[BLJ 193.5]    I saw that those who profess to believe the truth should show their faith by their works. They should, with the unrighteous mammon, make friends, that they may finally be received into everlasting habitations. God has made men and women stewards of means. He has placed in their hands the money with which to carry forward the great work for the salvation of souls for whom Christ left His home, His riches, His glory, and became poor that He might, by His own humiliation and sacrifice, bring many sons and daughters of Adam to God. {BLJ 193.5}
[BLJ 193.6]    In His providence the Lord has ordained that the work in His vineyard should be sustained by the means entrusted to the hands of His stewards. A neglect on their part to answer the calls of the cause of God in carrying forward His work shows them to be unfaithful and slothful servants.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, pp. 116, 117. {BLJ 193.6}
[BLJ 195.1]        Chapter 7—Practicing the End-time Lifestyle      The New Lifestyle Through Jesus    I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20, NKJV. {BLJ 195.1}
[BLJ 195.2]      Self must die if we would be counted as the followers of Christ. The apostle says, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. . . . For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” {BLJ 195.2}
[BLJ 195.3]    When men and women are converted to God, a new moral taste is created; and they love the things that God loves; for their lives are bound up by the golden chain of the immutable promises, to the life of Jesus. Their hearts are drawn out after God. Their prayer is “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” In the immutable standard they see the character of the Redeemer, and know that though they have sinned, they are not to be saved in their sins, but from their sins; for Jesus is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. It is through the blood of Christ that they are brought nigh unto God. {BLJ 195.3}
[BLJ 195.4]    As they behold the righteousness of Christ in the divine precepts, they exclaim, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” As sinners are pardoned for their transgressions through the merits of Christ, as they are clothed with the righteousness of Christ through faith in Him, they declare with the psalmist, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” This is conversion. {BLJ 195.4}
[BLJ 195.5]    When the Spirit of God controls the mind and heart, it turns the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. The law of Jehovah will then be regarded as a transcript of the divine character, and a new song bursts forth from hearts that have been touched by divine grace; for they realize that the promise of God has been fulfilled in their experience, that their transgressions are forgiven, their sins covered. They have exercised repentance toward God for the violation of His law, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, who has died for their justification.—Review and Herald, June 21, 1892. {BLJ 195.5}
[BLJ 196.1]        Jesus Requires Wholehearted Commitment    “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27, NKJV. {BLJ 196.1}
[BLJ 196.2]      The Lord is testing and proving you. He has counseled, admonished, and entreated. All these solemn admonitions will either make the church better or decidedly worse. The oftener the Lord speaks to correct or counsel, and you disregard His voice, the more disposed will you be to reject it again and again, till God says: “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. . . . Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me; for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” {BLJ 196.2}
[BLJ 196.3]    Are you not halting between two opinions? Are you not neglecting to heed the light which God has given you? Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. You know not the time of your visitation. The great sin of the Jews was that of neglecting and rejecting present opportunities. As Jesus views the state of His professed followers today, He sees base ingratitude, hollow formalism, hypocritical insincerity, pharisaical pride, and apostasy. {BLJ 196.3}
[BLJ 196.4]    The tears which Christ shed on the crest of Olivet were for the impenitence and ingratitude of every individual to the close of time. He sees His love despised. The soul’s temple courts have been converted into places of unholy traffic. Selfishness, mammon, malice, envy, pride, passion, are all cherished in the human heart. His warnings are rejected and ridiculed, His ambassadors are treated with indifference, their words seem as idle tales. Jesus has spoken by mercies, but these mercies have been unacknowledged; He has spoken by solemn warnings, but these warnings have been rejected. {BLJ 196.4}
[BLJ 196.5]    I entreat you who have long professed the faith and who still pay outward homage to Christ: Do not deceive your own souls. It is the whole heart that Jesus prizes. The loyalty of the soul is alone of value in the sight of God. “If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!” “Thou . . . even thou”—Christ is at this moment addressing you personally, stooping from His throne, yearning with pitying tenderness over those who feel not their danger, who have no pity for themselves.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 72, 73. {BLJ 196.5}
[BLJ 197.1]        God Has Sent Warnings, but Few Listen    And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, “The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.” Zephaniah 1:12, NKJV. {BLJ 197.1}
[BLJ 197.2]      We are near the close of time. I have been shown that the retributive judgments of God are already in the land. The Lord has given us warning of the events about to take place. Light is shining from His Word; yet darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people. “When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them . . . ; and they shall not escape.” {BLJ 197.2}
[BLJ 197.3]    It is our duty to inquire the cause of this terrible darkness, that we may shun the course by which men and women have brought upon themselves so great delusion. God has given the world an opportunity to learn and to obey His will. He has given them, in His Word, the light of truth; He has sent them warning, counsel, and admonition; but few will obey His voice. Like the Jewish nation, the majority, even of professed Christians, pride themselves on their superior advantages, but make no returns to God for these great blessings. {BLJ 197.3}
[BLJ 197.4]    In infinite mercy a last warning message has been sent to the world, announcing that Christ is at the door and calling attention to God’s broken law. But as the antediluvians rejected with scorn the warning of Noah, so will the pleasure lovers of today reject the message of God’s faithful servants. The world pursues its unvarying round, absorbed as ever in its business and its pleasures, while the wrath of God is about to be visited on the transgressors of His law. {BLJ 197.4}
[BLJ 197.5]    Our compassionate Redeemer, foreseeing the perils that would surround His followers at this time, has given them special warning: “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 99, 100. {BLJ 197.5}
[BLJ 198.1]        Fanaticism and Noise No Evidence of Faith    Thanks be to God, I speak in tongues more than all of you; but in the congregation I would rather speak five words intelligibly to instruct others than a myriad of words in a tongue. 1 Corinthians 14:18, 19, MLB. {BLJ 198.1}
[BLJ 198.2]      Error must first be rooted up, then the soil is prepared for the good seed to spring up and bear fruit to the glory of God. {BLJ 198.2}
[BLJ 198.3]    The only remedy . . . is thorough discipline and organization. A spirit of fanaticism has ruled a certain class of Sabbathkeepers . . . ; they have sipped but lightly at the fountain of truth and are unacquainted with the spirit of the message of the third angel. Nothing can be done for this class until their fanatical views are corrected. Some who were in the 1854 movement have brought along with them erroneous views, such as the non-resurrection of the wicked, and the future age, and they are seeking to unite these views and their past experience with the message of the third angel. They cannot do this; there is no concord between Christ and Belial. {BLJ 198.3}
[BLJ 198.4]    The non-resurrection of the wicked and their peculiar views of the age to come are gross errors which Satan has worked in among the last-day heresies to serve his own purpose to ruin souls. These errors can have no harmony with the message of heavenly origin. {BLJ 198.4}
[BLJ 198.5]    Some of these persons have exercises which they call gifts and say that the Lord has placed them in the church. They have an unmeaning gibberish which they call the unknown tongue, which is unknown not only by human beings but by the Lord and all heaven. Such gifts are manufactured by men and women, aided by the great deceiver. Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises have been considered gifts which God has placed in the church. Some have been deceived here. The fruits of all this have not been good. “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” {BLJ 198.5}
[BLJ 198.6]    Fanaticism and noise have been considered special evidences of faith. Some are not satisfied with a meeting unless they have a powerful and happy time. They work for this and get up an excitement of feeling. But the influence of such meetings is not beneficial. When the happy flight of feeling is gone, they sink lower than before the meeting because their happiness did not come from the right source. The most profitable meetings for spiritual advancement are those which are characterized with solemnity and deep searching of heart; each seeking to know themselves, and earnestly, and in deep humility, seeking to learn of Christ.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 411, 412. {BLJ 198.6}
[BLJ 199.1]        God Not Pleased With Tasteless Disorder    Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.” . . . And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God. Exodus 19:10-17, NKJV. {BLJ 199.1}
[BLJ 199.2]      Some receive the idea that in order to carry out that separation from the world which the Word of God requires, they must be neglectful of their apparel. There is a class of sisters who think that they are carrying out the principle of nonconformity to the world by wearing . . . the same dress worn by them through the week, upon the Sabbath, to appear in the assembly of the saints to engage in the worship of God. {BLJ 199.2}
[BLJ 199.3]    And some men who profess to be Christians view the matter of dress in the same light. They assemble with God’s people upon the Sabbath, with their clothing dusty, and soiled, and even with gaping rents in them, and placed upon their persons in a slovenly manner. {BLJ 199.3}
[BLJ 199.4]    This class, if they had an engagement to meet a friend honored by the world, and they wished to be especially favored by him or her, would exert themselves to appear . . . with the best apparel that could be obtained; for this friend would feel insulted were they to come . . . with hair uncombed, and garments uncleanly, and in disorder. {BLJ 199.4}
[BLJ 199.5]    Yet these persons think that it is no matter in what dress they appear, or what is the condition of their persons, when they meet upon the Sabbath to worship the great God. They assemble in His house, which is as the audience chamber of the Most High, where heavenly angels are in attendance, with but little respect, or reverence, as their persons and clothing indicate. Their whole appearance typifies the character of such men and women. {BLJ 199.5}
[BLJ 199.6]    The favorite theme of this class is pride of dress. Decency, taste, and order, they regard as pride. And according to the dress of these mistaken souls will be their conversation, their acts, and their deal. They are careless, and often low in their conversation at their homes, among their brethren and sisters, and before the world. The dress, and its arrangement upon the person, is generally found to be the index of the man or the woman. Those who are careless and untidy in dress are seldom elevated in their conversation, and possess but little refinement of feelings. They sometimes consider oddity and coarseness, humility. . . . {BLJ 199.6}
[BLJ 199.7]    Our God is a God of order, and He is not in any degree pleased with distraction, with filthiness, or with sin.—Selected Messages, book 2, pp. 475, 476. {BLJ 199.7}
[BLJ 200.1]        Follow Christ and Defeat the Enemy    For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 John 2:16, NKJV. {BLJ 200.1}
[BLJ 200.2]      Many of the people of God are stupefied by the spirit of the world, and are denying their faith by their works. They cultivate a love for money, for houses and lands, until it absorbs the powers of mind and being, and shuts out love for the Creator and for souls for whom Christ died. The god of this world has blinded their eyes; their eternal interests are made secondary; and brain, bone, and muscle are taxed to the utmost to increase their worldly possessions. And all this accumulation of cares and burdens is borne in direct violation of the injunction of Christ, who said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.” {BLJ 200.2}
[BLJ 200.3]    They forget that He said also, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”; that in so doing they are working for their own interest. The treasure laid up in heaven is safe; no thief can approach nor moth corrupt it. But their treasure is upon the earth, and their affections are upon their treasure. {BLJ 200.3}
[BLJ 200.4]    In the wilderness, Christ met the great leading temptations that would assail humanity. There, singlehanded, He encountered the wily, subtle foe, and overcame him. The first great temptation was upon appetite; the second, presumption; the third, love of the world. The thrones and kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, were offered to Christ. Satan came with worldly honor, wealth, and the pleasures of life, and presented them in the most attractive light to allure and deceive. “All these things,” said he to Christ, “will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Yet Christ repelled the wily foe, and came off victor. . . . {BLJ 200.4}
[BLJ 200.5]    The example of Christ is before us. He overcame Satan, showing us how we also may overcome. Christ resisted Satan with Scripture. He might have had recourse to His own divine power, and used His own words; but He said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” If the Sacred Scriptures were studied and followed, the Christian would be fortified to meet the wily foe; but the Word of God is neglected, and disaster and defeat follow.—Counsels on Stewardship, pp. 209, 210. {BLJ 200.5}
[BLJ 201.1]        Decided Efforts Must Be Made Against Sin    Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but one who rejects a rebuke goes astray. Proverbs 10:17, NRSV. {BLJ 201.1}
[BLJ 201.2]      Many apologize for their spiritual weakness, for their outbursts of passion, for the lack of love they show their brethren and sisters. They feel a sense of estrangement from God, a realization of their bondage to self and sin; but their desire to do God’s will is based upon their own inclination, not upon the deep, inward conviction of the Holy Spirit. They believe that the law of God is binding; but they do not, with the eager interest of judgment-bound souls, compare their actions with that law. They admit that God should be worshiped and loved supremely, but God is not in all their thoughts. They believe that the precepts which enjoin love to others should be observed; but they treat their associates with cold indifference, and sometimes with injustice. Thus they walk away from the path of willing obedience. They do not carry the work of repentance far enough. The sense of their wrong should lead them to seek God most earnestly for power to reveal Christ by kindness and forbearance. {BLJ 201.2}
[BLJ 201.3]    Many spasmodic efforts to reform are made, but those who make these efforts do not crucify self. They do not give themselves entirely into the hands of Christ, seeking for divine power to do His will. They are not willing to be molded after the divine similitude. In a general way they acknowledge their imperfections, but the particular sins are not given up. “We have done the things we ought not to have done,” they say, “and have left undone the things we ought to have done.” But their acts of selfishness, so offensive to God, are not seen in the light of His law. Full contrition is not expressed for the victories that self has gained. {BLJ 201.3}
[BLJ 201.4]    The enemy is willing that these spasmodic efforts should be made; for those who make them engage in no decided warfare against evil. A soothing plaster, as it were, is placed over their minds, and in self-sufficiency they make a fresh start to do the will of God. {BLJ 201.4}
[BLJ 201.5]    But a general conviction of sin is not reformative. We may have a vague, disagreeable sense of imperfection, but this will avail us nothing unless we make a decided effort to obtain the victory over sin. If we wish to cooperate with Christ, to overcome as He overcame, we must, in His strength, make the most determined resistance against self and selfishness.—Signs of the Times, March 11, 1897. {BLJ 201.5}
[BLJ 202.1]        Seek to Be Temperate in All Things    In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death. Proverbs 12:28, NKJV. {BLJ 202.1}
[BLJ 202.2]      God has permitted the light of health reform to shine upon us in these last days, that by walking in the light we may escape many of the dangers to which we shall be exposed. Satan is working with great power to lead men and women to indulge appetite, gratify inclination, and spend their days in heedless folly. He presents attractions in a life of selfish enjoyment and of sensual indulgence. {BLJ 202.2}
[BLJ 202.3]    Intemperance saps the energies of both mind and body. Those who are thus overcome have placed themselves upon Satan’s ground, where they will be tempted and annoyed, and finally controlled at pleasure by the enemy of all righteousness. {BLJ 202.3}
[BLJ 202.4]    Parents need to be impressed with their obligation to give to the world children having well-developed characters—children who will have moral power to resist temptation, and whose life will be an honor to God and a blessing to others. Those who enter upon active life with firm principles will be prepared to stand unsullied amid the moral pollutions of this corrupt age. Let mothers improve every opportunity to educate their children for usefulness. {BLJ 202.4}
[BLJ 202.5]    The work of the mother is sacred and important. She should teach her children, from the cradle up, habits of self-denial and self-control. Her time, in a special sense, belongs to her children. But if it is mostly occupied with the follies of this degenerate age, if society, dress, and amusements absorb her attention, her children will fail to be suitably educated. . . . {BLJ 202.5}
[BLJ 202.6]    Intemperance begins at the table, and, with the majority, appetite is indulged until indulgence becomes second nature. Whoever eats too much, or of food which is not healthful, is weakening the power to resist the clamors of other appetites and passions. {BLJ 202.6}
[BLJ 202.7]    Many parents, to avoid the task of patiently educating their children to habits of self-denial, indulge them in eating and drinking whenever they please. The desire to satisfy the taste and to gratify inclination does not lessen with the increase of years; and these indulged youth, as they grow up, are governed by impulse, slaves to appetite. When they take their places in society, and begin life for themselves, they are powerless to resist temptation.—Christian Education, pp. 175-177. {BLJ 202.7}
[BLJ 203.1]        Training Children a Sacred Responsibility    “Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18, NKJV. {BLJ 203.1}
[BLJ 203.2]      When parents and children meet at the final reckoning, what a scene will be presented! Thousands of children who have been slaves to appetite and debasing vice, whose lives are moral wrecks, will stand face to face with the parents who made them what they are. Who but the parents must bear this fearful responsibility? Did the Lord make these youth corrupt? Oh, no! Who, then, has done this fearful work? Were not the sins of the parents transmitted to the children in perverted appetites and passions? And was not the work completed by those who neglected to train them according to the pattern which God has given? Just as surely as they exist, all these parents will pass in review before God. {BLJ 203.2}
[BLJ 203.3]    Satan is ready to do his work; he will not neglect to present allurements which the children have no will or moral power to resist. I saw that, through his temptations, he is instituting ever-changing fashions, and attractive parties and amusements, that mothers may be led to devote their time to frivolous matters, instead of to the education and training of their children. Our youth need mothers who will teach them from the cradle to control passion, to deny appetite, and to overcome selfishness. They need line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. . . . {BLJ 203.3}
[BLJ 203.4]    Woman should fill the position which God originally designed for her, as her husband’s equal. The world needs mothers who are mothers not merely in name, but in every sense of the word. We may safely say that the distinctive duties of woman are more sacred, more holy, than those of man. Let woman realize the sacredness of her work, and in the strength and fear of God take up her life mission. Let her educate her children for usefulness in this world, and for a home in the better world. . . . {BLJ 203.4}
[BLJ 203.5]    I entreat Christian mothers to realize their responsibility, and to live, not to please themselves, but to glorify God. Christ pleased not Himself, but took upon Him the form of a servant. He left the royal courts, and clothed His divinity with humanity, that by His own example He might teach us how we may be exalted to the position of sons and daughters in the royal family, children of the heavenly King.—Christian Education, pp. 177-179. {BLJ 203.5}
[BLJ 204.1]        Work and Exercise Contribute to Health    You are wearied in the length of your way; yet you did not say, “There is no hope.” You have found the life of your hand; therefore you were not grieved. Isaiah 57:10, NKJV. {BLJ 204.1}
[BLJ 204.2]      Riches and idleness are thought by some to be blessings indeed. But when some persons have acquired wealth, or inherited it unexpectedly, their active habits have been broken up, their time is unemployed, they live at ease, and their usefulness seems at an end; they become restless, anxious, and unhappy, and their lives soon close. {BLJ 204.2}
[BLJ 204.3]    Those who are always busy, and go cheerfully about the performance of their daily tasks, are the most happy and healthy. The rest and composure of night brings to their wearied frames unbroken slumber. The Lord knew what was for the happiness of human beings when He gave them work to do. The sentence that they must toil for their bread, and the promise of future happiness and glory, came from the same throne. Both are blessings. . . . {BLJ 204.3}
[BLJ 204.4]    Exercise will aid the work of digestion. To walk out after a meal, hold the head erect, put back the shoulders, and exercise moderately will be a great benefit. The mind will be diverted from self to the beauties of nature. The less the attention is called to the stomach after a meal, the better. If you are in constant fear that your food will hurt you, it most assuredly will. Forget self, and think of something cheerful. . . . {BLJ 204.4}
[BLJ 204.5]    The lungs should not be deprived of pure, fresh air. If pure air is ever necessary, it is when any part of the system, ［such］ as the lungs or stomach, is diseased. Judicious exercise would induce the blood to the surface, and thus relieve the internal organs. Brisk, yet not violent exercise in the open air, with cheerfulness of spirits, will promote the circulation, giving a healthful glow to the skin, and sending the blood, vitalized by the pure air, to the extremities. {BLJ 204.5}
[BLJ 204.6]    The diseased stomach will find relief by exercise. Physicians frequently advise invalids to visit foreign countries, to go to the springs, or to ride upon the ocean, in order to regain health; when, in nine cases out of ten, if they would eat temperately and engage in healthful exercise with a cheerful spirit, they would regain health and save time and money. Exercise, and a free and abundant use of the air and sunlight—blessings which Heaven has freely bestowed upon all—would give life and strength to the emaciated invalid.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, pp. 529-531. {BLJ 204.6}
[BLJ 205.1]        When Trials Come, Cling to Jesus    Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10, NKJV. {BLJ 205.1}
[BLJ 205.2]      Parents should devise ways and means for keeping their children usefully busy. . . . Parents must never forget that they must work earnestly for themselves and their little ones, if they with them are gathered into the ark of safety. We are still in the enemy’s country. Let parents strive to reach a higher standard, and to carry their children with them. Let them cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. {BLJ 205.2}
[BLJ 205.3]    Prove your willingness to make every effort in your power to place your children in the most favorable situation for forming the character that God requires His servants to form. Exercise every spiritual sinew and muscle to save your little flock. The powers of hell will conspire for your destruction. Pray much more than you do. Lovingly, tenderly teach your children to come to God as a heavenly Father. {BLJ 205.3}
[BLJ 205.4]    By your example in the management of the home, teach them self-control. Teach them to be helpful in the home. Tell them that Christ lived not to please Himself. The Holy Spirit will fill your mind with the most precious thoughts as you work for your own salvation and the salvation of your children. {BLJ 205.4}
[BLJ 205.5]    Parents, gather the rays of divine light which are shining upon your pathway. Walk in the light as Christ is in the light. As you take up the work of saving your children and maintaining your position on the highway of holiness, the most provoking trials will come. But do not lose your hold. Cling to Jesus. He says, “Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.” {BLJ 205.5}
[BLJ 205.6]    Difficulties will arise. You will meet with obstacles. Look constantly to Jesus. When an emergency arises, ask, “Lord, what shall I do now?” If you refuse to storm or fret or scold, the Lord will show you the way through. He will help you to use the talent of speech in such a Christlike way that the precious attributes of patience, comfort, and love will be brought into the home. . . . {BLJ 205.6}
[BLJ 205.7]    Do all in your power to stand on vantage ground before your children. By following a Christlike course of action, holding firmly to the promises of God, you may be evangelists in the home, ministers of grace to your children.—Spalding and Magan Collection, p. 185. {BLJ 205.7}
[BLJ 206.1]        For Every Difficulty, God’s Grace Is Sufficient    And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9, NKJV. {BLJ 206.1}
[BLJ 206.2]      None can be so situated that they cannot obey God. There is too little faith with Christians of today. They are willing to work for Christ and His cause only when they themselves can see a prospect of favorable results. Divine grace will aid the efforts of every true believer. That grace is sufficient for us under all circumstances. The Spirit of Christ will exert His renewing, perfecting power upon the character of all who will be obedient and faithful. {BLJ 206.2}
[BLJ 206.3]    God is the great I AM, the source of being, the center of authority and power. Whatever the condition or situation of His creatures, they can have no sufficient excuse for refusing to answer the claims of God. The Lord holds us responsible for the light shining upon our pathway. We may be surrounded by difficulties that appear formidable to us, and because of these we may excuse ourselves for not obeying the truth as it is in Jesus; but there can be no excuse that will bear investigation. Could there be an excuse for disobedience, it would prove our heavenly Father unjust, in that He had given us conditions of salvation with which we could not comply. . . . {BLJ 206.3}
[BLJ 206.4]    Christians should not array before their imagination all the trials which may occur before the end of the race. They have but to begin to serve God, and each day live and labor for the glory of God that day, and obstacles which appeared insurmountable will gradually grow less and less; or, should they encounter all that they have feared, the grace of Christ will be imparted to them according to their need. Strength increases with the difficulties met and overcome. . . . {BLJ 206.4}
[BLJ 206.5]    Those whose hearts are fixed to serve God will find opportunity to serve Him. They will pray, they will read the Word of God, they will seek virtue and forsake vice. They can brave contempt and derision while looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself. Help and grace are promised by Him whose words are truth. God will not fail to fulfill His promise to all who trust in Him.—Sketches From the Life of Paul, pp. 296-298. {BLJ 206.5}
[BLJ 207.1]        Husbands Are to Be Thoughtful and Cheerful    Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7, NKJV. {BLJ 207.1}
[BLJ 207.2]      The husband should manifest great interest in his family. Especially should he be very tender of the feelings of a feeble wife. He can shut the door against much disease. Kind, cheerful, and encouraging words will prove more effective than the most healing medicines. These will bring courage to the heart of the desponding and discouraged, and the happiness and sunshine brought into the family by kind acts and encouraging words will repay the effort tenfold. {BLJ 207.2}
[BLJ 207.3]    The husband should remember that much of the burden of training his children rests upon the mother, that she has much to do with molding their minds. This should call into exercise his tenderest feelings, and with care should he lighten her burdens. He should encourage her to lean upon his large affections and direct her mind to heaven, where there is strength and peace and a final rest for the weary. He should not come to his home with a clouded brow, but should with his presence bring sunlight into the family and should encourage his wife to look up and believe in God. Unitedly they can claim the promises of God and bring His rich blessing into the family.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 306, 307. {BLJ 207.3}
[BLJ 207.4]    Many a husband and father might learn a helpful lesson from the carefulness of the faithful shepherd. Jacob, when urged to undertake a rapid and difficult journey, made answer: “The children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. . . . I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure.” {BLJ 207.4}
[BLJ 207.5]    In life’s toilsome way let the husband and father “lead on softly,” as the companion of his journey is able to endure. Amidst the world’s eager rush for wealth and power, let him learn to stay his steps, to comfort and support the one who is called to walk by his side.—The Ministry of Healing, p. 374. {BLJ 207.5}
[BLJ 208.1]        Bible Holiness Is Our Great Need    To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27, NKJV. {BLJ 208.1}
[BLJ 208.2]      It is difficult for those who feel secure in their attainments, and who believe themselves to be rich in spiritual knowledge, to receive the message ［to the Laodiceans］ which declares that they are deceived and in need of every spiritual grace. The unsanctified heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” I was shown that many are flattering themselves that they are good Christians, who have not a ray of light from Jesus. They have not a living experience for themselves in the divine life. They need a deep and thorough work of self-abasement before God before they will feel their true need of earnest, persevering effort to secure the precious graces of the Spirit. {BLJ 208.2}
[BLJ 208.3]    God leads His people on step by step. The Christian life is a constant battle and a march. There is no rest from the warfare. It is by constant, unceasing effort that we maintain the victory over the temptations of Satan. As a people we are triumphing in the clearness and strength of the truth. We are fully sustained in our positions by an overwhelming amount of plain scriptural testimony. But we are very much wanting in Bible humility, patience, faith, love, self-denial, watchfulness, and the spirit of sacrifice. We need to cultivate Bible holiness. Sin prevails among the people of God. The plain message of rebuke to the Laodiceans is not received. Many cling to their doubts and their darling sins while they are in so great a deception as to talk and feel that they are in need of nothing. They think the testimony of the Spirit of God in reproof is uncalled for or that it does not mean them. {BLJ 208.3}
[BLJ 208.4]    Such are in the greatest need of the grace of God and spiritual discernment that they may discover their deficiency in spiritual knowledge. They lack almost every qualification necessary to perfect Christian character. They have not a practical knowledge of Bible truth, which leads to lowliness of life and a conformity of their will to the will of Christ. They are not living in obedience to all God’s requirements. {BLJ 208.4}
[BLJ 208.5]    It is not enough to merely profess to believe the truth. All the soldiers of the cross of Christ virtually obligate themselves to enter the crusade against the adversary of souls, to condemn wrong and sustain righteousness. But the message of the True Witness reveals the fact that a terrible deception is upon our people, which makes it necessary to come to them with warnings, to break their spiritual slumber, and arouse them to decided action.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, pp. 253, 254. {BLJ 208.5}
[BLJ 209.1]        Be Faithful in Small, Common Tasks    Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV. {BLJ 209.1}
[BLJ 209.2]      By faithfulness in little things, Elisha was preparing for weightier trusts. Day by day, through practical experience, he gained a fitness for a broader, higher work. He learned to serve; and in learning this, he learned also how to instruct and lead. The lesson is for all. None can know what may be God’s purpose in His discipline; but all may be certain that faithfulness in little things is the evidence of fitness for greater responsibilities. . . . {BLJ 209.2}
[BLJ 209.3]    Those who feel that it is of no consequence how they perform the smaller tasks prove themselves unfit for a more honored position. They may think themselves fully competent to take up the larger duties; but God looks deeper than the surface. After test and trial, there is written against them the sentence “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” Their unfaithfulness reacts upon themselves. They fail of gaining the grace, the power, the force of character, which is received through unreserved surrender. {BLJ 209.3}
[BLJ 209.4]    Because they are not connected with some directly religious work, many feel that their lives are useless, that they are doing nothing for the advancement of God’s kingdom. If they could do some great thing, how gladly they would undertake it! But because they can serve only in little things, they think themselves justified in doing nothing. In this they err. . . . {BLJ 209.4}
[BLJ 209.5]    Many long for special talent with which to do a wonderful work, while the duties lying close at hand, the performance of which would make the life fragrant, are lost sight of. Let such ones take up the duties lying directly in their pathway. Success depends not so much on talent as on energy and willingness. It is not the possession of splendid talents that enables us to render acceptable service, but the conscientious performance of daily duties, the contented spirit, the unaffected, sincere interest in the welfare of others. In the humblest lot true excellence may be found. The commonest tasks, wrought with loving faithfulness, are beautiful in God’s sight.—Prophets and Kings, pp. 218, 219. {BLJ 209.5}
[BLJ 210.1]        Meeting Difficulties Develops Spiritual Muscle    The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9, NKJV. {BLJ 210.1}
[BLJ 210.2]      In seasons of temptations we seem to lose sight of the fact that God tests us that our faith may be tried, and be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus. The Lord places us in different positions to develop us. If we have defects of character of which we are not aware, He gives us discipline that will bring those defects to our knowledge, that we may overcome them. {BLJ 210.2}
[BLJ 210.3]    It is His providence that brings us into varying circumstances. In each new position, we meet a different class of temptations. How many times, when we are placed in some trying situation, we think, “This is a wonderful mistake. How I wish I had stayed where I was before.” But why is it that you are not satisfied? It is because your circumstances have served to bring new defects in your character to your notice; but nothing is revealed but that which was in you. What should you do when you are tried by the providences of the Lord? You should rise to the emergency of the case, and overcome your defects of character. {BLJ 210.3}
[BLJ 210.4]    It is coming in contact with difficulties that will give you spiritual muscle and sinew. You will become strong in Christ if you endure the testing process and the proving of God. But if you find fault with your situation and with everybody around you, you will only grow weaker. I have seen people who were always finding fault with everything and everybody around them, but the fault was in themselves. They had need to fall upon the Rock and be broken. They felt whole in their own self-righteousness. The trials that come upon us come to prove us. The enemy of our souls is working against us continually, but our defects of character will be made manifest to us, and when they are made plain, instead of finding fault with others, let us say, “I will arise and go to my father.” {BLJ 210.4}
[BLJ 210.5]    When we begin to realize that we are sinners, and fall on the Rock to be broken, the everlasting arms are placed about us, and we are brought close to the heart of Jesus. Then we shall be charmed with His loveliness, and disgusted with our own righteousness. We need to come close to the foot of the cross. The more we humble ourselves there, the more exalted will God’s love appear.—Review and Herald, Aug. 6, 1889. {BLJ 210.5}
[BLJ 211.1]        Maintain Integrity, Whatever the Cost    Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Hebrews 13:7, NKJV. {BLJ 211.1}
[BLJ 211.2]      Every plan and purpose of life should be subjected to this unerring test ［the Word of God］. The Word of inspiration is the wisdom of God applied to human affairs. However advantageous a certain course may appear to finite judgment, if denounced by that Word it will be only evil in its results. {BLJ 211.2}
[BLJ 211.3]    It may be a difficult matter for those in high positions to pursue the path of undeviating integrity whether they shall receive praise or censure. Yet this is the only safe course. All the rewards which they might gain by selling their honor would be only as the breath from polluted lips, as dross to be consumed in the fire. Those who have moral courage to stand in opposition to the vices and errors of their fellow beings—it may be of those whom the world honors—will receive hatred, insult, and abusive falsehood. They may be thrust down from their high position, because they would not be bought or sold, because they could not be induced by bribes or threats to stain their hands with iniquity. {BLJ 211.3}
[BLJ 211.4]    Everything on earth may seem to conspire against them; but God has set His seal upon His own work. They may be regarded by other people as weak, . . . unfit to hold office; but how differently does the Most High regard them. Those who despise them are the really ignorant. While the storms of calumny and reviling may pursue persons of integrity through life, and beat upon their graves, God has the “well done” prepared for them. Folly and iniquity will at best yield only a life of unrest and discontent, and at its close a thorny dying pillow. And how many, as they view their course of action and its results, are led to end with their own hands their disgraceful career. And beyond all this waits the judgment, and the final, irrevocable doom, Depart! . . . {BLJ 211.4}
[BLJ 211.5]    The Son of God has set an example for all His followers. They are not to court praise from others, not to seek for themselves ease or wealth, but to emulate His life of purity and self-denial at whatever cost. . . . They will not manifest a disregard for the rights of others. God’s law commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to suffer no evil to be instituted against them which we can hinder. But the rule which Christ has given extends still further. Said the world’s Redeemer, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” Nothing short of this can reach the standard of Christianity.—Signs of the Times, Feb. 2, 1882. {BLJ 211.5}
[BLJ 212.1]        Motive Determines Value of Our Acts    So He called His disciples to Him and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43, 44, NKJV. {BLJ 212.1}
[BLJ 212.2]      It is the motive that gives character to our acts, stamping them with ignominy or with high moral worth. Not the great things which every eye sees and every tongue praises does God account most precious. The little duties cheerfully done, the little gifts which make no show, and which to human eyes may appear worthless, often stand highest in His sight. A heart of faith and love is dearer to God than the most costly gift. {BLJ 212.2}
[BLJ 212.3]    The poor widow gave her living to do the little that she did. She deprived herself of food in order to give those two mites to the cause she loved. And she did it in faith, believing that her heavenly Father would not overlook her great need. It was this unselfish spirit and childlike faith that won the Savior’s commendation. {BLJ 212.3}
[BLJ 212.4]    Among the poor there are many who long to show their gratitude to God for His grace and truth. They greatly desire to share with their more prosperous fellow church members in sustaining His service. These souls should not be repulsed. Let them lay up their mites in the bank of heaven. If given from a heart filled with love for God, these seeming trifles become consecrated gifts, priceless offerings, which God smiles upon and blesses. {BLJ 212.4}
[BLJ 212.5]    When Jesus said of the widow, She “hath cast in more than they all,” His words were true, not only of the motive, but of the results of her gift. The “two mites, which make a farthing” have brought to God’s treasury an amount of money far greater than the contributions of those rich Jews. The influence of that little gift has been like a stream, small in its beginning, but widening and deepening as it flowed down through the ages. In a thousand ways it has contributed to the relief of the poor and the spread of the gospel. {BLJ 212.5}
[BLJ 212.6]    Her example of self-sacrifice has acted and reacted upon thousands of hearts in every land and in every age. It has appealed to both the rich and the poor, and their offerings have swelled the value of her gift. God’s blessing upon the widow’s mite has made it the source of great results. So with every gift bestowed and every act performed with a sincere desire for God’s glory. It is linked with the purposes of Omnipotence. Its results for good no one can measure.—The Desire of Ages, pp. 615, 616. {BLJ 212.6}
[BLJ 213.1]        Stay Close to Jesus and Become Like Him    You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11, NKJV. {BLJ 213.1}
[BLJ 213.2]      This world is our school—a school of discipline and training. We are placed here to form characters like the character of Christ, and to acquire the habits and the language of the higher life. Influences opposed to good abound on every hand. The developments of sin are becoming so full, so deep, so abhorrent to God, that soon He will arise in majesty to shake terribly the earth. {BLJ 213.2}
[BLJ 213.3]    So artful are the plans of the enemy, so specious the complications which he brings about, that those who are weak in the faith do not discern his deceptions. They fall into the snares prepared by Satan, who works through human instrumentalities to deceive if possible the very elect. Those only who are closely connected with God will be able to discern the falsehoods and the intrigues of the enemy. {BLJ 213.3}
[BLJ 213.4]    There are in this world only two classes, those who serve God, and those who stand under the black banner of the prince of darkness. Those who enter the gates of the City of God must, in this world, live in union with Christ. {BLJ 213.4}
[BLJ 213.5]    The principles of God’s government—the only principles that will endure from everlasting to everlasting—are to be followed by those who are seeking for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. The line of demarcation between those who serve God and those who serve Him not is to be kept clear and distinct. {BLJ 213.5}
[BLJ 213.6]    Let us allow God to control our minds. Let us not say or do anything that will turn a fellow being from the right way. I feel very sad as I think of how few there are who show that they have tasted the deep blessedness of communion with a risen, ascended Savior. Men and women of the world are striving for the supremacy. God’s followers are to keep Christ ever in view, inquiring at every step, “Is this the way of the Lord?” A holy desire to live the life of Christ is to fill their hearts. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. {BLJ 213.6}
[BLJ 213.7]    Oh, that our people could realize what advantages would be theirs if they would look constantly to Jesus. . . . He is our Alpha and our Omega. Pressing close to Him, and holding communion with Him, we become like Him. Through the transforming power of the Spirit of Christ, we are changed in heart and life.—Australasian Union Conference Record, Feb. 1, 1904. {BLJ 213.7}
[BLJ 214.1]        To Find True Happiness, Obey God    This is my happy way of life: obeying your commandments. Psalm 119:56, NLT. {BLJ 214.1}
[BLJ 214.2]      Happiness must be sought in the right way, and from the right source. Some think they may surely find happiness in a course of indulgence in sinful pleasures, or in deceptive worldly attractions. And some sacrifice physical and moral obligations, thinking to find happiness, and they lose both soul and body. Others will seek their happiness in the indulgence of an unnatural appetite, and consider the indulgence of taste more desirable than health and life. Many suffer themselves to be enchained by sensual passions, and will sacrifice physical strength, intellect, and moral powers to the gratification of lust. They will bring themselves to untimely graves, and in the judgment will be charged with self-murder. {BLJ 214.2}
[BLJ 214.3]    Is this . . . happiness desirable which is to be found in the path of disobedience and transgression of physical and moral law? Christ’s life points out the true source of happiness, and how it is to be attained. His life points the direct and only path to heaven. Let the voice of wisdom be heard. Let it mark out the path. “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” {BLJ 214.3}
[BLJ 214.4]    Temptations are on every side to allure the steps of youth to their ruin. The sad deficiency in the education of children leaves them weak and unguarded, vacillating in character, feeble in intellect, and deficient in moral strength, so that so far from imitating the life of Christ, the youth generally are like a reed trembling in the wind. They have not physical constitution or moral power, because they yield to temptations. Through sinful indulgences, they stain their purity, and their manners are corrupted. They are impatient of restraint, and flatter themselves if they could only have their own way they should then be very happy. . . . {BLJ 214.4}
[BLJ 214.5]    If children and youth would seek their highest earthly good, they must look for it in the path of faithful obedience. A sound constitution, which is the greatest earthly prize, can only be obtained by a denial of unnatural appetite. If they would be happy indeed, they should cheerfully seek to be found at the post of duty, doing the work which devolves upon them with fidelity, conforming their hearts and lives to the perfect pattern.—Youth’s Instructor, April 1872. {BLJ 214.5}
[BLJ 215.1]        When in Trial, Review God’s Great Mercy    Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip. I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Psalm 17:5, 6, NKJV. {BLJ 215.1}
[BLJ 215.2]      The Lord directed Moses to recount to the children of Israel His dealings with them in their deliverance from Egypt and their wonderful preservation in the wilderness. He was to call to mind their unbelief and murmuring when brought into trial, and the Lord’s great mercy and loving-kindness, which had never forsaken them. This would stimulate their faith and strengthen their courage. . . . {BLJ 215.2}
[BLJ 215.3]    It is just as essential that the people of God in this day should bear in mind how and when they have been tested, and where their faith has failed; where they have imperiled His cause by their unbelief and also by their self-confidence. God’s mercy, His sustaining providence, His never-to-be-forgotten deliverances, are to be recounted, step by step. {BLJ 215.3}
[BLJ 215.4]    As God’s people thus review the past, they should see that the Lord is ever repeating His dealings. They should understand the warnings given, and should beware not to repeat their mistakes. Renouncing all self-dependence, they are to trust in Him to save them from again dishonoring His name. In every victory that Satan gains, souls are imperiled. Some become the subjects of his temptations, never to recover themselves. . . . {BLJ 215.4}
[BLJ 215.5]    God sends trials to prove who will stand faithful under temptation. He brings all into trying positions to see if they will trust in a power out of and above themselves. Everyone has undiscovered traits of character that must come to light through trial. God allows those who are self-sufficient to be sorely tempted, that they may understand their helplessness. {BLJ 215.5}
[BLJ 215.6]    When trials come to us; when we can see before us, not an increase of prosperity, but a pressure necessitating sacrifice on the part of all, how shall we receive Satan’s insinuation that we are to have a very hard time? If we listen to his suggestions, unbelief in God will spring up. . . . We should look at the work He has done, the reforms He has wrought. We should gather up the evidences of Heaven’s blessings, the tokens for good, saying: “Lord, we believe in Thee, in Thy servants, and in Thy work.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, pp. 210, 211. {BLJ 215.6}
[BLJ 216.1]        Receive Light, and Walk in It    You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14, NKJV. {BLJ 216.1}
[BLJ 216.2]      There is one thing in this world which is the greatest object of Christ’s solicitude. It is His church on earth; for its members should be representatives, in spirit and character, of Him. The world is to recognize in them the representatives of Christianity, the depository of sacred truths in which is stored the most precious jewels for the enrichment of others. Through the ages of moral darkness and error, through centuries of strife and persecution, the church of Christ has been as a city set on a hill. From age to age, through successive generations to the present time, the pure doctrines of the Bible have been unfolding within its borders. {BLJ 216.2}
[BLJ 216.3]    But in order that the church on earth may be an educating power in the world, it must cooperate with the church in heaven. The hearts of those who are members of the church must be open to receive every ray of light that God shall choose to impart. God has light to impart to us according to our ability to receive, and as we receive the light, we shall be capable of receiving more and more of the rays of the Sun of Righteousness. . . . {BLJ 216.3}
[BLJ 216.4]    Every one of us is upon probation, in school, where we are required to be diligent students. It is enjoined upon us to walk in the light, as Christ is in the light. It is by walking in the light that we learn of God, and “this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). These are the words of Him who was with the Father before the world was, and He uttered these words while praying for all those who should believe in God through the words of His disciples. To know God in His works is true science. Let us follow on to know the Lord till we shall know that His goings forth are prepared as the morning. . . . {BLJ 216.4}
[BLJ 216.5]    Faithful souls have constituted the church of God on earth, and He has taken them into covenant relation with Himself, uniting His church on earth with His church in heaven. He has sent forth heavenly angels to minister to His church, and the gates of hell have not been able to prevail against His people.—Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, pp. 265, 266. {BLJ 216.5}
[BLJ 217.1]        Reveal Love, Compassion, and Tenderness    And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17, NKJV. {BLJ 217.1}
[BLJ 217.2]      Great responsibility comes to those who have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Strive to understand the meaning of the words “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” In the new life upon which you have entered, you are pledged to represent the life of Christ. . . . {BLJ 217.2}
[BLJ 217.3]    The old sinful life is dead, the new life entered into with Christ by the pledge of baptism. Practice the virtues of the Savior’s character. Let His word “dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” . . . {BLJ 217.3}
[BLJ 217.4]    These things are to be presented in the churches. Love, compassion, and tenderness are to be revealed among us. Put on, as the elect of God, mercy and kindness. The sins that were practiced before conversion are to be put off with the old man. With the new man, Christ Jesus, are to be put on “kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.” {BLJ 217.4}
