Hidden Treasure
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glories distinguishable. It is light in itself—the glory of God revealed,
and beside it every other light is dim.
But there must be earnest study and close investigation. Sharp,
clear perceptions of truth will never be the reward of indolence. No
earthy blessing can be obtained without earnest, patient, persevering
effort. If men attain success in business, they must have a will to do
and a faith to look for results. And we cannot expect to gain spiritual
knowledge without earnest toil. Those who desire to find the treasures
of truth must dig for them as the miner digs for the treasure hidden in
the earth. No halfhearted, indifferent work will avail. It is essential
for old and young, not only to read God’s word, but to study it with
wholehearted earnestness, praying and searching for truth as for hidden
treasure. Those who do this will be rewarded, for Christ will quicken
the understanding.
Our salvation depends on a knowledge of the truth contained in
the Scriptures. It is God’s will that we should possess this. Search, O
search the precious Bible with hungry hearts. Explore God’s word as
the miner explores the earth to find veins of gold. Never give up the
search until you have ascertained your relation to God and His will in
regard to you. Christ declared, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name,
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall
ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
John 14:13, 14
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Men of piety and talent catch views of eternal realities, but often
they fail of understanding, because the things that are seen eclipse the
glory of the unseen. He who would seek successfully for the hidden
treasure must rise to higher pursuits than the things of this world. His
affections and all His capabilities must be consecrated to the search.
Disobedience has closed the door to a vast amount of knowledge
that might have been gained from the Scriptures. Understanding means
obedience to God’s commandments. The Scriptures are not to be
adapted to meet the prejudice and jealousy of men. They can be
understood only by those who are humbly seeking for a knowledge of
the truth that they may obey it.
Do you ask, What shall I do to be saved? You must lay your
preconceived opinions, your hereditary and cultivated ideas, at the
door of investigation. If you search the Scriptures to vindicate your
own opinions, you will never reach the truth. Search in order to learn
what the Lord says. If conviction comes as you search, if you see