G - Quotes
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, & learn of Me; for I am meek & lowly in heart; & ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, & My burden is light.” Thus Jesus invites the weary & care-laden sons & daughters of Adam to come to Him with their heavy burdens. But many who hear this invitation, while sighing for rest yet press on in the rugged path, hugging their burdens close to their heart. Jesus loves them, & longs to bear both them & their burdens in His strong arms. He would remove the fears & uncertainties that rob them of peace & rest; but they must first come to Him, & tell Him the secret woes of their heart. He invites the confidence of His people as the proof of their love. The gift of the humble, trusting heart is precious to Him. If His people would come to Him in the simplicity & confidence of a child to its parents, they would find relief in the divine touch of His hands. Jesus is our compassionate Saviour. As we travel the road cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in, let us not overcast it with doubts & gloomy forebodings... The ways of Christ are ways of pleasantness, & all His paths are peace. If we have made rough paths for our feet, & taken heavy burdens of care in laying up treasures upon the earth, let us now change, & follow the path Jesus has prepared for us. ...He invites us to give Him our heart. His invitation is to a pure, holy, & happy life, - a life of peace & rest, of liberty & love, - & to a rich inheritance in the future, immortal life. If we choose to live with Christ through the ceaseless ages of eternity, why not choose Him now as our most loved & trusted friend, our best & wisest counsellor? BEcho Jun. 25, 1894
My brethren, I entreat you not to seek to be first. Learn of Him who has said, “I am meek & lowly in heart.” Learning of Him, you shall find rest. Day by day you will gain an experience in the things of God, day by day realize the greatness of His salvation & the glory of a connection with Him. 17LtMs, Ms 11, 1902
No man can be a Christian without having the spirit of Christ, manifesting meekness, gentleness, & refinement of manners. RH Sept. 1, 1885
What is higher education? - It is coming into unity with Jesus Christ. It is being made one with God. It is bringing God into mind & heart. Unless we have Christ in the life, we can not reveal him. To learn to humble self, to subdue self, - this is the higher education. RH Mar. 25, 1909
We need to keep ever before us the efficacy of the blood of Jesus. That life-cleansing, life-sustaining blood, appropriated by living faith, is our hope. We need to grow in appreciation of its inestimable value, for it speaks for us only as we by faith claim its virtue, keeping the conscience clean & at peace with God. 7BC 947
You have a heaven to win. Christ gave His own life that you might obtain the peace & rest & love of God. Keep looking to Jesus, who loves you, & whom you are to love. Invite the heavenly Guest to abide with you. ST Apr. 25, 1900
We need to humble ourselves at every step, & lift up the Man of Calvary, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. RH Apr. 26, 1892
Heaven takes notice of the one who carries about with him an atmosphere of peace & love. Such a one will receive his reward. He will stand in the great day of the Lord. 2MCP 784
At all times & in all places Christians should be that which the Lord designs that they should be - free in Christ Jesus. Duty performed in the Spirit of Christ will be done with sanctified prudence. We shall be guided as with a light from heaven when we have a vital connection with God... Those who have repented of their sins, who have cast their weary, heavy-burdened souls at the feet of Christ, who have submitted to His yoke & become His colaborers, will be partakers with Christ in His sufferings & partakers also of His divine nature... Jesus is our pattern, & it is from Him that we receive strength & grace to walk in humility & contrition before God. FH 188
The prophet Daniel was an example of true sanctification. Instead of claiming to be pure & holy, this honored prophet identified himself with the really sinful of Israel as he pleaded before God in behalf of his people. ...There can be no self-exaltation, no boastful claim to freedom from sin on the part of those who walk in the shadow of Calvary's cross. They feel that it was their sin which caused the agony that broke the heart of the Son of God, & this thought will lead to self-abasement. Those who live nearest to Jesus discern most clearly the frailty & sinfulness of humanity, & their only hope is in the merit of a crucified & risen Saviour. HF 290-291
