Infallible Assurance, January 23

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3.

Many, very many, will be terribly surprised when the Lord shall come suddenly as a thief in the night. Let us watch and pray, lest coming suddenly He find us sleeping. My soul is deeply stirred as I consider how much we ought to do for perishing souls. The prediction of Daniel, “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4), is to be fulfilled in our giving of the warning message; many are to be enlightened regarding the sure word of prophecy….

The salvation of souls should be our first consideration. I am troubled when I see many rejoicing in temporal prosperity, for those who possess worldly treasure seldom seek earnestly to secure the heavenly. They are in danger of falling into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown man in destruction….

We need a more firm reliance upon a “Thus saith the Lord.” If we have this, we shall not trust to feeling, and be ruled by feeling. God asks us to rest in His love. It is our privilege to know the Word of God as a sure and tried guide, an infallible assurance. Let us work on the faith side of the question. Let us believe and trust, and talk faith and hope and courage. Let the praise of God be in our hearts and on our lips oftener than it is. “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me” (Psalm 50:23). Keep the mind stayed upon God, and know the love of Christ as the Word of God reveals it. This Word is life. Talk of Christ; call others to behold Him as your Redeemer.

It is our privilege to rest in an active, living faith in Christ as the Life-giver. It is our privilege to comprehend with all saints, what is the length and depth and height, and to know the love of God which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all the fullness of God. Let us contemplate Christ as the One in whom all fullness dwells. Beholding Him as our personal Saviour, we shall appreciate the value of His saving grace. We should think about Jesus more than we do. We should let His praise be in our hearts. We should speak of the love that has been so abundantly expressed for us. We certainly have every reason to praise God with heart and soul and voice, saying, I will praise the Lord for His great love wherewith He hath loved me….

Lift Him up, the Christ of Calvary; lift Him up, that the world may behold Him. Talk of His goodness, sing of His love, and give Him the grateful thanks of your hearts.—Letter 12, January 23, 1907, to “Brother and Sister Nicola.”

I Am a Child of God, January 22

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Romans 8:17.

The influence of grace is to soften the heart, to refine and purify the feelings, giving a heaven-born delicacy and sense of propriety. A Christian cannot be self-exalted, for this is not Christlike. The world's Redeemer, the sinner's substitute and surety, says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)….

But let us continually bear in mind that the meek and lowly Jesus has the spirit and the ambition of a conqueror. The vast dominions over which earthly potentates hold sway form no adequate theater for the exercise of His grace, the expression of His love, and the manifestation of His glory. He who loves the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and sincerity will love those whom Christ died to save, and will eagerly embrace every opportunity to minister to Christ in the person of His disciples.

We must look at our lives as sons and daughters of God, as laborers with Jesus Christ, living for a noble purpose. We are representatives of Jesus Christ in character, and are to serve Him with our undivided affections. Not only will we reveal the fact that we love God, but will, in accordance with His holy character, live a pure, perfect life. We must live perfection, because in looking at Jesus we see in Him the embodiment of perfection; and the great Center upon whom our hope of eternal life and happiness is centered will lead us to unity and harmony….

The life we now live must be by faith in Jesus Christ. If we are Christ's followers our lives will not be as pieced out by little cheap spasmodic actions according to circumstances and surroundings—jerking actions, revealing feelings to be our master, indulging in little frettings, envious faultfindings, jealousies, and selfish vanity. These put us all out of harmony with the harmonious life of Jesus Christ, and we cannot be overcomers if we retain these defects….

When exposed to varied scenes in life, and words are spoken that are calculated to cut and bruise the soul, speak to yourself: “I am a child of God, an heir with Jesus Christ, a colaborer with God. I must not therefore have a cheap mind, easily to take offense, always thinking of myself, for this will naturally produce an inharmonious character. It is unworthy of my noble calling. The heavenly Father has given me my work to do; let me be worthy of the trust.”—Letter 78, January 22, 1893, to E. J. Waggoner, a prominent minister.

The Life That Lasts, January 21

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind. Matthew 13:47.

We have abundant evidence that tares grow with wheat in the church of God. There are sincere Christians in the church, and there are also lukewarm Christians. These have opportunity to know the truth. The Word of God is presented to them; they come to the banquet, as Judas came to the Passover, but like Judas, they do not eat the Word of life. No one can compel them to eat the Word of eternal life—to make thorough work for repentance, that they may obtain a Christian experience, and become rooted and grounded in the truth….

We must not be overwhelmed with discouragement because good and bad are gathered into the church. Judas was numbered among the disciples. He had every advantage a man could have, but although he heard the truth, and listened to the principles so plainly laid down, yet Christ knew that he did not receive the truth. He did not eat the truth. It did not become a part of himself. His old habits and practices constantly sought to assert themselves. But Christ did not take forcible means to cut Judas away from the disciples….