[BLJ 217.5]    Those who have risen with Christ to walk in newness of life are the elect of God. They are holy unto the Lord, and are acknowledged by Him as His beloved. As such, they are under solemn covenant to distinguish themselves by showing humility of mind. They are to clothe themselves in garments of righteousness. They are separate from the world, from its spirit, its practices, and they are to reveal that they are learning of Him who says, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” {BLJ 217.5}
[BLJ 217.6]    If they realize that they have died with Christ, if they keep their baptismal vow, the world will have no power to draw them aside to deny Christ. If they live the life of Christ in this world, they are partakers of the divine nature. Then, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, they also will appear with Him in glory.—Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, pp. 236, 237. {BLJ 217.6}
[BLJ 218.1]        Do Not Accuse Others, but Intercede for Them    Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17, NKJV. {BLJ 218.1}
[BLJ 218.2]      Let human beings, subject to temptation, remember that in the heavenly courts they have a High Priest who is touched with the feeling of their infirmities, because He Himself was tempted, even as they are. And let those in positions of responsibility, especially, remember that they are subject to temptation, and wholly dependent on the merits of the Savior. However sacred the work to which they may be called, they are still sinners, who can be saved only through the grace of Christ. One day they must stand before the throne of God, saved by the blood of the Lamb, or condemned to the punishment of the wicked. . . . {BLJ 218.2}
[BLJ 218.3]    How grieved Christ is by the lack of love and tenderness manifested by His people in their dealings with one another! He notes the words, the tones of the voice. He hears the harsh, severe judgment passed on those whom He, in infinite love, is presenting to the Father. He hears every sigh of pain and sorrow caused by human harshness, and His Spirit is grieved. {BLJ 218.3}
[BLJ 218.4]    Apart from Christ we can do no good thing. How inconsistent, then, it is for human beings to exalt themselves! How strange that any should forget that they must repent, in common with their fellow beings, and that those whom they condemn with severity may stand justified before God, receiving the sympathy of Christ and the angels. {BLJ 218.4}
[BLJ 218.5]    Let God’s messengers act as wise men and women. Let them not lift up their souls unto vanity, but cherish humility. “Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” . . . {BLJ 218.5}
[BLJ 218.6]    Christ is pleading the case of every tempted soul, but while He is doing this, many of His people are grieving Him by taking their stand with Satan to accuse their brethren and sisters, pointing to their polluted garments. {BLJ 218.6}
[BLJ 218.7]    Let not the criticized ones become discouraged; for while others are condemning them, Christ is saying of them, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands. By creation and by redemption thou art Mine.—Review and Herald, March 17, 1903. {BLJ 218.7}
[BLJ 219.1]        Live Unselfishly, and Teach People to Love Jesus    You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. Deuteronomy 5:33, NKJV. {BLJ 219.1}
[BLJ 219.2]      Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. I ask you to study His life. . . . He came to bring to lost souls the gift of eternal life. In the sacrifice of His Son, the Father revealed how much He desires that sinners shall be saved. “Therefore doth my Father love me,” Christ declared, “because I lay down my life.” The Father loves us with a love that is but feebly comprehended. {BLJ 219.2}
[BLJ 219.3]    It is because men and women lack the spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice that they cannot comprehend the sacrifice made by Heaven in giving Christ to the world. Their religious experience is mingled with selfishness and self-exaltation. How can such professors have anything but a meager hope of sharing the inheritance of Christ? “Verily I say unto you,” He said to His disciples, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” {BLJ 219.3}
[BLJ 219.4]    There are many who, while professing godliness, measure themselves among themselves, and in consequence grow weak in spiritual life. Pride is not overcome. Not until these souls fall on the Rock and are broken will they understand their need. Oh, that they might confess their wrongs before God, and plead for the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives! Truth and righteousness will flow into the hearts that are cleansed from selfishness and sin, and through the lives of those in whose souls truth occupies the first place. . . . {BLJ 219.4}
[BLJ 219.5]    The wickedness of the world is not abating. Every year evil becomes more prevalent, and is more lightly regarded. Let our gatherings together be made seasons of heart searching and confession. It is the privilege of this people who have had such great blessings to be trees of righteousness, shedding forth comfort and blessing. They are to be living stones, emitting light. Those who have received pardon for their sins should with earnest purpose lead those who are in the ways of sin into paths of righteousness. Partaking of Christ’s self-denial and self-sacrifice, they will teach men and women to give up selfishness and sin, and accept in their place the lovely attributes of the divine nature.—Review and Herald, July 22, 1909. {BLJ 219.5}
[BLJ 220.1]        Bring the Lower Passions Into Subjection    Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that . . . they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:11, 12, NKJV. {BLJ 220.1}
[BLJ 220.2]      Near the close of this earth’s history Satan will work with all his powers in the same manner and with the same temptations wherewith he tempted ancient Israel just before their entering the Land of Promise. He will lay snares for those who claim to keep the commandments of God, and who are almost on the borders of the heavenly Canaan. He will use his powers to their utmost in order to entrap souls, and to take God’s professed people upon their weakest points. {BLJ 220.2}
[BLJ 220.3]    Those who have not brought the lower passions into subjection to the higher powers of their being, those who have allowed their minds to flow in a channel of carnal indulgence of the baser passions, Satan is determined to destroy with his temptations—to pollute their souls with licentiousness. He is not aiming especially at the lower and less important marks, but he makes use of his snares through those whom he can enlist as his agents to allure or attract men and women to take liberties which are condemned in the law of God. {BLJ 220.3}
[BLJ 220.4]    And those in responsible positions, teaching the claims of God’s law, whose mouths are filled with arguments in vindication of His law, against which Satan has made such a raid—over such he sets his hellish powers and his agencies at work, and overthrows them upon the weak points in their character, knowing that those who offend on one point are guilty of all, thus obtaining complete mastery over the entire person. Mind, soul, body, and conscience are involved in the ruin. If they be messengers of righteousness, and have had great light, or if the Lord has used them as His special workers in the cause of truth, then how great is the triumph of Satan! How he exults! How God is dishonored! . . . {BLJ 220.4}
[BLJ 220.5]    Satan knows it is his time. He has but little time left now in which to work, and he will work with tremendous power to ensnare the people of God upon their weak points of character. . . . It is necessary to guard the thoughts; to fence the soul about with the injunctions of God’s Word; and to be very careful in every thought, word, and action not to be betrayed into sin.—Review and Herald, May 17, 1887. {BLJ 220.5}
[BLJ 221.1]        Seek to Reflect the Image of Jesus    Whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked. 1 John 2:6, NRSV. {BLJ 221.1}
[BLJ 221.2]      What surpassing love and condescension, that when we had no claim on divine mercy, Christ was willing to undertake our redemption! But our great Physician requires of every soul unquestioning obedience. We are never to prescribe for our own case. Christ must have the entire control of our will and action, or He will not undertake in our behalf. {BLJ 221.2}
[BLJ 221.3]    Many are not sensible of their condition and their danger; and there is much in the nature of the Christian religion that is averse to every worldly feeling and principle, and opposed to the pride of the human heart. We may flatter ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our lives and our moral character have been correct, and think that we need not humble our heart before God, like the common sinner; but we must be content to enter into life in the very same way as the chief of sinners. Self must die. We must not trust to our own righteousness, but depend on the righteousness of Christ. He is our strength and our hope. {BLJ 221.3}
[BLJ 221.4]    Genuine faith is followed by love—love that is manifested in the home, in society, and in all the relations of life—love which smooths away difficulties, and lifts us above the disagreeable trifles that Satan places in our way to annoy us. And love will be followed by obedience. All the powers and the passions of the converted person are brought under the control of Christ. His Spirit is a renewing power, transforming to the divine image all who will receive it. {BLJ 221.4}
[BLJ 221.5]    To become a disciple of Christ is to deny self, and follow Jesus through evil as well as through good report. It is to close the door to pride, envy, doubt, and other sins, and thus shut out strife, hatred, and every evil work. It is to welcome into our hearts Jesus, the meek and lowly one, who is seeking admittance as our guest. . . . {BLJ 221.5}
[BLJ 221.6]    Jesus is a pattern for humanity, complete, perfect. He proposes to make us like Himself—true in every purpose, feeling, and thought—true in heart, soul, and life. The man or woman who cherishes the most of the love of Christ in the soul, who reflects the image of Christ most perfectly, is, in the sight of God, the truest, most noble, and most honorable person. But those who have not the Spirit of Christ are “none of his.”—Signs of the Times, July 14, 1887. {BLJ 221.6}
[BLJ 222.1]        We Should Give Hope to the Fallen    And to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:23, 24, NRSV. {BLJ 222.1}
[BLJ 222.2]      Christ was a faithful reprover. Never lived there another who so hated evil; never another whose denunciation of it was so fearless. To all things untrue and base His very presence was a rebuke. In the light of His purity, people saw themselves unclean, their life’s aims mean and false. Yet He drew them. He who had created them understood the value of humanity. Evil He denounced as the foe of those whom He was seeking to bless and to save. In every human being, however fallen, He beheld a child of God, one who might be restored to the privilege of divine relationship. {BLJ 222.2}
[BLJ 222.3]    “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). Looking upon people in their suffering and degradation, Christ perceived ground for hope where appeared only despair and ruin. Wherever there existed a sense of need, there He saw opportunity for uplifting. Souls tempted, defeated, feeling themselves lost, ready to perish, He met, not with denunciation, but with blessing. {BLJ 222.3}
[BLJ 222.4]    The beatitudes were His greeting to the whole human family. Looking upon the vast throng gathered to listen to the Sermon on the Mount, He seemed for the moment to have forgotten that He was not in heaven, and He used the familiar salutation of the world of light. From His lips flowed blessings as the gushing forth of a long-sealed fountain. {BLJ 222.4}
[BLJ 222.5]    Turning from the ambitious, self-satisfied favorites of this world, He declared that those were blessed who, however great their need, would receive His light and love. To the poor in spirit, the sorrowing, the persecuted, He stretched out His arms, saying, “Come unto me, . . . and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). {BLJ 222.5}
[BLJ 222.6]    In every human being He discerned infinite possibilities. He saw men and women as they might be, transfigured by His grace—in “the beauty of the Lord our God” (Psalm 90:17). Looking upon them with hope, He inspired hope. Meeting them with confidence, He inspired trust. . . . In many a heart that seemed dead to all things holy were awakened new impulses. To many a despairing one there opened the possibility of a new life.—Education, pp. 79, 80. {BLJ 222.6}
[BLJ 223.1]        Take Time for Prayer and the Word    These are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4:18, 19, NKJV. {BLJ 223.1}
[BLJ 223.2]      Christ specified the things that are dangerous to the soul. As recorded by Mark, He mentions the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things. Luke specifies the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life. These are what choke the word, the growing spiritual seed. The soul ceases to draw nourishment from Christ, and spirituality dies out of the heart. {BLJ 223.2}
[BLJ 223.3]    “The cares of this world.” No class is free from the temptation to worldly care. To the poor, toil and deprivation and the fear of want bring perplexities and burdens. To the rich come fear of loss and a multitude of anxious cares. Many of Christ’s followers forget the lesson He has bidden us learn from the flowers of the field. They do not trust to His constant care. Christ cannot carry their burden, because they do not cast it upon Him. . . . {BLJ 223.3}
[BLJ 223.4]    Many who might be fruitful in God’s service become bent on acquiring wealth. Their whole energy is absorbed in business enterprises, and they feel obliged to neglect things of a spiritual nature. Thus they separate themselves from God. . . . We are to labor that we may impart to those in need. Christians must work, they must engage in business, and they can do this without committing sin. But many become so absorbed in business that they have no time for prayer, no time for the study of the Bible, no time to seek and serve God. {BLJ 223.4}
[BLJ 223.5]    At times the longings of the soul go out for holiness and heaven; but there is no time to turn aside from the din of the world to listen to the majestic and authoritative utterances of the Spirit of God. The things of eternity are made subordinate, the things of the world supreme. It is impossible for the seed of the Word to bring forth fruit; for the life of the soul is given to nourish the thorns of worldliness. {BLJ 223.5}
[BLJ 223.6]    And many who are working with a very different purpose fall into a like error. They are working for others’ good; their duties are pressing, their responsibilities are many, and they allow their labor to crowd out devotion. . . . They walk apart from Christ, their life is not pervaded by His grace, and the characteristics of self are revealed.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 51, 52. {BLJ 223.6}
[BLJ 224.1]        Study Christ’s Words, Not Human Opinions    For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17, NKJV. {BLJ 224.1}
[BLJ 224.2]      Jesus was the light of the world. He came forth from God with a message of hope and salvation to the fallen children of Adam. If men and women would but receive Him as their personal Savior, He promised to restore to them the image of God, and to redeem all that had been lost through sin. He presented to human beings the truth, without one thread of interwoven error. When He taught, His words came with authority; for He spoke with positive knowledge of the truth. {BLJ 224.2}
[BLJ 224.3]    The teaching of mortals is wholly different from the teaching of Christ. There is a constant tendency on the part of humans to present their own theories and opinions as matter worthy of attention, even when they have no foundation in truth. They are very tenacious for their erroneous ideas and idle opinions. They will hold firmly to the traditions of humanity, and defend them as vigorously as if they were the veritable truth. Jesus declared that everyone that was of the truth would hear His voice. {BLJ 224.3}
[BLJ 224.4]    How much more power would attend the preaching of the Word today if ministers dwelt less upon human theories and arguments and far more upon the lessons of Christ and upon practical godliness. He who had stood in the counsel of God, who had dwelt in His presence, was well acquainted with the origin and elements of truth, and understood its relation and importance to humanity. He presented to the world the plan of salvation, and unfolded truth of the highest order, even the words of eternal life. {BLJ 224.4}
[BLJ 224.5]    Patriarchs, prophets, and apostles spoke as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and they plainly stated that they spoke not by their own power, nor in their own name. They desired that no credit might be ascribed to them, that no one might regard them as the originators of anything whereof they might glory. They were jealous for the honor of God, to whom all praise belongs. They declared that their ability and the messages they brought were given them as delegates of the power of God. God was their authority and sufficiency. . . . {BLJ 224.5}
[BLJ 224.6]    Christ is the Author of all truth. Every brilliant conception, every thought of wisdom, every capacity and talent of human beings, is the gift of Christ. He borrowed no new ideas from humanity; for He originated all.—Review and Herald, Jan. 7, 1890. {BLJ 224.6}
[BLJ 225.1]        Be Used by the Spirit in Christ’s Service    Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You. Revelation 15:3, 4, NKJV. {BLJ 225.1}
[BLJ 225.2]      God will move upon those in humble positions to declare the message of present truth. Many such will be seen hastening hither and thither, constrained by the Spirit of God to give the light to those in darkness. The truth is as a fire in their bones, filling them with a burning desire to enlighten those who sit in darkness. Many, even among the uneducated, will proclaim the Word of the Lord. Children will be impelled by the Holy Spirit to go forth to declare the message of heaven. The Spirit will be poured out upon those who yield to His promptings. Casting off humanity’s binding rules and cautious movements, they will join the army of the Lord. {BLJ 225.2}
[BLJ 225.3]    In the future, those in the common walks of life will be impressed by the Spirit of the Lord to leave their ordinary employment and go forth to proclaim the last message of mercy. As rapidly as possible they are to be prepared for labor, that success may crown their efforts. They cooperate with heavenly agencies, for they are willing to spend and be spent in the service of the Master. No one is authorized to hinder these workers. They are to be bidden Godspeed as they go forth to fulfill the great commission. No taunting word is to be spoken of them as in the rough places of the earth they sow the gospel seed. {BLJ 225.3}
[BLJ 225.4]    Life’s best things—simplicity, honesty, truthfulness, purity, unsullied integrity—cannot be bought or sold; they are as free to the ignorant as to the educated, to the black person as to the white person, to the humble peasant as to the king upon his throne. {BLJ 225.4}
[BLJ 225.5]    Humble workers, who do not trust in their own strength, but who labor in simplicity, trusting always in God, will share in the joy of the Savior. Their persevering prayers will bring souls to the cross. In cooperation with their self-sacrificing efforts Jesus will move upon hearts, working miracles in the conversion of souls. Men and women will be gathered into church fellowship. Meetinghouses will be built and schools established. The hearts of the workers will be filled with joy as they see the salvation of God.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, pp. 26-28. {BLJ 225.5}
[BLJ 227.1]        Chapter 8—Relating to the Natural World      Happiness to Be Found in Natural Surroundings    And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:10, NKJV. {BLJ 227.1}
[BLJ 227.2]      The father and the Son engaged in the mighty, wondrous work they had contemplated, of creating the world. The earth came forth from the hand of the Creator exceedingly beautiful. There were mountains and hills and plains; and interspersed among them were rivers and other bodies of water. The earth was not one extensive plain. Its surface was diversified with hills and mountains. These, however, were not high and ragged as they now are, but regular and beautiful in shape. The bare, high rocks were never seen upon them, but lay beneath the surface, answering as bones to the earth. {BLJ 227.2}
[BLJ 227.3]    The waters were regularly dispersed. The hills, mountains, and very beautiful plains were adorned with plants and flowers, and tall, majestic trees of every description, which were many times larger, and much more beautiful, than trees now are. The air was pure and healthful, and the earth seemed like a noble palace. Angels beheld and rejoiced at the wonderful and beautiful works of God. {BLJ 227.3}
[BLJ 227.4]    After the earth was created, and the beasts upon it, the Father and Son carried out their purpose, which was designed, before the fall of Satan, to make human beings in their own image. They had wrought together in the creation of the earth and every living thing upon it. And now God says to His Son, “Let us make man in our image.” As Adam came forth from the hand of his Creator, he was of noble height and of beautiful symmetry. He was more than twice as tall as men now living upon the earth, and was well proportioned. His features were perfect and beautiful. His complexion was neither white nor sallow, but ruddy, glowing with the rich tint of health. Eve was not quite as tall as Adam. Her head reached a little above his shoulders. She, too, was noble—perfect in symmetry, and very beautiful. {BLJ 227.4}
[BLJ 227.5]    This sinless pair wore no artificial garments. They were clothed with a covering of light and glory, such as the angels wear. While they lived in obedience to God, this circle of light enshrouded them. Although everything God had made was in the perfection of beauty, and there seemed nothing wanting upon the earth which God had created to make Adam and Eve happy, yet He manifested His great love to them by planting a garden especially for them. . . . This beautiful garden was to be their home, their special residence.—Signs of the Times, Jan. 9, 1897. {BLJ 227.5}
[BLJ 228.1]        All Nature Entrusted to Adam and Eve    Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26, NKJV. {BLJ 228.1}
[BLJ 228.2]      While they remained true to God, Adam and his companion were to bear rule over the earth. Unlimited control was given them over every living thing. The lion and the lamb sported peacefully around them or lay down together at their feet. The happy birds flitted about them without fear; and as their glad songs ascended to the praise of their Creator, Adam and Eve united with them in thanksgiving to the Father and the Son. {BLJ 228.2}
[BLJ 228.3]    The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God but students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator. They were visited by angels, and were granted communion with their Maker, with no obscuring veil between. They were full of the vigor imparted by the tree of life, and their intellectual power was but little less than that of the angels. The mysteries of the visible universe—“the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge” (Job 37:16)—afforded them an exhaustless source of instruction and delight. {BLJ 228.3}
[BLJ 228.4]    The laws and operations of nature, which have engaged humanity’s study for six thousand years, were opened to their minds by the infinite Framer and Upholder of all. They held converse with leaf and flower and tree, gathering from each the secrets of its life. With every living creature, from the mighty leviathan that playeth among the waters to the insect mote that floats in the sunbeam, Adam was familiar. He had given to each its name, and he was acquainted with the nature and habits of all. {BLJ 228.4}
[BLJ 228.5]    God’s glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, “the balancings of the clouds,” the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night—all were open to the study of our first parents. On every leaf of the forest or stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and air and sky, God’s name was written. The order and harmony of creation spoke to them of infinite wisdom and power. They were ever discovering some attraction that filled their hearts with deeper love and called forth fresh expressions of gratitude.—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 50, 51. {BLJ 228.5}
[BLJ 229.1]        God’s Wisdom and Love Revealed in Nature    Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28, NKJV. {BLJ 229.1}
[BLJ 229.2]      The holy pair looked upon nature as a picture of unsurpassed loveliness. The brown earth was clothed with a carpet of living green, diversified with an endless variety of self-propagating, self-perpetuating flowers. Shrubs, flowers, and trailing vines regaled the senses with their beauty and fragrance. The many varieties of lofty trees were laden with fruit of every kind, and of delicious flavor, adapted to please the taste and meet the wants of the happy Adam and Eve. This Eden home God provided for our first parents, giving them unmistakable evidences of His great love and care for them. {BLJ 229.2}
[BLJ 229.3]    Adam was crowned as king in Eden. To him was given dominion over every living thing that God had created. The Lord blessed Adam and Eve with intelligence such as He had not given to the animal creation. He made Adam the rightful sovereign over all the works of His hands. . . . {BLJ 229.3}
[BLJ 229.4]    Adam and Eve could trace the skill and glory of God in every spire of grass, and in every shrub and flower. The natural loveliness which surrounded them like a mirror reflected the wisdom, excellence, and love of their heavenly Father. And their songs of affection and praise rose sweetly and reverentially to heaven, harmonizing with the songs of the exalted angels, and with the happy birds who were caroling forth their music without a care. There was no disease, decay, nor death anywhere. Life, life was in everything the eye rested upon. The atmosphere was impregnated with life. Life was in every leaf, in every flower, and in every tree. {BLJ 229.4}
[BLJ 229.5]    The Lord knew that Adam could not be happy without labor, therefore He gave him the pleasant employment of dressing the garden. And as he tended the things of beauty and usefulness around him, he could behold the goodness and glory of God in His created works. Adam had themes for contemplation in the works of God in Eden, which was heaven in miniature. {BLJ 229.5}
[BLJ 229.6]    God did not form human beings merely to contemplate His glorious works; therefore He gave them hands for labor, as well as minds and hearts for contemplation. If the happiness of humans consisted in doing nothing, the Creator would not have given Adam his appointed work. In labor, humanity was to find happiness as well as in meditation.—Review and Herald, Feb. 24, 1874. {BLJ 229.6}
[BLJ 230.1]        Work Given as a Source of Happiness    Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Genesis 2:15, NKJV. {BLJ 230.1}
[BLJ 230.2]      God placed human beings under law, as an indispensable condition of their very existence. They were subjects of the divine government, and there can be no government without law. God might have created humans without the power to transgress His law; He might have withheld the hand of Adam from touching the forbidden fruit; but in that case people would have been, not free moral agents, but mere automatons. Without freedom of choice, their obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced. There could have been no development of character. Such a course would have been contrary to God’s plan in dealing with the inhabitants of other worlds. It would have been unworthy of humans as intelligent beings, and would have sustained Satan’s charge of God’s arbitrary rule. . . . {BLJ 230.2}
[BLJ 230.3]    The home of our first parents was to be a pattern for other homes as their children should go forth to occupy the earth. That home, beautified by the hand of God Himself, was not a gorgeous palace. Men and women, in their pride, delight in magnificent and costly edifices, and glory in the works of their own hands; but God placed Adam and Eve in a garden. This was their dwelling. The blue heavens were its dome; the earth, with its delicate flowers and carpet of living green, was its floor; and the leafy branches of the goodly trees were its canopy. Its walls were hung with the most magnificent adornings—the handiwork of the great Master Artist. {BLJ 230.3}
[BLJ 230.4]    In the surroundings of the holy pair was a lesson for all time—that true happiness is found, not in the indulgence of pride and luxury, but in communion with God through His created works. If people would give less attention to the artificial, and would cultivate greater simplicity, they would come far nearer to answering the purpose of God in their creation. Pride and ambition are never satisfied, but those who are truly wise will find substantial and elevating pleasure in the sources of enjoyment that God has placed within the reach of all. {BLJ 230.4}
[BLJ 230.5]    To the dwellers in Eden was committed the care of the garden, “to dress it and to keep it.” Their occupation was not wearisome, but pleasant and invigorating. God appointed labor as a blessing to our first parents, to occupy their minds, to strengthen their bodies, and to develop their faculties.—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 49, 50. {BLJ 230.5}
[BLJ 231.1]        The Earth Will Produce Abundantly for Diligent Workers    Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. Ezekiel 34:27, NKJV. {BLJ 231.1}
[BLJ 231.2]      There is need of much more extensive knowledge in regard to the preparation of the soil. There is not sufficient breadth of view as to what can be realized from the earth. A narrow and unvarying routine is followed with discouraging results.—Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 317. {BLJ 231.2}
[BLJ 231.3]    Let the educated ability be employed in devising improved methods of work. This is what the Lord wants. . . . {BLJ 231.3}
[BLJ 231.4]    There is need of intelligent and educated ability to devise the best methods in farming, in building, and in every other department, that the worker may not labor in vain. . . . God, who has made the world for the benefit of human beings, will provide means from the earth to sustain the diligent worker. {BLJ 231.4}
[BLJ 231.5]    The seed placed in thoroughly prepared soil will produce its harvest. God can spread a table for His people in the wilderness. . . . There is much mourning over unproductive soil, when, if people would read the Old Testament Scriptures, they would see that the Lord knew much better than they in regard to the proper treatment of land. After being cultivated for several years, and giving its treasures to the possession of humankind, portions of the land should be allowed to rest, and then the crops should be changed. We might learn much also from the Old Testament in regard to the labor problem. . . . {BLJ 231.5}
[BLJ 231.6]    The earth has its concealed treasures, and the Lord would have thousands and tens of thousands working upon the soil who are crowded into the cities to watch for a chance to earn a trifle. . . . The earth is to be made to give forth its strength; but without the blessing of God it could do nothing. {BLJ 231.6}
[BLJ 231.7]    In the beginning, God looked upon all He had made, and pronounced it very good. The curse was brought upon the earth in consequence of sin. But shall this curse be multiplied by increasing sin? Ignorance is doing its baleful work. Slothful servants are increasing the evil by their lazy habits. . . . But the earth has blessings hidden in its depths for those who have courage and will and perseverance to gather its treasures.—Ibid., pp. 315-327. {BLJ 231.7}
[BLJ 231.8]    Who will be missionaries to do this work, to teach proper methods to the youth and to all who feel willing and humble enough to learn?—Ibid., p. 324. {BLJ 231.8}
[BLJ 232.1]        Work and Study Benefit Both the Earth and the Mind    Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it. Deuteronomy 10:14, NKJV. {BLJ 232.1}
[BLJ 232.2]      In itself the beauty of nature leads the soul away from sin and worldly attractions, and toward purity, peace, and God. For this reason the cultivation of the soil is good work for children and youth. It brings them into direct contact with nature and nature’s God. And that they may have this advantage, there should be, as far as possible, in connection with our schools, large flower gardens and extensive lands for cultivation.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, pp. 186, 187. {BLJ 232.2}
[BLJ 232.3]    In the school that is started here in Cooranbong ［Australia］, we look to see real success in agricultural lines, combined with the study of the sciences. We mean for this place to be a center, from which shall radiate light, precious advanced knowledge that shall result in the working of unimproved lands, so that hills and valleys shall blossom as the rose. For both children and adults, labor combined with mental taxation will give the right kind of all-round education. The cultivation of the mind will bring tact and fresh incentive to the cultivation of the soil.—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 244. {BLJ 232.3}
[BLJ 232.4]    The school has made an excellent beginning. The students are learning how to plant trees, strawberries, etc.; how they must keep every spangle and fiber of the roots uncramped in order to give them a chance to grow. Is not this a most precious lesson as to how to treat the human mind, and the body as well—not to cramp any of the organs of the body, but to give them ample room to do their work? . . . {BLJ 232.4}
[BLJ 232.5]    We should work the soil cheerfully, hopefully, gratefully, believing that the earth holds in its bosom rich stores for the faithful worker to garner, richer than gold or silver. . . . With proper, intelligent cultivation the earth will yield its treasures for the benefit of humanity. . . . {BLJ 232.5}
[BLJ 232.6]    The cultivation of our land requires the exercise of all the brainpower and tact we possess. The lands around us testify to the indolence of human beings. We hope to arouse to action the dormant senses. We hope to see intelligent farmers who will be rewarded for their earnest labor. The hand and heart must cooperate, bringing new and sensible plans into operation in the cultivation of the soil.—Ibid., pp. 242-244. {BLJ 232.6}
[BLJ 233.1]        Cooperating With God in Work Promotes Happiness    And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure. 1 Corinthians 4:12, NKJV. {BLJ 233.1}
[BLJ 233.2]      At the creation, labor was appointed as a blessing. It meant development, power, happiness. The changed condition of the earth through the curse of sin has brought a change in the conditions of labor; yet though now attended with anxiety, weariness, and pain, it is still a source of happiness and development. And it is a safeguard against temptation. Its discipline places a check on self-indulgence, and promotes industry, purity, and firmness. Thus it becomes a part of God’s great plan for our recovery from the Fall. {BLJ 233.2}
[BLJ 233.3]    The youth ［and others］ should be led to see the true dignity of labor. Show them that God is a constant worker. All things in nature do their allotted work. Action pervades the whole creation, and in order to fulfill our mission we, too, must be active. {BLJ 233.3}
[BLJ 233.4]    In our labor we are to be workers together with God. He gives us the earth and its treasures; but we must adapt them to our use and comfort. He causes the trees to grow; but we prepare the timber and build the house. He has hidden in the earth the gold and silver, the iron and coal; but it is only through toil that we can obtain them. . . . {BLJ 233.4}
[BLJ 233.5]    While God has created and constantly controls all things, He has endowed us with a power not wholly unlike His. To us has been given a degree of control over the forces of nature. As God called forth the earth in its beauty out of chaos, so we can bring order and beauty out of confusion. And though all things are now marred with evil, yet in our completed work we feel a joy akin to His when, looking on the fair earth, He pronounced it “very good.” {BLJ 233.5}
[BLJ 233.6]    As a rule, the exercise most beneficial to the youth will be found in useful employment. The little children find both diversion and development in play; and their sports should be such as to promote not only physical, but mental and spiritual growth. As they gain strength and intelligence, the best recreation will be found in some line of effort that is useful. That which trains the hand to helpfulness, and teaches the young to bear their share of life’s burdens, is most effective in promoting the growth of mind and character.—Education, pp. 214, 215. {BLJ 233.6}
[BLJ 234.1]        Well-regulated Work Aids All-around Development    For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. Hebrews 6:7, 8, NKJV. {BLJ 234.1}
[BLJ 234.2]      The youth need to be taught that life means earnest work, responsibility, caretaking. They need a training that will make them practical—men and women who can cope with emergencies. They should be taught that the discipline of systematic, well-regulated labor is essential, not only as a safeguard against the vicissitudes of life, but as an aid to all-around development. {BLJ 234.2}
[BLJ 234.3]    Notwithstanding all that has been said and written concerning the dignity of labor, the feeling prevails that it is degrading. Young men are anxious to become teachers, clerks, merchants, physicians, lawyers, or to occupy some other position that does not require physical toil. Young women shun housework and seek an education in other lines. These need to learn that no man or woman is degraded by honest toil. That which degrades is idleness and selfish dependence. Idleness fosters self-indulgence, and the result is a life empty and barren—a field inviting the growth of every evil. . . . {BLJ 234.3}
[BLJ 234.4]    Since both men and women have a part in homemaking, boys as well as girls should gain a knowledge of household duties. . . . Let the children and youth learn from the Bible how God has honored the work of the everyday toiler. {BLJ 234.4}
[BLJ 234.5]    Let them read of “the sons of the prophets” (2 Kings 6:1-7), students at school, who were building a house for themselves, and for whom a miracle was wrought to save from loss the ax that was borrowed. Let them read of Jesus the carpenter, and Paul the tentmaker, who with the toil of the craftsman linked the highest ministry, human and divine. Let them read of the lad whose five loaves were used by the Savior in that wonderful miracle for the feeding of the multitude; of Dorcas the seamstress, called back from death, that she might continue to make garments for the poor; of the wise woman described in the Proverbs, who “seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands”; who “looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness” (Proverbs 31:13, 27).—Education, pp. 215-217. {BLJ 234.5}
[BLJ 235.1]        The Beauty of Nature Reveals God’s Character    I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1, 2, NKJV. {BLJ 235.1}
[BLJ 235.2]      I once had the pleasure of beholding one of Colorado’s most beautiful sunsets. The great Master Artist had hung out on the shifting canvas of the heavens, for the benefit of all, both rich and poor, one of His finest paintings. It almost seemed that the gates of heaven were ajar that we might see the beauty there was within. Oh! thought I, as one after another passed without noticing the scene, if it had been painted by human hands, how many would have been ready to fall down and worship it! {BLJ 235.2}
[BLJ 235.3]    God is a lover of the beautiful. He loves beauty of character, and He would have us cultivate purity and simplicity, the quiet graces of the flowers. We are to seek for the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. {BLJ 235.3}
[BLJ 235.4]    Parents, what kind of education are you giving your children? Are you teaching them to cherish that which is pure and lovely, or are you seeking to place their hands in that of the world? Are you spending time and means that they may learn the outward proprieties of life, and secure the superficial, the deceptive adornments of the world? {BLJ 235.4}
[BLJ 235.5]    From their earliest childhood, open before them the great book of nature. Teach them the ministry of the flowers. Show them that if Jesus had not come to earth and died, we should have had none of the beautiful things which we now enjoy. Call their attention to the fact that the color and even the arrangement of every delicate bud and flower is an expression of the love of God to human beings, and that affection and gratitude to their heavenly Father should be awakened in their hearts for all these gifts. {BLJ 235.5}
[BLJ 235.6]    Jesus, the greatest teacher the world ever knew, drew the most valuable illustrations of truth from scenes in nature. Parents, imitate His example, and use the things that delight the senses to impress important truths upon the minds of your children. Take them out in the morning, and let them hear the birds caroling forth their songs of praise. Teach them that we too should return thanks to the bountiful Giver of all for the blessings we daily receive. Teach them that it is not dress that makes the man or the woman, but that it is true goodness of heart.—Review and Herald, Oct. 27, 1885. {BLJ 235.6}
[BLJ 236.1]        God’s Love and Glory Seen in Nature    What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than angels ［margin］, and crowned them with glory and honor. Psalm 8:4, 5, NRSV. {BLJ 236.1}
[BLJ 236.2]      Our kind heavenly Father would have His children trust in Him as a child trusts in earthly parents. But we too often see poor, feeble mortals loading themselves down with cares and perplexities that God never intended them to bear. They have reversed the order; they are seeking the world first, and making the kingdom of heaven secondary. If even the little sparrow, which has no thought of future need, is cared for, why should the time and attention of human beings, who are made in the image of God, be wholly absorbed with these things? {BLJ 236.2}
[BLJ 236.3]    God has given us every evidence of His love and care, yet how often we fail to discern the divine hand in our manifold blessings. Every faculty of our being, every breath we draw, every comfort we enjoy, comes from Him. Every time we gather around the family board to partake of refreshments, we should remember that all this is an expression of the love of God. And shall we take the gift, and deny the Giver? . . . {BLJ 236.3}
[BLJ 236.4]    When Adam and Eve were placed in their Eden home, they had everything that a benevolent Creator could give them to add to their comfort and happiness. But they ventured to disobey God, and were therefore expelled from their lovely home. Then it was that the great love of God was expressed to us in one gift, that of His dear Son. If our first parents had not accepted the gift, the race would today be in hopeless misery. But how gladly did they hail the promise of the Messiah. {BLJ 236.4}
[BLJ 236.5]    It is the privilege of all to accept this Savior, to become children of God, members of the royal family, and to sit at last at God’s right hand. What love, what marvelous love, is this! John calls upon us to behold it: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” {BLJ 236.5}
[BLJ 236.6]    Notwithstanding the curse was pronounced upon the earth that it should bring forth thorns and thistles, there is a flower upon the thistle. This world is not all sorrow and misery. God’s great book of nature is open for us to study, and from it we are to gain more exalted ideas of His greatness and unexcelled love and glory.—Review and Herald, Oct. 27, 1885. {BLJ 236.6}
[BLJ 237.1]        God’s Power Exercised Constantly in Nature    Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Isaiah 40:12, NKJV. {BLJ 237.1}
[BLJ 237.2]      The psalmist says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” Some may suppose that these grand things in the natural world are God. They are not God. All these wonders in the heavens are only doing the work appointed them. They are the Lord’s agencies. God is the superintendent, as well as the Creator, of all things. The divine Being is engaged in upholding the things that He has created. The same hand that holds the mountains and balances them in position guides the worlds in their mysterious march around the sun. {BLJ 237.2}
[BLJ 237.3]    There is scarcely an operation of nature to which we may not find reference in the Word of God. The Word declares that “he maketh his sun to rise,” and the rain to descend. He “maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. . . . He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels. . . . He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.” “He maketh lightnings for the rain; and bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.” {BLJ 237.3}
[BLJ 237.4]    These words of Holy Writ say nothing of the independent laws of nature. God furnishes the matter and the properties with which to carry out His plans. He employs His agencies that vegetation may flourish. He sends the dew and the rain and the sunshine, that verdure may spring forth, and spread its carpet over the earth; that the shrubs and fruit trees may bud and blossom and bring forth. {BLJ 237.4}
[BLJ 237.5]    It is not to be supposed that a law is set in motion for the seed to work itself, that the leaf appears because it must do so of itself. God has laws that He has instituted, but they are only the servants through which He effects results. It is through the immediate agency of God that every tiny seed breaks through the earth, and springs into life. Every leaf grows, every flower blooms, by the power of God.—Review and Herald, March 17, 1904. {BLJ 237.5}
[BLJ 238.1]        Appreciate Earth’s Natural, Quiet Beauty    Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, or a path for the thunderbolt, to cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, a wilderness in which there is no man; to satisfy the desolate waste, and cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? Job 38:25-27, NKJV. {BLJ 238.1}
[BLJ 238.2]      He who laid the foundation of the earth, who garnished the heavens and marshaled the stars in their order, He who has clothed the earth with a living carpet, and beautified it with lovely flowers of every shade and variety, would have His children appreciate His works and delight in the simple, quiet beauty with which He has adorned their earthly home. {BLJ 238.2}
[BLJ 238.3]    Christ sought to draw the attention of His disciples away from the artificial to the natural: “If God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” {BLJ 238.3}
[BLJ 238.4]    Why did not our heavenly Father carpet the earth with brown or gray? He chose the color that was most restful, the most acceptable to the senses. How it cheers the heart and refreshes the weary spirit to look upon the earth, clad in its garments of living green! Without this covering the air would be filled with dust, and the earth would appear like a desert. Every spire of grass, every opening bud and blooming flower, is a token of God’s love, and should teach us a lesson of faith and trust in Him. Christ calls our attention to their natural loveliness, and assures us that the most gorgeous array of the greatest king that ever wielded an earthly scepter was not equal to that worn by the humblest flower. . . . {BLJ 238.4}
[BLJ 238.5]    I would present before you Christ and Him crucified. Give Him your heart’s best affections. Give Him your intellect; it belongs to Him. Give Him your talents of means and of influence; they were only lent to you for improvement. Jesus laid aside His robes of royalty, stepped down from His eternal throne, clothed His divinity with humanity, and for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich. Rich in money? in lands? in bank stock? No; that we might secure eternal riches. {BLJ 238.5}
[BLJ 238.6]    There is no salvation except that which comes through Christ. He came to earth to lift up the fallen. With His human arm He encircles the race, while with His divine arm He grasps the throne of the infinite, thus connecting finite humans to the infinite God, and uniting earth to heaven.—Review and Herald, Oct. 27, 1885. {BLJ 238.6}
[BLJ 239.1]        Nature Offers Messages of Hope and Comfort    He sends the springs into the valleys, which flow among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Psalm 104:10, 11, NKJV. {BLJ 239.1}
[BLJ 239.2]      Nature and revelation alike testify of God’s love. Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature. Think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of human beings, but of all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator’s love. It is God who supplies the daily needs of all His creatures. {BLJ 239.2}
[BLJ 239.3]    In the beautiful words of the psalmist: “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:15, 16). {BLJ 239.3}
[BLJ 239.4]    God made Adam and Eve perfectly holy and happy; and the fair earth, as it came from the Creator’s hand, bore no blight of decay or shadow of the curse. It is transgression of God’s law—the law of love—that has brought woe and death. {BLJ 239.4}
[BLJ 239.5]    Yet even amid the suffering that results from sin, God’s love is revealed. It is written that God cursed the ground for man’s sake (Genesis 3:17). The thorn and the thistle—the difficulties and trials that make life one of toil and care—were appointed for our good as a part of the training needful in God’s plan for our uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has wrought. {BLJ 239.5}
[BLJ 239.6]    The world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses. {BLJ 239.6}
[BLJ 239.7]    “God is love” is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green—all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy.—Steps to Christ, pp. 9, 10. {BLJ 239.7}
[BLJ 240.1]        Draw Spiritual Lessons and Health Benefits From Trees    He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth. Psalm 104:14, NKJV. {BLJ 240.1}
[BLJ 240.2]      In a certain place, preparations were being made to clear the land for the erection of a sanitarium. Light was given that there is health in the fragrance of the pine, the cedar, and the fir. And there are several other kinds of trees that have medicinal properties that are health-promoting. {BLJ 240.2}
[BLJ 240.3]    Let not such trees be ruthlessly cut down. Better change the site of the ［sanitarium］ building than cut down these evergreen trees. There are lessons for us in these trees. God’s Word declares, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” David says, “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.” {BLJ 240.3}
[BLJ 240.4]    The Christian is likened to the cedar of Lebanon. I have read that this tree does more than send down a few short roots into the yielding loam. It sends strong roots deep down into the earth, and strikes down further and still further in search of a still stronger hold. And in the fierce blast of the tempest, it stands firm, held by its network of cables beneath. {BLJ 240.4}
[BLJ 240.5]    So Christians strike roots deep into Christ. They have faith in their Redeemer. They know in whom they believe. They are fully persuaded that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of sinners. The goodly sound of the gospel is received without conflicting doubts. The roots of faith strike deep down. Genuine Christians, like the cedar of Lebanon, do not grow in the soft surface soil, but are rooted in God, riveted in the clefts of the mountain rocks. {BLJ 240.5}
[BLJ 240.6]    Study these lessons from the trees. I could dwell long on this subject, but I must not just now. I ask you not to cut away your pine trees. They will be a blessing to many. Let them live. {BLJ 240.6}
[BLJ 240.7]    I want to say to you, my brethren and sisters, that you have my prayers and my sympathy in your work. Remember that you are trees in the garden of the Lord, and that the divine protection is round about you. The more visible the line of demarcation between the flowers of God and the briar and thorn of Satan’s planting, the more the Lord is glorified.—Spalding and Magan Collection, pp. 228, 229. {BLJ 240.7}
[BLJ 241.1]        Nature Is Guided and Upheld by the Creator    Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises on the harp to our God, who covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the mountains. Psalm 147:7, 8, NKJV. {BLJ 241.1}
[BLJ 241.2]      Many teach that matter possesses vital power. They hold that certain properties are imparted to matter, and it is then left to act through its own inherent power; and that the operations of nature are carried on in harmony with fixed laws that God Himself cannot interfere with. This is false science, and is sustained by nothing in the Word of God. {BLJ 241.2}
[BLJ 241.3]    Nature is not self-acting; it is the servant of its Creator. God does not annul His laws nor work contrary to them; but He is continually using them as His instruments. Nature testifies of an intelligence, a presence, an active agency, that works in, and through, and above its laws. There is in nature the continual working of the Father and the Son. Said Christ, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” {BLJ 241.3}
[BLJ 241.4]    God has finished His creative work, but His energy is still exerted in upholding the objects of His creation. It is not because the mechanism that has once been set in motion continues its work by its own inherent energy that the pulse beats and breath follows breath; but every breath, every pulsation of the heart, is an evidence of the all-pervading care of Him in whom we live and have our being. {BLJ 241.4}
[BLJ 241.5]    It is not because of inherent power that year by year the earth produces its bounties and continues its motion around the sun. The hand of God guides the planets, and keeps them in position in their orderly march through the heavens. It is through His power that vegetation flourishes, that the leaves appear and the flowers bloom. His word controls the elements, and by Him the valleys are made fruitful. He covers the heavens with clouds, and prepares rain for the earth; He “maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.” “He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.” “When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.” . . . {BLJ 241.5}
