They were to present the truth of God in such a manner that the people might be led to lay hold upon the blessings placed within their reach . . .

The workers in the cause of God may learn valuable lessons from the instruction Jesus gave to the seventy disciples, and from their experiences. These disciples were sent to the cities and villages whither Jesus Himself was to follow, to awaken an interest in the work of Jesus, that the people might be prepared to receive the grand truths that He would impart to them.

"After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves" (Luke 10:1-3). . . .

"And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you" (verses 8, 9).

This was to be the burden of their message. They were not to lose sight of this message, nor to enter into controversy over matters that were unessential, or that would close the door to the important truths Jesus had bid them teach. They were to teach from the Old Testament, explaining the prophecies of the mission and the work of Christ, and presenting truths that would soften the hearts of the people, that they might be prepared to receive Christ, when He should follow. . . .

The seventy had not, like the twelve, been constantly with Jesus, yet they had often heard His lessons of instruction. They were sent forth under His direction, to work as He Himself was working. Wherever they went, they were to sound the message, "The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. All may be admitted into His kingdom who will receive His message and His Messenger. This is the day of your visitation." They were to present the truth of God in such a manner that the people might be led to lay hold upon the blessings placed within their reach.--Letter 119, April 14, 1905, to the members of the Nashville church. TDG 113


When Eden shall bloom on earth again, God's holy rest day will be honored by all beneath the sun. "From one Sabbath to another" the inhabitants of the glorified new earth shall go up "to worship before Me, saith the Lord." Hvn 142



And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:15-16 (New King James Version)

If you do not take Christ's word as the man of your counsel, you will not reveal His wisdom or His spiritual life . . .

The question is asked, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? What shall we do to gain heaven? This important question is answered to all who desire to know, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:29). . . . "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world" (verse 33). "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (verse 35).

Christ gives them to understand that a man needs to be taught of God in order to comprehend these things. This is the cause of so much cheap knowledge of the Scriptures in the churches of today. Ministers preach only portions of the Word, and refuse to practice even as much as they teach. This leads to misconceptions of the Word and doctrine, it creates error and misinterpretations of the Scripture. . . .

We may be taught by man to see the truth clearly, but God alone can teach the heart to receive the truth savingly, which is to receive the Words of eternal life into good and honest hearts. The Lord is waiting patiently to instruct every willing soul who will be taught. The fault is not with the willing Instructor, the greatest Teacher the world ever knew, but it is with the learner who holds to his own impressions and ideas, and will not give up his human theories and come in humility to be taught. He will not allow his conscience and his heart to be educated, disciplined, and trained--worked as the husbandman works the earth, and as the architect constructs the building. . . .

Everyone needs to be worked, molded, and fashioned after the divine similitude. Christ tells you, my dear friends, young and old, the everlasting truth, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you" (verse 53).

If you do not take Christ's word as the man of your counsel, you will not reveal His wisdom or His spiritual life.--Letter 88, April 13, 1900, to the managers and teachers in the Avondale School. TDG 112


When the storm of persecution really breaks upon us, the true sheep will hear the true Shepherd's voice. Self-denying efforts will be put forth to save the lost, and many who have strayed from the fold will come back to follow the great Shepherd. Hvn 92



Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 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 6:47-51 (New King James Version)

Those only will enter heaven who have overcome the temptation to speak and act unkindly and harshly . . .

God calls upon believers to cease finding fault, to cease making hasty, unkind speeches. Parents, let the words that you speak to your children be kind and pleasant, that angels may have your help in drawing them to Christ. A thorough reformation is needed in the home church. Let it begin at once. Let all grumbling and fretting and scolding cease. Those who fret and scold shut out the angels of heaven and open the door to evil angels.

Let the husband and wife remember that they have burdens enough to carry without making their lives wretched by allowing differences to come in. Those who give place to little differences invite Satan into their home. The children catch the spirit of contention over mere trifles. Evil agencies do their part to make parents and children disloyal to God.

My brethren and sisters, will you not be laborers together with God, working for peace and harmony. Pray for the sweet, molding influence of the Holy Spirit. Let your lips be governed by the law of kindness. Refuse to be sour, uncourteous, unkind. Be true to your profession of faith. . . .

When you agree to wear Christ's yoke, when you heed the invitation, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt. 11:29), you will cease to bind yokes on the necks of others. You will cease to find fault. You will no longer regard it as a virtue to differ from others. You will dwell on those points on which you can agree.

We are preparing to meet our Lord when He comes in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. In this grand and noble work, we are to help one another. Parents are to bring all the sunshine and pleasantness that they can into their homes. They are to make their homes full of sunshine by kindly words and deeds. . . .

Do not serve the enemy of God by exhibiting a harsh, unkind spirit. Those only will enter heaven who have overcome the temptation to speak and act unkindly and harshly. Act out the mind of Christ, speak the words of Christ, and the Lord Jesus, by His Holy Spirit, will be a guest in your home.--Letter 133, April 12, 1904, to Edson and Emma White. TDG 111


As the little infants come forth immortal from their dusty beds, they immediately wing their way to their mothers' arms. They meet again nevermore to part. Hvn 45



And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 (New King James Version)

In their greatest need He was close by them . . .

Yesterday, Brother [Charles] Chittendon took out a number of us on the water in his boat. . . . We remained on the water and beach all day. Sailed out of the Golden Gate upon the ocean. . . . The waves ran high and we were tossed up and down so very grandly. . . . The spray dashing over us. The watchful captain giving his orders, the hands ready to obey. The wind was blowing strong and I never enjoyed anything as much in my life.

I was today to write upon Christ walking on the sea and stilling the tempest. Oh, how this scene was impressed upon my mind. . . . The majesty of God and His works occupied my thoughts. He holds the winds in His hands, He controls the waters. Finite beings, mere specks upon the broad, deep waters of the Pacific, were we in the sight of God, yet angels of heaven were sent from His excellent glory to guard that little sailboat that was careening over the waves. . . .

How vividly before my mind was the boat with the disciples buffeting the waves. The night was dark and tempestuous. Their Master was absent. The sea was strong, the winds contrary. Had Jesus, their Saviour, been with them, they would have felt safe. All through the long and tedious night they bend to their oars, forcing their way against wind and waves. They are beset with danger and horror. These were strong men, accustomed to hardships and perils, and not easily intimidated with danger.

They had expected to take their Saviour on board the ship at a certain point designated, but how without Him could they even reach that spot? All in vain, the wind was against them. The strength of the rowers was exhausted and yet the merciless storm had not abated, but was lashing the waves into a fury as though to engulf the boat and themselves. Oh, how they longed for Jesus.

In the hour of their greatest peril, when they had given up all for lost, amid the lightning flashes in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus is revealed to them walking upon the water. Oh, then Jesus had not forgotten them! His watchful eye of tender sympathy and pitying love had watched them, all through that fearful storm. In their greatest need He was close by them.-- Letter 5, April 11, 1876, to James White. TDG 110


Jesus took the nature of humanity, in order to reveal to man a pure, unselfish love, to teach us how to love one another. Hvn 74



O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them. Psalm 89:8-9 (New King James Version)

He greatly desired that the people should receive His words . . .

