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Educate Yourself to Believe, December 28
Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.
Proverbs 16:3
.
Brother A-----, you must cast away your fears. Leave consequences with the
Lord and let go. You try too hard to save yourself, to do some great thing yourself
which will commend you to God. All God requires of you, dear brother, is entire
submission of yourself to Him with all the consequences that your acceptance
of the whole truth involves. Satan says, “What if it is error after all. Can you
afford to run the risk?” Jesus loves you, and if you will consecrate yourself and all
that you have to Him, He will accept you and will be your Burden-bearer, your
never-failing Friend.
You have looked with terror and alarm at the cross of Christ. The yoke has
appeared to you galling. Satan has made it appear thus. Jesus has invited you
to come to Him: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light” (
Matthew 11:28-30
).
This yoke, [which] you are afraid [to] put upon your neck because you fear it
will gall, Jesus says is easy. The burden you dare not touch—it is light. All that is
required on your part is to resolutely lay hold upon it, and you will find it a support
rather than a grievous burden. That cross which seems to you so inconvenient an
instrument to lift, which seems too heavy to be raised, when you cheerfully lay
hold upon it and lift it, it will lift you and be a support and strength to you....
You must educate yourself to believe, to take your stand on the elevated
platform of eternal truth, and welcome reproach and trial for Christ’s sake. Jesus
will help you; angels of God will help you resist the devil, and he will flee from
you. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you....
Believe Jesus loves you, and in your efforts to obey the truth, if you err, don’t
feel that you must worry and worry, give up your confidence in God, think that
God is your enemy. We are erring mortals. If we sin, “we have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (
1 John 2:1
). You cannot cleanse yourself
from impurities. Carry all your burdens to Jesus. He will help you. He wants
you to not wait and expect through your good deeds to make atonement for sin or
to make yourself righteous. Trust in the merits of the blood of a crucified, risen
Saviour.—
Letter 20, December 28, 1867
, to a discouraged church member.
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