Obstinacy—Barrier to All Improvement, December 8
I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass. Isaiah 48:4. TDG 351.1
Obstinacy is a bad trait of character, and if not overcome, is the means of doing a great deal of harm. He who is obstinate will not yield whatever sentiments he may entertain. Narrowness of mind is the cause of obstinacy. There are men of intellectual capacity who have allowed obstinacy to develop in their character, and they refuse to believe things that are right, because they themselves did not originate them. TDG 351.2
Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. An obstinate man will not be readily convinced of anything which his sight cannot take in. He does not know what it means to walk by faith. He adheres to his own plans and opinions, be they right or wrong, because he has already adopted this line of thought. He may have abundant reason to see that he is wrong; his brethren may raise their voices against his opinions and his methods for making a success of the work, but he cherishes an almost immovable bar against conviction…. He will suggest sentiments that are unsanctioned by the experience or judgment of men who are fully as intelligent and as wise as he is. He will make assertions as though he had all the aftersight, and will uphold his ideas as all sufficient. Self has for so long been the ruling element, that the unfortunate man considers it a virtue to have, as he thinks, a mind of his own. If his way is not followed, he will raise objections on every occasion, in small matters and in large. He will hold to his words, whether they are true, or entirely false. This practice, often repeated, grows into confirmed habit, and becomes character…. TDG 351.3
By two or three who have made criticism their science, who take a position in opposition to nearly everything, the very best business may be dragged down to a low level. They can plant more seeds of doubt than they would wish to see ripen into harvest…. TDG 351.4
The Lord is not pleased to have this spirit hindering and marring His work. He calls for men who will carry out His will, men who will be controlled by His Holy Spirit.—Manuscript 159, December 8, 1898, “Speak Evil of No Man.” TDG 351.5
How God Sees Greatness, December 9
Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? Daniel 4:30. TDG 352.1
The strength of nations and of individuals is not found in the opportunities and facilities that appear to make them invincible; it is not found in their boasted greatness. That which alone can make them great or strong is the power and purpose of God. They themselves, by their attitude toward His purpose, decide their own destiny. TDG 352.2
Human histories relate man’s achievements, his victories in battle, his success in climbing to worldly greatness. God’s history describes man as heaven views him. In the divine records all his merit is seen to consist in his obedience to God’s requirements. His disobedience is faithfully chronicled as meriting the punishment he will surely receive. In the light of eternity it will be seen that God deals with men in accordance with the momentous question of obedience or disobedience. TDG 352.3
Hundreds of years before a people has come upon the stage of action, the prophetic pen, under the dictation of the Holy Spirit, has traced its history…. TDG 352.4
The voice of God, heard in past ages, is sounding down along the line from century to century, through generations that have come on the stage of action and passed away. Shall God speak, and His voice not be respected? What power mapped out all this history, that nations, one after another, should fill in their predicted time and place, unconsciously witnessing to the truth of which they themselves knew not the meaning? … TDG 352.5
To every man, God has assigned a place in His great plan. By truth or falsehood, by folly or wisdom, each is fulfilling a purpose, bringing about certain results…. TDG 352.6
In the eyes of the world, those who serve God may appear weak. They may be apparently sinking beneath the billows, but with the next billow they are seen rising nearer to their haven. “I give unto them eternal life,” saith our Lord; “…neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28). Though kings shall be cast down, and nations removed, the souls that through faith link themselves with God’s purposes shall abide forever. “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).—Manuscript 36, December 9, 1896, “Obedience the Condition of Success.” TDG 352.7
Hearts Filled With Christ’s Peace, December 10
That they all may be one; as thou Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:21. TDG 353.1
As Christ came to the world to seek and to save perishing souls, that they should have the light of truth, so also hath He committed the same work to all who receive Him as their Saviour. “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth” (John 17:19). TDG 353.2
How important that we should be rooted and grounded in the truth! No falsehood is of the truth. The Lord Jesus has promised that, if we receive Him by faith and believe in Him as our pattern, He will give us “power to become the sons of God.” The gospel of Jesus Christ contains the grand principles of all truth, expressed in a life of purity. In love and true righteousness these principles are to be proclaimed to the world. In all our dealings with one another we are to obey the precepts of the law of God. “I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word” (Verses 19, 20). TDG 353.3
From these words we see how much is dependent on the character of all those who claim to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. By the lives of Christ’s followers the world will judge the Saviour. If anyone, in word or deed, departs from the living principles of the truth, he dishonors his Saviour and puts Christ to open shame. TDG 353.4
Let every soul believe in Christ, and receive the power that Christ has promised, that he may be a child of God, holding the truth conscientiously, its principles interwoven with his words, his spirit, and all his works. Thus Christians may become a refining, purifying influence, working against false religion and infidelity. Their presence brings with it the grand influence of heavenly principles, making them, through Christ, an honor to the gospel. They increase in power to communicate the sanctifying grace of heaven, gaining continually in influence through their increasing reverence for the truth. Their hearts are filled with the peace of Christ.—Letter 327, December 10, 1905, to W. C. White. TDG 353.5
That Your Joy May Be Full, December 11
And the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him. Ezra 7:6. TDG 354.1
Christ would have everyone possess in abundance the grace of heaven. He desires that His joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Every soul is to discipline himself in strict, faithful service, just as verily out of meeting as in meeting. You are in full view of the heavenly angels, and every faithful disciple may be, if he will, as was Ezra before the king. The hand of God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against those who forsake Him, and who trust in the help and friendship of the world, going to the god of Ekron to inquire, and heeding not the counsel of the living God. TDG 354.2
The children of God will know who is their helper. They will know in whom they can trust implicitly, and with Christ’s help, they may, without presumption, have a holy confidence. Yes, His servants may safely trust in Him alone, without fear, looking unto Jesus, pressing on in obedience to His requirements, leaving everything that is joined to the world, whether the world opposes or favors. Their success comes from God, and they will not fail because they have not the wealth and influence of wicked men. If they fail, it will be because they do not obey the Lord’s requirements, and the Holy Spirit is not with them…. TDG 354.3
Our only safety is in being joined to the Lord Jesus Christ. We can afford to lose the friendship of worldly men. Those who join themselves to worldly men, that they may carry out their unsanctified purposes, make a fearful mistake; for they forfeit the favor and blessing of God. I am to urge upon the attention of our people that the Lord Himself has placed a wall of separation between the world and that which He has established on the earth. God’s people are to serve Him, for Christ has called them out of the world, and sanctified and refined them, that they may do His service…. There is no such thing as maintaining concord between the profane and the holy. There can be no concord between Christ and Belial. But “the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself” (Psalm 4:3). And this consecration to the Lord, this separation from the world, is plainly declared and positively enjoined in both the Old and the New Testaments.—Letter 329, December 11, 1905, to J. A. Burden, manager of the Loma Linda Sanitarium.