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True Education, a Missionary Training
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God’s word does not repress activity, but guides it aright. God
does not bid the youth to be less aspiring. The elements of character
that make a man truly successful and honored among men—the
irrepressible desire for some greater good, the indomitable will,
the strenuous application, the untiring perseverance—are not to be
discouraged. By the grace of God they are to be directed to the
attainment of objects as much higher than mere selfish and worldly
interests as the heavens are higher than the earth.
With us as parents and as Christians it rests to give our children
right direction. They are to be carefully, wisely, tenderly guided into
paths of Christlike ministry. We are under sacred covenant with God
to rear our children for His service. To surround them with such
influences as shall lead them to choose a life of service, and to give
them the training needed, is our first duty.
“God so loved, ... that He gave,” “gave His only-begotten Son,”
that we should not perish, but have everlasting life. “Christ ... hath
loved us, and hath given Himself for us.” If we love we shall give.
“Not to be ministered unto, but to minister” is the great lesson which
we are to learn and to teach.
John 3:16
;
Ephesians 5:2
;
Matthew
20:28
.
Let the youth be impressed with the thought that they are not
their own. They belong to Christ. They are the purchase of His
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blood, the claim of His love. They live because He keeps them by
His power. Their time, their strength, their capabilities are His, to
be developed, to be trained, to be used for Him.
Next to the angelic beings, the human family, formed in the
image of God, are the noblest of His created works. God desires
them to become all that He has made it possible for them to be, and
to do their very best with the powers He has given them.
Life is mysterious and sacred. It is the manifestation of God
Himself, the source of all life. Precious are its opportunities, and
earnestly should they be improved. Once lost, they are gone forever.
Before us God places eternity, with its solemn realities, and gives
us a grasp on immortal, imperishable themes. He presents valuable,
ennobling truth, that we may advance in a safe and sure path, in
pursuit of an object worthy of the earnest engagement of all our
capabilities.