Religion and the Mind
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tion, kindling a spirit of emulation, teachers would endeavor to awaken
the love for goodness and truth and beauty—to arouse the desire for
excellence.... Instead of being directed to mere earthly standards or
being actuated by the desire for self-exaltation, which in itself dwarfs
and belittles, the mind would be directed to the Creator, to know Him
and to become like Him.—
Patriarchs and Prophets, 595, 596
(1890).
Living Water Versus Broken Cisterns—Jesus knew the wants
of the soul. Pomp, riches, and honor cannot satisfy the heart. “If any
man thirst, let him come unto Me.” The rich, the poor, the high, the
low, are alike welcome. He promises to relieve the burdened mind, to
comfort the sorrowing, and to give hope to the despondent.
Many of those who heard Jesus were mourners over disappointed
hopes, many were nourishing a secret grief, many were seeking to
satisfy their restless longing with the things of the world and the praise
of men; but when all was gained, they found that they had toiled only
to reach a broken cistern, from which they could not quench their
thirst. Amid the glitter of the joyous scene they stood, dissatisfied and
sad.
That sudden cry, “If any man thirst,” startled them from their
sorrowful meditation, and as they listened to the words that followed,
their minds kindled with a new hope. The Holy Spirit presented the
symbol before them until they saw in it the offer of the priceless gift
of salvation.—
The Desire of Ages, 454
(1898).
Union of Divine and Human Endeavor Necessary—The Spirit
furnishes the strength that sustains striving, wrestling souls in every
emergency—amid the unfriendliness of relatives, the hatred of the
world, and the realization of their own imperfections and mistakes.
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A union of divine and human endeavor, a close connection first, last,
and ever, with God, the source of all strength—this is absolutely
necessary.—
The Review and Herald, May 19, 1904
. (HC 151.)
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