not acknowledge His claims, who is not controlled by His Spirit? The commands I have quoted are not the word of man, but of God. Though the companion of your choice were in all other respects worthy (which he is not), yet he has not accepted the truth for this time; he is an unbeliever, and you are forbidden of heaven to unite yourself with him. You cannot, without peril to your soul, disregard this divine injunction. {5T 364.1}
I would warn you of your danger before it shall be too late. You listen to smooth, pleasant words and are led to believe that all will be well; but you do not read the motives that prompt these fair speeches. You cannot see the depths of wickedness hidden in the heart. You cannot look behind the scenes and discern the snares that Satan is laying for your soul. He would lead you to pursue such a course that he can obtain easy access to aim his shafts of temptation against you. Do not give him the least advantage. While God moves upon the minds of His servants, Satan works through the children of disobedience. There is no concord between Christ and Belial. The two cannot harmonize. To connect with an unbeliever is to place yourself on Satan's ground. You grieve the Spirit of God and forfeit His protection. Can you afford to have such terrible odds against you in fighting the battle for everlasting life? {5T 364.2}
You may say: "But I have given my promise, and shall I now retract it?" I answer: If you have made a promise contrary to the Scriptures, by all means retract it without delay, and in humility before God repent of the infatuation that led you to make so rash a pledge. Far better take back such a promise, in the fear of God, than keep it and thereby dishonor your Maker. {5T 365.1}
Remember, you have a heaven to gain, an open path to perdition to shun. God means what He says. When He prohibited our first parents from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, their disobedience opened the floodgates of woe to the whole world. If we walk contrary to God, He will walk contrary to us. Our only safe course is to render obedience to all His requirements, at whatever cost. All are founded in infinite love and wisdom. {5T 365.2}
The spirit of intense worldliness that now exists, the disposition to acknowledge no higher claim than that of self-gratification, constitutes one of the signs of the last days. "As it was in the days of Noah," said Christ, "so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the Flood came, and destroyed them all." The people of this generation are marrying and giving in marriage with the same reckless disregard of God's requirements as was manifested in the days of Noah. There is in the Christian world an astonishing, alarming indifference to the teaching of God's word in regard to the marriage of Christians with unbelievers. Many who profess to love and fear God choose to follow the bent of their own minds rather than take counsel of Infinite Wisdom. In a matter which vitally concerns the happiness and well-being of both parties for this world and the next, reason, judgment, and the fear of God are set aside, and blind impulse, stubborn determination, is allowed to control. Men and women who are otherwise sensible and conscientious close their ears to counsel; they are deaf to the appeals and entreaties of friends and kindred and of the servants of God. The expression of a caution or warning is regarded as impertinent meddling, and the friend who is faithful enough to utter a remonstrance is treated as an enemy. All this is as Satan would have it. He weaves his spell about the soul, and it becomes bewitched, infatuated. Reason lets fall the reins of self-control upon the neck of lust, unsanctified passion bears sway, until, too late, the victim awakens to a life of misery and bondage. This is not a picture drawn by the imagination, but a recital of facts. God's sanction is not given to unions which He has expressly forbidden. For years I have been receiving letters from different persons who have formed unhappy marriages, and the revolting histories opened before me are enough to make the heart ache. It is no easy thing to decide what advice can be given to these unfortunate ones, or how their hard lot can be lightened; but their sad experience should be a warning to others. {5T 365.3}
In this age of the world, as the scenes of earth's history are soon to close and we are about to enter upon the time of trouble such as never was, the fewer the marriages contracted, the better for all, both men and women. Above all, when Satan is working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, let Christians beware of connecting themselves with unbelievers. God has spoken. All who fear Him will submit to His wise injunctions. Our feelings, impulses, and affections must flow heavenward, not earthward, not in the low, base channel of sensual thought and indulgence. It is time now that every soul should stand as in the sight of the heart-searching God. {5T 366.1}
My dear sister, as a disciple of Jesus you should inquire what will be the influence of the step you are about to take, not only upon yourself, but upon others. The followers of Christ are to be co-workers with their Master; they must be "blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom," says Paul, "ye shine as lights in the world." We are to receive the bright beams from the Sun of Righteousness, and by our good works let them shine forth to others in clear, steady rays, never fitful, never growing dim. We cannot be sure that we are doing no harm to those about us unless we are exerting a positive influence to lead them heavenward. {5T 366.2}
" "Ye are My witnesses," said Jesus, and in each act of our lives we should inquire: How will our course affect the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom? If you are indeed Christ's disciple, you will choose to walk in His footsteps, however painful this may be to your natural feelings. Said Paul: "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." You, Sister L, need to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him, as did Mary of old. God requires of you an entire surrender of your will, your plans and purposes. Jesus is your leader; to Him you must look, in Him you must trust, and you must permit nothing to deter you from the life of consecration which you owe to God. Your conversation must be in heaven, from whence you look for your Saviour. Your piety must be of a character to make itself felt by all within the sphere of your influence. God requires you in every act of life to shun the very appearance of evil. Are you doing this? You are under the most sacred obligation not to belittle or compromise your holy faith by uniting with the Lord's enemies. If you are tempted to disregard the injunctions of His word because others have done so, remember that your example also will exert an influence. Others will do as you do, and thus the evil will be extended. While you profess to be a child of God, a departure on your part from His requirements will result in infinite harm to those who look to you for guidance. {5T 367.1}
The salvation of souls will be the constant aim of those who are abiding in Christ. But what have you done to show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness? "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Shake off this fatal infatuation that benumbs your senses and palsies the energies of the soul. {5T 367.2}
The very strongest incentives to faithfulness are set before us, the highest motives, the most glorious rewards. Christians are to be Christ's representatives, sons and daughters of God. They are His jewels, His peculiar treasures. Of all who will maintain their steadfastness He declares: "They shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy." Those who reach the portals of eternal bliss will not count that any sacrifice which they have made was too great. {5T 368.1}
May God help you to stand the test and preserve your integrity. Cling by faith to Jesus. Disappoint not your Redeemer.
St. Helena, California, Feb. 13, 1885. {5T 368.2}
**********************************
Read and study the Bible - learn what it specifically says - learn the Bible's principles that govern life - surrender to God, pray through each temptation to receive faith that works by love from God implanted in you to strengthen you to not put your will to disobey God and obey Satan, watch for God's leadings in accordance with Scripture, and watch for satan's leadings in defiance of some portion of Scripture - pay attention to the difference and learn from the differences. Read Scriptures promises of giving the Holy Spirit and scripture's requirements of receiving the Holy Spirit, and watch for Satan's attempts to deceive by sending other spirits and evil influences pretending to be from God, and learn the differences in specifics and principles involved, learn to be trusting after learning not to be superstitious and not to be gullible. Search the Bible & SOP to see what is from God. Accept NO substitutes.
****************************************** hit # 4.
" You need to drink daily at the fountain of truth, that you may understand the secret of pleasure and joy in the Lord. But you must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions. This will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the Fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man. But the infinite sacrifice of God in giving Jesus, His beloved Son, to become a sacrifice for sin, enables Him to say, without violating one principle of His government: "Yield yourself up to Me; give Me that will; take it from the control of Satan, and I will take possession of it; then I can work in you to will and to do of My good pleasure." When He gives you the mind of Christ, your will becomes as His will, and your character is transformed to be like Christ's character. Is it your purpose to do God's will? Do you wish to obey the Scriptures? "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." {5T 515.1}
There is no such thing as following Christ unless you refuse to gratify inclination and determine to obey God. It is not your feelings, your emotions, that make you a child of God, but the doing of God's will. A life of usefulness is before you if your will becomes God's will. Then you may stand in your God-given manhood, an example of good works. You will then help to maintain rules of discipline instead of helping to break them down. You will then help to maintain order instead of despising it and inciting to irregularity of life by your own course of action. I tell you in the fear of God: I know what you may be if your will is placed on the side of God. "We are laborers together with God." You may be doing your work for time and eternity in such a manner
516
that it will stand the test of the judgment. Will you try? Will you now turn square about? You are the object of Christ's love and intercession. Will you now surrender to God and help those who are placed as sentinels to guard the interests of His work, instead of causing them grief and discouragement?
{5T 515.2}
****************************************
hit #5.
"Perfection Only in Christ. We have only a brief season here upon the earth, a time when licentious practices under the marriage vow are ruining thousands and tens of thousands. While you have some cross to lift, do not, I beg
57
you for Christ's sake, depart from justice and righteousness. Let your lives be in sobriety, and bring your will power into the matter, looking not for perfection in each other, but looking unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of your faith. Strive to run the Christian race with patience, keeping the crown of life in view, seeking to have a knowledge of the will of God, striving for precedence in His acquaintance and affections. {TSB 56.3}
You will, I know, when convinced of the right way, act resolutely, not as a child, but according to your convictions and not according to your feelings. Give yourself to God without reserve, soul, body, and spirit. Go to work in the cause of God, doing good, and the Lord will bless you. Do not become self-centered. Think of someone's soul; think of the self-denying, self-sacrificing life of Jesus. Turn your attention away from yourself to Jesus and His life and His character.--Letter 57, 1888. {TSB 57.1}
***************************************
hit # 6.
"March 2, 1905 The Work of God's Messengers
God's messengers are commissioned to take up the very work that Christ did while on this earth. They are to give themselves to every line of ministry that He carried on. With earnestness and sincerity they are to tell men of the unsearchable riches and the immortal treasures of heaven. They are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. They are to repeat heaven's offers of peace and pardon. They are to point to the gates of the city of God, saying, "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." {PUR, March 2, 1905 par. 1}
What motive for service does God present in His word to His workers, ministers and gospel medical missionaries?--"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly." Before the coming of this great day, we are to proclaim to the world the last message of mercy, that men and women may be prepared for Christ's coming. This message is to be proclaimed in all the world, for a witness to all people, and then shall the end come. Can God's servants expect to have the peace of Christ while they hold back from doing the work that needs to be done? Can they who do little but censure and condemn those who are trying to work, expect the Saviour to bless them? {PUR, March 2, 1905 par. 2}
You strike too low, my brethren and sisters. Set your mark higher. Let your work be in harmony with the work of Christ. It is the privilege of all to grow up to the full stature of men and women in Christ. "This is the will of God concerning you, even your sanctification." Is this your will also? My brethren and sisters, with intensity of desire long after God; yea, pant after Him as the hart panteth after the water brooks. Press toward the mark of the prize of your high calling in Christ. Deny self; lift the cross, and it will lift you. It will be to you a pledge of eternal life. Take up the work God has given you. Use your means in His service. Lay hold of the Word of promise. Work while the day lasts; for the night cometh in which no man can work. {PUR, March 2, 1905 par. 3}
He whose heart God touches is filled with a great love for those who have never heard the truth. Their condition impresses him with a sense of personal woe. Taking his life in his hand, he hurries away, a heaven-sent, heaven-inspired messenger, to do a work in which angels can co- operate.
Ellen G. White. {PUR, March 2, 1905 par. 4}
***************************************
hit # 7. in context with (quote in bold )
"September 30, 1889 How to Glorify God.
[SERMON AT
CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 8, 1889.]
-
Mrs. E. G. White
-
Through all our trials we should think of the plan of salvation, we should educate the soul to exercise faith in Christ and to render praise to God. Christ suffered reproach. He was reviled and rejected of men. They even said that he had a devil, but he did not shrink from the cross of suffering, and we should not murmur at the self-sacrificing part of religion. All Heaven is interested in the trying of our souls, the whole universe is interested to see how we shall bear the cross and endure the shame. You are to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. God does not work with man without his co-operation. Divine power will combine with human effort, and enable you to successfully meet the enemy of your souls. In Christ you must meet every difficulty; and if others do not sympathize with your ideas, you must not wound them by enmity, but press close to the bleeding side of your Saviour. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 1}
If you have doubts, you should not gratify the evil one by telling others concerning them. If you trust in Christ, as surely as he died on Calvary's cross, you will obtain the victory. It was living faith that caused the woman who had suffered under disease for years to touch the hem of Christ's garment. This is the faith that we must have, and then we shall not speak of our trials and conflicts; for through them all, we shall have joy unspeakable and full of glory. Jesus has said, "He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." We should unfurl the banner of the Prince of Peace, and in perplexity and sorrow we must not lose sight of Him who is mighty to save. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 2}
Jesus came to this earth, marred and seared by the curse, for the purpose of bringing moral power to men. He fought the battle in man's behalf in the wilderness of temptation, and it was the same battle that everyone of us must fight till the close of time. Christ was not overcome in this conflict. He who worked miracles for others, worked none for himself. He had clothed his divinity with humanity, and he had come to bring divine power to man. He met the enemy at every step with "It is written." He used the word of God to thwart the temptations of the evil one. This is where our safety lies. We should study the word of God, and be so filled with it, that we can meet the enemy of our souls with "It is written," as did our example. Then we could hope for the grace that God has promised, to enable us to be overcomers. You should be full of hope in the work of the Lord. A discouraged man cannot glorify God. Whatever you do, you should not lose your hope and faith. When you become discouraged it is an evidence that you have allowed the enemy to come in between your soul and God. You must lay hold of the hope set before you, and you will come off victorious, and be ready to sing the praises of God. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 3}
When Christ came to this world, he found that Satan had everything as he wanted it. The adversary of God and man thought that he was indeed the prince of the earth, but Jesus laid hold of the world to take it out of the power of Satan. He came to redeem it from the curse of sin and the penalty of transgression, that the transgressor might be forgiven. He planted the cross between earth and heaven, and between divinity and humanity; and as the Father beheld the cross, he was satisfied. He said, "It is enough, the offering is complete." God and man may be reconciled. Those who have lived in rebellion against God, may become reconciled, if as they see the cross, they become repentant, and accept the great propitiation that Christ has made for their sins. In the cross they see that "mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 4}
We do not appreciate the love of God as we should. When God gave his Son to die for the sins of men, he gave all Heaven in that one gift. There was nothing that God could withhold from humanity after giving up his beloved Son; for Christ himself had assumed humanity. He was made a child that he might understand the temptations of childhood, and know its weaknesses and be able to help the children to be overcomers. He passed from youth to manhood, and carried our griefs and bore our sorrows. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. When we come to him in sincerity pleading for pardon, he forgives. We need not wait to make ourselves acceptable; for we can never. We cannot do works that will commend us to God when we have sinned. We must come to the cross, and lay our burden of sin upon Jesus Christ, and believe that we are pardoned for Christ's sake who died for us. When we acknowledge our sin, and seek pardon through Christ, the law is exalted. It is the moral standard of God, and tells us what sin is. Says John, "Sin is the transgression of the law." Those who have sinned must hang their helpless souls on Christ. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 5}
You should place your will on the side of God's will. You cannot be overcome of the enemy unless you press positive resistance against God's will. We can be more than conquerors through faith in him who has loved us and given himself for us. When you come to God, you must come with confidence. When Satan presses upon your soul his temptations to doubt that God will have mercy in your case, you should press back his suggestions with the promises of God. Our heavenly Father has expressed his love for us individually in the cross of Calvary. The Father loves us, he is full of compassion and tender mercy. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 6}
Jesus came to this earth to represent the character of the Father to the world. He said, "He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father." Satan had misrepresented the character of God, and placed him in a false light. But Jesus came to reveal the Father's love and compassion toward the fallen children of men. When those who profess to be the servants of God draw down their countenances in gloom, and are ever complaining, they misrepresent their heavenly Father. They are confirming the impression that Satan has made concerning his character. They say to the world, "The service of God is a hard service. It is bondage to keep the law of God." This is all false. What is it that puts the shackles on men's wrists? Is it obedience to law? No, indeed. Those who keep the laws walk at liberty. It is the transgressor that is in bondage. The curse of the law is not upon those who are striving to fulfill God's holy precepts through faith in the Redeemer. They are covered with his righteousness. They are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 7}
How wrong it is for those who profess to be engaged in the service of God, to dishonor God by misrepresenting his service. The Lord has proclaimed himself as "The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." Will we believe this declaration of his character? He says again, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God; for he will abundantly pardon." {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 8}
How long we have resisted the pleading of the Spirit of God! How long he has borne with us! We would not bear such resistance as we have made against him. But he says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." "As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him." It is because the Lord is not like one of us that he can forgive sins when we come to him with repentance. Satan tries to discourage every soul that seeks to come to God. He will tell you that you are a sinner, unworthy of the love of God. And you can tell him that you know it, but that you have repented of your transgressions and by faith you depend upon the merits of the blood of Christ, and the mercy of God is for you. Reach over the doubts that he suggests to your mind, and grasp the promise of God. Tell your enemy that "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 9}
The followers of Jesus should be living stones in the temple of God, so that they may emit light to those around them. They should work with a cheerful heart to show forth the praises of Him who has called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. They should seek to unfold to men the glories of the law of liberty. If they go forth to labor for God with a gloomy countenance, and despondent heart, they will not accomplish anything that will glorify their Redeemer; for their attitude of doubt will destroy the effect of their words. The conflict is coming on the law of God in the world. Satan carries on the same warfare from age to age against the precepts of Jehovah. The sinner hates the law because it points out his shortcoming, and he tramples upon it in derision. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 10}
Those who profess to love God should search the Scriptures diligently, for they cannot afford to be found transgressors of the law. The time is coming when no one will be able to render an excuse to God for disobedience to his law. There are those who say now that they cannot keep the commandments of God. They excuse themselves from obedience to the fourth commandment because of business, or their family, or social relations. But these excuses will not be found to avail in the day of God. They will not stand the test of the judgment. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 11}
Christ left the royal throne, he stepped down from his high command in the heavenly courts, and for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty, might be made rich; and what answer can be framed before him for trampling on the holy law of God? When God gave his Son, he made provision in him for every emergency connected with man's salvation; and in the day of reward and meeting out the penalty for transgression, every mouth will be stopped, and all the world will become guilty before God. But of those who have obeyed the precepts of heaven, Jesus says, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Do you want to enter into the city of God? Christ has stated the condition upon which you may enter. It may seem to you now that commandment-keepers are in the minority; but it will not seem so when the gates of the heavenly city swing back on their glittering hinges. God is on the side of those who obey him. God is a majority. Christ is on their side, the angels of heaven are on their side, and all the good are on their side. The doers of the law of God are in the majority. They have access to the power that the world cannot give or take away. Let us not exalt Satan by dwelling upon his power. Let us talk of the power of God. Let us think of the King in his beauty. Let us behold Christ, and by beholding, become changed into his divine image.
-
{ST, September 30, 1889 par. 12}
***********************************
hit # 8. in context ( quote bolded and colorized )
"August 24, 1891 Christ our Hope.
-
By Mrs. E. G. White.
-
"This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." The knowledge of God and of Christ is the only knowledge which can lead to true and eternal happiness. This knowledge all may obtain; all may win the crown of glory, and the life which measures with the life of God. {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 1}
Sin, that cost Adam beautiful Eden, exists everywhere in our world. Evil triumphs wherever God is not known or his character contemplated. We could not commit sin if we realized the presence of God, and thought upon his goodness, his love, and his compassion. Satan knows that if he can obscure the vision so that the eye of faith cannot behold God, there will be no barrier against sin. It is necessary to know God in order to be attracted to him. And the perception of his image as represented in Christ changes the sinner's views of evil. The shadow of Satan obscures the character of Jesus and of God; but if we by faith gain a knowledge of God, and hold steadfastly to Jesus, we shall be changed. In Jesus is manifested the character of the Father, and the sight of him attracts. It softens and subdues, and ceases not to transform the character, until Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. The human heart that has learned to behold the character of God may become, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, like a sacred harp, sending forth divine melody. {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 2}
What benefit to the world are those professed Christians who have nothing to say about Jesus? Are they indeed standing under the banner of Prince Emmanuel when they are not doing him the service of faithful soldiers? Has your study of the law of God, the standard of all righteousness, led you to exclaim with Isaiah: "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts"? Has the sight brought you to see that your only hope is in Christ, the sin-pardoning Saviour? Has the sight of Jesus on the cross, dying for the guilt of man, brought you in contrition to the foot of the cross, so that you can say with Job, "Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes"? Have you made an entire surrender of your will to God's will, your ways to God's ways? Have you renounced self-confidence, self-boasting, and accepted Jesus, who is made everything to you,--wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption? Do you see Christ as the anti-type of all the types, the precious, glorious substance of all the shadows, the full signification of all the symbols? The types and shadows were instituted by Christ himself, to transmit to man an idea of the plan devised for his redemption. {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 3}
When Moses was feeding his flock in the pastures of Midian, the Lord was preparing him for a position of great responsibility; he was to be a laborer together with God. Educated in the court of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, he was imperfectly qualified to take his place as the leader of a suffering, tempted people, to help them in their oppression, sympathize with their sufferings, and conduct them through a rough and dangerous desert to the land of promise. The Lord in his providence took Moses from the king's court, and gave him the humble work of a shepherd, that, while caring for the sheep in the desert, he might be trained for the trials and hardships and perils of the wilderness, and qualified for the office of a shepherd of his own flock, for a church whose God was the Lord. {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 4}
Forty years was Moses in this training school in the mountains. At Mount Horeb the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. "He looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from of thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 5}
How many today see evidences of God's work, but their attention is not arrested! The enemy has cast his hellish shadow over them, so they do not perceive that God would have them pay special attention to his requirements, and be prepared to answer at any time as did Moses, "Here am I." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 6}
In the Jewish service, under the special direction of God the sacrifices were to be offered only at the tabernacle, through the medium of the priest. If he who wished to make an offering was negligent, and failed to carry out the specified arrangement of God, he was to be cut off from his people. "What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, and bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 7}
This was strictly enjoined in the typical service, in order to give it its fullest significance. The object was to impress the minds of the people with the great truth that man can have access to God only through Christ. The Saviour says, "No man cometh to the Father but by me." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 8}
All religious service, however attractive and costly, that endeavors to merit the favor of God, all mortification of the flesh, all penance and laborious work to procure the forgiveness of sin and the divine favor,--whatever prevents us from making Christ our entire dependence, is abomination in the sight of God. There is no hope for man but to cease his rebellion, his resistance of God's will, and own himself a sinner ready to perish, and cast himself upon the mercy of God. We can be saved only through Christ. Not by any good works which we may do, can we find salvation. There is no mercy for the fallen race except that which comes as the free gift of God. There is no blessing we receive but that which comes through the mediation of Christ. It is ever to be borne in mind that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him" as his personal Saviour, able to save to the uttermost all who come unto him, "should not perish, but have everlasting life." The Father gave his well-beloved Son, that through this divine channel his love might reach to man. The Father loves those who believe on Christ, even as he loves the Son, for they are made one with Christ. Jesus encircles the race with his human arm, while with his divine arm he lays hold upon infinity. He is the "daysman" between a holy God and our sinful humanity,--one who can "lay his hand on us both." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 9}
The terms of this oneness between God and man in the great covenant of redemption were arranged with Christ from all eternity. The covenant of grace was revealed to the patriarchs. The covenant made with Abraham four hundred and thirty years before the law was spoken on Sinai was a covenant confirmed by God in Christ, the very same gospel which is preached to us. "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." The covenant of grace is not a new truth, for it existed in the mind of God from all eternity. This is why it is called the everlasting covenant. The plan of redemption was not conceived after the fall of man to cure the dreadful evil; the apostle Paul speaks of the gospel, the preaching of Jesus Christ, as "the revelation of the mystery, which hath been kept in silence through times eternal, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith." (Revised Version.) {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 10}
********************************
hit #9. in context - quote bolded - colorized
" MR No. 1311 - An Appeal To Be Converted Fully to Christ, Enjoy His Love, and Be a Help to Others
(Written September 18, 1901, from Healdsburg, California, to "Dear Brother and Sister Sanderson.") {18MR 79.1}
Your letters have been received and carefully read. I will now write a few lines in reply. I thank you for writing, for your letters have taken a heavy weight off my heart. I greatly desire that you shall both so will and so do that God will be honored and glorified by your service in the sanitarium. I know that changes must be made, and we shall help you in every way possible. {18MR 79.2}
I felt like weeping when I read Sister Sanderson's letter. I thank the Lord, my sister, that you are resolved to open your heart to the Saviour. I would not speak one word to discourage you. I will try to help you in every way that I can. My heart is drawn out to pray for you, not to depress you. My prayer is, "Lord, increase Sister Sanderson's faith. Let the operation of the Holy Spirit be felt on her mind. Take her into a sacred nearness to Thine heart of infinite love." {18MR 79.3}
God alone can lead you to so recognize His mercy, love, and forbearance that you will have the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. This is the gift of God. It is the opening of the heart to receive the Word which is as the leaves of the tree of life. May God fill your heart with His love so that it may be said that you, my sister, have purified your soul by obeying the truth. Believing in Christ and receiving His transforming grace is not guesswork, but a work which causes Christ's virtues to be reflected in mind and character. When you gain this experience you will say, "I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. The Lord Jesus shall be my portion forever." {18MR 79.4}
The power of the cross will move in you the mysterious springs of hope and fear, adoration and love. Angels are watching and waiting and will witness to the fact that the world has you not. Jesus has found you sitting at His feet to learn from Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Henceforth, surrendering your will to the will of Christ, you are drawn into a region where the cross is the central object. The world fades from your view. The glory shining from the threshold of heaven is the all-attractive influence. The riches of the grace of Christ hold you in willing obedience. You delight in the precious blessings of your allegiance. You are only too glad to impart to others the gift you have received. {18MR 80.1}
I long to see you improving the capabilities given you by God so that you can respond to the inquiry, "What must I do to be saved?" Let the words fall from sanctified lips, "Be saved by accepting Christ by faith as your personal Saviour." God is love. The sinner need not perish if he will exercise faith in the wonderful efficacy of the cross of Christ. The cross is the stupendous expedient by which is harmonized the love and justice of God. It is the sinner's only means of salvation. {18MR 80.2}
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." The image of His love may be so stamped upon the mind that it can never be effaced. Then Jesus Christ will be so evidently set forth crucified before you that you will be a partaker of the dignity of His suffering. I have such an intense longing that you may look into the heart of this great mystery and find that its interpretation is Love.
[1 John 2:24-29, quoted.
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. {in him: or, in it}
28 ¶ And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.]
{18MR 80.3}
I want to see Sister Sanderson standing on vantage ground as one who has spiritual dominion over the powers of darkness. Cultivate love. [1 John 4:7-14; 5:2-5, quoted. 1st John 4:7-15 7 ¶ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 ¶ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
1st John 5:2-5
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?] {18MR 81.1}
Sister Sanderson, I am pleading with God for your soul's salvation. I feel an intense desire to see you free and happy in Christ Jesus, your heart full of the grace of God. I cannot endure the thought that you shall remain where you are. I cannot let you go. I long for your soul in Jesus Christ. I want to see you obtaining victory after victory. I have been conversing with you in the visions of the night. I saw your countenance changed by the reflection of the Spirit of God, and I was made joyful in the Lord. {18MR 81.2}
What you expressed in your letter gave me hope and courage to believe that you will be truly converted and be a help to your husband. Your letter was an encouragement to me, and though the enemy may tell you that I do not care for you, do not believe him. I do care for your soul. I have spoken plainly to you by letter because I wished to tell you the truth and arouse you to make the determined effort you can make if you will. I want to see you and your husband free in God right here in the sanitarium. Then you will not move under false impressions. {18MR 81.3}
Never was there a time in your experience when you were so much in need of a wholehearted conversion as you are now. You have not yet sufficiently touched the vital springs of happiness. When you know your Saviour, when you realize that He is precious to your soul, you will have found your way to the wellspring of life and will be able to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. {18MR 81.4}
Let your mind come fully and habitually under the belief that Christ loves you. As you make a full surrender of your will to God's will, your way to God's way, you will learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart, and will find rest unto your soul. (Matthew 11:29). A calm confidence will preside over you. Your heart will possess a dignity to which before it was a stranger. You will experience more and more clearly the sense of an ever-present, all-pervading Saviour. This will give the soul power to hold its stability, power which the changing circumstances of earth cannot undermine. It plants the feet upon a solid rock. {18MR 81.5}
Then you can sing with the spirit and with the understanding also. Under all discouraging circumstances your heart will rejoice in your Saviour. You will find opportunity to speak words of hope to the weary and the desponding. {18MR 82.1}
When you are converted you can give instruction to many disheartened souls. As you contemplate God and heaven, you will love to minister, and you will feel a sacred, solemn awe as you realize that you are ministering in connection with the hand of God, which opens only to do good.--Letter 123, 1901.
Ellen G. White Estate Washington, D. C. Nov. 5, 1987. Entire Letter. {18MR 82.2}
************************************
hit # 10 of 10
To Uriah Smith when he was falling away from God. 1888 Message Materials Chap. 102 - To U. Smith
" I thank the Lord for health, I thank the Lord for freedom. Why your particular case agonized my soul so continuously I cannot define. Again and again have I seen that blindness was upon you to an alarming degree. I give you up to the hands of Jesus, and then think I have not more to say, not another word, then I find my soul torn with anguish and I am weeping and praying with strong cryings and tears, Take not thy Holy Spirit from him; O, let something from Thy spirit break this spell. . . . O, that you would surrender your will to God's will, O, that you would tremble at his work. Where is your preparation to be obtained that you may stand in the day of the Lord? No where but low at the foot of the cross. O, it is not too late for wrongs to be righted. Do not confer with flesh and blood. Do not say, There are some things I do not understand. Of course there are. Your mind is clouded, but take one step that you do see, then you can see another. O, kindle your taper from the divine altar before it is everlastingly too late! Remove the stumbling blocks at once without any delay. When God helps you you will be helped to see your own weakness and the inefficiency and the glory and majesty of Christ. The voice of God calls you as it did Elijah, Come out of the cave and stand with God and hear what he will say unto you. When you will come under the divine guidance, the comforter will lead you into all truth. The office of the Holy Spirit is to take the things of Christ as they fall from his lips and infuse them as living principles into the hearts opened to receive them. Then we will know both the Father and the Son. {1888 799.1} "
********************************
"human will" = 83 SOP hits & several references in Scripture. Human will is only to be surrendered in conformity to Scripture according to what Scripture says and explains.
