God Stoops to Listen, January 9
            
            
              For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name
            
            
              is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite
            
            
              and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart
            
            
              of the contrite ones.
            
            
              Isaiah 57:15
            
            
              .
            
            
              When man has taken the lines in his own hands to guide and drive, he will
            
            
              be rewarded, for the work of God will reveal terrible mistakes. Reason becomes
            
            
              blinded, even with the greatness of light, unless that agency is under the yoke of
            
            
              Christ. Every day some plan will be devised when Satan thinks he can lend a hand
            
            
              to sow his tares among the wheat. Vice is not to be commingled with virtue, and
            
            
              the cry may have to go forth in no measured tones, even now while missionary
            
            
              work is being done, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
            
            
              Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (
            
            
              2 Corinthians 6:17
            
            
              ).
            
            
              God is now working for His people, but how many do not recognize the work of
            
            
              God from a strange work.
            
            
              Drawing aside the veil which conceals the glory of God, it shows Him in His
            
            
              place, high and holy, and lifted up, not in a state of solitude, but surrounded by ten
            
            
              thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy, happy beings,
            
            
              every one waiting to bear the message, to do His bidding—all heaven is in active
            
            
              communication with every part of the universe through a variety of channels, and
            
            
              that holy One is actually stooping, bending from His throne, listening to every
            
            
              sound uttered, observing the movements of every earthly power. It is the highest
            
            
              Being condescending to the lowliest, approving or condemning every action which
            
            
              is developed.
            
            
              He is interested in the oppressed, and sends messengers to engage in the work
            
            
              in connection with the gospel for the beings who have corrupted their whole mind
            
            
              and thoughts, and they are placed in connection with truth and righteousness.
            
            
              Unless they become righteous themselves, they will contaminate others. There is a
            
            
              work to be done in our world, but if the way of the Lord is not distinctly followed,
            
            
              to put them in the way of life through conversion, there is reason to be afraid
            
            
              lest Satan shall introduce himself to work the abandoned ones our institutions
            
            
              undertake to help.
            
            
              Satan is playing a game of life for the souls of men and women for whom
            
            
              Christ has died. In our zeal to do a work for the Lord, we must be sure we are not
            
            
              going before Christ, in the place of following after Christ.—
            
            
              Letter 171, January 9,
            
            
              1900
            
            
              , to Edson and Emma White.
            
            
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