Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.—Ephesians 6:10

The Christian must be upright while dwelling with the corrupt and with traitors. With a heart true to God, and imbued with His Spirit, he will see much to grieve over while surrounded by commandment-breakers—those who are on the side of the great rebel, having thrown off their allegiance to the God of Heaven. The fact that iniquity abounds is a strong reason why he should be watchful, and diligent, and faithful in his Master’s service, that he may rightly represent the religion of Jesus Christ.

On all sides the Christian soldier will hear treasonable plottings and rebellious utterances from those who make void the law of God. This should increase his zeal to act as a faithful sentinel for God, and to use every effort to bring souls to enlist beneath the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel. The more dense the moral darkness, the more earnest should be the endeavor to walk with God, that light and power from Him may be reflected upon those in darkness. The love of genuine Christians will not grow cold because iniquity abounds. As society grows more and more corrupt, as in the days of Noah and of Lot, there will be yearning of soul over deceived, deluded, perishing sinners, who are preparing themselves for a fate similar to that of the transgressors who perished in the waters of the flood and in the fires of Sodom….

We have only a little while to urge the warfare; then Christ will come, and this scene of rebellion will close…. As never before, resistance must be made against sin—against the powers of darkness. The time demands energetic and determined activity on the part of those who believe present truth. They should teach the truth by both precept and example. If the time seems long to wait for our Deliverer to come, if, bowed by affliction and worn with toil, we feel impatient for our commission to close, and to receive an honorable release from the warfare, let us remember—and let the remembrance check every murmur—that God leaves us on earth to encounter storms and conflicts, to perfect Christian character, to become better acquainted with God our Father and Christ our elder Brother, and to do work for the Master in winning many souls to Christ.—The Review and Herald, October 25, 1881.

Further Reflection: Does the antagonism of those who hate Christianity increase my zeal to share the gospel, that even the scoffer might have an opportunity to be saved?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.”—Acts 17:28

In tilling the soil, in disciplining and subduing the land, lessons may constantly be learned. No one would think of settling upon a raw piece of land, expecting it at once to yield a harvest. Earnestness, diligence, and persevering labor are to be put forth in treating the soil preparatory to sowing the seed. So it is in the spiritual work in the human heart. Those who would be benefited by the tilling of the soil must go forth with the word of God in their hearts. They will then find the fallow ground of the heart broken by the softening, subduing influence of the Holy Spirit. Unless hard work is bestowed on the soil, it will not yield a harvest. So with the soil of the heart: the Spirit of God must work upon it to refine and discipline it before it can bring forth fruit to the glory of God.

The soil will not produce its riches when worked by impulse. It needs thoughtful, daily attention. It must be plowed often and deep, with a view to keeping out the weeds that take nourishment from the good seed planted. Thus those who plow and sow prepare for the harvest. None need stand in the field amid the sad wreck of their hopes.

The blessing of the Lord will rest upon those who thus work the land, learning spiritual lessons from nature. In cultivating the soil the worker knows little what treasures will open up before him. While he is not to despise the instruction he may gather from minds that have had an experience, and from the information that intelligent persons may impart, he should gather lessons for himself…. The cultivation of the soil will prove an education to the soul.

He who causes the seed to spring up, who tends it day and night, who gives it power to develop, is the Author of our being, the King of heaven, and He exercises still greater care and interest in behalf of His children. While the human sower is planting the seed to sustain our earthly life, the Divine Sower will plant in the soul the seed that will bring forth fruit unto life everlasting.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 88, 89.

Further Reflection: Is the soil of my heart ready for the seed that the Divine Sower wishes to plant in me today?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

“Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”—Matthew 6:29

Christ taught His disciples that the measure of divine attention bestowed on any of God’s work is proportionate to the rank which that object occupies in the scale of creation. The little brown sparrow, apparently the most inferior of birds, is watched over by Providence. Not one falls to the ground without the notice of our heavenly Father. The flowers of the field, the grass which clothes the earth with verdure—all share the notice and care of our heavenly Father.

“Behold the fowls of the air,” Christ said, “for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:26-29). If the lilies of the field are objects upon which the great Master Artist has bestowed care, making them so beautiful that they out-rival the glory of Solomon, the greatest king that ever wielded a scepter; if the grass of the field is made into a beautiful carpet for the earth, can we form any idea of the regard which God bestows upon humanity, who was formed in His image?