[BLJ 241.6]    His care is over all the works of His hands. Nothing is too great to be directed by Him; nothing is too small to escape His notice.—Signs of the Times, March 20, 1884. {BLJ 241.6}
[BLJ 242.1]        Christ Points Us to a More Glorious World    We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18, NKJV. {BLJ 242.1}
[BLJ 242.2]      Earth and earthly things will perish with the using. A few years will pass by, and death will come. Your eternal destiny will be fixed, eternally fixed. If your soul is lost, what will compensate you for its loss? Christ the Life Giver, Christ the Redeemer, Christ the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, points you to a nobler world. He brings it within range of your vision. He takes you to the threshold of heaven, and brings you to contemplate the glories of eternal realities, that your aspirations may be quickened to grasp the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. As you contemplate heavenly scenes, desire is kindled in your heart to have friendship with God, to be wholly reconciled to Him. {BLJ 242.2}
[BLJ 242.3]    Our Savior’s work is to adjust the claims between earthly and heavenly interests, to put the duties and responsibilities of the life that now is in proper relation to those that pertain to eternal life. The fear and love of God are the first things that should claim our attention. We cannot afford to put off that which concerns our soul’s interest till tomorrow. The life which we now live we are to live by faith in the Son of God. We are redeemed from the beggarly elements of the world with a redemption that is full and complete, that cannot be increased by any supplement from human sources. {BLJ 242.3}
[BLJ 242.4]    But in the midst of this flood of mercies, this plentitude of divine love, many hearts continue in indifference, careless, and unimpressed by the provisions of God’s grace. Shall we who claim to be Christians make no effort to break the spell which Satan has cast upon these souls? Shall we let them go on in hardness of heart, without God, and without hope in the world? No; although every appeal we may make may be slighted and refused, we cannot cease to pray for them and to make tender entreaty for their souls. We must do all we can, through the aid of God’s Holy Spirit, to break down the barriers by which they have sought to make themselves impregnable to the light of God’s truth. We must seek to open their eyes to their blindness, to loose them from the captivity of Satan.—Signs of the Times, July 17, 1893. {BLJ 242.4}
[BLJ 243.1]        Many Lessons to Be Learned From Nature    Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which shall not pass away. Psalm 148:5, 6, NKJV. {BLJ 243.1}
[BLJ 243.2]      How beautiful the psalmist’s description of God’s care for the creatures of the woods: “The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies” (Psalm 104:18). He sends the springs to run among the hills, where the birds have their habitation and “sing among the branches” (verse 12). All the creatures of the woods and hills are a part of His great household. He opens His hand, and satisfies “the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16). {BLJ 243.2}
[BLJ 243.3]    The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by the tempest into the narrow defiles of the mountains. Storm clouds shut in this mighty bird of the forest, their dark masses separating her from the sunny heights where she has made her home. Her efforts to escape seem fruitless. She dashes to and fro, beating the air with her strong wings, and waking the mountain echoes with her cries. At length, with a note of triumph, she darts upward, and, piercing the clouds, is once more in the clear sunlight, with the darkness and tempest far beneath. {BLJ 243.3}
[BLJ 243.4]    So we may be surrounded with difficulties, discouragement, and darkness. Falsehood, calamity, injustice, shut us in. There are clouds that we cannot dispel. We battle with circumstances in vain. There is one, and but one, way of escape. The mists and fogs cling to the earth; beyond the clouds God’s light is shining. Into the sunlight of His presence we may rise on the wings of faith. {BLJ 243.4}
[BLJ 243.5]    Many are the lessons that may thus be learned. Self-reliance, from the tree that, growing alone on plain or mountainside, strikes down its roots deep into the earth, and in its rugged strength defies the tempest. The power of early influence, from the gnarled, shapeless trunk, bent as a sapling, to which no earthly power can afterward restore its lost symmetry. The secret of a holy life from the water lily, that, on the bosom of some slimy pool, surrounded by weeds and rubbish, strikes down its channeled stem to the pure sands beneath, and, drawing thence its life, lifts up its fragrant blossoms to the light in spotless purity.—Education, pp. 118, 119. {BLJ 243.5}
[BLJ 244.1]        How to Learn From Nature Its Deepest Lessons    Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind? Job 12:9, 10, NKJV. {BLJ 244.1}
[BLJ 244.2]      While the children and youth gain a knowledge of facts from teachers and textbooks, let them learn to draw lessons and discern truth for themselves. In their gardening, question them as to what they learn from the care of their plants. As they look on a beautiful landscape, ask them why God clothed the fields and woods with such lovely and varied hues. Why was not all colored a somber brown? When they gather the flowers, lead them to think why He spared us the beauty of these wanderers from Eden. Teach them to notice the evidences everywhere manifest in nature of God’s thought for us, the wonderful adaptation of all things to our need and happiness. {BLJ 244.2}
[BLJ 244.3]    Those alone who recognize in nature their Father’s handiwork, who in the richness and beauty of the earth read the Father’s handwriting—those alone learn from the things of nature their deepest lessons, and receive their highest ministry. Only those can fully appreciate the significance of hill and vale, river and sea, who look upon them as an expression of the thought of God, a revelation of the Creator. {BLJ 244.3}
[BLJ 244.4]    Many illustrations from nature are used by the Bible writers, and as we observe the things of the natural world, we shall be enabled, under the guiding of the Holy Spirit, more fully to understand the lessons of God’s Word. It is thus that nature becomes a key to the treasure-house of the Word. {BLJ 244.4}
[BLJ 244.5]    Children should be encouraged to search out in nature the objects that illustrate Bible teachings, and to trace in the Bible the similitudes drawn from nature. They should search out, both in nature and in Holy Writ, every object representing Christ, and those also that He employed in illustrating truth. Thus may they learn to see Him in tree and vine, in lily and rose, in sun and star. They may learn to hear His voice in the song of birds, in the sighing of the trees, in the rolling thunder, and in the music of the sea. And every object in nature will repeat to them His precious lessons. {BLJ 244.5}
[BLJ 244.6]    To those who thus acquaint themselves with Christ, the earth will nevermore be a lonely and desolate place. It will be their Father’s house, filled with the presence of Him who once dwelt among us.—Education, pp. 119, 120. {BLJ 244.6}
[BLJ 245.1]        Nature Teaches the Value of Obedience to Law    Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. Matthew 10:29, NKJV. {BLJ 245.1}
[BLJ 245.2]      The great teacher brought His hearers in contact with nature, that they might listen to the voice which speaks in all created things; and as their hearts became tender and their minds receptive, He helped them to interpret the spiritual teaching of the scenes upon which their eyes rested. The parables, by means of which He loved to teach lessons of truth, show how open His spirit was to the influences of nature and how He delighted to gather the spiritual teaching from the surroundings of daily life. {BLJ 245.2}
[BLJ 245.3]    The birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the sower and the seed, the shepherd and the sheep—with these Christ illustrated immortal truth. He drew illustrations also from the events of life, facts of experience familiar to the hearers—the leaven, the hid treasure, the pearl, the fishing net, the lost coin, the prodigal son, the houses on the rock and the sand. In His lessons there was something to interest every mind, to appeal to every heart. Thus the daily task, instead of being a mere round of toil, bereft of higher thoughts, was brightened and uplifted by constant reminders of the spiritual and the unseen. {BLJ 245.3}
[BLJ 245.4]    So we should teach. Let the children learn to see in nature an expression of the love and the wisdom of God; let the thought of Him be linked with bird and flower and tree; let all things seen become to them the interpreters of the unseen, and all the events of life be a means of divine teaching. {BLJ 245.4}
[BLJ 245.5]    As they learn thus to study the lessons in all created things, and in all life’s experiences, show that the same laws which govern the things of nature and the events of life are to control us; that they are given for our good; and that only in obedience to them can we find true happiness and success.—Education, pp. 102, 103. {BLJ 245.5}
[BLJ 246.1]        Valuable Objects in Nature Are Pruned or Refined    Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48:10, NKJV. {BLJ 246.1}
[BLJ 246.2]      The furnace fires are not to destroy, but to refine, ennoble, sanctify. Without trial we would not feel so much our need of God and His help; and we would become proud and self-sufficient. In the trials that come to us we should see the evidences that the Lord’s eye is upon us, and that He means to draw us to Himself. It is not the whole, but the wounded, who need a physician; it is those who are pressed almost beyond the point of endurance who need a Helper. {BLJ 246.2}
[BLJ 246.3]    The fact that we are called upon to endure trial proves that the Lord sees something in us very precious, which He desires to develop. If He saw in us nothing whereby He might glorify His name, He would not spend time in refining us. We do not take special pains in pruning brambles. Christ does not cast worthless stones into His furnace. It is valuable ore that He tests. {BLJ 246.3}
[BLJ 246.4]    The blacksmith puts the iron and steel into the fire that he may know what manner of metal they are. The Lord allows His chosen ones to be placed in the furnace of affliction, in order that He may see what temper they are of, and whether He can mold and fashion them for His work. {BLJ 246.4}
[BLJ 246.5]    It may be that much work needs to be done in your character-building, that you are a rough stone which must be squared and polished before it can fill a place in God’s temple. You need not be surprised if, with chisel and hammer, God cuts away the sharp corners of your character, until you are prepared to fill the place He has for you. No human being can accomplish this work. Only by God can it be done. And be assured that He will not strike one useless blow. His every blow is struck in love, for your eternal happiness. He knows your infirmities, and works to restore, not to destroy. {BLJ 246.5}
[BLJ 246.6]    When trials arise that seem unexplainable, we should not allow our peace to be spoiled. However unjustly we may be treated, let not passion arise. By indulging a spirit of retaliation, we injure ourselves. We destroy our own confidence in God, and grieve the Holy Spirit. There is by our side a witness, a heavenly messenger, who will lift up for us a standard against the enemy. He will shut us in with the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. Beyond this, Satan cannot penetrate. He cannot pass this shield of holy light.—Signs of the Times, Aug. 18, 1909. {BLJ 246.6}
[BLJ 247.1]        Nature Testifies of a Master Artist and Designer    Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Psalm 19:2, 3, NKJV. {BLJ 247.1}
[BLJ 247.2]      The things of nature that we now behold give us but a faint conception of Eden’s glory. Sin has marred earth’s beauty; on all things may be seen traces of the work of evil. Yet much that is beautiful remains. Nature testifies that One infinite in power, great in goodness, mercy, and love, created the earth, and filled it with life and gladness. Even in their blighted state, all things reveal the handiwork of the great Master Artist. Wherever we turn, we may hear the voice of God, and see evidences of His goodness. {BLJ 247.2}
[BLJ 247.3]    From the solemn roll of the deep-toned thunder and old ocean’s ceaseless roar, to the glad songs that make the forests vocal with melody, nature’s ten thousand voices speak His praise. In earth and sea and sky, with their marvelous tint and color, varying in gorgeous contrast or blended in harmony, we behold His glory. {BLJ 247.3}
[BLJ 247.4]    The everlasting hills tell us of His power. The trees that wave their green banners in the sunlight, and the flowers in their delicate beauty, point to their Creator. The living green that carpets the brown earth tells of God’s care for the humblest of His creatures. The caves of the sea and the depths of the earth reveal His treasures. He who placed the pearls in the ocean and the amethyst and chrysolite among the rocks is a lover of the beautiful. The sun rising in the heavens is a representative of Him who is the life and light of all that He has made. All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and light up the heavens speak of God. . . . All things tell of His tender, fatherly care and of His desire to make His children happy. {BLJ 247.4}
[BLJ 247.5]    The mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things is not, as some proponents of science represent, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating energy. God is a Spirit; yet He is a personal Being; for so He has revealed Himself: “The Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king” (Jeremiah 10:10). . . . {BLJ 247.5}
[BLJ 247.6]    God’s handiwork in nature is not God Himself in nature. The things of nature are an expression of God’s character and power; but we are not to regard nature as God. The artistic skill of human beings produces very beautiful workmanship, things that delight the eye, and these things reveal to us something of the thought of the designer; but the thing made is not the maker. It is not the work, but the workman, that is counted worthy of honor. So while nature is an expression of God’s thought, it is not nature, but the God of nature, that is to be exalted.—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 411-413. {BLJ 247.6}
[BLJ 248.1]        Earth’s Bounties Give Evidence of God’s Love    Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 2 Corinthians 9:10, 11, NKJV. {BLJ 248.1}
[BLJ 248.2]      As we are continually receiving the blessings of God, so are we to be continually giving. When the heavenly Benefactor ceases to give to us, then we may be excused; for we shall have nothing to bestow. God has never left us without evidence of His love, in that He did us good. He gives us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, providing us abundantly with His bounties, and filling our hearts with gladness. He has declared that “while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” {BLJ 248.2}
[BLJ 248.3]    We are sustained every moment by God’s care, and upheld by His power. He spreads our tables with food. He gives us peaceful and refreshing sleep. Weekly He brings to us the Sabbath, that we may rest from our temporal labors, and worship Him in His own house. He has given us His Word to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In its sacred pages we find the counsels of wisdom; and as oft as we lift our hearts to Him in penitence and faith, He grants us the blessings of His grace. Above all else is the infinite gift of God’s dear Son, through whom flow all other blessings for this life and for the life to come. {BLJ 248.3}
[BLJ 248.4]    Surely goodness and mercy attend us at every step. Not till we wish the infinite Father to cease bestowing His gifts on us, should we impatiently exclaim, Is there no end of giving? Not only should we faithfully render to God our tithes, which He claims as His own, but we should bring a tribute to His treasury as an offering of gratitude. Let us with joyful hearts bring to our Creator the first fruits of all His bounties—our choicest possessions, our best and holiest service.—Review and Herald, Feb. 9, 1886. {BLJ 248.4}
[BLJ 249.1]        The Natural World Speaks of the Creator    Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. Psalm 69:34, 35, NKJV. {BLJ 249.1}
[BLJ 249.2]      The same creative energy that brought the world into existence is still exerted in upholding the universe and continuing the operations of nature. The hand of God guides the planets in their orderly march through the heavens. It is not because of inherent power that year by year the earth continues its motion round the sun, and produces its bounties. The word of God controls the elements. He covers the heavens with clouds, and prepares rain for the earth. He makes the valleys fruitful, and “grass to grow upon the mountains.” It is through His power that vegetation flourishes; that the leaves appear and the flowers bloom. {BLJ 249.2}
[BLJ 249.3]    The whole natural world is designed to be an interpreter of the things of God. To Adam and Eve in their Eden home, nature was full of the knowledge of God, teeming with divine instruction. It was vocal with the voice of wisdom to their attentive ears. Wisdom spoke to the eye, and was received into the heart; for they communed with God in His created works. As soon as the holy pair transgressed the law of the Most High, the brightness from the face of God departed from the face of nature. Nature is now marred and defiled by sin. But God’s object lessons are not obliterated; even now, rightly studied and interpreted, ［nature］ speaks of the Creator. {BLJ 249.3}
[BLJ 249.4]    As divine truth is revealed in Holy Writ, so it is reflected, as from a mirror, in the face of nature; and through His creation we become acquainted with the Creator. And so the book of nature becomes a great lesson book, which instructors who are wise can use, in connection with the Scriptures, to guide lost sheep back to the fold of God. As the works of God are studied, the Holy Spirit flashes conviction into the mind. It is not the conviction which logical reasoning produces; but unless the mind has become too dark to know God, the eye too dim to see Him, the ear too dull to hear His voice, a deeper meaning is grasped, and the sublime, spiritual truths of the written Word are impressed on the heart. {BLJ 249.4}
[BLJ 249.5]    The most effective way to teach the heathen who know not God is through His works. In this way, far more readily than by any other method, they can be made to realize the difference between their idols, the works of their own hands, and the true God, the Maker of heaven and earth.—Special Testimonies on Education, pp. 58-60. {BLJ 249.5}
[BLJ 250.1]        Rich Blessings From a Sabbath for the Land    Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. Leviticus 25:3, 4, NKJV. {BLJ 250.1}
[BLJ 250.2]      The feast of tabernacles, or harvest festival, with its offerings from orchard and field, its week’s encampment in the leafy booths, its social reunions, the sacred memorial service, and the generous hospitality to God’s workers, the Levites of the sanctuary, and to His children, the strangers and the poor, uplifted all minds in gratitude to Him who had crowned the year with His goodness, and whose paths dropped fatness. {BLJ 250.2}
[BLJ 250.3]    By the devout in Israel, fully a month of every year was occupied in this way. It was a period free from care and labor, and almost wholly devoted, in the truest sense, to purposes of education. {BLJ 250.3}
[BLJ 250.4]    In apportioning the inheritance of His people, it was God’s purpose to teach them, and through them the people of after generations, correct principles concerning the ownership of the land. The land of Canaan was divided among the whole people, the Levites only, as ministers of the sanctuary, being excepted. Though one might for a season dispose of his possession, he could not barter away the inheritance of his children. When able to do so, he was at liberty at any time to redeem it; debts were remitted every seventh year, and in the fiftieth, or year of jubilee, all landed property reverted to the original owner. Thus every family was secured in its possession, and a safeguard was afforded against the extremes either of wealth or of poverty. {BLJ 250.4}
[BLJ 250.5]    By the distribution of the land among the people, God provided for them, as for the dwellers in Eden, the occupation most favorable to development—the care of plants and animals. A further provision for education was the suspension of agricultural labor every seventh year, the land lying fallow, and its spontaneous products being left to the poor. Thus was given opportunity for more extended study, for social interaction and worship, and for the exercise of benevolence, so often crowded out by life’s cares and labors. {BLJ 250.5}
[BLJ 250.6]    Were the principles of God’s laws regarding the distribution of property carried out in the world today, how different would be the condition of the people!—Education, pp. 42-44. {BLJ 250.6}
[BLJ 251.1]        The Poor Have Rights in God’s World    The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 24:1, NKJV. {BLJ 251.1}
[BLJ 251.2]      “On the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement,” the trumpet of the jubilee was sounded. Throughout the land, wherever the Jewish people dwelt, the sound was heard, calling upon all the children of Jacob to welcome the year of release. On the great Day of Atonement satisfaction was made for the sins of Israel, and with gladness of heart the people would welcome the jubilee. {BLJ 251.2}
[BLJ 251.3]    As in the sabbatical year, the land was not to be sown or reaped, and all that it produced was to be regarded as the rightful property of the poor. Certain classes of Hebrew slaves—all who did not receive their liberty in the sabbatical year—were now set free. {BLJ 251.3}
[BLJ 251.4]    But that which especially distinguished the year of jubilee was the reversion of all landed property to the family of the original possessor. By the special direction of God the land had been divided by lot. After the division was made no one was at liberty to trade his estate. Neither was he to sell his land unless poverty compelled him to do so, and then, whenever he or any of his kindred might desire to redeem it, the purchaser must not refuse to sell it; and if unredeemed, it would revert to its first possessor or his heirs in the year of jubilee. . . . {BLJ 251.4}
[BLJ 251.5]    The people were to be impressed with the fact that it was God’s land which they were permitted to possess for a time; that He was the rightful owner, the original proprietor, and that He would have special consideration made for the poor and unfortunate. It was to be impressed upon the minds of all that the poor have as much right to a place in God’s world as have the more wealthy. {BLJ 251.5}
[BLJ 251.6]    Such were the provisions made by our merciful Creator, to lessen suffering, to bring some ray of hope, to flash some gleam of sunshine, into the life of the destitute and distressed.—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 533, 534. {BLJ 251.6}
[BLJ 252.1]        Work, for Earth’s Night Is Coming    Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. Daniel 12:3, NKJV. {BLJ 252.1}
[BLJ 252.2]      The work given us is a great and important one, and in it are needed wise, unselfish workers, workers who understand what it means to give themselves to unselfish effort to save souls. But there is no need for the service of men and women who are lukewarm, for such Christ cannot use. Workers are needed whose hearts are touched with human suffering and whose lives give evidence that they are receiving and imparting light and life and grace. {BLJ 252.2}
[BLJ 252.3]    The people of God are to come close to Christ in self-denial and sacrifice, their one aim being to give the message of mercy to all the world. Some will work in one way and some in another, as the Lord shall call and lead them. But they are all to strive together, seeking to make the work a perfect whole. With pen and voice they are to labor for Him. The printed word of truth is to be translated into different languages and carried to the ends of the earth. {BLJ 252.3}
[BLJ 252.4]    My heart is often burdened because so many who might work are doing nothing. They are the sport of Satan’s temptations. Every church member who has a knowledge of the truth is expected to work while the day lasts; for the night cometh, wherein no one can work. Erelong we shall understand what that night means. The Spirit of God is being grieved away from the earth. The nations are angry with one another. Widespread preparations are being made for war. The night is at hand. Let the church arouse and go forth to do its appointed work. Every believer, educated or uneducated, can bear the message. {BLJ 252.4}
[BLJ 252.5]    Eternity stretches before us. The curtain is about to be lifted. What are we thinking of, that we cling to our selfish love of ease, while all around us souls are perishing? Have our hearts become utterly callous? Can we not see and understand that we have a work to do in behalf of others? My brethren and sisters, are you among those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not? Is it in vain that God has given you a knowledge of His will? Is it in vain that He has sent you warning after warning of the nearness of the end? Do you believe the declarations of His Word concerning what is coming upon the world? Do you believe that God’s judgments are hanging over the inhabitants of the earth? How, then, can you sit at ease, careless and in-different?—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, pp. 26, 27. {BLJ 252.5}
[BLJ 253.1]        Cultivating the Soil Is Doing God’s Service    “And behold, this vine” “was planted in good soil by many waters, to bring forth branches, bear fruit, and become a majestic vine.” Ezekiel 17:7, 8, NKJV. {BLJ 253.1}
[BLJ 253.2]      The tithing system was instituted by the Lord as the very best arrangement to help the people in carrying out the principles of the law. If this law were obeyed, the people would be entrusted with the entire vineyard, the whole earth. . . . {BLJ 253.2}
[BLJ 253.3]    Human beings were to cooperate with God in restoring the diseased land to health, that it might be a praise and a glory to His name. And as the land they possessed would, if managed with skill and earnestness, produce its treasures, so their hearts, if controlled by God, would reflect His character. . . . {BLJ 253.3}
[BLJ 253.4]    In the laws which God gave for the cultivation of the soil, He was giving the people opportunity to overcome their selfishness and become heavenly-minded. Canaan would be to them as Eden if they obeyed the word of the Lord. Through them the Lord designed to teach all the nations of the world how to cultivate the soil so that it would yield healthy fruit, free from disease. The earth is the Lord’s vineyard, and is to be treated according to His plan. Those who cultivated the soil were to realize that they were doing God service. They were as truly in their lot and place as were the men appointed to minister in the priesthood and in work connected with the tabernacle. God told the people that the Levites were a gift to them, and no matter what their trade, they were to help to support them.—The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments, vol. 1, p. 1112. {BLJ 253.4}
[BLJ 253.5]    Through disobedience to God, Adam and Eve had lost Eden, and because of sin the whole earth was cursed. But if God’s people followed His instruction, their land would be restored to fertility and beauty. God Himself gave them directions in regard to the culture of the soil, and they were to cooperate with Him in its restoration. Thus the whole land, under God’s control, would become an object lesson of spiritual truth. As in obedience to His natural laws the earth should produce its treasures, so in obedience to His moral law the hearts of the people were to reflect the attributes of His character. Even the heathen would recognize the superiority of those who served and worshiped the living God.—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 289. {BLJ 253.5}
[BLJ 254.1]        An Exhaustless Source of Instruction and Delight    Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? Job 38:4, 5, NKJV. {BLJ 254.1}
[BLJ 254.2]      To Adam and Eve was committed the care of the garden, “to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Though rich in all that the Owner of the universe could supply, they were not to be idle. Useful occupation was appointed them as a blessing, to strengthen the body, to expand the mind, and to develop the character. {BLJ 254.2}
[BLJ 254.3]    The book of nature, which spread its living lessons before them, afforded an exhaustless source of instruction and delight. On every leaf of the forest and stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and sea and sky, God’s name was written. With both the animate and the inanimate creation—with leaf and flower and tree, and with every living creature, from the leviathan of the waters to the mote in the sunbeam—the dwellers in Eden held converse, gathering from each the secrets of its life. God’s glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, “the balancings of the clouds” (Job 37:16), the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night—all were objects of study by the pupils of earth’s first school. {BLJ 254.3}
[BLJ 254.4]    The laws and operations of nature, and the great principles of truth that govern the spiritual universe, were opened to their minds by the infinite Author of all. In “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:6), their mental and spiritual powers developed, and they realized the highest pleasures of their holy existence. {BLJ 254.4}
[BLJ 254.5]    As it came from the Creator’s hand, not only the Garden of Eden but the whole earth was exceedingly beautiful. No taint of sin, or shadow of death, marred the fair creation. God’s glory “covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.” . . . {BLJ 254.5}
[BLJ 254.6]    The Garden of Eden was a representation of what God desired the whole earth to become, and it was His purpose that, as the human family increased in numbers, they should establish other homes and schools like the one He had given. Thus in course of time the whole earth might be occupied with homes and schools where the words and the works of God should be studied, and where the students should thus be fitted more and more fully to reflect, throughout endless ages, the light of the knowledge of His glory.—Education, pp. 21, 22. {BLJ 254.6}
[BLJ 255.1]        Fallow Ground of the Human Heart Should Be Worked    Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12, NKJV. {BLJ 255.1}
[BLJ 255.2]      I want to exhort those who are in positions of responsibility to waken to their duty, and not imperil the cause of present truth by engaging inefficient men and women to do the work of God. We want those who are willing to go into new fields, and to do hard service for the Lord. {BLJ 255.2}
[BLJ 255.3]    I remember visiting in Iowa when the country was new, and I saw the farmers breaking the new ground. I noticed that they had heavy teams, and made tremendous efforts to make deep furrows, but the laborers gained strength and muscle by the exercise of their physical powers. It will make our young workers strong to go into new fields, and break up the fallow ground of human hearts. This work will drive them nearer to God. It will help them to see that they are altogether inefficient in themselves. {BLJ 255.3}
[BLJ 255.4]    They must be wholly the Lord’s. They must put away their self-esteem and self-importance, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. When they do this, they will be willing to go without the camp, and bear the burden as good soldiers of the cross. They will gain efficiency and ability by mastering difficulties and overcoming obstacles. Workers are wanted for responsible positions, but they must be those who have given full proof of their ministry in willingness to wear the yoke of Christ. Heaven regards this class with approval. {BLJ 255.4}
[BLJ 255.5]    I exhort you to have the eyesalve, that you may discern what God would have you do. There are too many Christless sermons preached. An array of powerless words only confirms the people in their backslidings. May God help us that His Spirit may be made manifest among us. We should not wait until we go home to obtain the blessing of Heaven. The ministers should begin right here with the people to seek God, and to work from the right standpoint. Those who have been long in the work have been far too content to wait for the showers of the latter rain to revive them. {BLJ 255.5}
[BLJ 255.6]    We are the people who, like John, are to prepare the way of the Lord; and if we are prepared for the second coming of Christ, we must work with all diligence to prepare others for Christ’s second advent, as did the forerunner of Christ for His first advent, calling men and women to repentance. . . . May God help us to search the Scriptures for ourselves, and when we are all filled with the truth of God, it will flow out as water from a living spring.—Review and Herald, Oct. 8, 1889. {BLJ 255.6}
[BLJ 256.1]        Greater Efficiency and Deeper Consecration Needed    However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. John 16:13, NKJV. {BLJ 256.1}
[BLJ 256.2]      Every day that passes brings us nearer the end. Does it bring us also near to God? Are we watching unto prayer? Those with whom we associate day by day need our help, our guidance. They may be in such a condition of mind that a word in season will be sent home by the Holy Spirit as a nail in a sure place. Tomorrow some of these souls may be where we can never reach them again. What is our influence over these fellow travelers? What effort do we make to win them to Christ? {BLJ 256.2}
[BLJ 256.3]    Time is short, and our forces must be organized to do a larger work. Laborers are needed who comprehend the greatness of the work and who will engage in it, not for the wages they receive, but from a realization of the nearness of the end. The time demands greater efficiency and deeper consecration. Oh, I am so full of this subject that I cry to God: “Raise up and send forth messengers filled with a sense of their responsibility, messengers in whose hearts self-idolatry, which lies at the foundation of all sin, has been crucified.” . . . {BLJ 256.3}
[BLJ 256.4]    Putting our trust in God, we are to move steadily forward, doing His work with unselfishness, in humble dependence upon Him, committing ourselves and our present and future to His wise providence, holding the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end, remembering that it is not because of our worthiness that we receive the blessings of heaven, but because of the worthiness of Christ, and our acceptance, through faith in Him, of God’s abounding grace.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, pp. 27-29. {BLJ 256.4}
[BLJ 257.1]        Keep Streams of Beneficence in Constant Circulation    Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest”? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! John 4:35, NKJV. {BLJ 257.1}
[BLJ 257.2]      Human power did not establish the work of God, neither can human power destroy it. To those who carry forward His work in face of difficulty and opposition, God will give the constant guidance and guardianship of His holy angels. His work on earth will never cease. The building of His spiritual temple will be carried forward until it shall stand complete, and the headstone shall be brought forth with shoutings: “Grace, grace unto it.” {BLJ 257.2}
[BLJ 257.3]    Christians are to be a benefit to others. Thus they themselves are benefited. “He that watereth shall be watered also himself” (Proverbs 11:25). This is a law of the divine administration, a law by which God designs that the streams of beneficence shall be kept, like the waters of the great deep, in constant circulation, perpetually returning to their source. In the fulfilling of this law is the power of Christian missions. {BLJ 257.3}
[BLJ 257.4]    I have been instructed that wherever by self-sacrifice and urgent efforts facilities for the establishment and advancement of the cause have been provided, and the Lord has prospered the work, those in that place should give of their means to help His servants who have been sent to new fields. Wherever the work has been established on a good foundation, the believers should feel themselves under obligation to help those in need by transferring, even at great sacrifice, a portion or all of the means which in former years was invested in behalf of the work in their locality. Thus the Lord designs that His work shall increase. This is the law of restitution in right lines.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 170. {BLJ 257.4}
[BLJ 259.1]        Chapter 9—Sharing the Good News      Tell Others to Love and Obey Christ    “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.” Isaiah 43:10, NKJV. {BLJ 259.1}
[BLJ 259.2]      Satan is constantly alluring away from faithfulness and thoroughness in the essential works of preparedness for the great event that will try every person’s soul. The work in the heavenly sanctuary is going forward. Jesus is cleansing the sanctuary. The work on earth corresponds with the work in heaven. The heavenly angels are at work constantly to draw human beings, the living agents, to look to Jesus, to contemplate and meditate upon Jesus, that they may, in viewing the perfection of Christ, be impressed with the imperfections of their own characters. The promised Comforter, Christ . . . declared, “shall testify of me.” This is the burden of the message for this time. . . . {BLJ 259.2}
[BLJ 259.3]    Talk as Christ talked. Work as Christ worked. We must look to Christ and live. Catching sight of His loveliness, we long to practice the virtues and righteousness of Christ. It is by beholding Christ that we become changed into His image, and by renouncing self, giving our hearts up wholly to Jesus for His Spirit to refine, ennoble, and elevate, we will be in close connection with the future world, bathed in the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. We rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Then we are commanded to go into other cities and towns and tell them the good news with hearts all aglow with divine love, even to them that are afar off, even as many as the Lord your God shall call. {BLJ 259.3}
[BLJ 259.4]    Tell to others the blessed truths of His Word, and in obeying the words of Christ, continue in His love. ［Tell them］ how He urges us by the love we bear to Him to keep His commandments. He does this, not to urge us to do impossible things, but because He knows what it means to keep His Father’s commandments. He wants every soul that heareth His invitation to say the same to others, and to receive His richest gifts, for He knows that in keeping the commandments of God, we are not brought into servile bondage, but are made free through the blood of Jesus Christ. “And in keeping of them ［His commandments］ there is great reward” (Psalm 19:11). {BLJ 259.4}
[BLJ 259.5]    Tell it to others with pen and voice, with piety, with humility, with love, representing the character of Christ. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).—The Upward Look, p. 344. {BLJ 259.5}
[BLJ 260.1]        All Have a Duty to Witness    You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8, NKJV. {BLJ 260.1}
[BLJ 260.2]      My heart was rejoiced to see among the converts so many young men and women, with hearts softened and subdued by the love of Jesus, acknowledging the good work wrought by God for their souls. It was indeed a precious season. “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” God forbid that these souls should ever lose the ardor of their first love, that a strange coldness, through pride and love of the world, should take possession of their minds and hearts. {BLJ 260.2}
[BLJ 260.3]    It is essential that these who have newly come to the faith should have a sense of their obligation to God, who has called them to a knowledge of the truth, and filled their hearts with His sacred peace, that they may exert a sanctifying influence over all with whom they associate. “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord.” {BLJ 260.3}
[BLJ 260.4]    To every one God has committed a work, to make known His salvation to the world. In true religion there is nothing selfish or exclusive. The gospel of Christ is diffusive and aggressive. It is described as the salt of the earth, the transforming leaven, the light which shineth in darkness. It is impossible for one to retain the favor and love of God, and enjoy communion with Him, and still feel no responsibility for the souls for whom Christ died, who are in error and darkness, perishing in their sins. {BLJ 260.4}
[BLJ 260.5]    If those who profess to be followers of Christ neglect to shine as lights in the world, the vital power will leave them, and they will become cold and Christless. The spell of indifference will be upon them, a deathlike sluggishness of soul, which will make them bodies of death instead of living representatives of Jesus. All must lift the cross and in modesty, meekness, and lowliness of mind take up their God-given duties, engaging in personal effort for those around them who need help and light. {BLJ 260.5}
[BLJ 260.6]    All who accept these duties will have a rich and varied experience, their own hearts will glow with fervor, and they will be strengthened and stimulated to renewed, persevering efforts to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, because it is God that worketh in them both to will and to do of His good pleasure.—Review and Herald, July 21, 1891 {BLJ 260.6}
[BLJ 261.1]        Carry Light and Hope Everywhere    Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16, NKJV. {BLJ 261.1}
[BLJ 261.2]      Practical work will have far more effect than mere sermonizing. We are to give food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and shelter to the homeless. And we are called to do more than this. The wants of the soul, only the love of Christ can satisfy. If Christ is abiding in us, our hearts will be full of divine sympathy. The sealed fountains of earnest, Christlike love will be unsealed. {BLJ 261.2}
[BLJ 261.3]    God calls not only for our gifts for the needy, but for our cheerful countenance, our hopeful words, our kindly handclasp. When Christ healed the sick, He laid His hands upon them. So should we come in close touch with those whom we seek to benefit. {BLJ 261.3}
[BLJ 261.4]    There are many from whom hope has departed. Bring back the sunshine to them. Many have lost their courage. Speak to them words of cheer. Pray for them. There are those who need the bread of life. Read to them from the Word of God. Upon many is a soul sickness which no earthly balm can reach nor physician heal. Pray for these souls, bring them to Jesus. Tell them that there is a balm in Gilead and a Physician there. {BLJ 261.4}
[BLJ 261.5]    Light is a blessing, a universal blessing, pouring forth its treasures on a world unthankful, unholy, demoralized. So it is with the light of the Sun of Righteousness. The whole earth, wrapped as it is in the darkness of sin, and sorrow, and pain, is to be lighted with the knowledge of God’s love. From no sect, rank, or class of people is the light shining from heaven’s throne to be excluded. {BLJ 261.5}
[BLJ 261.6]    The message of hope and mercy is to be carried to the ends of the earth. . . . No longer are the heathen to be wrapped in midnight darkness. The gloom is to disappear before the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. The power of hell has been overcome. {BLJ 261.6}
[BLJ 261.7]    But no one can impart that which he or she has not received. In the work of God, humanity can originate nothing. . . . It was the golden oil emptied by the heavenly messengers into the golden tubes, to be conducted from the golden bowl into the lamps of the sanctuary, that produced a continuous bright and shining light. It is the love of God continually transferred to men and women that enables them to impart light. Into the hearts of all who are united to God by faith the golden oil of love flows freely, to shine out again in good works, in real, heartfelt service for God.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 417-419. {BLJ 261.7}
[BLJ 262.1]        To Witness Successfully, First Crucify Self    There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. John 1:6, 7, NKJV. {BLJ 262.1}
[BLJ 262.2]      God’s word to us is “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” He calls upon everyone to crucify self. Those who respond grow strong in Him. They learn daily from Christ, and the more they learn, the greater is their desire to build up God’s kingdom by helping their fellow beings. The more enlightenment they have, the greater is their desire to enlighten others. The more they talk with God, the less they live to themselves. The greater their privileges, opportunities, and facilities for Christian work, the greater is the obligation they feel to work for others. {BLJ 262.2}
[BLJ 262.3]    Human nature is ever struggling for expression. A person who is made complete in Christ must first be emptied of pride, of self-sufficiency. Then there is silence in the soul, and God’s voice can be heard. Then the Spirit can find unobstructed entrance. Let God work in and through you. Then with Paul you can say, “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” But until self is laid on the altar, until we let the Holy Spirit mold and fashion us according to the divine similitude, we cannot reach God’s ideal for us. {BLJ 262.3}
[BLJ 262.4]    Christ said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” This life is what we must have in order to work for Christ, and we must have it “more abundantly.” God will breathe this life into every soul that dies to self. But entire self-renunciation is required. Unless this takes place, we carry with us that which destroys our happiness and usefulness. {BLJ 262.4}
[BLJ 262.5]    The Lord needs men and women who carry with them into the daily life the light of a godly example, men and women whose words and actions show that Christ is abiding in the heart, teaching, leading, and guiding. He needs men and women of prayer, who, by wrestling alone with God, obtain the victory over self, and then go forth to impart to others that which they have received from the Source of power. {BLJ 262.5}
[BLJ 262.6]    God accepts those who crucify self, and makes them vessels unto honor. They are in His hands as clay in the hands of the potter, and He works His will through them. Such men and women receive spiritual power. Christ lives in them, and the power of His Spirit attends their efforts. They realize that they are to live in this world the life that Jesus lived—a life free from all selfishness; and He enables them to bear witness for Him that draws souls to the cross of Calvary.—Signs of the Times, Apr. 9, 1902. {BLJ 262.6}
[BLJ 263.1]        Invite People to Become Children of God    Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 1 John 3:1, NKJV. {BLJ 263.1}
[BLJ 263.2]      “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” {BLJ 263.2}
[BLJ 263.3]    In this scripture are portrayed Christian privileges that are comprehended by but comparatively few. Everyone should become familiar with the blessings that God has offered us in His Word. He has given us many assurances as to what He will do for us. And all that He has promised is made possible by Christ’s sacrifice in our behalf. {BLJ 263.3}
[BLJ 263.4]    John the Baptist bore witness of the One through whom we may become sons and daughters of God. . . . “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” {BLJ 263.4}
[BLJ 263.5]    Divine sonship is not something that we may gain of ourselves. Only to those who receive Christ as their Savior is given the power to become sons and daughters of God. Sinners cannot, by any power of their own, rid themselves of sin. For the accomplishment of this result, they must look to a higher Power. John exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Christ alone has power to cleanse the heart. He who is seeking for forgiveness and acceptance can say only: “Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling.” {BLJ 263.5}
[BLJ 263.6]    But the promise of sonship is made to all who “believe on his name.” Everyone who comes to Jesus in faith will receive pardon. As soon as the penitent one looks to the Savior for help to turn from sin, the Holy Spirit begins His transforming work upon the heart. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” {BLJ 263.6}
[BLJ 263.7]    What an incentive to greater effort this should be to all who are trying to set the hope of the gospel before those who are still in the darkness of error.—Review and Herald, Sept. 3, 1903. {BLJ 263.7}
[BLJ 264.1]        Angels Cooperate With Soul Winners    To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. Acts 10:43, NKJV. {BLJ 264.1}
[BLJ 264.2]      God works through heavenly instrumentalities that those who know the truth may be brought in connection with souls who need light and knowledge. Read the tenth chapter of Acts. The God of heaven beheld the devotion and piety of Cornelius. He witnessed his prayers and his almsgiving, and marked the power of his influence. He desired to give him light in regard to Christ’s mission and to connect him with His work. {BLJ 264.2}
[BLJ 264.3]    The Lord sent His angel to signify this to Cornelius, and to place him in connection with the apostle Peter. The angel told Cornelius just where Peter lived, and assured him, “He shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.” Then an angel was sent to Peter to remove his doubt as to the propriety of working for the Gentiles. “What God has cleansed, that call not thou common.” While Peter was pondering in regard to the mysterious revelation that had been given him, the Spirit said unto him, “Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and . . . go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” {BLJ 264.3}
[BLJ 264.4]    What a history is this to show that Heaven is in close connection with our world. On the ladder that Jacob saw, angels of God are ascending and descending. God is above the ladder, and beams of light and glory are shining the whole length from heaven to earth. This line of communication is still open. {BLJ 264.4}
[BLJ 264.5]    And what was the outcome of God’s dealing with Cornelius? Read the precious history, and learn, and praise God; for its lesson is for us. . . . And God “commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” {BLJ 264.5}
[BLJ 264.6]    As Peter spoke these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon the assembly, and they were baptized in the name of the Lord. Thus in Caesarea a company of Christian believers was established to hold up the light of truth. {BLJ 264.6}
[BLJ 264.7]    This is the work to be done today. We have a message to give to the people. . . . Christ declares, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. . . . All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”—Australasian Union Conference Record, Jan. 1, 1900. {BLJ 264.7}
[BLJ 265.1]        Guard Your Words and Be Tactful as You Witness    Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:5, 6, NKJV. {BLJ 265.1}
[BLJ 265.2]      It is true that we are commanded to “cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1). This message must be given; but while it must be given, we should be careful not to thrust and crowd and condemn those who have not the light that we have. . . . {BLJ 265.2}
[BLJ 265.3]    Those who have had great privileges and opportunities, and who have failed to improve their physical, mental, and moral powers, but who have lived to please themselves and have refused to bear their responsibility, are in greater danger and in greater condemnation before God than those who are in error upon doctrinal points, yet who seek to live to do good to others. Do not censure others; do not condemn them. {BLJ 265.3}
[BLJ 265.4]    If we allow selfish considerations, false reasoning, and false excuses to bring us into a perverse state of mind and heart, so that we shall not know the ways and will of God, we shall be far more guilty than the open sinner. We need to be very cautious in order that we may not condemn those who, before God, are less guilty than ourselves. {BLJ 265.4}
[BLJ 265.5]    Let everyone bear in mind that we are in no case to invite persecution. We are not to use harsh and cutting words. Keep them out of every article written, drop them out of every address given. Let the Word of God do the cutting, the rebuking; let finite men and women hide and abide in Jesus Christ. Let the spirit of Christ appear. Let all be guarded in their words, lest they place those not of our faith in deadly opposition against us and give Satan an opportunity to use the unadvised words to hedge up our way. {BLJ 265.5}
[BLJ 265.6]    There is to be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. Our work is to study to weed out of all our discourses everything that savors of retaliation and defiance and making a drive against churches and individuals, because this is not Christ’s way and method. {BLJ 265.6}
[BLJ 265.7]    The fact that God’s people, who know the truth, have failed to do their duty according to the light given in the Word of God makes it a necessity for us to be the more guarded, lest we offend unbelievers before they have heard the reasons for our faith in regard to the Sabbath and Sunday.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, pp. 243, 244. {BLJ 265.7}
[BLJ 266.1]        Now Is the Time to Work for Christ    I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:1, 2, NKJV. {BLJ 266.1}
[BLJ 266.2]      What use have you made of the gift of God? He has supplied you with the motive force of action, that with patience and hope and untiring vigilance you might set forth Christ and Him crucified, calling the lost to repent of their sins, sounding the note of warning that Christ is soon to come with power and great glory. {BLJ 266.2}
[BLJ 266.3]    If the members of the . . . church do not arouse now and go to work in missionary fields, they will fall back into deathlike slumber. How did the Holy Spirit work upon your hearts? . . . Were you not inspired to exercise the talents God has given you, that every man and woman and youth should employ them to set forth the truth for this time, making personal efforts, going into the cities where the truth has never been proclaimed, and lifting up the standard? {BLJ 266.3}
