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Character Building
“Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine,” Christ said, “and
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house
upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was
founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of
Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which
built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and
great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24-27
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The great work of parents and teachers is character building—
seeking to restore the image of Christ in those placed under their
care. A knowledge of the sciences sinks into insignificance beside
this great aim; but all true education may be made to help in the
development of a righteous character. The formation of character
is the work of a lifetime, and it is for eternity. If all could realize
this, and would awake to the fact that we are individually deciding
our own destiny and the destinies of our children for eternal life or
eternal ruin, what a change would take place! How differently would
our probationary time be occupied, and with what noble characters
would our world be filled!
The question that should come home to each of us is, Upon what
foundation am I building? We have the privilege of striving for
immortal life; and it is of the greatest importance that we dig deep,
removing all the rubbish, and build on the solid rock, Christ Jesus.
He is the sure foundation. “Other foundation can no man lay than
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that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 3:11
. In Him alone
is our salvation. “There is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
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The foundation firmly laid, we need wisdom that we may know
how to build. When Moses was about to erect the sanctuary in the
wilderness, he was cautioned, “See ... that thou make all things
according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.”
Hebrews 8:5
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