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Think on These Things, October 18
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the
ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1:6
.
If the mind is educated to contemplate heavenly things, the appetite will
not be satisfied with that which is cheap and common. We must bear in mind
that the Lord is prepared to do great things for us, but we must be prepared
to receive these things by emptying from the heart all self-sufficiency and
self-confidence. The Lord alone is to be exalted. “Them that honour me,”
He says, “I will honour” (
1 Samuel 2:30
). We need not be on the strain for
recognition, for “the Lord knoweth them that are his.” Those who do not put
confidence in themselves, but look with distrust upon their own work, are the
ones to whom the Lord will reveal His glory. They will make the best use of
the blessings received. All who drink of the pure streams of Lebanon, will
have the water of life springing up in them, and this cannot be repressed....
The Lord knows that if we look to man, and trust to man, we are leaning
on an arm of flesh. He invites our confidence. There is no limit to His power.
Think of the Lord Jesus, and His merits and His love, but do not seek to
find the defects and dwell upon the mistakes that others have made. Call to
your mind the things worthy of your recognition and your praise; and if you
are sharp to discern errors in others, be more sharp to recognize the good
and praise the good. You may, if you criticize yourself, find things just as
objectionable as that which you see in others. Then let us work constantly to
strengthen one another in the most holy faith.
In Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, he says, “Paul and Timotheus, the
servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi,
with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God
our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every
remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making
request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until
now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (
Philippians 1:1-6
).
Let us all make this spirit ours.—
Manuscript 187, October 18, 1898
, diary.
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