Love of the World
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church, whereby many will be defiled. When Christ is in the heart it
will be so softened and subdued by love for God and man that fretting,
faultfinding, and contention will not exist there. The religion of Christ
in the heart will gain for its possessor a complete victory over those
passions that are seeking for the mastery.
Said Christ: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteous-
ness; and all these [needed] things shall be added unto you.” This
promise will never fail. We cannot enjoy the favor of God unless we
comply with the conditions upon which His favor is bestowed. By so
doing there will come to us that peace, contentment, and wisdom that
the world can neither give nor take away. If you would, as a church,
secure the rich blessing of God, you must individually make Him first
and last and best in every thought, plan, and work. Obedience to God
is the first duty of the Christian. A humble mind and a grateful heart
will elevate us above petty trials and real difficulties. The less earnest,
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energetic, and vigilant we are in the service of the Master, the more
will the mind dwell upon self, magnifying molehills into mountains of
difficulty. We shall feel that we are abused, when no disrespect even
was designed.
The burden of God’s work, laid upon Moses, made him a man
of power. While keeping, for so many years, the flocks of Jethro,
he gained an experience that taught him true humility. But God’s
call found Moses, as it will find us, inefficient, hesitating, and self-
distrustful. The command to deliver Israel seemed overwhelming; but,
in the fear of God, Moses accepted the trust. Mark the result: He did
not bring the work down to his deficiency; but in the strength of God
he put forth the most earnest efforts to elevate and sanctify himself for
his sacred mission.
Moses would never have been prepared for his position of trust
had he waited for God to do the work for him. Light from heaven
will come to those who feel the need of it, and who seek for it as for
hidden treasures. But if we sink down into a state of inactivity, willing
to be controlled by Satan’s power, God will not send His inspiration to
us. Unless we exert to the utmost the powers which He has given us,
we shall ever remain weak and inefficient. Much prayer and the most
vigorous exercise of the mind are necessary if we would be prepared
to do the work which God would entrust to us. Many never attain to
the position which they might occupy, because they wait for God to