Wearing the Victor’s Crown, December 19
            
            
              He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
            
            
              churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
            
            
              Revelation 2:11
            
            
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              The words, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
            
            
              the churches” are repeated after these promises, weighty with importance to
            
            
              the children of God. It is for our eternal interest to know and understand what
            
            
              the Spirit saith unto the churches, and we should search carefully for light
            
            
              and knowledge that we may not be in ignorance of what God has commanded
            
            
              and promised in His precious Word. We have souls to be saved or lost, and
            
            
              with the greatest earnestness we should inquire, “What shall I do in order to
            
            
              obtain eternal life?” At the best, life is but short, and it is necessary that we
            
            
              should live this short life in harmony with the law of God, which is the law
            
            
              of the universe. We must have ears to hear, and hearts to understand, what
            
            
              the Spirit saith unto the churches.
            
            
              The angels of God attain unto no higher knowledge than to know the
            
            
              will of God; and it is their greatest delight to accomplish the perfect will of
            
            
              the heavenly Father. Fallen man has the privilege of becoming intelligent in
            
            
              regard to the will of God. While probationary time is granted us, we should
            
            
              put our faculties to the very highest use, that we may make of ourselves all that
            
            
              it is possible; and while we endeavor to reach a high standard of intelligence,
            
            
              we should feel our dependence upon God, for without His grace, our efforts
            
            
              cannot bring lasting benefit. It is through the grace of Christ that we are to
            
            
              be overcomers; through the merits of His blood we are to be of that number
            
            
              whose names will not be blotted out of the book of life.
            
            
              Those who are final overcomers will have the life that runs parallel with
            
            
              the life of God, and wear the crown of the victor. When such great and eternal
            
            
              reward awaits us, we should run the race with patience, looking unto Jesus,
            
            
              the author and finisher of our faith.—
            
            
              The Signs of the Times, June 15, 1891
            
            
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