Living In The Light

July 22, A Solemn Warning

Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
—2 Corinthians 6:17 LL 216.1

God has left to every one of us our work—not the temporal labor as planting, sowing, reaping, and gathering in the harvest, but to build up His kingdom, to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth, and to regard this as our first and highest duty. God has claims upon us. He has endowed us with capabilities and given us opportunities, if we will see them and improve them. These obligations to God none but ourselves individually can meet. The delinquencies of others, the sins of leading men and women, of those who corrupt their ways before the Lord, will be no excuse for anyone to follow their example, because Christ is lifted up as the only true Pattern—faultless, pure, uncorrupted. Those who disregard their obligations to God and live in sin may have an influence over some minds to lower the standard, but this will be no excuse for others. LL 216.2

There are transgressors of God’s law who are open, who boast of their disregard of the laws ofJehovah. There are others who are hypocritical, who say, “The temple of God are we,” yet defile that temple with impurity, unholy desires, worldly ambition, corrupt thoughts. Upon these will Satan exercise his deceptions and succeed. If one person lowers the standard in his own life and influence, others are inclined to do as wickedly as he has done. He will have to meet his work in the judgment, and the one who yielded to temptation will be held responsible for yielding to Satan’s suggestion through his agents. LL 216.3

There are those who associate together to do evil and seem to think in this they lose their individual responsibility. But God holds them accountable for every act performed that has the slightest tendency to counteract the work of Christ; whether they are united with many or with the few, the sin is the same. We are individually responsible. We ourselves should be our concern. Are we in all our words and actions building up the kingdom of Christ, or are we tearing down? Christ says to each one of us, “Follow Me.”— Manuscript 15, 1885. LL 216.4

Further Reflection: : How often do you take time to evaluate the influence that you are exerting on people around you? Are you an influence for righteousness in your home, on your job, and in your community? LL 216.5