P - Quotes
"Everything may seem to be in confusion, but bear in mind that Jesus stands at the helm. He has not left the ship to be guided by other hands and controlled by other minds….
Annoyances and trials will come, but trust all with Jesus. Be firm in your purpose to wait upon the Lord and cast your burden upon Him.
Is there not reason for you to rejoice? Gather up and hang in memory’s hall the precious tokens of the love and mercy and tender compassion of our Saviour. “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing” that is, be not over-anxious to fill your soul with worriment, dwelling on suppositions and unpleasant things.
…This is the lesson you need to learn. Turn away from the things you deem defective and imperfect, for if you look upon the objectionable features of the character, and talk of the offensive and disagreeable things, you will be changed into the same image. In doing this you are just as surely placing yourself under the control of Satan as did Judas, and you will betray your Lord.
I beg of you, for Christ’s sake, to turn away your eyes from beholding the defects of character in your brethren, and pray most earnestly that your own heart may be sanctified through the truth. Pray that Jesus will impart to you that faith which works by love, and purifies the soul. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ, in His human nature, faltered and was sinking under the burden. But the thought of pleasing God nerved Him and sustained Him in the terrible ordeal. “Not my will, but thine, O God, be done.” This is the source of all our strength. It is only when the love of God is shed abroad in the heart that the earnest desire exists to live for God.
In the hour of His trial, Jesus received divine strength through prayer to His Father. He refreshed His spirit at the fountain of life. We are to do the same. But remember that the living waters cannot flow through an obstructed channel; the heavenly light does not shine through murky vapors. You cannot receive the divine life and light while the mind is absorbed in dwelling upon human imperfections. Communion with great and noble minds, even among men, imparts nobility to the character. So, in a far higher sense, by communion with God you will be transformed into His likeness. Make every event in life a subject of prayer. Bring all your thoughts into subjection to Christ. Enter into the closet with God. You will come forth with a heart softened and subdued by the Holy Spirit, and with far less of self-esteem.
Then keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of your faith. …Dwell upon the perfection of Christ’s character, upon Christ crucified for our sins. ...Let these grand truths occupy your mind and be the theme of your conversation.
Those who would reach perfection of character must have a living connection with Christ. 8LtMs, Lt 48, 1893
When we think of our sinfulness and our unworthiness, it seems that we can never perfect a character fit for heaven. And in our own strength we cannot. But Christ has promised to impute to us His righteousness. This righteousness will not be given to us without a determined effort on our part.
…Although it may seem that you are alone, yet you are not alone, yet you are not alone; for Christ is with you; you are in blessed company. And you have the words sounding down along the line from the prophets and apostles to encourage you in steadfastness. Many of these holy men lost their lives because of their faithfulness to God. If you suffer for the truth’s sake, remember that this is no more than others have done before you. What trials and afflictions Paul endured, and yet he says, “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
When difficulties arise, as they will, remember that Jesus is by your side, a very present help in time of need. To meet trial bravely is part of the Christian warfare, and in this warfare all heaven is interested. Christ knows what temptations you will meet. He knows that when one accepts the truth, he will have a cross to lift; and He is ready to give the needed help.
Let the light of truth shine forth in your life. Do you say, How shall I let it shine? If before you accepted the truth, you were impatient and fretful, let your life now show to those around you that the truth has had a sanctifying influence upon your heart and character, that instead of being fretful and impatient, you are now cheerful and uncomplaining. Thus you reveal Christ to the world. If, after accepting the truth, you are sad and gloomy, cast down by discouragement, you give evidence that you do not enjoy the peace of God; you are misrepresenting Him by giving others a false impression regarding the religion of Christ. How can you rise above this depression and unbelief? “In everything give thanks” for the keeping power of God through Jesus Christ, and the peace of God will rest upon you. If you believe that Jesus will do just as He has said He would, the peace that passeth all understanding will rest upon you. At the moment when you are offering your prayer for help, you may not feel all the joy and blessing that you would like to feel; but if you believe that Christ will hear and answer your petition, the peace of Christ will come. If you rely upon His Word, the promise will be fulfilled, as surely as the throne of God exists.