All who are trying to do true service to God will be brought into perplexity. But do not think of failure. Do not talk of discouragement. Let all be united in doing the will of our heavenly Father…. If we are Christians, we cannot follow the world's policy. “It is written” must be our constant counselor. What ungodly men do should not guide us….

Men act as though they had been given special liberty to cancel the decisions of God. The higher critics put themselves in the place of God, and review the Word of God, revising or endorsing it. In this way, all nations are induced to drink the wine of the fornication of Babylon. These higher critics have fixed things to suit the popular heresies of these last days. If they cannot subvert and misapply the Word of God, if they cannot bend it to human practices, they break it….

All who are doers of the Word of God will be blessed abundantly. Whatever crosses they must lift, whatever losses they must sustain, whatever persecution they may suffer, even if it be to the loss of their temporal life, they are amply recompensed; for they secure that life which measures with the life of God. In losing their lives for Christ's sake, they gain a life which lasts through the eternal ages. They walk under the direction of the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. They shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads.—Letter 48, January 21, 1897, to “Brethren Daniells and Salisbury,” leading workers in Australia.

Help Only in Christ, January 20

I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10.

I know that all who are saved in the kingdom of God will have battles to fight against Satan; and I know that he will work every device to secure you to himself, for through you he could afflict us and weaken our courage and bring a burden of care upon us. But I am glad for every letter that we receive expressing your feelings of determination to press on and fight the good fight of faith. You say you love Jesus and mean to devote your lives to His service. Precious resolution!

The more you preserve your Christian integrity to know and understand for yourself the way of life and salvation, the less of the worldly mold will be upon you. The more you know of Jesus, the more you will desire to know, and the more ignorant you will feel that you are in regard to things of eternal interest. We want the right spirit, the teachable spirit, willing to learn in Christ's school the lessons of humility and meekness. “Learn of me,” said the heavenly Teacher, “for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29, 30).

It is when we seek to carry our own burdens and when we manufacture a yoke for our own necks that the yoke is grievous and the burden becomes heavy. We want Christ's meekness; then little things will not irritate us. We may have zeal in working, but this is not all that we need. We want true Christian sympathy. We want self and our will submerged in the will of Christ. We want an eye single to the glory of God. We want to be continually anxious and working for the honor and glory of God.

The soundness of our principles will be tested, and the strength of our loyalty will be proved. I wish all could see as I have seen the sharp, keen, persevering workings of Satan to tempt and to deceive. His vigilance never relaxes. He has ready access to souls because they are not attentive to heed the warnings God has given them…. So many invite the enemy to tempt them. They walk so carelessly that they become an easy prey. They throw wide open the citadel of the soul and invite his entrance, place themselves in circumstances where they will be entrapped….

We are to remain just the people God designed we should be, gathering the divine rays of light from the Son of righteousness, and diffusing these rays amid the moral darkness that covers the earth.—Letter 8a, January 20, 1879, to Edson and Emma White.

The Family a Symbol, January 19

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Ephesians 3:14, 15.

In the church, officers are appointed as co-workers with God for the edification of the body of Christ. Mothers and fathers who are doers of the Word of God are a part of the body of Christ. They nurture and admonish their children in accordance with God's Word, raising up a little army to stand under Christ's banner. They are God's witnesses, showing to the world that they are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christ is their pattern and they educate their children to know God.

In the prayer Christ offered in behalf of His disciples just before His betrayal and crucifixion, He said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Should not every family on earth be a symbol of the family in heaven? In each household should there not be heard songs of praise and thanksgiving?

The family whose members love God and one another, who do not get provoked, who are longsuffering, forbearing, kind, is a symbol of the family above. The members realize that they are a part of the great firm of heaven. They are taught by the laws of mutual dependence to rely upon the great Head of the church. If one of the members of such a family suffer, all the rest suffer. The suffering of one entails suffering on the other. This should teach the youth to take care of their bodies, and to pray to be preserved in health, because when they suffer from disease, the whole family partakes of their suffering.

Those men and women who have determined to serve God will seek to govern their families so that they may correctly represent the religion of Christ. The children will be taught to be tidy and useful, to share the burdens of the home, not allowing the parents to bear any [burden] which they can carry. Thus the lot of mother and father is made much easier. The whole family shares the blessing of the helpfulness of its members.

Why do not parents come to Jesus just as they are, asking for His forgiving grace and healing power? Why do they not plead to be endowed with capabilities that will enable them to rule their households aright? …

God is robbed when men and women do not connect with Him in such a way that mind, soul, and strength may be controlled by the Holy Spirit. The family of God here below should cooperate in the most perfect harmony with God's appointed agencies in the work of molding the human character after the divine similitude.—Manuscript 1, January 19, 1899, “Unity, Courtesy, Love.”