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| Your reason and imagination should be touched with the life-giving power of Christ, that forms of beauty and truth may be impressed thereon. There are great and precious truths that demand your contemplation, in order that you may have a sound foundation for your faith by having a correct knowledge of God. O that the superficial, vain seeker for truth would learn that the world by wisdom, however much acquired, knew not God. {HP 16.5} |
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| The world by wisdom knows not God. Many have talked eloquently about him, but their supposed sound reasoning, their subtle arguments, bring men no nearer to him, because they themselves are not in vital connection with him. Professing themselves to be wise, they become fools. Their wrong impressions and imperfect knowledge of God do not lead them to become partakers of his divine nature. Their lives are not conformed to his image. A correct knowledge of God is not a hearsay report, but an intelligent, experimental knowledge. {RH, July 20, 1897 par. 9} |
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| We would say to the students who are soon to return to their homes, we hope they will make continual advancement in the knowledge of God, and in his fear. An education that is obtained merely in book knowledge is a very deficient education. An education in the things of God, a correct knowledge of God, combined with all the knowledge that you may obtain from books will give you symmetrical characters. As the students return to their homes, we hope they will carry Jesus with them; and that they will have the fear of God before them. "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Here is a principle which reaches deep beneath the surface, taking hold of the thoughts and actions of the entire man. He is required to be constantly guarded, a faithful sentinel over the citadel of the soul, prepared to meet and resist every thought and action which will dishonor his heavenly Father. A compliance with this injunction of the apostle will bind and hold in restraint every unlawful passion, and will make self-control an absolute necessity to the Christian. Economy, industry, energy, and everything which will strengthen and develop noble qualities and powers will be cultivated. The Divine power combined with human effort will give to all perfect and entire victory. Every believing mind will be filled with conscious power. The language of the soul will be: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Such youth, and only such, can stand before the world with symmetrical characters. {ST, February 14, 1878 par. 2} |
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| In the work of mercy which Christ had performed, his divine power shone forth, and testified that his resources were found in the only true and living God. Many were obtaining a correct knowledge of God, and by faith in Christ were getting a better acquaintance with the Way, the Truth, and the Life. To the angry rebuke of the ruler of the synagogue Jesus replied with dignity and authority. In distinct utterances the voice of Christ was heard saying: "Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" They had condemned Christ for relieving a suffering woman, who had been under affliction for eighteen years, when they themselves would not scruple in relieving the thirst of a beast on the Sabbath day. They would not leave their ox or their ass tied up in the stall when it was in need of water, but would lead it out where water might be obtained. He pointed out their inconsistency, saying, You feed your cattle on the Sabbath, and yet you are angry with the people who are solely distressed and suffering, who are under the oppressive power of Satan, because they come on the Sabbath day to be healed. You do a work of mercy for your beast, but pass judgment because I have broken Satan's power and set free a daughter of Abraham on the Sabbath. "And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed; and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him." {ST, April 23, 1896 par. 3} |
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| Your reason and imagination should be touched with the life-giving power of Christ, that forms of beauty and truth may be impressed thereon. There are great and precious truths that demand your contemplation, in order that you may have a sound foundation for your faith by having a correct knowledge of God. O that the superficial, vain seeker for truth, would learn that the world by wisdom, however much acquired, knew not God. It is proper to seek to learn all that is possible from nature, but do not fail to look from nature to Christ for the complete representation of the character of the living God. By contemplation of Christ, by conformity to the divine likeness, your conceptions of the divine character will expand, and your mind and heart will be elevated, refined, and ennobled. Let the youth aim high, not relying upon human wisdom, but living day by day as seeing him who is invisible, doing their work as in the sight of the intelligences of heaven. In today will work tomorrow. {YI, September 29, 1892 par. 6} |
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| In this age the trivial is praised and magnified. There is a call for anything that will create a sensation and make a sale. The country is flooded with utterly worthless publications, which were written for the sake of making money, while really valuable books are unsold and unread. Those who handle this sensational literature, because by so doing they can make higher wages, are missing a precious opportunity of doing good. There are battles to be fought to arrest the attention of men and women, and interest them in really valuable books that have the Bible for their foundation; and it will be a still greater task to find conscientious, God-fearing workers, who will enter the field to canvass for these books of highest value for the purpose of diffusing light and a correct knowledge of God. {6MR 271.2} |
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| There are men at the heart of the work who do not realize their responsibilities. They do not realize how many there are who are in positions of trust who have not a correct knowledge of God, whom to know aright is life eternal. They know not what it means to sanctify the Lord God in their hearts. They do not know what it means to make God their fear and their dread. Had they known this, they would now be humble men, fearing God, the living God. But like Jehu, they have been driving furiously forward, to assume burdens which they cannot carry. It is because men know so little of true godliness, because they have so little genuine experience in the building up, little by little, of the work and cause of God, that they make long strides without God to lead the way. {1888 1630.2} |
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| right knowledge of God |
| This is the knowledge needed by all who are working for the uplifting of their fellow men. Transformation of character, purity of life, efficiency in service, adherence to correct principles, all depend upon a right knowledge of God. This knowledge is the essential preparation both for this life and for the life to come. Ministry of Healing, page 409.3 Read entire chapter 35 |
