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Mind, Character, and Personality Volume 2
upon it for their influence. They allow the world to convert them and
introduce the common fire to take the place of the sacred that they
may, in their line of work, meet the world’s standard.
There must not be these efforts made to ape the world’s customs.
This is common, not sacred, fire. The living bread must not only be
admired, but eaten. That bread which cometh down from heaven will
give life to the soul. It is the leaven which absorbs all the elements
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of the character into a oneness with the character of Christ and molds
the objectionable hereditary and cultivated tendencies after the divine
similitude.—MS 96, 1898.
Christ and Conformity—How wonderful is the work of grace
upon the human heart! It gives mental power, wisdom to use the talent
of means, not in self-pleasing but through self-denial, to carry forward
missionary work. Christ, the Son of God, was a missionary to our
world. He says, “Whoso will follow, let him forsake all.” You cannot
love Him while copying the fashions of the world or enjoying worldly
society.—Lt 238, 1907.
Conformity Lowers Standards—Conformity to worldly customs
converts the church to the world; it never converts the world to Christ.
Familiarity with sin will inevitably cause it to appear less repulsive.
He who chooses to associate with the servants of Satan will soon cease
to fear their master. When in the way of duty we are brought into trial,
as was Daniel in the king’s court, we may be sure that God will protect
us; but if we place ourselves under temptation, we shall fall sooner or
later.—
The Great Controversy, 509
(1888).
Conformity Gradually Perverts Right Principles—It is confor-
mity to the world that is causing our people to lose their bearings.
The perversion of right principles has not been brought about sud-
denly. The angel of the Lord presented this matter to me in symbols.
It seemed as if a thief were stealthily moving closer and still closer
and gradually but surely stealing away the identity of God’s work by
leading our brethren to conform to worldly policies.
The mind of man has taken the place that rightfully belongs to
God. Whatever position a man may hold, however exalted he may be,
he should act as Christ would were He in his place. In every stroke of
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work that he performs, in his words and in his character, he should be
Christlike.—MS 96, 1902.