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Working for the Intemperate
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These can help others. People who have been tempted and tried,
whose hope was well-nigh gone, but who were saved by hearing a
message of love, can understand the science of saving souls. People
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whose hearts are filled with love for Christ because they themselves
have been sought for by the Savior and brought back to the fold,
know how to seek the lost. They can point sinners to the Lamb of
God. They have given themselves without reserve to God and have
been accepted in the Beloved. The hand that in weakness was held
out for help has been grasped. By the ministry of such ones many
prodigals will be brought to the Father.
For every soul struggling to rise from a life of sin to a life of
purity, the great element of power abides in the only “‘name under
heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’”
Acts 4:12
.
“‘If anyone thirsts’” for restful hope, for deliverance from sinful
propensities, Christ says, “‘let him come to Me and drink.’”
John
7:37
. The only remedy for vice is the grace and power of Christ.
Good resolutions made in one’s own strength avail nothing. Not
all the pledges in the world will break the power of evil habit. Never
will men and women practice temperance in all things until their
hearts are renewed by divine grace. We cannot keep ourselves from
sin for one moment. Every moment we are dependent upon God.
True reformation begins with soul cleansing. Our work for the
fallen will achieve real success only as the grace of Christ reshapes
the character and the soul is brought into living connection with
God.
Obedience to God’s Law
Christ lived a life of perfect obedience to God’s law, and in
this He set an example for every human being. The life that He
lived in this world we are to live through His power and under His
instruction.
In our work for the fallen the claims of the law of God and the
need of loyalty to Him are to be impressed on mind and heart. Never
fail to show that there is a marked difference between a person who
serves God and one who does not serve Him. God is love, but He
cannot excuse willful disregard for His commands. The enactments
of His government are such that human beings do not escape the