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Developing Characters for Heaven, July 9
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.
2 Peter 1:10
.
He who beholds Jesus, realizing what He is to us and what we are to Him, will
be diligent. He will live on the plan of addition, adding to his faith virtue, and
to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience,
and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly
kindness charity. This is a process of growth. He who cooperates with Christ will
not be found tomorrow where he is today. Every day he will follow on to know
the Lord, that he may know that His going forth is prepared as the morning. Of
those who live in this way it will be written at last, “Ye are complete in him.”
We are to work not merely for our own souls, but for the souls of all with
whom we are connected. Parents are to keep before them the point to which they
should work—the perfection of the characters of their children. They are to strive
earnestly to perfect the characters of their children, because the future immortal
life will show the result of the work they have done.
Those parents who educate their children aright, weeding out every unruly
trait, are fitting them to become missionaries for Christ in truth, in righteousness,
in holiness. He who in his childhood does service for God, adding to his faith
virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance
patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to
brotherly kindness charity, is fitting himself to hear the words, “Child, come up
higher. Enter the higher school.”
Do you think we shall not learn anything there? We have not the slightest idea
of what will then be opened before us. With Christ we shall walk before the living
waters. He will open before us the beauty and glory of nature. He will show us
what He is to us and what we are to Him. There are lessons we do not know now
that we shall know hereafter....
It means everything to us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
God works in us, to will and to do of His good pleasure. If we let Him work, He
will work. Our reward in heaven above depends on our daily walk and conversation
here below. We can be Christians here. And to be a Christian, it is not necessary
that we live in depression, mourning because we cannot have our own way. If we
are Christians indeed, Christ is formed within, the hope of glory.—
Manuscript
102, July 9, 1899
, “Remarks Made by Mrs. E. G. White in the School Chapel.”
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