Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45, 46.

By comparing the kingdom of heaven to a pearl, Christ desired to lead every soul to appreciate that pearl above all else. The possession of the pearl, which means the possession of a personal Savior, is the symbol of true riches. It is a treasure above every earthly treasure.

Christ is ready to receive all who come to Him in sincerity. He is our only hope, our Alpha and Omega. He is our sun and shield, our wisdom, our sanctification, our righteousness. Only by His power can our hearts be kept in the love of God….

On one occasion Christ warned His disciples to beware how they cast their pearls before those who had not discernment to appreciate their value…. “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,” He said, “neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” …

When people show themselves unimpressionable, unable to appreciate the pearl of great price; when they deal dishonestly with God and with others; when they show that the fruit they bear is the fruit of the forbidden tree, beware lest, by connecting with them, you lose your connection with God….

Truth as it is in Jesus sets us right and keeps us so. The truth is an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast. But the truth is no truth to those who do not obey it. When men and women drift away from the principles of truth, they always betray sacred trust. Let every soul, in whatever sphere of action, make sure that the truth is implanted in the heart by the power of the Spirit of God. Unless this is made certain, those who preach the Word will betray holy trusts. Physicians will make shipwreck of the faith. Lawyers, judges, senators, will become corrupted, and yielding to bribery, will allow themselves to be bought and sold. Those who do not walk in the light as Christ is in the light are blind leaders of the blind, “Clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.”—The Review and Herald, August 1, 1899.

From From the Heart

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. John 15:1.

In His lessons, Christ did not aspire to high-flown, imaginary things. He came to teach, in the simplest manner, truths that were of vital importance, that even the class whom He called babes might understand them. And yet, in His simplest imagery there was a depth and beauty that the most educated minds could not exhaust….

The vine had often been used as a symbol of Israel, and the lesson Christ now gave His disciples was drawn from this. He might have used the graceful palm to represent Himself. The lofty cedar that was towering toward the skies, or the strong oak that spreads its branches and lifts them heavenward, He might have used to represent the stability and integrity of those who are followers of Christ. But instead of this, He took the vine, with its clinging tendrils, to represent Himself and His relation to His true followers.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.”

On the hills of Palestine our heavenly Father planted a goodly Vine, and He Himself was the Husbandman. It had no remarkable form that would at first sight give an impression of its value. It appeared to come up as a root out of dry ground, and attracted but little attention. But when attention was called to the plant, it was by some declared to be of heavenly origin. The people of Nazareth stood entranced as they saw its beauty; but when they received the idea that it would stand more gracefully and attract more attention than themselves, they wrestled to uproot the precious plant, and cast it over the wall. The people of Jerusalem took the plant, and bruised it, and trampled it under their unholy feet. Their thought was to destroy it forever. But the heavenly Husbandman never lost sight of His plant. After the people thought that they had killed it, He took it, and replanted it on the other side of the wall. He hid it from earthly view….

Every branch that bears fruit is a living representative of the vine, for it bears the same fruit as the vine…. Every branch will show whether or not it has life; for where there is life, there is growth. There is a continual communication of the life-giving properties of the vine, and this is demonstrated by the fruit which the branches bear.

As the graft receives life when united to the vine, so the sinner partakes of the divine nature when in connection with Christ. Finite men and women are united with the infinite God.—The Review and Herald, November 2, 1897.

From From the Heart

No man ever spoke like this Man! John 7:46.

The educated were charmed with Christ’s teaching, and the uneducated were always profited, for He appealed to their understanding. His illustrations were taken from the things of daily life, and although they were simple, they had in them a wonderful depth of meaning. The fowls of the air, the lilies of the field, the seed, the shepherd and his sheep—with these objects, Christ illustrated immortal truth; and ever afterward when His hearers chanced to see these things in nature, they recalled His words. Christ’s illustrations constantly repeated His lessons.

Christ always used the most simple language, yet His words were received by deep, unprejudiced thinkers, for they were words that tested their wisdom. Spiritual things should always be presented in simple language even though learned men are being addressed, for such are generally ignorant regarding spiritual things. The simplest language is the most eloquent…. Christ’s words, so comforting and cheering to those that listened to them, are for us today. As a faithful shepherd knows and cares for his sheep, so Christ cares for His children…. Christ knows His sheep intimately, and the suffering and helpless are objects of His special care….