"When Christ first announced to the heavenly host His mission and work in the world, He declared that He was to leave His position of dignity and disguise His holy mission by assuming the likeness of a man, when in reality He was the Son of the infinite God. And when the fullness of time was come, He stepped down from His throne of highest command, laid aside His royal robe and kingly crown, clothed His divinity with humanity, and came to this earth to exemplify what humanity must do and be in order to overcome the enemy and to sit with the Father upon His throne. . . . He made it possible for Himself to be buffeted by human agencies inspired by Satan, the rebel who had been expelled from heaven. {CTr 227.4}
As the head of humanity, Christ lived on this earth a perfect, consistent life, in conformity with the will of His heavenly Father. . . . Always uppermost in His mind and heart was the thought “Not My human will, but Thy will, be done.”Letter 303, 1903. {CTr 227.5}
************************************
"Our condition through sin has become preternatural, and the power
323
that restores us must be supernatural, else it has no value. There is but one power that can break the hold of evil from the hearts of men, and that is the power of God in Jesus Christ. Only through the blood of the Crucified One is there cleansing from sin. His grace alone can enable us to resist and subdue the tendencies of our fallen nature. This power the spiritualistic theories concerning God 579 make of no effect. If God is an essence pervading all nature, then He dwells in all men; and in order to attain holiness, man has only to develop the power that is within him. {CCh 322.8}
These theories, followed to their logical conclusion, sweep away the whole Christian economy. They do away with the necessity for the atonement and make man his own savior. These theories regarding God make His word of no effect, and those who accept them are in great danger of being led finally to look upon the whole Bible as a fiction. They may regard virtue as better than vice; but God being removed from His position of sovereignty, they place their dependence upon human power, which, without God, is worthless. The unaided human will has no real power to resist and overcome evil. The defenses of the soul are broken down. Man has no barrier against sin. When once the restraints of God's word and His Spirit are rejected, we know not to what depths one may sink. {CCh 323.1}
Those who continue to hold these spiritualistic theories will surely spoil their Christian experience, sever their connection with God, and lose eternal life. 580 {CCh 323.2}
*******************************
"After the passing of the time in 1844, we had fanaticism of every kind to meet. Testimonies of reproof were given me to bear to some holding spiritualistic theories. {CCh 323.4}
Ungodly teaching is followed by sinful practice. It is the seducing bait of the father of lies, and results in the impenitence of self-satisfied impurity. {CCh 323.5}
The experience of the past will be repeated. In the future, Satan's superstitions will assume new forms. Errors will be presented in a pleasing and flattering manner. False theories, clothed with garments of light, will be presented to God's people. Thus Satan will try to deceive, if possible, the very elect. Most seducing influences will be exerted; minds will be hypnotized. {CCh 323.6}
Corruptions of every type, similar to those existing among the antediluvians,
324
will be brought in to take minds captive. The exaltation of nature as God, the unrestrained license of the human will, the counsel of the ungodly—these Satan uses as agencies to bring about certain ends. He will employ the power of mind over mind to carry out his designs. The most sorrowful thought of all is that under his deceptive influence men will have a form of godliness, without having a real connection with God. Like Adam and Eve, who ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, many are even now feeding upon the deceptive morsels of error. {CCh 323.7}
**************************************
" 266. A pure and noble life, a life of victory over appetite and lust, is possible to every one who will unite his weak, wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering will of God. {CD 170.1}
***********************************
" Those who put their trust in Christ are not to be enslaved by any hereditary or cultivated habit or tendency. Instead of being held in bondage to the lower nature, they are to rule every appetite and passion. God has not left us to battle with evil in our own finite strength. Whatever may be our inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong, we can overcome through the power that He is ready to impart. . . . {CH 440.1}
Through the right exercise of the will an entire change may be made in the life. By yielding up the will to Christ, we ally ourselves with divine power. We receive strength from above to hold us steadfast. A pure and noble life, a life of victory over appetite and lust, is possible to everyone who will unite his weak, wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering will of God. {CH 440.2}
Those who are struggling against the power of appetite should be instructed in the principles of healthful living. They should be shown that violation of the laws of health, by creating diseased conditions and unnatural cravings, lays the foundation of the liquor habit. Only by living in obedience to the principles of health can they hope to be freed from the craving for unnatural stimulants. While they depend upon divine strength to break the bonds of appetite, they are to co-operate with God by obedience to His laws, both moral and physical. . . . {CH 440.3}
For every soul struggling to rise from a life of sin to a life of purity, the great element of power abides in the only "name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved." "If any man thirst," for restful hope, for deliverance from sinful propensities, Christ says, "let him come unto Me, and drink." The only remedy for vice is the grace and power of Christ. {CH 440.4}
******************************************
"The Christian life is a warfare. But "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). In this conflict of righteousness against unrighteousness we can be successful only by divine aid. Our finite will must be brought into submission to the will of the Infinite; the human will must be blended with the divine. This will bring the Holy Spirit to our aid. . . . {AG 196.3}
The Lord Jesus acts through the Holy Spirit; for it is His representative. Through it He infuses spiritual life into the soul, quickening its energies for good, cleansing it from moral defilement, and giving it a fitness for His kingdom. Jesus has large blessings to bestow, rich gifts to distribute among men. He is the wonderful Counselor, infinite in wisdom and strength; and if we will acknowledge the power of His Spirit, and submit to be molded by it, we shall stand complete in Him. What a thought is this! In Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him" (Colossians 2:9, 10). Never will the human heart know happiness until it is submitted to be molded by the Spirit of God. The Spirit conforms the renewed soul to the model, Jesus Christ. Through the influence of the Spirit, enmity against God is changed into faith and love, and pride into humility. The soul perceives the beauty of truth, and Christ is honored in excellence and perfection of character. As these changes are effected, angels break out in rapturous song, and God and Christ rejoice over souls fashioned after the divine similitude. {AG 196.4}
******************************************************************************************************************************
What should a Christian search and study the Holy Scriptures to learn ?
"Chap. 287 - Keeping the Heart
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23. {AG 295.1}
Diligent heart-keeping is essential to a healthy growth in grace. The heart in its natural state is a habitation for unholy thoughts and sinful passions. When brought into subjection to Christ, it must be cleansed by the Spirit from all defilement. This cannot be done without the consent of the individual. {AG 295.2}
When the soul has been cleansed, it is the duty of the Christian to keep it undefiled. Many seem to think that the religion of Christ does not call for the abandonment of daily sins, the breaking loose from habits which have held the soul in bondage. They renounce some things condemned by the conscience, but they fail to represent Christ in the daily life. They do not bring Christlikeness into the home. They do not show a thoughtful care in their choice of words. Too often, fretful, impatient words are spoken, words which stir the worst passions of the human heart. Such ones need the abiding presence of Christ in the soul. Only in His strength can they keep guard over the words and actions. . . . {AG 295.3}
Many seem to begrudge moments spent in meditation, and the searching of the Scriptures, and prayer, as though the time thus occupied was lost. I wish you could all view these things in the light God would have you for you would then make the kingdom of heaven of the first importance. To keep your heart in heaven will give vigor to all your graces, and put life into all your duties. . . . As exercise increases the appetite, and gives strength and healthy vigor to the body, so will devotional exercises bring an increase of grace and spiritual vigor. . . . {AG 295.4}
Let the prayer go up to God, "Create in me a clean heart" (Psalm 51:10); for a pure, cleansed soul has Christ abiding therein, and out of the abundance of the heart are the issues of life. The human will is to be yielded to Christ. Instead of passing on, closing the heart in selfishness, there is need of opening the heart to the sweet influences of the Spirit of God. Practical religion breathes its fragrance everywhere. It is a savor of life unto life. {AG 295.5}
Chap. 288 - First, an Empty Heart
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Mark 12:30, 31. {AG 296.1}
On these two commandments the whole interest and duty of moral beings hang. Those who do their duty to others as they would that others should do to them are brought into a position where God can reveal Himself to them. They will be approved of Him. They are made perfect in love, and their labors and prayers will not be in vain. They are continually receiving grace and truth from the Fountainhead, and as freely transmitting to others the divine light and salvation they receive. . . . {AG 296.2}
Selfishness is abomination in the sight of God and holy angels. Because of this sin many fail to attain the good which they are capable of enjoying. They look with selfish eyes on their own things, and do not love and seek the interest of others as they do their own. They reverse God's order. Instead of doing for others what they wish others to do for them, they do for themselves what they desire others to do for them, and do to others what they are most unwilling to have returned to them. {AG 296.3}
How is it possible that we may grow in grace? It is possible to us only as we empty our hearts of self, and present them to Heaven, to be molded after the divine Pattern. We may have a connection with the living channel of light; we may be refreshed with the heavenly dew, and have the showers of Heaven descend upon us. As we appropriate the blessing of God, we shall be able to receive greater measures of His grace. As we learn to endure as seeing Him who is invisible, we shall become changed into the image of Christ. The grace of Christ will not make us proud, cause us to be lifted up in self, but we shall become meek and lowly in heart. {AG 296.4}
Growth in grace will not lead you to be proud, self-confident, and boastful, but will make you more conscious of your own nothingness, of your entire dependence upon the Lord. {AG 296.5}
Chap. 289 - Snares to Shun
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16. {AG 297.1}
Pride and the love of the world are the snares which are so great a hindrance to spirituality and a growth in grace. {AG 297.2}
This world is not the Christian's heaven, but merely the workshop of God, where we are to be fitted up to unite with the sinless angels in a holy heaven. We should be constantly training the mind to noble, unselfish thoughts. This education is necessary to so bring into exercise the powers which God has given us that His name shall best be glorified upon the earth. We are accountable for all the noble qualities which God has given us, and to put these faculties to a use He never designed we should is showing base ingratitude to Him. The service of God demands all the powers of our being, and we fail of meeting the design of God unless we bring these powers to a high state of cultivation, and educate the mind to love to contemplate heavenly things, and strengthen and ennoble the energies of the soul by right actions, operating to the glory of God. . . . {AG 297.3}
Unless the mind is educated to dwell upon religious themes, it will be weak and feeble in this direction. But while dwelling upon worldly enterprises, it will be strong; for in this direction it has been cultivated, and has strengthened with exercise. The reason it is so difficult for men and women to live religious lives is because they do not exercise the mind unto godliness. It is trained to run in an opposite direction. Unless the mind is constantly exercised in obtaining spiritual knowledge and in seeking to understand the mystery of godliness, it is incapable of appreciating eternal things. . . . When the heart is divided, dwelling principally upon things of the world, and but little upon the things of God, there can be no special increase of spiritual strength. {AG 297.4}
While worldling are all earnestness and ambition to secure earthly treasure, God's people are not conformed to the world, but show by their earnest, watching, waiting position that they are transformed; that their home is not in this world, but that they are seeking a better country, even a heavenly. {AG 297.5}
Chap. 290 - In Humility
Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5. {AG 298.1}
The confiding love and unselfish devotion manifested in the life and character of John present lessons of untold value to the Christian church. John did not naturally possess the loveliness of character that his later experience revealed. By nature he had serious defects. He was not only proud, self-assertive, and ambitious for honor, but impetuous, and resentful under injury. . . . But beneath all this the divine Teacher discerned the ardent, sincere, loving heart. Jesus rebuked his self-seeking, disappointed his ambitions, tested his faith. But He revealed to him that for which his soul longed--the beauty of holiness, the transforming power of love. {AG 298.2}
The lessons of Christ, setting forth meekness and humility and love as essential to growth in grace and a fitness for His work, were of the highest value to John. He treasured every lesson, and constantly sought to bring his life into harmony with the divine pattern. John had begun to discern the glory of Christ--not the worldly pomp and power for which he had been taught to hope, but "the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). . . . John desired to become like Jesus, and under the transforming influence of the love of Christ he did become meek and lowly. Self was hid in Jesus. {AG 298.3}
The Lord Jesus seeks the co-operation of those who will become unobstructed channels for the communication of His grace. The first thing to be learned . . . is the lesson of self-distrust; then they are prepared to have imparted to them the character of Christ. This is not to be gained through education in the most scientific schools. It is the fruit of wisdom that is obtained from the divine Teacher alone. . . . {AG 298.4}
Men of the highest education in the arts and sciences have learned precious lessons from Christians in humble life who were designated by the world as unlearned. But these obscure disciples had obtained an education in the highest of all schools. They had sat at the feet of Him who spoke as "never man spake" (John 7:46). {AG 298.5}
Chap. 291 - In Kindness
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. Colossians 3:12. {AG 299.1}
Let the law of kindness be upon your lips and the oil of grace in your heart. This will produce wonderful results. You will be tender, sympathetic, courteous. You need all these graces. The Holy Spirit must be received and brought into your character; then it will be as holy fire, giving forth incense which will rise up to God, not from lips that condemn, but as a healer of the souls of men. Your countenance will express the image of the divine. . . . By beholding the character of Christ you will become changed into His likeness. The grace of Christ alone can change your heart and then you will reflect the image of the Lord Jesus. God calls upon us to be like Him--pure, holy, and undefiled. We are to bear the divine image. . . . {AG 299.2}
The Lord Jesus is our only helper. Through His grace we shall learn to cultivate love, to educate ourselves to speak kindly and tenderly. Through His grace our cold, harsh manners will be transformed. The law of kindness will be upon our lips, and those who are under the precious influences of the Holy Spirit, will not feel that it is an evidence of weakness to weep with those who weep, to rejoice with them that rejoice. We are to cultivate heavenly excellences of character. We are to learn what it means to have good-will toward all men, a sincere desire to be as sunshine and not as shadow in the lives of others. {AG 299.3}
Seize every opportunity to contribute to the happiness of those around you, sharing with them your affection. Words of kindness, looks of sympathy, expressions of appreciation, would to many a struggling, lonely one be as a cup of cold water to a thirsty soul. . . . {AG 299.4}
Live in the sunshine of the Saviour's love. Then your influence will bless the world. Let the Spirit of Christ control you. Let the law of kindness be ever on your lips. Forbearance and unselfishness mark the words and actions of those who are born again, to live the new life in Christ. {AG 299.5}
Chap. 292 - We Must Follow On
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning. Hosea 6:3. {AG 300.1}
Christ came to teach the human family the way of salvation, and He made this way so plain that a little child can walk in it. He bids His disciples follow on to know the Lord; and as they daily follow His guidance, they learn that His going forth is prepared as the morning. {AG 300.2}
You have watched the rising sun, and the gradual break of day over earth and sky. Little by little the dawn increases, till the sun appears; then the light grows constantly stronger and clearer until the full glory of noontide is reached. This is a beautiful illustration of what God desires to do for His children in perfecting their Christian experience. As we walk day by day in the light He sends us, in willing obedience to all His requirements, our experience grows and broadens until we reach the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. . . . {AG 300.3}
Christ did not come to the earth as a king, to rule the nations. He came as a humble man, to be tempted, and to overcome temptation, to follow on, as we must, to know the Lord. In the study of His life we shall learn how much God through Him will do for His children. And we shall learn that, however great our trials may be, they cannot exceed what Christ endured that we might know the way, the truth, and the life. By a life of conformity to His example, we are to show our appreciation of His sacrifice in our behalf. {AG 300.4}
As the flower turns to the sun, that the bright beams may aid in perfecting its beauty and symmetry, so should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that heaven's light may shine upon us, that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ. . . . {AG 300.5}
You are just as dependent upon Christ, in order to live a holy life, as is the branch upon the parent stock for growth and fruitfulness. Apart from Him you have no life. You have no power to resist temptation or to grow in grace and holiness. Abiding in Him, you may flourish. Drawing your life from Him, you will not wither nor be fruitless. You will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. {AG 300.6}
Chap. 293 - Reflecting Jesus
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Ephesians 4:29. {AG 301.1}
I have a continual longing for Christ to be formed within, the hope of glory. I long to be beautified every day with the meekness and gentleness of Christ, growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ up to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. I must as an individual, through the grace given me of Jesus Christ, keep my own soul in health by keeping it as a divine channel through which His grace, His love, His patience, His meekness, shall flow to the world. This is my duty and no less the duty of every church member who claims to be a son or a daughter of God. {AG 301.2}
The Lord Jesus has made His church the depositary of sacred truth. He has left with her the work of carrying out His purposes and His plans to save the souls for whom He has manifested such interest, such unmeasured love. Like the sun in relation to our world, He rises amid the moral darkness--the Sun of Righteousness. He said of Himself, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). He said to His followers, "Ye are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). . . . By reflecting the image of Jesus Christ, by the beauty and holiness of their characters, by their continual self-denial and their separation from all idols, large or small, they reveal that they have learned in the school of Christ. {AG 301.3}
The Scripture says of Christ that grace was poured into His lips that He might "know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary" (Psalm 45:2; Isaiah 50:4). And the Lord bids us, "Let your speech be alway with grace" (Colossians 4:6) "that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). {AG 301.4}
In seeking to correct or reform others we should be careful of our words. They will be a savor of life unto life or of death unto death. . . . All who would advocate the principles of truth need to receive the heavenly oil of love. Under all circumstances reproof should be spoken in love. Then our words will reform but not exasperate. Christ by His Holy Spirit will supply the force and the power. This is His work. {AG 301.5}
Chap. 294 - When We Fail
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. Micah 7:8. {AG 302.1}
Nothing but divine power can regenerate the human heart and imbue souls with the love of Christ, which will ever manifest itself with love for those for whom He died. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. When a man is converted to God, a new moral taste is supplied, a new motive power is given, and he loves the things that God loves. . . . Love, joy, peace, and inexpressible gratitude will pervade the soul, and the language of him who is blessed will be, "Thy gentleness hath made me great" (Psalm 18:35). {AG 302.2}
But those who are waiting to behold a magical change in their characters without determined effort on their part to overcome sin, will be disappointed. We have no reason to fear while looking to Jesus, no reason to doubt but that He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto Him; but we may constantly fear lest our old nature will again obtain the supremacy, that the enemy shall devise some snare whereby we shall again become his captives. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. . . . {AG 302.3}
We are to grow daily in spiritual loveliness. We shall fail often in our efforts to copy the divine pattern. We shall often have to bow down to weep at the feet of Jesus, because of our shortcomings and mistakes; but we are not to be discouraged; we are to pray more fervently, believe more fully, and try again with more steadfastness to grow into the likeness of our Lord. As we distrust our own power, we shall trust the power of our Redeemer, and render praise to God, who is the health of our countenance, and our God. . . . {AG 302.4}
By beholding we are to become changed; and as we meditate upon the perfections of the divine Model, we shall desire to become wholly transformed, and renewed in the image of His purity. It is by faith in the Son of God that transformation takes place in the character, and the child of wrath becomes the child of God. {AG 302.5}
Chap. 295 - Feasting on his Word
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Acts 20:32. {AG 303.1}
The great and essential knowledge is the knowledge of God and His Word. . . . There should be a daily increasing of spiritual understanding; and the Christian will grow in grace, just in proportion as he depends upon and appreciates the teaching of the Word of God, and habituates himself to meditate upon divine things. {AG 303.2}
In giving us the privilege of studying His Word, the Lord has set before us a rich banquet. Many are the benefits derived from feasting on His Word, which is represented by Him as His flesh and blood, His spirit and life. By partaking of this Word our spiritual strength is increased; we grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. Habits of self-control are formed and strengthened. The infirmities of childhood--fretfulness, willfulness, selfishness, hasty words, passionate acts --disappear, and in their place are developed the graces of Christian manhood and womanhood. {AG 303.3}
The Lord, in His great mercy, has revealed to us in the Scriptures the rules of holy living. . . . {AG 303.4}
He has inspired holy men to record, for our benefit, instruction concerning the dangers that beset the path, and how to escape them. Those who obey His injunction to search the Scriptures will not be ignorant of these things. Amid the perils of the last days, every member of the church should understand the reasons of his hope and faith--reasons which are not difficult of comprehension. There is enough to occupy the mind, if we would grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. {AG 303.5}
Whenever the people of God are growing in grace, they will be constantly obtaining a clearer understanding of His Word. They will discern new light and beauty in its sacred truths. This has been true in the history of the church in all ages, and thus it will continue to the end. {AG 303.6}
Chap. 296 - From One Source Only
Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:17. {AG 304.1}
Your strength and growth in grace come only from one source. If when you are tempted and tried you stand bravely for the right, victory is yours. You are one step nearer to perfection of Christian character. A holy light from heaven fills the chambers of your soul, and you are surrounded by a pure, fragrant atmosphere. {AG 304.2}
It is our privilege to stand with the light of heaven upon us. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. It was no easier for Enoch to live a righteous life than it is for us at the present time. The world in his time was no more favorable to growth in grace and holiness than it is now. {AG 304.3}
It was by prayer and communion with God that Enoch was enabled to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are living in the perils of the last days, and we must receive our strength from the same source. We must walk with God. A separation from the world is required of us, for we cannot remain free from its pollution unless we follow the example of the faithful Enoch. . . . {AG 304.4}
How many there are as weak as water who might have a never-failing source of strength. Heaven is ready to impart to us, that we may be mighty in God, and attain to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. What increase of spiritual power have you gained during the last year? Who among us have gained one precious attainment after another, until envy, pride, malice, jealousy, and selfishness have been swept away, and only the graces of the Spirit remain--meekness, forbearance, gentleness, charity? God will help us if we take hold of the help He has provided. {AG 304.5}
No other creature that God has made is capable of such improvement, such refinement, such nobility as man. . . . Man cannot conceive what he may be and what he may become. Through the grace of Christ he is capable of constant mental progress. Let the light of truth shine into his mind and the love of God be shed abroad in his heart and he may, through the grace Christ has died to impart to him, be a man of power--a child of earth but an heir of immortality. {AG 304.6}
Chap. 297 - Helping Others
He that watereth shall be watered also himself. Proverbs 11:25. {AG 305.1}
Christ presents to us who are athirst the water of life, that we may drink freely; when we do this we have Christ within us as a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Then our words are full of moisture. We are prepared to water others. {AG 305.2}
No sooner does one come to Christ, than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus; the saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart. If we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and are filled with the joy of His indwelling Spirit, we shall not be able to hold our peace. If we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, we shall have something to tell. . . . {AG 305.3}
And the effort to bless others will react in blessings upon ourselves. This was the purpose of God in giving us a part to act in the plan of redemption. . . . {AG 305.4}
If you will go to work as Christ designs that His disciples shall, and win souls for Him, you will feel the need of a deeper experience and a greater knowledge in divine things, and will hunger and thirst after righteousness. You will plead with God, and your faith will be strengthened, and your soul will drink deeper drafts at the well of salvation. Encountering opposition and trials will drive you to the Bible and prayer. You will grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ, and will develop a rich experience. {AG 305.5}
The spirit of unselfish labor for others gives depth, stability, and Christlike loveliness to the character, and brings peace and happiness to its possessor. The aspirations are elevated. There is no room for sloth or selfishness. Those who thus exercise the Christian graces will grow, and will become strong to work for God. They will have clear spiritual perceptions, a steady, growing faith, and an increased power in prayer. The Spirit of God, moving upon their spirit, calls forth the sacred harmonies of the soul, in answer to the divine touch. Those who thus devote themselves to unselfish effort for the good of others, are most surely working out their own salvation. The only way to grow in grace is . . . to engage, to the extent of our ability, in helping and blessing those who need the help we can give them. {AG 305.6}
Chap. 298 - Spiritual Exercise a Must
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13. {AG 306.1}
An elevated standard is presented before the youth, and God is inviting them to come into real service for Him. True-hearted young men who delight to be learners in the school of Christ, can do a great work for the Master, if they will only give heed to the command of the Captain as it sounds down along the lines to our time, "Quit you like men, be strong." {AG 306.2}
Strength comes by exercise. All who put to use the ability which God has given them will have increased ability to devote to His service. Those who do nothing in the cause of God will fail to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. A man who would lie down and refuse to exercise his limbs would soon lose all power to use them. Thus the Christian who will not exercise his God-given powers not only fails to grow up into Christ, but he loses the strength which he already has; he becomes a spiritual paralytic. It is those who, with love for God and their fellow men, are striving to help others that become established, strengthened, settled, in the truth. The true Christian works for God, not from impulse, but from principle; not for a day or a month, but during the entire period of life. {AG 306.3}
This world is not a parade ground, but a battlefield. All are called to endure hardness, as good soldiers. They are to be strong and quit themselves like men. . . . The true test of character is found in the willingness to bear burdens, to take the hard place, to do the work that needs to be done, though it bring no earthly recognition or reward. {AG 306.4}
O that each one would place a proper estimate upon the capabilities that have been given him of God! Through Christ you may climb the ladder of progress, and bring every power under the control of Jesus. . . . In your own strength you can do nothing; but in the grace of Jesus Christ, you can employ your powers in such a way as to bring the greatest good to your own soul, and the greatest blessing to the souls of others. Lay hold of Jesus, and you will diligently work the works of Christ, and will finally receive the eternal reward. {AG 306.5}
Chap. 299 - A Divine Prescription
That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:12. {AG 307.1}
Many are longing to grow in grace; they pray over the matter, and are surprised that their prayers are not answered. The Master has given them a work to do whereby they shall grow. Of what value is it to pray when there is need of work? The question is, Are they seeking to save souls for whom Christ died? Spiritual growth depends upon giving to others the light that God has given to you. You are to put forth your best thoughts in active labor to do good, and only good, in your family, in your church, and in your neighborhood. {AG 307.2}
In place of growing anxious with the thought that you are not growing in grace, just do every duty that presents itself, carry the burden of souls on your heart, and by every conceivable means seek to save the lost. Be kind, be courteous, be pitiful; speak in humility of the blessed hope; talk of the love of Jesus; tell of His goodness, His mercy, and His righteousness; and cease to worry as to whether or not you are growing. Plants do not grow through any conscious effort. . . . The plant is not in continual worriment about its growth; it just grows under the supervision of God. {AG 307.3}
If we will consecrate heart and mind to the service of God, doing the work He has for us to do and walking in the footsteps of Jesus, our hearts will become sacred harps, every chord of which will send forth praise and thanksgiving to the Lamb sent by God to take away the sins of the world. . . . {AG 307.4}
The Lord Jesus is our strength and happiness, the great storehouse from which, on every occasion, men may draw strength. As we study Him, talk of Him, become more and more able to behold Him--as we avail ourselves of His grace and receive the blessings He proffers us, we have something with which to help others. Filled with gratitude, we communicate to others the blessings that have been freely given us. Thus receiving and imparting, we grow in grace. {AG 307.5}
Chap. 300 - No Place for Idleness
He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Luke 11:23. {AG 308.1}
How is our light to shine forth to the world unless it be by our consistent Christian life? How is the world to know that we belong to Christ, if we do nothing for Him? . . . There is no neutral ground between those who work to the utmost of their ability for Christ and those who work for the adversary of souls. Everyone who stands as an idler in the vineyard of the Lord is not merely doing nothing himself, but he is a hindrance to those who are trying to work. Satan finds employment for all who are not earnestly striving to secure their own salvation and the salvation of others. . . . Whenever a Christian is off his guard, this powerful adversary makes a sudden and violent attack. Unless the members of the church are active and vigilant, they will be overcome by his devices. {AG 308.2}
Many who should stand firm for righteousness and truth have manifested weakness and indecision that have encouraged the assaults of Satan. Those who fail to grow in grace, not seeking to reach the highest standard in divine attainments, will be overcome. . . . {AG 308.3}
In this season of conflict and trial we need all the support and consolation we can derive from righteous principles, from fixed religious convictions, from the abiding assurance of the love of Christ, and from a rich experience in divine things. We shall attain to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus only as the result of a steady growth in grace. {AG 308.4}
It is the work that we do or do not do that tells with tremendous power upon our lives and destinies. God requires us to improve every opportunity for usefulness that is offered us. Neglect to do this is perilous to our spiritual growth. We have a great work to do. Let us not pass in idleness the precious hours that God has given us in which to perfect characters for heaven. We must not be inactive or slothful in this work, for we have not a moment to spend without a purpose or object. God will help us to overcome our wrongs if we will pray and believe on Him. We can be more than conquerors through Him who has loved us. {AG 308.5}
Chap. 301 - In Life's Necessary Duties
Neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24. {AG 309.1}
Your spiritual strength and growth in grace will be proportionate to the labor of love and good works which you do cheerfully for your Saviour, who has withheld nothing, not even His own life, that He might save you. . . . {AG 309.2}
Our good works alone will not save any of us, but we cannot be saved without good works. And after we have done all that we can do, in the name and strength of Jesus we are to say: "We are unprofitable servants" (Luke 17:10). {AG 309.3}
If you have the riches of the grace of Christ in your heart, you will not keep them to yourselves while the salvation of souls depends upon a knowledge of the way of salvation that you can give. These may not come to you and tell you their heart longings, but many are hungry, unsatisfied, and Christ died that they might have the riches of His grace. What are you going to do that these souls may share the blessings that you enjoy? . . . {AG 309.4}
Growth in grace is shown in an increasing ability to work for God. He who learns in the school of Christ will know how to pray and how to speak for the Master. Realizing that he lacks wisdom and experience, he will place himself under the training of the Great Teacher, knowing that only thus he can obtain perfection in God's service. And daily he becomes better able to comprehend spiritual things. Every day of diligent labor finds him at its close better fitted to help others. {AG 309.5}
The essential lesson of contented industry in the necessary duties of life is yet to be learned by many of Christ's followers. It requires more grace, more stern discipline of character, to work for God in the capacity of mechanic, merchant, lawyer, or farmer, carrying the precepts of Christianity into the ordinary business of life, than to labor as an acknowledged missionary in the open field. It requires a strong spiritual nerve to bring religion into the workshop and the business office, sanctifying the details of everyday life, and ordering every transaction according to the standard of God's Word. But this is what the Lord requires. {AG 309.6}
Chap. 302 - Little Opportunities
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Ecclesiastes 9:10. {AG 310.1}
Nothing will so arouse a self-sacrificing zeal and broaden and strengthen the character as to engage in work for others. . . . None need wait until called to some distant field before beginning to help others. Doors of service are open everywhere. All around us are those who need our help. The widow, the orphan, the sick and the dying, the heartsick, the discouraged, the ignorant, and the outcast are on every hand. {AG 310.2}
We should feel it our special duty to work for those living in our neighborhood. Study how you can best help those who take no interest in religious things. As you visit your friends and neighbors, show an interest in their spiritual as well as in their temporal welfare. Speak to them of Christ as a sin-pardoning Saviour. Invite your neighbors to your home, and read with them from the precious Bible and from books that explain its truths. Invite them to unite with you in song and prayer. In these little gatherings, Christ Himself will be present, as He has promised, and hearts will be touched by His grace. . . . {AG 310.3}
Many regret that they are living a narrow life. They themselves can make their life broad and influential if they will. Those who love Jesus with heart and mind and soul, and their neighbor as themselves, have a wide field in which to use their ability and influence. Let none pass by little opportunities, to look for larger work. You might do successfully the small work, but fail utterly in attempting the larger work, and fall into discouragement. It is by doing with your might what you find to do that you will develop aptitude for larger work. It is by slighting the daily opportunities, by neglecting the little things right at hand, that so many become fruitless and withered. . . . {AG 310.4}
In fields where the conditions are so objectionable and disheartening that many are unwilling to go to them, remarkable changes have been wrought by the efforts of self-sacrificing workers. Patiently and perseveringly they labored, not relying upon human power, but upon God, and His grace sustained them. The amount of good thus accomplished will never be known in this world, but blessed results will be seen in the great hereafter. {AG 310.5}
Chap. 303 - Why Trials?