He who purchased the human family with His own blood, charges as done to Himself any insult offered to a child of His. His law is to extend the shield of divine protection over every soul who puts his trust in Him.

Christ's denunciations, the woes that He pronounced, were followed by exclamations of the deepest sorrows....

Just before His crucifixion, He beheld the city [of Jerusalem], and wept over it, saying, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!" (Luke 19:42). Then He paused. They had come to the crest of Olivet, and the disciples, catching sight of Jerusalem, were about to burst forth unto exclamations of praise; but they saw that their Teacher, in the place of being joyful, was in an agony of tears.

Christ was approaching the end of His mission, and He knew that when that time should come, Jerusalem's day of probation would have ended. But He was reluctant to pronounce the words of doom. For three years He had come, seeking fruit and finding none. During these years one object was ever upon His soul--to present before His thankless, disobedient people the solemn warnings and gracious invitations of heaven. He greatly desired that the people should receive His words.

How graciously He had invited them. How anxiously He had labored to awaken in their hearts the comprehension that He was the only hope of Israel, the promised Messiah. . . . His lifework was to convince His disobedient people that He was their only hope. He carried them on His heart. He did all that He could do to save them. But at the end of His work in this world He was forced to say in an agony of tears, "Ye would not come unto Me that ye might have life."

The cloud of divine wrath was gathering over Jerusalem. Christ saw the city beleaguered. He saw it lost. In a voice full of tears he exclaimed, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes" (verse 42).

I present this feeble representation . . . to those who are today going over the same ground, refusing the messages of the grace of God.--Letter 317a, April 10, 1905, to "Dear Brethren in the Ministry and the Medical Missionary Work." TDG 109


It is no arbitrary decree on the part of God that excludes the wicked from heaven; they are shut out by their own unfitness for its companionship. The glory of God would be to them a consuming fire. They would welcome destruction, that they might be hidden from the face of Him who died to redeem them. Hvn 66



He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. John 1:11 (New King James Version)

Those who follow this way must constantly deny self. They must obey the teachings of Christ.... Let us not trust in man, but in Jesus Christ . . .

Christ came to teach us, not only what we ought to know and believe, but also what we ought to do in our relations with God and with our fellow men. The golden rule of equity demands that we do unto others as we would they should do unto us. We are to keep their eternal interests in view, saying to ourselves, “They are the purchase of the Saviour’s blood, bought with a price.”

In all our dealing with our fellow men, whether they be believers or unbelievers, we are to treat them as Christ would treat them were He in our place. If it is for our present and eternal good to obey the law of God, it will be for their present and eternal good also to do this. Our highest aim is to be to them medical missionary workers after Christ’s order....

All who enter through the pearly gates into the city of God must have set forth Christ in all their dealings. It is this that constitutes them the messengers of Christ, His witnesses. They are to bear a plain, decided testimony against all evil practices, pointing them to the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He gives to all who receive Him, power to become the sons of God.

Regeneration is the only path by which we can reach the holy city. It is narrow and the gate by which we enter is strait, but along it we are to lead men and women and children, teaching them that in order to be saved, they must have a new heart and a new spirit. The old hereditary traits of character are to be overcome. The natural desires of the soul must be changed. All deception, all falsifying, all evil-speaking must be put away. The new life, which makes men and women Christlike, is to be lived. We are, as it were, to swim against the current of evil.

The way to heaven is narrow, hedged in by the divine law of Jehovah. Those who follow this way must constantly deny self. They must obey the teachings of Christ.... Let us not trust in man, but in Jesus Christ, who died that He might win us to righteousness.—Letter 103, April 9, 1905,, to E. S. Ballenger, an administrator at the Paradise Valley Sanitarium. TDG 108


The sinner could not be happy in God's presence; he would shrink from the companionship of holy beings. Could he be permitted to enter heaven, it would have no joy for him. The spirit of unselfish love that reigns there --every heart responding to the heart of Infinite Love --would touch no answering chord in his soul. Hvn 65



Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12 (New King James Version)

Christ’s last words to His disciples show the importance to be placed on the work of spreading the truth . . .

Those in the home field who have a knowledge of the truth and of the blessings that this knowledge brings, should remember the needs of those who are laboring in new fields, where the work is hard and facilities few....

The instruction given in the tenth chapter of Matthew shows how the Lord regards those who go forth to work for Him in new fields. Read this chapter. Study what Christ said in regard to the perils the messengers would have to meet and the hardships they would have to endure. “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves,” He said to His disciples: “be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Today those who labor in new fields have many trials and difficulties to encounter. They need the help and sympathy of their brethren in the home field, where facilities for work are more abundant and means more easily obtained.

Christ’s last words to His disciples show the importance to be placed on the work of spreading the truth. Just before His ascension He gave them the commission, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19, 20).

Christ did not confine His labors to one place. Of His work we read, “...And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee” (Luke 4:43, 44).

Would that all who have the light of truth would follow the example set by Christ, and not expend their God-given time and ability and means in one or two places, when the light of truth is to go to all the world. The wonderful display of grace shown in the gospel message is to be carried to all places.—Letter 92, April 8, 1902,, to “My Brethren in Responsible Positions in the Medical Missionary Work.” TDG 107


We tried to call up our greatest trials, but they looked so small compared with the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that surrounded us, that we could not speak them out, and we all cried out, Alleluia! heaven is cheap enough, and we touched our golden harps and made heaven's arches ring. Hvn 60-61



And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 (New King James Version)

The rich fool died in his bloated wealth, but the helpless sinner was brought to Christ . . .

Christ recognizes no caste, no nationality. He holds it as His prerogative, divine and incommunicable, to work after His own might and pleasure. The compassionate Redeemer, He labored among all classes. When the paralytic was let down through the roof at His feet, He saw at a glance the trouble of the sufferer, and He immediately exercised His power as a sin-pardoning Saviour. “Be of good cheer,” He said; “thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matthew 9:2).

At this, some of the scribes said within themselves, “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2:7). How astonished they were to have their unspoken thoughts opened before them. “Why reason ye these things in your hearts?” Jesus asked. “Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house” (Verses 8-11).

Christ changed the relation of the sinner toward God, taking the guilt from the inmost soul. The rich fool died in his bloated wealth, but the helpless sinner was brought to Christ, and manifesting his belief that Christ could heal him, he was not disappointed. His diseased mind was first cured, and then the great Physician cured his bodily infirmities.

Thus Christ drew the people to Him. He was unfolding truths of the highest order. The knowledge He came to impart was the gospel, in all its richness and power. The sin bearer, He is alive to all the horrors which sin brings upon the soul, and He came to this world with a message of deliverance.

