Beginning of the End

Uplifting Music Taught

Music was made to lift the thoughts to what is pure and elevating, and to awaken devotion and gratitude to God in the soul, but how many use this gift to exalt self instead of to glorify God! A love for music becomes one of the most successful agencies that Satan uses to draw the mind away from duty and from thinking on eternal things. BOE 301.2

Music forms a part of God’s worship in the courts above, and in our songs of praise we should try to approach as nearly as possible to the harmony of the heavenly choirs. Singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer. The heart must feel the spirit of the song to give it right expression. BOE 301.3

Aren’t there some lessons that the educators of our day might be able to learn well from the ancient schools of the Hebrews? Real success in education depends on faithfulness in carrying out the Creator’s plan. BOE 301.4

The true object of education is to restore the image of God in the soul. Sin has nearly erased the image of God in human beings—to bring them back to the perfection in which they were first created is the great purpose of life. It is the work of parents and teachers, in educating the youth, to cooperate with God’s plan. Every ability, every attribute with which the Creator has given us, is to be used for His glory and for the uplifting of others. BOE 301.5

If this principle were given the attention it deserves, there would be a radical change in some current methods of education. Instead of appealing to pride and selfish ambition, teachers would try to awaken love for goodness, truth, and beauty. The student would not seek to excel others but to fulfill the Creator’s purpose and receive His likeness. Instead of being driven by the desire to exalt self, which dwarfs and dishonors the mind, the student would be directed to the Creator. BOE 301.6

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10). The goal of the teacher’s work should be to impart this knowledge and to mold the character in harmony with it. The psalmist says, “All Your commandments are righteousness”; and “through Your precepts I get understanding.” (Psalm 119:172, 104). Through the Bible and the book of nature we are to gain a knowledge of God. BOE 301.7

The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects on which it dwells. If occupied only with trivial matters, it will become dwarfed and weak. If never required to grapple with difficult problems, it will almost lose the power of growth. The Bible has no rival as an educating power. It came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth, and a divine hand has preserved its purity through all the ages. It lights up the far-distant past, where human research tries in vain to penetrate. Only here can we find a history of our race untarnished by human prejudice or pride. Here are recorded the struggles, defeats, and victories of the greatest people this world has ever known. Here the curtain that separates us from the unseen world is lifted, and we see the conflict of the opposing forces of good and evil, from the first entrance of sin to the final triumph of righteousness. All of this is to reveal the character of God. The student is brought into fellowship with the infinite mind. Such a study cannot fail to expand and energize the power of the mind. BOE 302.1

The Bible unfolds principles that are the cornerstone of society and the protection of the family. If studied and obeyed, the Word of God would give to the world men and women of strength and solid character, of clear understanding and sound judgment—people who would be a blessing to the world. BOE 302.2

All true science is an interpretation of God’s handwriting in the material world. Scientific research brings only fresh evidences of the wisdom and power of God. Rightly understood, both the book of nature and the written Word make us acquainted with God by teaching us something of the wise and beneficial laws through which He works. BOE 302.3

Teachers should copy the example of the Great Teacher, who drew illustrations that simplified His teachings and impressed them more deeply on the minds of His hearers. The birds in the leafy branches, the flowers of the valley, the lofty trees, the fruitful lands, the growing grain, the barren soil, the setting sun gilding the skies with golden beams—all illustrated His lessons. He connected the visible works of the Creator with the words of life that He spoke. BOE 302.4