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:3. {AG 311.1}
Here is the process, the refining, purifying process, to be carried on by the Lord of hosts. The work is most trying to the soul, but it is only through this process that the rubbish and defiling impurities can be removed. Our trials are all necessary to bring us close to our heavenly Father, in obedience to His will, that we may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. God has given each of us capabilities, talents to improve. We need a new and living experience in the divine life, in order to do the will of God. No amount of past experience will suffice for the present, or will strengthen us to overcome the difficulties in our path. We must have new grace and fresh strength daily in order to be victorious. . . . {AG 311.2}
Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, and many others, were all sorely tried, but not in the same way. Everyone has his individual tests and trials in the drama of life, but the very same trial seldom comes twice. Each has his own experience, peculiar in its character and circumstances, to accomplish a certain work. God has a work, a purpose, in the life of each and all of us. Every act, however small, has its place. . . . {AG 311.3}
Would that all might feel that every step they take may have a lasting and controlling influence upon their own lives and the characters of others. Oh, how much need, then, of communion with God! What need of divine grace to direct every step, and show us how to perfect Christian characters! {AG 311.4}
Christians will have new scenes and new trials to pass through, where their past experience cannot be a sufficient guide. We need to learn of the divine Teacher as much now as at any period of our lives, and even more. And the more experience we gain, the nearer we draw toward the pure light of heaven, the more shall we discern in ourselves that needs reforming. . . . The path of the just is a progressive one, from strength to strength, from grace to grace, and from glory to glory. The divine illumination will increase more and more, corresponding with our onward movements, qualifying us to meet the responsibilities and emergencies before us. {AG 311.5}
Chap. 304 - "Fulness of God"
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:19. {AG 312.1}
God calls upon those who know His will to be doers of His word. Weakness, halfheartedness, and indecision provoke the assaults of Satan; and those who permit these traits to grow will be borne helplessly down by the surging waves of temptation. . . . {AG 312.2}
Every means of grace should be diligently improved that the love of God may abound in the soul more and more, "that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness" (Philippians 1:10, 11). Your Christian life must take on vigorous and stalwart forms. You can attain to the high standard set before you in the Scriptures, and you must if you would be children of God. You cannot stand still; you must either advance or retrograde. You must have spiritual knowledge, that you "may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ," that you may "be filled with all the fulness of God." . . . {AG 312.3}
Will you have a stinted Christian growth, or will you make healthy progress in the divine life? Where there is spiritual health there is growth. The child of God grows up to the full stature of a man or woman in Christ. There is no limit to his improvement. . . . {AG 312.4}
We have great victories to gain, and a heaven to lose if we do not gain them. The carnal heart must be crucified; for its tendency is to moral corruption, and the end thereof is death. Nothing but the life-giving influences of the gospel can help the soul. Pray that the mighty energies of the Holy Spirit, with all their quickening, recuperative, and transforming power, may fall like an electric shock on the palsy-stricken soul, causing every nerve to thrill with new life, restoring the whole man from his dead, earthly, sensual state to spiritual soundness. You will thus become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust; and in your souls will be reflected the image of Him by whose stripes you are healed. {AG 312.5}
Chap. 305 - Wages or Gift?
The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23. {AG 313.1}
Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan, and would have remained so forever had not God specially interposed. It was the tempter's purpose to thwart the divine plan in man's creation, and fill the earth with woe and desolation. {AG 313.2}
By nature we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes our condition in such words as these: "Dead in trespasses and sins;" "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;" "no soundness in it" (Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 1:5, 6). We are held fast in the snare of Satan, "taken captive by him at his will" (2 Timothy 2:26). God desires to heal us, to set us free. But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him. {AG 313.3}
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. . . . {AG 313.4}
God does not force the will of His creatures. He cannot accept an homage that is not willingly and intelligently given. A mere forced submission would prevent all real development of mind or character; it would make man a mere automaton. Such is not the purpose of the Creator. He desires that man, the crowning work of His creative power, shall reach the highest possible development. He sets before us the height of blessing to which He desires to bring us through His grace. He invites us to give ourselves to Him, that He may work His will in us. It remains for us to choose whether we will be set free from the bondage of sin, to share the glorious liberty of the sons of God. {AG 313.5}
Chap. 306 - Counting the Cost
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Philippians 3:7. {AG 314.1}
Moses renounced a prospective kingdom, Paul the advantages of wealth and honor among his people, for a life of burden bearing in God's service. To many the life of these men appears one of renunciation and sacrifice. Was it really so? . . . {AG 314.2}
Moses was offered the palace of the Pharaohs and the monarch's throne; but the sinful pleasures that make men forget God were in those lordly courts, and he chose instead the "durable riches and righteousness" (Proverbs 8:18). Instead of linking himself with the greatness of Egypt, he chose to bind up his life with God's purpose. Instead of giving laws to Egypt, he by divine direction enacted laws for the world. He became God's instrument in giving to men those principles that are the safeguard alike of the home and of society, that are the cornerstone of the prosperity of nations--principles recognized today by the world's greatest men as the foundation of all that is best in human governments. {AG 314.3}
The greatness of Egypt is in the dust. Its power and civilization have passed away. But the work of Moses can never perish. The great principles of righteousness which he lived to establish are eternal. . . . {AG 314.4}
With Christ in the wilderness wandering, with Christ on the mount of transfiguration, with Christ in the heavenly courts --his was a life on earth blessing and blessed, and in heaven honored. {AG 314.5}
Paul also in his manifold labors was upheld by the sustaining power of His presence. "I can do all things," he said, "through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). . . . Who can measure the results to the world of Paul's lifework? Of all those beneficent influences that alleviate suffering, that comfort sorrow, that restrain evil, that uplift life from the selfish and the sensual, and glorify it with the hope of immortality, how much is due to the labors of Paul and his fellow workers, as with the gospel of the Son of God they made their unnoticed journey from Asia to the shores of Europe? {AG 314.6}
What is it worth to any life to have been God's instrument in setting in motion such influences of blessing? What will it be worth in eternity to witness the results of such a lifework? {AG 314.7}
Chap. 307 - Look and Live
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:14, 15. {AG 315.1}
The lifting up of the brazen serpent [Numbers 21:4-9] was to teach Israel an important lesson. They could not save themselves from the fatal effect of the poison in their wounds. God alone was able to heal them. Yet they were required to show their faith in the provision which He had made. They must look in order to live. It was their faith that was acceptable with God, and by looking upon the serpent their faith was shown. They knew that there was no virtue in the serpent itself, but it was a symbol of Christ; and the necessity of faith in His merits was thus presented to their minds. Heretofore many had brought their offerings to God, and had felt that in so doing they made ample atonement for their sins. They did not rely upon the Redeemer to come, of whom these offerings were only a type. The Lord would now teach them that their sacrifices, in themselves, had no more power or virtue than the serpent of brass, but were, like that, to lead their minds to Christ, the great sin offering. . . . {AG 315.2}
The Israelites saved their lives by looking upon the uplifted serpent. That look implied faith. They lived because they believed God's word, and trusted in the means provided for their recovery. So the sinner may look to Christ, and live. He receives pardon through faith in the atoning sacrifice. Unlike the inert and lifeless symbol, Christ has power and virtue in Himself to heal the repenting sinner. {AG 315.3}
While the sinner cannot save himself, he still has something to do to secure salvation. "Him that cometh to me," says Christ, "I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). But we must come to Him; and when we repent of our sins, we must believe that He accepts and pardons us. Faith is the gift of God, but the power to exercise it is ours. Faith is the hand by which the soul takes hold upon the divine offers of grace and mercy. . . . {AG 315.4}
Jesus had pledged His word; He will save all who come unto Him. Though millions who need it to be healed will reject His offered mercy, not one who trusts in His merits will be left to perish. {AG 315.5}
Chap. 308 - When Satan is Powerless
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18. {AG 316.1}
Satan knows that those who ask God for pardon and grace will obtain it; therefore he presents their sins before them to discourage them. Against those who are trying to obey God, he is constantly seeking occasion for complaint. Even their best and most acceptable service he seeks to make appear corrupt. By countless devices, the most subtle and the most cruel, he endeavors to secure their condemnation. {AG 316.2}
In his own strength, man cannot meet the charges of the enemy. In sin-stained garments, confessing his guilt, he stands before God. But Jesus, our Advocate, presents an effectual plea in behalf of all who by repentance and faith have committed the keeping of their souls to Him. He pleads their cause, and by the mighty arguments of Calvary, vanquishes their accuser. His perfect obedience to God's law has given Him all power in heaven and in earth, and He claims from His Father mercy and reconciliation for guilty man. To the accuser of His people He declares: "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan. These are the purchase of My blood, brands plucked from the burning." And to those who rely on Him in faith, He gives the assurance, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." (Zechariah 3:4). {AG 316.3}
All who have put on the robe of Christ's righteousness will stand before Him as chosen and faithful and true. Satan has no power to pluck them out of the hand of the Saviour. Not one soul who in penitence and faith has claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power. His word is pledged: "Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me" (Isaiah 27:5). The promise given to Joshua is given to all: "If thou wilt keep my charge, . . . I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by" (Zechariah 3:7). Angels of God will walk on either side of them, even in this world, and they will stand at last among the angels that surround the throne of God. {AG 316.4}
Chap. 309 - For the Hungry and Thirsty
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6. {AG 317.1}
Would that you could conceive of the rich supplies of grace and power awaiting your demand. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. We must exercise greater faith in calling upon God for all needed blessings. {AG 317.2}
The strength acquired in prayer to God, united with individual effort in training the mind to thoughtfulness and caretaking, prepares the person for daily duties and keeps the spirit in peace under all circumstances, however trying. The temptations to which we are daily exposed make prayer a necessity. In order that we may be kept by the power of God through faith, the desires of the mind should be continually ascending in silent prayer for help, for light, for strength, for knowledge. But thought and prayer cannot take the place of earnest, faithful improvement of the time. Work and prayer are both required in perfecting Christian character. {AG 317.3}
We must live a twofold life--a life of thought and action, of silent prayer and earnest work. . . . God requires us to be living epistles, known and read of all men. The soul that turns to God for its strength, its support, its power, by daily, earnest prayer, will have noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth and duty, lofty purposes of action, and a continual hungering and thirsting after righteousness. {AG 317.4}
Let us realize the weakness of humanity, and see where man fails in his self-sufficiency. We shall then be filled with a desire to be just what God desires us to be--pure, noble, sanctified. We shall hunger and thirst after the righteousness of Christ. To be like God will be the one desire of the soul. This is the desire that filled Enoch's heart. And we read that he walked with God. He studied the character of God to a purpose. He did not mark out his own course, or set up his own will. . . . He strove to conform himself to the divine likeness. {AG 317.5}
There is no excuse for defection or despondency, because all the promises of heavenly grace are for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The intensity of desire represented by hungering and thirsting is a pledge that the coveted supply will be given. {AG 317.6}
Chap. 310 - With All Your Heart
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13. {AG 318.1}
Many are leaning upon a supposed hope without a true foundation. The fountain is not cleansed, therefore the streams proceeding from that fountain are not pure. Cleanse the fountain, and the streams will be pure. If the heart is right, your words, your dress, your acts, will all be right. True godliness is lacking. I would not dishonor my Master so much as to admit that a careless, trifling, prayerless person is a Christian. No; a Christian has victory over his besetments, over his passions. There is a remedy for the sin-sick soul. That remedy is in Jesus. Precious Saviour! His grace is sufficient for the weakest; and the strongest must also have His grace or perish. {AG 318.2}
I saw how this grace could be obtained. Go to your closet, and there alone plead with God: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). Be in earnest, be sincere. Fervent prayer availeth much. Jacoblike, wrestle in prayer. Agonize. Jesus, in the garden, sweat great drops of blood; you must make an effort. Do not leave your closet until you feel strong in God; then watch, and just as long as you watch and pray you can keep these evil besetments under, and the grace of God can and will appear in you. {AG 318.3}
God forbid that I should cease to warn you. Young friends, seek the Lord with all your heart. Come with zeal, and when you sincerely feel that without the help of God you perish, when you pant after Him as the hart panteth after the water brooks, then will the Lord strengthen you speedily. Then will your peace pass all understanding. If you expect salvation, you must pray. . . . Beg of God to work in you a thorough reformation, that the fruits of His Spirit may dwell in you. . . . It is the privilege of every Christian to enjoy the deep movings of the Spirit of God. A sweet heavenly peace will pervade the mind, and you will love to meditate upon God and heaven. You will feast upon the glorious promises of His Word. But know first that you have begun the Christian course. Know that the first steps are taken in the road to everlasting life. {AG 318.4}
Chap. 311 - "Not of Yourselves"
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8. {AG 319.1}
The apostle desired those to whom he was writing to remember that they must reveal in their lives the glorious change wrought in them by Christ's transforming grace. They were to be lights in the world, by their purified, sanctified characters exerting an influence counter to the influence of satanic agencies. They were ever to remember the words, "Not of yourselves." They could not change their own hearts. And when by their efforts souls were led from the ranks of Satan to take their stand for Christ, they were not to claim any credit for the transformation wrought. {AG 319.2}
God calls upon all who will to come and drink of the waters of life freely. The power of God is the one element of efficiency in the grand work of obtaining the victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is in accordance with the divine plan that we follow every ray of light given of God. Man can accomplish nothing without God, and God has arranged His plans so as to accomplish nothing in the restoration of the human race without the cooperation of the human with the divine. The part man is required to sustain is immeasurably small, yet in the plan of God it is just that part that is needed to make the work a success. {AG 319.3}
The great change that is seen in the life of a sinner after conversion is not brought about by any human goodness. . . . {AG 319.4}
He who is rich in mercy has imparted His grace to us. Then let praise and thanksgiving ascend to Him, because He has become our Saviour. Let His love, filling our hearts and minds, flow forth from our lives in rich currents of grace. When we were dead in trespasses and sins, He quickened us into spiritual life. He brought grace and pardon, filling the soul with new life. Thus the sinner passes from death to life. He now takes up his new duties in Christ's service. His life becomes true and strong, filled with good works. "Because I live," Christ said, "ye shall live also." . . . {AG 319.5}
There will be no second probation. Now, while it is called today, if we will hear the voice of the Lord, and turn fully to Him, He will have mercy upon us, and abundantly pardon. {AG 319.6}
Chap. 312 - Peace Restored
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:2. {AG 320.1}
Christ is "the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6), and it is His mission to restore to earth and heaven the peace that sin has broken. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Whoever consents to renounce sin and open his heart to the love of Christ, becomes a partaker of this heavenly peace. {AG 320.2}
There is no other ground of peace than this. The grace of Christ received into the heart, subdues enmity; it allays strife and fills the soul with love. He who is at peace with God and his fellow men cannot be made miserable. Envy will not be in his heart; evil surmisings will find no room there; hatred cannot exist. The heart that is in harmony with God is a partaker of the peace of heaven and will diffuse its blessed influence on all around. The spirit of peace will rest like dew upon hearts weary and troubled with worldly strife. {AG 320.3}
Christ's followers are sent to the world with the message of peace. Whoever, by the quiet, unconscious influence of a holy life, shall reveal the love of Christ; whoever, by word or deed, shall lead another to renounce sin and yield his heart to God, is a peacemaker. . . . {AG 320.4}
The spirit of peace is evidence of their connection with heaven. The sweet savor of Christ surrounds them. The fragrance of the life, the loveliness of the character, reveal to the world the fact that they are children of God. Men take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus. {AG 320.5}
The grace of Christ must be woven into every phase of the character. . . . Daily growth into the life of Christ creates in the soul a heaven of peace; in such a life there is continual fruit bearing. . . . In the lives of those who are ransomed by the blood of Christ, self-sacrifice will constantly appear. Goodness and righteousness will be seen. The quiet, inward experience will make the life full of godliness, faith, meekness, patience. This is to be our daily experience. We are to form characters free from sin--characters made righteous in and by the grace of Christ. {AG 320.6}
Chap. 313 - Union With Christ
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Romans 13:14. {AG 321.1}
To effect the salvation of men, God employs various agencies. He speaks to them by His word and by His ministers, and He sends by the Holy Spirit messages of warning, reproof, and instruction. These means are designed to enlighten the understanding of the people, to reveal to them their duty and their sins, and the blessings which they may receive; to awaken in them a sense of spiritual want, that they may go to Christ and find in Him the grace they need. . . . {AG 321.2}
Every individual, by his own act, either puts Christ from him by refusing to cherish His spirit and follow His example, or he enters into a personal union with Christ by self-renunciation, faith, and obedience. We must, each for himself, choose Christ, because He has first chosen us. This union with Christ is to be formed by those who are naturally at enmity with Him. It is a relation of utter dependence, to be entered into by a proud heart. This is close work, and many who profess to be followers of Christ know nothing of it. They nominally accept the Saviour, but not as the sole ruler of their hearts. . . . {AG 321.3}
To renounce their own will, perhaps their chosen object of affection or pursuit, requires an effort, at which many hesitate and falter and turn back. Yet this battle must be fought by every heart that is truly converted. We must war against temptations without and within. We must gain the victory over self, crucify the affections and lusts; and then begins the union of the soul with Christ. . . . After this union is formed, it can be preserved only by continual, earnest, painstaking effort. Christ exercises His power to preserve and guard this sacred tie, and the dependent, helpless sinner must act his part with untiring energy, or Satan by his cruel, cunning power will separate him from Christ. . . . {AG 321.4}
Your birth, your reputation, your wealth, your talents, your virtues, your piety, your philanthropy,. . . will not form a bond of union between your soul and Christ. Your connection with the church . . . will be of no avail unless you believe in Christ. It is not enough to believe about Him. You must believe in Him. You must rely wholly upon His saving grace. {AG 321.5}
Chap. 314 - What is God's Glory?
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6. {AG 322.1}
The glory of God is His character. While Moses was in the mount, earnestly interceding with God, he prayed, "I beseech thee, show me thy glory." In answer God declared, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." The glory of God--His character--was then revealed: "The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty" (Exodus 33:18, 19; 34:6, 7). {AG 322.2}
This character was revealed in the life of Christ. That He might by His own example condemn sin in the flesh, He took upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh. Constantly he beheld the character of God; constantly He revealed this character to the world. {AG 322.3}
Christ desires His followers to reveal in their lives this same character. In His intercessory prayer for His disciples He declared: "The glory [character] which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me" (John 17:22, 23). {AG 322.4}
Today it is still His purpose to sanctify and cleanse His church ". . . that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing . . ." (Ephesians 5:26, 27). No greater gift than the character that He revealed, can Christ ask His Father to bestow upon those who believe on Him. What largeness there is in His request! What fullness of grace every follower of Christ has the privilege of receiving!. . . O that we might more fully appreciate the honor Christ confers upon us! By wearing His yoke and learning of Him, we become like Him in aspiration, in meekness and lowliness, in fragrance of character. {AG 322.5}
Chap. 315 - Sanctified Perception
At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 17:7. {AG 323.1}
The treasures of eternity have been committed to the keeping of Jesus Christ, to give to whomsoever He will; but how sad it is that so many quickly lose sight of the precious grace that is proffered unto them through faith in Him. He will impart the heavenly treasures to those who will believe in Him, look to Him, and abide in Him. . . . He calls upon His chosen, peculiar people who love and serve Him, to come unto Him and ask, and He will give them the bread of life, and endow them with the water of life, which shall be in them as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. {AG 323.2}
Jesus brought to our world the accumulated treasures of God, and all who believe upon Him are adopted as His heirs. He declares that great shall be the reward of them who suffer for His name's sake. {AG 323.3}
This world is but a little atom in the vast domain over which God presides, and yet this little fallen world is more precious in His sight than the ninety and nine which went not astray from the fold. If we will make Him our trust, He will not leave us to become the sport of Satan's temptations. God would have every soul for whom Christ has died become a part of the vine, connected with the parent stock, drawing nourishment from it. Our dependence on God is absolute, and should keep us very humble; and because of our dependence on Him, our knowledge of Him should be greatly increased. God would have us put away every species of selfishness, and come to Him, not as the owner of ourselves, but as the Lord's purchased possession. {AG 323.4}
God will honor and uphold every truehearted, earnest soul who is seeking to walk before Him in the perfection of the grace of Christ .... Can we with keen, sanctified perception appreciate the strength of the promises of God, and appropriate them to our individual selves, not because we are worthy, but because Christ is worthy, not because we are righteous, but because by living faith we claim the righteousness of Christ in our behalf? {AG 323.5}
Chap. 316 - The Sum and Substance
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 1 Peter 5:10. {AG 324.1}
When the truth is received, it will work radical changes in life and character; for religion means the abiding of Christ in the heart, and where He is, the soul goes on in spiritual activity, ever growing in grace, ever going on to perfection. . . . {AG 324.2}
It is no real evidence that you are a Christian because your emotion is stirred, your spirit stirred by truth; the question is, Are you growing up into Christ, your living head? Is the grace of Christ manifested in your life? God gives His grace to men, that they may desire more of His grace. God's grace is ever working upon the human heart, and when it is received, the evidence of its reception will appear in the life and character of its recipient. . . . The grace of Christ in the heart will always promote spiritual life, and spiritual advancement will be made. . . . We do not see the plants grow in the field, and yet we are assured that they do grow, and may we not know of our own spiritual strength and growth? . . . {AG 324.3}
The sum and substance of the whole matter of Christian grace and experience is contained in believing on Christ, in knowing God and His Son whom He has sent. But here is where many fail, for they lack faith in God. Instead of desiring to be brought into fellowship with Christ in His self-denial and humiliation, they are ever seeking for the supremacy of self. . . . {AG 324.4}
O, if you loved Him as He has loved you, you would not shun an experience in the dark chapters of the suffering of the Son of God! . . . When we contemplate the humiliation of Christ, beholding His self-denial and self-sacrifice, we are filled with amazement at the manifestation of divine love for guilty man. When for Christ's sake we are called to pass through trials that are of a humiliating nature, if we have the mind of Christ, we shall suffer them with meekness, not resenting injury, or resisting evil. We shall manifest the spirit that dwelt in Christ. . . . {AG 324.5}
We are to bear Christ's yoke, to work as He worked for the salvation of the lost; and those who are partakers of His sufferings will also be partakers of His glory. {AG 324.6}
Chap. 317 - Praise God!
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel. Isaiah 63:7. {AG 325.1}
When a sense of the loving-kindness of God is constantly refreshing the soul, it will be revealed in the countenance by an expression of peace and joy. It will be manifest in the words and works. And the generous, holy Spirit of Christ, working upon the heart, will yield in the life a converting influence upon others. . . . {AG 325.2}
Have we not reason to talk of God's goodness and to tell of His power? When friends are kind to us we esteem it a privilege to thank them for their kindness. How much more should we count it a joy to return thanks to the Friend who has given us every good and perfect gift. Then let us, in every church, cultivate thanksgiving to God. Let us educate our lips to praise God in the family circle. . . . Let our gifts and offerings declare our gratitude for the favors we daily receive. In everything we should show forth the joy of the Lord. . . . {AG 325.3}
David declares, "I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live" (Psalm 116:1, 2). God's goodness in hearing and answering prayer places us under heavy obligation to express our thanksgiving for the favors bestowed upon us. We should praise God much more than we do. The blessings received in answer to prayer should be promptly acknowledged. . . . {AG 325.4}
We grieve the Spirit of Christ by our complaints and murmurings and repinings. We should not dishonor God by the mournful relation of trials that appear grievous. All trials that are received as educators will produce joy. The whole religious life will be uplifting, elevating, ennobling, fragrant with good words and works. {AG 325.5}
Let the peace of God reign in your soul. Then you will have strength to bear all suffering, and you will rejoice that you have grace to endure. Praise the Lord; talk of His goodness; tell of His power. Sweeten the atmosphere that surrounds your soul. . . . Praise with heart and soul and voice, Him who is the health of your countenance, your Saviour, and your God. {AG 325.6}
Chap. 318 - Nothing Withheld
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11. {AG 326.1}
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32)? Let us appreciate the great sacrifice that God has made in our behalf. There will never be a time when we shall be more welcome to the gifts of His grace than now. Christ gave His life for men, that they might know how He loved them. He does not want any to perish, but longs to see all coming to repentance. All who will surrender the will to Him may have the life that measures with the life of God. . . . The sword of justice fell upon Him that they might go free. He died that they might live. . . . {AG 326.2}
We are to stand firmly for the principles of the Word of God, remembering that God is with us to give us strength to meet each new experience. Let us ever maintain the principles of righteousness in our lives, that in the name of the Lord we may go forward from strength to strength. . . . We are to cherish as very precious the work which the Lord has been carrying forward through His commandment-keeping people, and which, through the power of His grace, will grow stronger and more efficient as time advances. The enemy is seeking to becloud the discernment of God's people, and to weaken their efficiency; but if they will labor as the Spirit of God shall direct, He will open doors of opportunity before them for the work of building the old waste places. Their experience will be one of constant growth in assurance and power until the Lord shall descend from heaven with power and great glory to set His seal of final triumph on His faithful ones. {AG 326.3}
The Lord desires to see the work of the third angel's message carried forward with increasing efficiency. As He has worked in all ages to give courage and power to His people, so in this age He longs to carry to triumphant fulfillment His purposes for His church. He bids the saints advance unitedly, going from strength to greater strength, from faith to increased faith in the righteousness and truth of His cause. {AG 326.4}
Chap. 319 - Thought Control?
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13. {AG 327.1}
Few realize that it is a duty to exercise control over the thoughts and imaginations. It is difficult to keep the undisciplined mind fixed upon profitable subjects. But if the thoughts are not properly employed, religion cannot flourish in the soul. The mind must be preoccupied with sacred and eternal things, or it will cherish trifling and superficial thoughts. Both the intellectual and the moral powers must be disciplined, and they will strengthen and improve by exercise. {AG 327.2}
In order to understand this matter aright, we must remember that our hearts are naturally depraved, and we are unable of ourselves to pursue a right course. It is only by the grace of God, combined with the most earnest effort on our part, that we can gain the victory. {AG 327.3}
Every wrong tendency may be, through the grace of Christ, repressed, not in a languid, irresolute manner, but with firmness of purpose, with high resolves to make Christ the pattern. Let your love go out for those things that Jesus loved, and be withheld from those things that will give no strength to right impulses. With determined energy seek to learn, and to improve the character every day. You must have firmness of purpose to take yourself in hand and be what you know God would be pleased to have you. {AG 327.4}
The intellect, as well as the heart, must be consecrated to the service of God. He has claims upon all there is of us. The follower of Christ should not indulge in any gratification, or engage in any enterprise, however innocent or laudable it may appear, which an enlightened conscience tells him would abate his ardor or lessen his spirituality. Every Christian should labor to press back the tide of evil, and save our youth from the influences that would sweep them down to ruin. May God help us to press our way against the current. {AG 327.5}
Chap. 320 - In Debt
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12. {AG 328.1}
A great blessing is here asked upon conditions. We ourselves state these conditions. We ask that the mercy of God toward us may be measured by the mercy which we extend to others. Christ declares that this is the rule by which the Lord will deal with us: "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14, 15). Wonderful terms! but how little are they understood or heeded. One of the most common sins, and one that is attended with most pernicious results, is the indulgence of an unforgiving spirit. How many will cherish animosity or revenge and then bow before God and ask to be forgiven as they forgive. Surely they can have no true sense of the import of this prayer or they would not dare take it upon their lips. We are dependent upon the pardoning mercy of God every day and every hour; how then can we cherish bitterness and malice toward our fellow sinners! {AG 328.2}
The fact that we are under so great obligation to Christ places us under the most sacred obligation to those whom He died to redeem. We are to manifest toward them the same sympathy, the same tender compassion and unselfish love, which Christ has manifested toward us. {AG 328.3}
He who is unforgiving cuts off the very channel through which alone he can receive mercy from God. We should not think that unless those who have injured us confess the wrong we are justified in withholding from them our forgiveness. It is their part, no doubt, to humble their hearts by repentance and confession; but we are to have a spirit of compassion toward those who have trespassed against us, whether or not they confess their faults. However sorely they may have wounded us, we are not to cherish our grievances and sympathize with ourselves over our injuries; but as we hope to be pardoned for our offenses against God we are to pardon all who have done evil to us. . . . {AG 328.4}
As we come to God, this is the condition which meets us at the threshold, that, receiving mercy from Him, we yield ourselves to reveal His grace to others. {AG 328.5}
Chap. 321 - In the School of Christ
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Psalm 32:8. {AG 329.1}
He who is seeking with diligence to acquire the wisdom of human schools should remember that another school also claims him as a student. Christ was the greatest teacher the world ever saw. He brought to man knowledge direct from heaven. . . . {AG 329.2}
In the school of Christ students are never graduated. Among the pupils are both old and young. Those who give heed to the instructions of the divine Teacher constantly advance in wisdom, refinement, and nobility of soul, and thus they are prepared to enter that higher school where advancement will continue throughout eternity. {AG 329.3}
Infinite Wisdom sets before us the great lessons of life--lessons of duty and happiness. These are often hard to learn, but without them we can make no real progress. . . . It is in this world, amid its trials and temptations, that we are to gain a fitness for the society of the pure and holy. Those who become so absorbed in less important studies that they cease to learn in the school of Christ are meeting with infinite loss. . . . {AG 329.4}
In the religion of Christ there is a regenerating influence that transforms the entire being, lifting man above every debasing, groveling vice, and raising the thoughts and desires toward God and heaven. . . . Every faculty, every attribute, with which the Creator has endowed the children of men is to be employed for His glory; and in this employment is found its purest, holiest, happiest exercise. While religious principle is held paramount, every advance step taken in the acquirement of knowledge or in the culture of the intellect is a step toward the assimilation of the human with the Divine, the finite with the Infinite. . . . {AG 329.5}
He who is following the divine guidance has found the only true source of saving grace and real happiness, and has gained the power of imparting happiness to all around him. . . . Love to God purifies and ennobles every taste and desire, intensifies every affection, and brightens every worthy pleasure. It enables men to appreciate and enjoy all that is true, and good, and beautiful. {AG 329.6}
Chap. 322 - Examination Day
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me. Psalm 26:2. {AG 330.1}
The Lord in His providence brings men where He can test their moral powers and reveal their motives of action, that they may improve what is right in themselves and put away that which is wrong. God would have His servants become acquainted with the moral machinery of their own hearts. In order to bring this about, He often permits the fire of affliction to assail them that they may become purified. . . . {AG 330.2}
True grace is willing to be tried; if we are loath to be searched by the Lord, our condition is serious indeed. God is the refiner and purifier of souls; in the heat of the furnace the dross is separated forever from the true silver and gold of the Christian character. Jesus watches the test. He knows what is needed to purify the precious metal that it may reflect the radiance of His divine love. {AG 330.3}
I entreat you to "examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5). To maintain the warmth and purity of Christian love requires a constant supply of the grace of Christ. . . . {AG 330.4}
In this season of conflict and trial we need all the support and consolation we can derive from righteous principles, from fixed religious convictions, from the abiding assurance of the love of Christ, and from a rich experience in divine things. We shall attain to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus only as the result of a steady growth in grace. {AG 330.5}
Not in freedom from trial, but in the midst of it, is Christian character developed. Exposure to rebuffs and opposition leads the follower of Christ to greater watchfulness and more earnest prayer to the mighty Helper. Severe trial endured by the grace of God develops patience, vigilance, fortitude, and a deep and abiding trust in God. It is the triumph of the Christian faith that it enables its follower to suffer and be strong; to submit, and thus to conquer; to be killed all the day long, and yet to live; to bear the cross, and thus to win the crown of glory. {AG 330.6}
Chap. 323 - What About Good Works?
