August 3, 1891

Genuine Religion

EGW

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” “He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” All who are in living connection with Jesus, will be imbued with his Spirit, and will work the works of Christ.ST August 3, 1891, par. 1

“Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.” “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” Angels in the form of men have come as strangers to the dwellings of the righteous, to preserve them in times of peril, to protect them from the plans the enemy had laid to destroy them. Angels, as travelers, visited Abraham, and his courtesy to them, whom he supposed to be men like himself, was rewarded with the promise from God that Sarah should have a son. Lot, also, urging the strangers to abide with him because it was unsafe to remain in the street, entertained angels, and was blessed by being delivered from the city that was doomed to destruction.ST August 3, 1891, par. 2

But there is a fulfillment of this scripture in a broader sense. No child of God, however poor or oppressed, is neglected or passed by; for heavenly angels minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. As you open your doors to the children of God, whether high or low, rich or poor, and extend to them your hospitality, you invite these unseen visitors with them. Could your eyes be opened, you would see that you were not only entertaining the guests who needed the comforts and attentions you could bestow, but that guests from heaven were also partakers of your hospitality, you were entertaining angels unawares.ST August 3, 1891, par. 3

You are not controlled by the Spirit of Christ when you select a few associates congenial to your own mind, and lavish favors upon them, while you neglect those who most need the help you can give them. Yet how often the encouraging words, the kindly acts, are all given to a few whom you estimate by your finite judgment to be worthy of them; while the very ones whom the Lord would have you regard and bless receive no particular favor, no words of sympathy or compassion. These things need to be considered. The admonitions of God should be heeded in our every-day life. “When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”ST August 3, 1891, par. 4

The reason why many walk apart from God is that they do not choose to do his words and keep his way. They do not follow the example and teachings of Christ. They misrepresent his character. Professing to be Christians, they lie against the truth. Jesus came from heaven to earth that he might, through association with humanity, by precept and example, reveal to men the character they must possess if they would be admitted to the family of heaven. He brought light and life, richness and fullness of good, that men might be partakers of his divine nature. He is the living vine, and every branch “in him” partakes of the life and fatness of the vine. The dry, leafless twig is grafted into the vine stock, and, fiber by fiber, vein by vein, becomes united to it. The adopted branch becomes one with the vine; it is nourished by the parent stock, and buds and blossoms and bears fruit.ST August 3, 1891, par. 5

The sinner who comes to Christ in faith, is joined soul to soul with his Redeemer, united in holy bonds with Jesus. Then he has love and benevolence through his constant union with Christ. And through faith and experience he has confidence that Jesus not only will but does save him to the uttermost. This confidence brings to his soul an abiding trust, a peace, a joy, that passeth understanding. Christ is to him an all-sufficient Saviour; he clings to Christ, receiving of his Spirit, until he works as Christ worked, is compassionate as Christ was compassionate, having an unselfish love, giving disinterested service, not to a few who are most congenial, but to those who most need the help he can give.ST August 3, 1891, par. 6

If Christ had waited for man to make himself worthy of the divine presence and love, not a soul could have been a partaker of the divine nature. All must have perished. But there is hope for our world, for Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost; and this is exactly the work that must be done by every branch of the True Vine. Cherishing likes and dislikes is not Christ's way, but according to the principles and sentiments of the natural, unrenewed heart, and the fruit borne is in accordance with it.ST August 3, 1891, par. 7

(Concluded next week.)