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Choose Ye Each Day, February 9
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the
simple.
Psalm 119:130
.
The oftener the New Testament is read, the more instructive it becomes. No
one ever wearies of its beautiful words, for they are like precious gems. The deeper
the research made into them, the newer and more splendid the light reflected by
them. The more we study the Word with a simple, trustful heart, the more we
understand the path we must travel in order to reach the Paradise of God.
Our life is something we receive from Christ by a study of His Word. “In
him was life”—original, unborrowed. He was the Fountain of life. We receive
life from the Saviour which He takes back again. That life which God has given
us should be put to the very best account, for as human agents we are forming
our own destiny. We need to choose wisely those associates who will best fit us,
body, soul, and spirit, for the future country, even the heavenly. In our choice
of companions we should not place ourselves under influences that are in any
way unfavorable to the formation of pure and correct principles, for we need all
the assistance we can possibly obtain that in our associations we may develop
characters after Christ’s likeness.
Christ says, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (
Revela-
tion 3:21
). There are temptations that we must meet. If we yield to them, we are
on the losing side, and by meeting with defeat again and again, it becomes a habit
to do wrong in the place of doing right. We thus reveal that we choose to work
out the principles and attributes of Satan, rather than the principles and attributes
of Jesus Christ....
A Christian will not choose as the object of his affection one who by his course
of action neglects Jesus Christ, who daily crucifies the Son of God afresh, and puts
Him to an open shame. Such reveal by their actions and conversation that they
have no respect for the One who gave His life for the life of humanity, enduring
for them poverty, temptation, self-denial, and self-sacrifice. Through all His life
here He was unappreciated and misunderstood, even by the members of His own
family.
Satan was constantly suggesting to His brethren, the sons of Joseph, criticisms
of the One who seemed so unlike themselves. Every solicitation to evil was
refused by Him, because He would not be persuaded to accept wrongdoing, or to
deviate in the slightest from “It is written.” He seemed to have Scripture treasured
in heart and mind. He seldom rebuked their course of action, but always had a
word from God to speak to them—“It is written.”—
Manuscript 2, February 9,
1896
, untitled manuscript.
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