THE TRANSFORMED LIFE BEARS FRUIT

"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God." Phil. 1:11

The plant does not germinate, grow, or bring forth fruit  for itself, but to "give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater." So no man is to live unto himself. The Christian is in the world as a representative of Christ, for the salvation of other souls.

There can be no growth or fruitfulness in the life that is centered in self. if you have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, you are to forget yourself, and try to help others. Talk of the love of Christ, tell of His goodness. Do every duty that presents itself. Carry the burden of souls upon your heart, and by every means in your power seek to save the lost. As you receive the Spirit of Christ, - the spirit of unselfish love and labor for others, - you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will
reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely. - Christ's object lessons, pp. 67,68.

It is His plan, by conforming His servants day by day to the image of Christ, by making them partakers of the divine nature, to cause them to bear fruit abundantly.

He desires his people, through actual experience in the truth of the gospel, to become true, solid, trustworthy, experimental missionaries. he would have them show results far higher, holier, and more definite than in our day have yet been revealed. Testimonies, vol. 8 p. 186

HAVING DONE ALL, I SHALL STAND

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Eph. 6:13.

Those who stand in defense of the honor of God, and maintain the purity of truth at any cost, will have manifold trials, as did our Saviour in the wilderness of temptation. While those who have yielding temperaments, who have not courage to condemn wrong, but keep silent when their influence is needed to stand in defense of the right against any pressure, may avoid may heart-aches and escape many perplexities, they will also lose a very rich reward, if not their own souls. Those who are in harmony with God, and who through faith in Him receive strength to resist wrong and stand in defense of the right, will always have severe conflicts, and will frequently have to stand almost alone. But precious victories will be theirs while they make God their dependence. His grace will be their strength. Their moral sensibility will be keep and clear, and their moral powers will be able to withstand wrong influences. Their integrity, like that of Moses, will be of the purest character. - Testimonies, vol. 3, pp. 302, 303.

Stupidity must be shaken off. We must arouse from the lethargy that will prove our destruction unless we resist it Satan has a powerful, controlling influence upon minds....There is no such thing now as a neutral position. We are all decidedly for the right, or decidedly with the wrong...

There are many who profess to believe the truth who are blind to their own danger. They cherish iniquity in their hearts and practice it in their lives. Their friends cannot read their hearts, and frequently think that such are all right. - Ibid., pp. 328, 329.

WE SHALL BE ROOTED AND BUILT UP IN HIM

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."

We need to be converted daily. Our prayers should be more fervent; then they will be more effectual. Stronger and stronger should be our confidence that God's Spirit will be with us, making us pure and holy, as upright and fragrant as the cedar of Lebanon. - Gospel Workers, p. 272.

Many receive applause for virtues which they do not possess. The Searcher of hearts weighs the motives, and often deeds highly applauded by men are recorded by Him as springing from selfishness and base hypocrisy. Every act of our lives, ....is judged by the Searcher of hearts according to the motives which prompted it. - Ibid., p. 275.

Those who are engaged in service for the Master need an experience much higher, deeper, broader, than many have yet thought of having. Many who are already members of God's great family know little of what it means to behold His glory, and to be changed from glory to glory. Many have a twilight perception of Christ's excellence, and their hearts thrill with joy. They long for a fuller, deeper sense of the Saviour's love....

The Holy Spirit works with those who will be worked, molds those who will be molded, fashions those who will be fashioned. Give yourselves the culture of spiritual thoughts and holy Communions. You have seen but the first rays of the early dawn of His glory. As you follow on the know the Lord, you will know that the "path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." - Ibid., p. 27

THE WORD OF CHRIST SHALL DWELL IN ME

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Col. 3:16.

Faith in Jesus will grow as you become better acquainted with your Redeemer by dwelling upon His spotless life and His infinite love. You cannot dishonor God more than to profess to be His disciple while you keep at a distance from Him, and are not fed and nourished by His Holy Spirit.

When you are growing in grace, you will love to attend religious meetings, and you will gladly bear testimony of the love of Christ before the congregation. God, by His grace, can make the young man prudent, and He can give to the children knowledge and experience. They can grow in grace daily. You should not measure your faith by your feelings.

Closely examine your own heart, and the state of your affections toward God. Inquire, Have I devoted the precious moments of today in seeking to please myself, seeking for my own amusement? or have I made others happy? Have I helped those connected with me to greater devotion to God and to appreciate external things? Have I brought my religion into my home, and there revealed the grace of Christ in my words and in my deportment? By my respectful obedience, have I honored my parents, and thus kept the fifth commandment? Have I cheerfully taken up my little, everyday duties, performing them with fidelity, doing what I could to lighten the burdens of others? Have I kept my lips from evil, and my tongue from speaking guile? Have I honored Christ my Redeemer, who gave His precious life that eternal life might be within my reach? - Messages to Young People, pp. 121, 122.

I SHALL NOT FEAR

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Ps. 27:1.

Those who are finally victorious will have seasons of terrible perplexity and trial in their religious life; but they must not cast away their confidence, for this is a part of their discipline in the school of Christ, and it is essential in order that all dross may be purged away. The servant of God must endure with fortitude the attacks of the enemy, his grievous taunts, and must overcome the obstacles which Satan will place in his way.

Satan will seek to discourage the followers of Christ, so that they may not pray or study the Scriptures, and he will throw his hateful shadow athwart the path to hide Jesus from the view, to shut away the vision of His love, and the glories of the heavenly inheritance. It is his delight to cause the children of God to go shrinking, trembling, and painfully along, under continual doubt. He seeks to make the pathway as sorrowful as possible; but if you keep looking up, not down at your difficulties, you will not faint in the way, you will soon see Jesus reaching His hand to hep you, and you will only have to give Him your hand in simple confidence, and let Him lead you...

