Basic HTML Version
Temperance Worker
135
No Censure for the Straying Sheep
—The parable of the lost
sheep is a forcible illustration of the Saviour’s love for the erring.
The Shepherd leaves the ninety and nine in the shelter of the fold,
while He goes out to search for the one lost, perishing sheep; and
when it is found, He places it upon His shoulder, and returns with
rejoicing. He did not find fault with the straying sheep; He did
not say, “Let him go if he will;” but He went forth amid frost and
sleet and tempest, to save the one that was lost. And He patiently
continued His search until the object of His solicitude was found.
Thus are we to treat the erring, wandering one. We should be
ready to sacrifice our own ease and comfort when a soul for whom
Christ died is in peril. Said Jesus, “Joy shall be in heaven over one
sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons,
which need no repentance.” As joy was manifested at the recovery of
the one lost sheep, so will exceeding joy and gratitude be manifested
by the true servants of Christ when one soul is saved from death.—
Manuscript 1, 1878
.
Christ Will Show Us How
—We are called upon to work with
more than human energy, to labor with the power that is in Jesus
Christ. The One who stooped to take human nature is the One who
will show us how to conduct the battle. Christ has left His work in
our hands, and we are to wrestle with God, supplicating day and
night for the power that is unseen. It is laying right hold of God
through Jesus Christ that will gain the victory.—
Testimonies for the
[135]
Church 6:111
.
Gratitude of the Saved
—The worth of a soul cannot be fully
estimated by finite minds. How gratefully will the ransomed and
glorified ones remember those who were instrumental in their salva-
tion! No one will then regret his self-denying efforts and persevering
labors, his patience, forbearance, and earnest heart-yearnings for
souls that might have been lost had he neglected his duty or become
weary in well-doing.—
Manuscript 1, 1878
.
Safeguards for the Worker
—The temptations to which we are
daily exposed make prayer a necessity. Dangers beset every path.
Those who are seeking to rescue others from vice and ruin are
especially exposed to temptation. In constant contact with evil, they
need a strong hold upon God, lest they themselves be corrupted.
Short and decisive are the steps that lead men down from high and