Food for the Mind
91
perate habits of eating and drinking have upon the body.—
Counsels to
Parents, Teachers, and Students, 134, 135
(1913).
Excessive Indulgence That Is Sin—Excessive indulgence in eat-
ing, drinking, sleeping, or seeing is sin. The harmonious healthy
action of all the powers of body and mind results in happiness.... The
powers of the mind should be exercised upon themes relating to our
eternal interests. This will be conducive to health of body and mind.—
Testimonies for the Church 4:417
(1880).
Overtaxing the Mind—The student who desires to put the work
of two years into one should not be permitted to have his own way. To
undertake to do double work means, with many, overtaxation of the
mind and neglect of physical exercise. It is not reasonable to suppose
that the mind can assimilate an oversupply of mental food; and it is
as great a sin to overload the mind as it is to overload the digestive
organs.—
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 296
(1913).
Investigate Also Your Conversational Food—It is best for every
soul to closely investigate what mental food is served up for him to
eat. When those come to you who live to talk and who are all armed
and equipped to say, “Report, and we will report it,” stop and think
if the conversation will give spiritual help, spiritual efficiency, that
in spiritual communication you may eat of the flesh and drink the
blood of the Son of God. “To whom coming, as unto a living stone,
disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious” (
1 Peter
2:4
). These words express much.
[113]
We are not to be tattlers, or gossipers, or talebearers; we are not
to bear false witness. We are forbidden by God to engage in trifling,
foolish conversation, in jesting, joking, or speaking any idle words.
We must give an account of what we say to God. We will be brought
into judgment for our hasty words that do no good to the speaker or
to the hearer. Then let us all speak words that will tend to edification.
Remember that you are of value with God. Allow no cheap, foolish
talk or wrong principles to compose your Christian experience.—
Manuscript 68, 1897.
(
Fundamentals of Christian Education, 458
.)
A Woman Whose Sight of Eyes Perverted the Heart—Sister_-
____, although possessing excellent natural qualities, is being drawn
away from God by her unbelieving friends and relatives, who love
not the truth and have no sympathy with the sacrifice and self-denial
that must be made for the truth’s sake. Sister_____has not felt the