Adorning the Gospel
THIS DAY WITH GOD,
PAGE 169
Adorning
the Gospel, June 9
Neither have I gone back from the commandment
of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary
food. Job 23:12.
Only those who read the Scriptures as the
voice of God speaking to them are true learners. They tremble at the Word of
God, for to them it is a living reality. They study, they search for the hidden
treasure. They open their understanding and heart to receive, and they pray for
heavenly grace, that they may obtain a preparation for the future, immortal
life.
As the heavenly torch is placed in his hand,
man sees his own frailty, his infirmity, his hopelessness in looking to himself
for righteousness. In himself there is nothing that can recommend him to God. He prays for
the Holy Spirit, the representative of Christ, to be his constant guide, to
lead him into all truth....
A bare assent to the truth is not Bible
religion.... There are many Christians whose hearts are encased in a
self-righteous armor that the arrow of the Lord, barbed and true, aimed by
angel hands, would fail to pierce. The truth glides off, and the soul is not
wounded. Man must first seek God for himself, then the Holy Spirit will take
the precious truth, far above the price of rubies, as it falls from the lips of
Jesus, and convey it, a living power, to the obedient heart. The truth,
received in the heart becomes a quickening power, awakening every faculty. It
is a divine influence that touches the heart and creates the heavenly music
that flows forth from the lips in pure thanksgiving and praise.
O what can I say in order to awaken the minds
of those who profess to believe the truth, that they may adorn the gospel by a faith that
works by love and purifies the soul. Christ bids you look to Him as the Illuminator
of your darkened souls....
The curiosity of men has led them to seek for
the tree of knowledge; and often they think they are plucking fruit most
essential, when, like Solomon’s research, they find it altogether vanity and
nothingness in comparison with that science of true holiness which will open to
them the gates of the city of God....
Every human agent must see that the great and important work for
him in this life is to receive the divine likeness, to prepare a character for
the future life. He must appropriate the heavenly truths to his special use in
practical life. E. G. White—Manuscript 67, June 9, 1898, “Search the
Scriptures.”