We must believe that Jesus is our personal Saviour, & that He has made provisions to save us individually. We want to become a part of God’s great plan, & be learning more & more of the love & goodness of Jesus. He is willing to save me, even me, & to take me just as I am - not because I am righteous but because I am a sinner, & Jesus came to save sinners, & to make them righteous like Himself. “I came not,” says Christ, “to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Look to Jesus; look & live. Think of Jesus, talk of Jesus, educate the thoughts, the voice, to dwell upon Jesus. We are not to despair, for if we have faith in Jesus as our helper, if our eyes of faith are directed to Him constantly, we shall become like Jesus in character. He will abide in our hearts & we will abide in Christ. 6LtMs, Ms 21, 1889
If the love of God is in our hearts, we shall not think evil, we shall not be easily disturbed, we shall not give loose reign to passion, but we will show that we are yoked up with Christ, & that the restraining power of His Spirit leads us to speak words that He can approve. The yoke of Christ is the restraint of the Holy Spirit, & when we become heated by passion, let us say, No; I have Christ by my side, & I will not make Him ashamed of me... VSS 146
You must not let anything rob your soul of peace, of restfulness, of the assurance that you are accepted just now. Appropriate every promise; all are yours on condition of your complying with the Lord's prescribed terms. Entire surrender of your ways, which seem so very wise, & taking Christ's ways, is the secret of perfect rest in His love. YRP 62
It is our privilege to have daily a calm, close, happy walk with Jesus. We need not be alarmed if the path lies through conflict & suffering. There will be battles with the powers of darkness, severe struggles against selfishness & inbred sin. Wickedness prevails at the present time. The perils of the last days thicken around us; & because wickedness abounds, the love of many waxes cold. This need not be. BEcho Jun. 25, 1894
His heart of sympathizing love longs to quiet restless, oppressed, & suffering minds that can find peace only in learning the lessons of his meekness & lowliness. Their fluctuating, changeful, mournful experience is anything but rest. It is labor, pain, & sorrow. To bear insult, reproach, & abuse without retaliating & without arraying themselves in opposition to those who would injure them, is the lesson he would teach them. RH Sept. 8, 1885
God welcomes all who come to Him just as they are. YRP 297
He would have them lay off the yoke of pride, so galling to the neck, & take his yoke, which is easy, for it is the meekness & gentleness of Christ. RH Sept. 8, 1885
When we receive Christ as an abiding guest in the soul, the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, will keep our hearts & minds through Christ Jesus. The Saviour’s life on earth, though lived in the midst of conflict, was a life of peace. While angry enemies were constantly pursuing Him, He said, “He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.” No storm of human or satanic wrath could disturb the calm of that perfect communion with God. And He says to us, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.” “Take My yoke upon you, & learn of Me;... Bear with Me the yoke of service for the glory of God & the uplifting of humanity, & you will find the yoke easy & the burden light. MB 15
Christ came to the world to bring back the character of God to man, & to retrace on the human soul the divine image. Through his entire life, Christ sought by continuous, laborious efforts to call the world’s attention to God & to his holy requirements, so that men might be imbued with the Spirit of God, might be actuated by love, & might reveal in life & character the divine attributes. Christ came to be the light & life of the world, & his life was one of continual self-denial & self-sacrifice. The Lord Jesus valued every human being, & could not endure the thought that one soul should perish. His great heart of love embraced the whole world, & led him to provide complete salvation for all who would believe in him. In the character of Christ, majesty & humility were blended. Temperance & self-denial were seen in every act of his life... The world’s Redeemer had a greater than angelic nature; yet united with his divine majesty were meekness & humility that attracted all to himself. RH Apr. 14, 1896
Jesus, the brightness of the Father’s glory, thought “it not a thing to be grasped to be on an equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant.” Through all the lowly experiences of life He consented to pass, walking among the children of men, not as a king, to demand homage, but as one whose mission it was to serve others. MB 14
Christ alone can make us capable of responding... The weakest, aided by divine grace, may have strength to be more than conqueror. RH Oct. 30, 1900
