How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! Luke 18:24.

These words of the Savior are deeply significant and call for our earnest study…. Many who possess great wealth have obtained their riches by close dealing, by benefiting themselves at the expense of their fellow human beings; and they glory in their shrewdness in closing a bargain. Every dollar thus obtained, and the increase of every such dollar, has upon it the curse of God….

Wealthy men and women are to be more closely tested than they have ever yet been. If they stand the test, and remove the blemishes of dishonesty and injustice from their characters, and as faithful stewards render to God the things that are God’s, to them it will be said, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: … enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” …

“No man can serve two masters,” Christ said, “for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” … When the Pharisees, who were covetous, heard these things, they derided Him. But turning to them, Christ said, “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” …

Writing to his son in the gospel, Paul says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” …

Paul would impress upon the mind of Timothy the necessity of giving such instruction as would remove the deception which so easily steals upon the rich, that because of their wealth they are superior to others who do not have such large possessions as themselves. They suppose their gain to be godliness….

There are high and holy interests which call for our money, and the money invested in these will yield to the giver more elevated and permanent enjoyment than if it were expended for personal gratification or selfishly hoarded for greed of gain.—The Review and Herald, December 19, 1899.

From From the Heart

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12.

If we could appreciate this great blessing, what an advantage it would be to us! We are given the privilege of being laborers together with God in the saving of our souls. Receiving and believing is our part of the contract. We are to receive Christ as our personal Savior, and are to continue to believe in Him. This means abiding in Christ, showing in Him, at all times and under all circumstances, a faith that is a representation of His character—a faith that works by love, and purifies the soul from all defilement….

We must each obtain an experience for ourselves. No one can depend for salvation on the experience or practice of any other individual. We must each become acquainted with Christ in order properly to represent Him to the world…. None of us need to excuse our hasty temper, our misshapen character, our selfishness, envy, jealousy, or any impurity of soul, body, or spirit. God has called us to glory and virtue. We are to obey the call….

How can we escape the power of one who was once an exalted angel in the heavenly courts? He was a being full of beauty and personal charm, blessed with a powerful intellect. Because of his exaltation he thought himself equal with God…. How can we discern his false theories and resist his temptations? Only through the individual experience gained by receiving a knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. Without divine aid we could not possibly escape the temptations and snares that Satan has prepared to deceive human minds….

We are to walk as He walked, following closely in His footsteps, manifesting His meekness and lowliness…. The service of Christ is pure and elevated. The path He traveled is not one of self-pleasing, self-gratification. He speaks to His children, saying, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” The price of heaven is submission to Christ. The way to heaven is obedience to the command, Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow Me. As Jesus journeyed, so we must journey. The path He followed, we must follow; for that path leads to the mansions He is preparing for us.—The Review and Herald, April 24, 1900.

From From the Heart

Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you. Acts 24:25.

No matter how sinful we have been, no matter what our position may be, if we will repent and believe, coming unto Christ, and trusting Him as our personal Savior, we may be saved to the uttermost. But how dangerous is the position of the one who knows truth but delays to practice it. How perilous it is for men and women to seek to amuse the mind, to gratify the taste and satisfy the reason, by neglecting what has been revealed as duty, and rambling off in search of something they do not know….

Jesus says, “Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you.” … Practice every precept of truth presented to you. Live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, and you will then follow Jesus wherever He goeth…. The Lord does not refuse to give His Holy Spirit to them that ask Him. When conviction comes home to the conscience, why not listen, and heed the voice of the Spirit of God? By every hesitation and delay we place ourselves where it is more and more difficult for us to accept the light of heaven, and at last it seems impossible to be impressed by admonitions and warnings. The sinner says, more and more easily, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a more convenient season, I will call for thee.” …

The souls that at first delay and hesitate, resisting light and pressing against all knowledge, have excellent intentions of making a square turnabout when a convenient season shall come; but the wily foe that is upon their track makes his plans to bind them by the imperceptible threads of evil habits. Character is formed by habits, and one step in the downward road is a preparation for the second step, and the second for those that shall follow….

