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Mind, Character, and Personality Volume 2
Michigan] without humiliation of self will go away just as they came.
They will have as much perplexity as they had before. But, brethren
and sisters, we cannot afford this. Let us humble our hearts before God.
Let us allow Christ to anoint our eyes with the heavenly eyesalve that
we may see. We do not want to be blind; we want to see everything
distinctly. We do not want to be marching one day toward Canaan, and
the next day back to Egypt, and the next day toward Canaan, and then
back to Egypt again. Day by day we are to march steadily forward. It
makes my heart ache, it fills me with the keenest sorrow, to think of
the precious blessings we are losing because we are so far behind the
light.—MS 56, 1904.
Self-understanding Leads to Humility—To know oneself is
great knowledge. True self-knowledge leads to a humility that will
open the way for the Lord to develop the mind and mold and dis-
cipline the character.—
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students,
419
(1913).
Farthest Removed From Pride or Self-exaltation—“He that
saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He
walked” (
1 John 2:6
). “Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ,
he is none of His” (
Romans 8:9
). This conformity to Jesus will not
be unobserved by the world. It is a subject of notice and comment.
The Christian may not be conscious of the great change, for the more
closely he resembles Christ in character, the more humble will be his
opinion of himself; but it will be seen and felt by all around him.
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Those who have had the deepest experience in the things of God
are the farthest removed from pride or self-exaltation. They have the
humblest thoughts of self and the most exalted conceptions of the glory
and excellence of Christ. They feel that the lowest place in His service
is too honorable for them.—
Testimonies for the Church 5:223
(1882).
Safety in Remembering One’s Weakness—Men are tested and
proved not only before human intelligences but before the heavenly
universe. Unless they fear and tremble for themselves, unless they
realize their own weakness and remember their past failures, striving
to guard against repeating them, they will make the same mistakes,
which were attended with results that they cannot afford the second
time.—MS 43, 1898.
Conquering Self a Lifework—Wrongs cannot be righted, nor can
reformations in conduct be made by a few feeble, intermittent efforts.