Harmonious Action of the Whole Personality Necessary
7
ment. There is no inclination to exercise the muscles by engaging in
physical labor, because exertion seems to be irksome.—
Testimonies
for the Church 3:490
(1875).
Caution Concerning Overwork—Remember that man must pre-
serve his God-given talent of intelligence by keeping the physical
machinery in harmonious action. Daily physical exercise is necessary
to the enjoyment of health. It is not work but overwork, without periods
of rest, that breaks people down, endangering the life-forces. Those
who overwork soon reach the place where they work in a hopeless
way.
The work done to the Lord is done in cheerfulness and with
courage. God wants us to bring spirit and life and hopefulness into
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our work. Brain workers should give due attention to every part of the
human machinery, equalizing the taxation. Physical and mental effort,
wisely combined, will keep the whole man in a condition that makes
him acceptable to God....
Bring into the day’s work hopefulness, courage, and amiability.
Do not overwork. Better far leave undone some of the things planned
for the day’s work than to undo oneself and become overtaxed, losing
the courage necessary for the performance of the tasks of the next day.
Do not today violate the laws of nature, lest you lose your strength for
the day to follow.—Lt 102, 1903.
Counsel to One Who Indulged in Exaggerated Language—
From the light which God has given me, I know that spiritual deformity
is being developed in you. In the place of giving a faultless exhibition
of right principles and correct habits, you are gathering to yourselves
sentiments and principles which will exclude you and all who partake
of the same spirit from the heavenly courts. Your mind is becoming
deformed by the way in which you treat it. I entreat of you to change
decidedly about. Check all exaggerated language, for it destroys the
harmony of the mind.
The body needs careful culture, that it may be kept in a healthy
condition. So the mind needs to be strictly disciplined, lest it shall
be unduly developed in some things and insufficiently developed in
others. Because these susceptible organs are not in your sight, where
you can see the harm that you are doing to your intellectual powers
and how much they need regulating, you are not conscious of the harm