[BLJ 266.4]    Have not your energies been quickened by the blessing that God has bestowed upon you? Has not the truth been more deeply impressed upon your soul? Can you not see more clearly its relative importance to those who are perishing out of Christ? Since the manifest revealing of God’s blessing, are you witnessing for Christ more distinctly and decidedly than ever before? {BLJ 266.4}
[BLJ 266.5]    The Holy Spirit has brought decidedly to your minds the important, vital truths for this time. Is this knowledge to be bound up in a napkin and hidden in the earth? No, no. It is to be put out to the exchangers. As a person uses his or her talents, however small, with faithfulness, the Holy Spirit takes the things of God, and presents them anew to the mind. Through His Spirit God makes His Word a vivifying power. It is quick and powerful, exerting a strong influence upon minds, not because of the learning or intelligence of the human agent, but because divine power is working with the human power. And it is to the divine power that all praise is to be given.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, pp. 54, 55. {BLJ 266.5}
[BLJ 267.1]        Practical Christianity Important in Witnesses    You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not bear false witness,” “Do not defraud,” “Honor your father and mother.” Mark 10:19, NKJV. {BLJ 267.1}
[BLJ 267.2]      People who will not admit the claims of God’s law, which are so very plain, will generally take a lawless course; for they have so long taken sides with the great rebel in warring against the law of God, which is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth, that they are trained in this labor. In their warfare they will not open their eyes or consciences to light. They close their eyes, lest they shall become enlightened. {BLJ 267.2}
[BLJ 267.3]    Their case is as hopeless as was that of the Jews who would not see the light which Christ brought to them. The wonderful evidences which He gave them of His Messiahship in the miracles that He performed, in healing the sick, raising the dead, and doing the works which no other had done or could do, instead of melting and subduing their hearts, and overcoming their wicked prejudices, inspired them with satanic hatred and fury such as Satan possessed when he was thrust out of heaven. The greater light and evidence they had, the greater was their hatred. They were determined to extinguish the light by putting Christ to death. . . . {BLJ 267.3}
[BLJ 267.4]    Our work should be to embrace every opportunity to present the truth in its purity and simplicity where there is any desire or interest to hear the reasons of our faith. Those who have dwelt mostly upon the prophecies and the theoretical points of our faith should without delay become Bible students upon practical subjects. They should take a deeper draft at the fountain of divine truth. They should carefully study the life of Christ and His lessons of practical godliness, given for the benefit of all and to be the rule of right living for all who should believe on His name. They should be imbued with the spirit of their great Exemplar and have a high sense of the sacred life of a follower of Christ.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, pp. 213, 214. {BLJ 267.4}
[BLJ 268.1]        Witness Wherever Jesus Calls You    The Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. 2 Timothy 4:17, NKJV. {BLJ 268.1}
[BLJ 268.2]      Resolve, not in your own strength, but in the strength and grace given of God, that you will consecrate to Him now, just now, every power, every ability. You will then follow Jesus because He bids you, and you will not ask where, or what reward will be given. It will be well with you as you obey the word: “Follow me.” Your part is to lead others to the light by judicious, faithful efforts. Under the guardianship of the divine Leader, will to do, resolve to act, without a moment’s hesitation. {BLJ 268.2}
[BLJ 268.3]    When you die to self, when you surrender to God, to do His work, to let the light that He has given you shine forth in good works, you will not labor alone. God’s grace stands forth to cooperate with every effort to enlighten the ignorant and those who do not know that the end of all things is at hand. {BLJ 268.3}
[BLJ 268.4]    But God will not do your work. Light may shine in abundance, but the grace given will convert your soul only as it arouses you to cooperate with divine agencies. You are called upon to put on the Christian armor and enter the Lord’s service as active soldiers. Divine power is to cooperate with human effort to break the spell of worldly enchantment that the enemy has cast upon souls. . . . {BLJ 268.4}
[BLJ 268.5]    Let your hearts be drawn out in love for perishing souls. Obey the impulse given by High Heaven. Grieve not the Holy Spirit by delay. Resist not God’s methods of recovering souls from the thralldom of sin. To everyone, according to their several ability, is given their work. Do your best, and God will accept your efforts.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, pp. 55, 56. {BLJ 268.5}
[BLJ 269.1]        Jesus Identifies Himself With the Needy    And the King will answer them and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Matthew 25:40, NKJV. {BLJ 269.1}
[BLJ 269.2]      While God in His providence has laden the earth with His bounties and filled its storehouses with the luxuries of life, there is no excuse whatever for allowing the treasury of God to remain empty. Christians are not excusable for permitting the widow’s cries and the orphan’s prayers to ascend to Heaven because of their suffering want, while a liberal Providence has placed in the hands of these Christians abundance to supply their need. {BLJ 269.2}
[BLJ 269.3]    Let not the cries of the widow and fatherless call down the vengeance of Heaven upon us as a people. In the professed Christian world, there is enough expended in extravagant display, for jewels and ornaments, to supply the wants of all the hungry and clothe the naked in our towns and cities; and yet these professed followers of the meek and lowly Jesus need not deprive themselves of suitable food or comfortable clothing. {BLJ 269.3}
[BLJ 269.4]    What will these church members say when confronted in the day of God by the worthy poor, the afflicted, the widows and fatherless, who have known pinching want for the meager necessities of life, while there was expended by these professed followers of Christ, for superfluous clothing, and needless ornaments expressly forbidden in the Word of God, enough to supply all their wants? {BLJ 269.4}
[BLJ 269.5]    We see ladies professing godliness wear elegant gold chains, necklaces, rings, and other jewelry . . . while want stalks in the streets, and the suffering and destitute are on every side. These do not interest them, nor awaken their sympathy; but they will weep over the imaginary suffering depicted in the last novel. They have no ears for the cries of the needy, no eyes to behold the cold and almost naked forms of women and children around them. They look upon real want as a species of crime, and withdraw from suffering humanity as from a contagious disease. To such, Christ will say, “I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: . . . sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.” {BLJ 269.5}
[BLJ 269.6]    But on the other hand Christ says to the righteous: “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”. . . Thus Christ identifies His interest with that of suffering humanity. Deeds of love and charity done to the suffering are as though done to Himself.—Review and Herald, Nov. 21, 1878. {BLJ 269.6}
[BLJ 270.1]        The Holy Spirit Will Empower for Witnessing    And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33, NKJV. {BLJ 270.1}
[BLJ 270.2]      What was the result of the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost? The glad tidings of a risen Savior were carried to the uttermost parts of the inhabited world. The hearts of the disciples were surcharged with a benevolence so full, so deep, so far-reaching, that it impelled them to go to the ends of the earth, testifying, God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. {BLJ 270.2}
[BLJ 270.3]    As they proclaimed the truth as it is in Jesus, hearts yielded to the power of the message. The church beheld converts flocking to it from all directions. Believers were reconverted. Sinners united with Christians in seeking the pearl of great price. Those who had been the bitterest opponents of the gospel became its champions. . . . The only ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ’s character, and to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom. . . . {BLJ 270.3}
[BLJ 270.4]    Under their labors there were added to the church chosen ones, who, receiving the word of life, consecrated their lives to the work of giving to others the hope that had filled their hearts with peace and joy. Hundreds proclaimed the message “The kingdom of God is at hand.” They could not be restrained or intimidated by threatenings. The Lord spoke through them, and wherever they went, the sick were healed, and the poor had the gospel preached unto them. So mightily can God work when human beings give themselves up to the control of His Spirit. {BLJ 270.4}
[BLJ 270.5]    To us today, as verily as to the first disciples, the promise of the Spirit belongs. God will today endow men and women with power from above, as He endowed those who on the day of Pentecost heard the message of salvation. At this very hour His Spirit and His grace are for all who need them and who will take Him at His word. {BLJ 270.5}
[BLJ 270.6]    Notice that it was after the disciples had come into perfect unity, when they were no longer striving for the highest place, that the Spirit was poured out. They were of one accord. All differences had been put away. And the testimony borne of them after the Spirit had been given is the same. Mark the word: “The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.” The Spirit of Him who died that sinners might live animated the entire company of believers.—Australasian Union Conference Record, June 1, 1904. {BLJ 270.6}
[BLJ 271.1]        God Gives Grace to Those Who Believe His Word    But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6, NKJV. {BLJ 271.1}
[BLJ 271.2]      I have been shown that many have confused ideas in regard to conversion. They have often heard the words repeated from the pulpit, “Ye must be born again.” “You must have a new heart.” These expressions have perplexed them. They could not comprehend the plan of salvation. {BLJ 271.2}
[BLJ 271.3]    Many have stumbled to ruin because of the erroneous doctrines taught by some ministers concerning the change that takes place at conversion. Some have lived in sadness for years, waiting for some marked evidence that they were accepted by God. They have separated themselves in a large measure from the world, and find pleasure in associating with the people of God; yet they dare not profess Christ, because they fear it would be presumption to say that they are children of God. They are waiting for that peculiar change that they have been led to believe is connected with conversion. {BLJ 271.3}
[BLJ 271.4]    After a time some of these do receive evidence of their acceptance with God, and are then led to identify themselves with His people. And they date their conversion from this time. But I have been shown that they were adopted into the family of God before that time. God accepted them when they became weary of sin, and having lost their desire for worldly pleasures, resolved to seek God earnestly. But, failing to understand the simplicity of the plan of salvation, they lost many privileges and blessings which they might have claimed had they only believed, when they first turned to God, that He had accepted them. {BLJ 271.4}
[BLJ 271.5]    Others fall into a more dangerous error. They are governed by impulse. Their sympathies are stirred, and they regard this flight of feeling as an evidence that they are accepted by God and are converted. But the principles of their life are not changed. The evidences of a genuine work of grace on the heart are to be found not in feeling, but in the life. “By their fruits,” Christ declared, “ye shall know them.” . . . {BLJ 271.5}
[BLJ 271.6]    The work of grace upon the heart is not an instantaneous work. It is effected by continuous, daily watching and believing the promises of God. The repentant, believing ones, who cherish faith and earnestly desire the renewing grace of Christ, God will not turn away empty. He will give them grace. And ministering angels will aid them as they persevere in their efforts to advance.—Evangelism, pp. 286, 287. {BLJ 271.6}
[BLJ 272.1]        One Small Book Produced Big Results    Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside. . . . But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Matthew 13:3-9, NKJV. {BLJ 272.1}
[BLJ 272.2]      After the meeting closed ［a service at the Michigan camp meeting］, a sister took me heartily by the hand, expressing great joy at meeting Sister White again. She inquired if I remembered calling at a log house in the woods twenty-two years before. She gave us refreshments, and I left with them a little book, Experience and Views. {BLJ 272.2}
[BLJ 272.3]    She stated that she had lent that little book to her neighbors, as new families had settled around her, until there was very little left of it; and she expressed a great desire to obtain another copy of the work. Her neighbors were deeply interested in it, and were desirous of seeing the writer. She said that when I called upon her I talked to her of Jesus and the beauties of heaven, and that the words were spoken with such fervor that she was charmed, and had never forgotten them. {BLJ 272.3}
[BLJ 272.4]    Since that time the Lord had sent ministers to preach the truth to them, and now there was quite a company observing the Sabbath. The influence of that little book, now worn out with perusing, had extended from one to another, performing its silent work, until the soil was ready for the seeds of truth. {BLJ 272.4}
[BLJ 272.5]    I well remember the long journey we took twenty-two years ago, in Michigan. We were on our way to hold a meeting in Vergennes. We were fifteen miles from our destination. Our driver had passed over the road repeatedly and was well acquainted with it, but was compelled to acknowledge that he had lost the way. We traveled forty miles that day, through the woods, over logs and fallen trees, where there was scarcely a trace of road. . . . {BLJ 272.5}
[BLJ 272.6]    We could not understand why we should be left to this singular wandering in the wilderness. We were never more pleased than when we came in sight of a little clearing on which was a log cabin, where we found the sister I have mentioned. She kindly welcomed us to her home, and provided us with refreshments, which were gratefully received. As we rested, I talked with the family and left them the little book. She gladly accepted it, and has preserved it until the present time. {BLJ 272.6}
[BLJ 272.7]    For twenty-two years our wanderings on this journey have seemed indeed mysterious to us, but here we met quite a company who are now believers in the truth, and who date their first experience from the influence of that little book.—Signs of the Times, Oct. 19, 1876. {BLJ 272.7}
[BLJ 273.1]        Personal Ministry Is Key to Winning Souls    Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. . . . When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Mark 2:3-5, NKJV. {BLJ 273.1}
[BLJ 273.2]      There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit. {BLJ 273.2}
[BLJ 273.3]    We should ever remember that the object of the medical missionary work is to point sin-sick men and women to the Man of Calvary, who taketh away the sin of the world. By beholding Him, they will be changed into His likeness. We are to encourage the sick and suffering to look to Jesus and live. Let the workers keep Christ, the Great Physician, constantly before those to whom disease of body and soul has brought discouragement. . . . Encourage them to place themselves in the care of Him who gave His life to make it possible for them to have life eternal. Talk of His love; tell of His power to save. {BLJ 273.3}
[BLJ 273.4]    This is the high duty and precious privilege of the medical missionary. And personal ministry often prepares the way for this. God often reaches hearts through our efforts to relieve physical suffering. . . . {BLJ 273.4}
[BLJ 273.5]    In almost every community there are large numbers who do not listen to the preaching of God’s Word or attend any religious service. If they are reached by the gospel, it must be carried to their homes. Often the relief of their physical needs is the only avenue by which they can be approached. {BLJ 273.5}
[BLJ 273.6]    Missionary nurses who care for the sick and relieve the distress of the poor will find many opportunities to pray with them, to read to them from God’s Word, and to speak of the Savior. They can pray with and for the helpless ones who have not strength of will to control the appetites that passion has degraded. They can bring a ray of hope into the lives of the defeated and disheartened. Their unselfish love, manifested in acts of disinterested kindness, will make it easier for these suffering ones to believe in the love of Christ.—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 143-145. {BLJ 273.6}
[BLJ 274.1]        Make Clear the Worth of the Soul    Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:16, NKJV. {BLJ 274.1}
[BLJ 274.2]      The work you are doing to help our sisters feel their individual accountability to God is a good and necessary work. Long has it been neglected; but when this work has been laid out in clear lines, simple and definite, we may expect that the essential duties of the home, instead of being neglected, will be done much more intelligently. The Lord would ever have us urge, upon those who do not understand, the worth of the human soul. {BLJ 274.2}
[BLJ 274.3]    If we can arrange, as you are now working, to have regularly organized companies intelligently instructed in regard to the part they should act as servants of the Master, our churches will have life and vitality such as have been so long needed. {BLJ 274.3}
[BLJ 274.4]    Christ our Savior appreciated the excellency of the soul. Our sisters have generally a very hard time, with their increasing families and their unappreciated trials. I have so longed for women who could be educators to help them to arise from their discouragement, and to feel that they could do a work for the Lord. And this effort is bringing rays of sunshine into their lives, and is being reflected upon the hearts of others. God will bless you, and all who shall unite with you, in this grand work. {BLJ 274.4}
[BLJ 274.5]    Many youth as well as our older sisters manifest themselves shy of religious conversation. They do not take in the matter as it is. The Word of God must be their assurance, their hope, their peace. They close the windows that should open heavenward, and open the windows wide earthward. But when they shall see the excellency of the human soul, they will close the windows earthward, cease depending on earthly amusements and associations, break away from folly and sin, and will open the windows heavenward, that they may behold spiritual things. Then can they say, I will receive the light of the Sun of Righteousness, that I may shine forth to others. {BLJ 274.5}
[BLJ 274.6]    The most successful toilers are those who will cheerfully work to serve God in small things. Every human being is to work with his or her own individual thread, weave it into the fabric that composes the web, and complete the pattern.—Review and Herald, May 9, 1899. {BLJ 274.6}
[BLJ 275.1]        Music Can Attract People to God’s Message    Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Psalm 96:1, 2, NKJV. {BLJ 275.1}
[BLJ 275.2]      A few nights since, my mind was much troubled in contemplating what we could do to get the truth before the people in these large cities. We are sure if they would only hear the message, some would receive the truth and in their turn communicate it to others. {BLJ 275.2}
[BLJ 275.3]    The ministers warn their congregations and say it is dangerous doctrine that is presented, and if they go out to hear they will be deceived and deluded with this strange doctrine. The prejudices would be removed if we could get the people out to hear. We are praying over this matter and believe that the Lord will make a place for the message of warning and instruction to come to the people in these last days. {BLJ 275.3}
[BLJ 275.4]    One night I seemed to be in a council meeting where these matters were being talked over. And a very grave, dignified man said, “You are praying for the Lord to raise up men and women of talent to give themselves to the work. You have talent in your midst which needs to be recognized.” {BLJ 275.4}
[BLJ 275.5]    Several wise propositions were made and then words were spoken in substance as I write them. He said, “I call your attention to the singing talent which should be cultivated; for the human voice in singing is one of God’s entrusted talents to be employed to His glory. The enemy of righteousness makes a great account of this talent in his service. And that which is the gift of God, to be a blessing to souls, is perverted, misapplied, and serves the purpose of Satan. {BLJ 275.5}
[BLJ 275.6]    “This talent of voice is a blessing if consecrated to the Lord to serve His cause. ［Carrie Gribble］ has talent, but it is not appreciated. Her position should be considered and her talent will attract the people, and they will hear the message of truth.”—Evangelism, pp. 497, 498. {BLJ 275.6}
[BLJ 276.1]        Truth Is to Be Lived, Not Merely Spoken    Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; the world also is firmly established, it shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” Psalm 96:10, NKJV. {BLJ 276.1}
[BLJ 276.2]      Men and women are not to be spiritually dwarfed by a connection with the church, but strengthened, elevated, ennobled, prepared for the most sacred work ever committed to mortals. It is the Lord’s purpose to have a well-trained army, ready to be called into action at a moment’s notice. This army will be made up of well-disciplined men and women who have placed themselves under influences that have prepared them for service. {BLJ 276.2}
[BLJ 276.3]    God’s workers are to watch for souls as they that must give an account, and they need the abiding presence of Christ in their hearts, in order that they may win sinners to Him. They must themselves have surrendered all to God, that they may tell those for whom they labor the need and meaning of unreserved surrender. They must remember that they are laborers together with God, and must guard against dilatory, uncertain movements. Satan watches untiringly for opportunities to gain control of those whom they are seeking to win to Christ. Only through ceaseless vigilance can the workers for Jesus beat back the enemy. Only in the strength of the Redeemer can they lead the tempted one to the cross. It is not learning nor eloquence that will accomplish this, but the presentation of the truth of God, spoken in simplicity and with the power of the Spirit. {BLJ 276.3}
[BLJ 276.4]    There is only one power that can turn the sinner from sin to holiness—the power of Christ. Our Redeemer is the only one who can take away sin. He alone can forgive sin. He alone can make men and women steadfast, and keep them so. {BLJ 276.4}
[BLJ 276.5]    The truth is not merely to be spoken by those who work for Christ; it is to be lived. People are watching and weighing those who claim to believe the special truths for this time. They are watching to see wherein their life represents Christ. By humbly and earnestly engaging in the work of doing good to all, God’s people will exert an influence that will tell on all with whom they are brought in contact. If those who know the truth will take hold of this work as opportunities are presented, day by day doing deeds of love and kindness in the neighborhood where they live, Christ will be revealed in their lives.—Review and Herald, June 2, 1903. {BLJ 276.5}
[BLJ 277.1]        Aim High and Attempt Much for God    By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Hebrews 11:5, NKJV. {BLJ 277.1}
[BLJ 277.2]      The Lord has a great work to be done, and He will bequeath the most in the future life to those who do the most faithful, willing service in the present life. The Lord chooses His own agents, and each day under different circumstances He gives them a trial in His plan of operation. In each truehearted endeavor to work out His plan, He chooses His agents not because they are perfect but because, through a connection with Him, they may gain perfection. {BLJ 277.2}
[BLJ 277.3]    God will accept only those who are determined to aim high. He places every human agent under obligation to do his or her best. Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrongdoing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and everyone who receives Christ as a personal Savior is privileged to possess these attributes. . . . {BLJ 277.3}
[BLJ 277.4]    Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will. If you will not, then you cannot overcome. The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control of God. {BLJ 277.4}
[BLJ 277.5]    Many whom God has qualified to do excellent work accomplish very little, because they attempt little. Thousands pass through life as if they had no definite object for which to live, no standard to reach. Such will obtain a reward proportionate to their works. . . . {BLJ 277.5}
[BLJ 277.6]    Be ambitious, for the Master’s glory, to cultivate every grace of character. In every phase of your character building you are to please God. This you may do; for Enoch pleased Him though living in a degenerate age. And there are Enochs in this our day.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 330-332. {BLJ 277.6}
[BLJ 278.1]        Witness at Every Large Gathering in Cities    And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. Luke 4:32, NKJV. {BLJ 278.1}
[BLJ 278.2]      I was given instruction that as we approach the end, there will be large gatherings in our cities . . . and that preparations must be made to present the truth at these gatherings. When Christ was upon this earth, He took advantage of such opportunities. Wherever a large number of people were gathered for any purpose, His voice was heard, clear and distinct, giving His message. And as a result, after His crucifixion and ascension, thousands were converted in a day. The seed sown by Christ sank deep into hearts, and germinated, and when the disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the harvest was gathered in. {BLJ 278.2}
[BLJ 278.3]    The disciples went forth and preached the Word everywhere with such power that fear fell upon their opposers, and they dared not do that which they would have done had not the evidence been so plain that God was working. {BLJ 278.3}
[BLJ 278.4]    At every large gathering some of our ministers should be in attendance. They should work wisely to obtain a hearing and to get the light of the truth before as many as possible. . . . {BLJ 278.4}
[BLJ 278.5]    At all such gatherings there should be present men and women whom God can use. Leaflets containing the light of present truth should be scattered among the people like the leaves of autumn. To many who attend these gatherings these leaflets would be as the leaves of the tree of life, which are for the healing of the nations. {BLJ 278.5}
[BLJ 278.6]    I send you this, my brethren, that you may give it to others. Those who go forth to proclaim the truth shall be blessed by Him who has given them the burden of proclaiming this truth. . . . {BLJ 278.6}
[BLJ 278.7]    The time has come when, as never before, Seventh-day Adventists are to arise and shine, because their light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon them.—Evangelism, pp. 35, 36. {BLJ 278.7}
[BLJ 279.1]        Christ’s Followers to Differ From the World    But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9, NKJV. {BLJ 279.1}
[BLJ 279.2]      As we read the Word of God, how plain it appears that His people are to be peculiar and distinct from the unbelieving world around them. Our position is interesting and fearful; living in the last days, how important that we imitate the example of Christ, and walk even as He walked. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” The opinions and wisdom of mortals must not guide or govern us. They always lead away from the cross. {BLJ 279.2}
[BLJ 279.3]    The servants of Christ have neither their home nor their treasure here. Would that all of them could understand that it is only because the Lord reigns that we are even permitted to dwell in peace and safety among our enemies. It is not our privilege to claim special favors of the world. We must consent to be poor and despised among men and women, until the warfare is finished and the victory won. The members of Christ are called to come out and be separate from the friendship and spirit of the world; their strength and power consists in being chosen and accepted of God. . . . {BLJ 279.3}
[BLJ 279.4]    The world is ripening for its destruction. God can bear with sinners but a little longer. They must drink the dregs of the cup of His wrath unmixed with mercy. Those who will be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ to the immortal inheritance, will be peculiar. Yes, so peculiar that God places a mark upon them as His, wholly His. Think ye that God will receive, honor, and acknowledge a people so mixed up with the world that they differ from them only in name? Read again Titus 2:13-15. It is soon to be known who is on the Lord’s side, who will not be ashamed of Jesus. Those who have not moral courage to conscientiously take their position in the face of unbelievers, leave the fashions of the world, and imitate the self-denying life of Christ are ashamed of Him, and do not love His example.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 286, 287. {BLJ 279.4}
[BLJ 280.1]        Win Souls Through the Sabbath School    Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3, NKJV. {BLJ 280.1}
[BLJ 280.2]      The Sabbath school teacher should be a laborer together with God, cooperating with Christ. Do not be content with a lifeless, formal religion. The object of Sabbath school work should be the ingathering of souls. The order of working may be faultless, the facilities all that could be desired; but if the children and youth are not brought to Christ, the school is a failure; for unless souls are drawn to Christ, they become more and more unimpressionable under the influence of a formal religion. {BLJ 280.2}
[BLJ 280.3]    The teacher should cooperate, as He knocks at the door of the heart of those who need help. If pupils respond to the pleading of the Spirit, and open the door of the heart, that Jesus may come in, He will open their understanding, that they may comprehend the things of God. The teacher’s work is simple work, but if it is done in the Spirit of Jesus, depth and efficiency will be added to it by the operation of the Spirit of God. {BLJ 280.3}
[BLJ 280.4]    There should be much personal work done in the Sabbath school. The necessity of this kind of work is not recognized and appreciated as it should be. From a heart filled with gratitude for the love of God, which has been imparted to the soul, the teacher should labor tenderly and earnestly for the conversion of the scholars. {BLJ 280.4}
[BLJ 280.5]    What evidence can we give to the world that the Sabbath school work is not a mere pretense? It will be judged by its fruits. It will be estimated by the character and work of the pupils. In our Sabbath schools the Christian youth should be entrusted with responsibilities, that they may develop their abilities and gain spiritual power. {BLJ 280.5}
[BLJ 280.6]    Let the youth first give themselves to God, and then let them in their early experience be taught to help others. This work will bring their faculties into exercise and enable them to learn how to plan and how to execute their plans for the good of their associates. Let them seek the company of those who need help, not to engage in foolish conversation, but to represent Christian character, to be laborers together with God, winning those who have not given themselves to God.—Testimonies on Sabbath School Work, pp. 47, 48. {BLJ 280.6}
[BLJ 281.1]        Work to Be Done in Large Cities    The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. Isaiah 9:2, NKJV. {BLJ 281.1}
[BLJ 281.2]      Every Christian will have a missionary spirit. To bear fruit is to work as Christ worked, to love souls as He has loved us. The very first impulse of the renewed heart is to bring others also to the Savior: and just as soon as a person is converted to the truth, he or she feels an earnest desire that those in darkness should see the precious light shining from God’s Word. . . . {BLJ 281.2}
[BLJ 281.3]    Missionaries are needed to spread the light of truth in . . . great cities, and the children of God—those whom He calls the light of the world—ought to be doing all they can in this direction. You will meet with discouragements; you will have opposition. The enemy will whisper, What can these few poor people do in this great city? But if you walk in the light, you can every one be light bearers to the world. {BLJ 281.3}
[BLJ 281.4]    Do not seek to accomplish some great work, and neglect the little opportunities close at hand. We can do very much by exemplifying the truth in our daily life. The influence which we may thus exert cannot be easily withstood. {BLJ 281.4}
[BLJ 281.5]    People may combat and defy our logic; they may resist our appeals; but a life of holy purpose, of disinterested love in their behalf, is an argument in favor of the truth that they cannot gainsay. Far more can be accomplished by humble, devoted, virtuous lives than can be effected by preaching when a godly example is lacking. You can labor to build up the church, to encourage your fellow believers, and to make the social meetings interesting; and you can let your prayers go out, like sharp sickles, with the laborers into the harvest field. Each should have a personal interest, a burden of soul, to watch and pray for the success of the work. {BLJ 281.5}
[BLJ 281.6]    You can also in meekness call the attention of others to the precious truths of God’s Word. Young men should be instructed that they may labor in these cities. They may never be able to present the truth from the desk, but they could go from house to house, and point the people to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. The dust and rubbish of error have buried the precious jewels of truth; but the Lord’s workers can uncover these treasures, so that many will look upon them with delight and awe.—Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, pp. 181, 182. {BLJ 281.6}
[BLJ 282.1]        Expressions of Sympathy Open Hearts to the Gospel    Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 1 Corinthians 13:8, NKJV. {BLJ 282.1}
[BLJ 282.2]      God expects personal service from everyone to whom He has entrusted a knowledge of the truth for this time. Not all can go as missionaries to foreign lands, but all can be home missionaries in their families and neighborhoods. There are many ways in which church members may give the message to those around them. One of the most successful is by living helpful, unselfish, Christian lives. {BLJ 282.2}
[BLJ 282.3]    Those who are fighting the battle of life at great odds may be refreshed and strengthened by little attentions which cost nothing. Kindly words simply spoken, little attentions simply bestowed, will sweep away the clouds of temptation and doubt that gather over the soul. The true heart expression of Christlike sympathy, given in simplicity, has power to open the door of hearts that need the simple, delicate touch of the spirit of Christ. {BLJ 282.3}
[BLJ 282.4]    Christ accepts, oh, so gladly, every human agency that is surrendered to Him. He brings the human into union with the divine, that He may communicate to the world the mysteries of incarnate love. Talk it, pray it, sing it, fill the world with the message of His truth, and keep pressing on into the regions beyond. {BLJ 282.4}
[BLJ 282.5]    Heavenly intelligences are waiting to cooperate with human instrumentalities, that they may reveal to the world what human beings may become and what, through their influence, they may accomplish for the saving of souls that are ready to perish. Those who are truly converted will be so filled with the love of God that they will long to impart to others the joy that they themselves possess. {BLJ 282.5}
[BLJ 282.6]    The Lord desires His church to show forth to the world the beauty of holiness. It is to demonstrate the power of Christian religion. Heaven is to be reflected in the character of the Christian. The song of gratitude and praise is to be heard by those in darkness. {BLJ 282.6}
[BLJ 282.7]    For the good tidings of the gospel, for its promises and assurances, we are to express our gratitude by seeking to do others good. The doing of this work will bring rays of heavenly righteousness to wearied, perplexed, suffering souls. It is as a fountain opened for the wayworn, thirsty traveler. At every work of mercy, every work of love, angels of God are present.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, pp. 30, 31. {BLJ 282.7}
[BLJ 283.1]        Soul Winning Creates Demand for Holy Spirit    Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. Isaiah 60:1, 2, NKJV. {BLJ 283.1}
[BLJ 283.2]      Our Redeemer spent whole nights in prayer to His Father; and the foundation of the Christian church and missionary activity was laid in the very element of prayer. The disciples were of one accord in one place, calling upon the Lord that the outpouring of His Holy Spirit might come upon them. {BLJ 283.2}
[BLJ 283.3]    While the Holy Spirit is given richly through various channels, the more we seek it the wider will be the diffusion. Thus, earnest work being done to save souls, there will be constantly furnished us a necessity for renewed application to the Source of all power; and thus there will be established an habitual communication between the soul and God. The fountain of the water of life is constantly drawn upon by faith, and is never exhausted. {BLJ 283.3}
[BLJ 283.4]    The work is progressive—action and reaction. Love and devotion to God will give activity to benevolence, and benevolence will increase faith and spirituality. Oh, how much we need heavenly wisdom! Well, is it not promised us? “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” Oh, what an assurance is this! How full and broad! Let us take the promise just as it reads. The Lord wants us to come unto Him with full assurance of faith, believing His word, that He will do just as He said He would. {BLJ 283.4}
[BLJ 283.5]    Would that we might feel the importance of educating every individual member of the church to do something. We should individually sense the solemn obligation of Christians to bring into activity all their divinely entrusted resources and capabilities, to do to the utmost of their power the work the Lord expects them to do. . . . {BLJ 283.5}
[BLJ 283.6]    We need more faith, more sanctified ability. High and ennobling motives are before us. We have no time, no words to spend in controversy. . . . There is need of sanctified energy. The armies of heaven are on the move, and where is the human agent to cooperate with God?—Testimonies to Southern Africa, pp. 43, 44. {BLJ 283.6}
[BLJ 284.1]        Consecrated Workers Could Do Great Work in Short Time    Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and one soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. Acts 4:32, NRSV. {BLJ 284.1}
[BLJ 284.2]      The world needs missionaries, consecrated home missionaries, and no one will be registered in the books of heaven as a Christian who has not a missionary spirit. But we can do nothing without sanctified energy. Just as soon as the missionary spirit is lost from the heart, and zeal for the cause of God begins to wane, the burden of our testimonies and plans is a cry for prudence and economy, and real backsliding begins in the missionary work. {BLJ 284.2}
[BLJ 284.3]    Instead of diminishing the work, let all the councils be conducted in such a manner that increased purpose may be manifested to carry forward the great work of warning the world, though it may cost self-denial and sacrifice. If every member of the church was constantly impressed with the thought, I am not my own, but have been bought with a price, all would feel that they are under the most sacred obligation to improve every ability given of God, to double their usefulness year by year, and have no excuse for spiritual negligence. Then there would be no lack of sympathy with the Master in the great work of saving souls. {BLJ 284.3}
[BLJ 284.4]    Who are there among us that with spiritual perception can discern the stirring conflict that is going on in the world between the forces of good and evil? Do you understand the nature of the great controversy between Christ, the Prince of life, and Satan, the prince of darkness? Does the conflict appear the same to you as it appears to the heavenly intelligences? {BLJ 284.4}
[BLJ 284.5]    Oh, if all who professed to be followers of Christ were indeed living channels of light to the world, imbued by the Spirit of God, with hearts full to overflowing with the gospel message, with the very countenance beaming with devotion to God and love to others, what a work might be accomplished in a short time! The messengers of the truth would not speak with hesitation, with uncertainty, but with fearlessness and confidence. Their words and the very tones of the voice would strike conviction to the hearts of the hearers.—Review and Herald, Aug. 23, 1892. {BLJ 284.5}
[BLJ 285.1]        Workers to Reveal the Spirit of Jesus    The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12, NKJV. {BLJ 285.1}
[BLJ 285.2]      After most earnest efforts have been made to bring the truth before those whom God has entrusted with large responsibilities, be not discouraged if they reject it. Truth was rejected in the days of Christ. Be sure to maintain the dignity of the work by well-ordered plans and a godly conversation. {BLJ 285.2}
[BLJ 285.3]    Never be afraid of elevating the standard too high. The families who engage in this missionary work should come close to hearts. The spirit of Jesus should pervade the souls of the workers; for it is the pleasant, sympathetic words, the manifestation of disinterested love for souls, that will break down the barriers of pride and selfishness, and show to unbelievers that we have the love of Christ, and then the truth will find its way to their hearts. This is our work and the fulfilling of God’s plans. {BLJ 285.3}
[BLJ 285.4]    All coarseness and roughness must be purged from us. Courtesy, refinement, and Christian politeness must be cherished. Guard against being abrupt and blunt. Do not regard such peculiarities as virtues, for God does not so regard them. But seek in all things not to offend those who are not of our faith. Never make the most objectionable features of our faith stand out prominently, when there is no call for it. Such a course is only an injury to the cause. {BLJ 285.4}
[BLJ 285.5]    All should seek to have the softening, subduing influence of the Spirit of God in the heart—Christlike tenderness and love for souls. Those who are sent out to labor together should put away their peculiar notions and set ideas, and seek to labor together, heart and soul, to carry out God’s will. They must plan to work in harmony in order to work to advantage. {BLJ 285.5}
[BLJ 285.6]    We want more, much more, of the Spirit of Christ, and less, much less, of self and the peculiarities of character which build up a wall to keep us apart from our fellow beings. We can do much to break down these barriers by revealing the graces of Christ in our lives. Jesus has been trusting His goods to the church, age after age. One generation after another for century after century have been gathering up their hereditary trust until the increasing responsibilities have descended to our time. . . . We want to be clothed, not in our own garments, but in the whole armor of Christ’s righteousness.—Atlantic Canvasser, Dec. 18, 1890. {BLJ 285.6}
[BLJ 286.1]        Consecrate Self, Then Search for Perishing Souls    The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:3, NKJV. {BLJ 286.1}
[BLJ 286.2]      Do you feel the sanctifying power of sacred truth in heart and life and character? Have you the assurance that God, for the sake of His dear Son, has forgiven your sins? Are you striving to live with a conscience void of offense toward God and humanity? Do you often plead with God in behalf of your friends and neighbors? If you have made your peace with God, and have placed all upon the altar, you may engage with profit in soul-winning service. {BLJ 286.2}
[BLJ 286.3]    In following any plan that may be set in operation for carrying to others a knowledge of present truth and of the marvelous providences connected with the advancing cause, let us first consecrate ourselves fully to Him whose name we wish to exalt. Let us also pray earnestly in behalf of those whom we expect to visit, by living faith bringing them, one by one, into the presence of God. {BLJ 286.3}
[BLJ 286.4]    The Lord knows our thoughts and purposes, and how easily can He melt us! How His Spirit, like a fire, can subdue the flinty heart! How He can fill the soul with love and tenderness! How He can give us the graces of His Spirit, and fit us to go in and out, in laboring for souls! {BLJ 286.4}
[BLJ 286.5]    The power of overcoming grace should be felt throughout the church today; and it may be felt, if we take heed to the counsels of Christ to His followers. As we learn to adorn the doctrine of Christ our Savior, we shall surely see of the salvation of God. {BLJ 286.5}
[BLJ 286.6]    To all who are about to take up special missionary work . . . I would say: Be diligent in your efforts; live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Add daily to your Christian experience. Let those who have special aptitude work for unbelievers in the high places as well as in the low places of life. Search diligently for perishing souls. Oh, think of the yearning desire Christ has to bring to His fold again those who have gone astray! {BLJ 286.6}
[BLJ 286.7]    Watch for souls as they that must give an account. In your church and neighborhood missionary work, let your light shine forth in such clear, steady rays that no one can stand up in the judgment and say, “Why did you not tell me about this truth? Why did you not care for my soul?”—Church Officers’ Gazette, September 1914. {BLJ 286.7}
[BLJ 287.1]        Unselfish Service Gives Joy to Both Christ and Us    Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9, NKJV. {BLJ 287.1}
[BLJ 287.2]      In this life our work for God often seems to be almost fruitless. Our efforts to do good may be earnest and persevering, yet we may not be permitted to witness their results. To us the effort may seem to be lost. But the Savior assures us that our work is noted in heaven, and that the recompense cannot fail. . . . In the words of the psalmist we read: “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6). {BLJ 287.2}
[BLJ 287.3]    And while the great final reward is given at Christ’s coming, truehearted service for God brings a reward even in this life. Obstacles, opposition, and bitter, heartbreaking discouragements the workers will have to meet. They may not see the fruit of their toil. But in face of all this they find in their labor a blessed recompense. {BLJ 287.3}
[BLJ 287.4]    All who surrender themselves to God in unselfish service for humanity are in cooperation with the Lord of glory. This thought sweetens all toil, it braces the will, it nerves the spirit for whatever may befall. Working with unselfish heart, ennobled by being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, sharing His sympathies, they help to swell the tide of His joy, and bring honor and praise to His exalted name. {BLJ 287.4}
[BLJ 287.5]    In fellowship with God, with Christ, and with holy angels they are surrounded with a heavenly atmosphere, an atmosphere that brings health to the body, vigor to the intellect, and joy to the soul. {BLJ 287.5}
[BLJ 287.6]    All who consecrate body, soul, and spirit to God’s service will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical, mental, and spiritual power. The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in heart and mind.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pp. 305, 306. {BLJ 287.6}
[BLJ 288.1]        Every Member to Help Spread the Gospel    Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12, NKJV. {BLJ 288.1}
[BLJ 288.2]      Those who follow Jesus will be laborers together with God. They will not walk in darkness, but will find the true path where Jesus, the Light of the world, leads the way; and as they bend their steps Zionward, moving on in faith, they will attain unto a bright experience in the things of God. The mission of Christ, so dimly understood, so faintly comprehended, that called Him from the throne of God to the mystery of the altar of the cross of Calvary, will more and more unfold to the mind, and it will be seen that in the sacrifice of Christ are found the spring and principle of every other mission of love. It is the love of Christ which has been the incentive of every true missionary worker in cities, in towns, in the highways and the byways of the world. {BLJ 288.2}
[BLJ 288.3]    The church of Christ has been organized on earth for missionary purposes, and it is of the highest importance that every individual member of the church should be a sincere laborer together with God, filled with the Spirit, having the mind of Christ, perfected in sympathy with Christ, and therefore bending every energy according to his or her entrusted ability to the saving of souls. Christ requires that everyone who would be called by His name should make His work the first and highest consideration, and disinterestedly cooperate with heavenly intelligences in saving the perishing for whom Christ has died. {BLJ 288.3}
[BLJ 288.4]    To misapply means or influence or any entrusted capital of mind or body is to rob God and to rob the world; for it is turning the energies into another channel than that in which God designed they should move for the salvation of the world. When Christ was here upon earth, He sent out His disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God throughout Judea, and in this example He clearly revealed that it is the duty of His people throughout all time to impart to others the knowledge they have of the way, the life, and the truth. In all His labors Jesus sought to train His church for missionary work, and as their numbers increased, their mission would extend, until eventually the gospel message would belt the world through their ministrations.—Review and Herald, Oct. 30, 1894. {BLJ 288.4}
[BLJ 290.1]        Chapter 10—Enjoying Good Health      Everyone Should Know and Obey the Laws of Life    My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22, NKJV. {BLJ 290.1}
[BLJ 290.2]      Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power—these are the true remedies. Every person should have a knowledge of nature’s remedial agencies and how to apply them. It is essential both to understand the principles involved in the treatment of the sick and to have a practical training that will enable one rightly to use this knowledge. {BLJ 290.2}
[BLJ 290.3]    The use of natural remedies requires an amount of care and effort that many are not willing to give. Nature’s process of healing and upbuilding is gradual, and to the impatient it seems slow. The surrender of hurtful indulgences requires sacrifice. But in the end it will be found that nature, untrammeled, does its work wisely and well. Those who persevere in obedience to its laws will reap the reward in health of body and health of mind. {BLJ 290.3}
[BLJ 290.4]    Too little attention is generally given to the preservation of health. It is far better to prevent disease than to know how to treat it when contracted. It is the duty of every person, for one’s own sake, and for the sake of humanity, to inform himself or herself in regard to the laws of life and conscientiously to obey them. All need to become acquainted with that most wonderful of all organisms, the human body. They should understand the functions of the various organs and the dependence of one upon another for the healthy action of all. They should study the influence of the mind upon the body, and of the body upon the mind, and the laws by which they are governed. {BLJ 290.4}
[BLJ 290.5]    We cannot be too often reminded that health does not depend on chance. It is a result of obedience to law. This is recognized by the contestants in athletic games and trials of strength. These men and women make the most careful preparation. They submit to thorough training and strict discipline. Every physical habit is carefully regulated. They know that neglect, excess, or carelessness, which weakens or cripples any organ or function of the body, would ensure defeat. . . . {BLJ 290.5}
[BLJ 290.6]    In view of the issues at stake, nothing with which we have to do is small. Every act casts its weight into the scale that determines life’s victory or defeat. The scriptures bid us, “So run, that ye may obtain.”—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 127-129. {BLJ 290.6}
[BLJ 291.1]        Leaders to Practice and Teach Health Reform    Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals. Psalm 66:5, NRSV. {BLJ 291.1}
[BLJ 291.2]      The church is making history. Every day is a battle and a march. On every side we are beset by invisible foes, and we either conquer through the grace given us by God or we are conquered. I urge that those who are taking a neutral position in regard to health reform be converted. This light is precious, and the Lord gives me the message to urge that all who bear responsibilities in any line in the work of God take heed that truth is in the ascendancy in the heart and life. Only thus can any meet the temptations they are sure to encounter in the world. {BLJ 291.2}