Jesus is the light of the world, and you are to fashion your life after his. You will find help in Christ to form a strong, symmetrical, beautiful character. Satan cannot make of none effect the light shining forth from such a character. The Lord has a work for each of us to do. He does not provide that we shall be sustained by the influence of human praise and petting; He means that every soul shall stand in the strength of the Lord. - Messages to Young People, pp. 63, 64.

FAITHFULNESS IN THAT WHICH IS LEAST

"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." Luke 16:10.

As a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he," Many thoughts make up the unwritten history of a single day; and these thoughts have much to do with the formation of character. Our thoughts are to be strictly guarded; for one impure thought makes a deep impression on the soul. An evil thought leaves an evil impress on the mind. If the thoughts are pure and holy, the man is better for having cherished them. By them the spiritual pulse is quickened, and the power for doing good is increased. And as one drop of rain prepares the way for another in moistening the earth, so one good thought prepares the way for another.

The longer journey is performed by taking one step at a time. A succession of steps brings us to the end of the road. The longest chain is composed of separate links. IF one of these links is faulty, the chain is worthless. Thus it is with character. A well-balanced character is formed by single acts well performed. One defect, cultivated instead of being overcome, makes the man imperfect, and closes against him the gate of the Holy City. He who enters heaven must have a character that is without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Naught that defileth can ever enter there. In all the redeemed host not one defect will be seen. God's work is perfect as a whole because it is perfect in every part, however minute. He fashions the tiny spear of grass with as much care as He would exercise in making a world. IF we desire to be perfect, ....we must be faithful in doing little things. - Messages to Young People, pp. 144.145

THE WORD OF GOD IS BREAD FROM HEAVEN

"As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so be that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is the bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever." John 6:57, 58.

Our life is to be bound up with the life of Christ; we are to draw constantly from Him, partaking of Him, the living bread that came down from heaven, drawing from a fountain ever fresh, ever giving forth its abundant treasures. If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life.

Our prayers will take the form of a conversation with God, as we would talk with a friend. He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Often there will come to us a sweet, joyful sense of the presence of Jesus. Often our hearts will burn within us as HE draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch....In those who possess it, the religion of Christ will reveal itself as a vitalizing, pervading principle, a living, working, spiritual energy. There will be manifest the freshness and power and joyousness of perpetual youth.

The heart that receives the Word of God is not as a pool that evaporates, not like a broken cistern that loses its treasure. It is like the mountain stream fed by unfailing springs, whose cool, sparkling waters leap from rock to rock, refreshing the weary, the thirsty, the heavy laden. - Christ's Object Lessons, pp. 129, 130.

Christians should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise, and this preparation they should make by diligently studying the word of God. - Prophets and Kings, p. 626.

THE WORD OF GOD STIMULATES GROWTH

"As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby; if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1 Peter 2:2,3.

We recommend to every student the Book of books as the grandest study of human intelligence, the book that contains the knowledge essential for this life and the life to come....The student who in his school life becomes familiar with the truths of God's Word and feels their transforming power upon his heart, will represent the character of Christ to the world in a well-ordered life and a godly conversation - Counsels to Teachers, pp. 395, 396.

As with life, so it is with growth. It is God who brings the bud to bloom and the flower to fruit. It is by His power that the seed develops, "first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." .... The plants and flowers grow not by their own care or anxiety or effort, but by receiving that which God has furnished to minister to their life. The child can not, by any anxiety or power of its own, add to its stature. No more can you, by anxiety or effort of yourself, secure spiritual growth. The plant, the child, grows by receiving from its surrounding that which ministers to its life, - air, sunshine, and food. What these gifts of nature are to animal and plant, such is Christ to those who trust in Him.....In the matchless gift of His Son, God has encircled the whole world with an atmosphere of grace, as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe this life-giving atmosphere will live, and grow up to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. As the flower turns to the sun....so should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness,.....that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ. - Steps to Christ, pp. 72, 73.

GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18.

Young friends, the fear of the Lord lies at the very foundation of all progress; it is the beginning of wisdom. Your Heavenly Father has claims upon you; for without solicitation or merit on your part He gives you the bounties of His providence; and more than this, He has given you all heaven in one gift, that of His beloved Son.

In return for this infinite gift, He claims of you willing obedience. As you are bought with a price, even the precious blood of the Son of God, He requires that you make a right use of the privileges you enjoy.

Your intellectual and moral faculties are God's gifts, talents entrusted to you for wise improvement, and you are not at liberty to let them lie dormant for want of proper cultivation, or be crippled and dwarfed by inaction. It is for you to determine whether or not the weighty responsibilities that rest upon you shall be faithfully met, whether or not your efforts shall be well directed and your best.

We are living in the perils of the last days. All heaven is interested in the characters you are forming. Every provision has been made for you, that you should be a partaker of the world through lust. Man is not left alone to conquer the powers of evil by his own feeble efforts. Help is at hand, and will be given every soul who really desires it. Angels of God, that ascend and descend the ladder that Jacob saw in vision, will help every soul who wills to climb even to the highest heaven. - Fundamentals of Christian education, pp. 85, 86.

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT DO HIS COMMANDMENTS

"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 a 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 is a large class who may seem to contradict this statements. 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 only 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, but who after conversion 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 willb y 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.

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 characer, 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 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 for whom he labors. However limited the capacity of the one who engages in this work, the labor...will be acceptable to God. - Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 613.

REBIRTH, THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

"Jesus answered, Verily , verily, I say unto thee, Except a an 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 wence it comes, or whither it goes. So with the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. It can no ore 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 meditation 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. - The Desire of Ages, pp. 172, 173.