BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM

"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit....Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Matt. 7:17-20

No matter how high his profession, he whose heart is not imbued with love for God and for his fellow-men, is not a disciple of Christ. Though he should possess great faith, and even have power to work miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless. He might display great liberality, but should he from some other motive than genuine love, bestow all his goods to feed the poor, the act would not commend him to the favor of God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr's death, yet if destitute of the gold of love he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite. - Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 168.

There is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian. What a man is has more influence than what he says.....It is our own character and experience that determine our influence upon others. In order to convince others of the power of Christ's grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives. The gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the gospel by which our own souls are saved. Only through a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour is it possible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. If we would draw sinners out of the swift-running current, our own feet must be firmly set upon the rock, Christ Jesus. The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man with God. - Ministry of Healing, pp. 469, 470.

THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT ARE BORNE

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Gal. 5:22,23.

This fruit can never perish, but will produce after its kind a harvest unto eternal life...Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of himself in his church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.

it is the privilege of every Christian, not only to look for, but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Were all who profess his name bearing fruit to his glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with he seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain. - Christ's Object Lessons, p. 69

The heart in which love rules, will not be filled with passion or revenge, by injuries which pride and self-love would deem unbearable. love is unsuspecting, ever placing the most favorable construction upon the motives and acts of others. Love will never needlessly expose the faults of others. It does not listen eagerly to unfavorable reports, but rather seeks to bring to mind some good qualities of the one defamed.....The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace. Discord and strife people, enjoy peace and love, we must put away our sins, we must come into harmony with God, and we shall be in harmony with one another. Let each ask himself: Do I possess the grace of love? Have I learned to suffer long, and to be kind? - Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 169.

THE TRANSFORMED LIFE IS SINCERE

"That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ." Phil. 1:10

Many whom God has qualified to do excellent work accomplish very little, because they attempt little. Thousands pass through life as if they had no definite object for which to live, o standard to reach. such will obtain a reward proportionate to their works. Remember that you will never reach a higher standard than you yourself set. Then set your mark high, and step by step, even though it be by painful effort, by self-denial and sacrifice, ascend the whole length of the ladder of progress. Let nothing hinder you. Fate has not woven its meshes about any human being so firmly that he need remain helpless and in uncertainty. Opposing circumstances should create a firm determination to overcome them. The breaking down of one barrier will give greater ability and courage to go forward. Press with determination in the right direction, and circumstances will be your helpers, not your hindrances.

Be ambitious, for the Master's glory, to cultivate every grace of character. In every phase of your character-building you are to please God. This you may do; for Enoch pleased Him, though living in a degenerate age. And there are Enochs in this our day....

A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this world to the next. Those who are under the instruction of Christ in this world will take every divine attainment with them to the heavenly mansions. And in heaven we are continually to improve. How important, then, is the development of character in this life. - Christ's Object Lessons, pp. 331, 332

STRENGTH AND BEAUTY OF CHARACTER

"I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon." Hosea 14:5,6

It rests with you, young men and women, to decide whether you will become trustworthy and faithful, ready and resolute to take your stand for the right under all circumstances. do you desire to form correct habits? Then seek the company of those who are sound in morals, and whose aim tends to that which is good. The precious hours of probation are granted that you may remove every defect from the character, and this you should seek to do, not only that you may obtain the future life, but that you may be useful in this life. A good character is a capital of more value than gold or silver. It is unaffected by panics or failures, and in that day when earthly possessions shall be swept away, it will bring rich returns. Integrity, firmness, and perseverance are qualities that all should seek earnestly to cultivate; for they clothe the possessor with a power which is irresistible, -a power which makes him strong to do good, strong to resist evil, strong to bear adversity.

The love of truth, and a sense of the responsibility to glorify God, are the most powerful of all incentives to the improvement of the intellect. With this impulse to action the student cannot be a trifler. He will be always in earnest...In every place are to be found youth whose mind is cast in an inferior mould. When brought into association with this class, those who have placed themselves without reserve on the side of Christ will stand firmly by that which reason and conscience tell them is right. -Counsels to Teachers, pp. 225, 226.

INCREASING THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Col. 1:10.

he uses his gifts best who seeks by earnest endeavor to carry out the Lord's great plan for the uplifting of humanity. Persevere in the work that you have begun, until you gain victory after victory. Educate yourselves for a purpose. Keep in view the highest standard, that you may accomplish greater and still greater good, thus reflecting the glory of God.- Messages to Young People, p. 48.

