Every medical practitioner, whether he acknowledges it or not, is responsible for the souls as well as the bodies of his patients. The Lord expects of us much more than we often do for Him. Every physician should be a devoted, intelligent gospel medical missionary, familiar with Heaven’s remedy for the sin-sick soul as well as with the science of healing bodily disease.
(MM 31.1)
Coming as he does in daily contact with disease and death, his mind should be filled with a knowledge of the Scriptures, that from this treasure-house he may draw words of consolation and hope and drop them as good seed into hearts ready to receive them. He should encourage the dying to trust in Christ as the sin-pardoning Saviour, and should prepare them to meet their Lord in peace.
(MM 31.2)
Physicians need a double portion of religion. Of men in any calling, physicians are most in need of clearness of mind, purity of spirit, and that faith which works by love and purifies the soul, that they may make the right impression upon all who come within the sphere of their influence. The physician should not only give as much physical relief as possible to those who are soon to lie in the grave, but he should also relieve their burdened souls. Present before them the uplifted Saviour. Let them behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world....
(MM 31.3)
Those who understand the science of Christianity have a personal religious experience. He who acts as a guardian of the health of the body should have tact to work for the salvation of the soul. Until the Saviour is indeed the Saviour of his own soul, the physician will not know how to respond to the question, “What shall I do to be saved?”Acts 16:30 ∙∙∙ .
(MM 31.4)
A Sad Mistake
What an opportunity the consecrated physician has to show a Christlike interest in the patients under his care! It is his privilege to speak encouragingly to them, and bow at their bedside to offer a few words of prayer. To stand by the sickbed and have nothing to say, is a sad mistake. Let the physician make his mind a storehouse, full of fresh thoughts. Let him learn to repeat the comforting words that Christ spoke during His earthly ministry when giving His lessons and healing the sick. Let him speak words of hope and confidence in God. A genuine interest will be manifested. The precious words of Scripture that the Holy Spirit fixes in the memory will win hearts to Jesus, their Saviour.—Letter 20, 1902.
(MM 31.5)
Faithfulness and Perseverance
Physicians are to reveal the attributes of Christ, steadfastly persevering in the work God has given them to do. To those who do this work in faithfulness, angels are commissioned to give enlarged views of the character and work of Christ, and His power and grace and love. Thus they become partakers of His image, and day by day grow up to the full stature of men and women in Christ. It is the privilege of the children of God to have a constantly enlarging comprehension of the truth, that they may bring love for God and heaven into the work and draw from others praise and thanksgiving to God because of the richness of His grace....
(MM 32.1)
Physicians must stand firmly under the banner of the third angel’s message, fighting the good fight of faith perseveringly and successfully, relying not on their own wisdom, but on the wisdom of God, putting on the heavenly armor, the equipment of God’s word, never forgetting that they have a Leader who never has been, and never can be, overcome by evil.— Manuscript 24, 1900.
(MM 32.2)
Bringing the Lord’s Work Into Disrepute
Never is a physician to do his work in a coarse, careless, or haphazard way. The physician is constantly to study refinement. In every sense of the word, he is to be one that ministers—a servant entrusted by an absent Lord with the care of his fellow beings. The lax, loose way that some of our physicians have of working brings into disrepute the work that should be kept on an elevated platform before the world. When a physician does a weak, inefficient work, his fellow physicians are injured.— Manuscript 105, 1902
(MM 32.3)
Give Heed to Character Building
If ever there were those who need to give their character building careful examination, it is our physicians. There has been on the part of many of them a gradual relaxation of piety, of self-control, of purity, of holiness, of watchfulness. An entire change of mind and spirit is needed before they can claim to be acceptable workers....
(MM 33.1)
That man only who daily and hourly lives a Christian life can perform aright the duties of a physician. Let our physicians seek to understand the solemn responsibilities of their profession, and to realize how much is involved in dealing with those who are sick in body and mind. Often the life of the patient is in the hands of the physician. One false movement of the instrument in an operation, and the life would be sacrificed. How solemn the thought!
(MM 33.2)
How important that the physician shall be ever under the control of the divine Physician! Let the one who is trying to prolong life look to Him to direct his every movement. If the physician knows that by his side is One who is life itself, One who can accomplish that which human beings cannot attempt, what confidence this knowledge will inspire! And what a blessing the physician can be in a sickroom if he has learned to trust constantly in Him to whom belong the souls of those to whom he ministers. The Saviour will give him tact and skill in dealing with difficult cases.—Letter 61, 1904.
