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Be Sunshiny Christians, December 11
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4
.
Do not talk of the faults of others. Take care of your own garden. See that
your own heart is cleansed by the power of God. When trouble comes, instead of
getting out of patience, instead of fretting and worrying, go to the Lord, and tell
Him all about it.... Do not go to human friends, for they have all the burdens they
can bear....
Do not think that by placing your burdens on others, you can find relief. Come
right to the Burden-bearer, and tell Him about them. Believe that He is able and
willing to meet the circumstances of your case. When in contrition you come to
the foot of the cross, when you have faith in the merits of a crucified and risen
Saviour, you will receive power through Him. As you cast your helpless soul upon
Him, He gives you peace and joy and strength and courage. Then you are able to
tell someone else how precious Christ is to you. You can say, “I sought Him, and
found Him precious to my soul.”
“Ye shall find rest.” How? By living experience—because Christ’s yoke is a
yoke of patience and gentleness and long-suffering. Those who learn His meekness
and lowliness learn also how to love one another as He has loved them. They
reach the place where they refuse to criticize and condemn others. They learn that
there is committed to them a work that no one else can do for them—the work
of learning of Christ. When we place ourselves in His hands, He shows us the
possibilities and probabilities before us, and bids us go for help to One infinitely
higher than erring human beings.
Christ is our efficiency. How do I know this? I know it by experience. For a
while, many many years ago, I was in despair. Then I cast myself on the mercy
and love of the Saviour, and His power came upon me. At one time those who
were working [in the publishing office] thought me dead. But all at once I raised
my voice in prayer. The power of God was upon me all night long, and henceforth
I understood that I must trust in Christ. I had been praying and praying for help,
and all the time my Saviour was standing close by my side, waiting for me to
recognize Him as my sufficiency, my strength, my grace. I learned the lesson, and
after that, when I kneeled down to pray, I believed that I would receive an answer,
whether I felt as if I would or not....
Oh, how I wish that we would honor Christ by realizing what He wants to do
for us, and taking Him at His word. If we would do this, we should be sunshiny
Christians. By beholding Christ, we would be changed into His likeness.—
Manuscript 118, December 11, 1904
, “Union With Christ.”
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