What is Christianity? God’s instrumentality for the conversion of the sinner. Jesus will call to account every one who is not brought under His control, who does not demonstrate in his life the influence of the cross of Calvary. Christ should be uplifted by those whom He has redeemed by dying on the cross.—Manuscript, April 7, 1899, p. 56, “Following Christ.” TDG 106


A crown of glory . . . is laid up for us who wait, and love, and long for, the appearing of the Saviour. Hvn 56



Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Acts 10:34-35 (New King James Version)

Bear in mind that the success of reproof depends greatly upon the spirit in which it was given . . .

As you go to the one you suppose to be in fault, see that you speak in a meek and lowly spirit, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. The erring can in no other way be restored than in the spirit of meekness and gentleness and tender love. Be careful in your manner of speaking. Avoid everything in look or gesture, word or tone of voice, that savors of pride or self-sufficiency. Guard yourself against word or look that would exalt yourself or set your goodness and righteousness in contrast to their failings. Beware of the most distant approach to disdain, overbearing, or contempt. With care, avoid every appearance of anger, and though you use plainness of speech, yet let there be no reproach, no railing accusation, no token of warmth, but that of earnest love.

Above all, let there be no shadow of hate or ill will, no bitterness or soreness of expression. Nothing but kindness and gentleness can flow from a heart of love. Yet all these precious fruits need not hinder your speaking in the most serious, solemn manner, as though angels were directing their eyes upon you, and you acting in reference to the coming judgment.

Bear in mind that the success of reproof depends greatly upon the spirit in which it was given. Do not neglect earnest prayer that you may possess a lowly mind, and that angels of God may work upon the hearts before you, which you are trying to reach, and so soften them by heavenly impressions that your efforts may avail. If any good is accomplished take no credit yourself. God alone should be exalted. God alone hath done it all....

All your efforts to save the erring may be unavailing. They may repay you evil for good. They may be enraged rather than convinced. What if they hear to no good purpose and pursue the evil course they have started to follow? This will frequently be the case. Sometimes the mildest and tenderest reproof will have no good effect. In that case the blessing you wanted another to receive by pursuing a course of righteousness, ceasing to do evil and learning to do well, will return into your own bosom. If the erring persist in sin, treat them kindly and leave them with your heavenly Father.—Letter, April 6, 1868, p. 30, to Brother and Sister Rogers. TDG 105


We have His promise. We hold the title deeds to real estate in the kingdom of glory. Never were title deeds drawn up more strictly according to law, or signed more legibly, than those that give God's people a right to the heavenly mansions. Hvn 55



“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. Matthew 18:15 (New King James Version)

As Christians we want a new and living experience every day . . . Ask Him to help you. Pray the oftener . . . Lay hold upon strength from above . . .

Oh, if every one would only know by personal experience how much of heaven’s promised rest can be secured to the soul, even now, by sincere prayer. If one has not learned this lesson, every other lesson of life [had] better not be learned till he shall learn in the school of Christ how to master this lesson.

As Christians we want a new and living experience every day. We want to learn how to trust Jesus, to believe in Him and confide everything to Him. Jacob was raised from a man of feebleness and defects, through faith in God in prayer, to be a prince with God. He prevailed through faith. God is omnipotent. Man is finite. In converse with God, we may lay the most secret thing of the soul open to Him—for He knows it all—but not to man....

Do not become careless and separate from the Source of your strength. Watch your thoughts, watch your words, and in all things you seek to do, seek to glorify God. The more closely you lie at the foot of the cross, the more clearly will you see the matchless charms of Jesus and the unparalleled love He has evidenced for fallen man....

Let not the pressure of business separate you from God, for if you ever need counsel and clear forethought and sharp ideas, it is when you have much work on your hands. It is then that you need to take time to pray, to have increased faith and implicit trust in the counsel of the Physician in Chief. Ask Him to help you. Pray the oftener the more critical the work you have to do....

Oh what a theme to contemplate that man, depraved and lost in his natural condition, may be renewed and saved by the gracious help that Christ gives him in the gospel. The love of Jesus in the soul will drive out the enemy who is seeking to take possession of man. Every trial patiently borne, every blessing thankfully received, every temptation faithfully resisted, will make you a strong man in Jesus Christ. All this grace may be gained in the prayer of faith....

Lay hold upon strength from above. Even Jesus, when preparing for some great trial, would resort to the solitude of the mountains and spend the night in prayer to His Father.—Letter, April 5, 1886, p. 11, to Dr. Gibbs, a physician at the St. Helena Sanitarium. TDG 104


How great will be the joy when the redeemed of the Lord shall all meet,--gathered into the mansions prepared for them! O, what rejoicing for all who have been impartial, unselfish laborers together with God in carrying forward His work in the earth! Hvn 55



“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 (New King James Version)

Man may try with his entrusted and cultivated powers to represent something of heaven and he will make a blunder of the whole thing . . .

You [IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST BY MRS. STEWART, AN ARTIST, WHO ASKED ELLEN WHITE TO WRITE A DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW JERUSALEM.] express a desire for me to describe things concerning the New Jerusalem. I positively decline to do anything of the kind. My powers would be inadequate to do this or even make an approach to it, and I advise you not to make any attempt to have a particular representation which will carry the impression that it is the representation of the New Jerusalem. The most eloquent representation of the New Jerusalem is but . . . [an] attempt to present it.

Anyone who is dealing with the future unseen world may best describe its untold glories by quoting the words of Paul, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Cor. 2:9). I feel that many approach sacred things as though their finite powers were capable of taking them in. . . .

There is so large a number that tread on holy ground with unsanctified feet that we are very cautious, even in statements that we present to them in regard to sacred and eternal things, because finite and common ideas become mixed with the holy and sacred. Man may try with his entrusted and cultivated powers to represent something of heaven and he will make a blunder of the whole thing.

Your power as an artist will, when stretched to its utmost capacity fall down faint and weary in seeking to take in the things of the unseen world, and yet there is an eternity beyond. With these statements you will excuse me from attempting to portray before you anything concerning the works of the great Master Artist.

Let the imaginations of the people be on the highest stretch to contemplate the glories of the New Jerusalem and yet they have but just entered upon the borders of the eternal weight of glory that shall be realized by the faithful overcomer. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the ground whereon thou standeth is holy. This is the very best answer I can give to your question.-- Letter 54, April 4, 1886, to Sister Stewart. TDG 103


And the redeemed will be sharers in [Jesus'] joy, as they behold, among the blessed, those who have been won to Christ through their prayers, their labors, and their loving sacrifice. Hvn 49



For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. Isaiah 64:4 (New King James Version)

He will meet with trials, but he must always be brave and cheerful . . . Through Christ, who strengthens him, he is enabled to bear all things . . .

The triumph of the truth is dependent on the influence of those who believe it. By personal labor, by a well-ordered life, by piety, faith, and tender compassion, we are to advance the truth. We have a heaven to win. The highest rewards are presented to the overcomer. Yes, an eternal weight of glory is held out before us to induce us to so run that we may obtain the crown of life that fadeth not away.