Christ did not design that His words should return to Him void…. He Himself wrote nothing; but the Holy Spirit brought all His words and acts to the remembrance of His disciples, that they might be recorded for our benefit. Christ’s instruction was given with the greatest clearness. There was no need for anyone to misunderstand. But the scribes and Pharisees … misconstrued and misapplied His words. The utterances which were the bread of life to starving souls were bitterness to the Jewish rulers….

In His sermon on the mount, Christ spoke as though He knew that the scribes and Pharisees believed the Old Testament. They were in that gathering, and the disciples were close beside their beloved Teacher. There Christ declared, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” By His words He condemned their formalism and hypocrisy. And though applying directly to those before Him, these words apply also to those of this age who do not the will of God. They are far-reaching, and come sounding down the ages to our time.—The Review and Herald, May 18, 1897.

From From the Heart

To everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Matthew 25:29.

Those who accept Jesus as their personal Savior will live lives of humility, patience, and love. They did not give themselves to the Lord for the sake of the profit they should receive. They have become one with Christ, as Christ is one with the Father, and daily they receive their reward in being partakers of the humility, the reproach, the self-denial, and the self-sacrifice of Christ. They find their joy in keeping the Lord’s ordinances. In true service they find hope, and peace, and comfort; and with faith and courage they go forward in the path of obedience, following Him who gave His life for them. By their consecration and devotion they reveal to the world the truth of the words, “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”

“They that feared the Lord,” writes the prophet Malachi, “spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.” Were the words spoken, words of complaint, of faultfinding, of self-sympathy? No; in contrast to those who speak against God, those who fear Him speak words of courage, of thankfulness, and of praise. They do not cover the altar of God with tears and lamentations; they come with faces lighted up with the beams of the Sun of Righteousness, and praise God for His goodness.

Such words make all heaven rejoice. Those who utter them may be poor in worldly possessions, but by faithfully giving to God the portion He claims, they acknowledge their indebtedness to Him. Self-serving does not make up the chapters of their life history. In love and gratitude, with songs of joy upon their lips, they bring their offerings to God, saying as did David, Of Thine own we freely give Thee. “And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” …

Those who truly serve God will fear Him, but not as did the unfaithful servant, who hid his talent in the earth because he was afraid the Lord would receive His own. They will fear to dishonor their Maker by failing to improve their talents.—The Review and Herald, January 5, 1897.

From From the Heart

Then he who had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.” Matthew 25:24, 25.

The teaching of this parable is plain. All the gifts of intellect or of property which anyone has are entrusted to him. They are the Lord’s goods, and are to be used to His honor and glory. They are to be improved and increased by use, that the Lord may receive returns from them. But the Lord receives no returns from many talents; for, like the unfaithful servant, those to whom they are entrusted put them where they are not increased.

All in whose hearts selfishness is cherished will listen to the temptations of Satan and will act the part of the unfaithful, slothful servant. They will hide their entrusted treasure, neglecting to use their talents for the Lord…. They have sown sparingly, or not at all, and they will reap sparingly. But although the Lord has told them this in words too plain to be honestly misconstrued, they cherish dissatisfaction in their hearts, and complain that the Lord is a hard master, that they are dealt hardly and unjustly with….

Today this work is being done by many who claim to know God. They speak in a repining, complaining manner of the Lord’s requirements. They do not directly charge God with being unjust, but they complain of everything touching the question of using their influence or their means in His service. Whoever they may be, if those to whom the Lord has entrusted His gifts do not make the best use of their endowments, if they do not cooperate with the heavenly angels by trying to be a blessing to their fellow human beings, they will receive the denunciation from the Lord, Thou wicked and slothful servant. You had My gifts to use, but you neglected to use them…. You, who thought you knew so much, wickedly misrepresented Me and led others to think that I was unjustly hard and exacting. “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In that day these unfaithful servants will see their mistake and will realize that by selfishly putting their talents where the Lord could receive no increase from them, they have not only lost all they had but have lost also the eternal riches.—The Review and Herald, January 5, 1897.

From From the Heart