August 1, 1903

Character Building

EGW

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” How is this? Fear lest you shall weave into the fabric your own threads of selfishness. Fear lest you shall err in choosing the timber for your character building. God alone can supply the solid timber. Well may mortal man be afraid of weaving into his character the miserable threads of his own inherited and cultivated tendencies. Well may he tremble lest he shall not submit all things to Him who is working in his behalf, that God's will shall be done in him. God welcomes all who come to Him just as they are, not building themselves up in self-righteousness, not seeking to justify self, not claiming merit for that which they call a good action, not priding themselves on their knowledge of what constitutes righteousness. Put on the wedding garment which Christ has prepared, and drop the old citizen's dress: then you can sit down in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.BTS August 1, 1903, par. 1

While you have been walking in meekness and lowliness of heart, a work has been going on for you, a work which only God could do; for it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. And that good pleasure is to have you abide in Christ, rest in His love. You must not let anything rob your soul of peace, of restfulness, of the assurance that you are accepted just now. Appropriate every promise; all are yours on condition of your complying with the Lord's prescribed terms. Entire surrender of your ways, which seem so very wise, and taking Christ's ways, is the secret of perfect rest in His love. Giving up one's life to Him means much more than we suppose. We must learn His meekness and lowliness before we realize the fulfillment of the promise, “Ye shall find rest unto your souls.” It is by learning the habits of Christ, His meekness, His lowliness, that self becomes transformed,—by taking Christ's yoke upon you and then submitting to learn. There is no one who has not much to learn. All must come under training by Jesus Christ. When they fall upon Christ, their own hereditary and cultivated traits of character are taken away as hindrances to their being partakers of the divine nature. When self dies, then Christ lives in the human agent. He abides in Christ, and Christ lives in him.BTS August 1, 1903, par. 2

Christ desires all to become His students. He says, Yield yourselves to my training; submit your souls unto me. I will not extinguish you, but will work out for you such a character that you shall be transferred from the lower school to the higher grade. Submit all things to Me. Let My life, My patience, My longsuffering, My forbearance, My meekness, My lowliness, be worked out in your character, as one that abides in Me and I in him. Then you have the promise not only “I will give,” but “Ye shall find rest to your souls.”BTS August 1, 1903, par. 3

God calls for an entire surrender. You cannot receive the Holy Spirit until you break every yoke of bondage, everything that binds you to your old, objectionable traits of character. These are the great hindrances to your wearing Christ's yoke and learning of Him. The abiding rest—who has it? That rest is found when all justification of self, all reasoning from a selfish standpoint, is put away. Acquaintance with Christ makes you want to abide in Him, and to have Him abide in you. Entire surrender of self is required.BTS August 1, 1903, par. 4