Cherish the spirit that filled the heart of Christ.… Remember that there are greater trials you may be called to meet than you have yet met. But if you take hold upon the strength of the mighty Helper, and not reason with your adversary and never complain of God, His promises will be verified. The experience that you gain today in trusting Him will help you in meeting the difficulties of tomorrow. Each day you are to come, trusting as a little child, drawing nearer to Jesus and heaven. In meeting with unwavering trust in God the daily trials and difficulties, you will again and again test the promises of heaven, and each time you will learn a lesson of faith. Thus you will gain strength to resist temptation; and when the harder trials come, you will be able to endure.
I wish that I had power to present before you as they are the high privileges that you may enjoy. I wish I could tell you how willing Christ is to impart His blessings to you, to tell it in such a way that you would become sure that He is more willing to give you His Holy Spirit than parents are to give good gifts to their children.
This world is not our home. We are only pilgrims and strangers here. This world is the place in which we are to gain a preparation for the home above. Here all roughness, all unchristlikeness is to be taken out of our characters, and by the discipline of trial we are to be made ready for a place in the temple of God. In God’s workshop we are to be hewed and fitted for the place He wants us to occupy in His building. Every man has his work to do to be a representative of Christ to all unbelievers. Our special work is to represent the character of Christ at all times and in all places. Let us carry to our neighbors in kindness and love the precious light of truth. If we are faithful in the discharge of the daily duties that come to us, we shall at last have a place in the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for those who love Him. 4LtMs, Ms 8, 1885
Let none think that they can pass safely through the perils of these last days, while puffed up with self sufficiency. PC 303
...one cannot but pity the foolish virgins, and ask the question, Why is it that the wise did not divide their supply of oil? But as we make the spiritual application of the parable, we can see the reason. It is not possible for those who have faith and grace to divide their supply with those who have not. It is not possible for those who have made a thorough heart work, to impart the benefit of this to those who have done but surface work. RH Sept. 17, 1895
We should not soothe our consciences in expectation of heaven, when we are not bearing the distinguishing characteristics of the Christian life.
All the ten virgins appeared to be ready for the coming of the bridegroom, and yet the test brought out the fact that five were unready. The converted soul has a hatred of sin; he does not indulge in self-complacency, self-love, self-sufficiency, nor pass on day after day, claiming to be a Christian, and yet bringing dishonor upon Christ by misrepresenting him in character.
The foolish virgins do not represent those who are hypocritical. They had a regard for truth, they advocated the truth, they were intending to go forth to meet the bridegroom. They are attached to those who believe the truth, and go with them, having lamps, which represent a knowledge of the truth. They did not fall upon the rock Christ Jesus, and permit their old nature to be broken up.
Many receive the truth readily, but they fail to assimilate truth, and its influence is not abiding. They are like the foolish virgins, who had no oil in their vessels with their lamps. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, which is brought into the soul through faith in Jesus Christ.
Transformation of character is wrought through the operation of the Holy Spirit, which works upon the human agent, implanting in him, according to his desire and consent to have it done, a new nature. The image of God is restored to the soul, and day by day he is strengthened and renewed by grace, and is enabled more and more perfectly to reflect the character of Christ in righteousness and true holiness.
The Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer, makes him complete in Christ. It is not a decided evidence that a man or a woman is a Christian because he manifests deep emotion when under exciting circumstances.
Character is revealed by a crisis. When the earnest voice proclaimed at midnight, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him,” the sleeping virgins roused from their slumbers, and it was seen who had made preparation for the event. Both parties were taken unawares, but one was prepared for the emergency, and the other was found without preparation. Character is revealed by circumstances. Emergencies bring out the true metal of character. Some sudden and unlooked-for calamity, bereavement, or crisis, some unexpected sickness or anguish, something that brings the soul face to face with death, will bring out the true inwardness of the character. It will be made manifest whether or not there is any real faith in the promises of the word of God. It will be made manifest whether or not the soul is sustained by grace, whether there is oil in the vessel with the lamp.
