Basic HTML Version
Individual Preparation, June 5
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I
have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 13:34
.
These words are not the words of man, but the words of our Redeemer;
and how important it is that we fulfill the instruction that He has given! There
is nothing that can so weaken the influence of the church, as the lack of love.
Christ says, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye
therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (
Matthew 10:16
). If we
are to meet opposition from our enemies, who are represented as wolves, let
us be careful that we do not manifest the same spirit among ourselves.
The enemy well knows that if we do not have love one for another, he can
gain his object, and wound and weaken the church, by causing differences
among brethren. He can lead them to surmise evil, to speak evil, to accuse,
condemn, and hate one another. In this way the cause of God is brought into
dishonor, the name of Christ is reproached, and untold harm is done to the
souls of men.
How careful we should be, that our words and actions are all in harmony
with the sacred truth that God has committed to us! The people of the world
are looking to us, to see what our faith is doing for our characters and lives.
They are watching to see if it is having a sanctifying effect on our hearts,
if we are becoming changed into the likeness of Christ. They are ready to
discover every defect in our lives, every inconsistency in our actions. Let us
give them no occasion to reproach our faith.
It is not the opposition of the world that will most endanger us; it is the
evil cherished right in our midst that works our most grievous disaster. It is
the unconsecrated lives of half-hearted professors that retard the work of the
truth, and bring darkness upon the church of God....
God would have us individually come into that position where He can
bestow His love upon us. He has placed a high value upon man, and has
redeemed us by the sacrifice of His only-begotten Son, and we are to see in
our fellow man the purchase of the blood of Christ. If we have this love one
for another, we shall be growing in love for God and the truth.—
The Review
and Herald, June 5, 1888
.
[166]
168