Gems of Thought

Think about it

Lucia — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:21:40 +0000

Could the curtain be rolled back, could you discern the purposes of God and the judgments that are about to fall upon a doomed world, could you see your own attitude, you would fear and tremble for your own souls and for the souls of your fellow men. Earnest prayers of heart-rending anguish would go up to heaven. You would weep between the porch and the altar, confessing your spiritual blindness and backsliding. {6T 408.3}

The Word of God

Lucia — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:22:33 +0000

The silent influence of a Christian character will fall upon men like a sunbeam. May God help you to do right because it is right.

The Bible is a progressive book; the communication of intelligence grows with the opening of God’s Word to the understanding. {1888 259.1}

The Bible presents beautiful truths that all may understand, and at the same time it deals in deep mysteries and doctrines which will require deep thought to understand. But nothing is to be misinterpreted, misapplied, or weakened as lightly inspired if inspired at all. God does nothing by halves. His Word is inspired.And God designs that men shall take the Scriptures as His inspired Word, and any man that shall venture to distinguish between the portions of God’s Word, exalting one and belittling another, and taking away from another, places himself in a dangerous position. {1888 259.2}

1888 Materials, ch. 26-28, pp 250-262

Counsel to Leaders

Lucia — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:33:59 +0000

In order to bear your responsibilities aright, you must be an ever growing Christian;

Your faith must be strong,
your consecration complete,
your love perfect,
your zeal ardent;
you must make steady advancement in the knowledge and the love of Christ that you may witness in those under your charge the precious fruits of the Spirit.

You need spiritual discernment. Keep the eye single to the glory of God, that your profiting may appear unto all. Do not gather to yourself too many burdens, to worry and perplex you.

Grasp the promises of God.
Press close to the bleeding side of Jesus.
Encourage tenderness and compassion.
Improve every means of grace, that your love may abound more and more, that you may have wisdom from above,

that you “may approve things that are excellent, . . . being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Your present and future usefulness depend on your living connection with God.

1888 Materials, Ch. 26, p. 248

Spiritual Revolution

Lucia — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:38:38 +0000

To fulfill your responsibilities you must be an ever growing Christian. Your faith must be strong, your consecration complete, your zeal ardent, your love perfect. You must make steady advancement in the knowledge of the love of Christ that you may realize from those under your charge that your labor is multiplying the fruits of the spirit among them.

If men in responsible office do not show partiality but exercise the patience and kindness of Jesus they will find this course more effective than the preaching of sermons, the exercise of power, or the presentation of strong argument. The silent influence of Christian character will fall upon men as the sunbeams of heaven. May God help you to do right because it is right.

God sets no man to pronounce judgment on His Word selecting some things as inspired and discrediting others as uninspired. The testimonies have been treated in the same way; but God is not in this.

There must be a spiritual revolution throughout the churches that fruits unto righteousness may be seen in our daily life.

1888 Materials, ch. 25, pp 235-241

My Will vs.God’s Will

Lucia — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:39:42 +0000

If you live by faith in Christ, your will will be under the control of the will of God. Christ will abide in your soul by faith. You will be in harmony with the divine will. Your happiness will not be found in that which you possess nor in that which you are or can be in yourself, it consists in the oneness of your will to the will of God. The happiness and glory of the inhabitants of heaven is perfect because the will of God is their supreme delight. The work of grace will be carried forward to perfection in your heart if you do not voluntarily refuse to be molded by the sanctifying influence of the truth.

The truth must sanctify the soul of the believer else it is no truth to him. You need to learn daily in the school of Christ.

1888 Materials, Ch. 25, pp. 233,234

Flowers of Promise

Lucia — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:57:35 +0000

God calls for men of decided purpose, of determined character, to do His work in these last days.

In God’s Word, which may be represented as a garden filled with roses and lilies and pinks, we may pluck by faith the precious promises of God, appropriate them to our own hearts, and be of good courage–yes, joyful in God–or we may keep our attention fastened on the briars and thistles and wound ourselves severely and bemoan our hard lot.

He would have every soul plucking the roses and the lilies and the pinks, hanging memory’s hall with the precious promises of God blooming all over the garden of God.

1888 Materials, Ch. 24, pp. 205-206

Unity

Lucia — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:02:42 +0000

We should seek most earnestly, by every word and action, to answer the prayer of Christ, and to encourage that unity which is expressed in the prayer of Christ, that we may be one as he is one with the Father. Every feeling of indifference for one another should be strenuously overcome, and everything that would tend to variance with brethren should be put away from us. The love of Jesus Christ existing in the heart will consume these little things, or greater things, which tend to divide hearts.

We are working for the same cause and under the same Master. It is one work,–the preparation of the people of God in these last days.

The spirit of love for one another, as Christ has evidenced for us, will lead us to examine closely every impulse, every sentiment and feeling indulged, in the light of the law of God, that the heart may be opened to conviction whether or not we are keeping the principles of that holy law. It is a positive duty, which God enjoins upon souls, to bring our will and spirit under the control of the divine influence of the Spirit of God.

The Bible must be our standard for every doctrine. We must study it reverentially. We are to receive no one’s opinion without comparing it with the Scriptures.

There is no assurance that our doctrine is right, and free from all chaff and error, unless we are daily doing the will of God. If we do his will, we shall know of the doctrine.

1888 Materials, Ch. 23, pp. 198 -

Know Truth for Victory

Lucia — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:11:08 +0000

Sola Scriptura

Let the word of God speak for itself; let it be its own interpreter, and the truth will shine like precious gems amid the rubbish. {1888 196.1}

If our people depended much less upon preaching, and spent far more time on their knees before God, pleading for him to open their understanding to the truth of his word, that they might have a knowledge for themselves that their feet were standing on solid rock, angels of God would be around about them, to help them in their endeavors. {1888 196.2}

It is one thing to give assent to the truth, and another thing, through close examination as Bible students, to know what is truth. . . now is the time to take special pains to prepare ourselves to meet the temptations and emergencies which are just before us. {1888 197.1}

Let every heart be subdued before God. Let there be a taking hold by living faith for victory over ourselves, victory over Satan. {1888 197.3}

Address to participants in Week of Prayer – Battle creek MI, 12/15/1888

1888 Materials, Chap. 23, pp.196-

Importance of God’s Word

Lucia — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:14:39 +0000

My cry has been: Investigate the Scriptures for yourselves, and know for yourselves what saith the Lord. No man is to be authority for us. If he has received his light from the Bible so may we also to the same source for light and proof to substantiate the doctrines which we believe. The Scriptures teach that we should give a reason of the hope that is within us with meekness and fear. {1888 188.1}

The Bible, the Bible alone, laid up in the heart and blessed by the Spirit of God, can make man right and keep him right.

. . . unless the Spirit of God shall have a controlling power, conscience will be warped. The heart, the fountain of the issues of life, is kept only when the word of God is brought into the soul, and rules there.

1888 Materials, Chap. 21,22 – pp 176 – 196

Trust

Lucia — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:55:35 +0000

We know not the future but we feel that Jesus stands at the helm and we shall not be shipwrecked.

The Lord is our Leader, let Him direct our course and we will follow where He leads the way.

1888, ch. 19, pp. 182-185

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