Do not become overwhelmed with the great amount of work you must do in your lifetime, for you are not required to do it all at once. let every power of your being go to each day's work, improve each precious opportunity, appreciate the helps that God gives you, and make advancement up the ladder of progress step by step. Remember that you are to live but one day at a time, that God has given you one day, and heavenly records will show how you have valued its privileges and opportunities. May you so improve every day given you of God, that at last you may hear the Master say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." - Ibid., p. 46.

Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness, and relies wholly on the merits of the Saviour. God would send every angel in heaven to the aid of such an one, rather than allow him to be overcome. - Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 17.

Remember that in your life, religion is not merely one influence among others; it is to be an influence dominating all others. Be strictly temperate. Resist every temptation. Make no concessions to they wily foe. - Counsels to Teachers, p. 489.

WE ARE NO MORE CHILDREN TOSSED TO AND FRO

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." Eph. 4:14, 15

 In perfecting a Christian character, it is essential to persevere in right doing.
 I would impress upon our youth the importance of perseverance and energy in the work of character-building. From the earliest years it is necessary to weave into the character principles of stern integrity, that the youth may reach the highest standard of manhood and womanhood.
 They should ever keep the fact before their eyes that they have been bought with a price, and should glorify God in their bodies and spirits, which are His....

 It is the work of the youth to make advancement day by day. Peter says, "Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 All these successive steps are not to be kept before the mind's eye, and counted as you start; but fixing the ye upon Jesus, with an eye single to the glory of God, you will make advancement.
 you cannot reach the full measure of the stature of Christ in a day, and you would sink in despair could you behold all the difficulties that must be met and overcome.
 You have Satan to contend with, and he will seek by every possible device to attract your mind from Christ.

DESTRUCTION THE RESULT OF DISOBEDIENCE

"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isa. 1:19, 20.

The want of respect for the counsel of a godly parent, is one of the marked sins of this degenerate age. There are many lives in our land that are dark and wretched because of one step taken in the dark. By one act of disobedience many a youth has blighted his whole life and weighed down a loving mother's heart with anguish. God will not hold you guiltless if you follow in this course. By despising the counsel of a God-fearing mother, who would willingly give her life for her children, you are transgressing the fifth commandment. you know not where your steps are leading you.

I again plead a mother's claim, a mother's love. There can be no baser ingratitude than that which marks the sin of disobedience to a Christian mother. In the days of your helpless infancy she watched over you; her prayers and tears were witnessed of heaven as she affectionately cherished you. For her children she has toiled and planned, thought, prayed, and exercised self-denial. Through your whole life her true heart has been anxious and earnest for your welfare. And yet now you choose your own course; you follow your own blind, stubborn will, irrespective of the bitter harvest you will reap, and the sorrow you will bring her.- Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 125.

Disobedience has closed the door to a vast amount of knowledge that might have been gained from the Word of God. Had men been obedient, they would have understood the plan of God's government. The heavenly world would have opened its chambers of grace and glory for exploration. - Counsels to Teachers, pp. 440, 441.

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT DO HIS COMMNADMENTS

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14

A faithful obedience to God's requirements will have surprising influence to elevate, develop, and strengthen all man's faculties. Those who have in youth devoted themselves to the service of God, are found to be the men of sound judgement and keen discrimination. And why should it not be so? Communion with the greatest Teacher the world has ever known, strengthens the understanding, illuminates the mind, and purifies the heart- elevates, refines, and ennobles the whole man...

Among the youth who profess godliness, there ia a large class who may seem to contradict this statement. They make no advancement in knowledge or in spirituality. Their powers are dwarfing, rather than developing. But the psalmist's words are true of the genuine Christian. It is not, indeed, the bare letter of God's Word that gives light and understanding; it is the Word opened and applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit.
When a man is truly converted, he becomes a son of God, a partaker of the divine nature. Not ony is the heart renewed, but the intellect is strengthened and invigorated. There have been many instances of persons who before conversion were thought to possess ordinary and even inferior ability, byut who after conversation seemed to be entirely transformed. They then manifested remarkable power to comprehend the truths of God's Word, and to present these truths to others....

God will do a great work for the youth, if they will by the aid of the Holy Spirit receive His Word into the heart and obey it in the life. - Messages to Young People, pp. 65, 66

HIS COMMANDS ARE NOT GRIEVOUS

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3

We are to give ourselves to Christ, to live a life of willing obedience to all His requirements. All that we are, all the talents and capabilities we possess, are the Lord's, to be consecrated to His service. When we thus give ourselves wholly to Him, Christ, with all the treasures of heaven, gives Himself to us. We obtain the pearl of great price. - Christ's Object Lessons, p. 116.