He who determines to overcome has a warfare before him from which there is no release. Manfully he is to fight the good fight of faith. Lawfully he is to strive, day by day seeking for purity and moral excellence. This God requires him to do that he may represent Christ. He is to believe the promises of God, and trust in Christ, showing those around him that he has an inexhaustible treasure from which to draw. His words are to be right words, his spirit the right spirit. His hands are never to grow weak in doing the work God has given him to do. He will meet with trials, but he must always be brave and cheerful. He is to treat all as the purchase of the blood of Christ, without partiality and without hypocrisy. The Holy Spirit is his helper. Through Christ, who strengthens him, he is enabled to bear all things. . . .

The talents God has entrusted will call for proportionate returns. God accepts "according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not" (2 Cor. 8:12). He does not expect from the man who has only one talent that which He expects from him who has five. If the wealthy choose to gratify every selfish desire, to enjoy the good things of this life, they will be judged accordingly. They refuse to honor Christ by humble obedience, to lift His cross. They live to please and gratify self, and thus dishonor God; and He declares, "Them that honour me I will honour" (1 Sam. 2:30). . . .

Only those who trade faithfully upon their talents, with a solemn sense of their responsibility, do a great work, because of their steadfast faithfulness. . . . Only those who glorify Him by wisely improving the gifts lent them by aiding the cause of God, are great in His sight.--Manuscript 53, April 3, 1899, "Words of Instruction to Those Connected With the Sanitarium." TDG 102


Some of them had very bright crowns, others not so bright. Some crowns appeared heavy with stars, while others had but few. All were perfectly satisfied with their crowns.! Hvn 47



In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Titus 2:7-8 (New King James Version)

I love Him! I love Him! . . .

There is a measurement of character constantly going on. The angels of God are estimating your moral value, and ascertaining your needs, and bearing your case to God. How earnestly we should strive to meet the mind of the Spirit of God! And O, how thankful we should be that help has been laid upon One who is mighty to save! . . .

Do you manifest impatience, and utter hasty words? Are you full of self-esteem? Have you lustful thoughts and practices? Are you doing things directly contrary to the purposes of God? Are you robbing your heavenly Father by withholding your talents and your heart from Him? Why not cease doing this way? Why not make a full surrender to God? He will impart to you His light and peace, and you will taste of His salvation. Do not any longer bring to God a lame, diseased offering. Your powers, mental and physical, are enfeebled by your own course of transgression; but such an offering is not acceptable to heaven. Why not come and be healed of your infirmities, and offer a living sacrifice, holy, and without blemish? Have you been robbing God in tithes and offerings? Here is instruction for you. Says the Lord, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal. 3:10). Why not take the Lord at His word? It is our privilege to experience the joy of Christ.

It would be a difficult matter to convince those who have tasted of the rich knowledge of Christ, that He is as a root out of dry ground, without form or comeliness; and He may become to our souls "the chiefest among ten thousand," and the One "altogether lovely" (S. of Sol. 5:10, 16). I love Him! I love Him! I see in Jesus matchless charms. I see in Him everything to be desired by the children of men. Let us come to the "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Let us, through His merits and righteousness, obtain a fitting up for heaven. The broken and contrite heart He will not despise.-- Review and Herald, April 2, 1889. TDG 101


Jesus raised His mighty, glorious arm, laid hold of the pearly gate, swung it back on its glittering hinges, and said to us, "You have washed your robes in My blood, stood stiffly for My truth, enter in." Hvn 47



I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 (New King James Version)

Every day warn someone who knows not that the end of all things is at hand . . .

Let not cares be so magnified that the time shall be occupied in many cares that are not positively essential. The seriousness of this question presses upon my mind with an intensity that I cannot express. Time is passing, and when I am presented with the many churches that are not prepared to work for the Master, but are in a careless, unconcerned state, I am alarmed, and inquire, What can I say, what can I do, to change this order of things? I can say, "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36, 37).

I think none of us are in a state to realize we must be laborers together with God. Many do not understand what true conversion means, what it involves. And now I address you and your family, that you may be aroused and impressed with the solemn duty to seek to arouse them to a sense of the need of most diligent watching and seeking to save perishing souls out of Christ. Every day warn someone who knows not that the end of all things is at hand.

Not one jot or tittle of God's holy requirements will ever be changed to meet man in his unready condition. His holy Word will never change or be done away. The world is asleep in their sins. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but His Word can never pass away. All of us must be guided by the Word of God. What a work is before us, and professed Christians realize it not! "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). . . .

How few realize the influence of the little things in this life. Those who can bear the test, the proving of God, will be acknowledged of Christ. The truth, saving truth, of God's Word, lived, will fit us for the company of the redeemed. God help us to appreciate moral excellence. Refined mental qualities, sanctified, are of more value than the gold of Ophir. The formation of a true moral standing with God is the work of a lifetime. Teach this, my dear brother and sister, by precept and example.--Letter 37a, April 1, 1903, to Brother and Sister Burden, at the Sydney, Australia, Sanitarium. TDG 100


And they were all clothed with a glorious white mantle from their shoulders to their feet. Angels were all about us as we marched over the sea of glass to the gate of the city. Hvn 47



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 (New King James Version)

The Bible, His word, is to make us wise unto salvation . . .

In dealing with unreasonable and wicked men, those who believe the truth are to be careful not to bring themselves down to the same level, where they will use the same Satanic weapons that their enemies use, by giving loose rein to strong personal feelings, and arousing against themselves and against the work the Lord has given them to do, passion and bitter enmity. Keep Jesus uplifted. We are laborers together with God. We are provided with spiritual weapons, mighty to the pulling down of the strongholds of the enemy. We must in no case misrepresent our faith by weaving unChristlike attributes into the work. We must exalt the law of God, as binding us up with Jesus Christ and all who love Him and keep His commandments. We are also to reveal a love for the souls for whom Christ has died. Our faith is to be demonstrated as a power of which Christ is the Author. And the Bible, His word, is to make us wise unto salvation.

Let the righteousness of Christ, with its life-giving influence, into the soul, and then you can sing, He forgiveth all our iniquities. You say, I am full of spiritual disease. The great Physician is calling you to come to Him, that He may heal you. He healeth all our diseases. The worst of these diseases are envy, jealousy, evil-surmising, evil-speaking, a desire to follow plans that counterwork the work of God. The lives of all ought to be holy, but they are full of depravity, and because of this, men are easy subjects for Satan's temptations. But if Christ abides in your heart, you can say, He redeemeth our life from destruction: He crowneth us with lovingkindness and tender mercy. Then let songs of praise be upon our lips and in our heart. Meditate upon Christ's sufferings for us. In the place of watching to find something to accuse and condemn in others, thank the Lord that there is forgiveness with Him. Christ is grieved when we criticize and accuse; for this is the work of Satan. Let us draw water from the wells of salvation, and praise the Lord.

It is not sermonizing that gives evidence that the soul is born again. An appreciation of Christ's tenderness toward the sheep of His pasture gives evidence of this.--Manuscript 46, March 31, 1898, "The Work Before God's People." TDG 99


We all entered the cloud together, and were seven days ascending to the sea of glass, when Jesus brought the crowns, and with His own right hand placed them on our heads. He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory. Hvn 47



For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (New King James Version)

If we are doing service for God, and our work is corresponding with the ability God has given us, that is all He expects of us . . .

