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Mind, Character, and Personality Volume 2
more of the spirit of Christ, if you would have a living faith in God,
the cloud which is now thrown across the atmosphere of the mind by
Satan would be cut away.—Lt 97, 1898.
Reformers, Not Bigots—The one object to be kept before the
mind is that you are reformers and not bigots. In dealing with unbe-
lievers, do not show a contemptible spirit of littleness, for if you stop
to haggle over a small sum, you will, in the end, lose a much larger
sum. They will say, “That man is a sharper; he would cheat you out of
your rights if he possibly could, so be on your guard when you have
any dealing with him.”
But if in a deal a trifle in your favor is placed to the favor of another,
that other will work with you on the same generous plan. Littleness
begets littleness, penuriousness begets penuriousness. Those who
pursue this course do not see how contemptible it appears to others;
especially those not of our faith; and the precious cause of truth bears
the stamp of this defect.—Lt 14, 1887. (
Evangelism, 90, 91
.)
Be Straightforward—In all our dealings, wherever we may be,
we are to be perfectly straightforward. We cannot afford to break one
of the commandments of God for the sake of worldly gain. Who are
we? Christ said to His disciples, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the
salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is henceforth
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good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of
men.”—MS 50, 1904.
Honesty Essential—In all the details of life the strictest principles
of honesty are to be maintained. These are not the principles which
govern our world, for Satan—deceiver, liar, and oppressor—is the
master, and his subjects follow him and carry out his purposes. But
Christians serve under a different Master, and their actions must be
wrought in God, irrespective of all selfish gain.
Deviation from perfect fairness in business deals may appear as
a small thing in the estimation of some, but our Saviour did not thus
regard it. His words on this point are plain and explicit: “He that is
faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (
Luke 16:10
). A
man who will overreach his neighbor on a small scale will overreach
in a larger scale if the temptation is brought to bear upon him. A false
representation in a small matter is as much dishonesty in the sight of
God as falsity in a larger matter.