(MM 33.3)
The Physician’s Influence
Physicians who cultivate a sense of the presence of God will impress their patients with the influence of truth. As they show that they truly believe the words, “I know that my Redeemer liveth, to make intercession for me, and that because He lives, I shall live also,” the influence of this is felt. Physicians little know the power they will have in the sickroom if they recognize the presence of God. Their words will be of such a character that impressions for good will be made upon minds....
(MM 33.4)
Open every window heavenward, welcoming the bright, heavenly rays of the Sun of Righteousness. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”Proverbs 9:10. Living and working under the constant impression, “Lo, God is here,” brings a hallowed influence, which the Spirit is ever impressing on heart and mind.— Manuscript 33, 1901.
(MM 33.5)
A Pattern of Good Judgment
The Lord wants you to be cheerful, and to have cheerful words for the sick. Let the Sun of Righteousness shine forth in your features. Be very decided in your religious service. Make the Lord Jesus your confidant. Make your aim a high one, and let your attainments be higher and higher still in the knowledge of your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.—Letter 128, 1905.
(MM 34.1)
Heavenly Assistants
“The time that has been spent in communing with God, in seeking His help before undertaking to relieve those who were in a critical condition, has brought angels to the side of the doctor and his assistants. You have succeeded according as you have trusted in God. He has been by your side just as verily as Christ was by the side of those who were suffering when He walked among them on earth.”—Health, Philanthropic, and Medical Missionary Work, page 40.
(MM 34.2)
Give God the Glory
God will work with every Christian physician. And to Him the physician is to give the honor and glory for the success that attends his work. The only safety for physicians is in walking and working in humility and faith....
(MM 34.3)
You are wholly dependent upon the Great Physician for the ability and power to do good work. Cling to Jesus. He will give you sharpness of intellect to discern with readiness, and steadiness of nerve to execute with precision.—Letter 3, 1901.
(MM 34.4)
God the Physician’s Efficiency
The Lord is to be the efficiency of every physician. If in the operating room the physician feels that he is working only as the Lord’s visible helping hand, the Great Physician is present to hold with His invisible hand the hand of the human agent and to guide in the movements made. The Lord knows with what trembling and terror many patients come to the point of undergoing an operation as the only chance for saving life. He knows that they are in greater peril than they ever have been in before. They feel as if their life were in the hands of one whom they believe to be a skillful physician. But when they see their physician on his knees, asking God to make the critical operations a success, the prayer inspires them, as well as the physician, with strong hope and confidence. This confidence, even in the most critical cases, is a means of making operations successful. Impressions are made upon minds that God designed should be made....
(MM 34.5)
Although such a prayer may be offered before unbelievers and even infidels, yet it sweeps away the shadow by which Satan has darkened the mind, and when the sufferer is brought through the crisis, truth takes the place of doubt and unbelief. The mist of skepticism that beclouded the mind is dispelled.— Manuscript 26, 1902.
(MM 35.1)
The Peril of Popularity
Dr.-----has not been satisfied with a superficial education, but has made the most of his opportunities to obtain a thorough knowledge of the human system and the best methods of treating disease. This has given him an influence. He has earned the respect of the community as a man of sound judgment and nice discrimination, one who reasons carefully from cause to effect; and he is highly esteemed for his courtesy of deportment and his Christian integrity. But there are others also who can become men of influence, trust, and power in that institution....
(MM 35.2)
November 23, 1879, some things were shown me in reference to the institutions among us, and the duties and dangers of those who occupy a leading position in connection with them. I saw that Dr.-----had been raised up to do a special work as God’s instrument, to be led, guided, and controlled by His Spirit. He is to answer the claims of God, and never to feel that he is his own property and that he can employ his powers as he shall deem most profitable to himself. Although it is his purpose to be and to do right, yet he will most surely err unless he is a constant learner in the school of Christ. His only safety is in humbly walking with God.
(MM 35.3)
Safety Only by a Miracle
Dangers beset his path, and if he comes off conqueror he will indeed have a triumphant song to sing in the City of God. He has strong traits of character that will need to be constantly repressed. If kept under the control of the Spirit of God, these traits will be a blessing; but if not, they will prove a curse. If Dr.-----, who is now riding upon the wave of popularity, does not become giddy, it will be a miracle of mercy. If he leans to his own wisdom, as so many thus situated have done, his wisdom will prove to be foolishness. While he shall give himself unselfishly to the work of God, never swerving in the least from principle, the Lord will throw about him the everlasting arms and will prove to him a mighty Helper. “Them that honor Me, I will honor.”1 Samuel 2:30 ∙∙∙ .
