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Counsels for the Church
discouraged soul is a body of darkness, not only failing himself to
receive the light of God, but shutting it away from others. Satan loves
to see the effect of the pictures of his triumphs, making human beings
faithless and disheartened
Represent God by an Unselfish Life
The sin which is indulged to the greatest extent, and which sepa-
rates us from God and produces so many contagious spiritual disorders,
is selfishness. There can be no returning to the Lord except by self-
denial. Of ourselves we can do nothing; but, through God strengthen-
ing us, we can live to do good to others, and in this way shun the evil
of selfishness. We need not go to heathen lands to manifest our desire
to devote all to God in a useful, unselfish life. We should do this in
the home circle, in the church, among those with whom we associate
and with whom we do business. Right in the common walks of life is
where self is to be denied and kept in subordination. Paul could say:
“I die daily.” It is the daily dying to self in the little transactions of life
that makes us overcomers. We should forget self in the desire to do
good to others. With many there is a decided lack of love for others.
Instead of faithfully performing their duty, they seek rather their own
pleasure.
In heaven none will think of self, nor seek their own pleasure; but
all, from pure, genuine love, will seek the happiness of the heavenly
beings around them. If we wish to enjoy heavenly society in the earth
made new, we must be governed by heavenly principles here
I was shown that there was too much comparing ourselves among
ourselves, taking fallible mortals for a pattern, when we have a sure,
unerring pattern. We should not measure ourselves by the world, nor
by the opinions of men, nor by what we were before we embraced the
truth. But our faith and position in the world, as they now are, must
be compared with what they would have been if our course had been
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continually onward and upward since we professed to be followers of
Christ. This is the only safe comparison that can be made. In every
other there will be self-deception. If the moral character and spiritual
state of God’s people do not correspond with the blessings, privileges,
89
Testimonies for the Church 5:741-745
90
Testimonies for the Church 2:132, 133