SEEK RIGHTEOUSNESS

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Matt. 5:6.

If you have a sense of need in your soul, if you hunger and thirst after righteousness, this is an evidence that Christ has wrought upon your heart, in order that He may be sought unto to do for you, through the endowment of the Holy Spirit , those things which it is impossible for you to do for yourself. We need not seek to quench our thirst at shallow streams; for the great fountain is just above us, of whose abundant waters we may freely drink, if we will rise a little higher in the pathway of faith.

The words of God are the well-springs of life. As you seek unto those living springs, you will, through the Holy Spirit, be brought into communion with Christ. familiar truths will present themselves to your mind in a  new aspect; texts of Scripture will burst upon you with a new meaning, as a flash of light; you will see the relation of other truths to the work of redemption, and you will know that Christ is leading you; a divine Teacher is at your side.

The sense of unworthiness will lead the heart to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and this desire will not be disappointed. Those who make room in their hearts for Jesus will realize His love. All who long to bear the likeness of the Character of God shall be satisfied. The Holy Spirit never leaves unassisted the soul who is looking unto Jesus. He takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto him. If the eye is kept fixed on Christ. The work of the Spirit ceases not until soul is conformed to his image.

LAY A TRUE FOUNDATION

“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildethh thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 3:10,11.

Those who have trained the mind to delight in spiritual exercises are the ones who can be translated and not be overwhelmed with the purity and transcendent glory of Heaven. You may have a good knowledge of the arts, you may have an acquaintance with the sciences, you may excel in music and in penmanship, your manners may please your associates, but what have these things to do with a preparation for Heaven? What have they to do to prepare you to stand before the tribunal of God?

Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Nothing but holiness will prepare you for Heaven. It is sincere, experimental piety alone that can give you a pure, elevated character, and enable you to enter into the presence of God, who dwelleth in light unapproachable. The heavenly character must be acquired on earth, or it can never be acquired at all. Then begin at once. Flatter not yourself that a time will come when you can make an earnest effort easier than now. Every day increases your distance from God.

Prepare for eternity with such zeal as you have not yet manifested. Educate your mind too love the Bible, to love the prayer-meeting, to love the hour of meditation, and above all, the hour when the soul communes with God. Become heavenly-minded if you would unite with the heavenly choir in the mansions above.

HOLD FAST THE WORD

“Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that be may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." Titus 1:9.

The Lord has often made manifest in His providence that nothing else than revealed truth, the Word of God, can reclaim man from sin or keep him from transgression. That Word, which reveals the guilt of sin, has a power upon the human heart to make man right and keep him so. The Lord has said that His Word is to be studied and obeyed, it is to be brought into the practical life, that Word is as inflexible as the character of god, - The same yesterday, to-day and forever.

But however much one may advance in spiritual life, he will never come to a point where he will not need diligently to search the scriptures; for therein are found the evidences of our faith, All points of doctrine, even though they have been accepted as truth, should be brought to the law and to the testimony; if they cannot stand this rest, “there is no light in them.”

The great plan of redemption, as reveled in the closing work for these last days, should receive close examination. The scenes connected with the sanctuary above should make such an impression upon the minds and hearts of all that they may be able to impress others. All need o become more intelligent in regard to the work of the atonement, which is going on in the sanctuary above…By study, contemplation, and prayer, God’s people will be elevated above common, earthly thoughts and feelings, and will be brought into harmony with Christ and his great work of cleansing the sanctuary above from the sins of the people.

THE CHALLENGE OF A MIGHTY WORK

“Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.” Isa. 54:2.

God’s people have a mighty work before them, a work that must continually rise to greater prominence. Our efforts in missionary lines must become far more extensive. A more decided work than has been done must be done prior to the second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s people are not to cease their labors until they shall encircle the world. The vineyard includes the whole world, and every part of it is to be worked. There are places which are now a moral wilderness, and these are to become as the garden of the Lord. The waste places of the earth are to be cultivated, that they may bud and blossom as the rose. New territories are to be worked by men inspired by the Holy Spirit. New churches must be established, new congregations organized. At this time there should be representatives of present truth in every city, and in the remote parts of the earth the whole earth is to be illuminated with the glory of God’s truth. The light is to shine to all lands and all peoples. And it is from those who have received the light that it is to shine forth. The day-star has risen upon us, and we are to flash its light upon the pathway of those in darkness.

A crisis is right upon us. We must now by the Holy Spirit’s power proclaim the great truths for these last days. It will not be long before every one will have heard the warning and made his decision. Then shall the end come. It is the very essence of all right faith to do the right thing at the right time. God is the great Master-Worker, and by His providence He prepares the way for His work to be accomplished.

WE MUST SEEK WISDOM

"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold." Prov. 3:13, 14.

Since God is the source of all true knowledge, it is, as we have seen, the first object of education to direct our minds to His own revelation of Himself. Adam and Eve received knowledge through direct communion with God; and they learned of Him through His works. All created things, in their original perfection, were an expression of the thought of Good. To Adam and Eve nature was teaming with divine wisdom. But by transgression man was cut off from learning of God through direct communion, and to a great degree, through His works. The earth, marred and defiled by sin, reflects but dimly the Creator's glory. It is true that His object-lessons are not obliterated. Upon every page of the great volume of His created works may still be traced His handwriting. Nature still speaks of her Creator. Yet these revelations are partial and imperfect. And in our fallen state, with weakened powers and restricted vision, we are incapable of interpreting aright. We need the fuller revelation of Himself  that God  has given in his written Word....

