Service for God and with God Y e have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 15:16. The life on earth is the beginning of the life in heaven; education on earth is an initiation into the principles of heaven; the life-work here is a training for the life-work there. What we now are, in character and holy service, is the sure foreshadowing of what we shall be.... Christ’s work below is His work above, and our reward for working with Him in this world will be the greater power and wider privilege of working with Him in the world to come.... In our life here, earthly, sin-restricted, though it is, the greatest joy and the highest education are in service. And in the future state, untrammeled by the limitations of sinful humanity, it is in service that our greatest joy and our highest education will be found;—witnessing...

 When Moses told the people God’s decision, they knew that their punishment was fair. The ten unfaithful spies, struck by God with the plague, died in the sight of all Israel, and in their death the people could see their own doom. Now they seemed to repent sincerely, but they were sorry for the result of their evil course rather than from a sense of their unthankfulness and disobedience. When they found that the Lord did not change His decision, their self-will came back and they declared that they would not return into the wilderness. In telling them to go back, God tested their outward submission and proved it was not real. Their hearts were unchanged, and they only needed an excuse to start a similar outbreak. If they had been sorry for their sin when it was faithfully pointed out to them, this sentence would not have been pronounced; but they were only sorry about the judgment. Their sorrow was not repentance and could not give them a change of their sentence. The people spent...

Examples of Consecration A nd he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 1 Kings 19:20. This was not a repulse, but a test of faith. Elisha must count the cost,—decide for himself to accept or reject the call. If his desires clung to his home and its advantages, he was at liberty to remain there. But Elisha understood the meaning of the call. He knew it was from God, and he did not hesitate to obey. Not for any worldly advantage would he forego the opportunity of becoming God’s messenger, or sacrifice the privilege of association with His servant. He “took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.” Without hesitation he left a home where he was beloved, to attend the prophet in his un...

  These men, having started on the wrong way, stubbornly set themselves against Caleb and Joshua, against Moses, and against God. They twisted the truth in order to keep their evil influence. It is a land that “devours its inhabitants,” they said. This was not only a bad report, it was a lying one. The spies had declared the country to be fruitful and the people of giant stature, which would be impossible if the climate were so unhealthful that the land could be said to “devour its inhabitants.” Revolt and open mutiny quickly followed. The people seemed to lack all reason. They cursed Moses and Aaron, forgetting that the Angel of God’s presence, surrounded in the cloudy pillar, was witnessing their terrible outburst of anger. Then their feelings rose against God: “‘Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims?’ So they said to one another, ‘Let us select a leader, and return to Egypt.’” So they not only accused Mos...

Examples of Consecration A nd for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:19, 20. So to the apostle Paul, praying in the temple at Jerusalem, came the message, “Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.” So those who are called to unite with Christ must leave all in order to follow Him. Old associations must be broken up, plans of life relinquished, earthly hopes surrendered. In toil and tears, in solitude and through sacrifice, must the seed be sown. Those who consecrate body, soul, and spirit to God, will constantly receive a new endowment of physical, mental, and spiritual power. The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth His highest energies to work in heart and mind. The gr...

This chapter is based on Numbers 13 and 14. The Israelites camped at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Paran, which was not far from the borders of the Promised Land. It was here at Kadesh that the people suggested that spies be sent out to look over the country. Moses presented the matter to the Lord, and permission was granted. The men were chosen and Moses told them to go and see the country and the people—whether they were strong or weak, few or many, and to also evaluate the soil and its fruitfulness and to bring some of the fruit of the land. They went and surveyed the whole land, returning after forty days. The news of the spies’ return was met with rejoicing. The people rushed out to greet the messengers who had safely escaped the dangers of their risky undertaking. The spies brought samples of the fruit, showing the richness of the soil. They brought a cluster of grapes so large that it was carried between two men. They also brought figs and pomegranates which grew there abundantly...

Examples of Consecration A nd the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men. 1 Samuel 2:26. Though Samuel’s youth was passed at the tabernacle devoted to the worship of God, he was not free from evil influences or sinful example. The sons of Eli feared not God, nor honored their father; but Samuel did not seek their company nor follow their evil ways. It was his constant endeavor to become what God would have him. This is the privilege of every youth. God is pleased when even little children give themselves to His service. Samuel had been placed under the care of Eli, and the loveliness of his character drew forth the warm affection of the aged priest. He was kind, generous, obedient, and respectful. Eli, pained by the waywardness of his own sons, found rest and comfort and blessing in the presence of his charge. Samuel was helpful and affectionate, and no father ever loved his child more tenderly than did Eli this youth. It was a singular thing that...