If we wear the yoke of Christ, we shall be patient, loving, & unrevengeful under injury; for we shall be learning of him who is meek & lowly of heart. If we are indeed the followers of Christ, we shall be called upon to bear reproach, but if we are not understood, if we are falsely accused, we must not be discouraged, but remember that our Lord suffered mockery & scorn, & even the chief priests & rulers hedged up his way, & falsely accused him of evil. Whatever may befall us, we should look to Jesus, knowing that he is our best Friend, or Elder Brother. In the Christian life, we must daily lift up the soul, & be in constant communion with Heaven. How can we learn the lessons he would teach us? - We can learn them by looking constantly unto Jesus, the Author & Finisher of our faith. RH Jan. 26, 1891
The soul that is brought into personal contact with Christ, becomes a holy temple unto the Lord; for Jesus is made unto the believer wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, & redemption. He who has fully surrendered to God has a consciousness of Christ's saving presence. He is a possessor of spiritual patience, & has the rest of soul that comes from learning of Him who is meek & lowly of heart. Trusting in Jesus to be his efficiency & righteousness, his soul is filled with a pleasant contentment. RH Dec. 4, 1894
As we learn meekness, self-control, patience, & love, from day to day our light will grow brighter, we shall go from strength to strength, & become more & more like Jesus. They are to learn daily in the school of Christ, so profiting by the lessons of the divine Teacher that they shall be able to serve God better & better, better today than yesterday, better tomorrow than today. This is the hour of probation, when opportunity is given us to perfect such characters as will fit us for a place in the mansions that Jesus has gone to prepare for those who love him. In order to perfect Christian character, we must dwell upon the perfection of Christ, & as we behold his matchless charms, we shall desire to be like him, & become changed, reflecting more & more of his spirit of love. Jesus has prepared many mansions, he has made a place for his children in the city of God. He has not forgotten those who are upon earth. His great heart of love is open to our griefs, our sorrows, our trials; for he has loved us with an everlasting love, & with loving-kindness he has compassed us about. He invites all the weary & heavy laden to come unto him & find rest. Then come to him all ye that are heavy-hearted, who are care-worn, & bowed down beneath heavy burdens. Carry your burdens to him, & when you rise to go to your daily task again, do not gather them up, but leave them all with him. When you are tempted to gather your cares & griefs again to your heart, say, “No, I’ll not do it. I have taken them to the Burden-bearer, & I will leave them with him.” Keep the heart stayed upon him, & meditate upon his loving-kindness all the day long. RH Jan. 26, 1891
...if we would travel in the pathway to eternal life, we must not listen to the whispering of self. YRP 24
Those who have no care in regard to their words or actions, & thus bring unhappiness to all around them, must learn of Jesus to be meek & lowly of heart. ...Some term roughness, careless ways, & untidy dress humility & freedom from pride; but humility is disgusted with such companions & will not be seen in their society. RH Sept. 8, 1885
We show that we are fruit-bearers by pure words, unselfish planning in the meekness & lowliness of Christ, by softened hearts full of sympathy, love, & compassion. 12MR 53
Christ is pleased with his followers when they show that, though human, they are partakers of the divine nature. They are not statues, but living men & women, whose warm hearts, invigorated by the dews of divine grace, open & expand as the beams of the Sun of righteousness shine upon them. The light which falls upon them they reflect upon others in works which are luminous with the love of Christ. RH Sept. 8, 1885
Our only security against falling into sin is to keep ourselves continually under the molding influence of the Holy Spirit, at the same time engaging actively in the cause of truth & holiness, discharging every God-given duty, but taking no burden which God has not laid upon us. CH 594
We cannot receive the Holy Spirit until we break every yoke that binds us to our objectionable traits of character. YRP 297
