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.

We are living in an age of intemperance. Health and life are sacrificed, by very many, to gratify their appetite for hurtful indulgences. These last days are characterized by depreciated morals and physical debility, in consequence of these indulgences and the general unwillingness to engage in physical labor. Many are suffering today from inaction and wrong habits….

When we pursue a course of eating and drinking that lessens physical and mental vigor, or become the prey of habits that tend to the same results, we dishonor God, for we rob Him of the service He claims from us. Those who acquire and indulge the unnatural appetite for tobacco do this at the expense of health. They are destroying nervous energy, lessening vital force, and sacrificing mental strength.

Those who profess to be the followers of Christ, yet have this terrible sin at their door, cannot have a high appreciation of the atonement and an elevated estimate of eternal things. Minds that are clouded and partially paralyzed by narcotics are easily overcome by temptation and cannot enjoy communion with God.

Those who use tobacco can make but a poor plea to the liquor inebriate. Two thirds of the drunkards in our land created an appetite for liquor by the use of tobacco. Those who claim that tobacco does not injure them can be convinced of their mistake by depriving themselves of it for a few days; the trembling nerves, the giddy head, the irritability they feel, will prove to them that this sinful indulgence has bound them in slavery. It has overcome will power….

Means are thereby squandered that would aid in the good work of clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and sending the truth to poor souls out of Christ. What a record will appear when the accounts of life are balanced in the book of God! It will then appear that vast sums of money have been expended for tobacco and alcoholic liquors! For what? To ensure health and prolong life? Oh, no! To aid in the perfection of Christian character and a fitness for the society of holy angels? Oh, no! But to minister to a depraved, unnatural appetite for that which poisons and kills not only the users but those to whom they transmit their legacy of disease and imbecility.—Signs of the Times, January 6, 1876.

From From the Heart

You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14.

Eternal things should awaken our interest and should be regarded, in comparison with temporal things, as of infinite importance. God requires of us to make it our first business to attend to the health and prosperity of the soul. We should know that we are enjoying the favor of God, that He smiles upon us, and that we are His children indeed, and in a position where He can commune with us and we with Him. We should not be at rest until we are in that position of lowliness and meekness that He can safely bless us, and we be brought into a sacred nearness with God, where His light may shine upon us, and we reflect that light to all around us. But we cannot do this unless we are earnestly striving ourselves to live in the light. This God requires of all His followers, not merely for their own good, but also for the benefit of others around them.

We cannot let our light shine out to others so as to attract their attention to heavenly things unless we have the light in us. We must be imbued with the Spirit of Jesus Christ, or we cannot manifest to others that Christ is in us the hope of glory. We must have an indwelling Savior, or we cannot exemplify in our lives His life of devotion, His love, His gentleness, His pity, His compassion, His self-denial, and purity. This is what we earnestly desire. This should be the study of our lives, How shall I conform my character to the Bible standard of holiness? …

Christ sacrificed His majesty, His splendor, His glory, and His honor, and for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He condescended to a life of humiliation. He was subjected to scorn. He was despised and rejected of men. He bore insult and mockery, and a most painful death in the most shameful manner, in order that He might exalt and save the fallen sons and daughters of Adam from hopeless misery. In view of this unparalleled sacrifice and mysterious love manifested for us by our Redeemer, shall we withhold from God our entire service, which at the best is so feeble? Shall we use selfishly, for business or pleasure, the time which is necessary for us to devote to religious exercises, to the study of the Scriptures, and to self-examination and prayer? …

We have not built our hopes here, in this world. Our actions have testified to our faith, that in heaven is our enduring substance.—The Review and Herald, March 29, 1870.

From From the Heart

Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. John 6:11.

By this miracle Christ has shown how missionary work is to be bound up with the ministry of the Word. Not only did the Master give the people spiritual food; by a miracle He also provided temporal food to satisfy their physical hunger. This merciful provision helped to fasten in the minds of the people the gracious words of truth which He had spoken….

By this miracle Christ desires to teach us the truth of the words, “Without me ye can do nothing.” He is the source of all power, the giver of all temporal and spiritual blessings. He employs human beings as coworkers, giving them a part to act with Him as His helping hand. We are to receive from Him, not to hoard for self-gratification, but to impart to others. As we do this work, let us not suppose that we are to receive the glory. All the glory is to be given to the great Master Worker. The disciples were not to receive the glory for feeding the five thousand. They were only the instruments used by the Lord….