We need not think that because we are only a tiny light, that we need not be particular about shining. The great value of our light lies in its consistency in shining amid the moral darkness of the world, in shining not to please ourselves and glorify ourselves, but to honor God with all there is of us. If we are doing service for God, and our work is corresponding with the ability God has given us, that is all He expects of us. . . .

We know that the lamps which give us light have no light in themselves. They cannot fill themselves. So the holy appointed ones must empty the golden oil into the golden tubes. And the heavenly fire, when applied, makes them burning and shining lights. Our hearts cannot reflect light until there is a vital connection with heaven. This alone can make them burn steadily with holy, unselfish love for Jesus, and for all who are the purchase of His blood. And unless we are constantly replenished with the golden oil, the flame will die out. Unless the love of God is an abiding principle in our hearts, our light will go out. . . .

Satan and his confederate angels point to those who profess to be children of God, but who by their disposition and actions show that they are after the similitude of the apostate, and taunt Christ and the heavenly angels. How long shall we thus crucify the Son of God afresh, so that God is ashamed to call us His sons and daughters? Is it not time that we put away childish things? Shall we be of the number who are ever learning, yet never able to come to a knowledge of the truth?

It is the golden oil that the heavenly messengers empty into the golden tubes, to be conducted into the golden bowl, that creates a continuous, bright and shining light. It is the love of God continually transferred to the human agent that keeps him a bright and shining light for God. Then he can communicate light and truth to all who are in darkness and error and sin. The golden oil is not manufactured by any human skill. It is the unseen power of the holy messengers who wait before the throne of God to communicate to everyone who is in darkness that they may diffuse heaven's light. Into the hearts of those united to God by faith, His golden oil of love flows freely.-- Manuscript 27, March 30, 1897, "The Church a Repository of Truth." TDG 98


There stands the risen host. . . The last thoughts they had were of the grave and the tomb, but now they proclaim, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?". . . The last thing they acknowledged was the pangs of death. When they awake the pain is all gone. Hvn 42



‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6b (New King James Version)

The Lord reads every thought of the heart, every impulse of the mind. If we have not the spirit to give freely, we mock Him . . .

Liberality is one of the directions of the Holy Spirit, and when the professed people of God withhold from the Lord His own in tithes and offerings, they meet with spiritual loss. The Lord does not reward a stinted liberality. He calls upon the people to honor Him with their substance, and with the first-fruits of all their increase.

It is not possible to lay down rules for every case; for in many instances such a course would distress the giver. The circumstances in which some are placed, and which are of God’s appointment, are to be considered. The Lord expects a man to impart of what he has and not of what he has not. With some a tenth of the income would not properly represent the proportion they should give to the Lord, while to others it is a fair return.

How many are losing rich blessings and becoming spiritually dwarfed because they withhold from God His own. The enemy of God and man is constantly at work to divert the treasures which belong to God and to please and honor and glorify the human agent. My family needs call for this and for that, men say, and convenience after convenience is added to the house in furniture, in clothing, in dainties for the table. They fail to limit their desires, when by so doing they would bring blessing to themselves and to their families.

God has made us His almoners, copartners with Him in the great work of advancing His kingdom on the earth. We may pursue the course taken by the unfaithful steward, and by so doing lose the most precious privileges ever granted to men. For thousands of years God has worked through human agencies, but at His will He can drop out the selfish, the money lover, the covetous. He can carry on His work though we act no part in it. But who among us would be pleased to have the Lord do this? ...

The Lord reads every thought of the heart, every impulse of the mind. If we have not the spirit to give freely, we mock Him.

When we show to the world, to angels, and to men that the prosperity of the cause of God is our first consideration, God will bless us.—Manuscript, March 29, 1899, p. 47, “God Loveth a Cheerful Giver.” TDG 97


[Jesus] died for us, and was raised for us, that we might come forth from the tomb to a glorious companionship with heavenly angels, to meet our loved ones and to recognize their faces, for the Christlikeness does not destroy their image, but transforms it into His glorious image. Every saint connected in family relationship here will know each other there. Hvn 39



The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself. Proverbs 11:25 (New King James Version)

A holy desire to live the life of Christ is to fill our hearts . . .

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 side. 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. So artful are the plans of the enemy, so specious the complications that he brings about, that those who are weak in the faith cannot discern his deceptions. They fall into the snares prepared by Satan, who works through human instrumentalities to deceive if possible the very elect. Only those who are closely connected with God will be able to discern the falsehoods, the intrigues, of the enemy....

Think of the glory awaiting those who overcome! They will see the face of Him in whose presence there is fulness of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

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 Saviour. Men of the world are striving for the supremacy. God’s followers are to keep Christ ever in view, inquiring, Is this the way of the Lord? A holy desire to live the life of Christ is to fill our hearts. In Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

O that our people could realize what advantages would be theirs if they would look constantly to Jesus! “We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). He is our Alpha and our Omega. Pressing close to His side 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. His words are engraven on the tablets of the soul, and we are His witnesses, representing Him in the daily life.—Letter, March 28, 1903, p. 47, to F. C. Gilbert, a Jewish minister working for his own people. TDG 96


We shall know our friends, even as the disciples knew Jesus. They may have been deformed, diseased, or disfigured, in this mortal life, and they rise in perfect health and symmetry; yet in the glorified body their identity will be perfectly preserved. Hvn 39



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 (New King James Version)

The truth works by love and faith works by love, and it purifies the soul . . .

If you are closely connected with Jesus Christ, the Source of light and wisdom, you may become strong men and women in Christ. We are so willing to be content without any special evidence of our nearness to God that we fail where we might make a success. Every provision has been made by Jesus that we might not only believe an unpopular truth but that we might have joy in Him. The truth works by love and faith works by love, and it purifies the soul. . . .

Now the question is, Are you gaining in the knowledge of the truth? Have you a living connection with Jesus Christ? You see Abraham had, and he talked with angels, and he could ask a favor of them. You see that Moses had a living connection with God, and his earnest petition was that he might see the glory of God. "Show me Thy glory," was his petition. Well now, the Lord did not rebuke him for making that request; he was not presumptuous in trying to know more of God and His glory. But we see that that mighty man of faith was hid in a cleft of the rock, and the hand of God was placed over the rock, and then He revealed to him His glory.

We have not earnestness enough in our faith or in our experience. . . . I hope there is not one of you that will settle down with a contented position because you believe the truth. Just as long as there is a soul to save in all the world you want to press yourselves to the Source of all light and power that you may save these souls. You do not care to have an earthly, worldly mold upon your experience. You have souls to save or to lose and you want a great deal more of Jesus brought into your lives, into your character, and into your experience. You can be a help and blessing to one another by being true in every position where you are, by feeling that you are God's representative upon the earth. . . .