We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10. {AG 331.1}
Our acceptance with God is sure only through His beloved Son, and good works are but the result of the working of His sin-pardoning love. They are no credit to us, and we have nothing accorded to us for our good works by which we may claim a part in the salvation of our souls. Salvation is God's free gift to the believer, given to him for Christ's sake alone. The troubled soul may find peace through faith in Christ, and his peace will be in proportion to his faith and trust. He cannot present his good works as a plea for the salvation of his soul. {AG 331.2}
But are good works of no real value? Is the sinner who commits sin every day with impunity, regarded of God with the same favor as the one who through faith in Christ tries to work in his integrity? The Scripture answers, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." In His divine arrangement, through His unmerited favor, the Lord has ordained that good works shall be rewarded. We are accepted through Christ's merit alone; and the acts of mercy, the deeds of charity, which we perform, are the fruits of faith; and they become a blessing to us; for men are to be rewarded according to their works. It is the fragrance of the merit of Christ that makes our good works acceptable to God, and it is grace that enables us to do the works for which He rewards us. Our works in and of themselves have no merit. When we have done all that it is possible for us to do, we are to count ourselves as unprofitable servants. We deserve no thanks from God. We have only done what it was our duty to do, and our works could not have been performed in the strength of our own sinful natures. {AG 331.3}
The Lord has bidden us to draw nigh to Him and He will draw nigh to us; and drawing nigh to Him, we receive the grace by which to do those works which will be rewarded at His hands. {AG 331.4}
The labor of love springs from the work of faith. . . . While it is true that our busy activities will not in themselves ensure salvation, it is also true that faith which unites us to Christ will stir the soul to activity. {AG 331.5}
Chap. 324 - Watch!
Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. Mark 14:38. {AG 332.1}
Many today are asleep, as were the disciples. They are not watching and praying lest they enter into temptation. {AG 332.2}
Let every soul be on the alert. The adversary is on your track. Be vigilant, watching diligently lest some carefully concealed and masterly snare shall take you unawares. Let the careless and indifferent beware lest the day of the Lord come upon them as a thief in the night. . . . {AG 332.3}
He who overcomes must watch; for, with worldly entanglements, error, and superstition, Satan strives to win Christ's followers from Him. It is not enough that we avoid glaring dangers and perilous, inconsistent moves. We are to keep close to the side of Christ, walking in the path of self-denial and sacrifice. We are in an enemy's country. He who was cast out of heaven has come down with great power. With every conceivable artifice and device he is seeking to take souls captive. Unless we are constantly on guard we shall fall an easy prey to his unnumbered deceptions. {AG 332.4}
Warning, admonition, promise, all are for us, upon whom the ends of the world are come. "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:6). . . . Watch against the stealthy approach of the enemy, watch against old habits and natural inclinations, lest they assert themselves; force them back, and watch. Watch the thoughts, watch the plans, lest they become self-centered. Watch over the souls whom Christ has purchased with His own blood. Watch for opportunities to do them good. {AG 332.5}
If you draw close to Jesus and seek to adorn your profession by a well-ordered life and godly conversation, your feet will be kept from straying into forbidden paths. If you will only watch, continually watch unto prayer, if you will do everything as if you were in the immediate presence of God, you will be saved from yielding to temptation, and may hope to be kept pure, spotless, and undefiled till the last. If you hold the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end, your ways will be established in God; and what grace has begun, glory will crown in the kingdom of our God. {AG 332.6}
Chap. 325 - Kept From Falling
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Jude 24. {AG 333.1}
In these last days, when iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold, God will have a people to glorify His name, and stand as reprovers of unrighteousness. They are to be a "peculiar people," who will be true to the law of God when the world shall seek to make void its precepts; and when the converting power of God works through His servants, the hosts of darkness will array themselves in bitter and determined opposition. . . . There will be a constant conflict from the time of our determination to serve the God of heaven, until we are delivered out of this present evil world. There is no release from this war. . . . {AG 333.2}
Our work is an aggressive one, and as faithful soldiers of Jesus, we must bear the blood-stained banner into the very strongholds of the enemy. . . . If we will consent to lay down our arms, to lower the blood-stained banner, to become the captives and servants of Satan, we may be released from the conflict and the suffering. But this peace will be gained only at the loss of Christ and heaven. We cannot accept peace on such conditions. Let it be war, war, to the end of earth's history, rather than peace through apostasy and sin. {AG 333.3}
The work of apostasy begins in some secret rebellion of the heart against the requirements of God's law. Unholy desires, unlawful ambitions, are cherished and indulged, and unbelief and darkness separate the soul from God. If we do not overcome these evils they will overcome us. . . . {AG 333.4}
The indulgence of spiritual pride, of unholy desires, of evil thoughts, of anything that separates us from an intimate and sacred association with Jesus, imperils our souls. . . . We must "fight the good fight of faith," if we would "lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:12). We are "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation" (1 Peter 1:5). If the thought of apostasy is grievous to you, . . . then "abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good" (Romans 12:9); and believe in Him who is "able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." {AG 333.5}
Chap. 326 - Established
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 17. {AG 334.1}
The Saviour made each work of healing an occasion for implanting divine principles in the mind and soul. This was the purpose of His work. He imparted earthly blessings, that He might incline the hearts of men to receive the gospel of His grace. {AG 334.2}
For three years the disciples had before them the wonderful example of Jesus. Day by day they walked and talked with Him, hearing His words of cheer to the weary and heavy-laden, and seeing the manifestations of His power in behalf of the sick and afflicted. When the time came for Him to leave them, He gave them grace and power to carry forward His work in His name. They were to shed abroad the light of His gospel of love and healing. . . . {AG 334.3}
The work which the disciples did, we also are to do. Every Christian is to be a missionary. In sympathy and compassion we are to minister to those in need of help. . . . The Saviour identifies Himself with every child of humanity. . . . His followers are not to feel themselves detached from the perishing world around them. They are a part of the great web of humanity, and heaven looks upon them as brothers to sinners as well as to saints. . . . By all that has given us advantage over another-- be it education and refinement, nobility of character, Christian training, religious experience--we are in debt to those less favored; and, so far as lies in our power, we are to minister unto them. . . . {AG 334.4}
He who becomes a child of God should henceforth look upon himself as a link in the chain let down to save the world, one with Christ in His plan of mercy, going forth with Him to seek and save the lost. {AG 334.5}
The world needs a practical demonstration of what the grace of God can do in restoring to human beings their lost kingship, giving them mastery of themselves. There is nothing that the world needs so much as a knowledge of the gospel's saving power revealed in Christlike lives. {AG 334.6}
Chap. 327 - Joy in Sharing
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20. {AG 335.1}
God could have reached His object in saving sinners without our aid; but in order for us to develop a character like Christ's, we must share in His work. In order to enter into His joy--the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice--we must participate in His labors for their redemption. {AG 335.2}
Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good. He sought them in the public streets, in private houses, on the boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of the lake, and at the marriage feast. He met them at their daily vocations, and manifested an interest in their secular affairs. He carried His instruction into the household, bringing families in their own homes under the influence of His divine presence. His strong personal sympathy helped to win hearts. . . . {AG 335.3}
It was by personal contact and association that Jesus trained His disciples. Sometimes He taught them, sitting among them on the mountainside; sometimes beside the sea, or walking with them by the way, He revealed the mysteries of the kingdom of God. He did not sermonize as men do today. Wherever hearts were open to receive the divine message, He unfolded the truths of the way of salvation. He did not command His disciples to do this or that, but said, "Follow Me." On His journeys through the country and cities He took them with Him, that they might see how He taught the people. . . . {AG 335.4}
The example of Christ in linking Himself with the interests of humanity should be followed by all who preach His word, and by all who have received the gospel of His grace. . . . Not alone from the pulpit are the hearts of men touched by divine truth. There is another field of labor, humbler, it may be, but fully as promising. It is found in the home of the lowly, and in the mansion of the great; at the hospitable board, and in gatherings for innocent social enjoyment. . . . Wherever we go we are to carry Jesus with us, and to reveal to others the preciousness of our Saviour. {AG 335.5}
************************************************************************************
********************************************
Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross <4716>, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross <4716>, and follow me.
Matthew 27:32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross <4716>.
Matthew 27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross <4716>.
Matthew 27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross <4716>, and we will believe him.
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross <4716>, and follow me.
Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross <4716>, and follow me.
Mark 15:21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross <4716>.
Mark 15:30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross <4716>.
Mark 15:32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross <4716>, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross <4716> daily, and follow me.
Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross <4716>, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luke 23:26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross <4716>, that he might bear it after Jesus.
John 19:17 And he bearing his cross <4716> went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
John 19:19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross <4716>. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
John 19:25 Now there stood by the cross <4716> of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross <4716> on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross <4716> of Christ should be made of none effect.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross <4716> is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Galatians 5:11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross <4716> ceased.
Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross <4716> of Christ.
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross <4716> of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Ephesians 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross <4716>, having slain the enmity thereby:
Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross <4716>.
Philippians 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross <4716> of Christ:
Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross <4716>, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross <4716>;
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross <4716>, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
4716. σταυρο/ς stauros stow-ros’; from the base of 2476; a stake or post (as set upright), i.e. (specifically) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); figuratively, exposure to death, i.e. self-denial; by implication, the atonement of Christ: — cross.
2476. ι(/στημι histemi his’-tay-mee; a prolonged form of a primary σταω stao stah’-o (of the same meaning, and used for it in certain tenses); to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively): — abide, appoint, bring, continue, covenant, establish, hold up, lay, present, set (up), stanch, stand (by, forth, still, up). Compare 5087.
5087. τι/θημι tithemi tith’-ay-mee; a prolonged form of a primary θεω theo theh’-o (which is used only as alternate in certain tenses); to place (in the widest application, literally and figuratively; properly, in a passive or horizontal posture, and thus different from 2476, which properly denotes an upright and active position, while 2749 is properly reflexive and utterly prostrate): — + advise, appoint, bow, commit, conceive, give, X kneel down, lay (aside, down, up), make, ordain, purpose, put, set (forth), settle, sink down.
2749. κει=μαι keimai ki’-mahee; middle voice of a primary verb; to lie outstretched (literally or figuratively): — be (appointed, laid up, made, set), lay, lie. Compare 5087
*****************************
How many profess to be servants of Christ; but how loath are they to bear reproach and shame, for His sake. The cross is not to please self; it lies directly across the path of the pleasure-lover, and cuts through our carnal desires and selfish inclinations. . . . {LHU 245.4}
******************************************
The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing-- the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ's burdens. We cannot follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ's footsteps. . . . {OHC 100.4}
Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and He says, "Take My yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me the lessons essential for you to learn." {OHC 100.5}
Your work is not to gather up burdens of your own. . . . We often think we are having a hard time in bearing burdens, and it is too often the case, because God has not made any provision for us to carry these burdens; but when we bear His yoke and carry His burdens, we can testify that the yoke of Christ is easy and His burdens are light, because He has made provision for these. {OHC 100.6}
Yet that yoke will not give us a life of ease and freedom and selfish indulgence. The life of Christ was one of self-sacrifice and self-denial at every step; and with consistent, Christlike tenderness and love, His true follower will walk in the footsteps of the Master; and as he advances in this life, he will become more and more inspired with the spirit and life of Christ. {OHC 100.7}
******************************************
Help to Bear Every Burden.--There is a condition to the rest and peace here offered us by Christ. It is that of yoking up with Him. All who will accept the condition will find that the yoke of Christ will help them to bear every burden needful for them to carry. Without Christ at our side to bear the heaviest part of the load, we must indeed say that it is heavy. But yoked with Him to the car of duty, the burdens of life may all be lightly carried. And just as a man acts in willing obedience to the requirements of God, will come his peace of mind. . . . {5BC 1090.6}
Meekness and humility will characterize all who are obedient to the law of God, all who will wear the yoke of Christ with submission. And these graces will bring the desirable result of peace in the service of Christ (ST April 16, 1912). {5BC 1090.7}
(Ch. 16:24; 9:23.) Symbol of Submission to God's Will.--We are to bear the yoke of Christ that we may be placed in complete union with Him. "Take my yoke upon you," He says. Obey My requirements. But these requirements may be in direct opposition to the will and purposes of the human agent. What then is to be done? Hear what God says: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing,--the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ's burdens. We cannot follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ's footsteps. . . . {5BC 1090.8}
Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and He says, "Take My yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me the lessons essential for you to learn; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." The Lord never makes a false estimate concerning His heritage. He measures the men with whom He is working. When they submit to His yoke, when they give up the struggle that has been unprofitable for themselves and for the cause of God, they will find peace and rest. When they become sensible of their own weakness, their own deficiencies, they will delight to do God's will. They will submit to the yoke of Christ. Then God can work in them to will and to do of His good pleasure, which is often entirely contrary to the plans of the human mind. When the heavenly anointing comes to us, we shall learn the lesson of meekness and lowliness, which always brings rest to the soul (RH Oct. 23, 1900). {5BC 1091.1}
Christ's Yoke Never Galling.--Your work is not to gather up burdens of your own. As you take the burdens that Christ would have you, then you can realize what burdens He carried. Let us study the Bible, and find out what kind of yoke He bore. He was a help to those around Him. He says: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." You see there is a yoke to bear. Now this is the very faith that we want--a faith that will grasp the promises of God, one that will take the yoke of Christ and bear the burdens that He would have us. We often think we are having a hard time in bearing burdens, and it is too often the case, because God has not made any provision for us to carry these burdens; but when we bear His yoke and carry His burdens, we can testify that the yoke of Christ is easy and His burdens are light, because He has made provision for these. But when you feel depressed and discouraged, do not give up the battle; you have a living Saviour that will help you, and you will have rest in Him. You must not put your neck under the yoke of fashion, and yokes that God has never designed that you should bear. It is not our work to study how to meet the world's standard, but the great question with each one should be, How can I meet God's standard? Then it is that you will find rest to the soul; for Christ has said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." {5BC 1091.2}
When you have a yoke that is galling to the neck, you may know it is not Christ's yoke; for He says His yoke is easy. What God wants of us is to be learning every day of our lives how to build our characters for time and for eternity. He does not want us to get into one channel and never turn out of that; to have fixed ideas, and hold them fast, whether they are right or wrong. He will place us amid trials and difficulties, and when we have learned to overcome obstacles in a right spirit, with high and holy purpose, He will give us another lesson. And if we have not the meekness of Christ to be constantly learning of Jesus in His school, then we must know that we have not the yoke of Christ (RH May 10, 1887). {5BC 1091.3}
29 (John 15:4, 5). Hard to Give Up Own Will and Way.--If you are willing to learn meekness and lowliness of heart in Christ's school, He will surely give you rest and peace. It is a terribly hard struggle to give up your own will and your own way. But this lesson learned, you will find rest and peace. Pride, selfishness, and ambition must be overcome; your will must be swallowed up in the will of Christ. The whole life may become one constant love sacrifice, every action a manifestation, and every word an utterance of love. As the life of the vine circulates through stem and cluster, descends into the lower fibers, and reaches to the topmost leaf, so will the grace and love of Christ burn and abound in the soul, sending its virtues to every part of the being, and pervading every exercise of body and mind (Letter 14, 1887). {5BC 1091.4}
How to Wear the Yoke.--Take hold of the arm of God, and say, "I am nothing, and Thou art everything. Thou hast said, 'Without me ye can do nothing.' Now, Lord, I must have Thee abiding in me, that I may abide in Thee." Then advance step by step, by living faith abiding in Jesus Christ. This is wearing His yoke, the yoke of obedience (MS 85, 1901). {5BC 1092.1}
Wearing the yoke with Christ, means to work in His lines, to be a copartner with Him in His sufferings and toils for lost humanity. It means to be a wise instructor of souls. We shall be what we are willing to be made by Christ in these precious hours of probation. We shall be the sort of a vessel that we allow ourselves to be molded into. We must unite with God in the molding and fashioning work, having our wills submitted to the divine will (Letter 71, 1895). {5BC 1092.2}
30. Easy Yoke Does Not Give Life of Ease.--The Lord calls His yoke easy, and His burden light. Yet that yoke will not give us a life of ease and freedom and selfish indulgence. The life of Christ was one of self-sacrifice and self-denial at every step; and with consistent, Christlike tenderness and love, His true follower will walk in the footsteps of the Master; and as he advances in this life, he will become more and more inspired with the spirit and life of Christ (ST April 16, 1912). {5BC 1092.3}
******************************************
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:12. {TMK 93.1}
All of us, as beings blessed of God with reasoning powers, with intellect and judgment, should acknowledge our accountability to God. The life He has given us is a sacred responsibility, and no moment of it is to be trifled with, for we shall have to meet it again in the record of the judgment. In the books of heaven our lives are as accurately traced as in the picture on the plate of the photographer. Not only are we held accountable for what we have done, but for what we have left undone. We are held to account for our undeveloped characters, our unimproved opportunities. . . . {TMK 93.2}
It is love of selfish ease, love of pleasure, your self-esteem, self-exaltation, that prevents you from learning the precious life lessons in the school of Christ. It is the Christian's duty not to permit surroundings and circumstances to mold him, but to live above surroundings, fashioning his character according to the divine Model. He is to be faithful in whatever place he is found. He is to do his duty with fidelity, improving the opportunities given him of God, making the most of his capabilities. . . . {TMK 93.3}
If you are abiding in Christ, learning in His school, you will not be rude, dishonest, or unfaithful. The cross of Christ cuts to the root of all unholy passions and practices. Whatever the nature of your work, you will carry the principles of Christ into your labor and identify yourself with the task given into your hands. Your interest will be one with that of your employer. If you are paid for your time, you will realize that the time for work is not your own, but belongs to the one who pays you for it. If you are careless and extravagant, wasting material, squandering time, failing to be painstaking and diligent, you are registered in the books of heaven as an unfaithful servant. . . . Faithfulness, economy, caretaking, thoroughness, should characterize all our work. . . . "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much" (Luke 16:10). {TMK 93.4}
******************************************
We are to bear the yoke of Christ that we may be placed in complete union with him. "Take my yoke upon you," he says. Obey my requirements. But these requirements may be in direct opposition to the will and purposes of the human agent. What then is to be done? -- Hear what God says: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing, -- the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ's burdens. We can not follow Christ without wearing his yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ's footsteps. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 3}
The Lord does not encourage the wisest, the most cherished plans of human beings if he sees that they are not for the health of the spirituality of his cause. Sometimes the Lord's purposes come in direct opposition to plans in which the human agent can not see a flaw. Then it is that the right hand must be sacrificed and the right eye taken out. Purposes that seem in every way desirable may have to be given up. The Lord sees that for the spiritual health of the human agent and for the future well-being of his cause all self-confidence must be cut away. Human wisdom and self-sufficiency must be broken down. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 4}
Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and he says, Take my yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me the lessons essential for you to learn; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. The Lord never makes a false estimate concerning his heritage. He measures the men with whom he is working. When they submit to his yoke, when they give up the struggle that has been unprofitable for themselves and for the cause of God, they will find peace and rest. When they become sensible of their own weakness, their own deficiencies, they will delight to do God's will. They will submit to the yoke of Christ. Then God can work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure, which is often entirely contrary to the plans of the human mind. When the heavenly anointing comes to us, we shall learn the lesson of meekness and lowliness, which always brings rest to the soul. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 5}
God brings men into trying places, to see if they will trust in a power out of and above themselves. He sees not as man sees. He often has to break up human connections and change the order which man has mapped out, which is perfect in his estimation. What man thinks is for his spiritual and temporal interests may be altogether at variance with the experience he must have in order to be a follower of Christ. His idea of his own value may be far out of the way. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 6}
Tests are placed all along the way from earth to heaven. It is because of this that the road to heaven is called the narrow way. Character must be tested, else there would be many spurious Christians, who would keep up a fair semblance of religion until their inclinations, their desire to have their own way, their pride and ambition, were crossed. When, by the Lord's permission, sharp trials come to them, their lack of genuine religion, of the meekness and lowliness of Christ, shows them to be in need of the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ's command, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me," is the touchstone that discovers the quality of the experience. When a man's inclinations or ambitious hopes are crossed, he reveals the spirit that governs him. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 7}
Christ declares that the only course for men and women to pursue for their present and eternal good is to comply with his invitation. He invites all to wear his yoke and learn his meekness and lowliness. He knows that it is positively necessary for them to do this. But no human being can wear the yoke of submission and obedience who does not learn daily in the school of Christ. Whatever may be a person's supposed amiability, however qualified for usefulness he may appear to be, however righteous he may be apparently, he can not work for God unless he learns of Christ. Qualifications for true service can never be acquired apart from Christ. No one, whatever his supposed abilities, can bear the test of trial unless he is a student in the school of Christ. {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 8}
******************************************
June 29, 1904 "Take My Yoke Upon You, and
Learn of Me."
By Mrs. E. G. White.
Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 1}
In these words Christ is speaking to every human being. Whether they know it or not, all are weary and heavy laden. All are weighed down with burdens that Christ only can remove. The heaviest burden that we bear is the burden of sin. If we were left to bear this burden, it would crush us. But the Sinless One has taken our place. "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." He has borne the burden of our guilt. He will take the load from our weary shoulders. He will give us rest. The burden of care and sorrow also, He will bear. He invites us to cast all our care upon Him; for He carries us on His heart. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 2}
"Take My yoke upon you," Jesus says. The yoke is an instrument of service. Cattle are yoked for labor, and the yoke is essential that they may labor effectually. By this illustration Christ teaches us that we are called to service as long as life shall last. We are to take upon us His yoke, that we may be co-laborers with Him. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 3}
The yoke that binds to service is the law of God. The great law of love revealed in Eden, proclaimed upon Sinai, and in the new covenant written in the heart, is that which binds the human worker to the will of God. If we were left to follow our own inclinations, to go just where our will would lead us, we should fall into Satan's snare, and become possessors of his attributes. Therefore, God confines us to His will, which is high, noble, elevating. He desires that we shall patiently and wisely take up the duties of service. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 4}
Men frame for their own necks, yokes which seem light and easy, but which will prove heavy and galling. Christ sees this, and He says, "Take My yoke upon you." The yoke you desire to place on your neck will become intolerably heavy. Take My yoke; it is easy. Learn from Me the lessons that you so much need to learn. When you submit to My yoke, when you give up the struggle that is so unprofitable, you will find rest. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 5}
Christ's yoke is a yoke of restraint and obedience. We are to wear it in order that we may labor in harmony with Him. This may necessitate a complete change in our plans and purposes. "If any man will come after Me," Christ says, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing--the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke places man in companionship with the Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away selfishness from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear burdens. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 6}
We can not follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting His cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our wishes, and follow in Christ's steps. The Lord does not encourage the most cherished plans of human beings if He sees they are not for the best good of His children. Sometimes His purposes come in direct opposition to the plans in which human beings can not see a flaw. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 7}
The yoke is placed upon the oxen to aid them in drawing the load, to lighten the burden. So with the yoke of Christ. When our will is swallowed up in the will of God, and we use His gifts to bless others, we shall find life's burdens light. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 8}
He who bears the yoke of Christ no longer follows his own way or does his own pleasure. In times of difficulty he looks to his Master to direct his course, and follows not the way of his own choosing. The more trying the circumstances under which he is placed, the more closely he presses to the side of Jesus. He finds that the heaviest labor can be performed, the heaviest burdens borne, because the Lord gives strength, and He gives gladness in doing the work. {ST, June 29, 1904 par. 9}
******************************************
"Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price." We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish. What a price is this, unparalleled, infinite! But though Christ has bought us, and invites us to come to him, still the world holds out its attractions to us, and strives for the mastery. Shall love for God, or love for the world, triumph in the conflict? Satan and his evil angels are watching at every avenue leading to the human heart, seeking to force souls to accept evil suggestions. The enemy presents bribes to win us to the world, as he presented bribes to Christ in the wilderness of temptation. Unless we depend upon a power out of and above ourselves, the enemy will succeed in accomplishing our ruin. But in looking to Jesus, by studying his life and character, by earnestly desiring to be like him, our minds will be balanced in the right direction, that we may overcome selfishness, and choose a course of righteousness. Looking unto Jesus, we shall hear a voice saying, "This is the way; walk ye in it." "If any man will come after me [now the conditions], let him deny himself, and take up his cross [which cuts directly across the natural inclinations], and follow me." {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 1}
Who will turn away from every worldly attraction, from earthly enterprises that promise great gain and selfish gratification, and count all things but loss if he may win Christ? Winning Christ, we win everything. Jesus says he will be in us "a well of water springing up into everlasting life." {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 2}
I appeal to the youth: "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve." There is a necessity for a decided choice; for Jesus said, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 3}
He who is mighty in counsel speaks to you; will you hear his voice, will you obey his words? Jesus says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." He invites you to step upon new and higher ground than that which you have occupied in the past. If your heart is filled with love to Christ, it will be demonstrated that he is stronger than the passions which have ruled you, whose indulgence have undermined noble impulses, and left the soul to the mercy of Satan's temptations. {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 4}
"Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price." The world is under the most solemn obligation to render to the Lord Jesus his purchased possession,--soul, body, and spirit. But because the people of the world ignore their responsibility to God, and refuse to accept the great gift of salvation, they are not excused from their obligation to be faithful servants of Christ. In serving their own lust, they make it manifest that they are not subject to the rule of Christ, but day by day are robbing God of that which is his due. They refuse to be the children of Christ, and choose rather to be the slaves of Satan. In astonishment at their blindness, we reiterate the words of the apostle, "Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?" {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 5}
Christ invites the sinner to come to him. With what loving entreaties he follows the sinner! When the heart of the sinner is touched, he yields his will to God's will, and selfish inclination is no longer the controlling power; for the slavery of Satan is broken, and the soul brought into subjection to Christ. Impressed with the sense of the Saviour's long-suffering, forbearance, compassion, and measureless love, the repenting soul is deeply conscious of his own unworthiness and guilt. He yields his will to the will of God, and longs to reveal his loyalty to Christ, watching for opportunities to speak forth his goodness and love. He sees in Jesus matchless charms, and his heart is captivated. He has tasted of the love of Christ, and the gratitude of his heart is expressed in speaking to those who do not know the goodness of the Lord. He becomes a partaker of the divine nature.
