Work Qualifications and Efficiency
71
without asking, they would alter their course. If Christ were abiding
in the hearts of the workers, they would try to bring high Christian
consecration into all their duties, whether great or small. And in the
act of working heartily as unto the Lord, raising their thoughts above
the ordinary level of business life, they would be blessed. It is the
Christian’s duty to think of holy things.
The workers in the Echo [
The Echo publishing house in Melbourne,
Australia.
] office have very little insight into the right methods of
obtaining success. They are working at cross purposes with each other.
The Echo office is sick, from the crown to the foundation. There will
be no vitality, no decided progress, until the workers follow Christian
principle. These workers need to be soundly converted to the truth.
Devotion to God, conscientious, prayerful work for the Master, will
bring unity. Each worker must be on his guard, firmly determined to
bind about the edges of every department in the office. He must realize
that it is his duty to give brain, bone, and muscle to the work, that it
may be made a success.—
Manuscript 54, 1899
.
Bearing and Sharing Responsibility—You, Brother A, have had
strength to bear some responsibilities. God has accepted your energetic
labors and blessed your efforts. You have made some mistakes, but
because of some failures you should in nowise misjudge your capabil-
ities nor distrust the strength that you may find in God. You have not
been willing and ready to assume responsibilities. You are naturally
inclined to shun them and to choose an easier position, to write and
exercise the mind where no special, vital interests are involved. You
make a mistake in relying upon-----to tell you what to do....
You should search out what is to be done and lift the disagreeable
burdens yourself. God will bless you in so doing. You must bear
burdens in connection with the work of God according to your best
judgment. But you must be guarded, lest your judgment shall be
influenced by the opinions of others. If it is apparent that you have
made mistakes, it is your privilege to turn these failures into victories
[86]
by avoiding the same in the future. By being told what to do you
will never gain the experience necessary for any important position.—
Testimonies for the Church 3:495
.
Decisive Action, not Hesitation—Brother A, you are too slow.
You should cultivate opposite qualities. The cause of God demands
men who can see quickly and act instantaneously at the right time and