He, the great Master Worker, slumbers not. Constantly He is working for the harmonious accomplishment of His purposes. He entrusts talents to us that we may cooperate with Him. We are ever to remember that we are but instruments in His hands. “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” …

All who have really accepted Christ will not be satisfied to enjoy the divine favor without giving to others the joy that cheers their souls. The purest and holiest devotion is that which leads to persevering, unselfish effort for the salvation of those outside the fold….

Those who impart to others of the riches of the grace of heaven will themselves be enriched. The ministering angels are waiting, longing, for channels through which they can communicate the treasures of heaven. Men and women can reach the highest stage of mental and moral development only by cooperating with Jesus in unselfish effort for the good of others. We are never so truly enriched as when we are trying to enrich others. We cannot diminish our treasure by sharing it. The more we enlighten others, the brighter our light will shine.—The Review and Herald, April 4, 1907.

From From the Heart

We are God’s fellow workers. 1 Corinthians 3:9.

Our indebtedness to God and our entire dependence upon Him should lead us to acknowledge Him as the giver of all our blessings, and by our offerings we acknowledge this. Of the bounties He has bestowed upon us, He requires that a portion be returned to Him. By giving to the Lord His due, we declare to the world that all our mercies are from Him, that all we possess belongs to Him….

When the Jews held their services of thanksgiving after the ingathering of nature’s treasure, they offered sacrifices to God. To us it might seem strange that sacrificial offerings should have formed so important a part of the universal rejoicing; and to outward appearances, it was a strange combination to mingle the sacrifice of beasts with the expressions of joy. But this was built upon the true foundation, for Christ Himself was the object of these ceremonial services. When, in these festal gatherings, blood was shed and offerings were made to God, the people were not only thanking Him for His present mercies, but they were thanking Him for the promise of a Savior, and by this expressing the truth that without the shedding of the blood of the Son of God there could be no forgiveness of sins….

The Lord has committed talents to men and women, that they may be better fitted to honor and glorify Him. To some He has entrusted means; to others, special qualifications for service; to others, tact and influence. Some have five talents, others two, and others one. From the highest to the lowest each has been entrusted with some gift. These talents are not our own. They belong to God. He has given them to us for conscientious use, and He will one day ask for an account of them.

The great lesson we are daily to learn is that we are stewards of God’s gifts—stewards of money, of reason, of intellect, of influence. As stewards of the Lord’s gifts, we are to trade upon these talents, however small they may be….

However small your talent may appear, use it in God’s service, for He has need of it. If it is wisely used, you may bring to God one soul who also will dedicate his or her powers to the Master’s service. That soul may win other souls, and thus one talent, faithfully used, may gain many talents.—The Review and Herald, November 24, 1896.

From From the Heart

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, … who made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:5-7.

The Son of God … left His riches and honor and glory, and clothed His divinity with humanity, that humanity might take hold of divinity and become a partaker of the divine nature. He came not to live in the palaces of kings, to live without care and labor and be supplied with all the conveniences which human nature naturally craves. The world never saw its Lord wealthy. In the council of heaven He had chosen to stand in the ranks of the poor and the oppressed, … to learn the trade of His earthly parent. He came to the world to be a reconstructor of character, and He brought into all His work the perfection which He desired to bring into the character He was transforming by His divine power.

Nor did He shun the social life of His countrymen. That all might become acquainted with God manifest in the flesh, He mingled with every class of society, and was called the friend of sinners. In Himself Christ possessed an absolute right to all things, but He gave Himself to a life of poverty that we might be rich in heavenly treasure. Commander in the heavenly courts, He took the lowest place on earth. Rich, yet for our sake He became poor….

For a little time the Lord allows His people to be His stewards, that He may test their character. In that time they decide their eternal destiny. If they work in opposition to the will of God, they cannot belong to the royal family….

Evidence of the work of grace in the heart is given when we do good to everyone as we have opportunity. The proof of our love is given in a Christlike spirit, a willingness to impart the good things God has given us, a readiness to practice self-denial and self-sacrifice in order to help advance the cause of God and suffering humanity. Never should we pass by the object that calls for our liberality….

The Lord will use all who will give themselves to be used. But He requires heart service…. When the heart is given to God, our talents, our energy, our possessions, all we have and are, will be devoted to His service.—The Review and Herald, May 15, 1900.

From From the Heart