Mrs. E. G. White. {YI, October 27, 1892 par. 6}
******************************************
Every church should be a working church. We should make ourselves useful, and do the little duties around us and that will prepare us for the greater responsibilities. When Christ ascended on high He left His disciples to carry forward the work. However unpleasant it may be, we should take up the humble duties of life. Christ says, "Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Mark 8:34. What is the cross of Christ? It is not an ornament to the neck, but something that cuts right across our pathway. Satan is constantly watching for our souls. He seeks to lead us from the cross of Christ. {3MR 109.2}
God will help us in time of need, but He will not compel us to love and obey Him. We must give Him our undivided love. He wants us to trust Him, and confide in Him. He understands our wants and has ample resources to help in every time of trouble. We are not left to fight our own battles, but we have the help of Christ, and in His name we can come off victorious. {3MR 109.3}
One may ask, What is our work? It is to take up duties at home. Cultivate the plot of ground at our own doors. Here are our friends that need help. Will we be workers with God? Every one should be at his post to save his fellow men, and whosoever will accept the plan of salvation will commence to work for his fellow men. {3MR 110.1}
The prospect to save souls may not be very flattering, neither was it when our Saviour came to this earth; but if one soul is reached that soul will reach out for others and thus the work is carried forward. It is our business to work for the Master, and if we are faithful in sowing the seed, God will take care of the seed sown. {3MR 110.2}
I have felt that if God would give me my own children, my life has not been in vain, but it has required labor and tears. There is a great responsibility resting upon the head of the family. When I have seen my children wading through temptation I have spent all night with them in prayer. I am a mother of boys, and my heart is drawn out for everyone who has the responsibility of a family. Those who are engaged in the training of children are engaged in a great work. It will take patience and perseverance to do the work aright. {3MR 110.3}
All need much of the blessing of God, and here is the place to be tried. We are in God's workshop. The cleaver of truth takes men and women out of the world, and they have to be refined and fitted for the Master. We must let the truth take possession of our hearts and then the work can be accomplished for us. {3MR 110.4}
I labored for a young man who was an infidel. He wanted me to place my hand on his head to see how low his reverence was, and he said it was impossible for him to honor God. I told him that he must. I labored and prayed with him, and at times its seemed like a hopeless case, but the Spirit of the Lord followed this young man until one day while on a steamer going down the Mississippi he yielded his stubborn will and gave his heart to God. It makes no difference about the head; if we only have a willingness, the Lord will assist us in overcoming as He did this young man. This man now stands at the head of the General Conference. Now that the Lord has worked for him, he knows how to work for infidels. {3MR 111.1}
God permits affliction to come on us at times that we may know how to sympathize with others who are passing through sorrow. The Lord has given me my work, and even when physicians have despaired of my life I have felt it my duty to labor on, even if I died at my post of duty. Our heavenly Father gives us experiences so that we can know how to help others. When the youngest branch of my family was broken off and I could no longer have my infant by my side, I knew better how to sympathize with the mourning mother. When I laid away the oldest member of my family, Jesus supplanted him, and now I can tell mothers to go to Jesus. When the unexpected blow came to him who had stood by my side for thirty-six years it was then that I could lean on my Saviour. I was not left alone, for Christ is a father to the widow. Everyone can benefit others by his own experience. {3MR 111.2}
I would not spend time at the grave to cause a shadow of gloom to beset my pathway, because I know that Jesus passed into the prison house and He came forth, and this should be a comfort to all who have lost friends who have died in the faith. I am left here to take the work of my husband, to carry it forward, and I have no complaints to make for the gate of heaven is ajar and light is shining on my pathway. {3MR 111.3}
I would say to all, Come to Jesus just as you are. He asks for your heart. He has paid the price for us. Now He wants our affections, our intelligence--in fact, all our powers belong to Him. And after we have done all it is a small gift on our part. {3MR 112.1}
We may work intelligently and be laborers for God, and in [our] doing this work He will give us strength. If we sow we shall also reap, and an abundant harvest will be gathered. In order to work the works of God we must have the help of Christ. We should not be satisfied by working out our own salvation, but we must work for the salvation of others. There are hundreds around us that need our personal efforts. It will be our rejoicing to see souls saved through our instrumentality. The work done here for God will show through out all ages, so all should work while there is an opportunity. There is a work for all to do, and if we will let the refining influence of the Spirit of God sanctify us through the Word we can be fitted to reach others, and the glory that awaits the faithful is beyond our comprehension. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9. {3MR 112.2}
Then let us take hold of the lifework that we might bring others to see the importance of truth. There is a heaven for us to win, and a life that will measure with the life of God. Can you not give to God the little time you have, and also your best affections? Give Jesus your polluted soul, and have it washed from all its stains. Fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold of eternal life. {3MR 112.3}
I would entreat those here to think of those things. Go to work for the Master. Take the Lord with you, and then you will hear from the lips of the Master, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Heaven, sweet heaven of rest! It is then that we shall cast our glittering crowns at the feet of Jesus, and touch our harps and sing the song, "Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that died for us." I see in Him matchless charms. I want all to have a part and share in the eternal weight of glory, and to sing songs of rejoicing through the endless ages of eternity.--Ms 46, 1886, pp. 1-6. ("Two Standards," sermon at Nimes, France, Oct. 30, 1886.) {3MR 113.1}
******************************************
MR No. 969 - Faithfulness in Confessing Christ
"Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven" [Matthew 10:32]. Do you confess Christ in your expenditure of His entrusted means? Is He confessed when most of your income is spent on self, when the Lord's tenth is withheld, and when gifts and offerings are used for your own pleasure and benefit? It would not be out of place for you to head a column in your domestic account book "Charity." Had you done this, and had you put down all that you have spent for self, and all that you have used for charity, the list of that spent for self would make a large amount; but how would your column set apart for charity come out? Again I urge you to ask yourself, Do I confess Christ in my expenditure? Heading a column of your account book "Charity" would make a revelation to you. No other human eye may see that book but yourself, but the Lord Jesus Christ sees it, and your reward in the day of reckoning will be in accordance with your works. {12MR 227.1}
When the question is asked those who have professed to be Christians, "How much owest thou unto my Lord?" many will stand silent and convicted, unprepared to answer, because they have not considered the Lord's dues and have set apart nothing for charity. Have you been forward with gifts and offerings? Would not an examination of your account book reveal that you have neglected your duty in this respect? {12MR 227.2}
If Christ had that which is His own in tithes and offerings, so much would not be left for selfish outlay on nicknacks and display. Less would be spent for dress, for pleasure excursions, for entertainments, or for display in table fare. We may confess Christ by making no elaborate preparations for visitors; we may deny Him by making more than ordinary preparations, which takes time that rightly belongs to the Lord. Not only do you rob your family of the attention they need, in order to prepare an elaborate entertainment, but the practice is followed by others whom you have influenced by your example. The Lord does not judge us according to the highness and elevation of our various spheres, but according to the faithfulness with which we fill them. Before you enter into amusement for the gratification of self, ask yourself the question, Is not this God's time and money that I am expending needlessly? Open your account book and see how your account stands with God, with your household, and with the world. {12MR 228.1}
Have you confessed Christ by faithfully tithing the mint, the anise, and the rue? When we give the Lord the tithe, we are only giving Him that which is His own, to withhold which is theft and robbery. When we withhold the tithe we keep back that which God designs shall sustain His work on the earth. For this work of redemption God gave the richest gift of heaven; can we not give one tenth of what we have? Many have forgotten God, and have kept back the tithe. Does your account book reveal that you have dealt faithfully with your Lord? Are you poor? Then give your little. Have you been blessed with abundance? Then be sure to lay aside that which the Lord registers as His own. {12MR 228.2}
By dealing truly with God, we really deal much more benevolently with ourselves; for when the great day of reckoning comes, every man will be asked, What have you done with the goods which I lent you? As we consider this question many of us need to walk more humbly and with greater self-denial before God. All who feel it a cross not to keep up an appearance in the eyes of the world, I would point to the life and work of Christ, who for our sake became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. The fear of not keeping up an appearance need not exist; for an appropriate course of action will bring honor rather than discredit from all sensible minds. Confess Christ in this particular; for He has said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" [Luke 9:23]. The neglect to confess Christ in your account books cuts you off from the great privilege of having your name registered in the Lamb's book of life. {12MR 229.1}
Do you confess Christ by visiting the sick, the needy, and the poor? "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" [James 1:27]. Do your works testify, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me"? [Galatians 2:20]. {12MR 229.2}
As Christ represented the Father to the world, so we are to represent Christ; and every inducement is presented to us that we may represent Christ by keeping the way of the Lord, and faithfully living out every requirement of His Word. This is the power of the gospel. By doing this we will be as lights shining in a dark place, and will be of more value to the world than sermons or religious ceremonies. The world is watching us, and will criticize us severely. We are constantly making an impression, favorable or unfavorable, upon those with whom we associate. Through us others will look at Christ, but unless we practice the lessons of Christ, we are none of His, and cannot properly represent Him. Cheerfulness will be the fruit borne by the Christian tree, but levity and coarse, unruly conduct are as thorn berries. {12MR 229.3}
The religion of Jesus Christ is a religion of practical godliness, and while the grace of God abides in the heart, the Christian will produce the fruit of industry, frugality, economy; he will not waste, but will gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost. In the lives of those who have Christ abiding in the heart will be seen no avarice, no dishonesty in trade, no overreaching, for all covetousness is pronounced idolatry, but every species of dishonesty will be put away from the character. Unkindness of disposition will be overcome; for they are made new men in Christ Jesus, and sin no longer reigns in their mortal bodies. Everyone who has thus been renewed will manifest kindness, forbearance, and generosity, in this confessing that Christ, the hope of glory, is formed within. {12MR 230.1}
The cause of God should be kept in a healthful condition; the treasury should be supplied with means for carrying forward the work of God. Institutions which are established to help orphans, those who are dependent and destitute, the infirm and the aged, should be aided. Those who have the blessing of health should cooperate with Christ by helping the weak. The blessing of God rests upon those who represent Christ by doing this work.
Christmas and New Year celebrations can and should be held in behalf of those who are helpless. God is glorified when we give to help those who have large families to support. But no man who can earn his own livelihood has a right to live on the produce of others. The proverb, "The world owes me a living," has in it the essence of falsehood, fraud, and robbery. The world owes no man a living who is able to work to gain a living for himself. {12MR 230.2}
[2 Corinthians 8:7-15 and 9:6-8, quoted.]
Christ demands the entire service of the soldiers in His army. In His Word he has given the principles of action: "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" [Romans 12:11]. These principles should govern our conduct at all times. No allowance is made for lazy, negligent work, or for want of zeal. God has a righteous claim to constant service and supreme love. Your body, your soul, your life, all your God-given capabilities should be consecrated to God for the promotion of His glory. No one can be a sincere Christian unless he is a laborer together with God, unless he belongs to the family of workers. We must ever bear in mind that we are in copartnership with God. His work and His cause demand the first consideration. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" [Matthew 6:33].--Ms 13, 1896.
White Estate Washington, D. C. February 3, 1983 {12MR 231.1}
******************************************
What constitutes the cross? The requirements of Jesus, that cut directly across human devisings, human indulgence of appetite, human calculations, human practices and habits. The child of God is to come into perfect relationship with Jesus Christ. We are to be in constant communion, not with our own minds, but with the mind and will of Jesus. To be a practical Christian accepting duties that involve self-denial, cuts across human inclinations and human habits. {20MR 104.3}
Instead of seeking to hold our own position upon a subject on which the Lord has spoken decidedly, we are to follow His counsel. But you vindicate your own position. {20MR 104.4}
The Lord Jesus connected Judas with Himself, not because Judas was correct in all his principles, for he cherished selfishness, which is an attribute of the devil; but notwithstanding this, the Lord Jesus consented to unite Judas with the other disciples, and give him opportunity to improve in character building through the education and training He would give all His followers. But Judas did not correct his course of action. The painstaking efforts, the many lessons of the divine Teacher, were lost upon him. {20MR 104.5}
The grace of Christ, if received into his heart, would have converted him from his selfishness, working wonderful changes in him, as in John and Peter. I mention Judas, because this was an extreme case. But as he did not receive the words of Christ and improve, there arose in his heart an opposition to the light. He treasured his defects, and held them as if he considered them a precious treasure. The defects poisoned the whole man, in principle, in spirit, in life, in character, until he sold his Lord for a trifling sum of money. This history has a warning for us. {20MR 105.1}
***********************************
***********************************
Since lifting the cross and wearing the yoke of Christ are kindred symbols, speaking of giving the will ( power of decision and willingness to choose ) to Christ instead of to Satan, looking up ( “your will” “cross” equals 10 SOP hits or quotes.
1. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10. {LHU 252.1}
God alone can lead you to so recognize His mercy, love, and forbearance that you will have the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. This is the gift of God. It is the opening of the heart to receive the word which is as the leaves of the tree of life. May God fill your heart with His love, so that it may be said that you . . . have purified your soul by obeying the truth. {LHU 252.2}
Believing in Christ and receiving His transforming grace is not guesswork, but a work which causes Christ's virtues to be reflected in mind and character. When you gain this experience, you will say, "I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. The Lord Jesus shall be my portion forever." The power of the cross will move in you the mysterious springs of hope and fear, adoration, and love. Angels are watching and waiting, and will witness to the fact that the world has you not. Jesus has found you sitting at His feet to learn from Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Henceforth, surrendering your will to the will of Christ, you are drawn into a region where the cross is the central object. The world fades from your view. The glory shining from the threshold of heaven is the all-attractive influence. The riches of the grace of Christ hold you in willing obedience. . . . You are only too glad to impart to others the gift you have received. {LHU 252.3}
I long to see you improving the capabilities given you by God, so that you can respond to the inquiry, "What must I do to be saved?" Let the words fall from sanctified lips, "Be saved by accepting Christ by faith as your personal Saviour." God is love. The sinner need not perish if he will exercise faith in the wonderful efficacy of the cross of Christ. The cross is the stupendous expedient by which is harmonized the love and justice of God. It is the sinner's only means of salvation. . . . The image of His love may be so stamped upon the mind that it can never be effaced. Then Jesus Christ will be so evidently set forth crucified before you that you will be a partaker of the dignity of His suffering. I have such an intense longing that you may look into the heart of this great mystery, and find that its interpretation is love. . . . {LHU 252.4}
As you make a full surrender of your will to God's will, your way to God's way, you will learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart, and will find rest unto your soul. A calm confidence will preside over you. . . . You will experience more and more clearly the sense of an ever-present, all-pervading Saviour. This will give the soul power . . . , which the changing circumstances of earth cannot undermine. It plants the feet upon a solid rock (letter 123, 1901). {LHU 252.5}
***********************************
hit #2. in context
Chap. 40 - Exercise of the Will
Pure religion has to do with the will. The will is the governing power in the nature of man, bringing all the other faculties under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the deciding power, which works in the children of men unto obedience to God, or unto disobedience. {MYP 151.1}
Instability and Doubt
You are a young man of intelligence; you desire to make your life such as will fit you for heaven at last. You are often discouraged at finding yourself weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits and customs of your old life in sin. You find your emotional nature untrue to yourself, to your best resolutions, and to your most solemn pledges. Nothing seems real. Your own instability leads you to doubt the sincerity of those who would do you good. The more you struggle in doubt, the more unreal everything looks to you, until it seems that there is no solid ground for you anywhere. Your promises are like ropes of sand, and you regard in the same unreal light the words and works of those in whom you should trust. {MYP 151.2}
Strength Through Yielding the Will
You will be in constant peril until you understand the true force of the will. You may believe and promise all things, but your promises or your faith
152
are of no value until you put your will on the side of faith and action. If you fight the fight of faith with all your will-power, you will conquer. Your feelings, your impressions, your emotions, are not to be trusted, for they are not reliable, especially with your perverted ideas; and the knowledge of your broken promises and your forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in yourself, and the faith of others in you. {MYP 151.3}
But you need not despair. You must be determined to believe, although nothing seems true and real to you. I need not tell you it is yourself that has brought you into this unenviable position. You must win back your confidence in God and in your brethren. It is for you to yield up your will to the will of Jesus Christ; and as you do this, God will immediately take possession, and work in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. Your whole nature will then be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; and even your thoughts will be subject to Him. {MYP 152.1}
You cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as you may desire, but you can control the will, and you can make an entire change in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, your life will be hid with Christ in God, and allied to the power which is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from God that will hold you fast to His strength; and a new light, even the light of living faith, will be possible to you. But your will must co-operate with God's will, not with the will of associates through whom Satan is constantly working to ensnare and destroy you.
153
{MYP 152.2}
Will you not, without delay, place yourself in right relation to God? Will you not say, "I will give my will to Jesus, and I will do it now," and from this moment be wholly on the Lord's side? Disregard custom, and the strong clamoring of appetite and passion. Give Satan no chance to say, "You are a wretched hypocrite." Close the door, so that Satan will not thus accuse and dishearten you. Say, "I will believe, I do believe that God is my helper," and you will find that you are triumphant in God. By steadfastly keeping the will on the Lord's side, every emotion will be brought into captivity to the will of Jesus. You will then find your feet on solid rock. It will take, at times, every particle of will-power that you possess, but it is God that is working for you, and you will come forth from the molding process a vessel unto honor. {MYP 153.1}
God's Will and Man's Will United
Talk faith. Keep on God's side of the line. Set not your foot on the enemy's side, and the Lord will be your Helper. He will do for you that which it is not possible for you to do for yourself. The result will be that you will become like a "cedar of Lebanon." Your life will be noble, and your works will be wrought in God. There will be in you a power, an earnestness, and a simplicity that will make you a polished instrument in the hands of God. {MYP 153.2}
You need to drink daily at the fountain of truth, that you may understand the secret of pleasure and joy in the Lord. But you must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions. This
154
will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man. {MYP 153.3}
But the infinite sacrifice of God in giving Jesus, His beloved Son, to become a sacrifice for sin, enables Him to say, without violating one principle of His government, "Yield yourself up to Me; give Me that will; take it from the control of Satan, and I will take possession of it; then I can work in you to will and to do of My good pleasure." When He gives you the mind of Christ, your will becomes as His will, and your character is transformed to be like Christ's character. Is it your purpose to do God's will? Do you wish to obey the Scriptures? "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." {MYP 154.1}
There is no such thing as following Christ unless you refuse to gratify inclination and determine to obey God. It is not your feelings, your emotions, that make you a child of God, but the doing of God's will. A life of usefulness is before you, if your will becomes God's will. Then you may stand in your God-given manhood, an example of good works. You will then help to maintain rules of discipline, instead of helping to break them down. You will then help to maintain order, instead of despising it, and inciting to irregularity of life by your own course of action. {MYP 154.2}
I tell you in the fear of God, I know what you may be, if your will is placed on the side of God.
155
{MYP 154.3}
"We are laborers together with God," You may be doing your work for time and eternity in such a manner that it will stand the test of the judgment. Will you try? Will you now turn square about? You are the object of Christ's love and intercession. Will you now surrender to God, and help those who are placed as sentinels to guard the interests of His work, instead of causing them grief and discouragement?--"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 5, pp. 513-516.
-
{MYP 155.1}
Special Effort Essential
God has appointed means, if we will use them diligently and prayerfully, that no vessel shall be shipwrecked, but outride the tempest and storm, and anchor in the haven of bliss at last. But if we despise and neglect these appointments and privileges, God will not work a miracle to save any of us, and we will be lost as were Judas and Satan. {MYP 155.2}
Do not think that God will work a miracle to save those weak souls who cherish evil, who practice sin; or that some supernatural element will be brought into their lives, lifting them out of self into a higher sphere, where it will be comparatively easy work, without any special effort, any special fighting, without any crucifixion of self; because all who dally on Satan's ground for this to be done will perish with the evildoers. They will be suddenly destroyed, and that without remedy.--"Testimonies to Ministers," p. 453. {MYP 155.3}
Chap. 41 - Divine Guidance
There are three ways in which the Lord reveals His will to us, to guide us. . . . {MYP 156.1}
God reveals His will to us in His word, the Holy Scriptures. {MYP 156.2}
His voice is also revealed in His providential workings; and it will be recognized if we do not separate our souls from Him by walking in our own ways, doing according to our own wills, and following the promptings of an unsanctified heart, until the senses have become so confused that eternal things are not discerned, and the voice of Satan is so disguised that it is accepted as the voice of God. {MYP 156.3}
Another way in which God's voice is heard, is through the appeals of His Holy Spirit, making impressions upon the heart, which will be wrought out in the character. {MYP 156.4}
If you are in doubt upon any subject, you must first consult the Scriptures. If you have truly begun the life of faith, you have given yourself to the Lord, to be wholly His, and He has taken you to mold and fashion according to His purpose, that you may be a vessel unto honor. You should have an earnest desire to be pliable in His hands, and to follow whithersoever He may lead you. You are then trusting Him to work out His designs, while at the same time you are co-operating with Him by working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.--"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 5, p. 512. {MYP 156.5}
Hit #3. in context
Chap. 43 - Marriage with Unbelievers
Dear Sister L: I have learned of your contemplated marriage with one who is not united with you in religious faith, and I fear that you have not carefully weighed this important matter. Before taking a step which is to exert an influence upon all your future life, I urge you to give the subject careful and prayerful deliberation. Will this new relationship prove a source of true happiness? Will it be a help to you in the Christian life? Will it be pleasing to God? Will your example be a safe one for others to follow? {5T 361.3}
Before giving her hand in marriage, every woman should inquire whether he with whom she is about to unite her destiny is worthy. What has been his past record? Is his life pure? Is the love which he expresses of a noble, elevated character, or is it a mere emotional fondness? Has he the traits of character that will make her happy? Can she find true peace and joy in his affection? Will she be allowed to preserve her individuality, or must her judgment and conscience be surrendered to the control of her husband? As a disciple of Christ, she is not her own; she has been bought with a price. Can she honor the Saviour's claims as supreme? Will body and soul, thoughts and purposes, be preserved pure and holy? These questions have a vital bearing upon the well-being of every woman who enters the marriage relation. {5T 362.1}
Religion is needed in the home. Only this can prevent the grievous wrongs which so often embitter married life. Only where Christ reigns can there be deep, true, unselfish love. Then soul will be knit with soul, and the two lives will blend in harmony. Angels of God will be guests in the home, and their holy vigils will hallow the marriage chamber. Debasing sensuality will be banished. Upward to God will the thoughts be directed; to Him will the heart's devotion ascend. {5T 362.2}
The heart yearns for human love, but this love is not strong enough, or pure enough, or precious enough, to supply the place of the love of Jesus. Only in her Saviour can the wife find wisdom, strength, and grace to meet the cares, responsibilities, and sorrows of life. She should make Him her strength and her guide. Let woman give herself to Christ before giving herself to any earthly friend, and enter into no relation which shall conflict with this. Those who would find true happiness must have the blessing of heaven upon all that they possess and all that they do. It is disobedience to God that fills so many hearts and homes with misery. My sister, unless you would have a home where the shadows are never lifted, do not unite yourself with one who is an enemy of God. {5T 362.3}
As one who expects to meet these words in the judgment, I entreat you to ponder the step you contemplate taking. Ask yourself: "Will not an unbelieving husband lead my thoughts away from Jesus? He is a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God; will he not lead me to enjoy the things that he enjoys?" The path to eternal life is steep and rugged. Take no additional weights to retard your progress. You have too little spiritual strength, and you need help instead of hindrance. {5T 363.1}
The Lord commanded ancient Israel not to intermarry with the idolatrous nations around them: "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son." The reason is given. Infinite Wisdom, foreseeing the result of such unions, declares: "For they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly." "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them: He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face." {5T 363.2}
In the New Testament are similar prohibitions concerning the marriage of Christians with the ungodly. The apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, declares: "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." Again, in his second epistle, he writes: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." {5T 363.3}
My sister, dare you disregard these plain and positive directions? As a child of God, a subject of Christ's kingdom, the purchase of His blood, how can you connect yourself with one who does not acknowledge His claims, who is not controlled by His Spirit? The commands I have quoted are not the word of man, but of God. Though the companion of your choice were in all other respects worthy (which he is not), yet he has not accepted the truth for this time; he is an unbeliever, and you are forbidden of heaven to unite yourself with him. You cannot, without peril to your soul, disregard this divine injunction. {5T 364.1}
I would warn you of your danger before it shall be too late. You listen to smooth, pleasant words and are led to believe that all will be well; but you do not read the motives that prompt these fair speeches. You cannot see the depths of wickedness hidden in the heart. You cannot look behind the scenes and discern the snares that Satan is laying for your soul. He would lead you to pursue such a course that he can obtain easy access to aim his shafts of temptation against you. Do not give him the least advantage. While God moves upon the minds of His servants, Satan works through the children of disobedience. There is no concord between Christ and Belial. The two cannot harmonize. To connect with an unbeliever is to place yourself on Satan's ground. You grieve the Spirit of God and forfeit His protection. Can you afford to have such terrible odds against you in fighting the battle for everlasting life? {5T 364.2}
You may say: "But I have given my promise, and shall I now retract it?" I answer: If you have made a promise contrary to the Scriptures, by all means retract it without delay, and in humility before God repent of the infatuation that led you to make so rash a pledge. Far better take back such a promise, in the fear of God, than keep it and thereby dishonor your Maker. {5T 365.1}
Remember, you have a heaven to gain, an open path to perdition to shun. God means what He says. When He prohibited our first parents from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, their disobedience opened the floodgates of woe to the whole world. If we walk contrary to God, He will walk contrary to us. Our only safe course is to render obedience to all His requirements, at whatever cost. All are founded in infinite love and wisdom. {5T 365.2}
The spirit of intense worldliness that now exists, the disposition to acknowledge no higher claim than that of self-gratification, constitutes one of the signs of the last days. "As it was in the days of Noah," said Christ, "so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the Flood came, and destroyed them all." The people of this generation are marrying and giving in marriage with the same reckless disregard of God's requirements as was manifested in the days of Noah. There is in the Christian world an astonishing, alarming indifference to the teaching of God's word in regard to the marriage of Christians with unbelievers. Many who profess to love and fear God choose to follow the bent of their own minds rather than take counsel of Infinite Wisdom. In a matter which vitally concerns the happiness and well-being of both parties for this world and the next, reason, judgment, and the fear of God are set aside, and blind impulse, stubborn determination, is allowed to control. Men and women who are otherwise sensible and conscientious close their ears to counsel; they are deaf to the appeals and entreaties of friends and kindred and of the servants of God. The expression of a caution or warning is regarded as impertinent meddling, and the friend who is faithful enough to utter a remonstrance is treated as an enemy. All this is as Satan would have it. He weaves his spell about the soul, and it becomes bewitched, infatuated. Reason lets fall the reins of self-control upon the neck of lust, unsanctified passion bears sway, until, too late, the victim awakens to a life of misery and bondage. This is not a picture drawn by the imagination, but a recital of facts. God's sanction is not given to unions which He has expressly forbidden. For years I have been receiving letters from different persons who have formed unhappy marriages, and the revolting histories opened before me are enough to make the heart ache. It is no easy thing to decide what advice can be given to these unfortunate ones, or how their hard lot can be lightened; but their sad experience should be a warning to others. {5T 365.3}
In this age of the world, as the scenes of earth's history are soon to close and we are about to enter upon the time of trouble such as never was, the fewer the marriages contracted, the better for all, both men and women. Above all, when Satan is working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, let Christians beware of connecting themselves with unbelievers. God has spoken. All who fear Him will submit to His wise injunctions. Our feelings, impulses, and affections must flow heavenward, not earthward, not in the low, base channel of sensual thought and indulgence. It is time now that every soul should stand as in the sight of the heart-searching God. {5T 366.1}
My dear sister, as a disciple of Jesus you should inquire what will be the influence of the step you are about to take, not only upon yourself, but upon others. The followers of Christ are to be co-workers with their Master; they must be "blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom," says Paul, "ye shine as lights in the world." We are to receive the bright beams from the Sun of Righteousness, and by our good works let them shine forth to others in clear, steady rays, never fitful, never growing dim. We cannot be sure that we are doing no harm to those about us unless we are exerting a positive influence to lead them heavenward. {5T 366.2}
" "Ye are My witnesses," said Jesus, and in each act of our lives we should inquire: How will our course affect the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom? If you are indeed Christ's disciple, you will choose to walk in His footsteps, however painful this may be to your natural feelings. Said Paul: "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." You, Sister L, need to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him, as did Mary of old. God requires of you an entire surrender of your will, your plans and purposes. Jesus is your leader; to Him you must look, in Him you must trust, and you must permit nothing to deter you from the life of consecration which you owe to God. Your conversation must be in heaven, from whence you look for your Saviour. Your piety must be of a character to make itself felt by all within the sphere of your influence. God requires you in every act of life to shun the very appearance of evil. Are you doing this? You are under the most sacred obligation not to belittle or compromise your holy faith by uniting with the Lord's enemies. If you are tempted to disregard the injunctions of His word because others have done so, remember that your example also will exert an influence. Others will do as you do, and thus the evil will be extended. While you profess to be a child of God, a departure on your part from His requirements will result in infinite harm to those who look to you for guidance. {5T 367.1}
The salvation of souls will be the constant aim of those who are abiding in Christ. But what have you done to show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness? "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Shake off this fatal infatuation that benumbs your senses and palsies the energies of the soul. {5T 367.2}
The very strongest incentives to faithfulness are set before us, the highest motives, the most glorious rewards. Christians are to be Christ's representatives, sons and daughters of God. They are His jewels, His peculiar treasures. Of all who will maintain their steadfastness He declares: "They shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy." Those who reach the portals of eternal bliss will not count that any sacrifice which they have made was too great. {5T 368.1}
May God help you to stand the test and preserve your integrity. Cling by faith to Jesus. Disappoint not your Redeemer.
St. Helena, California, Feb. 13, 1885. {5T 368.2}
**********************************
Read and study the Bible - learn what it specifically says - learn the Bible's principles that govern life - surrender to God, pray through each temptation to receive faith that works by love from God implanted in you to strengthen you to not put your will to disobey God and obey Satan, watch for God's leadings in accordance with Scripture, and watch for satan's leadings in defiance of some portion of Scripture - pay attention to the difference and learn from the differences. Read Scriptures promises of giving the Holy Spirit and scripture's requirements of receiving the Holy Spirit, and watch for Satan's attempts to deceive by sending other spirits and evil influences pretending to be from God, and learn the differences in specifics and principles involved, learn to be trusting after learning not to be superstitious and not to be gullible. Search the Bible & SOP to see what is from God. Accept NO substitutes.
****************************************** hit # 4.
" You need to drink daily at the fountain of truth, that you may understand the secret of pleasure and joy in the Lord. But you must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions. This will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the Fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man. But the infinite sacrifice of God in giving Jesus, His beloved Son, to become a sacrifice for sin, enables Him to say, without violating one principle of His government: "Yield yourself up to Me; give Me that will; take it from the control of Satan, and I will take possession of it; then I can work in you to will and to do of My good pleasure." When He gives you the mind of Christ, your will becomes as His will, and your character is transformed to be like Christ's character. Is it your purpose to do God's will? Do you wish to obey the Scriptures? "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." {5T 515.1}
There is no such thing as following Christ unless you refuse to gratify inclination and determine to obey God. It is not your feelings, your emotions, that make you a child of God, but the doing of God's will. A life of usefulness is before you if your will becomes God's will. Then you may stand in your God-given manhood, an example of good works. You will then help to maintain rules of discipline instead of helping to break them down. You will then help to maintain order instead of despising it and inciting to irregularity of life by your own course of action. I tell you in the fear of God: I know what you may be if your will is placed on the side of God. "We are laborers together with God." You may be doing your work for time and eternity in such a manner
516
that it will stand the test of the judgment. Will you try? Will you now turn square about? You are the object of Christ's love and intercession. Will you now surrender to God and help those who are placed as sentinels to guard the interests of His work, instead of causing them grief and discouragement?
{5T 515.2}
****************************************
hit #5.
"Perfection Only in Christ. We have only a brief season here upon the earth, a time when licentious practices under the marriage vow are ruining thousands and tens of thousands. While you have some cross to lift, do not, I beg
57
you for Christ's sake, depart from justice and righteousness. Let your lives be in sobriety, and bring your will power into the matter, looking not for perfection in each other, but looking unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of your faith. Strive to run the Christian race with patience, keeping the crown of life in view, seeking to have a knowledge of the will of God, striving for precedence in His acquaintance and affections. {TSB 56.3}
You will, I know, when convinced of the right way, act resolutely, not as a child, but according to your convictions and not according to your feelings. Give yourself to God without reserve, soul, body, and spirit. Go to work in the cause of God, doing good, and the Lord will bless you. Do not become self-centered. Think of someone's soul; think of the self-denying, self-sacrificing life of Jesus. Turn your attention away from yourself to Jesus and His life and His character.--Letter 57, 1888. {TSB 57.1}
***************************************
hit # 6.