Testing times come to all. How do we conduct ourselves under the test and proving of God? Do our lamps go out? or do we still keep them burning? Are we prepared for every emergency by our connection with Him who is full of grace and truth? The five wise virgins could not impart their character to the five foolish virgins. Character must be formed by us as individuals. It cannot be transferred to another, even if the possessor were willing to make the sacrifice. RH Sept. 17, 1895
But some will have delayed to obtain the oil for replenishing their lamps, and too late they will find that character, which is represented by the oil, is not transferable. That oil is the righteousness of Christ. It represents character, and character is not transferable. No man can secure it for another. Each must obtain for himself a character purified from every stain of sin. The Lord is coming in power and great glory. It will then be His work to make a complete separation between the righteous and the wicked. But the oil cannot then be transferred to the vessels of those who have it not. Then shall be fulfilled the words of Christ, “Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” The righteous and the wicked are to be associated together in the work of life. But the Lord reads the character, He discerns who are obedient children, who respect and love His commandments. BEcho May 4, 1896
They are to be as the wise virgins, having their lamps trimmed and burning, representing the character of Christ to the world. We are not to be satisfied with anything short of this. RH October 8, 1889
Let Christ, the divine Life, dwell in you and through you reveal the heaven-born love that will inspire hope in the hopeless and bring heaven’s peace to the sin-stricken heart. Pr 298
Let His love shine through all you do and say. Let the truth, the precious, simple truth of the word of God, shine out in full brightness. Humble self before God. Christ will be your efficiency… Christ’s laborers are very near His heart of love. 9T 151
When the love of Christ is enshrined in the heart, like sweet fragrance it cannot be hidden. The holy influence it reflects through the character will be manifest to all. Christ will be formed within, “the hope of glory.” HP 244
The glory of the Lord is his goodness and love. BEcho Feb. 15, 1892
What is the glory of the Lord? Moses prayed, “I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory.” And the Lord said, “I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” “And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, the Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.” God is to be in all our thoughts; His glory is ever to be kept in view. CH 42
The glory of Christ is his character, and it is the character of Christ that draws the hearts of men. RH Feb. 12, 1895
The more you study the character of Christ, the more attractive will he appear to you. He will become as one near you, in close companionship with you; your affections will go out after him. If the mind is molded by the objects with which it has most to do, then to think of Jesus, to talk of him, will enable you to become like him in Spirit and character. You will reflect his image in that which is great and pure and spiritual. You will have the mind of Christ, and he will send you forth to the world as his spiritual representative. He will be your only glory. You cannot affiliate with the world without becoming a partaker of its spirit, without becoming guilty of treason against the Lord who has bought you. If they will cast out self, Jesus will pour into the thirsty soul a constant supply from the river of life. RH Aug. 26, 1890
Through the power of Christ, men and women have broken the chains of sinful habit. …Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan have become transformed into the image of God. This change is in itself the miracle of miracles. A change wrought by the Word, it is one of the deepest mysteries of the Word. We cannot understand it; we can only believe, as declared by the Scriptures, it is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” AA 476
1The Comforter is given that He may take of the things of Christ and show them unto us, that He may present in their rich assurance the words that fell from His lips, and convey them with living power to the soul who is obedient, who is emptied of self. It is then that the soul receives the image and superscription of the divine. Then Jesus Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. 1SAT 273
There is altogether too little account made of the Holy Spirit’s power to work upon mind and character. Those who reject the Holy Spirit, thinking that the human being, single-handed, can struggle with principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places, will find themselves overmatched. Christ calls upon his church to come into harmony with his character. As in the case of Daniel, in exact proportion as the spiritual character is developed, the intellectual capabilities are increased. He who loves God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself, attains this position through the working of the Holy Spirit upon mind and heart. But let the Holy Spirit take hold of heart and character, and all who will heed its voice will be lights in the world. RH Mar. 22, 1898
The reason that we do not have greater success in the work is because we depend on our own efforts rather than upon the help God will give us. It is our privilege to feel our weakness, our unworthiness, and then claim the help that God has provided for us. OFC 2272
And he dreamed, & behold a ladder set up on the earth, & the top of it reached to heaven: & behold the angels of God ascending & descending on it. Genesis 28:12
