Christian Help Work
223
harmless, attaining such a character as would make them manifest as
the children of God among a crooked and perverse generation, among
whom they would shine as lights in the world.—
The Signs of the
Times, August 6, 1896
.
1159. What sacrifice are we ready to make that we may find the
lost pearl, and place it in the hands of our Saviour? The cities are
[277]
teeming with iniquity; Satan suggests that it is impossible to do any
good within their borders, and so they are sadly neglected. But there
are lost pearls there, whose value you cannot realize until you earnestly
seek to find them. There might be one hundred workers where there is
but one seeking diligently, prayerfully, and with intense interest to find
the pearls that are buried in the rubbish of these cities.—
The Review
and Herald, April 21, 1896
.
1160. When heavenly intelligences see those who claim to be
sons and daughters of God putting forth Christlike efforts to help the
erring, manifesting a tender, sympathetic spirit for the repentant and
the fallen, angels press close to them, and bring to their remembrance
the very words that will soothe and uplift the soul.... Jesus has given
his precious life, his personal attention, to the least of God’s little ones;
and the angels that excel in strength encamp round about them that fear
God. Then let us be on our guard, and never permit one contemptuous
thought to occupy the mind in regard to one of the little ones of God.
We should look after the erring with solicitude, and speak encouraging
words to the fallen, and fear lest by some unwise action we shall turn
them away from the pitying Saviour.... There is a large, a very large
number of straying and lost sheep that have perished in the wild deserts
of sin, simply because no one went after them to search for them and to
bring them back to the fold. Jesus uses the illustration of a lost sheep
to show the need of seeking after those who have wandered from him;
for a sheep once lost will never find its way back to the fold without
[278]
help. It must be sought for, it must be carried back to the fold.—
The
Review and Herald, June 30, 1896
.
Our Duty to the Sick
1161. We shall find the footprints of Jesus by the sick-bed, by the
side of suffering humanity, in the hovels of the poverty stricken and
distressed. We may walk in these footsteps, comforting the suffering,