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True Soldiers of Christ, August 4
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own
selves.
James 1:22
.
In order to be true soldiers of Jesus Christ we must meet the requirements of
His Word as loyal subjects of the heavenly kingdom.... Those who claim to believe
the truth must appreciate the great warfare before us and what is comprehended in
being a faithful soldier of Jesus Christ.... The Saviour’s army invites voluntary
enlistment. There must be a complete surrender of the passions, will, and ways to
the will of the Master. Our work is to obey the orders of the mighty General of
armies. A strong and active bodily organization is to be maintained. The senses
must be enlightened as to perfect obedience; duties are to be done which cannot
always be seen as essential; but now comes in the necessity of faith in a higher
wisdom and power than your own. Have faith in God, unshaken faith in the skill
and ability and fidelity of your Commander, who knows the plan of the battle.
The Lord Jesus does not deceive His soldiers. He opens before them the
conflict, presents the plan of the battle, points out the hazardous undertaking, and
exhorts everyone to count the cost. He does not leave them in ignorance. He tells
everyone before enlistment to count the cost before they enlist as soldiers in His
army, for a soldier’s life is a life of duty.
To every man in service is given his work, and no excuse can be accepted why
that God-given work is not done. Some are negligent and indolent. Some are
slothful servants like the man who had one talent entrusted to use and improve,
but ... buried it in the earth and made no use of it. When his talent was called for,
to be rendered back to God, the Owner, he had only the one unused talent. No one
was improved by his entrusted gift. The least he could have done was to use it to
the best of his ability, but he handed it back with a complaint against God: “I knew
thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering
where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the
earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine” (
Matthew 25:24, 25
). The Lord repeated
His words, “Thou knewest.” The fact was he had not a knowledge of God and His
works and His ways and His mercy and His kindness in giving an opportunity to
improve the entrusted gift. The word is, “Take ... the talent from him, and give it
unto him that hath ten talents. For unto everyone that hath shall be given, ... but
from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath” (
Verses 28,
29
).—
Manuscript 98, August 4, 1900
, “True Soldiers of Christ.”
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