[BLJ 291.3]    Why do some of our ministers manifest so little interest in health reform? It is because instruction on temperance in all things is opposed to their practice of self-indulgence. In some places this has been the great stumbling block in the way of our bringing the people to investigate and practice and teach health reform. No one should be set apart as a teacher of the people while his or her own teaching or example contradicts the testimony God has given His servants to bear in regard to diet, for this will bring confusion. Disregard of health reform unfits one to stand as the Lord’s messenger. {BLJ 291.3}
[BLJ 291.4]    The light that the Lord has given on this subject in His Word is plain, and leaders will be tested and tried in many ways to see if they will heed it. Every church, every family, needs to be instructed in regard to Christian temperance. All should know how to eat and drink in order to preserve health. We are amid the closing scenes of this world’s history; and there should be harmonious action in the ranks of Sabbathkeepers. Those who stand aloof from the great work of instructing the people upon this question do not follow where the Great Physician leads the way. “If any man will come after me,” Christ said, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). {BLJ 291.4}
[BLJ 291.5]    The Lord has presented before me that many, many will be rescued from physical, mental, and moral degeneracy through the practical influence of health reform. Health talks will be given; publications will be multiplied. The principles of health reform will be received with favor; and many will be enlightened. The influences that are associated with health reform will commend it to the judgment of all who want light; and they will advance step by step to receive the special truths for this time. Thus truth and righteousness will meet together.—Review and Herald, June 18, 1914. {BLJ 291.5}
[BLJ 292.1]        It’s Time to Give Up Health-destroying Indulgences    Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5, 6, NKJV. {BLJ 292.1}
[BLJ 292.2]      There is a message regarding health reform to be borne in every church. There is a work to be done in every school. Neither principal nor teachers should be entrusted with the education of the youth until they have a practical knowledge of this subject. Some have felt at liberty to criticize and question and find fault with health reform principles of which they knew little by experience. They should stand shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, with those who are working in right lines. {BLJ 292.2}
[BLJ 292.3]    The subject of health reform has been presented in the churches; but the light has not been heartily received. The selfish, health-destroying indulgences of men and women have counteracted the influence of the message that is to prepare a people for the great day of God. If the churches expect strength, they must live the truth which God has given them. If the members of our churches disregard the light on this subject, they will reap the sure result in both spiritual and physical degeneracy. And the influence of these older church members will leaven those newly come to the faith. {BLJ 292.3}
[BLJ 292.4]    The Lord does not now work to bring many souls into the truth, because of the church members who have never been converted and those who were once converted but who have backslidden. What influence would these unconsecrated members have on new converts? Would they not make of no effect the God-given message which His people are to bear? {BLJ 292.4}
[BLJ 292.5]    Let all examine their own practices to see if they are not indulging in that which is a positive injury to them. Let them dispense with every unhealthful gratification in eating and drinking. Some go to distant countries to seek a better climate; but wherever they may be, the stomach creates for them a malarious atmosphere. They bring upon themselves suffering that no one can alleviate. Let them bring their daily practice into harmony with nature’s laws; and by doing as well as believing, an atmosphere may be created about both soul and body that will be a savor of life unto life.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pp. 370, 371. {BLJ 292.5}
[BLJ 293.1]        Share the Light on Healthful Living    Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Isaiah 58:8, NKJV. {BLJ 293.1}
[BLJ 293.2]      Our ministers should become intelligent on health reform. They need to become acquainted with physiology and hygiene; they should understand the laws that govern physical life, and their bearing upon the health of mind and soul. {BLJ 293.2}
[BLJ 293.3]    Thousands upon thousands know little of the wonderful body God has given them or of the care it should receive; and they consider it of more importance to study subjects of far less consequence. The ministers have a work to do here. When they take a right position on this subject, much will be gained. In their own lives and homes they should obey the laws of life, practicing right principles and living healthfully. Then they will be able to speak correctly on this subject, leading the people higher and still higher in the work of reform. Living in the light themselves, they can bear a message of great value to those who are in need of just such a testimony. {BLJ 293.3}
[BLJ 293.4]    There are precious blessings and a rich experience to be gained if ministers will combine the presentation of the health question with all their labors in the churches. The people must have the light on health reform. This work has been neglected, and many are ready to die because they need the light which they ought to have and must have before they will give up selfish indulgence. {BLJ 293.4}
[BLJ 293.5]    The presidents of our conferences need to realize that it is high time they were placing themselves on the right side of this question. Ministers and teachers are to give to others the light they have received. Their work in every line is needed. God will help them; He will strengthen His servants who stand firmly, and will not be swayed from truth and righteousness in order to accommodate self-indulgence. {BLJ 293.5}
[BLJ 293.6]    The work of educating in medical missionary lines is an advance step of great importance in awakening men and women to their moral responsibilities. Had the ministers taken hold of this work in its various departments in accordance with the light which God has given, there would have been a most decided reformation in eating, drinking, and dressing. {BLJ 293.6}
[BLJ 293.7]    . . . They themselves and a large number of others have been sufferers unto death, but all have not yet learned wisdom.—Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 452, 453. {BLJ 293.7}
[BLJ 294.1]        Nutritious Diet Important for Intellectual Vigor    Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8, NKJV. {BLJ 294.1}
[BLJ 294.2]      The human intellect must gain expansion and vigor and acuteness and activity. It must be taxed to do hard work, or it will become weak and inefficient. Brainpower is required to think most earnestly; it must be put to the stretch to solve hard problems and master them, else the mind decreases in power and aptitude to think. The mind must invent, work, and wrestle, in order to give hardness and vigor to the intellect; and if the physical organs are not kept in the most healthful condition by substantial, nourishing food, the brain does not receive its portion of nutrition to work. {BLJ 294.2}
[BLJ 294.3]    Daniel understood this, and he brought himself to a plain, simple, nutritious diet, and refused the luxuries of the king’s table. The desserts which take so much time to prepare are, many of them, detrimental to health. Solid foods requiring mastication will be far better than mush or liquid foods. I dwell upon this as essential. . . . {BLJ 294.3}
[BLJ 294.4]    The intellect is to be kept thoroughly awake with new, earnest, wholehearted work. How is it to be done? The power of the Holy Spirit must purify the thoughts and cleanse the soul of its moral defilement. Defiling habits not only abase the soul, but debase the intellect. Memory suffers, laid on the altar of base, hurtful practices. . . . {BLJ 294.4}
[BLJ 294.5]    When teachers and learners shall consecrate soul, body, and spirit to God, and purify their thoughts by obedience to the laws of God, they will continually receive a new endowment of physical and mental power. Then will there be heart-yearnings after God, and earnest prayer for clear perception to discern. . . . {BLJ 294.5}
[BLJ 294.6]    Diligent study is essential, and diligent hard work. . . . A well-balanced mind is not usually obtained in the devotion of the physical powers to amusements. Physical labor that is combined with mental taxation for usefulness is a discipline in practical life, sweetened always by the reflection that it is qualifying and educating the mind and body better to perform the work God designs us to do in various lines. . . . The mind thus educated to enjoy physical taxation in practical life becomes enlarged and, through culture and training, well disciplined and richly furnished for usefulness, and acquires a knowledge essential to be a help and blessing to themselves and to others.—Fundamentals of Christian Education, pp. 226-229. {BLJ 294.6}
[BLJ 295.1]        Higher Powers to Control Physical Nature    Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. . . . But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:25-27, NKJV. {BLJ 295.1}
[BLJ 295.2]      The progress of reform depends upon a clear recognition of fundamental truth. While, on the one hand, danger lurks in a narrow philosophy and a hard, cold orthodoxy, on the other hand there is great danger in a careless liberalism. The foundation of all enduring reform is the law of God. We are to present in clear, distinct lines the need of obeying this law. Its principles must be kept before the people. They are as everlasting and inexorable as God Himself. {BLJ 295.2}
[BLJ 295.3]    One of the most deplorable effects of the original apostasy was that people lost the power of self-control. Only as this power is regained can there be real progress. {BLJ 295.3}
[BLJ 295.4]    The body is the only medium through which the mind and the soul are developed for the upbuilding of character. Hence it is that the adversary of souls directs his temptations to the enfeebling and degrading of the physical powers. His success here means the surrender to evil of the whole being. The tendencies of our physical nature, unless under the dominion of a higher power, will surely work ruin and death. {BLJ 295.4}
[BLJ 295.5]    The body is to be brought into subjection. The higher powers of the being are to rule. The passions are to be controlled by the will, which is itself to be under the control of God. The kingly power of reason, sanctified by divine grace, is to bear sway in our lives. {BLJ 295.5}
[BLJ 295.6]    The requirements of God must be brought home to the conscience. Men and women must be awakened to the duty of self-mastery, the need of purity, freedom from every depraving appetite and defiling habit. They need to be impressed with the fact that all their powers of mind and body are the gift of God, and are to be preserved in the best possible condition for His service. {BLJ 295.6}
[BLJ 295.7]    In that ancient ritual which was the gospel in symbol, no blemished offering could be brought to God’s altar. The sacrifice that was to represent Christ must be spotless. The Word of God points to this as an illustration of what His children are to be—“a living sacrifice,” “holy and without blemish.”—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 129, 130. {BLJ 295.7}
[BLJ 296.1]        Good Health Needed to Achieve Success    I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment. Ezekiel 34:16, NKJV. {BLJ 296.1}
[BLJ 296.2]      Since the mind and the soul find expression through the body, both mental and spiritual vigor are in great degree dependent upon physical strength and activity; whatever promotes physical health promotes the development of a strong mind and a well-balanced character. Without health no one can as distinctly understand or as completely fulfill his or her obligations to oneself, to other persons, or to the Creator. Therefore the health should be as faithfully guarded as the character. A knowledge of physiology and hygiene should be the basis of all educational effort. {BLJ 296.2}
[BLJ 296.3]    Though the facts of physiology are now so generally understood, there is an alarming indifference in regard to the principles of health. Even of those who have a knowledge of these principles, there are few who put them in practice. Inclination or impulse is followed as blindly as if life were controlled by mere chance rather than by definite and unvarying laws. {BLJ 296.3}
[BLJ 296.4]    The youth, in the freshness and vigor of life, little realize the value of their abounding energy. A treasure more precious than gold, more essential to advancement than learning or rank or riches—how lightly it is held! how rashly squandered! How many men and women, sacrificing health in the struggle for riches or power, have almost reached the object of their desire, only to fall helpless, while others, possessing superior physical endurance, grasped the longed-for prize! Through morbid conditions, the result of neglecting the laws of health, how many have been led into evil practices, to the sacrifice of every hope for this world and the next! {BLJ 296.4}
[BLJ 296.5]    In the study of physiology, pupils should be led to see the value of physical energy and how it can be so preserved and developed as to contribute in the highest degree to success in life’s great struggle. {BLJ 296.5}
[BLJ 296.6]    Children should be early taught, in simple, easy lessons, the rudiments of physiology and hygiene. . . . They should understand the importance of guarding against disease by preserving the vigor of every organ and should also be taught how to deal with common diseases and accidents. Every school should give instruction in both physiology and hygiene, and, so far as possible, should be provided with facilities for illustrating the structure, use, and care of the body.—Education, pp. 195, 196. {BLJ 296.6}
[BLJ 297.1]        Aim for Holiness, Not Merely Health    I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1, NRSV. {BLJ 297.1}
[BLJ 297.2]      Should those connected with this enterprise ［the Health Institute at Battle Creek］ cease to look at their work from a high religious standpoint, and descend from the exalted principles of present truth to imitate in theory and practice those at the head of institutions where the sick are treated only for the recovery of health, the special blessing of God would not rest upon our institution more than upon those where corrupt theories are taught and practiced. {BLJ 297.2}
[BLJ 297.3]    I saw that a very extensive work could not be accomplished in a short time, as it would not be an easy matter to find physicians whom God could approve and who would work together harmoniously, disinterestedly, and zealously for the good of suffering humanity. It should ever be kept prominent that the great object to be attained through this channel is not only health, but perfection, and the spirit of holiness, which cannot be attained with diseased bodies and minds. This object cannot be secured by working merely from the worldling’s standpoint. God will raise up men and women and qualify them to engage in the work, not only as physicians of the body, but of the sin-sick soul, as spiritual parents to the young and inexperienced. . . . {BLJ 297.3}
[BLJ 297.4]    The view that those who have abused both their physical and mental powers, or who have broken down in either mind or body, must suspend activity in order to regain health is a great error. In a very few cases entire rest for a short period may be necessary, but these instances are very rare. In most cases the change would be too great. {BLJ 297.4}
[BLJ 297.5]    Those who have broken down by intense mental labor should have rest from wearing thought, yet to teach them that it is wrong and even dangerous for them to exercise their mental powers to a degree leads them to view their condition as worse than it really is. . . . {BLJ 297.5}
[BLJ 297.6]    Those who have broken down by physical exertion must have less labor, and that which is light and pleasant. But to shut them away from all labor and exercise would in many cases prove their ruin. . . . Inactivity is the greatest curse that could come upon such. Their powers become so dormant that it is impossible for them to resist disease and languor, as they must do in order to regain health.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 554-556. {BLJ 297.6}
[BLJ 298.1]        Health Reform and Third Angel’s Message Closely Allied    Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:25, 26, NKJV. {BLJ 298.1}
[BLJ 298.2]      The Lord had in His providence given light in regard to the establishment of sanitariums where the sick should be treated upon hygienic principles. The people must be taught to depend on the Lord’s remedies, pure air, pure water, simple, healthful foods. {BLJ 298.2}
[BLJ 298.3]    Every effort made for the physical and moral health of the people should be based on moral principles. The advocates of reform who are laboring with the glory of God in view will plant their feet firmly upon the principles of hygiene; they will adopt a correct practice. The people need true knowledge. By their wrong habits of life, men and women of this generation are bringing upon themselves untold suffering. {BLJ 298.3}
[BLJ 298.4]    Physicians have a work to do to bring about reform by educating the people, that they may understand the laws which govern their physical life. They should know how to eat properly, to work intelligently, to dress healthfully, and should be taught to bring all their habits into harmony with the laws of life and health, and to discard drugs. There is a great work to be done. If the principles of health reform are carried out, the work will indeed be as closely allied to that of the third angel’s message as the hand is to the body. {BLJ 298.4}
[BLJ 298.5]    Why is there so much dissension? Why so much independent action, so much selfish ambition in this great missionary field? God is dishonored. There should be concentrated, united action. This is as necessary in the physician’s work as in any other branch of the work of preparation for the great day of God. . . . {BLJ 298.5}
[BLJ 298.6]    Teach the people how to prevent disease. Tell them to cease rebelling against nature’s laws, and by removing every obstruction give it a chance to put forth its very best efforts to set things right. Nature must have a fair chance to employ its healing agencies. We must make earnest efforts to reach a higher platform in regard to the methods of treating the sick. If the light which God has given prevails, if truth overcomes error, advanced steps will be taken in health reform. This must be.—Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, pp. 177, 178. {BLJ 298.6}
[BLJ 299.1]        Advent Message to Sanctify Body and Soul    Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2, NKJV. {BLJ 299.1}
[BLJ 299.2]      God’s purpose for His children is that they shall grow up to the full stature of men and women in Christ. In order to do this they must use aright every power of mind, soul, and body. They cannot afford to waste any mental or physical strength. {BLJ 299.2}
[BLJ 299.3]    The question of how to preserve the health is one of primary importance. When we study this question in the fear of God, we shall learn that it is best, for both our physical health and our spiritual advancement, to observe simplicity in diet. Let us patiently study this question. We need knowledge and judgment in order to move wisely in this matter. Nature’s laws are not to be resisted, but obeyed. {BLJ 299.3}
[BLJ 299.4]    Those who have received instruction regarding the evils of the use of flesh meats, tea and coffee, and rich and unhealthful food preparations, and who are determined to make a covenant with God by sacrifice, will not continue to indulge their appetite for food that they know to be unhealthful. God demands that the appetite be cleansed, and that self-denial be practiced in regard to those things which are not good. This is a work that will have to be done before His people can stand before Him a perfected people. {BLJ 299.4}
[BLJ 299.5]    The remnant people of God must be a converted people. The presentation of this message is to result in the conversion and sanctification of souls. We are to feel the power of the Spirit of God in this movement. This is a wonderful, definite message; it means everything to the receiver, and it is to be proclaimed with a loud cry. We must have a true, abiding faith that this message will go forth with increasing importance till the close of time. . . . {BLJ 299.5}
[BLJ 299.6]    A solemn responsibility rests upon those who know the truth, that all their works shall correspond with their faith, and that their lives shall be refined and sanctified, and they be prepared for the work that must rapidly be done in these closing days of the message. They have no time or strength to spend in the indulgence of appetite. The words should come to us now with impelling earnestness, “Repent . . . , and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”—Review and Herald, Feb. 24, 1910. {BLJ 299.6}
[BLJ 300.1]        Conditions for Good Health Must Be Observed    If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you. Exodus 15:26, NKJV. {BLJ 300.1}
[BLJ 300.2]      Christ had been the guide and teacher of ancient Israel, and He taught them that health is the reward of obedience to the laws of God. The Great Physician who healed the sick in Palestine had spoken to His people from the pillar of cloud, telling them what they must do, and what God would do for them. ［Exodus 15:26 quoted.］ Christ gave to Israel definite instruction in regard to their habits of life, and He assured them, “The Lord will take away from thee all sickness” (Deuteronomy 7:15). When they fulfilled the conditions, the promise was verified to them. “There was not one feeble person among their tribes” (Psalm 105:37). {BLJ 300.2}
[BLJ 300.3]    These lessons are for us. There are conditions to be observed by all who would preserve health. All should learn what these conditions are. The Lord is not pleased with ignorance in regard to His laws, either natural or spiritual. We are to be workers together with God for the restoration of health to the body as well as to the soul. {BLJ 300.3}
[BLJ 300.4]    And we should teach others how to preserve and to recover health. For the sick we should use the remedies which God has provided in nature, and we should point them to Him who alone can restore. It is our work to present the sick and suffering to Christ in the arms of our faith. We should teach them to believe in the Great Healer. We should lay hold on His promise, and pray for the manifestation of His power. The very essence of the gospel is restoration, and the Savior would have us bid the sick, the hopeless, and the afflicted take hold upon His strength. {BLJ 300.4}
[BLJ 300.5]    The power of love was in all Christ’s healing, and only by partaking of that love, through faith, can we be instruments for His work. If we neglect to link ourselves in divine connection with Christ, the current of life-giving energy cannot flow in rich streams from us to the people. . . . {BLJ 300.5}
[BLJ 300.6]    To take His yoke is one of the first conditions of receiving His power. The very life of the church depends upon its faithfulness in fulfilling the Lord’s commission. To neglect this work is surely to invite spiritual feebleness and decay. Where there is no active labor for others, love wanes, and faith grows dim.—The Desire of Ages, pp. 824, 825. {BLJ 300.6}
[BLJ 301.1]        Self-development Essential to Accomplish Most Good    Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Luke 9:24, 25, NRSV. {BLJ 301.1}
[BLJ 301.2]      Only one lease of life is granted us; and the inquiry with everyone should be “How can I invest my powers so that they may yield the greatest profit? How can I do most for the glory of God and the benefit of my fellow beings?” For life is valuable only as it is used for the attainment of these ends. {BLJ 301.2}
[BLJ 301.3]    Our first duty toward God and our fellow humans is that of self-development. Every faculty with which the Creator has endowed us should be cultivated to the highest degree of perfection, that we may be able to do the greatest amount of good of which we are capable. Hence that time is spent to good account which is used in the establishment and preservation of physical and mental health. We cannot afford to dwarf or cripple any function of body or mind. As surely as we do this, we must suffer the consequences. {BLJ 301.3}
[BLJ 301.4]    Every person has the opportunity, to a great extent, of making himself or herself whatever he or she chooses to be. The blessings of this life, and also of the immortal state, are within their reach. They may build up a character of solid worth, gaining new strength at every step. They may advance daily in knowledge and wisdom, conscious of new delights as they progress, adding virtue to virtue, grace to grace. . . . Their intelligence, knowledge, and virtue will thus develop into greater strength and more perfect symmetry. {BLJ 301.4}
[BLJ 301.5]    On the other hand, they may allow their powers to rust out for want of use, or to be perverted through evil habits, lack of self-control, or moral and religious stamina. Their course then tends downward; they are disobedient to the law of God and to the laws of health. Appetite conquers them; inclination carries them away. It is easier for them to allow the powers of evil, which are always active, to drag them backward, than to struggle against them and go forward. Dissipation, disease, and death follow. This is the history of many lives that might have been useful in the cause of God and humanity.—Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, pp. 41, 42. {BLJ 301.5}
[BLJ 302.1]        Temperate Habits and Physical Exercise Produce Vigor    Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1, NKJV. {BLJ 302.1}
[BLJ 302.2]      Many have suffered from severe mental taxation, unrelieved by physical exercise. The result is a deterioration of their powers, and they are inclined to shun responsibilities. What they need is more active labor. This condition is not confined to those whose heads are white with the frost of time; those young in years have fallen into the same state, and have become mentally feeble. {BLJ 302.2}
[BLJ 302.3]    Strictly temperate habits, combined with exercise of the muscles as well as of the mind, will preserve both mental and physical vigor, and give power of endurance to those engaged in the ministry, to editors, and to all others whose habits are sedentary. {BLJ 302.3}
[BLJ 302.4]    Ministers, teachers, and students do not become as intelligent as they should in regard to the necessity of physical exercise in the open air. They neglect this duty, a duty which is most essential to the preservation of health. They closely apply their minds to study, and yet eat the allowance of a laboring man. Under such habits, some grow corpulent, because the system is clogged. Others become thin and feeble, because their vital powers are exhausted in throwing off the excess of food. . . . If physical exercise were combined with mental exertion, the circulation of the blood would be quickened, the action of the heart would be more perfect, impure matter would be thrown off, and new life and vigor would be felt in every part of the body. . . . {BLJ 302.4}
[BLJ 302.5]    It is a sacred work in which we are engaged. . . . It is a duty that we owe to God to keep the spirit pure, as a temple for the Holy Ghost. If the heart and mind are devoted to the service of God, obeying all His commandments, loving Him with all the heart, might, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, we shall be found loyal and true to the requirements of Heaven. {BLJ 302.5}
[BLJ 302.6]    We are now in God’s workshop. Many of us are rough stones from the quarry. But as the truth of God is brought to bear upon us, every imperfection is removed, and we are prepared to shine as lively stones in the heavenly temple, where we shall be brought into association not only with the holy angels but with the King of heaven Himself. {BLJ 302.6}
[BLJ 302.7]    The consciousness of right doing is the best medicine for diseased bodies and minds. The special blessing of God resting upon the receiver is health and strength. A person whose mind is quiet and satisfied in God is in the pathway to health.—Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, pp. 160-162. {BLJ 302.7}
[BLJ 303.1]        Follow the Example Set by the Four Hebrews    “Then let our countenances be examined before you, and the countenances of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” . . . And at the end of ten days their countenance appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. Daniel 1:13-15, NKJV. {BLJ 303.1}
[BLJ 303.2]      “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.” {BLJ 303.2}
[BLJ 303.3]    This record contains much of importance on the subject of health reform. In the experience of the four Hebrew children a lesson is given regarding the need of abstaining from all spirituous liquors, and from indulgence of perverted appetite. The position taken by these Hebrew youth was vindicated, and at the end of ten days they were found fairer in flesh and better in knowledge than all the rest whom the king was proving. {BLJ 303.3}
[BLJ 303.4]    In this our day, the Lord would be pleased to have those who are preparing for the future, immortal life follow the example of Daniel and his companions in seeking to maintain strength of body and clearness of mind. The more careful we learn to be in treating our bodies, the more readily shall we be able to escape the evils that are in the world through lust. . . . {BLJ 303.4}
[BLJ 303.5]    Let us ask, What is the object of true higher education? Is it not that we may stand in right relation to God? The test of all education should be Is it fitting us to keep our minds fixed upon the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? . . . {BLJ 303.5}
[BLJ 303.6]    We are to learn how to equalize the labor done by brain, bone, and muscle. If you put to task the faculties of the mind, loading them with heavy burdens, while you leave the muscles unexercised, this course will tell its story just as surely as the wise course of the Hebrew youth told its story. Parents should follow a consistent course in the education of their children. Our youth should be taught from their very childhood how to exercise the body and the mind proportionately.—General Conference Bulletin, May 30, 1909. {BLJ 303.6}
[BLJ 304.1]        Control the Appetite Through Christ’s Power    Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19, NKJV. {BLJ 304.1}
[BLJ 304.2]      The power of Christ alone can work the transformation in heart and mind that all must experience who would partake with Him of the new life in the kingdom of God. . . . In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will lead to watchfulness. It will purify the heart and renew the mind, and give us a new capacity for knowing and loving God. It will give us willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship. {BLJ 304.2}
[BLJ 304.3]    God requires continual advancement from His people. They need to learn that indulged appetite is the greatest hindrance to mental improvement and soul sanctification. With all our profession of health reform, many of us eat improperly. Indulgence of appetite is the greatest cause of physical and mental debility, and lies largely at the foundation of feebleness and premature death. Let the individual who is seeking to possess purity of spirit bear in mind that in Christ there is power to control the appetite. . . . {BLJ 304.3}
[BLJ 304.4]    Flesh foods are injurious to the physical well-being, and we should learn to do without them. Those who are in a position where it is possible to secure a vegetarian diet, but who choose to follow their own preferences in this matter, eating and drinking as they please, will gradually grow careless of the instruction the Lord has given regarding other phases of the present truth, and will lose their perception of what is truth; they will surely reap as they have sown. . . . {BLJ 304.4}
[BLJ 304.5]    I appeal to old and young and to middle-aged: Deny your appetite of those things that are doing you injury. Serve the Lord by sacrifice. Let the children have an intelligent part in this work. We are all members of the Lord’s family, and the Lord would have His children, young and old, determine to deny appetite, and to save the means needed for the building of meetinghouses and the support of missionaries. {BLJ 304.5}
[BLJ 304.6]    I am instructed to say to parents: Place yourselves, soul and spirit, on the Lord’s side of this question. We need ever to bear in mind that in these days of probation we are on trial before the Lord of the universe. Will you not give up indulgences that are doing you injury? Words of profession are cheap; let your acts of self-denial testify that you will be obedient to the demands that God makes on His peculiar people.—Review and Herald, Feb. 24, 1910. {BLJ 304.6}
[BLJ 305.1]        Christians to Be Strictly Temperate, Governed by Principle    Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31, NKJV. {BLJ 305.1}
[BLJ 305.2]      The apostle Paul writes: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air; but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). {BLJ 305.2}
[BLJ 305.3]    There are many in the world who indulge pernicious habits. Appetite is the law that governs them; and because of their wrong habits, the moral sense is clouded and the power to discern sacred things is to a great extent destroyed. But it is necessary for Christians to be strictly temperate. They should place their standard high. Temperance in eating, drinking, and dressing is essential. Principle should rule instead of appetite or fancy. Those who eat too much, or whose food is of an objectionable quality, are easily led into dissipation, and into other “foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition” (1 Timothy 6:9). The “labourers together with God” should use every jot of their influence to encourage the spread of true temperance principles. {BLJ 305.3}
[BLJ 305.4]    It means much to be true to God. He has claims upon all who are engaged in His service. He desires that mind and body be preserved in the best condition of health, every power and endowment under the divine control, and as vigorous as careful, strictly temperate habits can make them. We are under obligation to God to make an unreserved consecration of ourselves to Him, body and soul, with all the faculties appreciated as His entrusted gifts, to be employed in His service. {BLJ 305.4}
[BLJ 305.5]    All our energies and capabilities are to be constantly strengthened and improved during this probationary period. Only those who appreciate these principles, and have been trained to care for their bodies intelligently and in the fear of God, should be chosen to take responsibilities in this work. . . . Every church needs a clear, sharp testimony, giving the trumpet a certain sound.—Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 156, 157. {BLJ 305.5}
[BLJ 306.1]        Food to Be Wholesome and Palatable    Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Isaiah 55:2, NKJV. {BLJ 306.1}
[BLJ 306.2]      Some of our people, while conscientiously abstaining from eating improper foods, neglect to supply themselves with the elements necessary for the sustenance of the body. Those who take an extreme view of health reform are in danger of preparing tasteless dishes, making them so insipid that they are not satisfying. Food should be prepared in such a way that it will be appetizing as well as nourishing. It should not be robbed of that which the system needs. I use some salt, and always have, because salt, instead of being deleterious, is actually essential for the blood. Vegetables should be made palatable with a little milk or cream, or something equivalent. {BLJ 306.2}
[BLJ 306.3]    While warnings have been given regarding the dangers of disease through butter, and the evil of the free use of eggs by small children, yet we should not consider it a violation of principle to use eggs from hens which are well cared for and suitably fed. Eggs contain properties which are remedial agencies in counteracting certain poisons. {BLJ 306.3}
[BLJ 306.4]    Some, in abstaining from milk, eggs, and butter, have failed to supply the system with proper nourishment, and as a consequence have become weak and unable to work. Thus health reform is brought into disrepute. The work that we have tried to build up solidly is confused with strange things that God has not required, and the energies of the church are crippled. But God will interfere to prevent the results of these too strenuous ideas. The gospel is to harmonize the sinful race. It is to bring the rich and poor together at the feet of Jesus. {BLJ 306.4}
[BLJ 306.5]    The time will come when we may have to discard some of the articles of diet we now use, such as milk and cream and eggs; but it is not necessary to bring upon ourselves perplexity by premature and extreme restrictions. Wait until the circumstances demand it, and the Lord prepares the way for it. . . . {BLJ 306.5}
[BLJ 306.6]    Let us never bear a testimony against health reform by failing to use wholesome, palatable food in place of the harmful articles of diet that we have discarded. Do not in any way encourage an appetite for stimulants. Eat only plain, simple, wholesome food, and thank God constantly for the principles of health reform. In all things be true and upright, and you will gain precious victories.—Review and Herald, March 3, 1910. {BLJ 306.6}
[BLJ 307.1]        Control of Appetite to Begin in Childhood    The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7, NKJV. {BLJ 307.1}
[BLJ 307.2]      Not only has disease been transmitted from generation to generation, but parents bequeath to their children their own wrong habits, their perverted appetites, and corrupt passions. Men and women are slow to learn wisdom from the history of the past. The strange absence of principle that characterizes the present generation, the disregard of the laws of life and health, is astonishing. Although a knowledge of these things can be readily obtained, a deplorable ignorance prevails. {BLJ 307.2}
[BLJ 307.3]    With the majority, the principal anxiety is “What shall I eat? what shall I drink? and wherewithal shall I be clothed?” Notwithstanding all that has been said and written upon the importance of health and the means to preserve it, appetite is the great law which governs men and women generally. {BLJ 307.3}
[BLJ 307.4]    What can be done to stay the tide of disease and crime that is sweeping our race down to ruin and to death? As the great cause of the evil is to be found in the indulgence of appetite and passion, so the first and great work of reform must be to learn and practice the lessons of temperance and self-control. {BLJ 307.4}
[BLJ 307.5]    To effect a permanent change for the better in society, the education of the masses must begin in early life. The habits formed in childhood and youth, the tastes acquired, the self-control gained, the principles inculcated from the cradle, are almost certain to determine the future of the man or woman. The crime and corruption occasioned by intemperance and lax morals might be prevented by the proper training of the youth. {BLJ 307.5}
[BLJ 307.6]    One of the greatest aids in perfecting pure and noble characters in the young, strengthening them to control appetite and refrain from debasing excesses, is sound physical health. And, on the other hand, these very habits of self-control are essential to the maintenance of health. . . . {BLJ 307.6}
[BLJ 307.7]    Especially is youth the time to lay up a stock of knowledge to be put in daily practice through life. Youth is the time to establish good habits, to correct wrong ones already contracted, to gain and to hold the power of self-control, and to lay the plan and accustom one’s self to the practice of ordering all the acts of life with reference to the will of God and the welfare of our fellow creatures.—Review and Herald, Dec. 13, 1881. {BLJ 307.7}
[BLJ 308.1]        Stimulants Eventually Produce Evil Results  No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13, NRSV. {BLJ 308.1}
[BLJ 308.2]      As a people, with all our profession of health reform, we eat too much. Indulgence of appetite is the greatest cause of physical and mental debility, and lies at the foundation of the feebleness which is apparent everywhere. {BLJ 308.2}
[BLJ 308.3]    Intemperance commences at our tables in the use of unhealthful food. After a time, through continued indulgence, the digestive organs become weakened, and the food taken does not satisfy the appetite. Unhealthy conditions are established, and there is a craving for more stimulating food. Tea, coffee, and flesh meats produce an immediate effect. Under the influence of these poisons the nervous system is excited, and, in some cases, for the time being, the intellect seems to be invigorated and the imagination to be more vivid. Because these stimulants produce for the time being such agreeable results, many conclude that they really need them and continue their use. {BLJ 308.3}
[BLJ 308.4]    But there is always a reaction. The nervous system, having been unduly excited, borrowed power for present use from its future resources of strength. All this temporary invigoration of the system is followed by depression. In proportion as these stimulants temporarily invigorate the system will be the letting down of the power of the excited organs after the stimulus has lost its force. The appetite is educated to crave something stronger which will have a tendency to keep up and increase the agreeable excitement, until indulgence becomes habit, and there is a continual craving for stronger stimulus, as tobacco, wines, and liquors. . . . {BLJ 308.4}
[BLJ 308.5]    The great end for which Christ endured that long fast in the wilderness was to teach us the necessity of self-denial and temperance. This work should commence at our tables and should be strictly carried out in all the concerns of life. The Redeemer of the world came from heaven to help us in our weakness, that, in the power which Jesus came to bring us, we might become strong to overcome appetite and passion, and might be victor on every point.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, pp. 487, 488. {BLJ 308.5}
[BLJ 309.1]        Through Jesus Comes Health and Relief From Perplexities    Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Exodus 15:23, 24, NKJV. {BLJ 309.1}
[BLJ 309.2]      The Lord had a lesson to teach the children of Israel. The waters of Marah were an object lesson, representing the diseases brought upon human beings because of sin. It is no mystery that the inhabitants of the earth are suffering from disease of every stripe and type. It is because they transgress the law of God. {BLJ 309.2}
[BLJ 309.3]    Thus did the children of Israel. They broke down the barriers which God in His providence had erected to preserve them from disease, that they might live in health and holiness, and so learn obedience in their journeyings through the wilderness. They journeyed under the special direction of Christ, who had given Himself as a sacrifice to preserve a people who would ever keep God in their remembrance, notwithstanding Satan’s masterly temptations. Enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, it was Christ’s desire to keep under His sheltering wing of preservation all who would do His will. {BLJ 309.3}
[BLJ 309.4]    It was not by chance that in their journey the children of Israel came to Marah. Before they left Egypt the Lord began His lessons of instruction, that He might lead them to realize that He was their God, their Deliverer, their Protector. They murmured against Moses and against God, but still the Lord sought to show them that He would relieve all their perplexities if they would look to Him. The evils they met and passed through were part of God’s great plan, whereby He desired to prove them. {BLJ 309.4}
[BLJ 309.5]    When they came to the waters of Marah, “the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them.” . . . Though invisible to human eyes, God was the leader of the Israelites, their mighty Healer. He it was who put into the tree the properties which sweetened the waters. Thus He desired to show them that by His power He could cure the evils of the human heart. {BLJ 309.5}
[BLJ 309.6]    Christ is the great Physician, not only of the body, but of the soul. He restores us to our God. God permitted His only begotten Son to be bruised, that healing properties might flow forth from Him to cure all our diseases.—Manuscript Releases, vol. 15, pp. 29-31. {BLJ 309.6}
[BLJ 310.1]        Obey Nature’s Laws to Enjoy Health    Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12, NKJV. {BLJ 310.1}
[BLJ 310.2]      There is not one in a thousand, married or unmarried, who realizes the importance of purity of habits, in preserving cleanliness of the body and purity of thought. Sickness and disease is the sure consequence of disobedience to nature’s laws, and neglect of the laws of life and health. It is the house in which we live that we need to preserve, that it may do honor to God, who has redeemed us. We need to know how to preserve the living machinery, that our soul, body, and spirit may be consecrated to His service. {BLJ 310.2}
[BLJ 310.3]    As rational beings we are deplorably ignorant of the body and its requirements. While the schools we have established have taken up the study of physiology, they have not taken hold of the matter with that decided energy which they should. They have not practiced intelligently that which they have received in knowledge. And they do not realize that unless it is practiced, the body will decay. {BLJ 310.3}
[BLJ 310.4]    Notwithstanding all the light shining forth from the Scriptures on this subject; notwithstanding the lessons given in the history of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; notwithstanding the result of plain healthful diet, there is little regard for the lessons penned by those inspired of God. The dietetic habits of the people generally are neglected; there is an increase of tobacco using, liquor drinking, and subsisting on flesh meats. . . . {BLJ 310.4}
[BLJ 310.5]    You are the Lord’s property—His by creation and His by redemption. “Thou shalt love . . . thy neighbour as thyself.” The law of self-respect, for the property of the Lord is here brought to view. And this will lead to respect for the obligations which every human being is under to preserve the living machinery that is so fearfully and wonderfully made. This living machinery is to be understood. Every part of its wonderful mechanism is to be carefully studied. Self-preservation is to be practiced. . . . {BLJ 310.5}
[BLJ 310.6]    The transgression of the physical law is the transgression of God’s law. Our Creator is Jesus Christ. He is the Author of our being. He has created the human structure. He is the Author of physical laws as He is the Author of the moral law. And human beings who are careless and reckless of the habits and practices that concern their physical life and health sin against God.—The Kress Collection, pp. 45, 46. {BLJ 310.6}
[BLJ 311.1]        Follow Divine Counsel to Preserve Health    So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.” Exodus 18:17, 18, NKJV. {BLJ 311.1}
[BLJ 311.2]      When we do all we can on our part to have health, then may we expect that the blessed results will follow, and we can ask God in faith to bless our efforts for the preservation of health. He will then answer our prayer, if His name can be glorified thereby. But let all understand that they have a work to do. God will not work in a miraculous manner to preserve the health of persons who are taking a sure course to make themselves sick.—Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 26. {BLJ 311.2}
[BLJ 311.3]    A careful conformity to the laws God has implanted in our being will ensure health, and there will not be a breaking down of the constitution.—Ibid., p. 20. {BLJ 311.3}
[BLJ 311.4]    Many have inquired of me, What course shall I take best to preserve my health? My answer is Cease to transgress the laws of your being; cease to gratify a depraved appetite, eat simple food, dress healthfully, which will require modest simplicity, work healthfully, and you will not be sick. . . . Many are suffering in consequence of the transgression of their parents. They cannot be censured for their parents’ sin; but it is nevertheless their duty to ascertain wherein their parents violated the laws of their being . . . ; and wherein their parents’ habits were wrong, they should change their own course, and place themselves, by correct habits, in a better relation to health.—Health Reformer, August 1866. {BLJ 311.4}
[BLJ 311.5]    The harmonious, healthy action of all the powers of body and mind results in happiness; the more elevated and refined the powers, the more pure and unalloyed the happiness. An aimless life is a living death. The mind should dwell upon themes relating to our eternal interests. This will be conducive to health of body and mind.—Review and Herald, July 29, 1884. {BLJ 311.5}
[BLJ 311.6]    God has pledged Himself to keep this living machinery in healthful action if the human agent will obey His laws and cooperate with God.—Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 17. {BLJ 311.6}
[BLJ 311.7]    The Lord has given His people a message in regard to health reform. This light has been shining upon their pathway for ［many］ years; and the Lord cannot sustain His servants in a course which will counteract it. . . .The light which God has given upon health reform cannot be trifled with without injury to those who attempt it; and no human being can hope to succeed in the work of God while, by precept and example, they act in opposition to the light which God has sent.—Ibid., p. 38. {BLJ 311.7}
[BLJ 312.1]        Effect Follows Cause, Producing Health or Disease    Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Matthew 12:33, NKJV. {BLJ 312.1}
[BLJ 312.2]      Adam and Eve in Eden were noble in stature, and perfect in symmetry and beauty. They were sinless, and in perfect health. What a contrast to the human race now! Beauty is gone. Perfect health is not known. Everywhere we look we see disease, deformity, and imbecility. . . . {BLJ 312.2}
[BLJ 312.3]    Since the fall, intemperance in almost every form has existed. The appetite has controlled reason. The human family have followed in a course of disobedience and, like Eve, have been beguiled by Satan to disregard the prohibitions God has made, flattering themselves that the consequence would not be as fearful as had been apprehended. The human family have violated the laws of health, and have run to excess in almost everything. Disease has been steadily increasing. The cause has been followed by the effect. {BLJ 312.3}
[BLJ 312.4]    God gave our first parents the food He designed that the race should eat. It was contrary to His plan to have the life of any creature taken. There was to be no death in Eden. The fruit of the trees in the garden was the food their wants required. God gave no one permission to eat animal food until after the Flood. . . . {BLJ 312.4}
[BLJ 312.5]    Many marvel that the human race has so degenerated, physically, mentally, and morally. They do not understand that it is the violation of God’s constitution and laws and the violation of the laws of health that have produced this sad degeneracy. The transgression of God’s commandments has caused His prospering hand to be removed. Intemperance in eating and in drinking, and the indulgence of base passions, have benumbed the fine sensibilities, so that sacred things have been placed upon a level with common things. . . . {BLJ 312.5}
[BLJ 312.6]    Many have expected that God would keep them from sickness merely because they have asked Him to do so. But God did not regard their prayers, because their faith was not made perfect by works. God will not work a miracle to keep those from sickness who have no care for themselves, but are continually violating the laws of health, and make no effort to prevent disease. . . . God will not work in a miraculous manner to pre-serve the health of persons who are taking a sure course to make themselves sick, by their careless inattention to the laws of health.—Review and Herald, Apr. 2, 1914. {BLJ 312.6}
[BLJ 313.1]        To Have a Clear Mind, Follow Temperance Principles    Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23, NKJV. {BLJ 313.1}
[BLJ 313.2]      The apostle thus entreats, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” . . . {BLJ 313.2}
[BLJ 313.3]    When we pursue a course of eating and drinking that lessens physical and mental vigor, or become the prey of habits that tend to the same results, we dishonor God, for we rob Him of the service He claims from us. Those who acquire and indulge the unnatural appetite for tobacco do this at the expense of health. They are destroying nervous energy, lessening vital force and sacrificing mental strength. {BLJ 313.3}
[BLJ 313.4]    Those who profess to be the followers of Christ yet have this terrible sin at their door cannot have a high appreciation of the atonement and an elevated estimate of eternal things. Minds that are clouded and partially paralyzed by narcotics are easily overcome by temptation, and cannot enjoy communion with God. {BLJ 313.4}
[BLJ 313.5]    Those who use tobacco can make but a poor plea to the liquor inebriate. Two thirds of the drunkards in our land created an appetite for liquor by the use of tobacco. Those who claim that tobacco does not injure them can be convinced of their mistake by depriving themselves of it for a few days; the trembling nerves, the giddy head, the irritability they feel, will prove to them that this sinful indulgence has bound them in slavery. It has overcome willpower. They are in bondage to a vice that is fearful in its results. . . . {BLJ 313.5}
[BLJ 313.6]    God requires that His people should be temperate in all things. The example of Christ, during that long fast in the wilderness, should teach His followers to repulse Satan when he comes under the guise of appetite. Then may they have influence to reform those who have been led astray by indulgence, and have lost moral power to overcome the weakness and sin that has taken possession of them. Thus may Christians secure health and happiness, in a pure, well-ordered life and a mind clear and untainted before God.—Signs of the Times, Jan. 6, 1876. {BLJ 313.6}
[BLJ 314.1]        Physical Work Helps to Develop Mind and Character    They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, and My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. Isaiah 65:21, 22, NKJV. {BLJ 314.1}
