Geriatrics
299
respect the aged pioneers who have borne trials and hardships and
many privations. They are God’s workmen and have acted a prominent
part in the building up of His work.—
Testimonies for the Church
7:289
(1902).
To Be Treated as Fathers and Mothers—While the aged
standard-bearers are in the field, let those who have been benefited by
their labors care for and respect them. Do not load them down with
burdens. Appreciate their advice, their words of counsel. Treat them
as fathers and mothers who have borne the burden of the work. The
workers who have in the past anticipated the needs of the cause do a
noble work when, in the place of carrying all the burdens themselves,
they lay them upon the shoulders of younger men and women and
educate them as Elijah educated Elisha.—
The Review and Herald,
March 20, 1900
. (
Selected Messages 2:227
.)
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Counsel to Old and Tried Gospel Laborers—May the Lord
bless and sustain our old and tried laborers. May He help them to
be wise in regard to the preservation of their physical, mental, and
spiritual powers. I have been instructed by the Lord to say to those
who bore their testimony in the early days of the message: “God has
endowed you with the power of reason, and He desires you to under-
stand and obey the laws that have to do with the health of the being.
Do not be imprudent. Do not overwork. Take time to rest. God desires
you to stand in your lot and place, doing your part to save men and
women from being swept downward by the mighty current of evil. He
desires you to keep the armor on till He bids you lay it off. Not long
hence you will receive your reward.”—
Testimonies for the Church
7:289
(1902).
The Greatest Danger—I am bidden to say to my aged brethren,
Walk humbly with God. Be not accusers of the brethren. You are to
do your appointed work under the direction of the God of Israel. The
inclination to criticize is the greatest danger of many. The brethren
whom you are tempted to criticize are called to bear responsibilities
which you could not possibly carry, but you can be their helpers. You
can do great service to the cause, if you will, by presenting your
experience in the past in connection with the labors of others. The
Lord has not given to any of you the work of correcting and censuring
your brethren,—Lt 204, 1907. (
Evangelism, 106, 107
.)
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