The greatest service we can render to the cause of God, & which will reflect steady beams of light upon the pathway of others, is to be patient, kind, steadfast as a rock to principle, God-fearing. This will constitute us the salt of the earth, the light of the world. We shall be often disappointed, for we shall not find perfection in those who are connected with us, & they will not see perfection in us. It is only by agonizing effort on our part that we shall become unselfish, humble, childlike, teachable, meek & lowly of heart, like our divine Lord. We must bring our hearts & minds up to a high point of education in spiritual & heavenly things. TMK 186
If we are indeed learning of him who is meek & lowly of heart, we shall be afflicted. Trials will come upon us, but day by day we must come to Christ & find rest, for he will lift the soul above the daily sorrow & perplexity into a realm of peace. We must remember that Jesus endured insult & mockery & false accusation. He has told us that we must learn to endure suffering, as he has endured it in our behalf. When we have his Spirit, we shall bring our trials to him & find rest unto our souls. Those who are seeking peace & rest will find it alone in Jesus. We are to come to him trusting implicitly that he will give us all that he has promised. RH Jan. 26, 1891
The stars also have a message of good cheer for every human being. In those hours that come to all, when obstacles seem insurmountable & life’s aims impossible to achieve, courage & steadfastness can be found in that lesson which God counsels us to learn from the stars in their untroubled course. “Lift up your eyes on high, & see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might & the strength of His power; not one is missing.” Ed 115
Let nothing come between you & your Lord. Come unto him in full assurance of faith, lay your every care upon him, for he careth for you. RH Jan. 26, 1891
The man who has true zeal for God will be distrustful of self, & little in his own eyes. Love teaches us to be meek as well as lowly. Sanctified love will enable us to exhibit the grace of patience; it will help us to restrain impetuosity & fretfulness, so that we shall repine at nothing. ST Feb. 24, 1890
Men may speak fluently upon doctrines, & may express strong faith in theories, but do they possess Christianlike meekness & love? If they reveal a harsh, critical spirit, they are denying Christ. If they are not kind, tenderhearted, long-suffering, they are not like Jesus; they are deceiving their own souls. A spirit contrary to the love, humility, meekness, & gentleness of Christ, denies Him, whatever may be the profession. RH Feb. 9, 1892
Has God no living church? He has a church, but it is the church militant, not the church triumphant. We are sorry that there are defective members, that there are tares amid the wheat. The Lord forbids us to proceed in any violent way against those whom we think erring... EA 96
We want no war garments on, but the garments of peace & righteousness. May the Lord teach us how to wear His yoke & how to bear His burdens. Everything in this cause & in this work may be accomplished with a kind, conciliating spirit. We may be courteous, always, & never be afraid of being too much so. We must practice showing good will toward all men. TDG 83
Those who are expecting that Christ is soon to come, & that they are to be translated to a holy heaven, should, of all people upon the earth, walk most carefully & humbly before God. All self-importance must be purged away from us before we can grow in grace & the knowledge of the truth. RH Mar. 15, 1887
Those who have humbly sought God for comfort & peace in the midst of trial have had imparted to them the gentleness of Christ. Those who have learned of Him who is meek & lowly of heart express sympathy & manifest gentleness toward those who are in need of consolation, for they can comfort others with the consolation wherewith they are comforted of God... FH 188
Patience & gentleness under wrong were not characteristics prized by the heathen or by the Jews. But Jesus places meekness among the first qualifications for His kingdom. In His own life & character the divine beauty of this precious grace is revealed. Human nature is ever struggling for expression, ready for contest; but he who learns of Christ is emptied of self, of pride, of love of supremacy, & there is silence in the soul. Self is yielded to the disposal of the Holy Spirit. Then we are not anxious to have the highest place. We have no ambition to crowd & elbow ourselves into notice; but we feel that our highest place is at the feet of our Saviour. We look to Jesus, waiting for His hand to lead, listening for His voice to guide. MB 14-15
It may seem difficult to rejoice in the Lord when in trouble, but we lose a great deal by giving way to a spirit of complaint. It is our privilege to have in our hearts, at all times, the peace of Christ. We should not allow ourselves to be easily disturbed. It is to test us that God brings us through trials & difficulties; & if we are patient & trustful under His proving, He will purify us from all dross & at last bring us forth with triumph & rejoicing. Great blessings are reserved for those who uncomplainingly submit to the yoke that God wishes them to bear... OHC 326