Remember, you have a heaven to gain, an open path to perdition to shun. God means what He says. When He prohibited our first parents from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, their disobedience opened the floodgates of woe to the whole world. If we walk contrary to God, He will walk contrary to us. Our only safe course is to render obedience to all His requirements at whatever cost. All are founded in infinite love and wisdom. - Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 365.

The young should be controlled by firm principle, that they may rightly improve the powers which God has given them. But youth follow impulse so much and so blindly, without reference to principle, that they are constantly in danger. Since they cannot always have the guidance and protection of parents and guardians, they need to be trained to self-reliance and self-control. They must be taught to think and act from conscientious principle. - Messages to Young People, p. 379.

It is through the power and prevalence of truth that we must be sanctified, and elevated to the true dignity of the standard set forth in the Word. The way of the Lord can be learned only through most careful obedience to His word. Study the Word. - Ibid., p. 391.

LONG LIFE PROMISED TO THE OBEDIENT

"And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days." 1 Kings 3:14.

Men and women cannot violate natural law by indulging depraved appetite and lustful passions, and not violate the law of God. Therefore He has permitted the light of health reform which He has established in our being. All our enjoyment or suffering may be traced to obedience or transgression of natural law. Our gracious heavenly Father sees the deplorable condition of men, who, some knowingly but many ignorantly, are living in violation of the laws that he has established. And in love and pity to the race, He causes the light to shine upon health reform. He publishes His law, and the penalty that will follow the transgression of it, that all may learn, and be careful to live in harmony with natural law...

Ignorance is no excuse now for the transgression of law. The light shines clearly, and none need by ignorant, for the great God Himself is man's instructor. All are bound by the most sacred obligations to God to heed the sound philosophy and genuine experience which He is now giving them in reference to health reform. - Testimonies, vol. 3, pp. 161, 162.

What a God is our God! He rules over His kingdom with diligence and care; and He has built a hedge-the ten commandments-about His subjects, to preserve them from the results of transgression. In requiring obedience to the laws of His Kingdom, God gives His people health and happiness, peace and joy. - Counsels to Teachers, p. 454.

THE HEATHEN AND THE STRANGER SHALL OBEY GOD

"As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me." Ps. 18:44.

The law of God is as sacred as Himself. It is a revelation of his will, a transcript of his character, the expression of divine love and wisdom. The harmony of creation depends upon the perfect conformity of all beings, of everything, animate and inanimate, to the law of the Creator. God has ordained laws for the government, not only of living beings, but of all the operations of nature....

But while everything in nature is governed by natural laws, man alone, of all that inhabits the earth, is amenable to moral law. To Man, the crowning work of creation, God has given power to understand His requirements, to comprehend the justice and beneficence of His law, and its sacred claims upon him; and of man unswerving obedience is required. - Patriarchs and Prophets, P. 52.

Parents have not restrained the selfishness of their children. Self-indulgence has been the object of pursuit. Through self serving, multitudes are bound in servitude to Satan. They are the slaves of their own impulses and passions, which are under the control of the wicked one. In calling them to his service, God offers them freedom. Obedience to God is liberty from the thralldom of sin, deliverance from human passion and impulse. - Testimonies to Ministers,  p. 247.

Willing obedience to God's requirements gives vital energy and power to the soul. A work enduring as the sun is done for the worker as well as for those of whom he labors. However limited the capacity of the one who engages in this work, the labor....will be acceptable to God. - Testimonies, vol4, p. 613.

THE PATH OF THE OBEDIENT IS MERCY AND TRUTH

"All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies." Ps. 25:10

God's people are to keep His commandments, discarding all worldly policy. Having adopted right principles of action, they are to reverence these principles; for they are heaven-born. Obedience to God is of more value to you than gold or silver. Yoking up with Christ, learning His meekness and lowliness, cuts short many a conflict; for when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against him.- Testimonies, vol. 8, p.95

The material world is under God's control. The laws of nature are obeyed by nature. Everything speaks and acts the will of the Creator. Cloud and sunshine, dew and rain, wind and storm, all are under the supervision of God, and yield implicit obedience to His command. It is in obedience to the law of God that the spire of grain bursts through the ground.
.....These the Lord develops in their proper season because they do not resist His working. And can it be that man, made in the image of God, endowed with reason and speech, shall alone be unappreciative of His gifts and disobedient to His will? Shall rational beings alone cause confusion in our world?-Christ's Object Lessons, pp. 81,82