Do not allow the truth, because it is so often repeated to you, to become a matter of no special benefit; but let it be fitting us day by day for the society of heavenly angels in the kingdom of God.--Manuscript 19a, March 27, 1886, "Lessons From the Life of Abraham." TDG 95


His faithful ones [will] be rewarded, when, at His coming, death loses its sting and the grave is robbed of the victory it has claimed. Then will He restore to His servants the children that have been taken from them by death. Hvn 38



Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10 (New King James Version)

The firmer hold we have on heaven, the greater will be our power of usefulness in the world . . .

The requirements of God are set plainly before us, and the question to be settled is, Will we comply with them? Will we accept the conditions laid down in His Word--separation from the world? This is not the work of a moment or of a day. It is not accomplished by bowing at the family altar, and offering up lip service, neither by public exhortation and prayer. It is a lifelong work. Our consecration to God must be a living principle, interwoven with the life, and leading to self-denial and self-sacrifice. It must underlie all our thoughts and be the spring of every action. This will elevate us above the world, and separate us from its polluting influence.

All our actions are affected by our religious experience, and if this experience is founded on God and we understand the mysteries of godliness, if we are daily receiving of the power of the world to come, and hold communion with God, and have the fellowship of the Spirit, if we are each day holding with a firmer grasp the higher life, and drawing closer and still closer to the bleeding side of the Redeemer, we shall have inwrought in us principles that are holy and elevating. Then it will be as natural for us to seek purity and holiness and separation from the world, as it is for the angels of glory to execute the mission of love assigned them in saving mortals from the corrupting influence of the world. Every one who enters the pearly gates of the city of God will be a doer of the Word. He will be a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. It is our privilege to realize the fulness there is in Christ, and be blessed by the provision made through Him. Ample provision has been made that we should be raised from the lowlands of earth, and have our affections fastened upon God and heavenly things.

Will this separation from the world in obedience to the divine command, unfit us for doing the work the Lord has left us? Will it hinder us from doing good to those around us? No; the firmer hold we have on heaven, the greater will be our power of usefulness in the world.--Manuscript 1, March 26, 1869, "Diligence in the Work of Preparation." TDG 94


All who have died in the faith of the third angel's message come forth from the tomb glorified, to hear God's covenant of peace with those who have kept His law. Hvn 28



If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:1-2 (New King James Version)

No matter by whom light is sent, we should open our hearts to receive it in the meekness of Christ . . .

Brethren, we must sink the shaft deep in the mine of truth. You may question matters with yourselves and with one another, if you only do it in the right spirit; but too often self is large, and as soon as investigation begins, an unchristian spirit is manifested. This is just what Satan delights in, but we should come with a humble heart to know for ourselves what is truth. The time is coming when we shall be separated and scattered, and each one of us will have to stand without the privilege of communion with those of like precious faith; and how can you stand unless God is by your side, and you know that He is leading and guiding you? Whenever we come to investigate Bible truth, the Master of assemblies is with us. The Lord does not leave the ship one moment to be steered by ignorant pilots. We may receive our orders from the Captain of our salvation. . . .

If a brother is teaching error, those who are in responsible positions ought to know it; and if he is teaching truth, they ought to take their stand at his side. We should all know what is being taught among us, for if it is truth, we need to know it. The Sabbath school teacher needs to know it, and every Sabbath school scholar ought to understand it. We are all under obligation to God to know what He sends to us. He has given directions by which we may test every doctrine--"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). But if it is according to this test, do not be so full of prejudice that you cannot acknowledge a point when it is proved to you, simply because it does not agree with your ideas.

Do not catch at every objection, however small, and make it as large as possible, and preserve it for future use. No one has said that we shall find perfection in any man's investigations, but this I do know, that our churches are dying for the want of teaching on the subject of righteousness by faith in Christ, and for kindred truths.

No matter by whom light is sent, we should open our hearts to receive it in the meekness of Christ.--Review and Herald, March 25, 1890. TDG 93


The King of kings descends upon the cloud, wrapped in flaming fire. The heavens are rolled together as a scroll, the earth trembles before Him, and every mountain and island is moved out of its place. Hvn 32



Test all things; hold fast what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (New King James Version)

Those who talk faith will have faith, and those who talk discouragements will have discouragements. By beholding we become changed . . .

It is the privilege of the Christian to connect with the Source of light, and through this living connection become the light of the world. Christ's true followers will walk in the light as He is in the light and therefore they will not travel in an uncertain way, stumbling because they walk in darkness. The Great Teacher is impressing upon His hearers the blessing which they may be to the world, represented as the sun rising in the east, dispelling the mist and the shadows of darkness. The dawn gives place to day. The sun, gilding, tinting, and then glorifying the heavens with its blaze of light is a symbol of the Christian life. As the light of the sun is light and life and blessing to all that live, so should Christians, by their good works, by their cheerfulness and courage, be the light of the world. As the light of the sun chases away the shades of night and pours its glories on valleys and hills, so will the Christians reflect the Sun of Righteousness which shines on him.

Before the consistent lives of Christ's true followers, ignorance, superstition, and darkness will pass away, as the sun dispels the gloom of night. In like manner the disciples of Jesus will go into the dark places of the earth, disseminating the light of truth until the pathway of those in darkness shall be illuminated by the light of truth.

In what contrast to this is the life of the professed child of God who is as the salt without the savor. He has no vital connection with God and, like the worthless salt--which Christ describes as being thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men--he has no saving properties. Thus is the life of a professed follower of Christ if he has not a living connection with Jesus Christ. These sunless professors are shadows of darkness. . . .

Every expression of doubt strengthens unbelief. Every thought and word of hope, courage, light, and love strengthens faith and fortifies the soul to withstand the moral darkness that exists in the world. Those who talk faith will have faith, and those who talk discouragements will have discouragements. By beholding we become changed.--Letter 16, March 24, 1880, to a General Conference officer. TDG 92


Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man's hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man. Hvn 31



This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7 (New King James Version)

There is a God who is King over the universe. We are His children, not the subjects of capricious fate . . .

Stormy times are before us. The earth is corrupt, and will increase in corruption. But you may have perfect trust in Christ. Notwithstanding the violence, the crime, the appropriation by men of money to which they have no right, there is a God who is King over the universe. We are His children, not the subjects of capricious fate. We have, yes, you have, as you read the words of encouragement spoken by Christ, the sacred promise that will renew the springs of hope. You may rejoice in a living Saviour. He is our risen Lord. His promises are for all who will receive Him.

The divine lessons in the Word of God show us that the whole man is to be treated respectfully. The powers of mind, the strong passions, are not to be crushed as enemies, but are to be brought under the control of Christ, harnessed for His service. Clothed with the whole armor, we are to do battle for truth and righteousness. All our powers are to be consecrated to the purest ends.

Christ came to redeem humanity. He is interested in all our actions. He desires to mold and fashion us after the divine similitude. Not until every case is decided will Christ be at rest. I have been permitted to behold His solicitude, and the great love wherewith He has loved us. I have not a doubt in regard to the past leadings of His providence in the history of our cause. I should be as guilty as the children of Israel could I not learn lessons from the reproofs that God gave them. Disobedience must and will be punished unless men and women turn from transgression and sin and make their weakest points their strongest through continual watchcare. Darkness will become light through obedience....