Jacob's experience as a wanderer from his home, when he was shown the mystic ladder, ... was designed to teach a great truth in regard to the plan of salvation…. The ladder represented Christ…The words of Christ to Nathanael were in harmony with the figure of the ladder, when He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man”. Here the Redeemer identifies Himself as the mystic ladder that makes communication possible between heaven and earth.... In assuming humanity, Christ planted the ladder firmly upon the earth. The ladder reaches unto the highest heaven, and God's glory shines from its summit and illuminates its whole length, while the angels pass to and fro with messages from God to man, with petition and praise from man to God.... In the vision of Jacob was represented the union of the human and the divine in Christ. As the angels pass to and fro on the ladder, God is represented as looking down with favor upon the children of men because of the merit of His Son.... The gaining of eternal life is no easy thing. By living faith we are to keep on reaching forward, ascending the ladder round by round, seeing and taking the necessary steps; and yet we must understand that not one holy thought, not one unselfish act, can be originated in self. It is only through Christ that there can be any virtue in humanity.... At no time must we relax our spiritual vigilance, for we are hanging, as it were, between heaven and earth. We must cling to Christ, climb up by Christ, become laborers together with Him in the saving of our souls. TMK 21
…They have daily a sense of their entire inability to do anything without the help of Jesus Christ, therefore they say to Him, “I cast my helpless soul upon Thee. The mysterious provision for the taking away of sin is Jesus Christ…. If he is a learner in the school of Christ, he will learn how to give a testimony, how to pray, how to be a living witness for the Master…. The true Christian will be a diligent and constant student. He will realize that he lacks wisdom, strength, and experience, and he will place his will and all his interests in the care of the great Teacher. TMK 62
1We are supposed to be pursuing a course that will represent the character of perfect humanity, the pure, elevated character of Christ. MM 170
When self is crucified, the Holy Spirit takes the brokenhearted ones, and makes them vessels unto honor. They are in His hands as clay in the hands of the potter. Jesus Christ will make such men and women superior in mental, physical, and moral power. God calls upon men and women to empty their hearts of self. Then His Spirit can find unobstructed entrance. Stop trying to do the work yourself. Ask God to work in and through you until the words of the apostle become yours, “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. YRP 51
1You cannot enter heaven with any deformity or imperfection of character, and you must be fitted for heaven now in this probationary life. If you would enter the abode of the righteous when Christ shall come, you must have the deep movings of the Spirit of God, that you may have an individual experience, and be complete in Him who is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. …There must be a living connection of the soul with its Redeemer. The channel of communication must be open continually between man and his God, that the soul may grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. But how many do not pray. They feel under condemnation for sin, and they think they must not come to God until they have done something to merit His favor, or until God has forgotten about their transgressions. … So they remain away from Christ, and are committing sin all the time in so doing, for without Him you can do nothing but evil. Just as soon as you commit sin, you should flee to the throne of grace, and tell Jesus all about it. You should be filled with sorrow for sin, because through sin you have weakened your own spirituality, grieved the heavenly angels, and wounded and bruised the loving heart of your Redeemer. When you have asked Jesus in contrition of soul for His forgiveness, believe that He has forgiven you. Do not doubt His divine mercy, or refuse the comfort of His infinite love. YRP 61
To enter heaven, a man must have Christ formed within, the hope of glory, & take heaven with him. The Lord Jesus alone can fashion & change the character. FE 279
Everyone who has any part to act in this great preparation of the work of God for these last days should come close to God. When God sends out His workers to do a special errand for Him, He has pledged Himself to be one with them, if they will be one with God. But if they draw apart from God, and try to do this work in their own strength, they will find difficulties and discouragements at every step. Here we have the promise that in working for the Lord He is by our right hand to help us and work with us. OFC 272
1When we allow objects of minor importance to absorb our attention, to the forgetfulness of Christ, turning away from him to accept other companionship, we set out feet in a path which leads away from God and from Heaven. Christ must be the central object of our affections, and then we shall live in him, then we shall have his spirit, and follow his example. RH May 30, 1882
The true principles of Christianity open before all a source of happiness, the height and depth, the length and breadth of which are immeasurable. It is Christ in us a well of water springing up into everlasting life. It is a continual wellspring from which the Christian can drink at will and never exhaust the fountain. 1T 565
"Then, baptized with the Holy Spirit, we shall have Christ formed within, the hope of glory. Then we will exhibit Christ as the divine object of our faith and our love. We will talk of Christ, we will pray to Christ and about Christ. We will praise his holy name. We will present before the people his miracles, his self-denial, his self-sacrifice, his sufferings, and his crucifixion, his resurrection and triumphant ascension. These are the inspiring themes of the gospel, to awaken love and intense fervor in every heart. Here are the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, a fountain inexhaustible. The more you seek of this experience, the greater will be the value of your life. 3SM 186
