And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19.
(SD 150.1)
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Jesus expects much of the youthful soldiers of His army, and let it be your determination that you will not disappoint your Captain and Leader. You are to wear His armor, to be marshaled under His banner, and become co-laborers with Him in conquering His enemies and extending His kingdom.... You cannot betray sacred trust without imperiling your soul. You are to be found loyal and true, obedient to every word of command, presenting to others the highest motive to action, and showing them the attractions of the service of Christ. You are to show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.63
(SD 150.2)
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Those who have experienced the love of Christ cannot be idlers in the Master’s vineyard. They will see opportunities for helping others in their steps to Christ. Partaking of Christ’s love, they will labor for the souls of others. Let every soul copy the Pattern, and become missionaries in the highest sense, winning souls to Jesus.64
(SD 150.3)
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In view of what Christ has done for us, and what He suffered for sinners, we should, out of pure, disinterested love for souls, imitate His example by sacrificing our own pleasure and convenience for their good. The joy set before Christ, which sustained Him in all His sufferings, was the salvation of poor sinners. This should be our joy, and the spur of our ambition in the cause of our Master. In so doing we please God, and manifest our love and devotion to Him as His servants. He first loved us, and withheld not from us His beloved Son, but gave Him from His bosom to die that we might live. Love, true love, for our fellow-men, evinces love to God.65
(SD 150.4)
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Those who are in vital contact with Christ will manifest it in their actions.... They will win souls to Christ, and bring sheaves to the heavenly garner.66
(SD 150.5)
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Let not the rich man glory in his riches. Jeremiah 9:23.
(SD 234.1)
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The rich man is not to glory in his riches. If we fix our affections on worldly things, we fail to exalt Christ. Satan would keep our minds absorbed with the things of this life, that we may lose sight of the higher life; but we cannot afford to yield to his devices. Christ is the source of all temporal, as well as all spiritual blessings. If he has given us riches, it is not that we may claim them as our own. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven....” Paul counted all things but loss that he might win Christ. But when the Saviour calls for our possessions and our service, there are many who see they cannot obey God and carry their earthly treasures with them, and they decide to stay by their treasures....
(SD 234.2)
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How can those who expect to stand around Christ’s throne, and to be clothed with His righteousness, distrust God, and fear that He will leave them to come to want? Where is their faith? Our heavenly Father feeds the ravens, and will He not much more feed us? ... If we had a right view of Christ, we would permit nothing to interpose between ourselves and Him.... Those who study to see how near they can live to the world and yet gain heaven, will come just near enough to be shut out from heaven. We must accept the suffering part of religion if we would sit down with the Suffering One upon His throne.29
(SD 234.3)
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While it is lawful for us to acquire means, the money that we possess should be regarded as ours only in trust, not to be squandered, but spent in the Lord’s service. It should be our determined purpose to obey the orders of our Captain, and thus lay up for ourselves heavenly riches. Then, when everything in this world perishes, we shall have a treasure in the heavens, which faileth not.30
(SD 234.4)
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If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23.
(SD 245.1)
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It is the power of the cross alone that can separate man from the strong confederacy of sin. Christ gave Himself for the saving of the sinner. Those whose sins are forgiven, who love Jesus, will be united with Him. They will bear the yoke of Christ. This yoke is not to hamper them, not to make their religious life one of unsatisfying toil. No; the yoke of Christ is to be the very means by which the Christian life is to become one of pleasure and joy. The Christian is to be joyful in contemplation of that which the Lord has done in giving His only begotten Son to die for the world, “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
(SD 245.2)
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Those who stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel, should be faithful soldiers in Christ’s army. They should never be disloyal, never be untrue. Many of the young will volunteer to stand with Jesus, the Prince of life. But if they would continue to stand with Him, they must constantly look unto Jesus, their Captain, for His orders. They cannot be soldiers of Christ and yet engage with the confederacy of Satan, and help along his side, for then they would be enemies of Christ. They would betray sacred trusts.56
(SD 245.3)
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The cross ... is to be lifted and borne without a murmur or complaint. In the act of raising it, you will find that it raises you. You will find it alive with mercy, compassion, and pitying love.57
(SD 245.4)
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Through bearing the cross your experience may be such that you can say, “‘I know that my Redeemer liveth,’ and because He lives, I shall live also.” What an assurance is this!58
(SD 245.5)
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