Home > Prophecy > Spirit of Prophecy Section > Selected Quotations - EGW ( 6,000 phrases ) > Phrase - Government (separate page with 16 phrases ) >
.
Self - government
.
   Quotations from the writings of Ellen G. White with the phrase . . .
Self - government
Related phrase:  reigns of self-government  ( below)
The religious work which the Lord gives to young men, and to men of all ages, shows his respect for them as his children. He gives them the work of self-government. He calls them to be sharers with him in the great work of redemption and uplifting. As a father takes his son into partnership in his business, so the Lord takes his children into partnership with himself. We are made laborers together with God. Jesus says, "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." Would you not rather choose to be a child of God than a servant of Satan and sin, having your name registered as an enemy of Christ?   {YI, January 25, 1910 par. 10}
 
 
Brother B will be in danger of tearing down more than he can build up. He has not brought all his powers in subjection to the will of God. He has not been transformed by the renewing of his mind. He is self-sufficient, and does not rely wholly upon the grace of God; his works are not wrought in God. To be a shepherd is to occupy a very important, responsible position; to feed the flock of God is an exalted and sacred work. Brother B, the Lord does not regard you fit to be an overseer of His flock. Had you been learning the lesson of self-government in your religious experience, and had you felt the necessity of elevating your mind and purifying your heart by the sanctification of the Spirit, and of bringing all your powers into subjection to the will of God, seeking humility and meekness, you might now be in a position to do good and to exert an influence which would be elevating and saving.  {2T 220.3}
 
 
The object of discipline is the training of the child for self-government. He should be taught self-reliance and self-control. Therefore as soon as he is capable of understanding, his reason should be enlisted on the side of obedience. Let all dealing with him be such as to show obedience to be just and reasonable. Help him to see that all things are under law, and that disobedience leads, in the end, to disaster and suffering. When God says, "Thou shalt not," He in love warns us of the consequence of disobedience, in order to save us from harm and loss.  {CG 223.1}
 
The object of discipline is the training of the child for self-government. He should be taught self-reliance and self-control. Therefore as soon as he is capable of understanding, his reason should be enlisted on the side of obedience. Let all dealing with him be such as to show obedience to be just and reasonable. Help him to see that all things are under law, and that disobedience leads, in the end, to disaster and suffering. When God says "Thou shalt not," He in love warns us of the consequences of disobedience, in order to save us from harm and loss.  {Ed 287.2}
 
I was shown the case of R. He has been blind to himself. There is in him a great lack of self-government and spirituality. I was pointed back and saw how it used to be with him--the passionate, willful temper, the stubborn will, the fitful moves. There has been something of a reform, but he has been very slow to learn. The work is not thorough. He makes an idol of himself, indulges his appetite, and lives principally for himself. Oh, that he could look back upon his past life and could see it as it is! He would be ashamed and alarmed at the little good he has done.  {15MR 328.2}
 
"And he had two horns like a lamb." The lamblike horns indicate youth, innocence, and gentleness, fitly representing the character of the United States when presented to the prophet as "coming up" in 1798. Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil  Their views found place in the
 
"And he had two horns like a lamb." The lamblike horns indicate youth, innocence, and gentleness, fitly representing the character of the United States when presented to the prophet as "coming up" in 1798.Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that "all men are created equal" and endowed with the inalienable right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." And the Constitution guarantees to the people the right of self-government, providing that representatives elected by the popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. The oppressed and downtrodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth.   Great Controversy, page 441.1  Read entire chapter 25
 
The religious work which the Lord gives to young men, and to men of all ages, shows His respect for them as His children. He gives them the work of self-government. He calls them to be sharers with Him in the great work of redemption and uplifting. As a father takes his son into partnership in his business, so the Lord takes His children into partnership with Himself. . . .  {SD 324.3}
 
To be a shepherd is to occupy a very important, responsible position. It is a high and sacred work to feed the flock of God. Bro. Buck, the Lord does not regard you fit to be an overseer of his flock. Had you been learning the lesson of self-government in your religious experience, and had you felt the necessity of elevating your mind, and purifying your heart by sanctification of the Spirit, and bringing all your powers into subjection to the Spirit of God, seeking humility and meekness, you might now be in a position to do good, and to exert an influence which would be elevating and saving.  {PH099 8.2}
 
 
Reins  of  Self - government
 
The first moral lesson given to Adam was that of self-denial. The reins of self-government were placed in his hands. Judgment, reason, and conscience were to bear sway. "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." {Con 12.2}
 
 
Genius and crime make a sad combination, which we too frequently see in those who have given up God in pursuit of the world. Many of our youth who are highly gifted go astray. Falling under temptation, they become the slaves of appetite and passion. Virtue and integrity are destroyed in them; vice becomes a tyrant, driving its victims from one excess to another, until reason, self-respect, family affection, and eternal interests, plead in vain for reform. It is not easy to regain the reins of self-government, when they are once surrendered to the baser passions.  {HR, June 1, 1878 par. 13}
 
 
The first great moral lesson given Adam was that of self-denial. The reins of self-government were placed in his hands. Judgment, reason, and conscience, were to bear sway. "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."  {RH, February 24, 1874 par. 10}
 
Return to Selected Quotations by EGW page
Return to  Phrases related to Government  page