 Moses realized his own weakness and made God his counselor, but Aaron thought of himself more highly, trusted less in God, and had failed in the matter of the idol worship at Sinai. Miriam and Aaron, blinded by jealousy and ambition, said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” Miriam found reason to complain in events that God had especially directed. The marriage of Moses had been upsetting to her. It was an offense to her family and national pride that he would choose a woman of another nation instead of taking a wife from among the Hebrews. She treated Zipporah with obvious disrespect. Though called a “Cushite woman,” the wife of Moses was a Midianite and so was a descendant of Abraham. She was different from the Hebrews in that her skin was somewhat darker. Though not an Israelite, Zipporah worshipped the true God. She had a timid, quiet personality and was greatly distressed when she saw suffering. This is the reason that Moses, w...

Examples of Consecration A nd He said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. Luke 21:3, 4. The rich had bestowed from their abundance, many of them to be seen and honored by men. Their large donations had deprived them of no comfort, or even luxury; they had required no sacrifice, and could not be compared in value with the widow’s mite. It is the motive that gives character to our acts, stamping them with ignominy or with high moral worth. Not the great things which every eye sees and every tongue praises does God account most precious. The little duties cheerfully done, the little gifts which make no show, and which to human eyes may appear worthless, often stand highest in His sight. A heart of faith and love is dearer to God than the most costly gift. The poor widow gave her living to do the little that s...

 In terror the people begged Moses to plead with the Lord for them. He did so, and the fire was quenched. But instead of leading the survivors to be humble and repent, this fearful judgment seemed only to increase their complaints. In all directions the people gathered at the doors of their tents, weeping and lamenting. “The mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said, ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!’” Yet, despite the hardships, there was not a weak, sickly one in all their tribes. The heart of Moses sank. In his love for them, he had prayed that his name might be blotted from the book of life rather than for them to perish, and this was their response. They blamed him for all their hardships and even t...

 Examples of Consecration B y faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. Hebrews 11:24-26. Moses was fitted to take pre-eminence among the great of the earth, to shine in the courts of its most glorious kingdom, and to sway the scepter of its power. His intellectual greatness distinguishes him above the great men of all ages. As historian, poet, philosopher, general of armies, and legislator, he stands without a peer. Yet with the world before him, he had the moral strength to refuse the flattering prospects of wealth and greatness and fame, “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” Moses had been instructed in regard to the fin...

 After three days’ journey open complaints were heard. These started with the mixed multitude, many of whom were always finding fault with the way in which Moses was leading them, though they knew that he was following the cloud. Unhappiness is contagious, and it soon spread in the camp. Again they began to demand meat to eat. Many of the Egyptians among them had been used to a rich diet, and these were the first to complain. God could have provided them with meat as easily as with manna, but His aim was to supply food better suited to their needs. The perverted appetite was to be brought into a more healthy state so that they could enjoy the food originally provided for the human family, the fruits of the earth which God gave to Adam and Eve in Eden. This is the reason the Israelites had been largely deprived of animal food. Satan tempted them to think of this as unfair and cruel. He saw that filling every desire of their appetite would tend to produce sensuality, and by this mean...

Examples of Consecration F or to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves.... And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. 2 Corinthians 8:3-5. Nearly all the Macedonian believers were poor in this world’s goods, but their hearts were overflowing with love for God and His truth, and they gladly gave for the support of the gospel. When general collections were taken up in the Gentile churches for the relief of the Jewish believers, the liberality of the converts in Macedonia was held up as an example to other churches. Writing to the Corinthian believers, the apostle called their attention to “the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; how that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.... Yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves....” The willingness to sacrif...

 This chapter is based on Numbers 10 to 12. The government of Israel was very organized, amazingly complete and simple. God was the center of government—He was the ruler of Israel. Moses stood as leader to administer the law in His name. Later, a council of seventy was chosen to assist Moses in the general business of the nation. Next came the priests, who consulted the Lord in the sanctuary. Chiefs, or princes, ruled over the tribes. Under these were “leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens” (Deuteronomy 1:15). The Hebrew camp was separated into three great divisions. In the center was the tabernacle, the dwelling place of the invisible King. The priests and Levites were stationed around the tabernacle. All the other tribes were camped beyond the priests and Levites. Each tribe was assigned a position. Each was to march and to camp beside its own banner, as the Lord had commanded (Numbers 2:2, 17). The mixed multitude that had accompanied Isr...

