Living In The Light

December 15, Watch Every Avenue Of The Soul

“Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord.”
—2 Corinthians 6:17 LL 367.1

“Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” Says the True Witness, “I know thy works.” Then let us be careful that we are not half-way Christians. We can be brought into perfect harmony with God and His truth; but there is much for us to resist. We should search our Bibles and learn what the Scriptures say in relation to our duty. LL 367.2

Said Christ: “Take ye heed, watch and pray; . . . for the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.” Not one of us is excused from the duties here enjoined. We are to watch every avenue of the soul, lest Satan come in and desecrate the temple of the heart, which should be wholly consecrated to God. We are to watch lest passion take possession of the soul, to watch lest selfish thoughts are cherished. The reason why there is not more vitality and power in the church is that we do not work and watch as we should. We should stand as faithful sentinels at the post of duty. I pray that the grace of Christ may come into our hearts, and that we may be ever watching for opportunities to do good. LL 367.3

One who is truly converted will find no satisfaction in devoting God-given probationary time to the preparation of apparel, the outward adorning of the body To such, the pride of life, the vanities and follies of the world, will be a very inferior matter. They will ever feel, I am in the presence of God; His eye discerns every thought of vanity, every attempt to extol and glorify self. If the time that is wasted in vain attempts to make the outward appearance attractive, were devoted to the study of the Bible, to earnest prayer for the grace of Christ, the meek and quiet spirit which is the heavenly adorning of the soul, and will never perish, how easy, how pleasant, would the service of Christ become. The promise would be fulfilled, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.”—Signs of the Times, August 6, 1885. LL 367.4

Further Reflection: : How vigilant are you about the avenues to your soul? Have you surrendered your passions to God? LL 367.5