(MM 36.1)
Evil Traits Strengthened by Indulgence
While he makes God his strength, and loves and fears Him, he will be rightly balanced; but as surely as he loses his connection with God and attempts to go in his own strength, this same will that has proved a blessing will prove an injury to himself and to others. He will become overbearing, tyrannical, exacting, and dictatorial. These traits must not be allowed to gain the ascendancy under any circumstances; for they will strengthen by indulgence and will soon become a controlling power. His character will thus become ill-balanced, and this will disqualify him for the work of God....
(MM 36.2)
God calls for complete and entire consecration, and anything short of this He will not accept. The more difficult your position, the more you need Jesus. The love and fear of God kept Joseph pure and untarnished in the king’s court. He was exalted to great wealth, to the high honor of being next to the king; and this elevation was as sudden as it was great.
(MM 36.3)
Examples of Success in Humility
It is impossible to stand upon a lofty height without danger. The tempest leaves unharmed the modest flower of the valley, while it wrestles with the lofty tree upon the mountaintop. There are many men whom God could have used with wonderful success when pressed with poverty,—He could have made them useful here, and crowned them with glory hereafter,—but prosperity ruined them; they were dragged down to the pit because they forgot to be humble, forgot that God was their strength, and became independent and self-sufficient. These dangers are yours.
(MM 36.4)
Joseph bore the test of character in adversity, and the gold was undimmed by prosperity. He showed the same lofty regard for God’s will when he stood next the throne as when in a prisoner’s cell. Joseph carried his religion everywhere, and this was the secret of his unwavering fidelity. As representative men, you must have the all-pervading power of true godliness. I tell you, in the fear of God, your path is beset by dangers which you do not see and do not sense. You must hide in Jesus. You are unsafe unless you hold the hand of Christ. You must guard against everything like presumption, and cherish that spirit that would suffer rather than sin. No victory you can gain will be half so precious as that gained over self.—Special Testimonies to Physicians and Helpers, pages 7-27.
(MM 37.1)
The Physician’s First Work
The Redeemer expects our physicians to make the saving of souls their first work. If they will walk and work with God, in His love and fear, they will receive leaves from the tree of life to give to the suffering. His peace will go with them, making them messengers of peace.
(MM 37.2)
It is not enough for us to read the Scriptures merely. We are to ask the Lord to fill our wayward hearts with His Spirit, that we may understand the meaning of His words. In order to be benefited by the reading of the words of Christ, we must make a right application of them to our individual cases.
(MM 37.3)
We have been given a message exceeding in importance any other message ever entrusted to mortals. This message Christ came in person to the Isle of Patmos to present to John. He told him to write down what he saw and heard during his vision, that the churches might know what was to come upon the earth. Do our medical workers realize the importance of the message of Revelation? ...
(MM 37.4)
The word, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love,” (Revelation 2:4) is applicable to many living in this time. God calls for immediate repentance and reformation. It is time for a great change to take place among the people who are looking for the second appearing of their Lord. Soon strange things will take place. God will hold us responsible for the way in which we treat the truth. Our purity of faith and action will decide our future.
(MM 37.5)
God is in earnest with us. To every man He has given his work. Everyone is to do his part. A clear, decided testimony is to be borne, for a people is to be prepared to meet a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.— Manuscript 136, 1902
(MM 38.1)
To Prepare Souls for Death
The question has been asked many times, “Should the physician feel it his duty to open the truth to his patients?” That depends on circumstances. In many cases all that should be done is to point to Christ as a personal Saviour. There are those who would only be injured should any new doctrine not in accordance with their previous views be brought before them. God must guide in this work. He can prepare minds to receive the word of truth. It is just as much a physician’s duty to prepare the souls before him for what is to take place as to minister to their physical needs. Let them know their danger. Be a faithful steward for God. Do not let anyone be launched into eternity without a word of warning or caution. You cannot neglect this and be a faithful steward. God requires you to be true to Him wherever you are. There is a great work to be done. Take hold of it, and do it intelligently. God will help everyone who does this.— Manuscript 62, 1900.
(MM 38.2)
The Duty of Truthfulness
Never, never should the physician feel that he may prevaricate. It is not always safe and best to lay before the invalid the full extent of his danger. The truth may not all be spoken on all occasions, but never speak a lie. If it is important for the good of the invalid not to alarm him lest such a course might prove fatal, do not lie to him....
