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Testimonies for the Church Volume 3
love. The Spirit of Christ dwelling in you will enable you to take of
the things of God and reveal them to others. You can be of no benefit
to the cause of God till the work of a faithful minister of Christ is more
exalted in your mind. You want a purpose in your life to do good, as
did Jesus. The self-denial and love which you manifest in this work
will tell upon the lives and characters of others.
You should get rid of your cold, frozen formality as soon as pos-
sible. You need to cultivate feelings of tenderness and friendliness
in your everyday life. You should exhibit true courtesy and Christian
politeness. The heart that really loves Jesus loves those for whom He
died. Just as truly as the needle points to the pole, so will the true
follower of Christ, with a spirit of earnest labor, seek to save souls for
whom Christ has given His life. Working for the salvation of sinners
will keep the love of Christ warm in the heart and will give that love
a proper growth and development. Without a correct knowledge of
the divine will there will be a lack of harmonious development in the
Christian character.
I beseech you, my brother, to become acquainted with God. “The
steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” Ministering angels mark
every step of our progress. But your will is not surrendered to God;
your thoughts are not holy. You go on, stumbling along in darkness,
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not knowing where to place your feet. The Lord reveals His will
to those who are earnest and anxious to be guided. The reason for
your inefficiency is that you have given up the idea of knowing and
doing the will of God, therefore you do not know anything positively.
Though blind yourself, you attempt to lead the blind.
Oh, in what a position are you and many other ministers! Having
forsaken God, the Fountain of living waters, you and they have hewn
out to yourselves broken cisterns that can hold no water. I entreat
of you to be alarmed and turn to the Lord with that deep and earnest
repentance which will secure to you His forgiveness and the endur-
ing strength of His might, that you may indeed be filled with all the
fullness of God. He frowns upon your course, for you have been as a
stumbling block to souls. You have depended on your own works and
righteousness for success, and have not a knowledge of the divine will.
May the Lord reveal to you your true character and let you see
your real deficiencies. When you are enlightened by the Spirit of God
to understand this you will have such a sense of your sinful neglect