Of all things that are sought, cherished, & cultivated, there is nothing so valuable in the sight of God as a pure heart, a disposition imbued with thankfulness & peace. AH 425
Let calmness & self-possession be cultivated & perseveringly maintained, for this was the character of Christ. 2SM 22
In the life of the disciple John true sanctification is exemplified. During the years of his close association with Christ, he was often warned & cautioned by the Saviour; & these reproofs he accepted. As the character of the Divine One was manifested to him, John saw his own deficiencies, & was humbled by the revelation. Day by day, in contrast with his own violent spirit, he beheld the tenderness & forbearance of Jesus, & heard His lessons of humility & patience. Day by day his heart was drawn out to Christ, until he lost sight of self in love for his Master. The power & tenderness, the majesty & meekness, the strength & patience, that he saw in the daily life of the Son of God, filled his soul with admiration. He yielded his resentful, ambitious temper to the molding power of Christ, & divine love wrought in him a transformation of character. ...John warred earnestly against his faults;... AA 557
True humility is the evidence that we behold God & that we are in union with Jesus Christ. Unless we are meek & lowly we cannot claim that we have any true conception of the character of God. TMK 122
Nothing can give more perfect contentment & satisfaction than the cultivation of a Christian character; the most exalted aspirations can aim at nothing higher. ST, Sept. 9, 1886
Christ desires to see His likeness reflected in every renewed soul. Those who continue meek & lowly in heart, He will make laborers together with God. Our spiritual conflicts might often be called our spiritual rebellions. It is the heart’s lack of submission to the will of God that so often brings us into difficulty. We want our own way, & this often means rebellion against God’s way. We need to do as Christ did - wrestle with the Father in prayer for strength & for power to make Him known in our words & actions... FH 343
“Follow peace with all men, & holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Hebrews 12:14
We have a character to maintain, but it is the character of Christ. Having the character of Christ, we can carry on the work of God together. The Christ in us will meet the Christ in our brethren, & the Holy Spirit will give that union of heart & action which testifies to the world that we are children of God. May the Lord help us to die to self & be born again, that Christ may live in us, a living, active principle, a power that will keep us holy. Strive earnestly for unity. Pray for it, work for it. It will bring spiritual health, elevation of thought, nobility of character, heavenly-mindedness, enabling you to overcome selfishness & evil-surmisings, & to be more than conquerors through Him that loved you & gave Himself for you. Crucify self; esteem others better than yourselves. Thus you will be brought into oneness with Christ. Before the heavenly universe, & before the church & the world, you will bear unmistakable evidence that you are God’s sons & daughters. God will be glorified in the example that you set. The world needs to see worked out before it the miracle that binds the hearts of God’s people together in Christian love. It needs to see the Lord’s people sitting together in heavenly places in Christ. 3TT 385-386
God has been waiting long for His followers to manifest true humility that He may impart rich blessings to them. Those who offer Him the sacrifice of a broken & contrite spirit will be hidden in the cleft of the rock & will behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. As Jesus, the Sin Bearer, the all-sufficient Sacrifice, is seen more distinctly, their lips are tuned to the loftiest praise. The more they see of the character of Christ the more humble they become, & the lower their estimate of themselves... Self is lost sight of in their consciousness of their own unworthiness & of God's wonderful glory... Those who value a holy & happy walk with God, who prize the strength that a knowledge of Him brings; will leave nothing undone if only they may behold God. They will cherish the spirit that trembles at His word, & in every place & under every circumstance they will pray that they may be allowed to see His glory. TMK 122
The Lord will use humble men to do a great & good work. 7BC 969