Christ has given the message, full of the blessings of His power. He came to redeem humanity, and He will continue to send message after message to save His flock from Satanic delusions. He will not cease to send His messages until the redeemed universe shall be at rest.—Letter, March 23, 1906, p. 100, to Brother and Sister Stephen Belden, aged self-supporting workers. TDG 91


God is our Father, who loves and cares for us as His children; He is also the great King of the universe. The interests of His kingdom are our interests, and we are to work for its upbuilding. Hvn 22



Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 (New King James Version)

The law of God is a reflection of His character . . .

All the varied capabilities that men possess, soul, body, and spirit, are given them of God to be so educated and trained that they may reach the highest possible degree of excellence. The human agency must cooperate with the divine purpose, and in so doing man is pronounced a laborer together with God. Every faculty, every attribute with which God has endowed us is to be used to His name's glory. Man must cooperate with Christ to restore the moral image of God in man, and it is in wearing the yoke of Christ, and learning daily Christ's meekness and lowliness, that Christ can use him to be a blessing to his fellow men.

Taught first by Christ, and then guarding his own mind and soul, he shall serve a holy purpose in lifting his own thought to that which is pure and elevating, and through words and example awaken in the soul of his fellow men devotion and gratitude to God. In thus doing he is a laborer together with God. He is not to employ one entrusted gift to exalt self, to seek praise of men, but to exalt God, to inspire minds--not to think of what glory he may bring to himself, but how he can prove himself a blessing to his fellow men and become the most successful agency to draw souls to contemplate heavenly things. He must teach others in words and deeds to walk in Christ's footsteps. Then his own mind will become well-balanced, and his endowments will be appreciated as the gift of God to be employed in God's great plan to help in every way possible. By harmonious action with God in His great plan, he will fill his appointed place. He will bring himself back, through the grace of God given him to the perfection of Christ's character. Uplifted himself, through the grace of God, he is prepared to uplift by his own transformation of character his fellow men both by precept and example.

All the gifts of God are to be exercised to produce as well as to consume. In no case can this work become a self-centered work, or exclusive of his fellow workmen. . . .

This probationary life is given to bring man back to this perfection which is to be the character of all who shall be saved. The law of God is a reflection of His character.--Letter 46, March 22, 1900, to David Steed, an Australian believer. TDG 90


An understanding of the hope of Christ's second coming is the key that unlocks all the history that follows, and explains all the future lessons. Hvn 19



If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:11 (New King James Version)

Believe the Word of God, keep looking unto Jesus, dwelling upon His virtues and mercies . . .

The temptations of the enemy will come; but shall we give him the advantage to break down all the barriers, by yielding one iota from the strictest principles of integrity? If we yield in the least, he will follow one temptation with another, until we shall go directly contrary to the plainest statements of the Word of God, and follow the mind and will of Satan. Satan and his confederacy of evil angels are ever on the alert to see by what means they may ensnare and ruin souls who have enlisted under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel. You did run well for a season, you did taste and see that the Lord is good; but when you fell into sin, you walked in darkness. When you yielded to temptation, you must have ceased to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. But, having confessed your sins, believe that the Word of God cannot fail, but that He is faithful that hath promised. It is just as much your duty to believe that God will fulfil His word, and forgive your sins, as it is your duty to confess your sins. You must exercise faith in God as in one who will do exactly as He has promised in His Word, and pardon all your transgressions.

How may we know that the Lord is indeed our sin-pardoning Redeemer, and prove what is the blessedness, the grace, the love there is in Him for us? O, we must believe His word implicitly, with contrite and submissive spirit! There is no need to go mourning and ever repenting, and under a cloud of continual condemnation. Believe the Word of God, keep looking unto Jesus, dwelling upon His virtues and mercies, and there will be created in the heart an utter abhorrence of that which is evil. You will be among those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. But the more closely we discern Jesus, the more clearly we shall see our own defects of character.

As we see our failings, let us confess them to Jesus, and, with true contrition of soul, cooperate with the divine power of the Holy Spirit to overcome all evil. If we confess our sins, we must believe that they are pardoned, because the promise is positive. --Review and Herald, March 21, 1912. TDG 89


Perseverance in prayer has been made a condition of receiving. We must pray always if we would grow in faith and experience. SC 97



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 (New King James Version)

As living branches of the true Vine, all will be united to Christ . . .

Look at the cross of Calvary. It is a standing pledge of the boundless love, the measureless mercy, of the heavenly Father. O that all might repent and do their first works. When the churches do this, they will love God supremely and their neighbors as themselves. Ephraim will not envy Judah, and Judah will not vex Ephraim. Divisions will then be healed, the harsh sounds of strife will no more be heard in the borders of Israel. Through the grace freely given them of God, all will seek to answer the prayer of Christ, that His disciples should be one, even as He and the Father are one. Peace, love, mercy, and benevolence will be the abiding principles of the soul. The love of Christ will be the theme of every tongue, and it will no more be said by the true Witness, "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" (Rev. 2:4). The people of God will be abiding in Christ, the love of Jesus will be revealed, and one Spirit will animate all hearts, regenerating and renewing all in the image of Christ, fashioning all hearts alike. As living branches of the true Vine, all will be united to Christ, the living head. Christ will abide in every heart, guiding, comforting, sanctifying, and presenting to the world the unity of the followers of Jesus, thus bearing testimony that the heavenly credentials are supplied to the remnant church. In the oneness of Christ's church it will be proved that God sent His only begotten Son into the world. . . .

Works will not buy for us an entrance into heaven. The one great Offering that has been made is ample for all who will believe. The love of Christ will animate the believer with new life. He who drinks from the water of the fountain of life, will be filled with the new wine of the kingdom. Faith in Christ will be the means whereby the right spirit and motive will actuate the believer, and all goodness and heavenly-mindedness will proceed from him who looks unto Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith. Look up to God, look not to men. God is your heavenly Father who is willing patiently to bear with your infirmities, and to forgive and heal them.--Review and Herald, March 20, 1894. TDG 88


Never can the cost of our redemption be realized until the redeemed shall stand with the Redeemer before the throne of God. Hvn 17



But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14 (New King James Version)

The ability to enjoy the riches of glory will be developed in proportion to the desire we have for these riches . . .

It is because He [Christ] has borne the punishment in His own body on the cross that man has a second probation. He may, if he will, return this loyalty. But, if he refuses to obey the commands of God, if he rejects the warnings and messages God sends, choosing rather the words of fallacy spoken by those who echo the word of the Deceiver, he is willingly ignorant, and the condemnation of God is upon him. He chooses disobedience because obedience means lifting the cross and practicing self-denial, and following Christ in the path of obedience.

The natural mind leans toward pleasure and self-gratification and it is Satan's policy to manufacture an abundance of this, that they may be filled with excitement, leaving men and women no time to consider the question, How is it with my soul? The love of pleasure is infectious. Given up to this, the mind hurries from one point to another, ever seeking for some amusement. . . .