Examples of Consecration A nd being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8. Jesus carried the awful weight of responsibility for the salvation of men. He knew that unless there was a decided change in the principles and purposes of the human race, all would be lost. This was the burden of His soul, and none could appreciate the weight that rested upon Him. Through childhood, youth, and manhood, He walked alone. Yet it was heaven to be in His presence. Day by day He met trials and temptations; day by day He was brought into contact with evil, and witnessed its power upon those whom He was seeking to bless and to save. Yet He did not fail nor become discouraged. In all things He brought His wishes into strict abeyance to His mission. He glorified His life by making everything in it subordinate to the will of His Father. When in His youth, His mother, finding Him in the school of the rabbis, said, “Son, w...

 The terms of the “old covenant” were, Obey and live: “If a man does, he shall live by them” (Ezekiel 20:11). But “‘cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law’” to do them. (Deuteronomy 27:26). The “new covenant” was established upon “better promises,” the promise of forgiveness and the grace of God to change the heart and bring it into harmony with God’s law. “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts. ... I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:33, 34). The same law that was engraved on tablets of stone is written by the Holy Spirit on the heart. We accept the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then through the grace of Christ we will walk even as He walked. Through the prophet He declared concerning Himself, “I delight to do Your will, O My God, ...

 Blessings of Consecration G reat peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. Psalm 119:165. The less of the meekness and lowliness of Christ the human agent has in his spirit and character, the more he sees perfection in his own methods, and imperfection in the methods of others.—Testimonies to Ministers, 191. There is nothing more needed in the work than the practical results of communion with God. We should show by our daily lives that we have peace and rest in God. His peace in the heart will shine forth in the countenance. It will give to the voice a persuasive power. Communion with God will impart a moral elevation to the character and to the entire course of action. Men will take knowledge of us, as of the first disciples, that we have been with Jesus.—Testimonies for the Church 6:47. The peace of Christ is born of truth. It is harmony with God. The world is at enmity with the law of God; sinners are at enmity with their Maker; and as a result they are...

 God called Israel in order to reveal Himself through them to everyone who lived on the Earth. It was for this reason that He commanded them to keep themselves distinct from the idol-worshipping nations around them. It was just as necessary then as it is now for God’s people to be pure, “unspotted from the world.” But God did not want His people to shut themselves away from the world so that they could have no influence on it. It was their evil heart of unbelief that led them to hide their light instead of letting it shine on the peoples around them, shutting themselves away in proud exclusiveness as if God’s love and care were only for them. The covenant of grace was first made in the Garden of Eden. After the Fall, God promised that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head. This covenant offered to everyone pardon and the assisting grace of God to obey through faith in Christ. It also promised eternal life on condition of loyalty to God’s law, and so the patriarchs r...

Blessings of Consecration H e that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour. Proverbs 21:21. The world today is in crying need of a revelation of Christ Jesus in the person of His saints. God desires that His people shall stand before the world a holy people.—Testimonies to Ministers, 458. In the history of Joseph, Daniel, and his fellows, we see how the golden chain of truth may bind the youth to the throne of God. They could not be tempted to turn aside from their course of integrity. They valued the favor of God above the favor and praise of princes, and God loved them and spread His shield over them. Because of their faithful integrity, because of their determination to honor God above every human power, the Lord signally honored them before men.... These youth were not ashamed to display their true colors. Even in the court of the king, in their words, their habits, their practices, they confessed their faith in the Lord God of heaven. They r...

 Some people claim that Christ came to do away with the Old Testament. They present the religion of the Hebrews as nothing but forms and ceremonies. But this is a mistake. Through all the ages after the Fall, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Christ was the foundation and center of the sacrificial system. Since the sin of our first parents, the Father has given the world into the hands of Christ, that through His work as mediator He may redeem lost humanity and confirm the authority of God’s law. All communication between heaven and fallen human beings has been through Christ. It was the Son of God who gave our first parents the promise of redemption. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses understood the gospel. These holy men from long ago had fellowship with the Savior who was to come to our world in human flesh. Christ was the leader of the Hebrews in the wilderness, the Angel who went before them, veiled in the cloudy pillar. It wa...

