Shall any man or woman be indifferent to the very souls for whom Christ is pleading in the courts of heaven? Shall you in your course of action, imitate the Pharisees, who would be merciless, and Satan, who will accuse and destroy? O will you individually humble your own souls before God, and [let] that stern nerve and iron will be subdued and broken?
Step away from the sound of Satan’s voice and acting his will, and stand by the side of Jesus, possessing His attributes, the possessor of keen and tender sensibilities, who can make the cause of the afflicted, suffering ones His own. The person who has had much forgiven will love much. Jesus is a compassionate Intercessor, a merciful and faithful high priest. He, the Majesty of heaven—the King of glory—can look upon finite men and women, subject to the temptations of Satan, knowing [that] He has felt the power of Satan’s Wiles. “Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, (clothing His divinity with humanity) that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:17, 18).
Then I call upon you, my brethren, to practice working in the lines that Christ worked. You must never put on the cloak of severity and condemn and denounce and drive away from the fold poor, tempted mortals; but as laborers together with God, heal the spiritually diseased. This you will do if you have the mind of Christ. Hebrews 4:15. Also Isaiah 40:28. He “fainteth not neither is weary.”—Manuscript 34, 1893.
Further Reflection: If there is a spirit of condemnation in me, how can I overcome it? If there is a tendency in my church to denounce those who err, what can I do to change it? JNN 343
The life in which the fear of the Lord is cherished will not be a life of sadness and gloom. It is the absence of Christ that makes the countenance sad, and the life a pilgrimage of sighs. Those who are filled with self-esteem and self-love do not feel the need of a living, personal union with Christ. The heart that has not fallen on the Rock is proud of its wholeness. Men want a dignified religion. They desire to walk in a path wide enough to take in their own attributes. Their self-love, their love of popularity and love of praise, exclude the Saviour from their hearts, and without Him there is gloom and sadness. But Christ dwelling in the soul is a wellspring of joy. For all who receive Him, the very keynote of the word of God is rejoicing. COL 162
As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him.—Psalm 103:13. NKJV