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The Publishing Ministry
council of men assume the responsibility of making as little as possible
of these talents, according to their human estimate of God’s entrusted
qualifications. No man is to weigh in the balances of human judgment
the talents God has given to other men. Let every man appreciate
God’s gifts to himself, and faithfully trade upon them. No man is to
merge his individuality into that of any other man. No man should be
urged to make another man his steward. There are diversities of gifts,
and a large work to be done in our world in the use of God’s entrusted
goods.... Let us never forget that we are here to be fashioned by the
hand of God, fitted to do the work He has given us to do. That work
is our own, the accountability is our own; it cannot be transferred to
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another. Let not human agents interpose to take another’s work out of
the hands of God into their own finite hands.—
Letter 55, 1895
.
How to Exercise Authority—God will not vindicate any device
whereby man shall in the slightest degree rule or oppress his fellow
man. The only hope for fallen man is to look to Jesus, and receive Him
as the only Saviour. As soon as man begins to make an iron rule for
other men, as soon as he begins to harness up and drive men according
to his own mind, he dishonors God, and imperils his own soul and the
souls of his brethren....
He [God] expects His workers to be tenderhearted. How merciful
are the ways of God! (See
Deuteronomy 10:17-20
;
2 Chronicles 20:5-
7, 9
;
1 Peter 1:17
.) But the rules God has given have been disregarded,
and strange fire has been offered before the Lord....
If a man is sanguine of his own powers, and seeks to exercise
dominion over his brethren, feeling that he is invested with authority
to make his will the ruling power, the best and only safe course is to
remove him, lest great harm be done, and he lose his own soul, and
imperil the souls of others. “All ye are brethren.”.... Those in authority
should manifest the spirit of Christ. They should deal as He would
deal with every case that requires attention. They should go weighted
with the Holy Spirit.—
Letter 55, 1895
. (
Special Instruction Relating
to the Review and Herald Office, and The Work in Battle Creek, 32,
33
.)
The Glory Belongs to God—The lesson that the Lord would
have all humanity learn from the experience of the king of Babylon
is that all who walk in pride He is able to abase. By stern discipline
Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the lesson that God, not man, is Ruler,