"March 2, 1905 The Work of God's Messengers
God's messengers are commissioned to take up the very work that Christ did while on this earth. They are to give themselves to every line of ministry that He carried on. With earnestness and sincerity they are to tell men of the unsearchable riches and the immortal treasures of heaven. They are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. They are to repeat heaven's offers of peace and pardon. They are to point to the gates of the city of God, saying, "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." {PUR, March 2, 1905 par. 1}
What motive for service does God present in His word to His workers, ministers and gospel medical missionaries?--"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly." Before the coming of this great day, we are to proclaim to the world the last message of mercy, that men and women may be prepared for Christ's coming. This message is to be proclaimed in all the world, for a witness to all people, and then shall the end come. Can God's servants expect to have the peace of Christ while they hold back from doing the work that needs to be done? Can they who do little but censure and condemn those who are trying to work, expect the Saviour to bless them? {PUR, March 2, 1905 par. 2}
You strike too low, my brethren and sisters. Set your mark higher. Let your work be in harmony with the work of Christ. It is the privilege of all to grow up to the full stature of men and women in Christ. "This is the will of God concerning you, even your sanctification." Is this your will also? My brethren and sisters, with intensity of desire long after God; yea, pant after Him as the hart panteth after the water brooks. Press toward the mark of the prize of your high calling in Christ. Deny self; lift the cross, and it will lift you. It will be to you a pledge of eternal life. Take up the work God has given you. Use your means in His service. Lay hold of the Word of promise. Work while the day lasts; for the night cometh in which no man can work. {PUR, March 2, 1905 par. 3}
He whose heart God touches is filled with a great love for those who have never heard the truth. Their condition impresses him with a sense of personal woe. Taking his life in his hand, he hurries away, a heaven-sent, heaven-inspired messenger, to do a work in which angels can co- operate.
Ellen G. White. {PUR, March 2, 1905 par. 4}
***************************************
hit # 7. in context with (quote in bold )
"September 30, 1889 How to Glorify God.
[SERMON AT
CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 8, 1889.]
-
Mrs. E. G. White
-
Through all our trials we should think of the plan of salvation, we should educate the soul to exercise faith in Christ and to render praise to God. Christ suffered reproach. He was reviled and rejected of men. They even said that he had a devil, but he did not shrink from the cross of suffering, and we should not murmur at the self-sacrificing part of religion. All Heaven is interested in the trying of our souls, the whole universe is interested to see how we shall bear the cross and endure the shame. You are to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. God does not work with man without his co-operation. Divine power will combine with human effort, and enable you to successfully meet the enemy of your souls. In Christ you must meet every difficulty; and if others do not sympathize with your ideas, you must not wound them by enmity, but press close to the bleeding side of your Saviour. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 1}
If you have doubts, you should not gratify the evil one by telling others concerning them. If you trust in Christ, as surely as he died on Calvary's cross, you will obtain the victory. It was living faith that caused the woman who had suffered under disease for years to touch the hem of Christ's garment. This is the faith that we must have, and then we shall not speak of our trials and conflicts; for through them all, we shall have joy unspeakable and full of glory. Jesus has said, "He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." We should unfurl the banner of the Prince of Peace, and in perplexity and sorrow we must not lose sight of Him who is mighty to save. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 2}
Jesus came to this earth, marred and seared by the curse, for the purpose of bringing moral power to men. He fought the battle in man's behalf in the wilderness of temptation, and it was the same battle that everyone of us must fight till the close of time. Christ was not overcome in this conflict. He who worked miracles for others, worked none for himself. He had clothed his divinity with humanity, and he had come to bring divine power to man. He met the enemy at every step with "It is written." He used the word of God to thwart the temptations of the evil one. This is where our safety lies. We should study the word of God, and be so filled with it, that we can meet the enemy of our souls with "It is written," as did our example. Then we could hope for the grace that God has promised, to enable us to be overcomers. You should be full of hope in the work of the Lord. A discouraged man cannot glorify God. Whatever you do, you should not lose your hope and faith. When you become discouraged it is an evidence that you have allowed the enemy to come in between your soul and God. You must lay hold of the hope set before you, and you will come off victorious, and be ready to sing the praises of God. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 3}
When Christ came to this world, he found that Satan had everything as he wanted it. The adversary of God and man thought that he was indeed the prince of the earth, but Jesus laid hold of the world to take it out of the power of Satan. He came to redeem it from the curse of sin and the penalty of transgression, that the transgressor might be forgiven. He planted the cross between earth and heaven, and between divinity and humanity; and as the Father beheld the cross, he was satisfied. He said, "It is enough, the offering is complete." God and man may be reconciled. Those who have lived in rebellion against God, may become reconciled, if as they see the cross, they become repentant, and accept the great propitiation that Christ has made for their sins. In the cross they see that "mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 4}
We do not appreciate the love of God as we should. When God gave his Son to die for the sins of men, he gave all Heaven in that one gift. There was nothing that God could withhold from humanity after giving up his beloved Son; for Christ himself had assumed humanity. He was made a child that he might understand the temptations of childhood, and know its weaknesses and be able to help the children to be overcomers. He passed from youth to manhood, and carried our griefs and bore our sorrows. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. When we come to him in sincerity pleading for pardon, he forgives. We need not wait to make ourselves acceptable; for we can never. We cannot do works that will commend us to God when we have sinned. We must come to the cross, and lay our burden of sin upon Jesus Christ, and believe that we are pardoned for Christ's sake who died for us. When we acknowledge our sin, and seek pardon through Christ, the law is exalted. It is the moral standard of God, and tells us what sin is. Says John, "Sin is the transgression of the law." Those who have sinned must hang their helpless souls on Christ. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 5}
You should place your will on the side of God's will. You cannot be overcome of the enemy unless you press positive resistance against God's will. We can be more than conquerors through faith in him who has loved us and given himself for us. When you come to God, you must come with confidence. When Satan presses upon your soul his temptations to doubt that God will have mercy in your case, you should press back his suggestions with the promises of God. Our heavenly Father has expressed his love for us individually in the cross of Calvary. The Father loves us, he is full of compassion and tender mercy. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 6}
Jesus came to this earth to represent the character of the Father to the world. He said, "He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father." Satan had misrepresented the character of God, and placed him in a false light. But Jesus came to reveal the Father's love and compassion toward the fallen children of men. When those who profess to be the servants of God draw down their countenances in gloom, and are ever complaining, they misrepresent their heavenly Father. They are confirming the impression that Satan has made concerning his character. They say to the world, "The service of God is a hard service. It is bondage to keep the law of God." This is all false. What is it that puts the shackles on men's wrists? Is it obedience to law? No, indeed. Those who keep the laws walk at liberty. It is the transgressor that is in bondage. The curse of the law is not upon those who are striving to fulfill God's holy precepts through faith in the Redeemer. They are covered with his righteousness. They are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 7}
How wrong it is for those who profess to be engaged in the service of God, to dishonor God by misrepresenting his service. The Lord has proclaimed himself as "The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." Will we believe this declaration of his character? He says again, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God; for he will abundantly pardon." {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 8}
How long we have resisted the pleading of the Spirit of God! How long he has borne with us! We would not bear such resistance as we have made against him. But he says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." "As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him." It is because the Lord is not like one of us that he can forgive sins when we come to him with repentance. Satan tries to discourage every soul that seeks to come to God. He will tell you that you are a sinner, unworthy of the love of God. And you can tell him that you know it, but that you have repented of your transgressions and by faith you depend upon the merits of the blood of Christ, and the mercy of God is for you. Reach over the doubts that he suggests to your mind, and grasp the promise of God. Tell your enemy that "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 9}
The followers of Jesus should be living stones in the temple of God, so that they may emit light to those around them. They should work with a cheerful heart to show forth the praises of Him who has called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. They should seek to unfold to men the glories of the law of liberty. If they go forth to labor for God with a gloomy countenance, and despondent heart, they will not accomplish anything that will glorify their Redeemer; for their attitude of doubt will destroy the effect of their words. The conflict is coming on the law of God in the world. Satan carries on the same warfare from age to age against the precepts of Jehovah. The sinner hates the law because it points out his shortcoming, and he tramples upon it in derision. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 10}
Those who profess to love God should search the Scriptures diligently, for they cannot afford to be found transgressors of the law. The time is coming when no one will be able to render an excuse to God for disobedience to his law. There are those who say now that they cannot keep the commandments of God. They excuse themselves from obedience to the fourth commandment because of business, or their family, or social relations. But these excuses will not be found to avail in the day of God. They will not stand the test of the judgment. {ST, September 30, 1889 par. 11}
Christ left the royal throne, he stepped down from his high command in the heavenly courts, and for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty, might be made rich; and what answer can be framed before him for trampling on the holy law of God? When God gave his Son, he made provision in him for every emergency connected with man's salvation; and in the day of reward and meeting out the penalty for transgression, every mouth will be stopped, and all the world will become guilty before God. But of those who have obeyed the precepts of heaven, Jesus says, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Do you want to enter into the city of God? Christ has stated the condition upon which you may enter. It may seem to you now that commandment-keepers are in the minority; but it will not seem so when the gates of the heavenly city swing back on their glittering hinges. God is on the side of those who obey him. God is a majority. Christ is on their side, the angels of heaven are on their side, and all the good are on their side. The doers of the law of God are in the majority. They have access to the power that the world cannot give or take away. Let us not exalt Satan by dwelling upon his power. Let us talk of the power of God. Let us think of the King in his beauty. Let us behold Christ, and by beholding, become changed into his divine image.
-
{ST, September 30, 1889 par. 12}
***********************************
hit # 8. in context ( quote bolded and colorized )
"August 24, 1891 Christ our Hope.
-
By Mrs. E. G. White.
-
"This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." The knowledge of God and of Christ is the only knowledge which can lead to true and eternal happiness. This knowledge all may obtain; all may win the crown of glory, and the life which measures with the life of God. {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 1}
Sin, that cost Adam beautiful Eden, exists everywhere in our world. Evil triumphs wherever God is not known or his character contemplated. We could not commit sin if we realized the presence of God, and thought upon his goodness, his love, and his compassion. Satan knows that if he can obscure the vision so that the eye of faith cannot behold God, there will be no barrier against sin. It is necessary to know God in order to be attracted to him. And the perception of his image as represented in Christ changes the sinner's views of evil. The shadow of Satan obscures the character of Jesus and of God; but if we by faith gain a knowledge of God, and hold steadfastly to Jesus, we shall be changed. In Jesus is manifested the character of the Father, and the sight of him attracts. It softens and subdues, and ceases not to transform the character, until Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. The human heart that has learned to behold the character of God may become, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, like a sacred harp, sending forth divine melody. {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 2}
What benefit to the world are those professed Christians who have nothing to say about Jesus? Are they indeed standing under the banner of Prince Emmanuel when they are not doing him the service of faithful soldiers? Has your study of the law of God, the standard of all righteousness, led you to exclaim with Isaiah: "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts"? Has the sight brought you to see that your only hope is in Christ, the sin-pardoning Saviour? Has the sight of Jesus on the cross, dying for the guilt of man, brought you in contrition to the foot of the cross, so that you can say with Job, "Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes"? Have you made an entire surrender of your will to God's will, your ways to God's ways? Have you renounced self-confidence, self-boasting, and accepted Jesus, who is made everything to you,--wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption? Do you see Christ as the anti-type of all the types, the precious, glorious substance of all the shadows, the full signification of all the symbols? The types and shadows were instituted by Christ himself, to transmit to man an idea of the plan devised for his redemption. {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 3}
When Moses was feeding his flock in the pastures of Midian, the Lord was preparing him for a position of great responsibility; he was to be a laborer together with God. Educated in the court of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, he was imperfectly qualified to take his place as the leader of a suffering, tempted people, to help them in their oppression, sympathize with their sufferings, and conduct them through a rough and dangerous desert to the land of promise. The Lord in his providence took Moses from the king's court, and gave him the humble work of a shepherd, that, while caring for the sheep in the desert, he might be trained for the trials and hardships and perils of the wilderness, and qualified for the office of a shepherd of his own flock, for a church whose God was the Lord. {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 4}
Forty years was Moses in this training school in the mountains. At Mount Horeb the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. "He looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from of thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 5}
How many today see evidences of God's work, but their attention is not arrested! The enemy has cast his hellish shadow over them, so they do not perceive that God would have them pay special attention to his requirements, and be prepared to answer at any time as did Moses, "Here am I." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 6}
In the Jewish service, under the special direction of God the sacrifices were to be offered only at the tabernacle, through the medium of the priest. If he who wished to make an offering was negligent, and failed to carry out the specified arrangement of God, he was to be cut off from his people. "What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, and bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 7}
This was strictly enjoined in the typical service, in order to give it its fullest significance. The object was to impress the minds of the people with the great truth that man can have access to God only through Christ. The Saviour says, "No man cometh to the Father but by me." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 8}
All religious service, however attractive and costly, that endeavors to merit the favor of God, all mortification of the flesh, all penance and laborious work to procure the forgiveness of sin and the divine favor,--whatever prevents us from making Christ our entire dependence, is abomination in the sight of God. There is no hope for man but to cease his rebellion, his resistance of God's will, and own himself a sinner ready to perish, and cast himself upon the mercy of God. We can be saved only through Christ. Not by any good works which we may do, can we find salvation. There is no mercy for the fallen race except that which comes as the free gift of God. There is no blessing we receive but that which comes through the mediation of Christ. It is ever to be borne in mind that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him" as his personal Saviour, able to save to the uttermost all who come unto him, "should not perish, but have everlasting life." The Father gave his well-beloved Son, that through this divine channel his love might reach to man. The Father loves those who believe on Christ, even as he loves the Son, for they are made one with Christ. Jesus encircles the race with his human arm, while with his divine arm he lays hold upon infinity. He is the "daysman" between a holy God and our sinful humanity,--one who can "lay his hand on us both." {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 9}
The terms of this oneness between God and man in the great covenant of redemption were arranged with Christ from all eternity. The covenant of grace was revealed to the patriarchs. The covenant made with Abraham four hundred and thirty years before the law was spoken on Sinai was a covenant confirmed by God in Christ, the very same gospel which is preached to us. "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." The covenant of grace is not a new truth, for it existed in the mind of God from all eternity. This is why it is called the everlasting covenant. The plan of redemption was not conceived after the fall of man to cure the dreadful evil; the apostle Paul speaks of the gospel, the preaching of Jesus Christ, as "the revelation of the mystery, which hath been kept in silence through times eternal, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith." (Revised Version.) {ST, August 24, 1891 par. 10}
********************************
hit #9. in context - quote bolded - colorized
" MR No. 1311 - An Appeal To Be Converted Fully to Christ, Enjoy His Love, and Be a Help to Others
(Written September 18, 1901, from Healdsburg, California, to "Dear Brother and Sister Sanderson.") {18MR 79.1}
Your letters have been received and carefully read. I will now write a few lines in reply. I thank you for writing, for your letters have taken a heavy weight off my heart. I greatly desire that you shall both so will and so do that God will be honored and glorified by your service in the sanitarium. I know that changes must be made, and we shall help you in every way possible. {18MR 79.2}
I felt like weeping when I read Sister Sanderson's letter. I thank the Lord, my sister, that you are resolved to open your heart to the Saviour. I would not speak one word to discourage you. I will try to help you in every way that I can. My heart is drawn out to pray for you, not to depress you. My prayer is, "Lord, increase Sister Sanderson's faith. Let the operation of the Holy Spirit be felt on her mind. Take her into a sacred nearness to Thine heart of infinite love." {18MR 79.3}
God alone can lead you to so recognize His mercy, love, and forbearance that you will have the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. This is the gift of God. It is the opening of the heart to receive the Word which is as the leaves of the tree of life. May God fill your heart with His love so that it may be said that you, my sister, have purified your soul by obeying the truth. Believing in Christ and receiving His transforming grace is not guesswork, but a work which causes Christ's virtues to be reflected in mind and character. When you gain this experience you will say, "I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. The Lord Jesus shall be my portion forever." {18MR 79.4}
The power of the cross will move in you the mysterious springs of hope and fear, adoration and love. Angels are watching and waiting and will witness to the fact that the world has you not. Jesus has found you sitting at His feet to learn from Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Henceforth, surrendering your will to the will of Christ, you are drawn into a region where the cross is the central object. The world fades from your view. The glory shining from the threshold of heaven is the all-attractive influence. The riches of the grace of Christ hold you in willing obedience. You delight in the precious blessings of your allegiance. You are only too glad to impart to others the gift you have received. {18MR 80.1}
I long to see you improving the capabilities given you by God so that you can respond to the inquiry, "What must I do to be saved?" Let the words fall from sanctified lips, "Be saved by accepting Christ by faith as your personal Saviour." God is love. The sinner need not perish if he will exercise faith in the wonderful efficacy of the cross of Christ. The cross is the stupendous expedient by which is harmonized the love and justice of God. It is the sinner's only means of salvation. {18MR 80.2}
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." The image of His love may be so stamped upon the mind that it can never be effaced. Then Jesus Christ will be so evidently set forth crucified before you that you will be a partaker of the dignity of His suffering. I have such an intense longing that you may look into the heart of this great mystery and find that its interpretation is Love.
[1 John 2:24-29, quoted.
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. {in him: or, in it}
28 ¶ And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.]
{18MR 80.3}
I want to see Sister Sanderson standing on vantage ground as one who has spiritual dominion over the powers of darkness. Cultivate love. [1 John 4:7-14; 5:2-5, quoted. 1st John 4:7-15 7 ¶ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 ¶ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
1st John 5:2-5
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?] {18MR 81.1}
Sister Sanderson, I am pleading with God for your soul's salvation. I feel an intense desire to see you free and happy in Christ Jesus, your heart full of the grace of God. I cannot endure the thought that you shall remain where you are. I cannot let you go. I long for your soul in Jesus Christ. I want to see you obtaining victory after victory. I have been conversing with you in the visions of the night. I saw your countenance changed by the reflection of the Spirit of God, and I was made joyful in the Lord. {18MR 81.2}
What you expressed in your letter gave me hope and courage to believe that you will be truly converted and be a help to your husband. Your letter was an encouragement to me, and though the enemy may tell you that I do not care for you, do not believe him. I do care for your soul. I have spoken plainly to you by letter because I wished to tell you the truth and arouse you to make the determined effort you can make if you will. I want to see you and your husband free in God right here in the sanitarium. Then you will not move under false impressions. {18MR 81.3}
Never was there a time in your experience when you were so much in need of a wholehearted conversion as you are now. You have not yet sufficiently touched the vital springs of happiness. When you know your Saviour, when you realize that He is precious to your soul, you will have found your way to the wellspring of life and will be able to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. {18MR 81.4}
Let your mind come fully and habitually under the belief that Christ loves you. As you make a full surrender of your will to God's will, your way to God's way, you will learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart, and will find rest unto your soul. (Matthew 11:29). A calm confidence will preside over you. Your heart will possess a dignity to which before it was a stranger. You will experience more and more clearly the sense of an ever-present, all-pervading Saviour. This will give the soul power to hold its stability, power which the changing circumstances of earth cannot undermine. It plants the feet upon a solid rock. {18MR 81.5}
Then you can sing with the spirit and with the understanding also. Under all discouraging circumstances your heart will rejoice in your Saviour. You will find opportunity to speak words of hope to the weary and the desponding. {18MR 82.1}
When you are converted you can give instruction to many disheartened souls. As you contemplate God and heaven, you will love to minister, and you will feel a sacred, solemn awe as you realize that you are ministering in connection with the hand of God, which opens only to do good.--Letter 123, 1901.
Ellen G. White Estate Washington, D. C. Nov. 5, 1987. Entire Letter. {18MR 82.2}
************************************
hit # 10 of 10
To Uriah Smith when he was falling away from God. 1888 Message Materials Chap. 102 - To U. Smith
" I thank the Lord for health, I thank the Lord for freedom. Why your particular case agonized my soul so continuously I cannot define. Again and again have I seen that blindness was upon you to an alarming degree. I give you up to the hands of Jesus, and then think I have not more to say, not another word, then I find my soul torn with anguish and I am weeping and praying with strong cryings and tears, Take not thy Holy Spirit from him; O, let something from Thy spirit break this spell. . . . O, that you would surrender your will to God's will, O, that you would tremble at his work. Where is your preparation to be obtained that you may stand in the day of the Lord? No where but low at the foot of the cross. O, it is not too late for wrongs to be righted. Do not confer with flesh and blood. Do not say, There are some things I do not understand. Of course there are. Your mind is clouded, but take one step that you do see, then you can see another. O, kindle your taper from the divine altar before it is everlastingly too late! Remove the stumbling blocks at once without any delay. When God helps you you will be helped to see your own weakness and the inefficiency and the glory and majesty of Christ. The voice of God calls you as it did Elijah, Come out of the cave and stand with God and hear what he will say unto you. When you will come under the divine guidance, the comforter will lead you into all truth. The office of the Holy Spirit is to take the things of Christ as they fall from his lips and infuse them as living principles into the hearts opened to receive them. Then we will know both the Father and the Son. {1888 799.1} "
********************************
"human will" = 83 SOP hits & several references in Scripture. Human will is only to be surrendered in conformity to Scripture according to what Scripture says and explains.
"When Christ first announced to the heavenly host His mission and work in the world, He declared that He was to leave His position of dignity and disguise His holy mission by assuming the likeness of a man, when in reality He was the Son of the infinite God. And when the fullness of time was come, He stepped down from His throne of highest command, laid aside His royal robe and kingly crown, clothed His divinity with humanity, and came to this earth to exemplify what humanity must do and be in order to overcome the enemy and to sit with the Father upon His throne. . . . He made it possible for Himself to be buffeted by human agencies inspired by Satan, the rebel who had been expelled from heaven. {CTr 227.4}
As the head of humanity, Christ lived on this earth a perfect, consistent life, in conformity with the will of His heavenly Father. . . . Always uppermost in His mind and heart was the thought “Not My human will, but Thy will, be done.”Letter 303, 1903. {CTr 227.5}
************************************
"Our condition through sin has become preternatural, and the power
323
that restores us must be supernatural, else it has no value. There is but one power that can break the hold of evil from the hearts of men, and that is the power of God in Jesus Christ. Only through the blood of the Crucified One is there cleansing from sin. His grace alone can enable us to resist and subdue the tendencies of our fallen nature. This power the spiritualistic theories concerning God 579 make of no effect. If God is an essence pervading all nature, then He dwells in all men; and in order to attain holiness, man has only to develop the power that is within him. {CCh 322.8}
These theories, followed to their logical conclusion, sweep away the whole Christian economy. They do away with the necessity for the atonement and make man his own savior. These theories regarding God make His word of no effect, and those who accept them are in great danger of being led finally to look upon the whole Bible as a fiction. They may regard virtue as better than vice; but God being removed from His position of sovereignty, they place their dependence upon human power, which, without God, is worthless. The unaided human will has no real power to resist and overcome evil. The defenses of the soul are broken down. Man has no barrier against sin. When once the restraints of God's word and His Spirit are rejected, we know not to what depths one may sink. {CCh 323.1}
Those who continue to hold these spiritualistic theories will surely spoil their Christian experience, sever their connection with God, and lose eternal life. 580 {CCh 323.2}
*******************************
"After the passing of the time in 1844, we had fanaticism of every kind to meet. Testimonies of reproof were given me to bear to some holding spiritualistic theories. {CCh 323.4}
Ungodly teaching is followed by sinful practice. It is the seducing bait of the father of lies, and results in the impenitence of self-satisfied impurity. {CCh 323.5}
The experience of the past will be repeated. In the future, Satan's superstitions will assume new forms. Errors will be presented in a pleasing and flattering manner. False theories, clothed with garments of light, will be presented to God's people. Thus Satan will try to deceive, if possible, the very elect. Most seducing influences will be exerted; minds will be hypnotized. {CCh 323.6}
Corruptions of every type, similar to those existing among the antediluvians,
324
will be brought in to take minds captive. The exaltation of nature as God, the unrestrained license of the human will, the counsel of the ungodly—these Satan uses as agencies to bring about certain ends. He will employ the power of mind over mind to carry out his designs. The most sorrowful thought of all is that under his deceptive influence men will have a form of godliness, without having a real connection with God. Like Adam and Eve, who ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, many are even now feeding upon the deceptive morsels of error. {CCh 323.7}
**************************************
" 266. A pure and noble life, a life of victory over appetite and lust, is possible to every one who will unite his weak, wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering will of God. {CD 170.1}
***********************************
" Those who put their trust in Christ are not to be enslaved by any hereditary or cultivated habit or tendency. Instead of being held in bondage to the lower nature, they are to rule every appetite and passion. God has not left us to battle with evil in our own finite strength. Whatever may be our inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong, we can overcome through the power that He is ready to impart. . . . {CH 440.1}
Through the right exercise of the will an entire change may be made in the life. By yielding up the will to Christ, we ally ourselves with divine power. We receive strength from above to hold us steadfast. A pure and noble life, a life of victory over appetite and lust, is possible to everyone who will unite his weak, wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering will of God. {CH 440.2}
Those who are struggling against the power of appetite should be instructed in the principles of healthful living. They should be shown that violation of the laws of health, by creating diseased conditions and unnatural cravings, lays the foundation of the liquor habit. Only by living in obedience to the principles of health can they hope to be freed from the craving for unnatural stimulants. While they depend upon divine strength to break the bonds of appetite, they are to co-operate with God by obedience to His laws, both moral and physical. . . . {CH 440.3}
For every soul struggling to rise from a life of sin to a life of purity, the great element of power abides in the only "name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved." "If any man thirst," for restful hope, for deliverance from sinful propensities, Christ says, "let him come unto Me, and drink." The only remedy for vice is the grace and power of Christ. {CH 440.4}
******************************************
"The Christian life is a warfare. But "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). In this conflict of righteousness against unrighteousness we can be successful only by divine aid. Our finite will must be brought into submission to the will of the Infinite; the human will must be blended with the divine. This will bring the Holy Spirit to our aid. . . . {AG 196.3}
The Lord Jesus acts through the Holy Spirit; for it is His representative. Through it He infuses spiritual life into the soul, quickening its energies for good, cleansing it from moral defilement, and giving it a fitness for His kingdom. Jesus has large blessings to bestow, rich gifts to distribute among men. He is the wonderful Counselor, infinite in wisdom and strength; and if we will acknowledge the power of His Spirit, and submit to be molded by it, we shall stand complete in Him. What a thought is this! In Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him" (Colossians 2:9, 10). Never will the human heart know happiness until it is submitted to be molded by the Spirit of God. The Spirit conforms the renewed soul to the model, Jesus Christ. Through the influence of the Spirit, enmity against God is changed into faith and love, and pride into humility. The soul perceives the beauty of truth, and Christ is honored in excellence and perfection of character. As these changes are effected, angels break out in rapturous song, and God and Christ rejoice over souls fashioned after the divine similitude. {AG 196.4}
******************************************************************************************************************************
What should a Christian search and study the Holy Scriptures to learn ?
