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The Character of God
Revealed in Christ
by Mrs. E. G.
White
All the paternal love which has come
down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the
springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny
rill to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love
of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it
every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to
understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given
you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly
Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages;
yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and
the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity
itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible and meditate upon
the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to
our understanding more and more. And it will be ours to realize the blessing
which Paul desired for the Ephesian church when he prayed "that the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him; the eyes of your
understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His
calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who
believe."
It is Satan's constant study to keep
the minds of men occupied with those things which will prevent them from
obtaining the knowledge of God. He seeks to keep them dwelling upon what will
darken the understanding and discourage the soul. We are in a world of sin and
corruption, surrounded by influences that tend to allure or dishearten the
followers of Christ. The Saviour said: "Because iniquity shall abound, the love
of many shall wax cold." Many fix their eyes upon the terrible wickedness
existing around them, the apostasy and weakness on every side, and they talk of
these things until their hearts are filled with sadness and doubt. They keep
uppermost before the mind the masterly working of the archdeceiver and dwell
upon the discouraging features of their experience, while they seem to lose
sight of the heavenly Father's power and His matchless love. All this is as
Satan would have it. It is a mistake to think of the enemy of righteousness as
clothed with so great power, when we dwell so little upon the love of God and
His might. We must talk of the mightiness of Christ. We are utterly powerless
to rescue ourselves from the grasp of Satan; but God has appointed a way of
escape. The Son of the Highest has strength to fight the battle for us, and
"through Him that loved us" we may come off "more than conquerors."
There is no spiritual strength for us
in constantly brooding over our weakness and backslidings, and bemoaning the
power of Satan. This great truth must be established as a living principle in
our minds and hearts--the efficacy of the offering made for us; that God can
and does save to the uttermost all who come unto Him complying with the
conditions specified in His word. Our work is to place our will on the side of
God's will. Then, through the blood of the atonement, we become partakers of
the divine nature; through Christ we are children of God, and we have the
assurance that God loves us even as He loved His Son. We are one with Jesus. We
walk where Christ leads the way; He has power to dispel the dark shadows which
Satan casts across our path; and, in place of darkness and discouragement, the
sunlight of His glory shines into our hearts.
Our hope is to be constantly
strengthened by the knowledge that Christ is our righteousness. Let our faith
rest upon this foundation, for it will stand fast forever. Instead of dwelling
upon the darkness of Satan and fearing his power, we should open our hearts to
receive light from Christ and to let it shine forth to the world, declaring
that He is above all the power of Satan, that His sustaining arm will support
all who trust in Him.
Said Jesus: "The Father Himself
loveth you." If our faith is fixed upon God, through Christ, it will prove "as
an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that
within the veil; whither the Forerunner is for us entered." It is true that
disappointments will come; tribulation we must expect; but we are to commit
everything, great and small, to God. He does not become perplexed by the
multiplicity of our grievances nor overpowered by the weight of our burdens.
His watchcare extends to every household and encircles every individual; He is
concerned in all our business and our sorrows. He marks every tear; He is
touched with the feeling of our infirmities. All the afflictions and trials
that befall us here are permitted, to work out His purposes of love toward us,
"that we might be partakers of His holiness" and thus become participants in
that fullness of joy which is found in His presence.
Published in
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 740-742.
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True
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