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Testimonies for the Church Volume 8
than fine gold purified in the fire, and more powerful to sanctify than
any other agency.
The Reward of a Faithful Study of the Word
Christ and His word are in perfect harmony. Received and obeyed,
they open a sure path for the feet of all who are willing to walk in the
light as Christ is in the light. If the people of God would appreciate His
word, we should have a heaven in the church here below. Christians
would be eager, hungry, to search the word. They would be anxious
for time to compare scripture with scripture and to meditate upon the
word. They would be more eager for the light of the word than for the
morning paper, magazines, or novels. Their greatest desire would be
to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God. And as a result
their lives would be conformed to the principles and promises of the
word. Its instruction would be to them as the leaves of the tree of life.
It would be in them a well of water, springing up into everlasting life.
Refreshing showers of grace would refresh and revive the soul, causing
them to forget all toil and weariness. They would be strengthened and
encouraged by the words of inspiration.
Ministers would be inspired with divine faith. Their prayers would
be characterized by earnestness, filled with the divine assurance of
truth. Weariness would be forgotten in the sunlight of heaven. Truth
would be interwoven with their lives, and its heavenly principles would
be as a fresh, running stream, constantly satisfying the soul.
The Lord’s philosophy is the rule of the Christian’s life. The entire
being is imbued with the life-giving principles of heaven. The busy
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nothings which consume the time of so many shrink into their proper
position before a healthy, sanctifying Bible piety.
The Bible, and the Bible alone, can produce this good result. It is
the wisdom of God and the power of God, and it works with all power
in the receptive heart. Oh, what heights we might reach if we would
conform our wills to the will of God! It is the power of God that we
need, wherever we are. The frivolity that cumbers the church makes
it weak and indifferent. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are
seeking and longing for channels through which to communicate to
the world the divine principles of truth.