Thus Christ will be in you, and by faith you will abide in Him. If Christ is abiding in the heart, He will be in all our thoughts. Our deepest thoughts will be of Him, His love, His purity. He will fill all the chambers of the mind. Our affections will center about Jesus. All our hopes and expectations will be associated with Him. To live the life we now live, by faith in the Son of God, looking forward to and loving His appearing, will be the soul’s highest joy. He will be the crown of our rejoicing. Our hearts will repose in His love. He that hath the Son hath life—eternal life. 7 LtMs, Lt 8, 1891
2If Christ indeed is formed within, the hope of glory, there will be union and love in the home. ML 84
If we have Christ abiding with us, we shall be Christians at home as well as abroad. He who is a Christian will have kind words for his relatives and associates. He will be kind, courteous, loving, sympathetic, and will be educating himself for an abode with the family above. If he is a member of the royal family, he will represent the kingdom to which he is going. YRP 75
Where Christ is formed within, the hope of glory, the character is continually being molded after the model of the divine character. The grace of Christ is constantly exerting its influence upon the life and actions. The manner of the true Christian becomes like the manner of Christ, and his character represents the character of Christ. RH July 18, 1893
The only safeguard against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. It is because selfishness exists in our hearts that temptation has power over us. But when we behold the great love of God, selfishness appears to us in its hideous and repulsive character, and we desire to have it expelled from the soul. As the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, our hearts are softened and subdued, the temptation loses its power, and the grace of Christ transforms the character. HB 121
He in whose heart Christ abides is willing to be pleased. He thinks no evil, and is content with the assurance that Jesus knows and values aright every soul for whom He died. 2SM 236
Conscience is the voice of God… …They are allowed freedom of action. They may be obedient through the name and grace of our Redeemer, or they may be disobedient, and realize the consequences. God destroys no one. The sinner destroys himself by his own impenitence. No one need look upon the sin against the Holy Ghost as something mysterious and indefinable. The sin against the Holy Ghost is the sin of persistent refusal to respond to the invitation to repent. FLB 58
God is the source of all wisdom. He is infinitely wise and just and good. Apart from Christ, the wisest men that ever lived cannot comprehend Him.... If men could see for a moment beyond the range of finite vision, if they could catch a glimpse of the Eternal, every mouth would be stopped in its boasting. Men living in this little atom of a world are finite; God has unnumbered worlds that are obedient to His laws, and are conducted with reference to His glory. Nothing can happen in any part of the universe without the knowledge of Him who is omnipresent. Not a single event of human life is unknown to our Maker. While Satan is constantly devising evil, the Lord our God overrules all, so that it will not harm His obedient, trusting children. The same power that controls the boisterous waves of the ocean can hold in check all the power of rebellion and of crime. God says to one as to the other, “Thus far shalt thou go, and no farther.” FLB 61
Christ will never abandon the soul for whom He has died. The soul may leave Him and be overwhelmed with temptation, but Christ can never turn from one for whom He has paid the ransom of His own life. Could our spiritual vision be quickened, we should see souls bowed under oppression and burdened with grief, pressed as a cart beneath sheaves and ready to die in discouragement. We should see angels flying swiftly to aid these tempted ones, who are standing as on the brink of a precipice. The angels from heaven force back the hosts of evil that encompass these souls, and guide them to plant their feet on the sure foundation. The battles waging between the two armies are as real as those fought by the armies of this world, and on the issue of the spiritual conflict eternal destinies depend. Hb 121
Genuine Christians are the only really happy people in the world, and it is because they have a living faith in a living Saviour. They have the assurance that Jesus is by their side ready to help them in every time of need, and they know that he will never leave them nor forsake them while they trust in him. RH January 26, 1891
Jesus does not call on us to follow Him, and then forsake us. If we surrender our lives to His service, we can never be placed in a position for which God has not made provision. Whatever may be our situation, we have a Guide to direct our way; whatever our perplexities, we have a sure Counselor; whatever our sorrow, bereavement, or loneliness, we have a sympathizing Friend. FLB 126
1The truth of God is designed to elevate the receiver, to refine his taste, and to sanctify his judgment. The character of the Christian should be holy, his manners comely, his words without guile. There should be a continual effort to imitate the society he hopes soon to join, that of angels who have never fallen by sin. RC 305
The Lord says, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” We must perfect a Christlike character, or we shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven. RH Apr. 26, 1892
What is holiness?—It is wholeness to God. RH Jul. 18, 1893
Accepting Christ as a personal Saviour, and following His example of self-denial—this is the secret of holiness. ST Dec. 17, 1902
When the union exists for which Christ prayed, his followers will be a holy and powerful people. RH May 14, 1895