"Chap. 287 - Keeping the Heart
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23. {AG 295.1}
Diligent heart-keeping is essential to a healthy growth in grace. The heart in its natural state is a habitation for unholy thoughts and sinful passions. When brought into subjection to Christ, it must be cleansed by the Spirit from all defilement. This cannot be done without the consent of the individual. {AG 295.2}
When the soul has been cleansed, it is the duty of the Christian to keep it undefiled. Many seem to think that the religion of Christ does not call for the abandonment of daily sins, the breaking loose from habits which have held the soul in bondage. They renounce some things condemned by the conscience, but they fail to represent Christ in the daily life. They do not bring Christlikeness into the home. They do not show a thoughtful care in their choice of words. Too often, fretful, impatient words are spoken, words which stir the worst passions of the human heart. Such ones need the abiding presence of Christ in the soul. Only in His strength can they keep guard over the words and actions. . . . {AG 295.3}
Many seem to begrudge moments spent in meditation, and the searching of the Scriptures, and prayer, as though the time thus occupied was lost. I wish you could all view these things in the light God would have you for you would then make the kingdom of heaven of the first importance. To keep your heart in heaven will give vigor to all your graces, and put life into all your duties. . . . As exercise increases the appetite, and gives strength and healthy vigor to the body, so will devotional exercises bring an increase of grace and spiritual vigor. . . . {AG 295.4}
Let the prayer go up to God, "Create in me a clean heart" (Psalm 51:10); for a pure, cleansed soul has Christ abiding therein, and out of the abundance of the heart are the issues of life. The human will is to be yielded to Christ. Instead of passing on, closing the heart in selfishness, there is need of opening the heart to the sweet influences of the Spirit of God. Practical religion breathes its fragrance everywhere. It is a savor of life unto life. {AG 295.5}
Chap. 288 - First, an Empty Heart
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Mark 12:30, 31. {AG 296.1}
On these two commandments the whole interest and duty of moral beings hang. Those who do their duty to others as they would that others should do to them are brought into a position where God can reveal Himself to them. They will be approved of Him. They are made perfect in love, and their labors and prayers will not be in vain. They are continually receiving grace and truth from the Fountainhead, and as freely transmitting to others the divine light and salvation they receive. . . . {AG 296.2}
Selfishness is abomination in the sight of God and holy angels. Because of this sin many fail to attain the good which they are capable of enjoying. They look with selfish eyes on their own things, and do not love and seek the interest of others as they do their own. They reverse God's order. Instead of doing for others what they wish others to do for them, they do for themselves what they desire others to do for them, and do to others what they are most unwilling to have returned to them. {AG 296.3}
How is it possible that we may grow in grace? It is possible to us only as we empty our hearts of self, and present them to Heaven, to be molded after the divine Pattern. We may have a connection with the living channel of light; we may be refreshed with the heavenly dew, and have the showers of Heaven descend upon us. As we appropriate the blessing of God, we shall be able to receive greater measures of His grace. As we learn to endure as seeing Him who is invisible, we shall become changed into the image of Christ. The grace of Christ will not make us proud, cause us to be lifted up in self, but we shall become meek and lowly in heart. {AG 296.4}
Growth in grace will not lead you to be proud, self-confident, and boastful, but will make you more conscious of your own nothingness, of your entire dependence upon the Lord. {AG 296.5}
Chap. 289 - Snares to Shun
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16. {AG 297.1}
Pride and the love of the world are the snares which are so great a hindrance to spirituality and a growth in grace. {AG 297.2}
This world is not the Christian's heaven, but merely the workshop of God, where we are to be fitted up to unite with the sinless angels in a holy heaven. We should be constantly training the mind to noble, unselfish thoughts. This education is necessary to so bring into exercise the powers which God has given us that His name shall best be glorified upon the earth. We are accountable for all the noble qualities which God has given us, and to put these faculties to a use He never designed we should is showing base ingratitude to Him. The service of God demands all the powers of our being, and we fail of meeting the design of God unless we bring these powers to a high state of cultivation, and educate the mind to love to contemplate heavenly things, and strengthen and ennoble the energies of the soul by right actions, operating to the glory of God. . . . {AG 297.3}
Unless the mind is educated to dwell upon religious themes, it will be weak and feeble in this direction. But while dwelling upon worldly enterprises, it will be strong; for in this direction it has been cultivated, and has strengthened with exercise. The reason it is so difficult for men and women to live religious lives is because they do not exercise the mind unto godliness. It is trained to run in an opposite direction. Unless the mind is constantly exercised in obtaining spiritual knowledge and in seeking to understand the mystery of godliness, it is incapable of appreciating eternal things. . . . When the heart is divided, dwelling principally upon things of the world, and but little upon the things of God, there can be no special increase of spiritual strength. {AG 297.4}
While worldling are all earnestness and ambition to secure earthly treasure, God's people are not conformed to the world, but show by their earnest, watching, waiting position that they are transformed; that their home is not in this world, but that they are seeking a better country, even a heavenly. {AG 297.5}
Chap. 290 - In Humility
Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5. {AG 298.1}
The confiding love and unselfish devotion manifested in the life and character of John present lessons of untold value to the Christian church. John did not naturally possess the loveliness of character that his later experience revealed. By nature he had serious defects. He was not only proud, self-assertive, and ambitious for honor, but impetuous, and resentful under injury. . . . But beneath all this the divine Teacher discerned the ardent, sincere, loving heart. Jesus rebuked his self-seeking, disappointed his ambitions, tested his faith. But He revealed to him that for which his soul longed--the beauty of holiness, the transforming power of love. {AG 298.2}
The lessons of Christ, setting forth meekness and humility and love as essential to growth in grace and a fitness for His work, were of the highest value to John. He treasured every lesson, and constantly sought to bring his life into harmony with the divine pattern. John had begun to discern the glory of Christ--not the worldly pomp and power for which he had been taught to hope, but "the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). . . . John desired to become like Jesus, and under the transforming influence of the love of Christ he did become meek and lowly. Self was hid in Jesus. {AG 298.3}
The Lord Jesus seeks the co-operation of those who will become unobstructed channels for the communication of His grace. The first thing to be learned . . . is the lesson of self-distrust; then they are prepared to have imparted to them the character of Christ. This is not to be gained through education in the most scientific schools. It is the fruit of wisdom that is obtained from the divine Teacher alone. . . . {AG 298.4}
Men of the highest education in the arts and sciences have learned precious lessons from Christians in humble life who were designated by the world as unlearned. But these obscure disciples had obtained an education in the highest of all schools. They had sat at the feet of Him who spoke as "never man spake" (John 7:46). {AG 298.5}
Chap. 291 - In Kindness
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. Colossians 3:12. {AG 299.1}
Let the law of kindness be upon your lips and the oil of grace in your heart. This will produce wonderful results. You will be tender, sympathetic, courteous. You need all these graces. The Holy Spirit must be received and brought into your character; then it will be as holy fire, giving forth incense which will rise up to God, not from lips that condemn, but as a healer of the souls of men. Your countenance will express the image of the divine. . . . By beholding the character of Christ you will become changed into His likeness. The grace of Christ alone can change your heart and then you will reflect the image of the Lord Jesus. God calls upon us to be like Him--pure, holy, and undefiled. We are to bear the divine image. . . . {AG 299.2}
The Lord Jesus is our only helper. Through His grace we shall learn to cultivate love, to educate ourselves to speak kindly and tenderly. Through His grace our cold, harsh manners will be transformed. The law of kindness will be upon our lips, and those who are under the precious influences of the Holy Spirit, will not feel that it is an evidence of weakness to weep with those who weep, to rejoice with them that rejoice. We are to cultivate heavenly excellences of character. We are to learn what it means to have good-will toward all men, a sincere desire to be as sunshine and not as shadow in the lives of others. {AG 299.3}
Seize every opportunity to contribute to the happiness of those around you, sharing with them your affection. Words of kindness, looks of sympathy, expressions of appreciation, would to many a struggling, lonely one be as a cup of cold water to a thirsty soul. . . . {AG 299.4}
Live in the sunshine of the Saviour's love. Then your influence will bless the world. Let the Spirit of Christ control you. Let the law of kindness be ever on your lips. Forbearance and unselfishness mark the words and actions of those who are born again, to live the new life in Christ. {AG 299.5}
Chap. 292 - We Must Follow On
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning. Hosea 6:3. {AG 300.1}
Christ came to teach the human family the way of salvation, and He made this way so plain that a little child can walk in it. He bids His disciples follow on to know the Lord; and as they daily follow His guidance, they learn that His going forth is prepared as the morning. {AG 300.2}
You have watched the rising sun, and the gradual break of day over earth and sky. Little by little the dawn increases, till the sun appears; then the light grows constantly stronger and clearer until the full glory of noontide is reached. This is a beautiful illustration of what God desires to do for His children in perfecting their Christian experience. As we walk day by day in the light He sends us, in willing obedience to all His requirements, our experience grows and broadens until we reach the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. . . . {AG 300.3}
Christ did not come to the earth as a king, to rule the nations. He came as a humble man, to be tempted, and to overcome temptation, to follow on, as we must, to know the Lord. In the study of His life we shall learn how much God through Him will do for His children. And we shall learn that, however great our trials may be, they cannot exceed what Christ endured that we might know the way, the truth, and the life. By a life of conformity to His example, we are to show our appreciation of His sacrifice in our behalf. {AG 300.4}
As the flower turns to the sun, that the bright beams may aid in perfecting its beauty and symmetry, so should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that heaven's light may shine upon us, that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ. . . . {AG 300.5}
You are just as dependent upon Christ, in order to live a holy life, as is the branch upon the parent stock for growth and fruitfulness. Apart from Him you have no life. You have no power to resist temptation or to grow in grace and holiness. Abiding in Him, you may flourish. Drawing your life from Him, you will not wither nor be fruitless. You will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. {AG 300.6}
Chap. 293 - Reflecting Jesus
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Ephesians 4:29. {AG 301.1}
I have a continual longing for Christ to be formed within, the hope of glory. I long to be beautified every day with the meekness and gentleness of Christ, growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ up to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. I must as an individual, through the grace given me of Jesus Christ, keep my own soul in health by keeping it as a divine channel through which His grace, His love, His patience, His meekness, shall flow to the world. This is my duty and no less the duty of every church member who claims to be a son or a daughter of God. {AG 301.2}
The Lord Jesus has made His church the depositary of sacred truth. He has left with her the work of carrying out His purposes and His plans to save the souls for whom He has manifested such interest, such unmeasured love. Like the sun in relation to our world, He rises amid the moral darkness--the Sun of Righteousness. He said of Himself, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). He said to His followers, "Ye are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). . . . By reflecting the image of Jesus Christ, by the beauty and holiness of their characters, by their continual self-denial and their separation from all idols, large or small, they reveal that they have learned in the school of Christ. {AG 301.3}
The Scripture says of Christ that grace was poured into His lips that He might "know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary" (Psalm 45:2; Isaiah 50:4). And the Lord bids us, "Let your speech be alway with grace" (Colossians 4:6) "that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). {AG 301.4}
In seeking to correct or reform others we should be careful of our words. They will be a savor of life unto life or of death unto death. . . . All who would advocate the principles of truth need to receive the heavenly oil of love. Under all circumstances reproof should be spoken in love. Then our words will reform but not exasperate. Christ by His Holy Spirit will supply the force and the power. This is His work. {AG 301.5}
Chap. 294 - When We Fail
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. Micah 7:8. {AG 302.1}
Nothing but divine power can regenerate the human heart and imbue souls with the love of Christ, which will ever manifest itself with love for those for whom He died. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. When a man is converted to God, a new moral taste is supplied, a new motive power is given, and he loves the things that God loves. . . . Love, joy, peace, and inexpressible gratitude will pervade the soul, and the language of him who is blessed will be, "Thy gentleness hath made me great" (Psalm 18:35). {AG 302.2}
But those who are waiting to behold a magical change in their characters without determined effort on their part to overcome sin, will be disappointed. We have no reason to fear while looking to Jesus, no reason to doubt but that He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto Him; but we may constantly fear lest our old nature will again obtain the supremacy, that the enemy shall devise some snare whereby we shall again become his captives. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. . . . {AG 302.3}
We are to grow daily in spiritual loveliness. We shall fail often in our efforts to copy the divine pattern. We shall often have to bow down to weep at the feet of Jesus, because of our shortcomings and mistakes; but we are not to be discouraged; we are to pray more fervently, believe more fully, and try again with more steadfastness to grow into the likeness of our Lord. As we distrust our own power, we shall trust the power of our Redeemer, and render praise to God, who is the health of our countenance, and our God. . . . {AG 302.4}
By beholding we are to become changed; and as we meditate upon the perfections of the divine Model, we shall desire to become wholly transformed, and renewed in the image of His purity. It is by faith in the Son of God that transformation takes place in the character, and the child of wrath becomes the child of God. {AG 302.5}
Chap. 295 - Feasting on his Word
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Acts 20:32. {AG 303.1}
The great and essential knowledge is the knowledge of God and His Word. . . . There should be a daily increasing of spiritual understanding; and the Christian will grow in grace, just in proportion as he depends upon and appreciates the teaching of the Word of God, and habituates himself to meditate upon divine things. {AG 303.2}
In giving us the privilege of studying His Word, the Lord has set before us a rich banquet. Many are the benefits derived from feasting on His Word, which is represented by Him as His flesh and blood, His spirit and life. By partaking of this Word our spiritual strength is increased; we grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. Habits of self-control are formed and strengthened. The infirmities of childhood--fretfulness, willfulness, selfishness, hasty words, passionate acts --disappear, and in their place are developed the graces of Christian manhood and womanhood. {AG 303.3}
The Lord, in His great mercy, has revealed to us in the Scriptures the rules of holy living. . . . {AG 303.4}
He has inspired holy men to record, for our benefit, instruction concerning the dangers that beset the path, and how to escape them. Those who obey His injunction to search the Scriptures will not be ignorant of these things. Amid the perils of the last days, every member of the church should understand the reasons of his hope and faith--reasons which are not difficult of comprehension. There is enough to occupy the mind, if we would grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. {AG 303.5}
Whenever the people of God are growing in grace, they will be constantly obtaining a clearer understanding of His Word. They will discern new light and beauty in its sacred truths. This has been true in the history of the church in all ages, and thus it will continue to the end. {AG 303.6}
Chap. 296 - From One Source Only
Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:17. {AG 304.1}
Your strength and growth in grace come only from one source. If when you are tempted and tried you stand bravely for the right, victory is yours. You are one step nearer to perfection of Christian character. A holy light from heaven fills the chambers of your soul, and you are surrounded by a pure, fragrant atmosphere. {AG 304.2}
It is our privilege to stand with the light of heaven upon us. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. It was no easier for Enoch to live a righteous life than it is for us at the present time. The world in his time was no more favorable to growth in grace and holiness than it is now. {AG 304.3}
It was by prayer and communion with God that Enoch was enabled to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are living in the perils of the last days, and we must receive our strength from the same source. We must walk with God. A separation from the world is required of us, for we cannot remain free from its pollution unless we follow the example of the faithful Enoch. . . . {AG 304.4}
How many there are as weak as water who might have a never-failing source of strength. Heaven is ready to impart to us, that we may be mighty in God, and attain to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. What increase of spiritual power have you gained during the last year? Who among us have gained one precious attainment after another, until envy, pride, malice, jealousy, and selfishness have been swept away, and only the graces of the Spirit remain--meekness, forbearance, gentleness, charity? God will help us if we take hold of the help He has provided. {AG 304.5}
No other creature that God has made is capable of such improvement, such refinement, such nobility as man. . . . Man cannot conceive what he may be and what he may become. Through the grace of Christ he is capable of constant mental progress. Let the light of truth shine into his mind and the love of God be shed abroad in his heart and he may, through the grace Christ has died to impart to him, be a man of power--a child of earth but an heir of immortality. {AG 304.6}
Chap. 297 - Helping Others
He that watereth shall be watered also himself. Proverbs 11:25. {AG 305.1}
Christ presents to us who are athirst the water of life, that we may drink freely; when we do this we have Christ within us as a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Then our words are full of moisture. We are prepared to water others. {AG 305.2}
No sooner does one come to Christ, than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus; the saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart. If we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and are filled with the joy of His indwelling Spirit, we shall not be able to hold our peace. If we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, we shall have something to tell. . . . {AG 305.3}
And the effort to bless others will react in blessings upon ourselves. This was the purpose of God in giving us a part to act in the plan of redemption. . . . {AG 305.4}
If you will go to work as Christ designs that His disciples shall, and win souls for Him, you will feel the need of a deeper experience and a greater knowledge in divine things, and will hunger and thirst after righteousness. You will plead with God, and your faith will be strengthened, and your soul will drink deeper drafts at the well of salvation. Encountering opposition and trials will drive you to the Bible and prayer. You will grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ, and will develop a rich experience. {AG 305.5}
The spirit of unselfish labor for others gives depth, stability, and Christlike loveliness to the character, and brings peace and happiness to its possessor. The aspirations are elevated. There is no room for sloth or selfishness. Those who thus exercise the Christian graces will grow, and will become strong to work for God. They will have clear spiritual perceptions, a steady, growing faith, and an increased power in prayer. The Spirit of God, moving upon their spirit, calls forth the sacred harmonies of the soul, in answer to the divine touch. Those who thus devote themselves to unselfish effort for the good of others, are most surely working out their own salvation. The only way to grow in grace is . . . to engage, to the extent of our ability, in helping and blessing those who need the help we can give them. {AG 305.6}
Chap. 298 - Spiritual Exercise a Must
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13. {AG 306.1}
An elevated standard is presented before the youth, and God is inviting them to come into real service for Him. True-hearted young men who delight to be learners in the school of Christ, can do a great work for the Master, if they will only give heed to the command of the Captain as it sounds down along the lines to our time, "Quit you like men, be strong." {AG 306.2}
Strength comes by exercise. All who put to use the ability which God has given them will have increased ability to devote to His service. Those who do nothing in the cause of God will fail to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. A man who would lie down and refuse to exercise his limbs would soon lose all power to use them. Thus the Christian who will not exercise his God-given powers not only fails to grow up into Christ, but he loses the strength which he already has; he becomes a spiritual paralytic. It is those who, with love for God and their fellow men, are striving to help others that become established, strengthened, settled, in the truth. The true Christian works for God, not from impulse, but from principle; not for a day or a month, but during the entire period of life. {AG 306.3}
This world is not a parade ground, but a battlefield. All are called to endure hardness, as good soldiers. They are to be strong and quit themselves like men. . . . The true test of character is found in the willingness to bear burdens, to take the hard place, to do the work that needs to be done, though it bring no earthly recognition or reward. {AG 306.4}
O that each one would place a proper estimate upon the capabilities that have been given him of God! Through Christ you may climb the ladder of progress, and bring every power under the control of Jesus. . . . In your own strength you can do nothing; but in the grace of Jesus Christ, you can employ your powers in such a way as to bring the greatest good to your own soul, and the greatest blessing to the souls of others. Lay hold of Jesus, and you will diligently work the works of Christ, and will finally receive the eternal reward. {AG 306.5}
Chap. 299 - A Divine Prescription
That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:12. {AG 307.1}
Many are longing to grow in grace; they pray over the matter, and are surprised that their prayers are not answered. The Master has given them a work to do whereby they shall grow. Of what value is it to pray when there is need of work? The question is, Are they seeking to save souls for whom Christ died? Spiritual growth depends upon giving to others the light that God has given to you. You are to put forth your best thoughts in active labor to do good, and only good, in your family, in your church, and in your neighborhood. {AG 307.2}
In place of growing anxious with the thought that you are not growing in grace, just do every duty that presents itself, carry the burden of souls on your heart, and by every conceivable means seek to save the lost. Be kind, be courteous, be pitiful; speak in humility of the blessed hope; talk of the love of Jesus; tell of His goodness, His mercy, and His righteousness; and cease to worry as to whether or not you are growing. Plants do not grow through any conscious effort. . . . The plant is not in continual worriment about its growth; it just grows under the supervision of God. {AG 307.3}
If we will consecrate heart and mind to the service of God, doing the work He has for us to do and walking in the footsteps of Jesus, our hearts will become sacred harps, every chord of which will send forth praise and thanksgiving to the Lamb sent by God to take away the sins of the world. . . . {AG 307.4}
The Lord Jesus is our strength and happiness, the great storehouse from which, on every occasion, men may draw strength. As we study Him, talk of Him, become more and more able to behold Him--as we avail ourselves of His grace and receive the blessings He proffers us, we have something with which to help others. Filled with gratitude, we communicate to others the blessings that have been freely given us. Thus receiving and imparting, we grow in grace. {AG 307.5}
Chap. 300 - No Place for Idleness
He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Luke 11:23. {AG 308.1}
How is our light to shine forth to the world unless it be by our consistent Christian life? How is the world to know that we belong to Christ, if we do nothing for Him? . . . There is no neutral ground between those who work to the utmost of their ability for Christ and those who work for the adversary of souls. Everyone who stands as an idler in the vineyard of the Lord is not merely doing nothing himself, but he is a hindrance to those who are trying to work. Satan finds employment for all who are not earnestly striving to secure their own salvation and the salvation of others. . . . Whenever a Christian is off his guard, this powerful adversary makes a sudden and violent attack. Unless the members of the church are active and vigilant, they will be overcome by his devices. {AG 308.2}
Many who should stand firm for righteousness and truth have manifested weakness and indecision that have encouraged the assaults of Satan. Those who fail to grow in grace, not seeking to reach the highest standard in divine attainments, will be overcome. . . . {AG 308.3}
In this season of conflict and trial we need all the support and consolation we can derive from righteous principles, from fixed religious convictions, from the abiding assurance of the love of Christ, and from a rich experience in divine things. We shall attain to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus only as the result of a steady growth in grace. {AG 308.4}
It is the work that we do or do not do that tells with tremendous power upon our lives and destinies. God requires us to improve every opportunity for usefulness that is offered us. Neglect to do this is perilous to our spiritual growth. We have a great work to do. Let us not pass in idleness the precious hours that God has given us in which to perfect characters for heaven. We must not be inactive or slothful in this work, for we have not a moment to spend without a purpose or object. God will help us to overcome our wrongs if we will pray and believe on Him. We can be more than conquerors through Him who has loved us. {AG 308.5}
Chap. 301 - In Life's Necessary Duties
Neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24. {AG 309.1}
Your spiritual strength and growth in grace will be proportionate to the labor of love and good works which you do cheerfully for your Saviour, who has withheld nothing, not even His own life, that He might save you. . . . {AG 309.2}
Our good works alone will not save any of us, but we cannot be saved without good works. And after we have done all that we can do, in the name and strength of Jesus we are to say: "We are unprofitable servants" (Luke 17:10). {AG 309.3}
If you have the riches of the grace of Christ in your heart, you will not keep them to yourselves while the salvation of souls depends upon a knowledge of the way of salvation that you can give. These may not come to you and tell you their heart longings, but many are hungry, unsatisfied, and Christ died that they might have the riches of His grace. What are you going to do that these souls may share the blessings that you enjoy? . . . {AG 309.4}
Growth in grace is shown in an increasing ability to work for God. He who learns in the school of Christ will know how to pray and how to speak for the Master. Realizing that he lacks wisdom and experience, he will place himself under the training of the Great Teacher, knowing that only thus he can obtain perfection in God's service. And daily he becomes better able to comprehend spiritual things. Every day of diligent labor finds him at its close better fitted to help others. {AG 309.5}
The essential lesson of contented industry in the necessary duties of life is yet to be learned by many of Christ's followers. It requires more grace, more stern discipline of character, to work for God in the capacity of mechanic, merchant, lawyer, or farmer, carrying the precepts of Christianity into the ordinary business of life, than to labor as an acknowledged missionary in the open field. It requires a strong spiritual nerve to bring religion into the workshop and the business office, sanctifying the details of everyday life, and ordering every transaction according to the standard of God's Word. But this is what the Lord requires. {AG 309.6}
Chap. 302 - Little Opportunities
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Ecclesiastes 9:10. {AG 310.1}
Nothing will so arouse a self-sacrificing zeal and broaden and strengthen the character as to engage in work for others. . . . None need wait until called to some distant field before beginning to help others. Doors of service are open everywhere. All around us are those who need our help. The widow, the orphan, the sick and the dying, the heartsick, the discouraged, the ignorant, and the outcast are on every hand. {AG 310.2}
We should feel it our special duty to work for those living in our neighborhood. Study how you can best help those who take no interest in religious things. As you visit your friends and neighbors, show an interest in their spiritual as well as in their temporal welfare. Speak to them of Christ as a sin-pardoning Saviour. Invite your neighbors to your home, and read with them from the precious Bible and from books that explain its truths. Invite them to unite with you in song and prayer. In these little gatherings, Christ Himself will be present, as He has promised, and hearts will be touched by His grace. . . . {AG 310.3}
Many regret that they are living a narrow life. They themselves can make their life broad and influential if they will. Those who love Jesus with heart and mind and soul, and their neighbor as themselves, have a wide field in which to use their ability and influence. Let none pass by little opportunities, to look for larger work. You might do successfully the small work, but fail utterly in attempting the larger work, and fall into discouragement. It is by doing with your might what you find to do that you will develop aptitude for larger work. It is by slighting the daily opportunities, by neglecting the little things right at hand, that so many become fruitless and withered. . . . {AG 310.4}
In fields where the conditions are so objectionable and disheartening that many are unwilling to go to them, remarkable changes have been wrought by the efforts of self-sacrificing workers. Patiently and perseveringly they labored, not relying upon human power, but upon God, and His grace sustained them. The amount of good thus accomplished will never be known in this world, but blessed results will be seen in the great hereafter. {AG 310.5}
Chap. 303 - Why Trials?
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:3. {AG 311.1}
Here is the process, the refining, purifying process, to be carried on by the Lord of hosts. The work is most trying to the soul, but it is only through this process that the rubbish and defiling impurities can be removed. Our trials are all necessary to bring us close to our heavenly Father, in obedience to His will, that we may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. God has given each of us capabilities, talents to improve. We need a new and living experience in the divine life, in order to do the will of God. No amount of past experience will suffice for the present, or will strengthen us to overcome the difficulties in our path. We must have new grace and fresh strength daily in order to be victorious. . . . {AG 311.2}
Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, and many others, were all sorely tried, but not in the same way. Everyone has his individual tests and trials in the drama of life, but the very same trial seldom comes twice. Each has his own experience, peculiar in its character and circumstances, to accomplish a certain work. God has a work, a purpose, in the life of each and all of us. Every act, however small, has its place. . . . {AG 311.3}
Would that all might feel that every step they take may have a lasting and controlling influence upon their own lives and the characters of others. Oh, how much need, then, of communion with God! What need of divine grace to direct every step, and show us how to perfect Christian characters! {AG 311.4}
Christians will have new scenes and new trials to pass through, where their past experience cannot be a sufficient guide. We need to learn of the divine Teacher as much now as at any period of our lives, and even more. And the more experience we gain, the nearer we draw toward the pure light of heaven, the more shall we discern in ourselves that needs reforming. . . . The path of the just is a progressive one, from strength to strength, from grace to grace, and from glory to glory. The divine illumination will increase more and more, corresponding with our onward movements, qualifying us to meet the responsibilities and emergencies before us. {AG 311.5}
Chap. 304 - "Fulness of God"
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:19. {AG 312.1}
God calls upon those who know His will to be doers of His word. Weakness, halfheartedness, and indecision provoke the assaults of Satan; and those who permit these traits to grow will be borne helplessly down by the surging waves of temptation. . . . {AG 312.2}
Every means of grace should be diligently improved that the love of God may abound in the soul more and more, "that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness" (Philippians 1:10, 11). Your Christian life must take on vigorous and stalwart forms. You can attain to the high standard set before you in the Scriptures, and you must if you would be children of God. You cannot stand still; you must either advance or retrograde. You must have spiritual knowledge, that you "may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ," that you may "be filled with all the fulness of God." . . . {AG 312.3}
Will you have a stinted Christian growth, or will you make healthy progress in the divine life? Where there is spiritual health there is growth. The child of God grows up to the full stature of a man or woman in Christ. There is no limit to his improvement. . . . {AG 312.4}
We have great victories to gain, and a heaven to lose if we do not gain them. The carnal heart must be crucified; for its tendency is to moral corruption, and the end thereof is death. Nothing but the life-giving influences of the gospel can help the soul. Pray that the mighty energies of the Holy Spirit, with all their quickening, recuperative, and transforming power, may fall like an electric shock on the palsy-stricken soul, causing every nerve to thrill with new life, restoring the whole man from his dead, earthly, sensual state to spiritual soundness. You will thus become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust; and in your souls will be reflected the image of Him by whose stripes you are healed. {AG 312.5}
Chap. 305 - Wages or Gift?
