Its Importance
11
the training and education of a lifetime must be discarded that one may
become a learner in the school of Christ. The heart must be educated to
become steadfast in God. Old and young are to form habits of thought
that will enable them to resist temptation. They must learn to look
upward. The principles of the Word of God—principles that are as
high as heaven and that compass eternity—are to be understood in
their bearing on the daily life. Every act, every word, every thought, is
to be in accord with these principles.—
Counsels to Parents, Teachers,
and Students, 20
(1913).
[6]
Advancement Only Through Conflict—No other science is
equal to that which develops in the life of the student the character of
God. Those who become followers of Christ find that new motives of
action are supplied, new thoughts arise, and new actions must result.
But they can make advancement only through conflict, for there is
an enemy who ever contends against them, presenting temptations to
cause the soul to doubt and sin. There are hereditary and cultivated
tendencies to evil that must be overcome. Appetite and passion must
be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. There is no end to the
warfare this side of eternity. But while there are constant battles to
fight, there are also precious victories to gain; and the triumph over
self and sin is of more value than the mind can estimate.—
Counsels to
Parents, Teachers, and Students, 20
(1913).
The Duty of Every Christian to Develop Mind—It is the duty of
every Christian to acquire habits of order, thoroughness, and dispatch.
There is no excuse for slow bungling at work of any character. When
one is always at work and the work is never done, it is because mind
and heart are not put into the labor. The one who is slow and who works
at a disadvantage should realize that these are faults to be corrected.
He needs to exercise his mind in planning how to use the time so as to
secure the best results. By tact and method, some will accomplish as
much in five hours as others do in ten.
Some who are engaged in domestic labor are always at work,
not because they have so much to do but because they do not plan
so as to save time. By their slow, dilatory ways they make much
work out of very little. But all who will may overcome these fussy,
lingering habits. In their work let them have a definite aim. Decide
how long a time is required for a given task, and then bend every effort
toward accomplishing the work in the given time. The exercise of the