They will have the heart of a little child in its simplicity and unreserved obedience. COL 124
2In every human being He discerned infinite possibilities. He saw men as they might be, transfigured by His grace—in “the beauty of the Lord our God” Looking upon them with hope, He inspired hope, Meeting them with confidence, He inspired trust. Revealing in Himself man’s true ideal, He awakened, for its attainment, both desire and faith. In His presence souls despised and fallen realized that they still were men, and they longed to prove themselves worthy of His regard. In many a heart that seemed dead to all things holy were awakened new impulses. To many a despairing one there opened the possibility of a new life. Education 80
There is not one in twenty who knows the beauty, the real essence, of Christ’s ministry. They are to find it out. Then they will become partakers of the rich fruit of His teachings. 1MCP 185
1It was thus that the early disciples gained their likeness to the dear Saviour. When those disciples heard the words of Jesus, they felt their need of Him. They sought, they found, they followed Him. They were with Him in the house, at the table, in the closet, in the field. They were with Him as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from His lips lessons of holy truth. They looked to Him, as servants to their master, to learn their duty. Those disciples were men “subject to like passions as we are.” They had the same battle with sin to fight. They needed the same grace, in order to live a holy life. SC 72
Enoch was a marked character. Many look upon his life as something above what the generality of mortals can ever reach. But Enoch’s life and character, which were so holy that he was translated to heaven without seeing death, represent what the lives and characters of all must be, if, like Enoch, they are to be translated when Christ shall come. His life was what the life of every individual may be if he closely connects with God. We should remember that Enoch was surrounded with influences so depraved that God brought a flood of waters on the world to destroy its inhabitants for their corruption. Were Enoch upon the earth today, his heart would be in harmony with all God’s requirements; he would walk with God, although surrounded with influences which are the most wicked and debasing. The palm tree well represents the life of a Christian. It stands upright amid the burning desert sand, and dies not; for it draws its sustenance from the springs of life beneath the surface. When Christ shall come, our vile bodies are to be changed, and made like his glorious body; but the vile character will not be made holy then. The transformation of character must take place before his coming. Our natures must be pure and holy; we must have the mind of Christ, that he may behold with pleasure his image reflected upon our souls. September 1, 1885
1I saw the beauty and loveliness of Jesus. As I beheld His glory, the thought did not occur to me that I should ever be separated from His presence. I saw a light coming from the glory that encircled the Father, and as it approached near to me, my body trembled and shook like a leaf. I thought that if it should come near me I would be struck out of existence, but the light passed me. Then could I have some sense of the great and terrible God with whom we have to do. I saw then what faint views some have of the holiness of God, and how much they take His holy and reverend name in vain, without realizing that it is God, the great and terrible God, of whom they are speaking. 1I saw that many were neglecting the preparation so needful and were looking to the time of “refreshing” and the “latter rain” to fit them to stand in the day of the Lord and to live in His sight. Oh, how many I saw in the time of trouble without a shelter! They had neglected the needful preparation; therefore they could not receive the refreshing that all must have to fit them to live in the sight of a holy God. … But there will be no time then to do it and no Mediator to plead their cause before the Father. Before this time the awfully solemn declaration has gone forth, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” I saw that none could share the “refreshing” unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action. We should, therefore, be drawing nearer and nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Let all remember that God is holy and that none but holy beings can ever dwell in His presence. EW 70-71
We must have a greater nearness to God. UL 356
1The Scriptures plainly declare every person's destiny forever fixed at the coming of the Lord. RH 5/13, 1862
There must be confessions, repentance, & conversions. 4 LtMs, Lt 51, 1886
Humble ourselves we must, under the mighty hand of God…. Get ready, lest it will be everlastingly too late. 21 Lt, MsLt 61, 1906
1All earthly honor is perishable, all earthly treasures valueless when we are passing from this life. There will be nothing enduring but the heavenly treasure, and the favor of God will be more valuable than choice gold. There is time now to prepare for the future immortal life. It will not answer to neglect the preparation essential for our heavenly home. ..The precious hours of probation will have passed by unimproved, and when it is too late the mournful cry will be heard, The harvest is passed, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved. …—it will be a time when the most careless, the most trifling, will come to their senses and discern that the truly wise were those who loved God and kept His commandments. Long have the gates stood ajar for you, long has the heavenly light been shining upon your path. Let it not be slighted, but gather up its precious rays to reflect upon others. Jesus loves us and we should love one another. We should be meek and lowly, pure and undefiled, and if we are thus we shall meet the approval of God here, and the blessed “Well done” when the Master comes. [Matthew 25:21.] 2 LtMs, Lt 27, 1871