[BLJ 314.2]      Now, as in the days of Israel, every youth should be instructed in the duties of practical life. Each should acquire a knowledge of some branch of manual labor by which, if need be, to obtain a livelihood. This is essential, not only as a safeguard against the vicissitudes of life, but from its bearing upon physical, mental, and moral development. Even if it were certain that one would never need to resort to manual labor for support, still they should be taught to work. Without physical exercise no one can have a sound constitution and vigorous health; and the discipline of well-regulated labor is no less essential to the securing of a strong, active mind and a noble character. {BLJ 314.2}
[BLJ 314.3]    Students who have gained book knowledge without gaining a knowledge of practical work cannot lay claim to a symmetrical education. The energies that should have been devoted to business of various lines have been neglected. Education does not consist in using the brain alone. Physical employment is a part of the training essential for every youth. An important phase of education is lacking if the student is not taught how to engage in useful labor. {BLJ 314.3}
[BLJ 314.4]    The healthful exercise of the whole being will give an education that is broad and comprehensive. Every student should devote a portion of each day to active labor. Thus habits of industry will be formed and a spirit of self-reliance encouraged, while the youth will be shielded from many evil and degrading practices that are so often the result of idleness. And this is all in keeping with the primary object of education; for in encouraging activity, diligence, and purity, we are coming into harmony with the Creator. . . . {BLJ 314.4}
[BLJ 314.5]    The discipline for practical life that is gained by physical labor combined with mental taxation is sweetened by the reflection that it is qualifying mind and body better to perform the work that God designs human beings to do. The more perfectly the youth understand how to perform the duties of practical life, the greater will be their enjoyment day by day in being of use to others. The mind educated to enjoy useful labor becomes enlarged; through training and discipline it is fitted for usefulness; for it has acquired the knowledge essential to make its possessor a blessing to others.—Messages to Young People, pp. 177-179 {BLJ 314.5}
[BLJ 315.1]        Temperance in All Things Is Essential    According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20, NKJV. {BLJ 315.1}
[BLJ 315.2]      There are many now under the shadow of death who have prepared to do a work for the Master, but who have not felt that a sacred obligation rested upon them to observe the laws of health. The laws of the physical system are indeed the laws of God; but this fact seems to have been forgotten. {BLJ 315.2}
[BLJ 315.3]    Some have limited themselves to a diet that cannot sustain them in health. They have not provided nourishing food to take the place of injurious articles; and they have not considered that tact and ingenuity must be exercised in preparing food in the most healthful manner. The system must be properly nourished in order to perform its work. . . . {BLJ 315.3}
[BLJ 315.4]    There are many in the world who indulge pernicious habits. Appetite is the law that governs them; and because of their wrong habits, the moral sense is clouded, and the power to discern sacred things is to a great extent destroyed. But it is necessary for Christians to be strictly temperate. They should place their standard high. Temperance in eating, drinking, and dressing is essential. Principle should rule instead of appetite or fancy. . . . {BLJ 315.4}
[BLJ 315.5]    It means much to be true to God. He has claims upon all who are engaged in His service. He desires that mind and body be preserved in the best condition of health, every power and endowment under the divine control, and as vigorous as careful, strictly temperate habits can make them. We are under obligation to God to make an unreserved consecration of ourselves to Him, body and soul, with all the faculties appreciated as His entrusted gifts, to be employed in His service. All our energies and capabilities are to be constantly strengthened and improved during this probationary period. . . . {BLJ 315.5}
[BLJ 315.6]    If we can arouse the moral sensibilities of our people on the subject of temperance, a great victory will be gained. Temperance in all things of this life is to be taught and practiced. Temperance in eating, drinking, sleeping, and dressing is one of the grand principles of the religious life. Truth brought into the sanctuary of the soul will guide in the treatment of the body. Nothing that concerns the health of the human agent is to be regarded with indifference. Our eternal welfare depends upon the use we make during this life of our time, strength, and influence.—Review and Herald, June 11, 1914. {BLJ 315.6}
[BLJ 316.1]        Our Thinking Is Affected by Our Eating    Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. Jeremiah 33:6, NKJV. {BLJ 316.1}
[BLJ 316.2]      The principles of healthful living mean a great deal to us individually and as a people. When the message of health reform first came to me, I was weak and feeble, subject to frequent fainting spells. I was pleading with God for help, and He opened before me the great subject of health reform. He instructed me that those who are keeping His commandments must be brought into sacred relation to Himself, and that by temperance in eating and drinking they must keep mind and body in the most favorable condition for service. . . . {BLJ 316.2}
[BLJ 316.3]    We do not mark out any precise line to be followed in diet; but we do say that in countries where there are fruits, grains, and nuts in abundance, flesh meat is not the right food for God’s people. I have been instructed that flesh meat has a tendency to animalize the nature, to rob men and women of that love and sympathy which they should feel for everyone, and to give the lower passions control over the higher powers of the being. If meat eating was ever healthful, it is not safe now. Cancers, tumors, and pulmonary diseases are largely caused by meat eating. {BLJ 316.3}
[BLJ 316.4]    We are not to make the use of flesh meat a test of fellowship, but we should consider the influence that professed believers who use flesh meats have over others. As God’s messengers, shall we not say to the people, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”? {BLJ 316.4}
[BLJ 316.5]    Shall we not bear a decided testimony against the indulgence of perverted appetite? Will any who are ministers of the gospel, proclaiming the most solemn truth ever given to mortals, set an example in returning to the fleshpots of Egypt? Will those who are supported by the tithe from God’s storehouse permit themselves by self-indulgence to poison the life-giving current flowing through their veins? Will they disregard the light and warnings that God has given them? {BLJ 316.5}
[BLJ 316.6]    The health of the body is to be regarded as essential to growth in grace and the acquirement of an even temper. If the stomach is not properly cared for, the formation of an upright moral character will be hindered. The brain and nerves are in sympathy with the stomach. Erroneous eating and drinking result in erroneous thinking and acting.—Review and Herald, March 3, 1910. {BLJ 316.6}
[BLJ 317.1]        Prepare Wholesome Diet Without Flesh Meats    Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people? Jeremiah 8:22, NKJV. {BLJ 317.1}
[BLJ 317.2]      All are now being tested and proved. We have been baptized into Christ, and if we will act our part by separating from everything that would drag us down and make us what we ought not to be, strength to grow into Christ, who is our living head, will be given us, and we shall see the salvation of God. {BLJ 317.2}
[BLJ 317.3]    Only when we are intelligent in regard to the principles of healthful living can we be fully aroused to see the evils resulting from improper diet. Those who, after seeing their mistakes, have courage to change their habits will find that the reformatory process requires a struggle and much perseverance; but when correct tastes are once formed, they will realize that the use of the food which they formerly regarded as harmless was slowly but surely laying the foundation for dyspepsia and other diseases. {BLJ 317.3}
[BLJ 317.4]    Fathers and mothers, watch unto prayer. Guard strictly against intemperance in every form. Teach your children the principles of true health reform. Teach them what things to avoid in order to preserve health. Already the wrath of God has begun to be visited on the children of disobedience. What crimes, what sins, what iniquitous practices, are now being revealed on every hand! As a people we are to exercise great care in guarding our children against depraved associates. {BLJ 317.4}
[BLJ 317.5]    Greater efforts should be put forth to educate the people in the principles of health reform. Cooking schools should be established, and house-to-house instruction should be given in the art of cooking wholesome food. Old and young should learn how to cook more simply. Wherever the truth is presented, the people are to be taught how to prepare food in a simple yet appetizing way. They are to be shown that a nourishing diet can be provided without the use of flesh meats. . . . {BLJ 317.5}
[BLJ 317.6]    Much tact and discretion should be employed in preparing nourishing food to take the place of that which has formerly constituted the diet of those who are learning to be health reformers. Faith in God, earnestness of purpose, and a willingness to help one another will be required. A diet lacking in the proper elements of nutrition brings reproach upon the cause of health reform. We are mortal, and must supply ourselves with food that will give proper nourishment to the body.—Review and Herald, March 3, 1910. {BLJ 317.6}
[BLJ 318.1]        Both Physical and Mental Faculties to Be Cultivated    Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJV. {BLJ 318.1}
[BLJ 318.2]      Health is a great treasure. It is the richest possession mortals can have. Wealth, honor, or learning is dearly purchased, if it be at the loss of the vigor of health. None of these attainments can secure happiness if health is wanting. It is a terrible sin to abuse the health that God has given us. Every abuse of health enfeebles us for life and makes us losers, even if we gain any amount of education. . . . {BLJ 318.2}
[BLJ 318.3]    Poverty, in many cases, is a blessing; for it prevents youth and children from being ruined by inaction. The physical as well as the mental powers should be cultivated and properly developed. The first and constant care of parents should be that their children may have firm constitutions, that they may be sound men and women. It is impossible to attain this object without physical exercise. {BLJ 318.3}
[BLJ 318.4]    For their own physical health and moral good, children should be taught to work, even if there is no necessity as far as want is concerned. If they would have pure and virtuous characters they must have the discipline of well-regulated labor, which will bring into exercise all the muscles. The satisfaction that children will have in being useful, and in denying themselves to help others, will be the most healthful pleasure they ever enjoyed. . . . {BLJ 318.4}
[BLJ 318.5]    Physical labor will not prevent the cultivation of the intellect. Far from it. The advantages gained by physical labor will balance a person and prevent the mind from being overworked. The toil will come upon the muscles and relieve the wearied brain. . . . {BLJ 318.5}
[BLJ 318.6]    It does not require a frail, helpless, overdressed, simpering thing to make a lady. A sound body is required for a sound intellect. Physical soundness and a practical knowledge of all the necessary household duties will never be hindrances to a well-developed intellect; both are highly important for a lady. {BLJ 318.6}
[BLJ 318.7]    All the powers of the mind should be called into use and developed in order for men and women to have well-balanced minds. The world is full of one-sided men and women who have become such because one set of their faculties is cultivated while others were dwarfed from inaction. . . . {BLJ 318.7}
[BLJ 318.8]    The human mind will have action. If it is not active in the right direction, it will be active in the wrong. And in order to preserve the balance of the mind, labor and study should be united in the schools.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, pp. 150-153. {BLJ 318.8}
[BLJ 319.1]        Pure, Fresh Air Promotes Health of Mind and Body    Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. Proverbs 3:7, 8, NKJV. {BLJ 319.1}
[BLJ 319.2]      A contented mind, a cheerful spirit, is health to the body and strength to the soul. Nothing is so fruitful a cause of disease as depression, gloominess, and sadness. Mental depression is terrible. . . . {BLJ 319.2}
[BLJ 319.3]    Air, air, the precious boon of heaven which all may have, will bless you with its invigorating influence if you will not refuse it entrance. Welcome it, cultivate a love for it, and it will prove a precious soother of the nerves. Air must be in constant circulation to be kept pure. The influence of pure, fresh air is to cause the blood to circulate healthfully through the system. It refreshes the body and tends to render it strong and healthy, while at the same time its influence is decidedly felt upon the mind, imparting a degree of composure and serenity. It excites the appetite, and renders the digestion of food more perfect, and induces sound and sweet sleep. {BLJ 319.3}
[BLJ 319.4]    The effects produced by living in close, ill-ventilated rooms are these: The system becomes weak and unhealthy, the circulation is depressed, the blood moves sluggishly through the system because it is not purified and vitalized by the pure, invigorating air of heaven. . . . {BLJ 319.4}
[BLJ 319.5]    Do you believe that the end of all things is at hand, that the scenes of this earth’s history are fast closing? If so, show your faith by your works. . . . {BLJ 319.5}
[BLJ 319.6]    “Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” Few have that genuine faith which works by love and purifies the soul. But all who are accounted worthy of everlasting life must obtain a moral fitness for the same. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” This is the work before you, and you have none too much time if you engage in the work with all your soul.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 702-705. {BLJ 319.6}
[BLJ 320.1]        Love for God Is Essential for Perfect Health    For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:20, NKJV. {BLJ 320.1}
[BLJ 320.2]      Our bodies belong to God. He paid the price of redemption for the body as well as for the soul. . . . The Creator watches over the human machinery, keeping it in motion. Were it not for His constant care, the pulse would not beat, the action of the heart would cease, the brain would no longer act its part. {BLJ 320.2}
[BLJ 320.3]    The brain is the organ and instrument of the mind, and controls the whole body. In order for the other parts of the system to be healthy, the brain must be healthy. And in order for the brain to be healthy, the blood must be pure. If by correct habits of eating and drinking the blood is kept pure, the brain will be properly nourished. {BLJ 320.3}
[BLJ 320.4]    It is the lack of harmonious action in the human organism that brings disease. The imagination may control the other parts of the body to their injury. All parts of the system must work harmoniously. The different parts of the body, especially those remote from the heart, should receive a free circulation of blood. The limbs act an important part, and should receive proper attention. {BLJ 320.4}
[BLJ 320.5]    God is the great caretaker of the human machinery. In the care of our bodies we must cooperate with Him. Love for God is essential for life and health. . . . In order to have perfect health our hearts must be filled with love and hope and joy. . . . {BLJ 320.5}
[BLJ 320.6]    Those who put their whole souls into the medical missionary work, who labor untiringly in peril, in privation, in watchings oft, in weariness and painfulness, are in danger of forgetting that they must be faithful guardians of their own mental and physical powers. They are not to allow themselves to be overtaxed. But they are filled with zeal and earnestness, and they sometimes move unadvisedly, putting themselves under too heavy a strain. Unless such workers make a change, the result will be that sickness will come upon them and they will break down. . . . {BLJ 320.6}
[BLJ 320.7]    We have a calling as much higher than common, selfish interests as the heavens are higher than the earth. But this thought should not lead the willing, hardworking servants of God to carry all the burdens they can possibly bear, without periods of rest.—Medical Ministry, pp. 291-293. {BLJ 320.7}
[BLJ 322.1]        Chapter 11—Worshiping at Home      Though We Fall, We Can Conquer    Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Psalm 90:14, NKJV. {BLJ 322.1}
[BLJ 322.2]      If God’s people would recognize His dealings with them and accept His teachings, they would find a straight path for their feet and a light to guide them through darkness and discouragement. David learned wisdom from God’s dealings with him and bowed in humility beneath the chastisement of the Most High. The faithful portrayal of his true state by the prophet Nathan made David acquainted with his own sins and aided him to put them away. He accepted counsel meekly and humiliated himself before God. “The law of the Lord,” he exclaims, “is perfect, converting the soul.” {BLJ 322.2}
[BLJ 322.3]    Repentant sinners have no cause to despair because they are reminded of their transgressions and warned of their danger. These very efforts in their behalf show how much God loves them and desires to save them. They have only to follow His counsel and do His will to inherit eternal life. God sets the sins of His erring people before them, that they may behold them in all their enormity under the light of divine truth. It is then their duty to renounce them forever. {BLJ 322.3}
[BLJ 322.4]    God is as powerful to save from sin today as He was in the times of the patriarchs, of David, and of the prophets and apostles. The multitude of cases recorded in sacred history where God has delivered His people from their own iniquities should make the Christian of this time eager to receive divine instruction and zealous to perfect a character that will bear the close inspection of the judgment. {BLJ 322.4}
[BLJ 322.5]    Bible history stays the fainting heart with the hope of God’s mercy. We need not despair when we see that others have struggled through discouragements like our own, have fallen into temptations even as we have done, and yet have recovered their ground and been blessed of God. The words of inspiration comfort and cheer the erring soul. {BLJ 322.5}
[BLJ 322.6]    Although the patriarchs and apostles were subject to human frailties, yet through faith they obtained a good report, fought their battles in the strength of the Lord, and conquered gloriously. Thus may we trust in the virtue of the atoning sacrifice and be overcomers in the name of Jesus. Humanity is humanity the world over from the time of Adam down to the present generation, and the love of God through all ages is without a parallel.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, pp. 14, 15. {BLJ 322.6}
[BLJ 323.1]        Move Forward in Faith and Unity    Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Philippians 2:1, 2, NKJV. {BLJ 323.1}
[BLJ 323.2]      I well remember how, when we were living in the Carroll House ［in Takoma Park, Maryland］, near the water tower, the young men working on the school land would meet together in a large room in this house at half-past five every morning for family worship. As we worshiped God together, we knew that the Holy Spirit was among us. {BLJ 323.2}
[BLJ 323.3]    We sought the Lord with the whole heart, and He came very near to us. We presented the promise “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Is not this assurance strong enough? We took this promise with us into the place of prayer, asking the Lord to lead and direct in the work to be done here. . . . {BLJ 323.3}
[BLJ 323.4]    If there are any of you who have weak faith, remember that it is because you do not work on the affirmative side. It is of no use for us to think that we can carry forward the glorious work of God without strong, unfaltering faith. The world is fast becoming as it was in the days of Noah. Satan is working with intensity of effort, knowing that he has but a short time. Wickedness prevails to an appalling extent. God’s people are but a handful, compared with the ungodly, and we can gain success only as we cooperate with the heavenly angels, who will go before all who press forward to do that which God has said should be done. . . . {BLJ 323.4}
[BLJ 323.5]    When I think of all that God has done for us, I say, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.” As the work is opened up in the various places, may we ever remember that we are to draw in even cords. Those who have educated themselves to stand on the negative side should without delay repent and be converted. . . . Remember that when you stand on the negative side, accusing and condemning, you make room for the agencies of the power of darkness. Precious time has to be spent in waging war against these agencies, because there were those who refused to stand on the affirmative side. . . . {BLJ 323.5}
[BLJ 323.6]    “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory.” Satan is behind all strife and vainglory. Let us get out of his company, and stand with those who say, “Victory is for us, and we will cling to the arm of infinite power.”—Review and Herald, June 15, 1905. {BLJ 323.6}
[BLJ 324.1]        Make Family Worship Interesting    Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts which are toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Psalm 40:5, NKJV. {BLJ 324.1}
[BLJ 324.2]      Your children should be educated to be kind, thoughtful of others, gentle, easy to be entreated, and, above everything else, to respect religious things and feel the importance of the claims of God. They should be taught to respect the hour of prayer; they should be required to rise in the morning so as to be present at family worship.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 424. {BLJ 324.2}
[BLJ 324.3]    The father, who is the priest of his household, should conduct the morning and evening worship. There is no reason why this should not be the most interesting and enjoyable exercise of the home life, and God is dishonored when it is made dry and irksome. Let the seasons of family worship be short and spirited. Do not let your children or any member of your family dread them because of their tediousness or lack of interest. When a long chapter is read and explained and a long prayer offered, this precious service becomes wearisome, and it is a relief when it is over. {BLJ 324.3}
[BLJ 324.4]    It should be the special object of the heads of the family to make the hour of worship intensely interesting. By a little thought and careful preparation for this season, when we come into the presence of God, family worship can be made pleasant and will be fraught with results that eternity alone will reveal. . . . {BLJ 324.4}
[BLJ 324.5]    Select a portion of Scripture that is interesting and easily understood; a few verses will be sufficient to furnish a lesson which may be studied and practiced through the day. . . . At least a few verses of spirited song may be sung, and the prayer offered should be short and pointed. The one who leads in prayer should not pray about everything, but should express the needs in simple words and praise God with thanksgiving.—Signs of the Times, Aug. 7, 1884. {BLJ 324.5}
[BLJ 324.6]    In arousing and strengthening a love for Bible study, much depends on the use of the hour of worship. The hours of morning and evening worship should be the sweetest and most helpful of the day. Let it be understood that into these hours no troubled, unkind thoughts are to intrude; that parents and children assemble to meet with Jesus and to invite into the home the presence of holy angels. {BLJ 324.6}
[BLJ 324.7]    Let the services be brief and full of life, adapted to the occasion, and varied from time to time. Let all join in the Bible reading and learn and often repeat God’s law. It will add to the interest of the children if they are sometimes permitted to select the reading.—Education, p. 186. {BLJ 324.7}
[BLJ 325.1]        Daily Family Worship Yields Precious Results    Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. Deuteronomy 7:12, NKJV. {BLJ 325.1}
[BLJ 325.2]      For some reason many parents dislike to give their children religious instruction, and they leave them to pick up in Sabbath school the knowledge which it is their privilege and duty to impart. Such parents fail to fulfill the responsibility laid upon them, to give their children an all-around education. God commands His people to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. . . . {BLJ 325.2}
[BLJ 325.3]    Parents, let the instruction you give your children be simple, and be sure that it is clearly understood. The lessons that you learn from the Word you are to present to their young minds so plainly that they cannot fail to understand. By simple lessons drawn from the Word of God and their own experience, you may teach them how to conform their lives to the highest standard. Even in childhood and youth they may learn to live thoughtful, earnest lives that will yield a rich harvest of good. {BLJ 325.3}
[BLJ 325.4]    In every Christian home God should be honored by the morning and evening sacrifices of prayer and praise. Children should be taught to respect and reverence the hour of prayer. It is the duty of Christian parents, morning and evening, by earnest prayer and persevering faith, to make a hedge about their children. {BLJ 325.4}
[BLJ 325.5]    In the church at home the children are to learn to pray and to trust in God. Teach them to repeat God’s law. Concerning the commandments the Israelites were instructed: “Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). {BLJ 325.5}
[BLJ 325.6]    Come in humility, with a heart full of tenderness, and with a sense of the temptations and dangers before yourselves and your children; by faith bind them to the altar, entreating for them the care of the Lord. Train the children to offer their simple words of prayer. Tell them that God delights to have them call upon Him. {BLJ 325.6}
[BLJ 325.7]    Will the Lord of heaven pass by such homes and leave no blessing there? Nay, verily. Ministering angels will guard the children who are thus dedicated to God. They hear the offering of praise and the prayer of faith, and they bear the petitions to Him who ministers in the sanctuary for His people, and offers His merits in their behalf.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, pp. 109, 110. {BLJ 325.7}
[BLJ 326.1]        Worship Faithfully Every Morning and Evening    Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24, NKJV. {BLJ 326.1}
[BLJ 326.2]      Let the members of every family bear in mind that they are closely allied to heaven. The Lord has a special interest in the families of His children here below. Angels offer the smoke of the fragrant incense for the praying saints. Then in every family let prayer ascend to heaven both in the morning and at the cool sunset hour, in our behalf presenting before God the Savior’s merits. Morning and evening the heavenly universe take notice of every praying household.—Child Guidance, p. 519. {BLJ 326.2}
[BLJ 326.3]    Before leaving the house for labor, all the family should be called together; and the father, or the mother in the father’s absence, should plead fervently with God to keep them through the day. Come in humility, with a heart full of tenderness, and with a sense of the temptations and dangers before yourselves and your children; by faith bind them upon the altar, entreating for them the care of the Lord. Ministering angels will guard children who are thus dedicated to God.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 397, 398. {BLJ 326.3}
[BLJ 326.4]    In every family there should be a fixed time for morning and evening worship. How appropriate it is for parents to gather their children about them before the fast is broken, to thank the heavenly Father for His protection during the night, and to ask Him for His help and guidance and watch care during the day! How fitting, also, when evening comes, for parents and children to gather once more before Him and thank Him for the blessings of the day that is past!—Ibid., vol. 7, p. 43. {BLJ 326.4}
[BLJ 326.5]    Family worship should not be governed by circumstances. You are not to pray occasionally and, when you have a large day’s work to do, neglect it. In thus doing you lead your children to look upon prayer as of no special consequence. Prayer means very much to the children of God, and thank offerings should come up before God morning and evening.—Child Guidance, p. 520. {BLJ 326.5}
[BLJ 326.6]    In our efforts for the comfort and happiness of guests, let us not overlook our obligations to God. The hour of prayer should not be neglected for any consideration. Do not talk and amuse yourselves till all are too weary to enjoy the season of devotion. To do this is to present to God a lame offering. At an early hour of the evening, when we can pray unhurriedly and understandingly, we should present our supplications and raise our voices in happy, grateful praise.—Messages to Young People, p. 342. {BLJ 326.6}
[BLJ 327.1]        Parents to Begin Reformation in the Home    Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalm 143:8, NKJV. {BLJ 327.1}
[BLJ 327.2]      When ［God］ gave Jesus to our world, He included all heaven in that one gift. He did not leave us to retain our defects and deformities of character, or to serve Him as best we could in the corruption of our sinful nature. He has made provision that we may be complete in His Son, not having our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ. In Christ the whole storehouse of knowledge and of grace is at our command; for in Him dwells “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” {BLJ 327.2}
[BLJ 327.3]    Christ has given His life for us; we are His property. “Know ye not,” He says, “that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” God’s children are to show their love for Him by meeting His requirements, by giving themselves to Him. Then only can He use them in His service, that others, through them, may discern the truth and rejoice in it. {BLJ 327.3}
[BLJ 327.4]    But the people of God are asleep to their present and eternal good. The Lord says to them, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” He desires them to go to work in unity, in faith, and love. He desires that the work of reformation shall begin in the home, with the fathers and mothers, and then the church will realize the Holy Spirit’s working. The influence of this work will go through the church like leaven. Fathers and mothers need converting. They have not educated themselves to mold and fashion the characters of their children aright. {BLJ 327.4}
[BLJ 327.5]    As God’s ministers, dear parents, you must use the precious remnant of time in doing the work He has left for you. He desires that by wise methods in your home you shall train your children for Him. Learn of Jesus; be doers of His Word. . . . {BLJ 327.5}
[BLJ 327.6]    Children need to have religion made attractive, not repulsive. The hour of family worship should be made the happiest hour of the day. Let the reading of the Scriptures be well chosen and simple; let the children join in singing; and let the prayers be short, and right to the point. . . .Consider . . . that you are in the service of God, that you have access to One who is a present help in every time of need.—Review and Herald, March 18, 1902. {BLJ 327.6}
[BLJ 328.1]        Time for Worship to Be Set Apart as Sacred    I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. John 6:51, NKJV. {BLJ 328.1}
[BLJ 328.2]      The incense, ascending with the prayers of Israel, represents the merits and intercession of Christ, His perfect righteousness, which through faith is imputed to His people, and which can alone make the worship of sinful beings acceptable to God. Before the veil of the most holy place was an altar of perpetual intercession, before the holy, an altar of continual atonement. By blood and by incense God was to be approached—symbols pointing to the great Mediator, through whom sinners may approach Jehovah, and through whom alone mercy and salvation can be granted to the repentant, believing soul. {BLJ 328.2}
[BLJ 328.3]    As the priests morning and evening entered the holy place at the time of incense, the daily sacrifice was ready to be offered upon the altar in the court without. This was a time of intense interest to the worshipers who assembled at the tabernacle. Before entering into the presence of God through the ministration of the priest, they were to engage in earnest searching of heart and confession of sin. They united in silent prayer, with their faces toward the holy place. Thus their petitions ascended with the cloud of incense, while faith laid hold upon the merits of the promised Savior prefigured by the atoning sacrifice. {BLJ 328.3}
[BLJ 328.4]    The hours appointed for the morning and the evening sacrifice were regarded as sacred, and they came to be observed as the set time for worship throughout the Jewish nation. And when in later times the Jews were scattered as captives in distant lands, they still at the appointed hour turned their faces toward Jerusalem and offered up their petitions to the God of Israel. In this custom Christians have an example for morning and evening prayer. While God condemns a mere round of ceremonies without the spirit of worship, He looks with great pleasure upon those who love Him, bowing morning and evening to seek pardon for sins committed and to present their requests for needed blessings.—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 353, 354. {BLJ 328.4}
[BLJ 329.1]        God’s People Will Be Refined by Time of Trouble    O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. Isaiah 33:2, NKJV. {BLJ 329.1}
[BLJ 329.2]      Jacob’s history is also an assurance that ［in the final time of trouble］ God will not cast off those who have been deceived and tempted and betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. While Satan seeks to destroy this class, God will send His angels to comfort and protect them in the time of peril. {BLJ 329.2}
[BLJ 329.3]    The assaults of Satan are fierce and determined, his delusions are terrible; but the Lord’s eye is upon His people, and His ear listens to their cries. Their affliction is great, the flames of the furnace seem about to consume them; but the Refiner will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire. God’s love for His children during the period of their severest trial is as strong and tender as in the days of their sunniest prosperity; but it is needful for them to be placed in the furnace of fire; their earthliness must be consumed, that the image of Christ may be perfectly reflected. {BLJ 329.3}
[BLJ 329.4]    The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger—a faith that will not faint though severely tried. The period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time. Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined. His victory is an evidence of the power of importunate prayer. All who will lay hold of God’s promises, as he did, and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded. Those who are unwilling to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for His blessing, will not obtain it. {BLJ 329.4}
[BLJ 329.5]    Wrestling with God—how few know what it is! How few have ever had their souls drawn out after God with intensity of desire until every power is on the stretch. When waves of despair which no language can express sweep over the suppliant, how few cling with unyielding faith to the promises of God. {BLJ 329.5}
[BLJ 329.6]    Those who exercise but little faith now are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience. And even if they endure the test they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in the time of trouble, because they have never made it a habit to trust in God. The lessons of faith which they have neglected they will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement.—The Great Controversy, pp. 621, 622. {BLJ 329.6}
[BLJ 330.1]        Consecrate Your Family to God, and Look to Calvary    Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth. Hosea 6:3, NKJV. {BLJ 330.1}
[BLJ 330.2]      You should never separate Christ from your life and family, and close the doors against Him by un-Christlike words and actions. There are those who profess the truth who neglect family prayer. But how can you venture to go to your labor without committing the care of your souls to your heavenly Father? You should show that you trust in Him. You should consecrate your families to God before you leave your homes. {BLJ 330.2}
[BLJ 330.3]    Every prayer that you offer up to God in faith will surely be respected and answered by your heavenly Father. When Abraham was told to go out into a place which he knew not, wherever he pitched his tent he built an altar, and offered up his prayer morning and evening; and the Lord said of Abraham, “I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.” {BLJ 330.3}
[BLJ 330.4]    This is the very work that should be done in every family, but it is strangely neglected. We want to live as in the sight of God in this world. It is of the greatest importance that we constantly make preparation here for the future, immortal life. We may have that life that measures with the life of God; if we are faithful, we shall have an immortal inheritance, an eternal substance; we shall see the King in His beauty; we shall behold the matchless charms of our blessed Savior. {BLJ 330.4}
[BLJ 330.5]    We should feel the importance of educating and training our children, that they shall seek and appreciate eternal life. Their will must be brought into subjection to the will of God, and they must seek constantly to repress everything that is evil in their natures. If fathers and mothers want their children to be Christlike in disposition, they must set them the example. Your every act should be one to fit yourself and your children for heaven, and you will have special help in the matter. {BLJ 330.5}
[BLJ 330.6]    The Savior desires your joy to be full; therefore He tells you to abide in Him and He will abide in you. Open the door of your heart, and let in Jesus and the bright rays of His righteousness. He loves us with a love that is inexpressible, and if at any time you begin to fear that you will be lost, that Jesus does not love you, look to Calvary.—Review and Herald, Aug. 5, 1890. {BLJ 330.6}
[BLJ 331.1]        The Way Opens When We Advance by Faith    Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23, NKJV. {BLJ 331.1}
[BLJ 331.2]      All the inhabitants of heaven unite in praising God. Let us learn the song of the angels now, that we may sing it when we join their shining ranks. Let us say with the psalmist, “While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being” (Psalm 146:2). “Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee” (Psalm 67:5). {BLJ 331.2}
[BLJ 331.3]    God in His providence brought the Hebrews into the mountain fastnesses before the sea, that He might manifest His power in their deliverance and signally humble the pride of their oppressors. He might have saved them in any other way, but He chose this method in order to test their faith and strengthen their trust in Him. The people were weary and terrified, yet if they had held back when Moses bade them advance, God would never have opened the path for them. {BLJ 331.3}
[BLJ 331.4]    It was “by faith” that “they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land” (Hebrews 11:29). In marching down to the very water, they showed that they believed the word of God as spoken by Moses. They did all that was in their power to do, and then the Mighty One of Israel divided the sea to make a path for their feet. {BLJ 331.4}
[BLJ 331.5]    The great lesson here taught is for all time. Often the Christian life is beset by dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before and bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, “Go forward.” We should obey this command, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness, and we feel the cold waves about our feet. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. {BLJ 331.5}
[BLJ 331.6]    Those who defer obedience till every shadow of uncertainty disappears and there remains no risk of failure or defeat will never obey at all. Unbelief whispers, “Let us wait till the obstructions are removed, and we can see our way clearly”; but faith courageously urges an advance, hoping all things, believing all things.—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 289, 290. {BLJ 331.6}
[BLJ 332.1]        Angels in Heaven Worship With Us    And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth . . . I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Revelation 5:13, NKJV. {BLJ 332.1}
[BLJ 332.2]      The church of God upon the earth is one with the church of God above. Believers on the earth, and those who have never fallen in heaven, are one church. Every heavenly intelligence is interested in the assemblies of the saints, who on earth meet to worship God in spirit and in truth, and in the beauty of holiness. In the inner court of heaven, they listen to the testimonies of the witnesses for Christ in the outer court on earth. And the praise and thanksgiving that come from the church below are taken up in the heavenly anthem, and praise and rejoicing resound through the heavenly courts because Christ has not died in vain for the fallen sons and daughters of Adam. {BLJ 332.2}
[BLJ 332.3]    While angels drink from the fountainhead, the saints on earth drink from the pure streams flowing from the throne of God, making glad the City of God. Oh, that we could all realize the nearness of heaven to earth! When the earthborn children know it not, they have the angels of light as their companions; for the heavenly messengers are sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. {BLJ 332.3}
[BLJ 332.4]    A silent witness guards every soul that lives, seeking to win and draw it to Christ. The angels never leave the tempted ones a prey to the enemy who would destroy the souls of men and women if permitted to do so. As long as there is hope, until they resist the Holy Spirit to their eternal ruin, they are guarded by heavenly intelligences. {BLJ 332.4}
[BLJ 332.5]    Let us all bear in mind that in every assembly of the saints below are the angels of God, listening to the thanksgiving, the praise, the supplication that is offered by the people of God in testimonies, songs, and prayers. Let them remember that their praises are supplemented by the choir of the angelic host above.—General Conference Bulletin, Feb. 15, 1895. {BLJ 332.5}
[BLJ 332.6]    The image of Christ engraved upon the heart is reflected in character, in practical life, day by day, because we represent a personal Savior. The Holy Spirit is promised to all who will ask for it. When you search the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit is by your side, personating Jesus Christ. {BLJ 332.6}
[BLJ 332.7]    If we will open the door to Jesus, He will come in and abide with us. Our strength will always be reinforced by His actual representative, the Holy Spirit.—Ibid. {BLJ 332.7}
[BLJ 333.1]        Christ’s Blood and Righteousness Purify Our Worship    Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. Hebrews 8:1, NKJV. {BLJ 333.1}
[BLJ 333.2]      Christ Jesus is represented as continually standing at the altar, momentarily offering up the sacrifice for the sins of the world. He is a minister of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. The typical shadows of the Jewish tabernacle no longer possess any virtue. A daily and yearly typical atonement is no longer to be made, but the atoning sacrifice through a mediator is essential because of the constant commission of sin. Jesus is officiating in the presence of God, offering up His shed blood, as it had been a lamb slain. Jesus presents the oblation offered for every offense and every shortcoming of the sinner. {BLJ 333.2}
[BLJ 333.3]    Christ, our Mediator, and the Holy Spirit are constantly interceding in humanity’s behalf, but the Spirit pleads not for us as does Christ who presents His blood, shed from the foundation of the world; the Spirit works upon our hearts, drawing out prayers and penitence, praise and thanksgiving. The gratitude which flows from our lips is the result of the Spirit striking the chords of the soul in holy memories, awakening the music of the heart. {BLJ 333.3}
[BLJ 333.4]    The religious services, the prayers, the praise, the penitent confession of sin ascend from true believers as incense to the heavenly sanctuary; but passing through the corrupt channels of humanity, they are so defiled that unless purified by blood, they can never be of value with God. They ascend not in spotless purity, and unless the Intercessor who is at God’s right hand presents and purifies all by His righteousness, it is not acceptable to God. {BLJ 333.4}
[BLJ 333.5]    All incense from earthly tabernacles must be moist with the cleansing drops of the blood of Christ. He holds before the Father the censer of His own merits, in which there is no taint of earthly corruption. He gathers into this censer the prayers, the praise, and the confessions of His people, and with these He puts His own spotless righteousness. Then, perfumed with the merits of Christ’s propitiation, the incense comes up before God wholly and entirely acceptable. Then gracious answers are returned. {BLJ 333.5}
[BLJ 333.6]    Oh, that all may see that everything in obedience, in penitence, in praise and thanksgiving, must be placed upon the glowing fire of the righteousness of Christ. The fragrance of this righteousness ascends like a cloud around the mercy seat.—The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments, vol. 6, pp. 1077, 1078. {BLJ 333.6}
[BLJ 334.1]        Talk of Jesus, and Reflect the Joy of Being a Christian    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, . . . who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4, NKJV. {BLJ 334.1}
[BLJ 334.2]      If our people do not enjoy much ministerial labor, it is all the more important that they place themselves in a right relation to God, so that they can receive of His blessing themselves, and become channels of light to others. Much more is included in the term “missionary work” than is commonly supposed. Every true follower of Christ is a missionary, and there is almost an endless variety of ways in which to work. {BLJ 334.2}
[BLJ 334.3]    But there is one thing which is frequently overlooked and neglected. It is the work of making the prayer and social meetings as interesting as they should be. If all would do their duty with fidelity, they would be so filled with peace, faith, and courage, and would have such an experience to relate when they came to the meetings, that others would be refreshed by their clear, strong testimony for God. {BLJ 334.3}
[BLJ 334.4]    Our prayer and social meetings are not what they should be—seasons of special help and encouragement to one another. Each one has a duty to do to make these gatherings as interesting and profitable as possible. This can best be done by having a fresh experience daily in the things of God, and by not hesitating to speak of His love in the assemblies of His saints. {BLJ 334.4}
[BLJ 334.5]    If you do not allow darkness and unbelief to enter your hearts, they will not be manifest in your meetings. Do not gratify the enemy by dwelling upon the dark side of your experience, but trust Jesus more fully for help to resist temptation. If we thought and talked more of Jesus and less of ourselves, we should have much more of His presence in our meetings. {BLJ 334.5}
[BLJ 334.6]    When we make our Christian experience appear to unbelievers, or to one another, as one that is joyless, filled with trial, doubt, and perplexity, we dishonor God; we do not correctly represent Jesus or the Christian faith. We have a friend in Jesus, who has given us the most marked evidence of His love, and who is able and willing to give life and salvation to all who come unto Him. . . . {BLJ 334.6}
[BLJ 334.7]    It is not necessary for us to be ever stumbling and repenting and mourning and writing bitter things against ourselves. It is our privilege to believe the promises of the Word of God, and accept the blessings that Jesus loves to bestow, that our joy may be full.—Review and Herald, July 20, 1886. {BLJ 334.7}
[BLJ 335.1]        Jesus in the Heart Makes the Life Fragrant    My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up. Psalm 5:3, NKJV. {BLJ 335.1}
[BLJ 335.2]      Christian reader, let the great purpose that constrained Paul to press forward in the face of hardship and difficulty lead you to consecrate yourself wholly to God’s service. Whatever your hands find to do, do it with your might. Let your daily prayer be “Lord, help me to do my best. Teach me how to do better work. Help me to bring into my service the loving ministry of the Savior.” {BLJ 335.2}
[BLJ 335.3]    The responsibility of each human agent is measured by the gifts he or she holds in trust. All are to be workers; but upon the worker who has had the greatest opportunities, the greatest clearness of mind in understanding the Scriptures, rests the highest responsibility. All receivers should hold themselves accountable to God, and use their talents for God’s glory. {BLJ 335.3}
[BLJ 335.4]    Success in the work of God is not the result of chance, of accident, or of destiny; it is the outworking of God’s providence, and the award of faith and discretion, of virtue and persevering labor. It is the practice of the truth that brings success and moral power. The bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness are to be welcomed as the light of the mind; the principles of the character of Christ are to be made the principles of the human character. . . . {BLJ 335.4}
[BLJ 335.5]    “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is the love that is the fulfilling of the law. Every person whose heart is filled with compassion for fallen humanity, who loves to a purpose, will reveal that love by the performance of Christlike deeds. True Christianity diffuses love through the whole being. It touches every vital part—the brain, the heart, the helping hands, the feet—enabling us to stand firmly where God requires us to stand, lest the lame be turned out of the way. The contemplation of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us will make the life fragrant and give power to perfect a Christian experience. {BLJ 335.5}
[BLJ 335.6]    We can, we can, reveal the likeness of our divine Lord. We can know the science of spiritual life. We can glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits, which are His. Christ has shown us what we may accomplish through cooperation with Him. “Abide in me,” He says, “and I in you.”—Review and Herald, Apr. 4, 1912. {BLJ 335.6}
[BLJ 336.1]        Family Worship Can Help Create Harmony    Who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. Malachi 3:2, NKJV. {BLJ 336.1}
[BLJ 336.2]      We are rapidly nearing the close of this earth’s history. The end is very near, much nearer than many suppose, and I feel burdened to urge upon our people the necessity of seeking the Lord earnestly. Many are asleep, and what can be said to arouse them from their carnal slumber? The Lord would have His church purified before His judgments shall fall more signally upon the world. . . . {BLJ 336.2}
[BLJ 336.3]    Christ will remove every pretentious cloak. No mingling of the true with the spurious can deceive Him. “He is like a refiner’s fire,” separating the precious from the vile, the dross from the gold. {BLJ 336.3}
[BLJ 336.4]    Like the Levites, God’s chosen people are set apart by Him for His special work. Every true Christian bears priestly credentials. All are honored with the sacred responsibility of representing to the world the character of their heavenly Father. They are to heed well the words “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” . . . {BLJ 336.4}
[BLJ 336.5]    I am instructed to urge upon our people most earnestly the necessity of religion in the home. Among the members of the household there is ever to be a kind, thoughtful consideration. Morning and evening let all hearts be united in reverent worship. At the season of evening worship, let every member of the family search well his own heart. Let every wrong that has been committed be made right. If, during the day, one has wronged another, or spoken unkindly, let the transgressor seek pardon of the one injured. Often grievances are cherished in the mind, and misunderstandings and heartaches are created that need not be. If the one who is suspected of wrong be given an opportunity, he or she might be able to make explanations that would bring relief to other members of the family. {BLJ 336.5}
[BLJ 336.6]    “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,” that ye may be healed of all spiritual infirmities, that sinful dispositions may be changed. Make diligent work for eternity. Pray most earnestly to the Lord, and hold fast to the faith. Trust not in the arm of flesh, but trust implicitly in the Lord’s guidance. Let each one now say, “As for me, I will come out, and be separate from the world. I will serve the Lord with full purpose of heart.”—Review and Herald, Nov. 8, 1906. {BLJ 336.6}
[BLJ 337.1]        Victory Is Assured for All Who Obey Christ’s Orders    These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33, NKJV. {BLJ 337.1}
[BLJ 337.2]      Christ came to our world as the surety for humanity, preparing the way for all to gain the victory by giving them moral power. It is not His will that any shall be placed at a disadvantage. He would not have those who are striving to overcome intimidated and discouraged by the crafty assaults of the serpent. “Be of good cheer,” He says, “I have overcome the world.” {BLJ 337.2}
[BLJ 337.3]    With such a General to lead us on to victory, we may indeed have joy and courage. He came as our champion. He takes cognizance of the battle that all who are at enmity with Satan must fight. He lays before His followers a plan of the battle, pointing out its peculiarities and severity, and warning them not to join His army without first counting the cost. He tells them that the vast confederacy of evil is arrayed against them, and shows them that they are fighting for an invisible world, and that His army is not composed merely of human agencies. His soldiers are coworkers with heavenly intelligences, and One higher than angels is in the ranks; for the Holy Spirit, Christ’s representative, is there. {BLJ 337.3}
