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Testimonies for the Church Volume 9
not for the spiritual benefit of the believers and that involved far more
than was apparent at the first casual consideration. Such movements
are not in the order of God. Many, very many matters have been
taken up and carried by vote, that have involved far more than was
anticipated and far more than those who voted would have been
willing to assent to had they taken time to consider the question
from all sides.
We cannot at this time afford to be careless or negligent in the
work of God. We must seek the Lord earnestly every day if we
would be prepared for the experiences that come to us. Our hearts
are to be cleansed from every feeling of superiority, and the living
principles of the truth are to be planted in the soul. Young and aged
and middle-aged should now be practicing the virtues of Christ’s
character. They should daily be making spiritual development, that
they may become vessels unto honor in the Master’s service.
“And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place,
when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us
to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Luke 11:1
. The prayer that
Christ gave to His disciples in answer to this request is not made in
high-flown language, but expresses in simple words the necessities
of the soul. It is short and deals directly with the daily needs.
Every soul has the privilege of stating to the Lord his own special
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necessities and to offer his individual thanksgiving for the blessings
that he daily receives. But the many long and spiritless, faithless
prayers that are offered to God, instead of being a joy to Him, are a
burden. We need, oh, so much! clean, converted hearts. We need
to have our faith strengthened. “Ask, and it shall be given you,” the
Saviour promised; “seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you.”
Matthew 7:7
. We need to educate ourselves to
trust in this word and to bring the light and grace of Christ into all
our works. We need to take hold of Christ and to retain our hold
of Him until we know that the power of His transforming grace is
manifested in us. We must have faith in Christ if we would reflect
the divine character.
Christ clothed His divinity with humanity and lived a life of
prayer and self-denial, and of daily battle with temptation, that He
might help those who today are assailed by temptation. He is our
efficiency and power. He desires that, through the appropriation of