The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23. {AG 313.1}
Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan, and would have remained so forever had not God specially interposed. It was the tempter's purpose to thwart the divine plan in man's creation, and fill the earth with woe and desolation. {AG 313.2}
By nature we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes our condition in such words as these: "Dead in trespasses and sins;" "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;" "no soundness in it" (Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 1:5, 6). We are held fast in the snare of Satan, "taken captive by him at his will" (2 Timothy 2:26). God desires to heal us, to set us free. But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him. {AG 313.3}
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. . . . {AG 313.4}
God does not force the will of His creatures. He cannot accept an homage that is not willingly and intelligently given. A mere forced submission would prevent all real development of mind or character; it would make man a mere automaton. Such is not the purpose of the Creator. He desires that man, the crowning work of His creative power, shall reach the highest possible development. He sets before us the height of blessing to which He desires to bring us through His grace. He invites us to give ourselves to Him, that He may work His will in us. It remains for us to choose whether we will be set free from the bondage of sin, to share the glorious liberty of the sons of God. {AG 313.5}
Chap. 306 - Counting the Cost
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Philippians 3:7. {AG 314.1}
Moses renounced a prospective kingdom, Paul the advantages of wealth and honor among his people, for a life of burden bearing in God's service. To many the life of these men appears one of renunciation and sacrifice. Was it really so? . . . {AG 314.2}
Moses was offered the palace of the Pharaohs and the monarch's throne; but the sinful pleasures that make men forget God were in those lordly courts, and he chose instead the "durable riches and righteousness" (Proverbs 8:18). Instead of linking himself with the greatness of Egypt, he chose to bind up his life with God's purpose. Instead of giving laws to Egypt, he by divine direction enacted laws for the world. He became God's instrument in giving to men those principles that are the safeguard alike of the home and of society, that are the cornerstone of the prosperity of nations--principles recognized today by the world's greatest men as the foundation of all that is best in human governments. {AG 314.3}
The greatness of Egypt is in the dust. Its power and civilization have passed away. But the work of Moses can never perish. The great principles of righteousness which he lived to establish are eternal. . . . {AG 314.4}
With Christ in the wilderness wandering, with Christ on the mount of transfiguration, with Christ in the heavenly courts --his was a life on earth blessing and blessed, and in heaven honored. {AG 314.5}
Paul also in his manifold labors was upheld by the sustaining power of His presence. "I can do all things," he said, "through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). . . . Who can measure the results to the world of Paul's lifework? Of all those beneficent influences that alleviate suffering, that comfort sorrow, that restrain evil, that uplift life from the selfish and the sensual, and glorify it with the hope of immortality, how much is due to the labors of Paul and his fellow workers, as with the gospel of the Son of God they made their unnoticed journey from Asia to the shores of Europe? {AG 314.6}
What is it worth to any life to have been God's instrument in setting in motion such influences of blessing? What will it be worth in eternity to witness the results of such a lifework? {AG 314.7}
Chap. 307 - Look and Live
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:14, 15. {AG 315.1}
The lifting up of the brazen serpent [Numbers 21:4-9] was to teach Israel an important lesson. They could not save themselves from the fatal effect of the poison in their wounds. God alone was able to heal them. Yet they were required to show their faith in the provision which He had made. They must look in order to live. It was their faith that was acceptable with God, and by looking upon the serpent their faith was shown. They knew that there was no virtue in the serpent itself, but it was a symbol of Christ; and the necessity of faith in His merits was thus presented to their minds. Heretofore many had brought their offerings to God, and had felt that in so doing they made ample atonement for their sins. They did not rely upon the Redeemer to come, of whom these offerings were only a type. The Lord would now teach them that their sacrifices, in themselves, had no more power or virtue than the serpent of brass, but were, like that, to lead their minds to Christ, the great sin offering. . . . {AG 315.2}
The Israelites saved their lives by looking upon the uplifted serpent. That look implied faith. They lived because they believed God's word, and trusted in the means provided for their recovery. So the sinner may look to Christ, and live. He receives pardon through faith in the atoning sacrifice. Unlike the inert and lifeless symbol, Christ has power and virtue in Himself to heal the repenting sinner. {AG 315.3}
While the sinner cannot save himself, he still has something to do to secure salvation. "Him that cometh to me," says Christ, "I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). But we must come to Him; and when we repent of our sins, we must believe that He accepts and pardons us. Faith is the gift of God, but the power to exercise it is ours. Faith is the hand by which the soul takes hold upon the divine offers of grace and mercy. . . . {AG 315.4}
Jesus had pledged His word; He will save all who come unto Him. Though millions who need it to be healed will reject His offered mercy, not one who trusts in His merits will be left to perish. {AG 315.5}
Chap. 308 - When Satan is Powerless
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18. {AG 316.1}
Satan knows that those who ask God for pardon and grace will obtain it; therefore he presents their sins before them to discourage them. Against those who are trying to obey God, he is constantly seeking occasion for complaint. Even their best and most acceptable service he seeks to make appear corrupt. By countless devices, the most subtle and the most cruel, he endeavors to secure their condemnation. {AG 316.2}
In his own strength, man cannot meet the charges of the enemy. In sin-stained garments, confessing his guilt, he stands before God. But Jesus, our Advocate, presents an effectual plea in behalf of all who by repentance and faith have committed the keeping of their souls to Him. He pleads their cause, and by the mighty arguments of Calvary, vanquishes their accuser. His perfect obedience to God's law has given Him all power in heaven and in earth, and He claims from His Father mercy and reconciliation for guilty man. To the accuser of His people He declares: "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan. These are the purchase of My blood, brands plucked from the burning." And to those who rely on Him in faith, He gives the assurance, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." (Zechariah 3:4). {AG 316.3}
All who have put on the robe of Christ's righteousness will stand before Him as chosen and faithful and true. Satan has no power to pluck them out of the hand of the Saviour. Not one soul who in penitence and faith has claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power. His word is pledged: "Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me" (Isaiah 27:5). The promise given to Joshua is given to all: "If thou wilt keep my charge, . . . I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by" (Zechariah 3:7). Angels of God will walk on either side of them, even in this world, and they will stand at last among the angels that surround the throne of God. {AG 316.4}
Chap. 309 - For the Hungry and Thirsty
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6. {AG 317.1}
Would that you could conceive of the rich supplies of grace and power awaiting your demand. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. We must exercise greater faith in calling upon God for all needed blessings. {AG 317.2}
The strength acquired in prayer to God, united with individual effort in training the mind to thoughtfulness and caretaking, prepares the person for daily duties and keeps the spirit in peace under all circumstances, however trying. The temptations to which we are daily exposed make prayer a necessity. In order that we may be kept by the power of God through faith, the desires of the mind should be continually ascending in silent prayer for help, for light, for strength, for knowledge. But thought and prayer cannot take the place of earnest, faithful improvement of the time. Work and prayer are both required in perfecting Christian character. {AG 317.3}
We must live a twofold life--a life of thought and action, of silent prayer and earnest work. . . . God requires us to be living epistles, known and read of all men. The soul that turns to God for its strength, its support, its power, by daily, earnest prayer, will have noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth and duty, lofty purposes of action, and a continual hungering and thirsting after righteousness. {AG 317.4}
Let us realize the weakness of humanity, and see where man fails in his self-sufficiency. We shall then be filled with a desire to be just what God desires us to be--pure, noble, sanctified. We shall hunger and thirst after the righteousness of Christ. To be like God will be the one desire of the soul. This is the desire that filled Enoch's heart. And we read that he walked with God. He studied the character of God to a purpose. He did not mark out his own course, or set up his own will. . . . He strove to conform himself to the divine likeness. {AG 317.5}
There is no excuse for defection or despondency, because all the promises of heavenly grace are for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The intensity of desire represented by hungering and thirsting is a pledge that the coveted supply will be given. {AG 317.6}
Chap. 310 - With All Your Heart
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13. {AG 318.1}
Many are leaning upon a supposed hope without a true foundation. The fountain is not cleansed, therefore the streams proceeding from that fountain are not pure. Cleanse the fountain, and the streams will be pure. If the heart is right, your words, your dress, your acts, will all be right. True godliness is lacking. I would not dishonor my Master so much as to admit that a careless, trifling, prayerless person is a Christian. No; a Christian has victory over his besetments, over his passions. There is a remedy for the sin-sick soul. That remedy is in Jesus. Precious Saviour! His grace is sufficient for the weakest; and the strongest must also have His grace or perish. {AG 318.2}
I saw how this grace could be obtained. Go to your closet, and there alone plead with God: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). Be in earnest, be sincere. Fervent prayer availeth much. Jacoblike, wrestle in prayer. Agonize. Jesus, in the garden, sweat great drops of blood; you must make an effort. Do not leave your closet until you feel strong in God; then watch, and just as long as you watch and pray you can keep these evil besetments under, and the grace of God can and will appear in you. {AG 318.3}
God forbid that I should cease to warn you. Young friends, seek the Lord with all your heart. Come with zeal, and when you sincerely feel that without the help of God you perish, when you pant after Him as the hart panteth after the water brooks, then will the Lord strengthen you speedily. Then will your peace pass all understanding. If you expect salvation, you must pray. . . . Beg of God to work in you a thorough reformation, that the fruits of His Spirit may dwell in you. . . . It is the privilege of every Christian to enjoy the deep movings of the Spirit of God. A sweet heavenly peace will pervade the mind, and you will love to meditate upon God and heaven. You will feast upon the glorious promises of His Word. But know first that you have begun the Christian course. Know that the first steps are taken in the road to everlasting life. {AG 318.4}
Chap. 311 - "Not of Yourselves"
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8. {AG 319.1}
The apostle desired those to whom he was writing to remember that they must reveal in their lives the glorious change wrought in them by Christ's transforming grace. They were to be lights in the world, by their purified, sanctified characters exerting an influence counter to the influence of satanic agencies. They were ever to remember the words, "Not of yourselves." They could not change their own hearts. And when by their efforts souls were led from the ranks of Satan to take their stand for Christ, they were not to claim any credit for the transformation wrought. {AG 319.2}
God calls upon all who will to come and drink of the waters of life freely. The power of God is the one element of efficiency in the grand work of obtaining the victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is in accordance with the divine plan that we follow every ray of light given of God. Man can accomplish nothing without God, and God has arranged His plans so as to accomplish nothing in the restoration of the human race without the cooperation of the human with the divine. The part man is required to sustain is immeasurably small, yet in the plan of God it is just that part that is needed to make the work a success. {AG 319.3}
The great change that is seen in the life of a sinner after conversion is not brought about by any human goodness. . . . {AG 319.4}
He who is rich in mercy has imparted His grace to us. Then let praise and thanksgiving ascend to Him, because He has become our Saviour. Let His love, filling our hearts and minds, flow forth from our lives in rich currents of grace. When we were dead in trespasses and sins, He quickened us into spiritual life. He brought grace and pardon, filling the soul with new life. Thus the sinner passes from death to life. He now takes up his new duties in Christ's service. His life becomes true and strong, filled with good works. "Because I live," Christ said, "ye shall live also." . . . {AG 319.5}
There will be no second probation. Now, while it is called today, if we will hear the voice of the Lord, and turn fully to Him, He will have mercy upon us, and abundantly pardon. {AG 319.6}
Chap. 312 - Peace Restored
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:2. {AG 320.1}
Christ is "the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6), and it is His mission to restore to earth and heaven the peace that sin has broken. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Whoever consents to renounce sin and open his heart to the love of Christ, becomes a partaker of this heavenly peace. {AG 320.2}
There is no other ground of peace than this. The grace of Christ received into the heart, subdues enmity; it allays strife and fills the soul with love. He who is at peace with God and his fellow men cannot be made miserable. Envy will not be in his heart; evil surmisings will find no room there; hatred cannot exist. The heart that is in harmony with God is a partaker of the peace of heaven and will diffuse its blessed influence on all around. The spirit of peace will rest like dew upon hearts weary and troubled with worldly strife. {AG 320.3}
Christ's followers are sent to the world with the message of peace. Whoever, by the quiet, unconscious influence of a holy life, shall reveal the love of Christ; whoever, by word or deed, shall lead another to renounce sin and yield his heart to God, is a peacemaker. . . . {AG 320.4}
The spirit of peace is evidence of their connection with heaven. The sweet savor of Christ surrounds them. The fragrance of the life, the loveliness of the character, reveal to the world the fact that they are children of God. Men take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus. {AG 320.5}
The grace of Christ must be woven into every phase of the character. . . . Daily growth into the life of Christ creates in the soul a heaven of peace; in such a life there is continual fruit bearing. . . . In the lives of those who are ransomed by the blood of Christ, self-sacrifice will constantly appear. Goodness and righteousness will be seen. The quiet, inward experience will make the life full of godliness, faith, meekness, patience. This is to be our daily experience. We are to form characters free from sin--characters made righteous in and by the grace of Christ. {AG 320.6}
Chap. 313 - Union With Christ
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Romans 13:14. {AG 321.1}
To effect the salvation of men, God employs various agencies. He speaks to them by His word and by His ministers, and He sends by the Holy Spirit messages of warning, reproof, and instruction. These means are designed to enlighten the understanding of the people, to reveal to them their duty and their sins, and the blessings which they may receive; to awaken in them a sense of spiritual want, that they may go to Christ and find in Him the grace they need. . . . {AG 321.2}
Every individual, by his own act, either puts Christ from him by refusing to cherish His spirit and follow His example, or he enters into a personal union with Christ by self-renunciation, faith, and obedience. We must, each for himself, choose Christ, because He has first chosen us. This union with Christ is to be formed by those who are naturally at enmity with Him. It is a relation of utter dependence, to be entered into by a proud heart. This is close work, and many who profess to be followers of Christ know nothing of it. They nominally accept the Saviour, but not as the sole ruler of their hearts. . . . {AG 321.3}
To renounce their own will, perhaps their chosen object of affection or pursuit, requires an effort, at which many hesitate and falter and turn back. Yet this battle must be fought by every heart that is truly converted. We must war against temptations without and within. We must gain the victory over self, crucify the affections and lusts; and then begins the union of the soul with Christ. . . . After this union is formed, it can be preserved only by continual, earnest, painstaking effort. Christ exercises His power to preserve and guard this sacred tie, and the dependent, helpless sinner must act his part with untiring energy, or Satan by his cruel, cunning power will separate him from Christ. . . . {AG 321.4}
Your birth, your reputation, your wealth, your talents, your virtues, your piety, your philanthropy,. . . will not form a bond of union between your soul and Christ. Your connection with the church . . . will be of no avail unless you believe in Christ. It is not enough to believe about Him. You must believe in Him. You must rely wholly upon His saving grace. {AG 321.5}
Chap. 314 - What is God's Glory?
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6. {AG 322.1}
The glory of God is His character. While Moses was in the mount, earnestly interceding with God, he prayed, "I beseech thee, show me thy glory." In answer God declared, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." The glory of God--His character--was then revealed: "The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty" (Exodus 33:18, 19; 34:6, 7). {AG 322.2}
This character was revealed in the life of Christ. That He might by His own example condemn sin in the flesh, He took upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh. Constantly he beheld the character of God; constantly He revealed this character to the world. {AG 322.3}
Christ desires His followers to reveal in their lives this same character. In His intercessory prayer for His disciples He declared: "The glory [character] which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me" (John 17:22, 23). {AG 322.4}
Today it is still His purpose to sanctify and cleanse His church ". . . that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing . . ." (Ephesians 5:26, 27). No greater gift than the character that He revealed, can Christ ask His Father to bestow upon those who believe on Him. What largeness there is in His request! What fullness of grace every follower of Christ has the privilege of receiving!. . . O that we might more fully appreciate the honor Christ confers upon us! By wearing His yoke and learning of Him, we become like Him in aspiration, in meekness and lowliness, in fragrance of character. {AG 322.5}
Chap. 315 - Sanctified Perception
At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 17:7. {AG 323.1}
The treasures of eternity have been committed to the keeping of Jesus Christ, to give to whomsoever He will; but how sad it is that so many quickly lose sight of the precious grace that is proffered unto them through faith in Him. He will impart the heavenly treasures to those who will believe in Him, look to Him, and abide in Him. . . . He calls upon His chosen, peculiar people who love and serve Him, to come unto Him and ask, and He will give them the bread of life, and endow them with the water of life, which shall be in them as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. {AG 323.2}
Jesus brought to our world the accumulated treasures of God, and all who believe upon Him are adopted as His heirs. He declares that great shall be the reward of them who suffer for His name's sake. {AG 323.3}
This world is but a little atom in the vast domain over which God presides, and yet this little fallen world is more precious in His sight than the ninety and nine which went not astray from the fold. If we will make Him our trust, He will not leave us to become the sport of Satan's temptations. God would have every soul for whom Christ has died become a part of the vine, connected with the parent stock, drawing nourishment from it. Our dependence on God is absolute, and should keep us very humble; and because of our dependence on Him, our knowledge of Him should be greatly increased. God would have us put away every species of selfishness, and come to Him, not as the owner of ourselves, but as the Lord's purchased possession. {AG 323.4}
God will honor and uphold every truehearted, earnest soul who is seeking to walk before Him in the perfection of the grace of Christ .... Can we with keen, sanctified perception appreciate the strength of the promises of God, and appropriate them to our individual selves, not because we are worthy, but because Christ is worthy, not because we are righteous, but because by living faith we claim the righteousness of Christ in our behalf? {AG 323.5}
Chap. 316 - The Sum and Substance
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 1 Peter 5:10. {AG 324.1}
When the truth is received, it will work radical changes in life and character; for religion means the abiding of Christ in the heart, and where He is, the soul goes on in spiritual activity, ever growing in grace, ever going on to perfection. . . . {AG 324.2}
It is no real evidence that you are a Christian because your emotion is stirred, your spirit stirred by truth; the question is, Are you growing up into Christ, your living head? Is the grace of Christ manifested in your life? God gives His grace to men, that they may desire more of His grace. God's grace is ever working upon the human heart, and when it is received, the evidence of its reception will appear in the life and character of its recipient. . . . The grace of Christ in the heart will always promote spiritual life, and spiritual advancement will be made. . . . We do not see the plants grow in the field, and yet we are assured that they do grow, and may we not know of our own spiritual strength and growth? . . . {AG 324.3}
The sum and substance of the whole matter of Christian grace and experience is contained in believing on Christ, in knowing God and His Son whom He has sent. But here is where many fail, for they lack faith in God. Instead of desiring to be brought into fellowship with Christ in His self-denial and humiliation, they are ever seeking for the supremacy of self. . . . {AG 324.4}
O, if you loved Him as He has loved you, you would not shun an experience in the dark chapters of the suffering of the Son of God! . . . When we contemplate the humiliation of Christ, beholding His self-denial and self-sacrifice, we are filled with amazement at the manifestation of divine love for guilty man. When for Christ's sake we are called to pass through trials that are of a humiliating nature, if we have the mind of Christ, we shall suffer them with meekness, not resenting injury, or resisting evil. We shall manifest the spirit that dwelt in Christ. . . . {AG 324.5}
We are to bear Christ's yoke, to work as He worked for the salvation of the lost; and those who are partakers of His sufferings will also be partakers of His glory. {AG 324.6}
Chap. 317 - Praise God!
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel. Isaiah 63:7. {AG 325.1}
When a sense of the loving-kindness of God is constantly refreshing the soul, it will be revealed in the countenance by an expression of peace and joy. It will be manifest in the words and works. And the generous, holy Spirit of Christ, working upon the heart, will yield in the life a converting influence upon others. . . . {AG 325.2}
Have we not reason to talk of God's goodness and to tell of His power? When friends are kind to us we esteem it a privilege to thank them for their kindness. How much more should we count it a joy to return thanks to the Friend who has given us every good and perfect gift. Then let us, in every church, cultivate thanksgiving to God. Let us educate our lips to praise God in the family circle. . . . Let our gifts and offerings declare our gratitude for the favors we daily receive. In everything we should show forth the joy of the Lord. . . . {AG 325.3}
David declares, "I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live" (Psalm 116:1, 2). God's goodness in hearing and answering prayer places us under heavy obligation to express our thanksgiving for the favors bestowed upon us. We should praise God much more than we do. The blessings received in answer to prayer should be promptly acknowledged. . . . {AG 325.4}
We grieve the Spirit of Christ by our complaints and murmurings and repinings. We should not dishonor God by the mournful relation of trials that appear grievous. All trials that are received as educators will produce joy. The whole religious life will be uplifting, elevating, ennobling, fragrant with good words and works. {AG 325.5}
Let the peace of God reign in your soul. Then you will have strength to bear all suffering, and you will rejoice that you have grace to endure. Praise the Lord; talk of His goodness; tell of His power. Sweeten the atmosphere that surrounds your soul. . . . Praise with heart and soul and voice, Him who is the health of your countenance, your Saviour, and your God. {AG 325.6}
Chap. 318 - Nothing Withheld
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11. {AG 326.1}
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32)? Let us appreciate the great sacrifice that God has made in our behalf. There will never be a time when we shall be more welcome to the gifts of His grace than now. Christ gave His life for men, that they might know how He loved them. He does not want any to perish, but longs to see all coming to repentance. All who will surrender the will to Him may have the life that measures with the life of God. . . . The sword of justice fell upon Him that they might go free. He died that they might live. . . . {AG 326.2}
We are to stand firmly for the principles of the Word of God, remembering that God is with us to give us strength to meet each new experience. Let us ever maintain the principles of righteousness in our lives, that in the name of the Lord we may go forward from strength to strength. . . . We are to cherish as very precious the work which the Lord has been carrying forward through His commandment-keeping people, and which, through the power of His grace, will grow stronger and more efficient as time advances. The enemy is seeking to becloud the discernment of God's people, and to weaken their efficiency; but if they will labor as the Spirit of God shall direct, He will open doors of opportunity before them for the work of building the old waste places. Their experience will be one of constant growth in assurance and power until the Lord shall descend from heaven with power and great glory to set His seal of final triumph on His faithful ones. {AG 326.3}
The Lord desires to see the work of the third angel's message carried forward with increasing efficiency. As He has worked in all ages to give courage and power to His people, so in this age He longs to carry to triumphant fulfillment His purposes for His church. He bids the saints advance unitedly, going from strength to greater strength, from faith to increased faith in the righteousness and truth of His cause. {AG 326.4}
Chap. 319 - Thought Control?
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13. {AG 327.1}
Few realize that it is a duty to exercise control over the thoughts and imaginations. It is difficult to keep the undisciplined mind fixed upon profitable subjects. But if the thoughts are not properly employed, religion cannot flourish in the soul. The mind must be preoccupied with sacred and eternal things, or it will cherish trifling and superficial thoughts. Both the intellectual and the moral powers must be disciplined, and they will strengthen and improve by exercise. {AG 327.2}
In order to understand this matter aright, we must remember that our hearts are naturally depraved, and we are unable of ourselves to pursue a right course. It is only by the grace of God, combined with the most earnest effort on our part, that we can gain the victory. {AG 327.3}
Every wrong tendency may be, through the grace of Christ, repressed, not in a languid, irresolute manner, but with firmness of purpose, with high resolves to make Christ the pattern. Let your love go out for those things that Jesus loved, and be withheld from those things that will give no strength to right impulses. With determined energy seek to learn, and to improve the character every day. You must have firmness of purpose to take yourself in hand and be what you know God would be pleased to have you. {AG 327.4}
The intellect, as well as the heart, must be consecrated to the service of God. He has claims upon all there is of us. The follower of Christ should not indulge in any gratification, or engage in any enterprise, however innocent or laudable it may appear, which an enlightened conscience tells him would abate his ardor or lessen his spirituality. Every Christian should labor to press back the tide of evil, and save our youth from the influences that would sweep them down to ruin. May God help us to press our way against the current. {AG 327.5}
Chap. 320 - In Debt
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12. {AG 328.1}
A great blessing is here asked upon conditions. We ourselves state these conditions. We ask that the mercy of God toward us may be measured by the mercy which we extend to others. Christ declares that this is the rule by which the Lord will deal with us: "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14, 15). Wonderful terms! but how little are they understood or heeded. One of the most common sins, and one that is attended with most pernicious results, is the indulgence of an unforgiving spirit. How many will cherish animosity or revenge and then bow before God and ask to be forgiven as they forgive. Surely they can have no true sense of the import of this prayer or they would not dare take it upon their lips. We are dependent upon the pardoning mercy of God every day and every hour; how then can we cherish bitterness and malice toward our fellow sinners! {AG 328.2}
The fact that we are under so great obligation to Christ places us under the most sacred obligation to those whom He died to redeem. We are to manifest toward them the same sympathy, the same tender compassion and unselfish love, which Christ has manifested toward us. {AG 328.3}
He who is unforgiving cuts off the very channel through which alone he can receive mercy from God. We should not think that unless those who have injured us confess the wrong we are justified in withholding from them our forgiveness. It is their part, no doubt, to humble their hearts by repentance and confession; but we are to have a spirit of compassion toward those who have trespassed against us, whether or not they confess their faults. However sorely they may have wounded us, we are not to cherish our grievances and sympathize with ourselves over our injuries; but as we hope to be pardoned for our offenses against God we are to pardon all who have done evil to us. . . . {AG 328.4}
As we come to God, this is the condition which meets us at the threshold, that, receiving mercy from Him, we yield ourselves to reveal His grace to others. {AG 328.5}
Chap. 321 - In the School of Christ
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Psalm 32:8. {AG 329.1}
He who is seeking with diligence to acquire the wisdom of human schools should remember that another school also claims him as a student. Christ was the greatest teacher the world ever saw. He brought to man knowledge direct from heaven. . . . {AG 329.2}
In the school of Christ students are never graduated. Among the pupils are both old and young. Those who give heed to the instructions of the divine Teacher constantly advance in wisdom, refinement, and nobility of soul, and thus they are prepared to enter that higher school where advancement will continue throughout eternity. {AG 329.3}
Infinite Wisdom sets before us the great lessons of life--lessons of duty and happiness. These are often hard to learn, but without them we can make no real progress. . . . It is in this world, amid its trials and temptations, that we are to gain a fitness for the society of the pure and holy. Those who become so absorbed in less important studies that they cease to learn in the school of Christ are meeting with infinite loss. . . . {AG 329.4}
In the religion of Christ there is a regenerating influence that transforms the entire being, lifting man above every debasing, groveling vice, and raising the thoughts and desires toward God and heaven. . . . Every faculty, every attribute, with which the Creator has endowed the children of men is to be employed for His glory; and in this employment is found its purest, holiest, happiest exercise. While religious principle is held paramount, every advance step taken in the acquirement of knowledge or in the culture of the intellect is a step toward the assimilation of the human with the Divine, the finite with the Infinite. . . . {AG 329.5}
He who is following the divine guidance has found the only true source of saving grace and real happiness, and has gained the power of imparting happiness to all around him. . . . Love to God purifies and ennobles every taste and desire, intensifies every affection, and brightens every worthy pleasure. It enables men to appreciate and enjoy all that is true, and good, and beautiful. {AG 329.6}
Chap. 322 - Examination Day
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me. Psalm 26:2. {AG 330.1}
The Lord in His providence brings men where He can test their moral powers and reveal their motives of action, that they may improve what is right in themselves and put away that which is wrong. God would have His servants become acquainted with the moral machinery of their own hearts. In order to bring this about, He often permits the fire of affliction to assail them that they may become purified. . . . {AG 330.2}
True grace is willing to be tried; if we are loath to be searched by the Lord, our condition is serious indeed. God is the refiner and purifier of souls; in the heat of the furnace the dross is separated forever from the true silver and gold of the Christian character. Jesus watches the test. He knows what is needed to purify the precious metal that it may reflect the radiance of His divine love. {AG 330.3}
I entreat you to "examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5). To maintain the warmth and purity of Christian love requires a constant supply of the grace of Christ. . . . {AG 330.4}
In this season of conflict and trial we need all the support and consolation we can derive from righteous principles, from fixed religious convictions, from the abiding assurance of the love of Christ, and from a rich experience in divine things. We shall attain to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus only as the result of a steady growth in grace. {AG 330.5}
Not in freedom from trial, but in the midst of it, is Christian character developed. Exposure to rebuffs and opposition leads the follower of Christ to greater watchfulness and more earnest prayer to the mighty Helper. Severe trial endured by the grace of God develops patience, vigilance, fortitude, and a deep and abiding trust in God. It is the triumph of the Christian faith that it enables its follower to suffer and be strong; to submit, and thus to conquer; to be killed all the day long, and yet to live; to bear the cross, and thus to win the crown of glory. {AG 330.6}
Chap. 323 - What About Good Works?
We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10. {AG 331.1}
Our acceptance with God is sure only through His beloved Son, and good works are but the result of the working of His sin-pardoning love. They are no credit to us, and we have nothing accorded to us for our good works by which we may claim a part in the salvation of our souls. Salvation is God's free gift to the believer, given to him for Christ's sake alone. The troubled soul may find peace through faith in Christ, and his peace will be in proportion to his faith and trust. He cannot present his good works as a plea for the salvation of his soul. {AG 331.2}
But are good works of no real value? Is the sinner who commits sin every day with impunity, regarded of God with the same favor as the one who through faith in Christ tries to work in his integrity? The Scripture answers, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." In His divine arrangement, through His unmerited favor, the Lord has ordained that good works shall be rewarded. We are accepted through Christ's merit alone; and the acts of mercy, the deeds of charity, which we perform, are the fruits of faith; and they become a blessing to us; for men are to be rewarded according to their works. It is the fragrance of the merit of Christ that makes our good works acceptable to God, and it is grace that enables us to do the works for which He rewards us. Our works in and of themselves have no merit. When we have done all that it is possible for us to do, we are to count ourselves as unprofitable servants. We deserve no thanks from God. We have only done what it was our duty to do, and our works could not have been performed in the strength of our own sinful natures. {AG 331.3}
The Lord has bidden us to draw nigh to Him and He will draw nigh to us; and drawing nigh to Him, we receive the grace by which to do those works which will be rewarded at His hands. {AG 331.4}
The labor of love springs from the work of faith. . . . While it is true that our busy activities will not in themselves ensure salvation, it is also true that faith which unites us to Christ will stir the soul to activity. {AG 331.5}
Chap. 324 - Watch!
Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. Mark 14:38. {AG 332.1}
Many today are asleep, as were the disciples. They are not watching and praying lest they enter into temptation. {AG 332.2}
Let every soul be on the alert. The adversary is on your track. Be vigilant, watching diligently lest some carefully concealed and masterly snare shall take you unawares. Let the careless and indifferent beware lest the day of the Lord come upon them as a thief in the night. . . . {AG 332.3}
He who overcomes must watch; for, with worldly entanglements, error, and superstition, Satan strives to win Christ's followers from Him. It is not enough that we avoid glaring dangers and perilous, inconsistent moves. We are to keep close to the side of Christ, walking in the path of self-denial and sacrifice. We are in an enemy's country. He who was cast out of heaven has come down with great power. With every conceivable artifice and device he is seeking to take souls captive. Unless we are constantly on guard we shall fall an easy prey to his unnumbered deceptions. {AG 332.4}
Warning, admonition, promise, all are for us, upon whom the ends of the world are come. "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:6). . . . Watch against the stealthy approach of the enemy, watch against old habits and natural inclinations, lest they assert themselves; force them back, and watch. Watch the thoughts, watch the plans, lest they become self-centered. Watch over the souls whom Christ has purchased with His own blood. Watch for opportunities to do them good. {AG 332.5}
If you draw close to Jesus and seek to adorn your profession by a well-ordered life and godly conversation, your feet will be kept from straying into forbidden paths. If you will only watch, continually watch unto prayer, if you will do everything as if you were in the immediate presence of God, you will be saved from yielding to temptation, and may hope to be kept pure, spotless, and undefiled till the last. If you hold the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end, your ways will be established in God; and what grace has begun, glory will crown in the kingdom of our God. {AG 332.6}
Chap. 325 - Kept From Falling
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Jude 24. {AG 333.1}
In these last days, when iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold, God will have a people to glorify His name, and stand as reprovers of unrighteousness. They are to be a "peculiar people," who will be true to the law of God when the world shall seek to make void its precepts; and when the converting power of God works through His servants, the hosts of darkness will array themselves in bitter and determined opposition. . . . There will be a constant conflict from the time of our determination to serve the God of heaven, until we are delivered out of this present evil world. There is no release from this war. . . . {AG 333.2}
Our work is an aggressive one, and as faithful soldiers of Jesus, we must bear the blood-stained banner into the very strongholds of the enemy. . . . If we will consent to lay down our arms, to lower the blood-stained banner, to become the captives and servants of Satan, we may be released from the conflict and the suffering. But this peace will be gained only at the loss of Christ and heaven. We cannot accept peace on such conditions. Let it be war, war, to the end of earth's history, rather than peace through apostasy and sin. {AG 333.3}
The work of apostasy begins in some secret rebellion of the heart against the requirements of God's law. Unholy desires, unlawful ambitions, are cherished and indulged, and unbelief and darkness separate the soul from God. If we do not overcome these evils they will overcome us. . . . {AG 333.4}
The indulgence of spiritual pride, of unholy desires, of evil thoughts, of anything that separates us from an intimate and sacred association with Jesus, imperils our souls. . . . We must "fight the good fight of faith," if we would "lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:12). We are "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation" (1 Peter 1:5). If the thought of apostasy is grievous to you, . . . then "abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good" (Romans 12:9); and believe in Him who is "able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." {AG 333.5}
Chap. 326 - Established
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 17. {AG 334.1}
The Saviour made each work of healing an occasion for implanting divine principles in the mind and soul. This was the purpose of His work. He imparted earthly blessings, that He might incline the hearts of men to receive the gospel of His grace. {AG 334.2}
For three years the disciples had before them the wonderful example of Jesus. Day by day they walked and talked with Him, hearing His words of cheer to the weary and heavy-laden, and seeing the manifestations of His power in behalf of the sick and afflicted. When the time came for Him to leave them, He gave them grace and power to carry forward His work in His name. They were to shed abroad the light of His gospel of love and healing. . . . {AG 334.3}
The work which the disciples did, we also are to do. Every Christian is to be a missionary. In sympathy and compassion we are to minister to those in need of help. . . . The Saviour identifies Himself with every child of humanity. . . . His followers are not to feel themselves detached from the perishing world around them. They are a part of the great web of humanity, and heaven looks upon them as brothers to sinners as well as to saints. . . . By all that has given us advantage over another-- be it education and refinement, nobility of character, Christian training, religious experience--we are in debt to those less favored; and, so far as lies in our power, we are to minister unto them. . . . {AG 334.4}
He who becomes a child of God should henceforth look upon himself as a link in the chain let down to save the world, one with Christ in His plan of mercy, going forth with Him to seek and save the lost. {AG 334.5}
The world needs a practical demonstration of what the grace of God can do in restoring to human beings their lost kingship, giving them mastery of themselves. There is nothing that the world needs so much as a knowledge of the gospel's saving power revealed in Christlike lives. {AG 334.6}
Chap. 327 - Joy in Sharing
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20. {AG 335.1}
God could have reached His object in saving sinners without our aid; but in order for us to develop a character like Christ's, we must share in His work. In order to enter into His joy--the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice--we must participate in His labors for their redemption. {AG 335.2}
Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good. He sought them in the public streets, in private houses, on the boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of the lake, and at the marriage feast. He met them at their daily vocations, and manifested an interest in their secular affairs. He carried His instruction into the household, bringing families in their own homes under the influence of His divine presence. His strong personal sympathy helped to win hearts. . . . {AG 335.3}
It was by personal contact and association that Jesus trained His disciples. Sometimes He taught them, sitting among them on the mountainside; sometimes beside the sea, or walking with them by the way, He revealed the mysteries of the kingdom of God. He did not sermonize as men do today. Wherever hearts were open to receive the divine message, He unfolded the truths of the way of salvation. He did not command His disciples to do this or that, but said, "Follow Me." On His journeys through the country and cities He took them with Him, that they might see how He taught the people. . . . {AG 335.4}
The example of Christ in linking Himself with the interests of humanity should be followed by all who preach His word, and by all who have received the gospel of His grace. . . . Not alone from the pulpit are the hearts of men touched by divine truth. There is another field of labor, humbler, it may be, but fully as promising. It is found in the home of the lowly, and in the mansion of the great; at the hospitable board, and in gatherings for innocent social enjoyment. . . . Wherever we go we are to carry Jesus with us, and to reveal to others the preciousness of our Saviour. {AG 335.5}
************************************************************************************