[BLJ 337.4]    Then Christ summons every decided follower, every true soldier, to fight for Him, assuring them that there is deliverance for all who will obey His orders. If Christ’s soldiers look faithfully to their Captain for their orders, success will attend their warfare against the enemy. No matter how they may be beset, in the end they will be triumphant. {BLJ 337.4}
[BLJ 337.5]    Their infirmities may be many, their sins great, their ignorance seemingly insurmountable; but if they realize their weakness, and look to Christ for aid, He will be their efficiency. He is ever ready to enlighten their dullness and overcome their sinfulness. If they avail themselves of His power, their characters will be transformed; they will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and holiness. Through His merits and imparted power they will be “more than conquerors.” Supernatural help will be given them, enabling them in their weakness to do the deeds of omnipotence. {BLJ 337.5}
[BLJ 337.6]    Those who fight for Christ are fighting in the sight of the heavenly universe, and they should be soldiers, not cowards. . . . By faith they are to look calmly upon every foe, exclaiming: “We fight the good fight of faith, under the command of an omnipotent Power. Because He lives, we shall live also.”—Signs of the Times, May 27, 1897. {BLJ 337.6}
[BLJ 338.1]        In Every Situation Jesus Gives Fresh Blessings    Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:11, NKJV. {BLJ 338.1}
[BLJ 338.2]      We have learned in the midst of dark providences that it was not wise to have a will or way of our own, and to cast not reflection and surmises on the divine faithfulness. I feel that we are those who can understand and sympathize with each other. We are bound together by the grace of Jesus Christ and in the bonds of Christian sympathies made sacred by afflictions. . . . {BLJ 338.2}
[BLJ 338.3]    Afflictions are oft mercies in disguise. We know not what we might have been without them. When God in His mysterious providence overthrows all our cherished plans, and we may receive sorrow in the place of joy, we will bow in submission and say, “Thy will, O God, be done.” We must and we will ever cherish a calm, religious trust in One who loves us, who gave His life for us. “The Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” . . . {BLJ 338.3}
[BLJ 338.4]    The Lord looks upon our afflictions. He graciously and discriminately metes them out and apportions them. As a refiner of silver He watches us every moment until the purification is complete. The furnace is to purify and refine, not to destroy and consume. He will cause those who put their trust in Him to sing of mercies in the midst of judgments. He is ever watching to impart, when most needed, new and fresh blessings, strength in the hour of weakness, succor in the hour of danger, friends in the hour of loneliness, sympathy, human and divine, in the hour of sorrow. {BLJ 338.4}
[BLJ 338.5]    We are homeward bound. He that loveth us so much as to die for us hath builded for us a city. The New Jerusalem is our place of rest. There will be no sadness in the City of God. No wail of sadness. No dirge of crushed hopes and buried affection shall ever more be heard.—Daughters of God, pp. 223, 224. {BLJ 338.5}
[BLJ 339.1]        In Love and Mercy Jesus Pleads With Us and for Us    Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22, 23, NKJV. {BLJ 339.1}
[BLJ 339.2]      “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” The Lord honors His human agents by taking them into partnership with Himself. The heart of Christ is full of forgiving mercy and truth. He is afflicted in all the afflictions of His people. We are to be compassionate, and find joy in coming with a kindly interest to bind up the wounds of those who have been pursued and left half dead by the ruthless hand of the destroyer. We are to be ready to heal the bruises that sin has made. {BLJ 339.2}
[BLJ 339.3]    Those who do this are Christ’s ministers, and the world has a living testimony of the love of God before them in His representatives. God is revealed before the world in those who practice the works of Christ, and through His messengers He is known as a God of mercy, goodness, and forgiveness. “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?” {BLJ 339.3}
[BLJ 339.4]    God in Christ is ours, and His bounties of love and mercy are inexhaustible. He desires that everyone shall be benefited by the rich provisions that He has made for those who love Him; He invites us all to share with Him in His glory. The bliss of heaven has been provided for all who love God supremely and their fellow mortals as themselves. {BLJ 339.4}
[BLJ 339.5]    Men and women would no longer be the slaves of sin if they would but turn from Satan’s alluring, delusive attractions, and look to Jesus long enough to see and understand His love. New habits will be formed, and powerful propensities for evil will be held in check. Our Leader is a conqueror, and He guides us on to certain victory. {BLJ 339.5}
[BLJ 339.6]    Our Advocate, Jesus, is pleading before His Father’s throne in our behalf, and He is also pleading with the sinner, saying, “Turn ye, for why will ye die?” Has not God done everything possible through Christ to win us from satanic deception? . . . Is He not a risen Savior, ever living to make intercession for us? Is He not ever following up His great work of atonement by the work of the Holy Spirit on every heart? The bow of mercy still arches the throne of God, testifying to the fact that every soul who believes in Christ as a personal Savior shall have everlasting life. Mercy and justice are blended in God’s dealing with His heritage.—Signs of the Times, Sept. 19, 1895. {BLJ 339.6}
[BLJ 340.1]        Diffuse the Light Throughout the Dark World    As I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you. Acts 17:23, NKJV. {BLJ 340.1}
[BLJ 340.2]      Jesus taught his followers that they were debtors both to the Jews and the Greeks, to the wise and the unwise, and gave them to understand that race distinction, caste, and lines of division made by human beings were not approved of Heaven, and were to have no influence in the work of disseminating the gospel. The disciples of Christ were not to make distinctions between their neighbors and their enemies, but they were to regard every person as a neighbor who needed help, and they were to look upon the world as their field of labor, seeking to save the lost. {BLJ 340.2}
[BLJ 340.3]    Jesus has given to both men and women their work, taking them from the narrow circle which their selfishness has prescribed, annihilating territorial lines, and all artificial distinctions of society. He marks off no limited boundary for missionary zeal, but bids His followers extend their labors to the uttermost parts of the earth. . . . {BLJ 340.3}
[BLJ 340.4]    The field of labor presents one vast community of human beings who are in the darkness of error, who are filled with longing, who are praying to One they know not. They need to hear the voice of those who are laborers together with God, saying to them, as Paul said to the Athenians, “Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” {BLJ 340.4}
[BLJ 340.5]    The members of the church of Christ are to be faithful workers in the great harvest field. They are to be diligently working and earnestly praying, making progress, and diffusing light amid the moral darkness of the world; for are not the angels of heaven imparting to them divine inspiration? They are never to think of, and much less to speak of, failure in their work. . . . They are to be filled with hope, knowing that they do not rely upon human ability or upon finite resources, but upon the promised divine aid, the ministry of heavenly agencies who are pledged to open the way before them. . . . {BLJ 340.5}
[BLJ 340.6]    Angels of God will break the way before us, preparing hearts for the gospel message, and the promised power will accompany the laborer, and “the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.”—Review and Herald, Oct. 30, 1894. {BLJ 340.6}
[BLJ 341.1]        God Alone Is to Be Worshiped    You shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire. For you are a holy people to the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 7:5, 6, NKJV. {BLJ 341.1}
[BLJ 341.2]      God would have His people understand that He alone should be the object of their worship; and when they should overcome the idolatrous nations around them, they should not preserve any of the images of their worship, but utterly destroy them. Many of these heathen deities were very costly, and of beautiful workmanship, which might tempt those who had witnessed idol worship, so common in Egypt, to even regard these senseless objects with some degree of reverence. The Lord would have His people know that it was because of the idolatry of these nations, which had led them to every degree of wickedness, that He would use the Israelites as His instruments to punish them, and destroy their gods. . . . {BLJ 341.2}
[BLJ 341.3]    “I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.” . . . {BLJ 341.3}
[BLJ 341.4]    These promises of God to His people were on condition of their obedience. If they would serve the Lord fully, He would do great things for them. After Moses had received the judgments from the Lord, and had written them for the people, also the promises, on condition of obedience, the Lord said unto him, “Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.” {BLJ 341.4}
[BLJ 341.5]    Moses had written—not the ten commandments, but the judgments which God would have them observe, and the promises, on conditions that they would obey Him. He read this to the people, and they pledged themselves to obey all the words which the Lord had said. Moses then wrote their solemn pledge in a book, and offered sacrifice unto God for the people. “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people, and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.”—Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, pp. 269, 270. {BLJ 341.5}
[BLJ 342.1]        Christ’s Self-sacrificing Life Is Our Lesson Book    It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night. Psalm 92:1, 2, NKJV. {BLJ 342.1}
[BLJ 342.2]      Practical Christianity means laboring together with God every day; working for Christ, not now and then, but continuously. A neglect to reveal practical righteousness in our lives is a denial of our faith and of the power of God. God is seeking for a sanctified people, a people set apart for His service, a people who will heed and accept the invitation “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me.” {BLJ 342.2}
[BLJ 342.3]    How earnestly Christ prosecuted the work of our salvation! What devotion His life revealed as He sought to give value to fallen humanity by imputing to every repenting, believing sinner the merits of His spotless righteousness! How untiringly He worked! In the temple and the synagogue, in the streets of the cities, in the marketplace, in the workshop, by the seaside, among the hills, He preached the gospel and healed the sick. He gave all there was of Himself, that He might work out the plan of redeeming grace. {BLJ 342.3}
[BLJ 342.4]    Christ was under no obligation to make this great sacrifice. Voluntarily He pledged Himself to bear the punishment due to the transgressor of His law. His love was His only obligation, and without a murmur He endured every pang and welcomed every indignity that was part of the plan of salvation. The life of Christ was one of unselfish service, and His life is our lesson book. The work that He began we are to carry forward. {BLJ 342.4}
[BLJ 342.5]    With His life of toil and sacrifice before them, can those who profess His name hesitate to deny self, to lift the cross and follow Him? He humbled Himself to the lowest depths that we might be lifted to the heights of purity and holiness and completeness. He became poor that He might pour into our poverty-stricken souls the fullness of His riches. He endured the cross of shame that He might give us peace and rest and joy, and make us partakers of the glories of His throne. {BLJ 342.5}
[BLJ 342.6]    Should we not appreciate the privilege of working for Him, and be eager to practice self-denial and self-sacrifice for His sake? Should we not give back to God all that He has redeemed, the affections He has purified, and the body that He has purchased, to be kept unto sanctification and holiness?—Review and Herald, Apr. 4, 1912. {BLJ 342.6}
[BLJ 343.1]        Memorize the Scriptures, Preparing for the Future    You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Mark 13:13, NRSV. {BLJ 343.1}
[BLJ 343.2]      The servants of Christ were to prepare no set speech to present when brought to trial. Their preparation was to be made day by day in treasuring up the precious truths of God’s Word, and through prayer strengthening their faith. When they were brought into trial, the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance the very truths that would be needed. {BLJ 343.2}
[BLJ 343.3]    A daily, earnest striving to know God, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent, would bring power and efficiency to the soul. The knowledge obtained by diligent searching of the Scriptures would be flashed into the memory at the right time. But if any had neglected to acquaint themselves with the words of Christ, if they had never tested the power of His grace in trial, they could not expect that the Holy Spirit would bring His words to their remembrance. They were to serve God daily with undivided affection, and then trust Him. {BLJ 343.3}
[BLJ 343.4]    So bitter would be the enmity to the gospel that even the tenderest earthly ties would be disregarded. The disciples of Christ would be betrayed to death by the members of their own households. . . . But He bade them not to expose themselves unnecessarily to persecution. He Himself often left one field of labor for another, in order to escape from those who were seeking His life. When He was rejected at Nazareth, and His own townsmen tried to kill Him, He went down to Capernaum, and there the people were astonished at His teaching, “for his word was with power” (Luke 4:32). So His servants were not to be discouraged by persecution, but to seek a place where they could still labor for the salvation of souls. {BLJ 343.4}
[BLJ 343.5]    The servant is not above his master. The Prince of heaven was called Beelzebub, and His disciples will be misrepresented in like manner. But whatever the danger, Christ’s followers must avow their principles. They should scorn concealment. They cannot remain uncommitted until assured of safety in confessing the truth. They are set as watchmen, to warn men and women of their peril. The truth received from Christ must be imparted to all, freely and openly.—The Desire of Ages, p. 355. {BLJ 343.5}
[BLJ 344.1]        We May Receive God’s Unlimited Grace, to Do Good    If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:11, NKJV. {BLJ 344.1}
[BLJ 344.2]      We are all under obligation to deny self daily for Christ’s sake. Jesus says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”; “whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” {BLJ 344.2}
[BLJ 344.3]    As we call upon God at every step, pleading for divine wisdom as we advance, seeking for light and grace in order that under all and in every circumstance we shall do unto others as we would that they should do unto us were we in their place, we shall feel the necessity of fulfilling the broad and deep requirements of the holy law of God. Thus shall we lose sight of self, and looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, we shall lay upon the foundation deeds of mercy, benevolence, compassion, and love, which are compared to gold, silver, and precious stones, which the fires of the last days cannot consume. {BLJ 344.3}
[BLJ 344.4]    The Lord Jesus is our efficiency in all things; His Spirit is to be our inspiration; and as we place ourselves in His hands to be channels of light, our means of doing good will never be exhausted; for the resources of the power of Jesus Christ are to be at our command. We may draw upon His fullness, and receive of that grace which has no limit. The Captain of our salvation at every step would teach us that almighty power is at the demand of living faith. He says, “Without me ye can do nothing”; but again declares that “greater works than these shall ［ye］ do; because I go unto my Father.” {BLJ 344.4}
[BLJ 344.5]    We are to pray without ceasing. In supplicating the throne of grace in the name of Christ, the promise is sure, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” When you make God your trust, when you call upon Him with your whole heart, He will be found of you. “Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.”—Review and Herald, Oct. 30, 1894. {BLJ 344.5}
[BLJ 345.1]        To Feed the Soul, Commune Constantly With Jesus    O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1, NKJV. {BLJ 345.1}
[BLJ 345.2]      No human agent can supply that which will satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul. But Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). {BLJ 345.2}
[BLJ 345.3]    As we need food to sustain our physical strength, so do we need Christ, the Bread from heaven, to sustain spiritual life and impart strength to work the works of God. As the body is continually receiving the nourishment that sustains life and vigor, so the soul must be constantly communing with Christ, submitting to Him and depending wholly upon Him. {BLJ 345.3}
[BLJ 345.4]    As the weary traveler seeks the spring in the desert and, finding it, quenches his burning thirst, so will the Christian thirst for and obtain the pure water of life, of which Christ is the fountain. {BLJ 345.4}
[BLJ 345.5]    As we discern the perfection of our Savior’s character we shall desire to become wholly transformed and renewed in the image of His purity. The more we know of God, the higher will be our ideal of character and the more earnest our longing to reflect His likeness. A divine element combines with the human when the soul reaches out after God and the longing heart can say, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him” (Psalm 62:5). {BLJ 345.5}
[BLJ 345.6]    If you have a sense of need in your soul, if you hunger and thirst after righteousness, this is an evidence that Christ has wrought upon your heart, in order that He may be sought unto to do for you, through the endowment of the Holy Spirit, those things which it is impossible for you to do for yourself. . . . {BLJ 345.6}
[BLJ 345.7]    The words of God are the wellsprings of life. As you seek unto those living springs you will, through the Holy Spirit, be brought into communion with Christ. Familiar truths will present themselves to your mind in a new aspect, texts of Scripture will burst upon you with a new meaning as a flash of light, you will see the relation of other truths to the work of redemption, and you will know that Christ is leading you, a divine Teacher is at your side.—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 18-20. {BLJ 345.7}
[BLJ 346.1]        Be Courteous, Lifting Others’ Burdens, as Did Jesus    Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8, 9, NKJV. {BLJ 346.1}
[BLJ 346.2]      Those who work for Christ are to be pure, upright, and trustworthy, and they are also to be tenderhearted, compassionate, and courteous. There is a charm in the dealings and conversation of those who are truly courteous. Kind words, pleasant looks, a courteous demeanor, are of inestimable value. Uncourteous Christians, by their neglect of others, show that they are not in union with Christ. It is impossible to be in union with Christ and yet be uncourteous. {BLJ 346.2}
[BLJ 346.3]    What Christ was in His life on this earth, that every Christian should be. He is our example, not only in His spotless purity but in His patience, gentleness, and winsomeness of disposition. He was as firm as a rock where truth and duty were concerned, but He was invariably kind and courteous. His life was a perfect illustration of true courtesy. He had ever a kind look and a word of comfort for the needy and oppressed. {BLJ 346.3}
[BLJ 346.4]    His presence brought a purer atmosphere into the home, and His life was as leaven working amid the elements of society. Harmless and undefiled, He walked among the thoughtless, the rude, the uncourteous; amid the unjust publicans, the unrighteous Samaritans, the heathen soldiers, the rough peasants, and the mixed multitude. He spoke a word of sympathy here, and a word there, as He saw people weary, and compelled to bear heavy burdens. He shared their burdens, and repeated to them the lessons He had learned from nature of the love, the kindness, the goodness of God. {BLJ 346.4}
[BLJ 346.5]    He sought to inspire with hope the most rough and unpromising, setting before them the assurance that they might become blameless and harmless, attaining such a character as would make them manifest as children of God. . . . {BLJ 346.5}
[BLJ 346.6]    The love of Christ mellows the heart and smooths all roughness from the disposition. Let us learn from Him how to combine a high sense of purity and integrity with sunniness of temperament. A kind, courteous Christian is the most powerful argument in favor of the gospel that can be produced.—Review and Herald, Aug. 20, 1959. {BLJ 346.6}
[BLJ 347.1]        We Are to Grow in Piety, Purity, and Love    As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 1 Peter 2:2, 3, NKJV. {BLJ 347.1}
[BLJ 347.2]      God has made every provision for the saving of every soul; but if we spurn the gift of everlasting life, purchased at infinite cost for us, the time will come when God will also spurn us from His presence, whether we are rich or poor, high or low, learned or unlearned. The principles of eternal justice will have full control in the great day of God’s wrath. {BLJ 347.2}
[BLJ 347.3]    We shall not hear a charge against us on the ground of the outbreaking sins we have committed, but the charge will be made against us for the neglect of good and noble duties enjoined upon us by the God of love. The deficiencies of our characters will be held up to view. It will then be known that all who are so condemned had light and knowledge, were entrusted with their Lord’s goods, and were found unfaithful to their trust. It will be seen that they had no appreciation of the heavenly trust, that they did not use their capital in loving service to others, that they did not, by precept and example, cultivate faith and devotion in those with whom they associated. It will be according to the light they have had that they will be judged and punished. {BLJ 347.3}
[BLJ 347.4]    God requires that every human agent shall improve all the means of grace heaven has provided, and become more and more efficient in the work of God. Every provision has been made that the piety, purity, and love of Christ’s followers shall ever increase, that their talents may double, and their ability increase in the service of their divine Master. {BLJ 347.4}
[BLJ 347.5]    But though this provision has been made, many who profess to believe in Jesus do not make it manifest by growth that testifies to the sanctifying power of the truth upon life and character. When we first receive Jesus into our hearts, we are as babes in religion; but we are not to remain babes in experience. We are to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; we are to attain to the full measure of the stature of men and women in Him. We are to make advances, to gain new and rich experiences through faith, growing in trust and confidence and love, knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent.—Youth’s Instructor, June 8, 1893. {BLJ 347.5}
[BLJ 348.1]        God’s Word and Love Will Open Hearts to Jesus    With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Isaiah 26:9, NKJV. {BLJ 348.1}
[BLJ 348.2]      It is the Savior’s love that constrains the messenger to bear the message to the lost. Oh, how wonderful is the importuning of Christ with sinners! Although His love is beaten back by the refusal of hard, stubborn hearts, He returns to plead with greater force, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.” His love woos with winning force, until souls are compelled to come in. {BLJ 348.2}
[BLJ 348.3]    Those who come to the supper turn to the blessed Jesus and say, “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” He wins them by the word of His love and power; for the Word of God is the rod of His power. He says, “Is not my word like a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” {BLJ 348.3}
[BLJ 348.4]    When the Word of God is sent home to the human heart by the Holy Spirit, it is mighty to the pulling down of the strongholds of Satan. Finite men and women could do nothing in the great warfare, were it not for the Word of God. They could not plead successfully with human hearts that are as hard as steel, that are bolted and barred lest Jesus should find an entrance there; but the Lord endows men and women with His wisdom, and the weakest one may become as David by faith in God. {BLJ 348.4}
[BLJ 348.5]    The Lord takes those who are devoted to Him, even though they may be uneducated, humble men and women, and sends them forth with His warning message. He stirs their hearts by His Spirit, He gives them spiritual muscle and sinew, and they are enabled to go forth with the Word of God, and to compel human beings to come in. Thus many poor, fainting souls, who are starving for the Bread of Life, are out of weakness made strong, and wax valiant in the fight, and put to flight the armies of the aliens. {BLJ 348.5}
[BLJ 348.6]    “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.” Every time you turn away your ear and refuse to listen, every time you fail to open the door of your heart, you strengthen yourself in unbelief, and make yourself more and more unwilling to listen to the voice of Him that speaketh, and you diminish your chance of responding to the last appeal of mercy. . . . Let not Christ weep over you as He wept over Jerusalem, saying, “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”—Review and Herald, Sept. 24, 1895. {BLJ 348.6}
[BLJ 349.1]        Special Endowment of Grace and Power Needed Today    The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10, NKJV. {BLJ 349.1}
[BLJ 349.2]      The great controversy between good and evil will increase in intensity to the very close of time. In all ages the wrath of Satan has been manifested against the church of Christ; and God has bestowed His grace and Spirit upon His people to strengthen them to stand against the power of the evil one. When the apostles of Christ were to bear His gospel to the world and to record it for all future ages, they were especially endowed with the enlightenment of the Spirit. {BLJ 349.2}
[BLJ 349.3]    But as the church approaches its final deliverance, Satan is to work with greater power. He comes down “having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12). . . . For six thousand years that mastermind that once was highest among the angels of God has been wholly bent to the work of deception and ruin. And all the depths of satanic skill and subtlety acquired, all the cruelty developed, during these struggles of the ages, will be brought to bear against God’s people in the final conflict. {BLJ 349.3}
[BLJ 349.4]    And in this time of peril the followers of Christ are to bear to the world the warning of the Lord’s second advent; and a people are to be prepared to stand before Him at His coming, “without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14). At this time the special endowment of divine grace and power is not less needful to the church than in apostolic days. . . . {BLJ 349.4}
[BLJ 349.5]    Satan’s efforts to misrepresent the character of God, to cause men and women to cherish a false conception of the Creator, and thus to regard Him with fear and hate rather than with love; his endeavors to set aside the divine law, leading the people to think themselves free from its requirements; and his persecution of those who dare to resist his deceptions have been steadfastly pursued in all ages. They may be traced in the history of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, of martyrs and reformers.—The Great Controversy, pp. ix-xi. {BLJ 349.5}
[BLJ 350.1]        When We Thirst for Righteousness, Jesus Draws Near    As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Psalm 42:1, 2, NKJV. {BLJ 350.1}
[BLJ 350.2]      The Lord has momentous truths to reveal to those who would understand the things of the Spirit. His lessons are for all, and adapted to the needs of all. While His lessons are clothed in language so simple that a child might understand them, the truth is so deep that the most learned may well be charmed, and worship the Author of matchless wisdom. Though the wisest may find abundant food for thought in His simplest utterance, the humblest may comprehend His truth, and appropriate His promises to the need of the soul. {BLJ 350.2}
[BLJ 350.3]    Jesus taught men and women for the purpose of arousing desire to understand the things of God, that they might behold the excellence of the divine character, and make application for the righteousness of Christ, in which they might stand accepted before the Lord Jehovah. {BLJ 350.3}
[BLJ 350.4]    Have you a sense of want in your soul? Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Then this is an evidence that Christ has wrought upon your heart, and created this sense of need in your soul, in order that He may be sought unto to do for you, through the endowment of the Holy Spirit, those things which it is impossible for you to do for yourself. . . . {BLJ 350.4}
[BLJ 350.5]    The parables of Christ have been placed on record, and to the honest, diligent searcher after truth, their meaning will be made plain, their mystery unveiled. Those who will not seek for truth as for hidden treasure make manifest the fact that they do not sincerely desire to know what is truth. Christ still says to His true followers, “It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance.” {BLJ 350.5}
[BLJ 350.6]    Those who respond to the drawing of Christ will be found inquiring as to what is truth, that their feet may be directed into the way of righteousness. Christ is drawing all, but not all respond to His drawing. Those who yield their will to God’s will, who are willing to follow where the Spirit of God may lead, who receive the light and walk therein, will seek for still more of heavenly enlightenment, and “shall have more abundance.”—Signs of the Times, Nov. 7, 1892. {BLJ 350.6}
[BLJ 351.1]        Angels Join Us as We Help Those in Need    Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me. Isaiah 27:5, NKJV. {BLJ 351.1}
[BLJ 351.2]      There are many who err, and who feel their shame and their folly. They look upon their mistakes and errors until they are driven almost to desperation. These souls we are not to neglect. When one has to swim against the stream, there is all the force of the current driving him or her back. Let a helping hand then be held out . . . as was the Elder Brother’s hand to the sinking Peter. Speak hopeful words, words that will establish confidence and awaken love. {BLJ 351.2}
[BLJ 351.3]    Thy brother and sister, sick in spirit, need thee, as thou thyself hast needed their love. . . . The knowledge of our own weakness should help us to help others in their bitter need. Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God. {BLJ 351.3}
[BLJ 351.4]    It is fellowship with Christ, personal contact with a living Savior, that enables the mind and heart and soul to triumph over the lower nature. . . .［The wanderers］ need to clasp a hand that is warm, to trust in a heart full of tenderness. Keep their minds stayed upon the thought of a divine presence ever beside them, ever looking upon them with pitying love. . . . {BLJ 351.4}
[BLJ 351.5]    As you engage in this work, you have companions unseen by human eyes. Angels of heaven were beside the Samaritan who cared for the wounded stranger. Angels from the heavenly courts stand by all who do God’s service in ministering to their fellow beings. And you have the cooperation of Christ Himself. He is the Restorer, and as you work under His supervision, you will see great results. {BLJ 351.5}
[BLJ 351.6]    Upon your faithfulness in this work not only the well-being of others but your own eternal destiny depends. Christ is seeking to uplift all who will be lifted to companionship with Himself, that we may be one with Him as He is one with the Father. He permits us to come in contact with suffering and calamity in order to call us out of our selfishness; He seeks to develop in us the attributes of His character—compassion, tenderness, and love. By accepting this work of ministry we place ourselves in His school, to be fitted for the courts of God.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 387-389. {BLJ 351.6}
[BLJ 353.1]        Chapter 12—Repenting, Then Growing      Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, Knows Each Sheep    I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7, NKJV. {BLJ 353.1}
[BLJ 353.2]      The minister is to be a shepherd. Our Redeemer is called the chief Shepherd. The apostle writes, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ.” However lowly, however elevated we may be, whether we are in the shadow of adversity or in the sunshine of prosperity, we are His sheep, the flock of His pasture, and under the care of the chief Shepherd. {BLJ 353.2}
[BLJ 353.3]    But the chief Shepherd has His undershepherds, whom He has delegated to care for His sheep and lambs. The great Shepherd never loses one from His care, is never indifferent even to the feeblest one of His flock. The beautiful parable that Christ gave of the one lost sheep, of the shepherd that left the ninety and nine to go in search of that which was lost, illustrates the care of the great Shepherd. He did not look carelessly over the sheep of the fold, and say, “I have ninety and nine, and it will cost me too much trouble to go in search of the straying one; let it come back, and I will open the door of the sheepfold and let it in; but I cannot go after it.” {BLJ 353.3}
[BLJ 353.4]    No; for no sooner does the sheep go astray than the countenance of the shepherd is filled with grief and anxiety. He counts and recounts the flock, and when he is certain that one sheep is lost, he slumbereth not. He leaves the ninety and nine within the fold; however dark and tempestuous the night, however perilous and unpleasant the way, however long and tedious the search, he does not weary, he does not falter, until the lost is found. {BLJ 353.4}
[BLJ 353.5]    But when it is found, does he act indifferently? Does he call the sheep, and command the straying one to follow him? Does he threaten and beat it, or drive it before him, recounting the bitterness and discomfiture and anxiety that he has had on its account? No; he lays the weary, exhausted, wandering sheep on his shoulder, and with cheerful gratitude that his search has not been in vain, he returns it to the fold. His gratitude finds expression in melodious songs of rejoicing, and heavenly choirs respond to the shepherd’s note of joy. {BLJ 353.5}
[BLJ 353.6]    When the lost is found, heaven and earth unite in rejoicing and thanksgiving. . . . Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” Just as the shepherds of earth know their sheep, so does the chief Shepherd know His flock that are scattered throughout the whole world.—Review and Herald, Aug. 23, 1892. {BLJ 353.6}
[BLJ 354.1]        True Christians Focus on Christ, Not Self    When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Mark 8:34, NKJV. {BLJ 354.1}
[BLJ 354.2]      The word of God gives the description of a true Christian, which corresponds with the work of the Holy Spirit on the heart and life. The children of God know at once they have the evidence in their own hearts that they are born of God. . . . It means depth and breadth of experience to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. Self-denial and self-sacrifice will always be found in the path that leads through the strait gate to the broad meadows of the Lord’s pastures. {BLJ 354.2}
[BLJ 354.3]    To them that believe, Christ is precious. His Spirit moving upon the mind and heart of the believer is in perfect agreement with that which is written in the Word. The Spirit and the Word agree perfectly. Thus the Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are born of God. {BLJ 354.3}
[BLJ 354.4]    The ones who find in their heart no resemblance to the great moral standard of righteousness, the Word of God, have no Christ to confess. Their language, their thoughts, are not in harmony with the Spirit of Christ. Their profession of faith is a counterfeit one. Do you ever find cream rising on water? The soul must have the vivifying influences of the breath of life from Christ in order to reveal in the conversation that Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. {BLJ 354.4}
[BLJ 354.5]    One never gathers grapes from thistles. The words of Christians will be in accordance with their enjoyment of Christ. Those who are perpetually talking doubts and demanding additional evidence to banish their cloud of unbelief do not build on the Word. Their faith rests on haphazard circumstances; it is founded in feeling. But feeling, be it ever so pleasing, is not faith. God’s Word is the foundation upon which our hopes of heaven must be built. {BLJ 354.5}
[BLJ 354.6]    It is a great misfortune to be a chronic doubter, keeping the eye and thoughts on self. While you are beholding self, while this is the theme of thought and conversation, you cannot expect to be conformed to the image of Christ. Self is not your savior. You have no redeeming qualities in yourself. “I” is a very leaky boat for your faith to embark in. Just as surely as you trust yourself in it, it will founder. The lifeboat, to the lifeboat! This is your only safety. Jesus is the Captain of the lifeboat, and He has never lost a passenger.—Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, pp. 23, 24. {BLJ 354.6}
[BLJ 355.1]        Truly Converted People Aim for Perfection    Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48, NKJV. {BLJ 355.1}
[BLJ 355.2]      It means much to be a consistent Christian. It means to walk circumspectly before God, to press toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ. It means to bear much fruit to the glory of Him who gave His Son to die for us. As sons and daughters of God, Christians should strive to reach the high ideal set before them in the gospel. They should be content with nothing less than perfection. . . . {BLJ 355.2}
[BLJ 355.3]    Let us make God’s holy Word our study, bringing its holy principles into our lives. Let us walk before God in meekness and humility, daily correcting our faults. Let us not by selfish pride separate the soul from God. Cherish not a feeling of lofty supremacy, thinking yourself better than others. “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Peace and rest will come to you as you bring your will into subjection to the will of Christ. Then the love of Christ will rule in the heart, bringing into captivity to the Savior the secret springs of action. The hasty, easily roused temper will be soothed and subdued by the oil of Christ’s grace. The sense of sins forgiven will bring that peace that passeth all understanding. There will be an earnest striving to overcome all that is opposed to Christian perfection. Variance will disappear. People who once found fault with those around them will see that far greater faults exist in their own character. {BLJ 355.3}
[BLJ 355.4]    There are those who listen to the truth, and are convinced that they have been living in opposition to Christ. They are condemned, and they repent of their transgressions. Relying upon the merits of Christ, exercising true faith in Him, they receive pardon for sin. As they cease to do evil and learn to do well, they grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. They see that they must sacrifice in order to separate from the world; and after counting the cost, they look upon all as loss if they may but win Christ. They have enlisted in Christ’s army. The warfare is before them, and they enter it bravely and cheerfully, fighting against their natural inclinations and selfish desires, bringing the will into subjection to the will of Christ. Daily they seek the Lord for grace to obey Him, and they are strengthened and helped. {BLJ 355.4}
[BLJ 355.5]    This is true conversion. In humble, grateful dependence those who have been given a new heart rely upon the help of Christ. They reveal in their life the fruit of righteousness. They once loved themselves. Worldly pleasure was their delight. Now their idol is dethroned, and God reigns supreme.—Youth’s Instructor, Sept. 26, 1901. {BLJ 355.5}
[BLJ 356.1]        Converted Sinners Live a New Life    Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:25, 26, NKJV. {BLJ 356.1}
[BLJ 356.2]      Many who speak to others of the need of a new heart do not themselves know what is meant by these words. The youth especially stumble over this phrase, “a new heart.” They do not know what it means. They look for a special change to take place in their feelings. This they term conversion. Over this error thousands have stumbled to ruin, not understanding the expression “Ye must be born again.” {BLJ 356.2}
[BLJ 356.3]    Satan leads people to think that because they have felt a rapture of feeling, they are converted. But their experience does not change. Their actions are the same as before. Their lives show no good fruit. They pray often and long, and are constantly referring to the feelings they had at such and such a time. But they do not live the new life. They are deceived. Their experience goes no deeper than feeling. They build upon the sand, and when adverse winds come, their house is swept away. {BLJ 356.3}
[BLJ 356.4]    Many poor souls are groping in darkness, looking for the feelings which others say they have had in their experience. They overlook the fact that the believers in Christ must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. The convicted sinners have something to do. They must repent and show true faith. {BLJ 356.4}
[BLJ 356.5]    When Jesus speaks of the new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new heart is to have a new mind, new purposes, new motives. What is the sign of a new heart? A changed life. There is a daily, hourly dying to selfishness and pride. {BLJ 356.5}
[BLJ 356.6]    Some make a great mistake by supposing that a high profession will compensate for real service. But a religion which is not practical is not genuine. True conversion makes us strictly honest in our dealings with our fellow beings. It makes us faithful in our everyday work. All sincere followers of Christ will show that the religion of the Bible qualifies them to use their talents in the Master’s service. . . . {BLJ 356.6}
[BLJ 356.7]    It is the noble principles which are brought into the work that make it wholly acceptable in the Lord’s sight. True service links the lowliest of God’s servants on earth with the highest of His servants in the courts above.—Youth’s Instructor, Sept. 26, 1901. {BLJ 356.7}
[BLJ 357.1]        Repent Today, and Receive Christ’s Robe of Righteousness    So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9, 10, NRSV. {BLJ 357.1}
[BLJ 357.2]      We are to surrender our hearts to God, that He may renew and sanctify us, and fit us for His heavenly courts. We are not to wait for some special time, but today we are to give ourselves to Him, refusing to be the servants of sin. Do you imagine you can leave off sin a little at a time? Oh, leave the accursed thing at once! Hate the thing that Christ hates, love the thing that Christ loves. Has He not by His death and suffering made provision for your cleansing from sin? {BLJ 357.2}
[BLJ 357.3]    When we begin to realize that we are sinners, when we fall on the Rock and are broken, the everlasting arms are placed about us, and we are brought close to the heart of Jesus. Then we shall be charmed with His loveliness and disgusted with our own righteousness. {BLJ 357.3}
[BLJ 357.4]    We need to come close to the foot of the cross. The more we humble ourselves there, the more exalted will God’s love appear. The grace and righteousness of Christ will not avail for those who feel whole, for those who think they are reasonably good, who are contented with their own condition. There is no room for Christ in the heart of those who do not realize their need of divine light and aid. {BLJ 357.4}
[BLJ 357.5]    Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” There is fullness of grace in God, and we may have His Spirit and power in large measure. Do not feed on the husks of self-righteousness, but go to the Lord; He has the best robe to put upon you, and His arms are open to receive you. . . . {BLJ 357.5}
[BLJ 357.6]    You are proved of God through His Word. You are not to wait for wonderful emotions before you believe that God has heard you; feeling is not to be your criterion, for emotions are as changeable as the clouds. You must have something solid for the foundation of your faith. The Word of the Lord is a word of infinite power, upon which you may rely; and He has said, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” Look to Calvary. Has not Jesus said that He is your Advocate? Has He not said that if you ask anything in His name, you shall receive? {BLJ 357.6}
[BLJ 357.7]    You are to come to God as a repenting sinner, through the name of Jesus, the divine Advocate; to a merciful, forgiving Father, believing that He will do just as He has promised. Let those who desire the blessing of God knock, and wait at the throne of mercy with firm assurance.—Bible Echo, Apr. 1, 1893. {BLJ 357.7}
[BLJ 358.1]        Jesus Lovingly Calls, but Many Wait Too Long to Respond    Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. Revelation 2:4, 5, NKJV. {BLJ 358.1}
[BLJ 358.2]      The Redeemer of the world declares that there are greater sins than that for which Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Those who hear the gospel invitation calling sinners to repentance, and heed it not, are more guilty before God than were the dwellers in the vale of Siddim. And still greater sin is theirs who profess to know God and to keep His commandments, yet who deny Christ in their character and their daily life. In the light of the Savior’s warning, the fate of Sodom is a solemn admonition, not merely to those who are guilty of outbreaking sin, but to all who are trifling with Heaven-sent light and privileges. . . . {BLJ 358.2}
[BLJ 358.3]    The Savior watches for a response to His offers of love and forgiveness with a more tender compassion than that which moves the heart of an earthly parent to forgive a wayward, suffering son or daughter. He cries after the wanderer, “Return unto me, and I will return unto you” (Malachi 3:7). But if the erring one persistently refuses to heed the voice that calls him or her with pitying, tender love, he or she will at last be left in darkness. {BLJ 358.3}
[BLJ 358.4]    The heart that has long slighted God’s mercy becomes hardened in sin and is no longer susceptible to the influence of the grace of God. Fearful will be the doom of that soul of whom the pleading Savior shall finally declare, he “is joined to idols: let him alone” (Hosea 4:17). It will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for the cities of the plain than for those who have known the love of Christ, and yet have turned away to choose the pleasures of a world of sin. {BLJ 358.4}
[BLJ 358.5]    You who are slighting the offers of mercy, think of the long array of figures accumulating against you in the books of heaven; for there is a record kept of the impieties of nations, of families, of individuals. God may bear long while the account goes on, and calls to repentance and offers of pardon may be given; yet a time will come when the account will be full; when the soul’s decision has been made; when by a person’s own choice one’s destiny has been fixed. Then the signal will be given for judgment to be executed.—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 165. {BLJ 358.5}
[BLJ 359.1]        When Sinners Repent, Heaven Rejoices    As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. John 17:18, 19, NKJV. {BLJ 359.1}
[BLJ 359.2]      In the parable of the lost sheep, Christ teaches that salvation does not come through our seeking after God but through God’s seeking after us. “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way” (Romans 3:11, 12). We do not repent in order that God may love us, but He reveals to us His love in order that we may repent. . . . {BLJ 359.2}
[BLJ 359.3]    The rabbis had a saying that there is rejoicing in heaven when one who has sinned against God is destroyed; but Jesus taught that to God the work of destruction is a strange work. That in which all heaven delights is the restoration of God’s own image in the souls whom He has made. {BLJ 359.3}
[BLJ 359.4]    When some who have wandered far in sin seek to return to God, they will encounter criticism and distrust. There are those who will doubt whether their repentance is genuine, or will whisper, “They have no stability; I do not believe that they will hold out.” {BLJ 359.4}
[BLJ 359.5]    These persons are doing not the work of God but the work of Satan, who is the accuser of the brethren. Through their criticisms the wicked one hopes to discourage those souls, and to drive them still farther from hope and from God. Let the repenting sinners contemplate the rejoicing in heaven over the return of the one that was lost. Let them rest in the love of God and in no case be disheartened by the scorn and suspicion of the Pharisees. {BLJ 359.5}
[BLJ 359.6]    The rabbis understood Christ’s parable as applying to the publicans and sinners; but it has also a wider meaning. By the lost sheep Christ represents not only the individual sinner but the one world that has apostatized and has been ruined by sin. This world is but an atom in the vast dominions over which God presides, yet this little fallen world—the one lost sheep—is more precious in His sight than are the ninety and nine that went not astray from the fold. {BLJ 359.6}
[BLJ 359.7]    Christ, the loved Commander in the heavenly courts, stooped from His high estate, laid aside the glory that He had with the Father, in order to save the one lost world. For this He left the sinless worlds on high, the ninety and nine that loved Him, and came to this earth, to be “wounded for our transgressions” and “bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). God gave Himself in His Son that He might have the joy of receiving back the sheep that was lost. . . . {BLJ 359.7}
[BLJ 359.8]    Every soul whom Christ has rescued is called to work in His name for the saving of the lost. This work had been neglected in Israel. Is it not neglected today by those who profess to be Christ’s followers?—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 189-191. {BLJ 359.8}
[BLJ 360.1]        Conversion Creates New Interests and New Loves    Put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts. Ephesians 4:22, NRSV. {BLJ 360.1}
[BLJ 360.2]      God now calls upon you to repent, to be zealous in the work. Your eternal happiness will be determined by the course you now pursue. Can you reject the invitations of mercy now offered? Can you choose your own way? Will you cherish pride and vanity, and lose your soul at last? The Word of God plainly tells us that few will be saved, and that the greater number even of those who are called will prove themselves unworthy of everlasting life. They will have no part in heaven, but will have their portion with Satan, and experience the second death. {BLJ 360.2}
[BLJ 360.3]    Men and women may escape this doom if they will. It is true that Satan is the great originator of sin; yet this does not excuse anyone for sinning; for he cannot force any to do evil. He tempts them to it, and makes sin look enticing and pleasant; but he has to leave it to their own wills whether they will do it or not. He does not force people to become intoxicated, neither does he force them to remain away from religious meetings; but he presents temptations in a manner to allure to evil, and human beings are free moral agents to accept or refuse. {BLJ 360.3}
[BLJ 360.4]    Conversion is a work that most do not appreciate. It is not a small matter to transform an earthly, sin-loving mind and bring it to understand the unspeakable love of Christ, the charms of His grace, and the excellency of God, so that souls shall be imbued with divine love and captivated with the heavenly mysteries. When they understand these things, their former life appears disgusting and hateful. They hate sin, and, breaking their heart before God, they embrace Christ as the life and joy of the soul. They renounce their former pleasures. They have a new mind, new affections, new interest, new will; their sorrows, and desires, and love are all new. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, which have heretofore been preferred before Christ, are now turned from, and Christ is the charm of the life, the crown of rejoicing. {BLJ 360.4}
[BLJ 360.5]    Heaven, which once possessed no charms, is now viewed in its riches and glory; and they contemplate it as their future home, where they shall see, love, and praise the One who hath redeemed them by His precious blood.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, pp. 293, 294. {BLJ 360.5}
[BLJ 361.1]        Repentant Souls Hate Sin and Love Righteousness    Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:37, 38, NKJV. {BLJ 361.1}
[BLJ 361.2]      How shall a person be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous? It is only through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God, with holiness; but how are we to come to Christ? Many are asking the same question as did the multitude on the day of Pentecost, when, convicted of sin, they cried out, “What shall we do?” The first word of Peter’s answer was “Repent” (Acts 2:37, 38). At another time, shortly after, he said, “Repent . . . , and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). {BLJ 361.2}
[BLJ 361.3]    Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart there will be no real change in the life. {BLJ 361.3}
[BLJ 361.4]    There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance. Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense. They lament the suffering rather than the sin. Such was the grief of Esau when he saw that the birthright was lost to him forever. Balaam, terrified by the angel standing in his pathway with drawn sword, acknowledged his guilt lest he should lose his life; but there was no genuine repentance for sin, no conversion of purpose, no abhorrence of evil. {BLJ 361.4}
