Chapter 8—Climbing the Heights
In perfecting a Christian character, it is essential to persevere
in right doing. I would impress upon our youth the importance of
perseverance and energy in the work of character-building. From the
earliest years it is necessary to weave into the character principles
of stern integrity, that the youth may reach the highest standard of
manhood and womanhood. They should ever keep the fact before their
eyes that they have been bought with a price, and should glorify God
in their bodies and spirits, which are His....
Daily Advancement
It is the work of the youth to make advancement day by day. Pe-
ter says, “Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kind-
ness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you
that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
All these successive steps are not to be kept before the mind’s eye,
and counted as you start; but fixing the eye upon Jesus, with an eye
single to the glory of God, you will make advancement. You cannot
reach the full measure of the stature of Christ in a day, and you would
sink in despair could you behold all the difficulties that must be met
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and overcome. You have Satan to contend with, and he will seek by
every possible device to attract your mind from Christ.
Meeting Obstacles
But we must meet all obstacles placed in our way, and overcome
them one at a time. If we overcome the first difficulty, we shall be
stronger to meet the next, and at every effort will become better able
to make advancement. By looking to Jesus, we may be overcomers. It
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