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Child Guidance
of all men is weighing moral worth, that heavenly intelligences are
watching to see what manner of character is being developed
It Is Influenced by Every Act—Every act of life, however unim-
portant, has its influence in forming the character. A good character is
more precious than worldly possessions, and the work of forming it is
the noblest in which men can engage.
Characters formed by circumstance are changeable and
discordant—a mass of contraries. Their possessors have no high
aim or purpose in life. They have no ennobling influence upon the
characters of others. They are purposeless and powerless
Perfected by Following God’s Pattern—God expects us to build
characters in accordance with the pattern set before us. We are to lay
brick by brick, adding grace to grace, finding our weak points and
correcting them in accordance with the directions given. When a crack
is seen in the walls of a mansion, we know that something about the
building is wrong. In our character building, cracks are often seen.
Unless these defects are remedied, the house will fall when the tempest
of trial beats upon it
God gives us strength, reasoning power, time, in order that we
may build characters on which He can place His stamp of approval.
[166]
He desires each child of His to build a noble character, by the doing
of pure, noble deeds, that in the end he may present a symmetrical
structure, a fair temple, honored by man and God.
In our character building we must build on Christ. He is the sure
foundation—a foundation which can never be moved. The tempest of
temptation and trial cannot move the building which is riveted to the
Eternal Rock.
He who would grow into a beautiful building for the Lord must
cultivate every power of the being. It is only by the right use of the
talents that the character can develop harmoniously. Thus we bring to
the foundation that which is represented in the Word as gold, silver,
precious stones—material that will stand the test of God’s purifying
fires. In our character building Christ is our example
3
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 222, 223
.
4
Testimonies For The Church 4:657
.
5
The Youth’s Instructor, October 25, 1900
.
6
The Youth’s Instructor, May 16, 1901
.