The acceptance of truth is one of God's means of sanctification. The more clearly we understand the truth that He sends to us, and the more faithfully we obey it, the more humble shall we be in our own estimation, and the more exalted shall we be in the estimation of the heavenly universe. The more unselfish our efforts for God, the more Christlike will be their influence, and the greater will be the good they will accomplish.
There is a wide difference between the spirit of the world and the spirit of Christ. One leads to self-seeking, to striving for treasures that will be destroyed by the fires of the last day; the other leads to self-denial and self-sacrifice, to striving for the treasures that never perish.
The Holy Spirit, received by faith, breaks stubborn hearts. This is the soul and power of the sanctification of the truth, the source of the faith that works by love and purifies the heart. All true exaltation grows out of the humiliation developed in the life of Christ, shown by the wonderful sacrifice that He made to save perishing souls. He who is exalted by God must first humble himself. God has exalted Christ above every name that is named. But Christ first reached to the very depths of human woe, weaving Himself into the sympathies of the race by His meekness and gentleness. He has set an example that all who engage in His service are to follow.
"Learn of me," said the greatest Teacher that the world has ever known. "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt. 11:29). It is not enough for us to read the Word of God. The Scriptures are given for our instruction, and we are to search them carefully and diligently. We are to study the Word of God, comparing one portion with another. Scripture is the key that unlocks scripture. As we read and study and pray, there is beside us a divine Teacher, the Holy Spirit, enlightening our understanding, that we may comprehend the great truths of God's Word.--Pacific Union Recorder, Feb. 23, 1905. YRP 55
A Christlike life is the most powerful argument that can be advanced in favor of Christianity. CS 95
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:3 (King James Version)