The children of God are to shine as lights in the midst of a perverse and crooked generation. But if right habits are not cultivated, they will give way to natural tendencies, and will become self-sufficient, self-indulgent, reckless, covetous, revengeful, independent, self-willed, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God….

The character of Daniel is an illustration of what a sinner may become through the grace of Christ. He was strong in intellectual and spiritual power…. The Holy Spirit is to be in us a divine indweller. Then let gratitude and love abound in your heart to God.—The Review and Herald, June 29, 1897.

From From the Heart

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:25.

The Holy Spirit is not only to sanctify but to convict. We cannot repent of our sins until we are convicted of our guilt. How necessary, then, it is that we should have the Holy Spirit with us as we labor to reach fallen souls. Our human abilities will be exercised in vain unless they are united with this heavenly agency….

In the work of saving sinners, we and angels are to work in harmony, teaching the truth of God to those who are unlearned therein, in order that they may be set free from the bonds of sin. Truth alone can make us free. The liberty that comes through a knowledge of truth is to be proclaimed to every creature. Our heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the angels of heaven are all interested in this grand and holy work. To us has been given the exalted privilege of revealing the divine character by unselfishly seeking to rescue sinners from the pit of ruin into which they have been plunged. Every human being who will submit to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit is to be used for the accomplishment of this divinely conceived purpose….

Our Savior is to be more distinctly recognized and acknowledged as the all-sufficiency of His church. He alone can perfect the faith of His people….

We need to leave more room for the working of the Holy Spirit in order that laborers may be bound together and may move forward in the strength of the united body of soldiers…. Entire consecration to the service of God will reveal the molding influence of the Holy Spirit at every step along the way….

God desires that His church shall lay hold by faith upon His promises, and ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to help them in every place….

Oh, that frail mankind would realize that it is the General of the armies of heaven that is leading and directing the movements of His allies on earth. Christ Himself is the renewing power, working in and through every soldier by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Every individual is to become an instrument in His hands to work for the salvation of souls. Not one who desires to labor for the Master is to be refused a place, if he is a true follower of Christ. Every one has an individual responsibility to bear in the cause of Christ. The efficiency of the Spirit of God will make effective the labors of all who are willing to submit to His guidance.—The Review and Herald, July 16, 1895.

From From the Heart

But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. John 3:21.

In His sermon on the mount, Christ presented to the people the fact that personal piety was their strength. They were to surrender themselves to God, working with Him with unreserved cooperation. High pretensions, forms, and ceremonies, however imposing, do not make the heart good and the character pure. True love for God is an active principle, a purifying agency….

The Jewish nation had occupied the highest position; they had built walls great and high to enclose themselves from association with the heathen world; they had represented themselves as the special, loyal people who were favored of God. But Christ presented their religion as devoid of saving faith. It was a combination of dry, hard doctrines, intermingled with sacrifices and offerings. They were very particular to practice circumcision, but they did not teach the necessity of having a pure heart. They exalted the commandments of God in words, but refused to exalt them in practice, and their religion was only a stumbling block to others….

Although they had hitherto held undisputed authority in religious matters, they must now give place to the great Teacher, and to a religion which knew no bounds and made no distinction of caste or position in society, or of race among nations. But the truth taught by Christ was designed for the whole human family. The only true faith is that which works by love and purifies the soul. It is as leaven that transforms human character….

The gospel of Christ means practical godliness, a religion which lifts the receiver out of his natural depravity. The one who beholds the Lamb of God knows that He takes away the sins of the world. True religion would result in an entirely different development of life and character than that seen in the lives of the scribes and Pharisees….

God does not give light that it may be hidden selfishly, and not penetrate to those who sit in darkness. Human agents are God’s appointed channel to the world. Instead of being instructed to hide their light, the Savior says to His people, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”—The Review and Herald, April 30, 1895.

From From the Heart