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The Youth’s Instructor

249/477

February 10, 1898

The Fruit of True Faith

EGW

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Do you believe that Jesus will do exactly as he has promised? If you come to him, casting from your soul every idol, surrendering yourself fully to him, purposing no longer to carry your load of guilt, but rolling the load upon the Burden-bearer, do you believe he will give you rest? If you do believe, you will not gather up all your burdens again, and make it manifest that you drew nigh with your lips, but your heart was far from him. YI February 10, 1898, par. 1

How many, instead of coming to Jesus, doubt, murmur, and manufacture for themselves burdens and yokes that are grievous to be borne! O that all would surrender themselves to him, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is their reasonable service! He desires so much to save those for whom he gave his life. Has he not invited you to come to him? Has he not said he would give you rest? Has he not said, in sorrowful words, to those who will not comply with his invitations, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life”? YI February 10, 1898, par. 2

If we would come to him, let us fix our eyes upon him; for he is full of grace and truth, and he will let all his goodness pass before us while he hides us in the cleft of the Rock. Then we shall endure as seeing him who is invisible, and by beholding him, we shall be changed into his image. The reason that we carelessly indulge in sin is that we do not see Jesus. We would not lightly regard sin, did we appreciate the fact that sin wounds our Lord. Did we know Jesus by an experimental knowledge, we would not esteem duty as of small importance; but would manifest faithful integrity in the performance of every service. A right estimate of the character of God would enable us rightly to represent him to the world. Harshness, roughness in words or manner, evil-speaking, passionate words, cannot exist in the soul that is looking unto Jesus. He who abides in Christ is in an atmosphere that forbids evil, and gives not the slightest excuse for anything of this kind. Spiritual life is not nourished from within, but draws its nutrition from Christ, as the branch does from the vine. We are dependent upon Christ every moment; he is our source of supply. All our outside forms, prayers, fastings, and alms-giving cannot take the place of the inward work of the Spirit of God on the human heart. YI February 10, 1898, par. 3

We abide in Christ by faith, by simple childlike trust in his pledged word. Perfect faith, and the surrender of self to God are subjects that should be made very plain to those who are slow to comprehend spiritual things. Faith is not feeling. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The religion that takes the position of secluded enjoyment, that is satisfied to contemplate the religion of Jesus Christ, and that keeps its possessor from an experimental knowledge of its saving power, is a deception. YI February 10, 1898, par. 4

Those who possess the religion of Christ are constrained to follow in his footsteps, and they see earnest work to be done for the Master. Christ says he was anointed to “preach the gospel to the poor,” and the religion of Christ takes his followers to the poor, also to the rich in Caesar's household. The Christian gathers sheaves from every place, among high and low, rich and poor. YI February 10, 1898, par. 5

“Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” Holiness does not consist in profession, but in doing the will of our Father which is in heaven. The crying of “Lord! Lord!” will not secure for us an entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Let no man cheat his soul with the delusion that he is saved simply because he can talk of faith and repentance. There are those who exclaim, “I am saved! I am saved!” who yet walk contrary to the doctrine of Christ. The word of God declares, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” Obedience must be rendered to all God's commandments in this world before a soul will be chosen as a safe member of the kingdom of heaven, one of the royal children of God. YI February 10, 1898, par. 6

Mrs. E. G. White