God has given human beings intellect in order that they may comprehend greater things than these beautiful objects in nature. He carries the human agent into a higher department of truth, leading the mind higher and still higher, and opening to them the divine mind. And in the book of God’s providence, the volume of life, each one is given a page. That page contains every particular of his history. Even the hairs of his head are numbered. God’s children are never absent from His mind.

And though sin existed for ages, seeking to counteract the merciful tide of love flowing from God to the human race, yet the love and care that God bestows upon the beings He has created in His own image has not ceased to increase in richness and abundance…. He crowned His benevolence by the inestimable gift of Jesus.—Manuscript Releases 17:182, 183.

Further Reflection: If God cares so much for me, why do I allow the cares of the world to worry me?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

“For many are called, but few are chosen.”—Matthew 22:14

When the householder went to the market and found men unhired, he said, “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” And the reply was, “Because no man hath hired us.” None of those called later in the day were there in the morning. They had not refused the call. Those who refuse and afterward repent, do well to repent; but it is not safe to trifle with the first call of mercy….

The Lord requires that sacred fire be used in His service. We are to bear the message of the divine householder to our fellow human beings. This will impress hearts. In whatever part of the Lord’s vineyard men and women are working, they need closely to examine their own hearts.

If they are inclined to exalt themselves and disparage others, their hearts need to be changed, till they shall no longer place their own estimate upon their own work and the work of others.

We need a spirit of love and of true dependence upon God. When we have implicit faith in Him who is Truth, we shall realize that worry and anxiety are unnecessary.

Whatever work we do, we are to do it for Christ. There are many kinds of temporal work to be done for God. Unbelievers would do this work mechanically, for the wages they receive. They do not know the joy of co-operation with the Master Worker. There is no spirituality in the work of them who serve themselves. Common motives, common aspirations, common inspirations, a desire to be thought clever by people, rule in their life. Such a one may receive praise from people, but not from God. Those who are truly united with Christ do not work for the wages they receive. Laborers together with God, they do not strive to exalt self.

In the last great day decisions will be made that will be a surprise to many. Human judgment will have no place in the decisions then made. Christ can and will judge every case; for all judgment has been committed to Him by the Father. He will estimate service by that which is invisible to humans. The most secret things lie open to His all-seeing eye. When the Judge of all human beings shall make His investigation, many of those whom human estimation has placed first will be placed last, and those who have been put in the lowest place by men and women will be taken out of the ranks and made first.—The Review and Herald, July 31, 1900.

Further Reflection: When was the last time that I heard the applause of heaven for some selfless act of service?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.”—Isaiah 28:16

Our Redeemer is a “Tried Stone.” The experiment has been made, the great test has been applied, and with perfect success. In Him is fulfilled all the purpose of God for the saving of a lost world. Never was a foundation subject to so severe a trial and test as this “Tried Stone.” The Lord Jehovah knew what this foundation stone could sustain. The sins of the whole world could be piled upon it. The Lord’s chosen were to be revealed, heaven’s gates to be thrown open to all who would believe; its untold glories were to be given to the overcomers.

“A Tried Stone” is Christ, tried by the perversity of human beings. Thou, O our Saviour, hast taken the burden; Thou hast given peace and rest; Thou hast been tried, proved by believers who have taken their trials to Thy sympathy, their sorrows to Thy love, their wounds to Thy healing, their weakness to Thy strength, their emptiness to Thy fullness; and never, never has one soul been disappointed. Jesus, my Tried Stone, to Thee will I come, moment by moment. In Thy presence I am lifted above pain. “When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2).

It is our privilege to enjoy sweet communion with God. Precious to the believer is His atoning blood, precious is His justifying righteousness. “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious” (1 Peter 2:7).

When I meditate upon this fountain of living power from which we may draw, I mourn that so many are losing the delight they might have had in considering His goodness. We are to be sons and daughters of God, growing into a holy temple in the Lord. “No more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God…. Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:19, 20). This is our privilege. How is Heaven amazed at the present condition of the church that could be so much to the world were every stone, in its proper place, a living stone to emit light.—The Review and Herald, March 19, 1895.

Further Reflection: Is Jesus a proven Tried Stone to you, One on whom I can depend? Do I trust Jesus with my most painful trials?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names