Speedy Preparation For Work
93
You have been chosen by Christ. You have been redeemed by
the precious blood of the Lamb. Plead before God the efficacy of
that blood. Say unto him: “I am thine by creation; I am thine by
redemption. I respect human authority, and the advice of my brethren;
but I cannot depend wholly upon these. I want thee, O God, to teach
me. I have covenanted with thee to adopt the divine standard of
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character, and make thee my counselor and guide,—a party to every
plan of my life; therefore teach me.” Let the glory of the Lord be your
first consideration. Repress every desire for worldly distinction, every
ambition to secure the first place. Encourage heart purity and holiness,
that you may represent the true principles of the gospel. Let every act
of your life be sanctified by a holy endeavor to do the Lord’s will, that
your influence may not lead others into forbidden paths. When God is
the leader, his righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of the
Lord shall be thy rearward.
The Lord says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.”
The advice of your own brethren may cause you to swerve from the
path which the Lord has marked out for you to walk in; for the minds of
men are not always under the control of the Holy Spirit. “Watch” lest
your studies shall accumulate to such proportions, and become of such
absorbing interest to you, that your mind shall become overburdened,
and the desire for godliness be crushed out of your soul. With many
students the motive and aim which caused them to enter school have
gradually been lost sight of, and an unholy ambition to secure a high-
class education has led them to sacrifice the truth. Their intense interest
to secure a high place among men has caused them to leave the will
of their Heavenly Father out of their calculations; but true knowledge
leads to holiness of life through the sanctification of the truth.
Too often, as the studies accumulate, the wisdom from above has
been given a secondary place, and the further advanced the student
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becomes, the less confidence he has in God; he considers that much
learning is the very essence of success in life; but if all would give due
consideration to the statement of Christ, they would make different
plans: “Without me ye can do nothing.” Without the vital principles
of true religion, without knowledge of how to serve and glorify the
Redeemer, education is more harmful than beneficial. When education
in human lines is pushed to such an extent that the love of God wanes
in the heart, that prayer is neglected, and that there is a failure to