The ability to enjoy the riches of glory will be developed in proportion to the desire we have for these riches. How shall an appreciation of God and heavenly things be developed unless it is in this life? If the claims and cares of the world are allowed to engross all our time and attention, our spiritual powers weaken and die because they are not exercised. In a mind wholly given to earthly things, every inlet through which light from heaven may enter, is closed. God's transforming grace cannot be felt on mind and character. The talents which should be used in active piety, are ignored and neglected. How then can a response be made when the invitation is heard, "Come; for all things are now ready" (Luke 14:17)? How is it possible for a man to receive the commendation, "Well done, good and faithful servant," when he has been disobedient, unthankful, unholy? He has trained the mind to disregard God's plainest requirements, to dislike religious things. He loves the things of earth more than the things of heaven.

Obedience to God's commands will enroll our names in the Lamb's book of life, "for we are made partakers of Christ" (Heb. 3:14).--Manuscript 28, March 19, 1899, "Think Not That I Am Come to Destroy the Law." TDG 87


[Jesus] declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." If by any effort of our own we could advance one step toward the ladder, the words of Christ would not be true. But when we accept Christ, good works will appear as fruitful evidence that we are in the way of life, that Christ is our way, and that we are treading the true path that leads to heaven. Hvn 11



Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24 (King James Version)

All this takes time and money, and that means souls . . .

He [God] wants us to see the natural beauty in our world. He wants us to see this, and to educate our children to see that these are an expression of God's love to man. Here is a voice speaking to you parents to soften and subdue your hearts. Keep ever before you the One that made heaven and earth, that clad the world with its green velvet carpet, that has given us the lofty trees and clad them in their green foliage. But instead of talking of the praise of the God that made all these, humanity talks of the things of human manufacture, and they think of their houses that are so beautiful and their dresses that are so richly adorned. All this takes time and money, and that means souls. God has given us money that we may expend it to His glory. Oh, if the curtain could be rolled back: if we could only get a sight of the love of God that passeth knowledge. I scarcely dare to touch it; I scarcely dare to mention the glory that is in reserve. For whom? Every soul that has been tested and tried and that has an eye single to the glory of God, that will be loyal to the truth of heaven. The world's honor, the world's glory, and the world's applause are not worth anything to us.

Every soul that believes in Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, what then? Then the love flows from the heart of God to his heart. What does that heart do then? It turns to serve God and keep His commandments lest it will be found as Adam and Eve were after their transgression. We cannot afford that. We cannot afford to sin. Sin is an expensive business. . . .

We want to enter the gates of the eternal city. When the pearly gates are thrown back we want to hear the voice of welcome. We want to have the crown of immortal glory placed upon our brow. We want that robe that is woven in the loom of heaven, white as no fuller on earth can white it; we want to see the King in His beauty and behold His matchless charms. . . . I beg of you to lay up your treasures in heaven. Rid yourself of everything that will so confuse your mind that you will not be able to distinguish between the sacred and the common.-- Manuscript 20, March 18, 1894, "Our Father's Care for His Children." TDG 86


Many are losing the right way, in consequence of thinking that they must climb to heaven, that they must do something to merit the favor of God. They seek to make themselves better by their own unaided efforts. Hvn 11



Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21 (King James Version)

An abundance of money has spoiled them for faithfully fulfilling their stewardship . . .

How many of God's gifts have been misused, because those to whom they were given did not have the fervor of the love of Christ in the soul. There is great need of each one doing his best. There are those who would have used wisely the talents given them, if they had been left to struggle and depend on their capabilities. But they became the possessors of means, and they lost the incentive to cultivate their talents, and make all possible of themselves by communicating what they had. An abundance of money has spoiled them for faithfully fulfilling their stewardship.

Let all who claim to be Christians deal wisely with the Lord's goods. God is making an inventory of the money lent you and the spiritual advantages given you. Will you as stewards make careful inventory? Will you examine whether you are using economically all that God has placed in your charge, or whether you are wasting the Lord's goods by selfish outlay in order to make a display? Would that all that is spent needlessly, were laid up as treasure in heaven.

God gives more than money to His stewards. Your talent of imparting is a gift. What are you communicating of the gifts of God in your words, in your tender sympathy? Are you allowing your money to go into the enemy's ranks to ruin the ones you seek to please? Then again, the knowledge of the truth is a talent. There are many souls in darkness that might be enlightened by true, faithful words from you. There are hearts that are hungering for sympathy, perishing away from God. Your sympathy may help them. . . .

The first work for all Christians to do is to search the Scriptures with most earnest prayer, that they may have that faith that works by love, and purifies the soul from every thread of selfishness. If the truth is received into the heart, it works like good leaven, until every power is brought into subjection to the will of God. Then you can no more help shining, than the sun can help shining.--Manuscript 42, March 17, 1898, "To Every Man His Work." TDG 85


Christ gave Himself to a shameful, agonizing death, showing His great travail of soul to save the perishing. Oh, Christ is able, Christ is willing, Christ is longing, to save all who will come unto Him! Hvn 11



As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10 (King James Version)

He rejoices to deliver them from the wrath which is to fall upon the disobedient . . .

By giving His life for the life of the world, Christ bridged the gulf that sin had made, joining this sin-cursed earth to the universe of heaven as a province. God chose this world to be the theater of His mighty works of grace. While the sentence of condemnation was suspended over it because of the rebellion of its inhabitants, while the clouds of wrath were accumulating because of the transgression of the law of God, a mysterious voice was heard in heaven, "Lo, I come. . . to do thy will, O God" (Ps. 40:7, 8). Our substitute and surety came from heaven declaring that He had brought with Him the vast and inestimable donation of eternal life. Pardon is offered to all who will return their allegiance to the law of God. But there are those who refuse to accept a "thus saith the Lord." They will not reverence and respect His law. They make rigorous human enactments in opposition to a "thus saith the Lord," and by precept and example lead men, women, and children into sin. They exalt human enactments above the divine law. But the condemnation and wrath of God are suspended over the disobedient. The clouds of God's justice are gathering. The material of destruction has been piled up for ages; and still apostasy, rebellion, and disloyalty against God is continually increasing. The remnant people of God, who keep His commandments, will understand the word spoken by Daniel, "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand" (Dan. 12:10).

Satan has called this world his territory. Here his seat is, and he holds in allegiance to himself all who refuse to keep God's commandments, who reject a plain, "thus saith the Lord." They stand under the enemy's banner; for there are but two parties in the world. All rank either under the banner of the obedient or under the banner of the disobedient.

Jesus is now sending His message to a fallen world. He delights to take apparently hopeless material, those through whom Satan has worked, and make them the subjects of His grace. He rejoices to deliver them from the wrath which is to fall upon the disobedient.--Manuscript 41, March 16, 1898, " The Measure of God's Love." TDG 84


Never should the Bible be studied without prayer. Before opening its pages we should ask for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and it will be given. SC 91



Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: Galatians 1:4 (King James Version)