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Transformation of Character Takes Place Here, October 20
Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee.
Psalm 84:5
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We are none of us what we may be, what God would have us be, and what His
Word requires us to be. And it is our unbelief that shuts us away from God; for
we may at any time lift up our souls to Him, and find grace and strength. When
Christ shall come, our vile bodies are to be changed, and made like His glorious
body; but the vile character will not be made holy then. The transformation of
character must take place before His coming. Our natures must be pure and holy;
we must have the mind of Christ, that He may behold with pleasure His image
reflected upon our souls.
Enoch was a marked character, and many look upon his life as something
far above what the generality of mortals can ever reach. But Enoch’s life and
character, which were so holy that he was translated to heaven without seeing
death, represent the lives and characters of all who will be translated when Christ
comes. His life was what the life of every individual may be if he will live near
to God. We should remember that Enoch was surrounded by unholy influences.
The society around him was so depraved that God brought a flood of waters on
the world to destroy its inhabitants for their corruption.
Were Enoch upon the earth today, his heart would be in harmony with all of
God’s requirements; he would walk with God, although surrounded by influences
the most wicked and debasing. The palm tree well represents the life of a Chris-
tian. It stands upright amid the burning desert sands, and dies not; for it draws
sustenance from springs beneath the surface.
Joseph preserved his integrity when surrounded by idolaters in Egypt, in the
midst of sin and blasphemy and corrupting influences. When [he was] tempted
to turn aside from the path of virtue, his answer was, “How shall I do this great
wickedness, and sin against God?” Enoch, Joseph, and Daniel depended upon a
strength that was infinite; and this is the only course of safety for Christians to
pursue in our day.
The lives of these marked men were hid with Christ in God. They were loyal
to God, pure amid depravity, devout and fervent when brought in contact with
atheism and idolatry. Through divine grace they cultivated only such qualities as
were favorable to the development of pure and holy characters.
Thus it may be with us. The spirit which Enoch, Joseph and Daniel possessed,
we may have; we may draw from the same source of strength, possess the same
power of self-control, and the same graces may shine out in our lives.—
The Signs
of the Times, November 11, 1886
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