(Sons and Daughters of God 67-9, 71, 76, 81-2, 245, 262)
March—We Enroll in the School of Christ
(SD 67)
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All Who Are Weary of Sin Are Urged to Enroll, March 1
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Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28.
(SD 67.1)
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It is today that the sweet voice of mercy is falling upon your ears. It is today that the heavenly invitation comes to you. It is today that in Heaven everything says, Come.
(SD 67.2)
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Come, for all things are now ready. Whosoever will, let him come and partake of the waters of life freely. It is now that we want childlike simplicity. We want to see everything like pride, and vanity, and folly, put away. We have the Judgment in view. Men and women will want strength that is greater than any human aid to lean upon. They must lean upon the mighty arm of Jehovah. We have in view that day when the works of men are to be tried, and tested; and we want you to get ready.... We make appeals to you to rid yourselves of the pride of the world, the pride and vanity, and folly, of life. Jesus loves you. Jesus pities you. The angelic host He sends to minister unto you. And now, while all Heaven is interested for you, will you be interested for yourselves?
(SD 67.3)
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Some men seem afraid to take God at His word as though it would be presumption in them. They pray for the Lord to teach us and yet are afraid to credit the pledged word of God and believe we have been taught of Him. So long as we come to our heavenly Father humbly and with a spirit to be taught, willing and anxious to learn, why should we doubt God’s fulfillment of His own promise? ... When you have sought to know His will, your part in the operation with God is to believe that you will be led and guided and blessed in the doing of His will.... It is Christ who is guiding His people today, showing them where and how to work.
(SD 67.4)
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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. Matthew 11:29.
(SD 68.1)
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Only by the aid of the divine Teacher can we understand the truths of God’s Word. In His school we shall learn how to be meek and lowly. He shows us how to understand the mysteries of godliness.4
(SD 68.2)
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Let those who desire an education of the highest kind, learn ... that God is nigh unto all who seek Him with the whole heart.
(SD 68.3)
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The more one sees of the character of God, the more humble he becomes, and the lower his estimation is of himself. This indeed is the evidence that he beholds God, that he is in union with Jesus Christ. Unless we are meek and lowly, we cannot in truth claim that we have any conception of the character of God. Men may think that they possess superior qualifications. Their splendid talents, great learning, eloquence, activity, and zeal, may dazzle the eye, delight the fancy, and awaken the admiration of those who cannot read beneath the surface; but unless humility and modesty is linked with these other gifts, self-glorification and self-exaltation will be seen. Unless each qualification is consecrated to the Lord, unless those to whom the Lord has entrusted gifts seek that grace which alone can make their qualifications acceptable to God, they are looked upon by the Lord ... as unprofitable servants. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God thou wilt not despise.” ... Those whose hearts are melted and subdued, who have seen the glorious manifestation of God’s character, will show no heedless presumption.... Self will be lost in the consciousness they have of God’s wonderful glory, and their own utter unworthiness. All who value a happy and holy walk with God ... will leave nothing undone if only they may gain a glimpse of His glory. In every place and under every circumstance, they will pray to God that they may be allowed to see Him. They will cherish that meek and contrite spirit that trembles at the word of God.5
(SD 68.4)
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He Teaches Us His Yoke is Easy, His Burden, Light, March 3
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For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30.
(SD 69.1)
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We are to bear the yoke of Christ that we may be placed in complete union with Him. “Take my yoke upon you,” He says.... Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ’s burdens. We can not follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ’s footsteps....
(SD 69.2)
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Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and He says, Take My yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me the lessons essential for you to learn; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. The Lord never makes a false estimate concerning His heritage. He measures the men with whom He is working. When they submit to His yoke, when they give up the struggle that has been unprofitable for themselves and for the cause of God, they will find peace and rest. When they become sensible of their own weakness, their own deficiencies, they will delight to do God’s will. They will submit to the yoke of Christ. Then God can work in them to will and to do of His good pleasure, which is often entirely contrary to the plans of the human mind. When the heavenly anointing comes to us, we shall learn the lesson of meekness and lowliness, which always brings rest to the soul.6
(SD 69.3)
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Although you will have trials, yet these trials, well borne, only make the way more precious.7
(SD 69.4)
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For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Galatians 5:6.
