I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippines 4:13. The Holy Spirit of God must come into our hearts, to sanctify our souls, and to arouse our entire beings to earnest action. We must drink deeper of the spirit of the message; we must realize the situation in which we are placed. The end is near! The religious emendment which is being so decidely urged, if carried, would materially change the features of our work, and hedge up our way. everything in our outward world shows that an important crisis is about to open shows upon us. Are we ready for it? Have we, by working when and where we could, prepared ourselves and others for the momentous future? Can we, in our present state of inaction, take in the great ideas and the truth for this time? We need faith, more faith; we must believe in Jesus as our personal Saviour. Do we believe the word of God or the traditions of men? Who of us believe that men can be saved without having practical working faith in Christ? If we are working mind, heart, and soul, as in the light of the judgment day, we are laborers together with God. Divine and human efforts must be combined. The Lord gives the rain and the sunshine, the clouds and the dew; these are Heaven-bestowed gifts; yet there is a work for man to do, or these blessings will prove of little worth to him. Painstaking effort is required in the tilling of the soil; all the conditions must be fulfilled on mans part in sowing the seed and gathering the harvest, or the benefits of Heaven will fail of their designed purpose. “Whenever man accomplishes anything, it is by co-operation with his Maker; but in the saving of the souls of men, God does all the work, making man his instrument. Man cannot manage the work of God in his own way, for the outward work is vain unless God works with it. Divine power must mingle with human effort, or we cannot be laborers together with God. Man must use the faculties which God has given him, and co-operate with all the saving agencies placed at his command. He must pray, he must search the Scriptures, he must believe the word of God, he must know that Christ is the propitiation for his sins, and for the sins of the whole world.” Review and Herald, May 6, 1890.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 08:11:45 +0000