140
Mind, Character, and Personality Volume 2
Faithfulness in Little Things (counsel to a young man)—Your
case is similar in some respects to Naaman’s. You do not consider that
in order to perfect a Christian character you must condescend to be
faithful in the littles. Although the things you are called to do may be
of small account in your eyes, yet they are duties which you will have
to do just as long as you live. A neglect of these things will make a
great deficiency in your character. You, my dear boy, should educate
yourself to faithfulness in small things. You cannot please God unless
you do this. You cannot gain love and affection unless you do just
as you are bidden, with willingness and pleasure. If you wish those
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with whom you live to love you, you must show love and respect for
them.—
Testimonies for the Church 2:310
(1869).
Character to Be Tested—It makes every difference what material
is used in the character building. The long-expected day of God
will soon test every man’s work. “The fire shall try every man’s
work of what sort it is” (
1 Corinthians 3:13
). As fire reveals the
difference between gold, silver, and precious stones and wood, hay,
and stubble, so the day of judgment will test characters, showing
the difference between characters formed after Christ’s likeness and
characters formed after the likeness of the selfish heart. All selfishness,
all false religion, will then appear as it is. The worthless material will
be consumed; but the gold of true, simple, humble faith will never
lose its value. It can never be consumed, for it is imperishable. One
hour of transgression will be seen to be a great loss, while the fear of
the Lord will be seen to be the beginning of wisdom. The pleasure
of self-indulgence will perish as stubble, while the gold of steadfast
principle, maintained at any cost, will endure forever.—
The Review
and Herald, December 11, 1900
. (
The S.D.A. Bible Commentary
6:1087, 1088
.)
Undisciplined Characters Are Discordant—Characters formed
by circumstance are changeable and discordant—a mass of contraries.
Their possessors have no high aim or purpose in life. They have no en-
nobling influence upon the characters of others. They are purposeless
and powerless.—
Testimonies for the Church 4:657
(1881).
No One Can Injure Character as Much as We Ourselves—We
may expect that false reports will circulate about us; but if we follow
a straight course, if we remain indifferent to these things, others will
also be indifferent. Let us leave to God the care of our reputation....