(SD 71.1) 1 I
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When you present your petitions to the Lord, it should be in humility, without boasting of superior attainments, but with real soul hunger for the blessing of God. Christ always knows what is cherished in the heart. We must come in faith that the Lord will hear and answer our prayers; for “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Genuine faith is the faith that works by love, and purifies the soul. A living faith will be a working faith. Should we go into the garden and find that there was no sap in the plants, no freshness in the leaves, no bursting buds or blooming flowers, no signs of life in stalk or branches, we would say, “The plants are dead. Uproot them from the garden; for they are a deformity to the beds.” So it is with those who profess Christianity, and have no spirituality. If there are no signs of religious vigor, if there is no doing of the commandments of the Lord, it is evident that there is no abiding in Christ, the living vine.12
(SD 71.2)
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Faith and love are the essential, powerful, working elements of Christian character. Those who possess them are one with Christ, and are carrying forward His mission.... We are to sit at Christ’s feet as continual learners, and to work with His gifts of faith and love. We shall then wear Christ’s yoke, and lift His burdens, and Christ will recognize us as one with Him; in heaven it will be said, “Ye are labourers together with God.” Will our youth remember that without faith it is impossible to please God? and it must be faith that works by love and purifies the soul.13
(SD 71.3)
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We cannot overestimate the value of simple faith and unquestioning obedience. It is by following in the path of obedience in simple faith that the character obtains perfection.14
(SD 71.4)
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There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Hebrews 4:9.
(SD 76.1)
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If you are willing to learn meekness and lowliness of heart in Christ’s school, He will surely give you rest and peace. It is a terribly hard struggle to give up your own will and your own way. But this lesson learned, you will find rest and peace. Pride, selfishness, and ambition, must be overcome; your will must be swallowed up in the will of Christ. The whole life may become one constant love sacrifice, every action a manifestation, and every word an utterance of love. As the life of the vine circulates through stem and cluster, descends into the lower fibres, and reaches to the topmost leaf, so will the grace and love of Christ burn and abound in the soul, sending its virtues to every part of the being, and pervading every exercise of body and mind.23
(SD 76.2)
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In being co-workers with Christ in the great work for which He gave His life, we shall find true rest. When we were sinners, He gave His life for us. He wants us to come to Him and learn of Him. Thus we are to find rest. He says He will give us rest. “Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.” In doing this you will find in your own experience the rest that Christ gives, the rest that comes from wearing His yoke and lifting His burdens.24
(SD 76.3)
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A form of godliness without the power is a weariness and burden; but when the whole heart is enlisted in the service of Christ, there is rest to the soul; for God causeth such to triumph daily over the powers of darkness. God helps him who commits his soul unto the Lord as unto a faithful Creator.25
(SD 76.4) 4 I
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To learn the lessons Christ teaches is the greatest treasure students can find. Rest comes to them in the consciousness that they are trying to please the Lord.26
(SD 76.5) 1 I
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But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. James 4:6.
(SD 81.1)
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You are safe only as, in perfect submission and obedience, you connect yourselves with Christ. The yoke is easy, for Christ carries the weight. As you lift the burden of the cross, it will become light; and that cross is to you a pledge of eternal life. It is the privilege of each to follow gladly after Christ, exclaiming at every step, “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” But if we would travel heavenward, we must take the Word of God as our lesson-book. In the words of inspiration we must read our lessons day by day....
(SD 81.2)
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The humiliation of the man Christ Jesus is incomprehensible to the human mind; but His divinity and His existence before the world was formed can never be doubted by those who believe the Word of God. The apostle Paul speaks of our Mediator, the only begotten Son of God, who in a state of glory was in the form of God, the Commander of all the heavenly hosts, and who, when He clothed His divinity with humanity, took upon Him the form of a servant....
(SD 81.3)
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In consenting to become man, Christ manifested a humility that is the marvel of the heavenly intelligences. The act of consenting to be a man would be no humiliation were it not for the fact of Christ’s exalted pre-existence. We must open our understanding to realize that Christ laid aside His royal robe, His kingly crown, His high command, and clothed His divinity with humanity, that He might meet man where he was, and bring to the human family moral power to become the sons and daughters of God. To redeem man, Christ became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.37
(SD 81.4)
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The meekness and humility that characterized the life of Christ will be made manifest in the life and character of those who “walk even as he walked.”38
(SD 81.5)
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The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. Psalm 25:9.