Obedience is the test of discipleship. It is the keeping of the commandments that proves the sincerity of our professions of love. When the doctrine we accept kills sin in the heart, purifies the soul from defilement, bears fruit unto holiness, we may know that it is the truth of God.....When the joy of right-doing is in our hearts; when we exalt Christ, and not self, we may know that our faith is of the right order.Mount of Blessing, p. 20

OBEDIENCE NECESSARY TO ENTER HEAVEN

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matt. 7:21

All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart-work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to his will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.

The children are to be taught that their capabilities were given them for the honor and glory of God. To this end they must learn the lesson of obedience; for only by lives of willing obedience can they render to God the service He requires. Before the child is old enough to reason, he may be taught to obey. By gentle, persistent effort, the habit should be established. Thus to a great degree may be prevented those later conflicts between will and authority that do so much to arouse in the minds of the youth alienation and bitterness toward parents and teachers, and too often resistance of all authority, human and divine. Let children be shown that true reverence is revealed by obedience. God has commanded nothing that is unessential, and there is no other way of manifesting reverence so pleasing to him as by obedience to that which He has spoken. 

With energy and fidelity our youth should meet the demands upon them; and this will be a guarantee of success. 

REBIRTH, THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." John 3:5, 6.

No human invention can find a remedy for the sinning soul...The fountain of the heart must be purified before the streams can become pure. He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. there is safety for one who has merely a legal religion, a form of godliness. the christian's life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature. there is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. this change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit....

The wind is heard among the branches of the trees, rustling the leaves and flowers; yet it is invisible, and no man knows whence it comes, or wither it goes. So with the work of the holy Spirit upon the heart. It can no more be explained than can the movements of the wind. A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place, or to trace all the circumstances in the process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted. By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon the heart. Little by little, perhaps unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made that tend to draw the soul to Christ. These may be received through meditating upon Him, through reading the Scriptures, or through hearing the Word from the living preacher. suddenly, as the Spirit comes with more direct appeal, the soul gladly surrenders itself to Jesus....The beginning of redemption we may know here through a personal experience.

THROUGH THE WORD WE ARE REBORN

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Peter 1:23.

The youth who finds joy and happiness in reading the Word of God and in the hour of prayer, is constantly refreshed of moral excellence and a breadth of thought of which others cannot conceive. communion with God encourages good thoughts, noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth, and lofty purposes of action. Those who thus connect their souls with God are acknowledged by him as his sons and daughters. They are constantly reaching higher and still higher, obtaining clearer views of God and of eternity, until the Lord makes them channels of light and wisdom to the world.

The change of heart by which we become children of God is in the Bible spoken of as birth. Again, it is compared to the germination of the good seed sown by the husbandman. In like manner those who are just converted to Christ are, as "newborn babes," to "grow up" to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.....So from natural life, illustrations are drawn, to help us better to understand the mysterious truths of spiritual life..

If we would live a true Christian life, the conscience must be quickened by constant contact with the Word of God. All the precious things which at infinite cost God has provided for us, will do us no good; they cannot strengthen us and produce spiritual growth unless we appropriate them. We must eat the Word of God, - make it a part of ourselves.

OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY - WE ARE CHANGED INTO HIS IMAGE

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. 3:18.

A pearl of great price is offered to the youth. They may sell all and buy this pearl, or they may refuse it, to their own infinite loss. Heaven may be attained by all who will comply with the conditions laid down in the Word of God. Our Redeemer was obedient unto death; He gave himself an offering for sin....Young friends, you may form earnest purposes in your own strength, you may flatter yourselves that you can pursue a straightforward course without yielding the heart to the controlling influence of the Spirit of God; but you are not thus made happy. Your restless spirit needs change, and thirsts for pleasure in amusement and hilarity and the society of your young associates. You are hewing out to yourselves broken cisterns which contain no water....Happiness is to be found only in repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ; for your heart is filled with rebellion; it breathes forth in your words. Your selfish prayers and religious forms may soothe the conscience, but they only increase your peril. your nature is unrenewed....
The surrender of the heart to Jesus subdues the rebel into a penitent, and then the language of the obedient soul is, "Old things are passed away......" this is the true religion of the Bible. Everything short of this is a deception.