To obtain an education worthy of the name, we must receive a knowledge of God, the Creator, and of Christ, the Redeemer, as they are revealed in the Sacred Word... Instead of confining their study too that which men have said or written, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Let them contemplate the great facts of duty and destiny, and the mind will expand and strengthen.

WE ARE TO POINT MEN TO JESUS

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29.

There is a great work to be done, and every effort possible must be made to reveal Christ as the sin-pardoning Saviour, Christ as the sin-bearer, Christ as the bright and morning Star; and the Lord will give us favor before the world until our work is done. While the angels hold the four winds, we are to work with all our capabilities. We must bear our message without any delay. We must give evidence to the heavenly universe, and to men in this degenerate age, that our religion is a faith and a power of which Christ is the Author, and His Word the divine oracle. Human souls are hanging in the balance. They will either be subjects for the kingdom of God or slaves to the despotism of Satan. All are to have the privilege of laying hold of the hope set before them in the gospel; and how can they hear without a preacher? The human family is in need of a moral renovation, a preparation of character, that they may stand in God’s presence. There are souls ready to perish because of the theoretical errors which are prevailing, and which are calculated to counter work the gospel message.

There is no work in our world so great, so sacred, and so glorious, no work that God honors so much, as this gospel work. The message presented at this time is the last message of mercy for a fallen world. Those who have the privilege of hearing this message, and who persist in refusing to heed the warning, cast away their last hope of salvation. There will be no second probation. The word of truth, “It is written,” is the gospel we are to preach. No flaming sword is placed before this tree of life. All who will may partake of it.

WE MUST HAVE LOVE FOR OTHERS

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matt. 22:139.

The law of love calls for the devotion of body, mind and soul to the service of God and our fellow-men. And this service, while making us a blessing to others, brings the greatest blessing to ourselves. Unselfishness underlies all true development. Through unselfish service we receive the highest culture of every faculty. More and more fully do we become partakers of the divine nature. We are fitted for heaven, for we receive heaven into our hearts.

It is a wicked pride that delights in the vanity of one’s own works, that boasts of one’s excellent qualities, seeking to make others seem inferior in order to exalt self, claiming in more glory than the cold heart is willing to give to God. The Disciples of Christ will heed the Master’s instruction. He has bidden us love one another even as he has loved us. Religion is founded upon love to God, which also leads us to love one another. It is full of gratitude, humility, and long-suffering. It is self-sacrificing, forbearing, merciful, and forgiving. It sanctifies the whole life, and extends its influence over others.

Those who love God cannot harbor hatred or envy. When the heavenly principle of eternal love fills the heart, it will flow out to others, not merely because favours are received of them, but because love is the principle of action, and modifies the character, governs the impulses, controls the passions, subdues enmity, and elevates and ennobles the affections. This love is not contracted so as merely to include “me and mine.” But is as broad as the world, and as high as heaven, and is in harmony with that of the angle workers.

WE MUST WORK OUT OUR OWN SALVATION

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed,…..work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Phil. 2:12, 13.

The Christian life is a battle and a march. But the victory to be gained is not won by human power. The field of conflict is the domain of the heart. The battle which we have to fight_the greatest battle that was ever fought by man_is the surrender of self to the will God, the yielding of the heart to the sovereignty of love. The old nature, born of blood and of the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be given up.

He who determines to enter the spiritual kingdom will find that all the powers and passions of an unregenerate nature, backed by the forces of the kingdom of darkness, are arrayed against him. Selfishness and pride will make a stand against anything that would show them to be sinful. We cannot, of ourselves, conquer the evil desires and habits that strive for the mastery. We cannot overcome the mighty foe who holds us in his thrall. God alone can give us the victory. He desires us to have the mastery over ourselves, our own will and ways. But He cannot work in us without our consent and cooperation. The divine Spirit works through the faculties and powers given to man. Our energies are required to cooperate with God.

The victory is not won without much earnest prayer, without the humbling of self at every step. Our will is not to be forced into cooperation with divine agencies, but it must be voluntarily submitted.

WE MUST FEAR AND SERVE THE LORD

 “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and in him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.” Deut. 10:20.

It is God’s purpose to manifest through His people the principles of His kingdom. That in life and character they may reveal these principles, He desires to separate them from the customs, habits, and practices of the world. He seeks to bring them near to Himself, that He may make known to them Hs will….With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, God brought out the Hebrew host from the land of bondage. Wonderful was the deliverance He wrought for them, punishing their enemies, who refused to listen to His Word, with total destruction.

God desired to take His people apart from the world, and prepare them to receive His Word. From Egypt He led them to Mount Sinai, where He revealed to them his glory. Here was nothing to attract their senses or divert their minds from God; and as the vast multitude looked at the lofty mountains towering above them, they could realize their own nothingness in the sight of God. Beside these rocks, immovable except by the power of the divine will, God communicated with men. And that His Word might ever be clear and distinct in their minds, He proclaimed amid thunder and lightning and with terrible majesty the law which He had given in Eden, and which was the transcript of His character. And the words were written on tables of stone by the finger of God. Thus the will of the infinite God was revealed to a people who were called to make known to every nation, kindred, and tongue the principles of His government in heaven and in earth. To the same work He has called his people in this generation. To them He has revealed His will, and of them He requires obedience.