(SD 82.1)
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You will have to learn the important lesson of what it is to be a man in the sight of God. It is to be like Jesus, meek and lowly of heart, to guard the interests of others more sacredly that you would your own.... It should be carried out in your daily life and practise, showing that you have not been playing truant or a dull scholar in the school of Christ.39
(SD 82.2)
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Selfishness cannot exist in a heart where Christ dwells; if cherished, it will crowd out everything besides. It will lead you to follow inclination rather than duty, to make self the subject of thought, and to gratify and indulge yourself, instead of seeking to be a blessing to others. Your wants, your pleasures, will come before everything else.... True happiness is to be found, not in self-indulgence and self-pleasing, but in learning of Christ.... Those who trust to their own wisdom, and follow their own ways, go complaining at every step, because the burden which selfishness binds upon them is so heavy....
(SD 82.3)
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Jesus loves the young, and He longs to have them possess that peace which He alone can impart. He bids them learn of Him meekness and lowliness of heart. This precious grace is rarely seen in the youth of the present day, even in those who profess to be Christians. Their own ways seem right in their eyes. In accepting the name of Christ, they do not accept His character, ... therefore they know nothing of the joy and peace to be found in His service.40
(SD 82.4)
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The meekness of Christ, manifested in the home, will make the inmates happy; it provokes no quarrel, gives back no angry answer, but soothes the irritated temper, and diffuses a gentleness that is felt by all within its charmed circle. Wherever cherished, it makes the families of earth a part of the one great family above.41
(SD 82.5)
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If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23.
(SD 245.1)
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It is the power of the cross alone that can separate man from the strong confederacy of sin. Christ gave Himself for the saving of the sinner. Those whose sins are forgiven, who love Jesus, will be united with Him. They will bear the yoke of Christ. This yoke is not to hamper them, not to make their religious life one of unsatisfying toil. No; the yoke of Christ is to be the very means by which the Christian life is to become one of pleasure and joy. The Christian is to be joyful in contemplation of that which the Lord has done in giving His only begotten Son to die for the world, “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
(SD 245.2)
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Those who stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel, should be faithful soldiers in Christ’s army. They should never be disloyal, never be untrue. Many of the young will volunteer to stand with Jesus, the Prince of life. But if they would continue to stand with Him, they must constantly look unto Jesus, their Captain, for His orders. They cannot be soldiers of Christ and yet engage with the confederacy of Satan, and help along his side, for then they would be enemies of Christ. They would betray sacred trusts.56
(SD 245.3)
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The cross ... is to be lifted and borne without a murmur or complaint. In the act of raising it, you will find that it raises you. You will find it alive with mercy, compassion, and pitying love.57
(SD 245.4)
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Through bearing the cross your experience may be such that you can say, “‘I know that my Redeemer liveth,’ and because He lives, I shall live also.” What an assurance is this!58
(SD 245.5)
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And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Isaiah 32:17.
(SD 262.1)
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“By their fruits ye shall know them.” The inward adorning of a meek and quiet spirit is priceless. In the life of the true Christian the outward adorning is always in harmony with the inward peace and holiness. Thus in the righteousness of the members shall the church be established. God’s people are to show a faith steadfast and immovable. The Bible is their standard. Rich currents of grace from heaven will produce light in them, which they are to impart to others. In all its power the truth is to be proclaimed. Those who faithfully do this work, keeping the commandments of God in deed and in truth, will be acknowledged as laborers together with God.
(SD 262.2)
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“The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” From the beginning to the end of the history of the church, Christ will be to His people all that these words express, if they will heed the invitation, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, ... 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.” Christ is to His people life and strength, efficiency and power, wisdom and holiness.30
(SD 262.3)
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If you yield to the claims of God, and become permeated with His love, and filled with His fullness, children, youth, and young disciples will look to you for their impressions of what constitutes practical godliness; and you may thus be the means of leading them in the path of obedience to God. You will then be exerting an influence which will bear the test of God, and your work will be compared to gold, silver, and precious stones, for it will be of an imperishable nature....
(SD 262.4)
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There are many who are looking to you, to see what religion can do for you. If you are faithful in your God-given work, you will make right impressions, and will lead souls in the way of righteousness.31
(SD 262.5)
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