The spirit & character of Christ are manifested in the chosen of God, by their heavenly conversation, their meekness, their blameless conduct. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. TDG 157
Nehemiah, after gaining so great an influence over the monarch in whose court he lived & over his people in Jerusalem, instead of ascribing praise to his own excellent traits of character, his remarkable aptness & energy, stated the matter just as it was. He declared that his success was due to the good hand of God that was upon him. He cherished the truth that God was his safeguard in every position of influence. For every trait of character by which he obtained favor he praised the working power of God... TMK 88
...every day the question is to be, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do this day? Each vessel consecrated to God will daily have the holy oil emptied into it, that it may be emptied out into other vessels. Every day we may be advancing in the Christian character, waiting & watching for opportunities to do the will & work of God. Every word uttered, every work performed in Christ’s lines, will have an enduring pre-eminence. Speak the words that are given you of God, & the Lord will certainly work with you. Do not fail nor be discouraged, although you may see many things which you do not approve. RH May 9, 1899
We need to sense deeply that all influence is a precious talent to be used for God... We need to appreciate every capability we possess, because it is lent capital, to be improved to God's glory... There is constant temptation for human beings to consider that any influence they have gained is the result of something valuable in themselves. The Lord does not work with these, for He will not give to any human being the glory that belongs to His own name... He makes the humble, trustful servant His representative - the one who will not lift himself up & think of himself more highly than he ought to think. The life of such a one will be dedicated to God as a living sacrifice, & that life He will accept & use & sustain. He longs to make men wise with His own wisdom, that that wisdom may be exercised in His own behalf. He manifests Himself through the consecrated humble worker... Carry every entrusted capability as a sacred treasure, to be used in imparting to others the knowledge & grace received. In this you will answer the purpose for which God gave them. The Lord requires us to sink self in Jesus Christ, & let the glory be all of God. TMK 88
But let it be the hidden man of the heart... even the ornament of a meek & quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 1 Peter 3:4
A Christian will cultivate a meek & quiet spirit; he will be calm, considerate of others, & will have a happy temper that sickness will not make irritable nor the weather or circumstances disturb. RH Sept. 8, 1885
Those who reveal the meek & lowly spirit of Christ are tenderly regarded by God. Nothing is unnoticed by Him. He marks their self-denial, their effort to uplift Christ before the world. TMK 123
The Christian who is such in his private life, in the daily surrender of self, in sincerity of purpose & purity of thought, in meekness under provocation, in faith & piety, in fidelity in that which is least, the one who in the home life represents the character of Christ, such a one may in the sight of God be more precious than even the world-renowned missionary or martyr. COL 403
In the humblest lot true excellence may be found. The commonest tasks, wrought with loving faithfulness, are beautiful in God’s sight. PK 219
God is a lover of the beautiful. He loves beauty of character, & He would have us cultivate purity & simplicity, the quiet graces of the flowers. We are to seek for the ornament of a meek & quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. BLJ 235
In the arrangements for the education of the chosen people it is made manifest that a life centered in God is a life of completeness. Every want He has implanted, He provides to satisfy; every faculty imparted, He seeks to develop. The Author of all beauty, Himself a lover of the beautiful, God provided to gratify in His children the love of beauty. He made provision also for their social needs, for the kindly & helpful associations that do so much to cultivate sympathy & to brighten & sweeten life. ED 41
The development of Christian character, tending toward this state of perfection, is a growth toward beauty. The character is expressed in the countenance. As the heart becomes transformed by the renewing of the mind, the graces of the Spirit leave their impress on the face, & it expresses the refinement, delicacy, peace, benevolence, & pure & tender love, that reign in the heart, & constitute the inward “adorning,” which is in the sight of God of “great price.” ST Feb. 12, 1885