Blessings of Consecration T he name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Proverbs 18:10. The cities of refuge appointed for God’s ancient people were a symbol of the refuge provided in Christ. The same merciful Saviour who appointed those temporal cities of refuge, has by the shedding of His own blood provided for the transgressors of God’s law a sure retreat, into which they may flee for safety from the second death. No power can take out of His hands the souls that go to Him for pardon.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 516. Satan seeks to bring us into temptation, that the evil of our characters may be revealed before men and angels, that he may claim us as his own.... The enemy leads us into sin, and then he accuses us before the heavenly universe as unworthy of the love of God.... God, in His great love, is seeking to develop in us the precious graces of His Spirit. He permits us to encounter obstacles, persecution, and hardships, not as a curse, but a...

 Many try to blend these two systems, using the texts that speak of the ceremonial law to prove that the moral law has been abolished, but this is a twisting of the Scriptures. The ceremonial system consisted of symbols pointing to Christ, to His sacrifice and priesthood. The Hebrews were to perform this ritual law with its sacrifices and ordinances until type met antitype—symbol met fulfillment—in the death of Christ. Then all the sacrificial offerings were to stop. It is this law that Christ “has taken ... out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). But speaking about the law of Ten Commandments the psalmist wrote, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). And Christ Himself says, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law. ... For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17, 18). Here Jesus teaches that the claims of God’s la...

 Blessings of Consecration A nd he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:3. When the Spirit of God controls mind and heart, the converted soul breaks forth into a new song; for he realizes that in his experience the promise of God has been fulfilled, that his transgression has been forgiven, his sin covered. He has exercised repentance toward God for the violation of the divine law, and faith toward Christ, who died for man’s justification.—The Acts of the Apostles, 476. With such a prospect as this before us, such a glorious hope, such a redemption that Christ has purchased for us by His own blood, shall we hold our peace? Shall we not praise God even with a loud voice, as did the disciples when Jesus rode into Jerusalem? Is not our prospect far more glorious than was theirs? Who dare then forbid us glorifying God, even with a loud voice, when we have such a hope, big with immortality, and full...

 At their creation Adam and Eve knew about the law of God. They had been introduced to its claims, and its principles were written on their hearts. When they fell to sin, the law was not changed but God gave the promise of a Savior. Sacrificial offerings pointed to the death of Christ as the great sin offering. The law of God was handed down from father to son through each generation, but only a few people obeyed. The world became so evil that it was necessary to cleanse it from its wickedness by the Flood. Noah taught his descendants the Ten Commandments. As they again departed from God, the Lord chose Abraham, of whom He said, “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:5). God gave him the rite of circumcision, a pledge to be separate from idolatry and obey the law of God. The failure of Abraham’s descendants to keep their pledge was the cause of their slavery in Egypt. In their contact with idol worshippers and their force...

Blessings of Consecration H e brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. Psalm 40:2. Christian life is more than many take it to be. It does not consist wholly in gentleness, patience, meekness, and kindliness. These graces are essential; but there is need also of courage, force, energy, and perseverance. The path that Christ marks out is a narrow, self-denying path. To enter that path and press on through difficulties and discouragements, requires men who are more than weaklings. Men of stamina are wanted, men who will not wait to have their way smoothed, and every obstacle removed, men who will inspire with fresh zeal the flagging efforts of dispirited workers, men whose hearts are warm with Christian love, and whose hands are strong to do their Master’s work. Some who engage in missionary service are weak, nerveless, spiritless, easily discouraged. They lack push. They have not those positive traits of cha...

 God cannot accept partial obedience. It was not enough that in this solemn worship nearly everything  was done as He had directed. No one should deceive himself with the belief that any of God’s commandments are not necessary or that He will accept a substitute for what He has required. There is no command that God has placed in His Word that we may obey or disobey as we choose and not suffer the consequences. “Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, ‘Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, ... for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.’” The great leader reminded his brother of the words of God, “Before all the people I must be glorified.” Aaron was silent. The death of his sons in so terrible a sin—a sin that he now saw to be the result of his own neglect of duty—twisted the father’s heart with anguish. But he must not by any show of grief seem to sympathize with sin. The congregation must not be led to find fault with God. The ...