[BLJ 361.5]    Judas Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, exclaimed, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4). The confession was forced from his guilty soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment. The consequences that were to result to him filled him with terror, but there was no deep, heartbreaking grief in his soul that he had betrayed the spotless Son of God and denied the Holy One of Israel. . . . These all lamented the results of sin, but did not sorrow for the sin itself. {BLJ 361.5}
[BLJ 361.6]    But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God’s holy law, the foundation of His government in heaven and on earth. . . . ［The sinner］ sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity; ［and］ longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with Heaven.—Steps to Christ, pp. 23, 24. {BLJ 361.6}
[BLJ 362.1]        Humanity, Allied With Divinity, Can Keep the Law    Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. Matthew 3:13-15, NKJV. {BLJ 362.1}
[BLJ 362.2]      In fulfilling “all righteousness,” Christ did not bring all righteousness to an end. He fulfilled all the requirements of God in repentance, faith, and baptism, the steps in grace in genuine conversion. In His humanity Christ filled up the measure of the law’s requirements. He was the head of humanity, its substitute and surety. Human beings, by uniting their weakness to the divine nature of Christ, may become partakers of His character. {BLJ 362.2}
[BLJ 362.3]    Christ came to give an example of the perfect conformity to the law of God required of Adam, the first man, down to the last person that shall live on the earth. He declares that His mission is not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it in perfect and entire obedience. {BLJ 362.3}
[BLJ 362.4]    In this way He magnified the law and made it honorable. In His life He revealed its spiritual nature. He revealed to heavenly beings, to worlds unfallen, to a disobedient, unthankful, unholy world, that He fulfilled the far-reaching principles of the law. He came to demonstrate the fact that humanity, allied by living faith to divinity, can keep all God’s commandments. {BLJ 362.4}
[BLJ 362.5]    The typical offerings pointed to Christ, and when the perfect sacrifice was made the sacrificial offerings were no longer acceptable to God. Type met antitype in the death of the only begotten Son of God. He came to make plain the immutable character of the law, to declare that disobedience and transgression could never be rewarded by God with eternal life. He came as a man to humanity, that humanity might touch humanity. {BLJ 362.5}
[BLJ 362.6]    But in no case did He come to lessen the obligations of mortals to be perfectly obedient. He did not destroy the validity of the Old Testament Scriptures. He fulfilled that which was predicted by God Himself. He did not come to set human beings free from the law: He came to open a way by which they might obey that law and teach others to do the same.—Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, pp. 292, 293. {BLJ 362.6}
[BLJ 363.1]        Conscientious Persons Must Guard Against Being Deceived    Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14:38, NKJV. {BLJ 363.1}
[BLJ 363.2]      Those professing to have new light, claiming to be reformers, will have great influence over a certain class who are convinced of the heresies that exist in the present age and who are not satisfied with the spiritual condition of the churches. With true, honest hearts, these desire to see a change for the better, a coming up to a higher standard. If the faithful servants of Christ would present the truth, pure and unadulterated, to this class, they would accept it, and purify themselves by obeying it. But Satan, ever vigilant, sets upon the track of these inquiring souls. Someone making high profession as a reformer comes to them, as Satan came to Christ disguised as an angel of light, and draws them still further from the path of right. {BLJ 363.2}
[BLJ 363.3]    The unhappiness and degradation that follow in the train of licentiousness cannot be estimated. The world is defiled under its inhabitants. They have nearly filled up the measure of their iniquity; but that which will bring the heaviest retribution is the practice of iniquity under the cloak of godliness. The Redeemer of the world never spurned true repentance, however great the guilt; but He hurls burning denunciations against Pharisees and hypocrites. There is more hope for the open sinner than for this class. . . . {BLJ 363.3}
[BLJ 363.4]    This man ［a pseudo reformer］ and those deceived by him love not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness. And what stronger delusion could come upon them than that there is nothing displeasing to God in licentiousness and adultery? The Bible contains many warnings against these sins. Paul writes to Titus of those who “profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” . . . {BLJ 363.4}
[BLJ 363.5]    In this age of corruption when our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, I see the necessity of lifting my voice in warning. “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” There are many who possess brilliant talents who wickedly devote them to the service of Satan. . . . Many of them cherish impure thoughts, unholy imaginations, unsanctified desires, and base passions. God hates the fruit borne upon such a tree. Angels, pure and holy, look upon the course of such with abhorrence, while Satan exults. {BLJ 363.5}
[BLJ 363.6]    Oh, that men and women would consider what is to be gained by transgressing God’s law! Under any and every circumstance, transgression is a dishonor to God and a curse to humanity. We must regard it thus, however fair its guise, and by whomsoever committed.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 144-146. {BLJ 363.6}
[BLJ 364.1]        True Repentance Involves Remorse for Sin and Forsaking It    For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10, NKJV. {BLJ 364.1}
[BLJ 364.2]      The love of God will never lead to the belittling of sin; it will never cover or excuse an unconfessed wrong. Achan learned too late that God’s law, like its Author, is unchanging. It has to do with all our acts and thoughts and feelings. It follows us, and reaches every secret spring of action. By indulgence in sin, men and women are led to lightly regard the law of God. Many conceal their transgressions from other people, and flatter themselves that God will not be strict to mark iniquity. {BLJ 364.2}
[BLJ 364.3]    But His law is the great standard of right, and with it every act of life must be compared in that day when God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or evil. Purity of heart will lead to purity of life. All excuses for sin are vain. Who can plead for sinners when God testifies against them?—Signs of the Times, Apr. 21, 1881. {BLJ 364.3}
[BLJ 364.4]    There are many professed Christians whose confessions of sin are similar to that of Achan. They will, in a general way, acknowledge their unworthiness, but they refuse to confess the sins whose guilt rests upon their conscience, and which have brought the frown of God upon His people. . . . {BLJ 364.4}
[BLJ 364.5]    Genuine repentance springs from a sense of the offensive character of sin. These general confessions are not the fruit of true humiliation of soul before God. They leave sinners with a self-complacent spirit to go on as before, until the conscience becomes hardened, and warnings that once aroused them produce hardly a feeling of danger, and after a time their sinful course appears right. All too late their sins will find them out, in that day when they shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever. There is a vast difference between admitting facts after they are proved, and confessing sins known only to ourselves and God.—Signs of the Times, May 5, 1881. {BLJ 364.5}
[BLJ 364.6]    Achan, the guilty party, did not feel the burden. He took it very coolly. We find nothing in the account to signify that he felt distressed. There is no evidence that he felt remorse, or reasoned from cause to effect, saying. “It is my sin that has brought the displeasure of the Lord upon the people.” . . . He had no idea of making his wrong right by confession of sin and humiliation of soul.—The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments, vol. 2, p. 997. {BLJ 364.6}
[BLJ 364.7]    The confession of Achan, although too late to be available in bringing to him any saving virtue, yet vindicated the character of God in His manner of dealing with him, and closed the door to the temptation that so continually beset the children of Israel, to charge upon the servants of God the work that God Himself had ordered to be done.—Ibid. {BLJ 364.7}
[BLJ 365.1]        By Grace You Can Reach Christ’s Ideal    For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15, NKJV. {BLJ 365.1}
[BLJ 365.2]      The Lord will recognize every effort you make to reach His ideal for you. When you make a failure, when you are betrayed into sin, do not feel that you cannot pray, that you are not worthy to come before the Lord. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” With outstretched arms He waits to welcome the prodigal. Go to Him, and tell Him about your mistakes and failures. Ask Him to strengthen you for fresh endeavor. He will never disappoint you, never abuse your confidence. {BLJ 365.2}
[BLJ 365.3]    Trial will come to you. Thus the Lord polishes the roughness from your character. Do not murmur. You make the trial harder by repining. Honor God by cheerful submission. Patiently endure the pressure. Even though a wrong is done you, keep the love of God in the heart. . . . {BLJ 365.3}
[BLJ 365.4]    Christ knows the strength of your temptations and the strength of your power to resist. His hand is always stretched out in pitying tenderness to every suffering child. To the tempted, discouraged one He says, Child for whom I suffered and died, cannot you trust Me? “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” . . . {BLJ 365.4}
[BLJ 365.5]    Words cannot describe the peace and joy possessed by those who take God at His word. Trials do not disturb them, slights do not vex them. Self is crucified. Day by day their duties may become more taxing, their temptations stronger, their trials more severe; but they do not falter; for they receive strength equal to their need.—Youth’s Instructor, June 26, 1902. {BLJ 365.5}
[BLJ 365.6]    Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble all-around character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected. {BLJ 365.6}
[BLJ 365.7]    Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will. If you will not, then you cannot overcome. The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control of God.—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 331. {BLJ 365.7}
[BLJ 366.1]        God’s People Are Polished Stones in His Spiritual Temple    Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18, NKJV. {BLJ 366.1}
[BLJ 366.2]      The gospel is designed for all, and it will bring together in church capacity men and women who are different in training, in character, and in disposition. Among these will be some who are naturally slack, who feel that order is pride, and that it is not necessary to be so particular. God will not come down to their low standard; He has given them probation, and the necessary directions in His Word, and He requires them to be transformed, to perfect holy characters. Everyone who is converted from sin to righteousness, from error to truth, will exemplify in words and acts the sanctifying power of the truth. {BLJ 366.2}
[BLJ 366.3]    The people of God have a high and holy calling. They are Christ’s representatives. Paul addresses the church in Corinth as those who are “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” . . . Says Peter, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” {BLJ 366.3}
[BLJ 366.4]    These passages are calculated to impress the mind with the sacred, exalted character of God’s work, and with the high and holy position His people are to occupy. Could these things be said of those who do not seek to be refined by the truth? {BLJ 366.4}
[BLJ 366.5]    The Jewish Temple was built of hewn stones quarried out of the mountains; and every stone was fitted for its place in the Temple, hewed, polished, and tested, before it was brought to Jerusalem. And when all were brought to the ground, the building went together without the sound of an ax or hammer. {BLJ 366.5}
[BLJ 366.6]    This building represents God’s spiritual temple, which is composed of material gathered out of every nation and tongue and people, of all grades, high and low, rich and poor, learned and ignorant. These are not dead substances, to be fitted by hammer and chisel. They are living stones quarried out from the world by the truth; and the great Master Builder, the Lord of the Temple, is now hewing and polishing them, and fitting them for their respective places in the spiritual temple. When completed, this temple will be perfect in all its parts, the admiration of angels and of men and women; for its builder and maker is God. Truly, those who are to compose this glorious building are “called to be saints.”—Review and Herald, May 6, 1884. {BLJ 366.6}
[BLJ 367.1]        Advance the Kingdom by Leading Sinners to Repentance    All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2, NRSV. {BLJ 367.1}
[BLJ 367.2]      In his word God has shown us the only way in which this work should be done. We are to do earnest, faithful work, laboring for souls as they that must give an account. “Repent, repent” was the message rung out by John in the wilderness. . . . {BLJ 367.2}
[BLJ 367.3]    Christ’s message to the people was “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” And the apostles were commanded to preach everywhere that sinners should repent. The Lord would have His servants preach today the old gospel doctrine, sorrow for sin, repentance, and confession. We want old-fashioned sermons, old-fashioned customs, old-fashioned fathers and mothers in Israel, who have the tenderness of Christ. {BLJ 367.3}
[BLJ 367.4]    Sinners must be labored for perseveringly, earnestly, wisely, until they shall see that they are transgressors of God’s law, and shall exercise repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. When they are conscious of their helpless condition, and feel their need of a Savior, they may come with faith and hope to “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Christ will accept the soul who comes to Him in true repentance. A broken and a contrite heart He will not despise. {BLJ 367.4}
[BLJ 367.5]    The battle cry is sounding along the line. Let every soldier of the cross push to the front, not in self-sufficiency, but in meekness and lowliness of heart. Your work, my work, will not cease with this life. For a little while we may rest in the grave; but when the call comes, we shall take up our work in the kingdom of God to advance the glory of Christ. This holy work must be begun upon earth. We are not to study our own pleasure or convenience. Our question must be What can I do to lead others to Christ? How can I make known to others the love of God which passeth knowledge?—Signs of the Times, Dec. 27, 1899. {BLJ 367.5}
[BLJ 368.1]        Look to Jesus, and He Will Give You Victory    And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” Luke 12:42, 43, NKJV. {BLJ 368.1}
[BLJ 368.2]      I hope that none will obtain the idea that they are earning the favor of God by confession of sins or that there is special virtue in confessing to human beings. There must be in the experience that faith that works by love and purifies the soul. The love of Christ will subdue the carnal propensities. The truth not only bears within itself the evidence of its heavenly origin, but proves that by the grace of God’s Spirit it is effectual in the purification of the soul. The Lord would have us come to Him daily with all our troubles and confessions of sin, and He can give us rest in wearing His yoke and bearing His burden. His Holy Spirit, with its gracious influences, will fill the soul, and every thought will be brought into subjection to the obedience of Christ. {BLJ 368.2}
[BLJ 368.3]    Now I am fearful that by some error on your part the blessing of God which has come to you . . . will be turned into a curse; that some false idea will obtain, so that you will be in a worse condition in a few months than you were before this work of revival. If you do not keep your souls guarded you will appear in the worst possible light to unbelievers. God would not be glorified with this fitful kind of service. Be careful not to carry matters to extremes and bring lasting reproach upon the precious cause of God. The failure that many make is that after they have been blessed of God they do not, in the humility of Christ, seek to be a blessing to others. Now that words of eternal life have been sown in your hearts, I entreat you to walk humbly with God, do the works of Christ, and bring forth much fruit unto righteousness. I do hope and pray that you will act like sons and daughters of the Most High and not become extremists or do anything that shall grieve the Spirit of God. {BLJ 368.3}
[BLJ 368.4]    Do not look to human beings nor hang your hopes upon them, feeling that they are infallible; but look to Jesus constantly. Say nothing that would cast a reproach upon our faith. Confess your secret sins alone before your God. Acknowledge your heart wanderings to Him who knows perfectly how to treat your case. If you have wronged your neighbor, acknowledge . . . your sin and show fruit of the same by making restitution. Then claim the blessing. Come to God just as you are, and let Him heal all your infirmities. Press your case to the throne of grace; let the work be thorough. Be sincere in dealing with God and your own soul. If you come to Him with a heart truly contrite, He will give you the victory.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 648, 649. {BLJ 368.4}
[BLJ 369.1]        Lift Up the Standard as the Great Controversy Intensifies    For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete. 2 Corinthians 13:8, 9, NKJV. {BLJ 369.1}
[BLJ 369.2]      God has appointed apostles, pastors, evangelists, and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith. God declares to His people, “Ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” There must be a continual advancement. Step by step His followers must make straight paths for their feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way. {BLJ 369.2}
[BLJ 369.3]    Those who would labor for God must work intelligently to replenish the deficiencies in themselves and glorify the Lord God of Israel by standing in the light, working in the light of the Sun of Righteousness. Thus they will carry the church forward and upward and heavenward, making its separation from the world more and more distinct. {BLJ 369.3}
[BLJ 369.4]    As they assimilate their character to the divine Pattern, men and women will not guard their own personal dignity. With jealous, sleepless, loving, devoted interest, they will guard the sacred interest of the church from the evil which threatens to dim and cloud the glory that God intends shall shine forth through it. They will see that Satan’s devices have no place or countenance in it by encouraging faultfinding, gossiping, evil speaking, and accusing of the members; for those things would weaken and overthrow it. {BLJ 369.4}
[BLJ 369.5]    There never will be a time in the history of the church when God’s workers can fold their hands and be at ease, saying, “All is peace and safety.” Then it is that sudden destruction cometh. Everything may move forward amid apparent prosperity; but Satan is wide awake, and is studying and counseling with his evil angels another mode of attack where he can be successful. The contest will wax more and more fierce on the part of Satan; for he is moved by a power from beneath. {BLJ 369.5}
[BLJ 369.6]    As the work of God’s people moves forward with sanctified, resistless energy, planting the standard of Christ’s righteousness in the church, moved by a power from the throne of God, the great controversy will wax stronger and stronger, and will become more and more determined. Mind will be arrayed against mind, plans against plans, principles of heavenly origin against principles of Satan. Truth in its varied phases will be in conflict with error in its ever-varying, increasing forms, and which, if possible, will deceive the very elect.—Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 406, 407. {BLJ 369.6}
[BLJ 370.1]        Bible Sanctification Involves Humility and Constant Growth    For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. 2 Corinthians 12:6, NKJV. {BLJ 370.1}
[BLJ 370.2]      The followers of Christ are to become like Him—by the grace of God to form characters in harmony with the principles of His holy law. This is Bible sanctification. {BLJ 370.2}
[BLJ 370.3]    This work can be accomplished only through faith in Christ, by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God. . . . The Christian will feel the promptings of sin, but will maintain a constant warfare against it. Here is where Christ’s help is needed. Human weakness becomes united to divine strength, and faith exclaims: “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). {BLJ 370.3}
[BLJ 370.4]    The Scriptures plainly show that the work of sanctification is progressive. When in conversion the sinner finds peace with God through the blood of the atonement, the Christian life has but just begun. Now he or she is to “go on unto perfection;” to grow up “unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” . . . Peter sets before us the steps by which Bible sanctification is to be attained: “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. . . . If ye do these things, ye shall never fall” (2 Peter 1:5-10). {BLJ 370.4}
[BLJ 370.5]    Those who experience the sanctification of the Bible will manifest a spirit of humility. Like Moses, they have had a view of the awful majesty of holiness, and they see their own unworthiness in contrast with the purity and exalted perfection of the Infinite One. The prophet Daniel was an example of true sanctification. His long life was filled up with noble service for his Master. He was a man “greatly beloved” (Daniel 10:11) of Heaven. Yet instead of claiming to be pure and holy, this honored prophet identified himself with the really sinful of Israel as he pleaded before God in behalf of his people. . . . When at a later time the Son of God appeared, to give him instruction, Daniel says: “My comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength” (verse 8). . . . {BLJ 370.5}
[BLJ 370.6]    There can be no self-exaltation, no boastful claim to freedom from sin, on the part of those who walk in the shadow of Calvary’s cross. They feel that it was their sin which caused the agony that broke the heart of the Son of God, and this thought will lead them to self-abasement. Those who live nearest to Jesus discern most clearly the frailty and sinfulness of humanity, and their only hope is in the merit of a crucified and risen Savior.—The Great Controversy, pp. 469-471. {BLJ 370.6}
[BLJ 371.1]        Repentance to Be Followed by Change of Character    “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.” Ezekiel 18:30, NKJV. {BLJ 371.1}
[BLJ 371.2]      The learned Nicodemus had read these pointed prophecies ［e.g., Psalm 51:10-13; Ezekiel 36:26, 27］ with a clouded mind, but now he began to comprehend their true meaning, and to understand that even a man as just and honorable as himself must experience a new birth through Jesus Christ, as the only condition upon which he could be saved and secure an entrance into the kingdom of God. Jesus spoke positively that unless a person is born again he or she cannot discern the kingdom which Christ came upon earth to set up. Rigid precision in obeying the law would entitle no one to enter the kingdom of heaven. {BLJ 371.2}
[BLJ 371.3]    There must be a new birth, a new mind through the operation of the Spirit of God, which purifies the life and ennobles the character. This connection with God fits mortals for the glorious kingdom of heaven. No human invention can ever find a remedy for the sinning soul. Only by repentance and humiliation, a submission to the divine requirements, can the work of grace be performed. Iniquity is so offensive in the sight of God, whom the sinner has so long insulted and wronged, that a repentance commensurate with the character of the sins committed often produces an agony of spirit hard to bear. {BLJ 371.3}
[BLJ 371.4]    Nothing less than a practical acceptance and application of divine truth opens the kingdom of God to human beings. Only a pure and lowly heart, obedient and loving, firm in the faith and service of the Most High, can enter there. Jesus also declares that 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.” {BLJ 371.4}
[BLJ 371.5]    The serpent in the wilderness was lifted up on a pole before the people, that all who had been stung unto death by the fiery serpent might look upon this brazen serpent, a symbol of Christ, and be instantly healed. But they must look in faith, or it would be of no avail. Just so must people today look upon the Son of man as their Savior unto eternal life. The human race had separated itself from God by sin. Christ brought His divinity to earth, veiled by humanity, in order to rescue the race from its lost condition. Human nature is vile, and the character must be changed before it can harmonize with the pure and holy in God’s immortal kingdom. This transformation is the new birth.—Signs of the Times, Nov. 15, 1883. {BLJ 371.5}
[BLJ 372.1]        Both Repentance and Forgiveness Are Gifts From Christ    Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:31, NKJV. {BLJ 372.1}
[BLJ 372.2]      There are many who have erroneous ideas in regard to the nature of repentance. They think that they cannot come to Christ unless they first repent, and that repentance prepares them for the forgiveness of their sins. It is true that repentance does precede the forgiveness of sins; for it is only the broken and contrite heart that will feel the need of a Savior. {BLJ 372.2}
[BLJ 372.3]    But must sinners wait until they have repented before they can come to Jesus? Is repentance to be made an obstacle between the sinner and the Savior? Jesus has said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Christ is constantly drawing people to Himself, while Satan is as diligently seeking by every imaginable device to draw them away from their Redeemer. Christ must be revealed to sinners as the Savior dying for the sins of the world; and as they behold the Lamb of God on the cross of Calvary, the mysteries of redemption begin to unfold to the mind, and the goodness of God leads to repentance. {BLJ 372.3}
[BLJ 372.4]    Although the plan of salvation calls for the deepest study of the philosopher, it is not too deep for the comprehension of a child. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and in beholding this love the heart is impressed, the conscience is aroused, and the soul is led to inquire, “What is sin, that it should require such a sacrifice for the redemption of its victim?” . . . The apostle Paul gave instruction in regard to the plan of salvation. He declares, “I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” John, speaking of the Savior, says, “Ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” . . . {BLJ 372.4}
[BLJ 372.5]    Sinners must come to Christ because they see Him as their Savior, their only helper, that they may be enabled to repent; for if they could repent without coming to Christ, they could also be saved without Christ. It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ that leads to genuine repentance. . . . Repentanceis as much the gift of Christ as is forgiveness, and it cannot be found in the heart where Jesus has not been at work. We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ. Christ draws the sinner by the exhibition of His love upon the cross, and this softens the heart, impresses the mind, and inspires contrition and repentance in the soul.—Review and Herald, Apr. 1, 1890. {BLJ 372.5}
[BLJ 373.1]        God Calls for Repentance and Holy Living    For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him. Genesis 18:19, NKJV. {BLJ 373.1}
[BLJ 373.2]      God’s plan for our salvation is perfect in every particular. If we will faithfully perform our allotted part, all will be well with us. It is our apostasy that causes discord, and brings wretchedness and ruin. God never uses His power to oppress the creatures of His hand. He never requires more than they are able to perform; never punishes His disobedient children more than is necessary to bring them to repentance; or to deter others from following their example. Rebellion against God is inexcusable. {BLJ 373.2}
[BLJ 373.3]    The judgments of God quickly following upon transgression, His counsels and reproofs, the manifestations of His love and mercy, and the oft-repeated exhibitions of His power—all were a part of God’s plan to preserve His people from sin, to make them pure and holy, that He might be their strength and shield and their exceeding great reward. But the persistent transgressions of the Israelites, their readiness to depart from God, and their forgetfulness of His mercies, showed that many had chosen to be servants of sin, rather than children of the Most High. {BLJ 373.3}
[BLJ 373.4]    God had created them, Christ had redeemed them. From the house of bondage their cry of anguish went up to the throne of God, and He put forth His arm to rescue them, for their sake, bringing desolation upon the whole land of Egypt. He had granted them high honors. He had made them His peculiar people, and had showered upon them unnumbered blessings. If they would obey Him, He would make them a mighty nation—a praise and excellence in all the earth. God designed to magnify His name through His chosen people, by showing the vast difference existing between the righteous and the wicked, the servants of God and the worshipers of idols. {BLJ 373.4}
[BLJ 373.5]    Joshua sought to show his people the inconsistency of their course of backsliding. He wished them to feel that the time had come to make a decided change, to put away every vestige of idolatry, and to turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart. He endeavored to impress upon their minds the fact that open apostasy would not be more offensive to God than hypocrisy, and a lifeless form of worship. {BLJ 373.5}
[BLJ 373.6]    If the favor of God was worth anything, it was worth everything. Thus Joshua had decided; and after weighing the whole matter, he had determined to serve Him with full purpose of heart. And more than this, he would endeavor to induce his family to pursue the same course.—Signs of the Times, May 19, 1881. {BLJ 373.6}
[BLJ 374.1]        God Waits to Receive All Who Repent    Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. Ezekiel 11:19, 20, NKJV. {BLJ 374.1}
[BLJ 374.2]      The Lord has plainly revealed His will concerning the salvation of the sinner. And the attitude which many assume in expressing doubts and unbelief as to whether the Lord will save them is a reflection upon the character of God. Those who complain of His severity are virtually saying: “The way of the Lord is not equal.” But He distinctly throws back the imputation upon the sinner: “Are not your ways unequal? Can I pardon your transgressions when you do not repent and turn from your sins?” . . . {BLJ 374.2}
[BLJ 374.3]    The Lord will receive sinners when they repent and forsake their sins so that God can work with their efforts in seeking perfection of character. . . . The whole purpose in giving His Son for the sins of the world is that people may be saved, not in transgression and unrighteousness, but in forsaking sin, washing their robes of character, and making them white in the blood of the Lamb. He proposes to remove from sinners the offensive thing that He hates, but they must cooperate with God in the work. Sin must be given up, hated, and the righteousness of Christ must be accepted by faith. Thus will the divine cooperate with the human. {BLJ 374.3}
[BLJ 374.4]    We should beware that we do not give place to doubt and unbelief, and in our attitude of despair complain of God and misrepresent Him to the world. This is placing ourselves on Satan’s side of the question. “Poor souls,” he says, “I pity you, mourning under sin; but God has no pity. You long for some ray of hope; but God leaves you to perish, and finds satisfaction in your misery.” {BLJ 374.4}
[BLJ 374.5]    This is a terrible deception. Do not give ear to the tempter, but say: “Jesus has died that I might live. He loves me, and wills not that I should perish. I have a compassionate heavenly Father; and although I have abused His love, though the blessings He has graciously given me have been squandered, I will arise, and go to my Father, and say: ‘I have sinned . . . , and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.’” {BLJ 374.5}
[BLJ 374.6]    The parable tells you how the wanderer will be received. . . . Thus the Bible represents God’s willingness to receive the repentant, returning sinner.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 631, 632. {BLJ 374.6}
[BLJ 375.1]        Jesus’ Love Draws Sinners to Repentance    Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. John 12:31, 32, NKJV. {BLJ 375.1}
[BLJ 375.2]      Christ came to manifest the love of God to the world to draw the hearts of all to Himself. . . . The first step toward salvation is to respond to the drawing of the love of Christ. God sends message after message to people, entreating them to repentance, that He may forgive, and write pardon against their names. Shall there be no repentance? Shall His appeals be unheeded? Shall His overtures of mercy be ignored, and His love utterly rejected? {BLJ 375.2}
[BLJ 375.3]    Oh, then sinners will cut themselves off from the medium through which they may gain life eternal; for God only pardons the penitent. By the manifestation of His love, by the entreating of His Spirit, He woos them to repentance; for repentance is the gift of God, and whom He pardons He first makes penitent. The sweetest joy comes through sincere repentance toward God for the transgression of His law, and through faith in Christ as the sinner’s Redeemer and Advocate. {BLJ 375.3}
[BLJ 375.4]    It is that all may understand the joy of forgiveness, the peace of God, that Christ draws them through the manifestation of His love. If they respond to His drawing, yielding their hearts to His grace, He will lead them on step by step, to a full knowledge of Himself; and this is life eternal. {BLJ 375.4}
[BLJ 375.5]    Christ came to reveal to the sinner the justice and love of God, that He might give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. When sinners behold Jesus lifted up upon the cross, suffering the guilt of the transgressor, bearing the penalty of sin; when they behold God’s abhorrence of evil in the fearful manifestation of the death of the cross, and His love for fallen humanity, they are led to repentance toward God because of their transgression of the law which is holy, and just, and good. They exercise faith in Christ, because the divine Savior has become their Substitute, Surety, and Advocate, the one in whom their very life is centered. To repenting sinners God can show His mercy and truth, and bestow upon them His forgiveness and love. . . . {BLJ 375.5}
[BLJ 375.6]    By the suffering and death of Christ is proved His boundless love to human beings. He is willing and able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by Him.—Signs of the Times, Sept. 12, 1911. {BLJ 375.6}
[BLJ 376.1]        Good Works to Follow Revival    If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9, NKJV. {BLJ 376.1}
[BLJ 376.2]      The soul that lives by faith in Christ desires no other nor greater good than to know and to do the will of God. It is God’s will that faith in Christ shall be made perfect by works; He connects the salvation and eternal life of those who believe with these works, and through them provides for the light of truth to go to all countries and peoples. This is the fruit of the working of God’s Spirit. {BLJ 376.2}
[BLJ 376.3]    The truth has taken hold of hearts. It is not a fitful impulse, but a true turning unto the Lord, and the perverse will of human beings is brought into subjection to the will of God. To rob God in tithes and offerings is a violation of the plain injunction of Jehovah and works the deepest injury to those who do it; for it deprives them of the blessing of God, which is promised to those who deal honestly with Him. . . . {BLJ 376.3}
[BLJ 376.4]    If Satan cannot keep souls bound in the ice of indifference, he will try to push them into the fire of fanaticism. When the Spirit of the Lord comes among His people, the enemy seizes the opportunity to work also, seeking to mold the work of God through the peculiar, unsanctified traits of different ones who are connected with that work. Thus there is always danger that unwise moves will be made. Many carry on a work of their own devising, a work which God has not prompted. . . . {BLJ 376.4}
[BLJ 376.5]    If the enemy can push individuals to extremes, he is well pleased. He can thus do greater harm than if there had been no religious awakening. We know that there has never yet been a religious effort made in which Satan has not tried his best to intrude himself, and in these last days he will do this as never before. He sees that his time is short, and he will work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness to mingle errors and incorrect views with the work of God and push men and women into false positions. . . . {BLJ 376.5}
[BLJ 376.6]    Hearts that are under the influence of the Spirit of God will be in sweet harmony with His will. I have been shown that when the Lord works by His Holy Spirit, there will be nothing in its operations which will degrade the Lord’s people before the world, but it will exalt them. The religion of Christ does not make those who profess it coarse and rough. The subjects of grace are not unteachable, but ever willing to learn of Jesus and to counsel with one another.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 644-647. {BLJ 376.6}
[BLJ 377.1]        Jesus Pays the Debt of Repentant Sinners    Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4, NKJV. {BLJ 377.1}
[BLJ 377.2]      Among the disciples who ministered to Paul at Rome was Onesimus, a fugitive slave from the city of Colosse. He belonged to a Christian named Philemon, a member of the Colossian church. But he had robbed his master and fled to Rome. . . . In the kindness of his heart, the apostle sought to relieve the poverty and distress of the wretched fugitive, and then endeavored to shed the light of truth into his darkened mind. Onesimus listened attentively to the words of life which he had once despised, and was converted to the faith of Christ. He now confessed his sin against his master, and gratefully accepted the counsel of the apostle. {BLJ 377.2}
[BLJ 377.3]    He had endeared himself to Paul by his piety, meekness, and sincerity, no less than by his tender care for the apostle’s comfort and his zeal to promote the work of the gospel. Paul saw in him traits of character that would render him a useful helper in missionary labor, and he would gladly have kept him at Rome. But he would not do this without the full consent of Philemon. {BLJ 377.3}
[BLJ 377.4]    He therefore decided that Onesimus should at once return to his master. . . . It was a severe test for this servant to thus deliver himself up to the master he had wronged; but he had been truly converted, and, painful as it was, he did not shrink from this duty. Paul made Onesimus the bearer of a letter to Philemon, in which he with great delicacy and kindness pleaded the cause of the repentant slave, and intimated his own wishes concerning him. . . . {BLJ 377.4}
[BLJ 377.5]    He requests Philemon to receive him as his own child. He says that it was his desire to retain Onesimus, that he might act the same part in ministering to him in his bonds as Philemon would have done. But he did not desire his services unless Philemon should voluntarily set him free; for it might be in the providence of God that Onesimus had left his master for a season in so improper a manner, that, being converted, he might on his return be forgiven and received with such affection that he would choose to dwell with him ever after, “not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved.” . . . {BLJ 377.5}
[BLJ 377.6]    How fitting an illustration of the love of Christ toward repenting sinners! As the servant who had defrauded his master had nothing with which to make restitution, so sinners who have robbed God of years of service have no means of canceling their debt; Jesus interposes between them and the just wrath of God, and says, I will pay the debt. Let them be spared the punishment of their guilt. I will suffer in their stead.—Sketches From the Life of Paul, pp. 284-287. {BLJ 377.6}
[BLJ 378.1]        God’s People to Reflect His Glory    The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Isaiah 61:1, NKJV. {BLJ 378.1}
[BLJ 378.2]      The Lord is not pleased to have His people a band of mourners. He wants them to repent of their sins, that they may enjoy the liberty of the children of God. Then they will be filled with the praises of God, and will be a blessing to others. The Lord Jesus was anointed also “to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” . . . {BLJ 378.2}
[BLJ 378.3]    Oh, that this might be the purpose of our lives! Then we should have regard even to the expression of our countenance, to our words, and even to the tone of our voice when we speak. All our business transactions would be wrought in faith and integrity. Then would the world be convinced that there is a people that are loyal to the God of heaven. . . . {BLJ 378.3}
[BLJ 378.4]    God calls for all to come into harmony with Himself. He will receive them if they will put away their evil actions. By a union with the divine nature of Christ, they may escape the corrupting influences of this world. It is time for every one of us to decide whose side we are on. The agencies of Satan will work with every mind that will allow itself to be worked by him. But there are also heavenly agencies waiting to communicate the bright rays of the glory of God to all that are willing to receive Him. It is truth that we want, precious truth in all its loveliness. Truth will bring liberty and gladness.—The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments, vol. 4, pp. 1153, 1154. {BLJ 378.4}
[BLJ 379.1]        Everyone to Work for the Lost    And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16, NKJV. {BLJ 379.1}
[BLJ 379.2]      “If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us”; and that love cannot be restrained. . . . Only by becoming partakers of the divine nature can the law of God be fulfilled by men and women. Only those who love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and their neighbor as themselves, can give glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will to men. This was the work of Christ; and when His work is appreciated and represented by His followers, the great result will be achieved in the “joy that was set before him” in the saving of the souls for whom He gave His life. {BLJ 379.2}
[BLJ 379.3]    The Lord has been laboring constantly from age to age to awaken in the souls of human beings a sense of their divine kinship, and thus to establish an order and divine harmony proportionate to the great and eternal deliverance He has wrought out for everyone who will receive Him. The Lord calls upon all who profess to believe in Him to be coworkers with Him, to use every God-given ability, opportunity, and privilege to lead perishing souls within the sphere of their influence to Jesus Christ. {BLJ 379.3}
[BLJ 379.4]    Here is the only hope for transformation of character; this will give peace and joy in believing, and fit them for the society of the heavenly angels in the kingdom of God. Oh, how earnest, persevering, and untiring should be the efforts of every sin-pardoned soul to seek to bring other souls to Jesus Christ, that their neighbors shall become joint-heirs with Jesus! {BLJ 379.4}
[BLJ 379.5]    Whoever is your neighbor is to be sought for, labored for. Are they ignorant? Let your communication, your association, make them more intelligent. The outcast, the youth, full of defects in character, are the very ones God enjoins upon us to help. “I came not to call the righteous,” said Christ, “but sinners to repentance.” . . . {BLJ 379.5}
[BLJ 379.6]    Those who will be humble enough to learn, the very nobility of the world will consider it an honor to go to heaven in their company, and angels of God will cooperate with such as are workers together with God. We need to hunger and thirst after righteousness, that we may have Christ in us as a well of water, springing up into everlasting life.—Special Instruction Relating to the Review and Herald Office and the Work in Battle Creek, pp. 4-6. {BLJ 379.6}
[BLJ 380.1]        Repentance Essential During Day of Atonement    Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” Revelation 12:10, NKJV. {BLJ 380.1}
[BLJ 380.2]      God is leading His people out from the abominations of the world, that they may keep His law; and because of this, the rage of “the accuser of our brethren” knows no bounds. “The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” {BLJ 380.2}
[BLJ 380.3]    The antitypical land of promise is just before us, and Satan is determined to destroy the people of God, and cut them off from their inheritance. The admonition “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation” was never more needed than now. We are now living in the great day of atonement. In the typical service, while the high priest was making the atonement for Israel, all were required to afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humiliation before the Lord, lest they be cut off from among the people. {BLJ 380.3}
[BLJ 380.4]    In like manner, all who would have their names retained in the book of life should now, in the few remaining days of their probation, afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin, and true repentance. There must be deep, faithful searching of heart. The light, frivolous spirit indulged by so many of professed Christians must be put away. There is earnest warfare before all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for the mastery. {BLJ 380.4}
[BLJ 380.5]    The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of these qualities in another. Though all nations are to pass in judgment before God, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth. Everyone must be tested, and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. {BLJ 380.5}
[BLJ 380.6]    Solemn are the scenes connected with the closing work of the atonement. Momentous are the interests involved therein. The judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. . . . Soon—none know how soon—it will pass to the cases of the living. . . .When the work of the investigative judgment closes, the destiny of all will have been decided for life or death. Probation is ended a short time before the appearing of the Lord in the clouds of heaven. Christ in the Revelation, looking forward to that time, declares: . . . “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”—Gospel Herald, August 1910. {BLJ 380.6}
[BLJ 381.1]        God’s Law Leads to True Repentance    Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings. Jeremiah 26:3, NKJV. {BLJ 381.1}
[BLJ 381.2]      ［The apostle Paul writes that］ “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” . . . The law which promised life to the obedient pronounced death upon the transgressor. “Wherefore,” he says, “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” {BLJ 381.2}
[BLJ 381.3]    How wide the contrast between these words of Paul and those that come from many of the pulpits of today. The people are taught that obedience to God’s law is not necessary to salvation; that they have only to believe in Jesus, and they are safe. Without the law, human beings have no conviction of sin, and feel no need of repentance. Not seeing their lost condition as violators of God’s law, they do not feel their need of the atoning blood of Christ as their only hope of salvation. {BLJ 381.3}
[BLJ 381.4]    The law of God is an agent in every genuine conversion. There can be no true repentance without conviction of sin. The Scriptures declare that “sin is the transgression of the law,” and that “by the law is the knowledge of sin.” {BLJ 381.4}
[BLJ 381.5]    In order to see their guilt, sinners must test their character by God’s great standard of righteousness. To discover their defects, they must look into the mirror of the divine statutes. But while the law reveals their sins, it provides no remedy. The gospel of Christ alone can offer pardon. In order to stand forgiven, sinners must exercise repentance toward God, whose law has been transgressed, and faith in Christ, their atoning sacrifice. {BLJ 381.5}
[BLJ 381.6]    Without true repentance, there can be no true conversion. Many are deceived here, and too often their entire experience proves to be a deception. This is why so many who are joined to the church have never been joined to Christ. {BLJ 381.6}
[BLJ 381.7]    “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” In the new birth, the heart is renewed by divine grace, and brought into harmony with God as it is brought into subjection to His law. When this mighty change has taken place, the sinner has passed from death unto life, from sin unto holiness, from transgression and rebellion to obedience and loyalty. The old life of alienation from God has ended; the new life of reconciliation, of faith and love, has begun. Then will “the righteousness of the law” “be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”—The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, pp. 297, 298. {BLJ 381.7}
[BLJ 382.1]        Christ’s Robe of Righteousness Is for the Repentant    Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you. Jeremiah 26:13, NKJV. {BLJ 382.1}
[BLJ 382.2]      Although as sinners we are under the condemnation of the law, yet Christ, by His obedience rendered to the law, claims for the repentant soul the merit of His own righteousness. In order to obtain the righteousness of Christ, it is necessary for the sinner to know what that repentance is which works a radical change of mind and spirit and action. The work of transformation must begin in the heart, and manifest its power through every faculty of the being; but human beings are not capable of originating such a repentance as this, and can experience it alone through Christ, who ascended up on high, led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto humanity. {BLJ 382.2}
[BLJ 382.3]    Who is desirous of becoming truly repentant? What must they do? They must come to Jesus, just as they are, without delay. They must believe that the word of Christ is true, and, believing the promise, ask, that they may receive. When sincere desire prompts people to pray, they will not pray in vain. The Lord will fulfill His word, and will give the Holy Spirit to lead to repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. They will pray and watch, and put away their sins, making manifest their sincerity by the vigor of their endeavor to obey the commandments of God. With prayer they will mingle faith, and not only believe in but obey the precepts of the law. They will announce themselves as on Christ’s side of the question. They will renounce all habits and associations that tend to draw the heart from God. {BLJ 382.3}
[BLJ 382.4]    All sinners who would become children of God must receive the truth that repentance and forgiveness are to be obtained through nothing less than the atonement of Christ. Assured of this, they must put forth an effort in harmony with the work done for them, and with unwearied entreaty they must supplicate the throne of grace, that the renovating power of God may come into their souls. {BLJ 382.4}
[BLJ 382.5]    Christ pardons none but the penitent, but whom He pardons He first makes penitent. The provision made is complete, and the eternal righteousness of Christ is placed to the account of every believing soul. The costly, spotless robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has been provided for the repenting, believing sinner, and everyone may say: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).—Selected Messages, book 1, pp. 393, 394. {BLJ 382.5}
[BLJ 383.1]        All Who Repent Will Be Forgiven and Accepted    Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1, NKJV. {BLJ 383.1}
[BLJ 383.2]      Though David had fallen, the Lord lifted him up. He was now more fully in harmony with God and in sympathy with his fellow men than before he fell. In the joy of his release he sang: “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. . . . Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:5-7). {BLJ 383.2}
[BLJ 383.3]    Many have murmured at what they called God’s injustice in sparing David, whose guilt was so great, after having rejected Saul for what appear to them to be far less flagrant sins. But David humbled himself and confessed his sin, while Saul despised reproof and hardened his heart in impenitence. {BLJ 383.3}
[BLJ 383.4]    This passage in David’s history is full of significance to the repenting sinner. It is one of the most forcible illustrations given us of the struggles and temptations of humanity, and of genuine repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Through all the ages it has proved a source of encouragement to souls that, having fallen into sin, were struggling under the burden of their guilt. Thousands of the children of God, who have been betrayed into sin, when ready to give up to despair have remembered how David’s sincere repentance and confession were accepted by God, notwithstanding he suffered for his transgression; and they also have taken courage to repent and try again to walk in the way of God’s commandments. {BLJ 383.4}
[BLJ 383.5]    Whoever under the reproof of God will humble the soul with confession and repentance, as did David, may be sure that there is hope for him or her. Whoever will in faith accept God’s promises will find pardon. The Lord will never cast away one truly repentant soul. He has given this promise: “Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me” (Isaiah 27:5). “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” (Isaiah 55:7).—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 726. {BLJ 383.5}