A Mysterious Power,
October 5
All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. Isaiah 61:9.
All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. Isaiah 61:9.
In the plan of redemption there are mysteries that the human mind cannot fathom, many things that human wisdom cannot explain; but nature can teach us much concerning the mystery of godliness. Every shrub, every tree bearing fruit, all vegetation, has lessons for our study. In the growth of the seed are to be read the mysteries of the kingdom of God. To the heart softened by the grace of God, the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees, the flowers of the field, utter words of counsel....
God’s laws for nature are obeyed by nature. Cloud and storm, sunshine and shower, dew and rain, all are under the supervision of God and yield obedience to His command. In obedience to the law of God the spire of grain bursts through the earth, “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mark 4:28). The fruit is seen in the bud, and the Lord develops it in its proper season because it does not resist His working....
Can it be that man, made in the image of God, endowed with reason and speech, shall alone be unappreciative of His gifts and disobedient to His laws? ...
God desires us to learn from nature the lesson of obedience.... The book of nature and the written Word shed light upon each other. Both make us better acquainted with God by teaching us of His character and of the laws through which He works.8Testimonies for the Church 8:326-328.
Tell your children about the miracle-working power of God. As they study the great lesson book of nature, God will impress their minds. The farmer plows his land and sows his seed, but he cannot make the seed grow. He must depend on God to do that which no human power can do. The Lord puts His vital power into the seed, causing it to spring forth into life. Under His care the germ of life breaks through the hard crust encasing it, and springs up to bear fruit.... As the children are told of the work that God does for the seed, they learn the secret of growth in grace.9Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 124, 125.
In the plan of redemption there are mysteries that the human mind cannot fathom, many things that human wisdom cannot explain; but nature can teach us much concerning the mystery of godliness. Every shrub, every tree bearing fruit, all vegetation, has lessons for our study. In the growth of the seed are to be read the mysteries of the kingdom of God. To the heart softened by the grace of God, the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees, the flowers of the field, utter words of counsel....
God’s laws for nature are obeyed by nature. Cloud and storm, sunshine and shower, dew and rain, all are under the supervision of God and yield obedience to His command. In obedience to the law of God the spire of grain bursts through the earth, “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mark 4:28). The fruit is seen in the bud, and the Lord develops it in its proper season because it does not resist His working....
Can it be that man, made in the image of God, endowed with reason and speech, shall alone be unappreciative of His gifts and disobedient to His laws? ...
God desires us to learn from nature the lesson of obedience.... The book of nature and the written Word shed light upon each other. Both make us better acquainted with God by teaching us of His character and of the laws through which He works.8
Testimonies for the Church 8:326-328.
Tell your children about the miracle-working power of God. As they study the great lesson book of nature, God will impress their minds. The farmer plows his land and sows his seed, but he cannot make the seed grow. He must depend on God to do that which no human power can do. The Lord puts His vital power into the seed, causing it to spring forth into life. Under His care the germ of life breaks through the hard crust encasing it, and springs up to bear fruit.... As the children are told of the work that God does for the seed, they learn the secret of growth in grace.9
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 124, 125.
Let the Church Arise and Shine, October 5
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Isaiah 60:1, 2.
Jealousy caused the first death in our world.... All selfishness comes from Satan. Human beings belong to one great family, the family of God. They are to respect and love one another. They are not to speak words which wound and bruise. No one is to be unfair in his dealings, causing his fellow-beings to lose confidence in him. Selfishness and injustice bring unhappiness. Under their baleful influence men lose the sense of what it means to love one another as Christ loves us.
All are to work in love and unity, looking to God as the great center. Love for Christ is the principle which unites man to his fellowmen....
The opposite of allegiance to God is seen in the world today. Every kingdom, every province, every family, has a desire to make itself a center. Men long to rule over their fellowmen.... Self is the mainspring of action....
The Lord calls upon His people to put far from them every stumbling block. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. To unite man with God and with his fellowmen, to restore to human beings the benevolence lost through sin—this is the glory of the gospel. Let the church arise and shine; for her light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon her. Let the members strive earnestly to obtain the victory over self (Manuscript 78, 1901).
The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin; it means taking away our sins, and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit. It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God. It means a heart emptied of self, and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ. When Christ reigns in the soul, there is purity, freedom from sin. The glory, the fullness, the completeness of the gospel plan is fulfilled in the life. The acceptance of the Saviour brings a glow of perfect peace, perfect love, perfect assurance. The beauty and fragrance of the character of Christ revealed in the life testifies that God has indeed sent His Son into the world to be its Saviour....
The revelation of His own glory in the form of humanity will bring heaven so near to men that the beauty adorning the inner temple will be seen in every soul in whom the Saviour dwells. Men will be captivated by the glory of an abiding Christ. And in currents of praise and thanksgiving from the many souls thus won to God, glory will flow back to the great Giver (Christ’s Object Lessons, 419, 420).