(MM 38.3)
Religious faith and principles have become deteriorated, mingled with worldly customs and practices, and for this reason pure and undefiled religion is rare. The soul, the precious soul, is of value, and it must be made white in the blood of the Lamb. The strength and grace of God was provided at an infinite sacrifice that you might be victorious over Satan’s suggestions and temptations and come forth unsullied and unpolluted as did Joseph and Daniel. Let the life, the character, be the strongest argument for Christianity, for by this will all men be compelled to take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus and learned of Him. The life, the words, and the deportment are the most forcible argument, the most solemn appeal, to the careless, irreverent, and skeptical....
(MM 38.4)
You all need a living religion, that you may stand as God’s witnesses, proclaiming to the sick that sin is always followed with suffering; and while combating pain and disease, you should plainly lay before them that which you know to be the real cause, and the remedy—“Cease to sin;” and point them to the sin-pardoning Saviour.— Manuscript 4a, 1885.
(MM 39.1)
Leading Souls to the Mighty Healer
In no other line of the work is the truth to shine more brightly than in the medical missionary work. Every true medical missionary has a remedy for the sin-sick soul as well as for the diseased body. By faith in Christ he is to act as an evangelist, a messenger of mercy. As he uses the simple remedies which God has provided for the cure of physical suffering, he is to speak of Christ’s power to heal the maladies of the soul.
(MM 39.2)
Through the efforts of the Christian physician, the accumulated light of the past and the present is to produce its effect. Not only is the physician to give instruction from the word of God, line upon line, precept upon precept; he is to moisten this instruction with his tears and make it strong with his prayers, that souls may be saved from death....
(MM 39.3)
In their work of dealing with disease and death, physicians are in danger of losing the solemn reality of the future of the soul. In their earnest, feverish anxiety to avert the peril of the body, there is danger that they will neglect the peril of the soul. I would say to you, Be on your guard; for you must meet your dying ones before the judgment seat of Christ.—Letter 120, 1901.
(MM 39.4)
Evangelistic Duties
Our physicians need a deeper insight into the evangelistic work that God expects them to do. Let them remember that if they do not work for the healing of the soul as well as for the healing of the body, they are not following the example of the great Medical Missionary. Let them study the word of God diligently, that they may be familiar with its promises and may be able, in tenderness and love, to point sinners to the Great Healer. It was to bring spiritual as well as physical healing to the sick that our sanitariums were established.
(MM 40.1)
The physician is to be a constant receiver of the grace of Christ. He is to remember that the God-fearing physician is authorized to regard himself as a laborer together with God. The Saviour is willing to help all who call upon Him for wisdom and clearness of thought. And who needs wisdom and clearness of thought more than the physician, upon whose decision so much depends?
(MM 40.2)
The Lord would have our physicians cooperate with Him in their treatment of the sick, showing more faith and using fewer drugs. Let us rely upon God. Our faith is feeble, and our hearts remain unchanged. God would have a change take place. He says, “A new heart also will I give you.”Ezekiel 36:26. When this promise is fulfilled to the people of God, the condition of things will be very different from what it now is.— Manuscript 14, 1904.
(MM 40.3)
A Deeper Yearning for Souls
Into the medical missionary work there must be brought more of a yearning for souls. It was this yearning that filled the hearts of those who established our first medical institution. Christ is to be present in the sickroom, filling the heart of the physician with the fragrance of His love. When his life is such that Christ can go with him to the bedside of the sick, there will come to them the conviction that He, the compassionate Saviour, is present, and this conviction will do much to restore them to health.
(MM 40.4)
In word and deed the physicians and nurses in our medical institutions are to say, so plainly that it cannot be misunderstood, “God is in this place,” to save, not to destroy. Christ invites our physicians to become acquainted with Him. When they respond to His invitation, they will know that they receive the things they ask for. Their minds will be enlightened by wisdom from above. Constantly beholding the Saviour, they will become more and more like Him, till at last it can be said of them in the heavenly courts, “Ye are complete in Him.” Christ has pledged Himself to give His disciples what they ask for in His name. As they labor in harmony with Him, they can ask Him to aid them in every time of need.— Manuscript 14, 1904.
(MM 40.5)
Take Time to Commune With God
The physician who is truly converted will not gather to himself responsibilities which interfere with his work for souls. It is a mistake to lay upon the Christian physician, whom God has appointed to represent Him in His own way, so many responsibilities that he has no time to commune with God by reading His word and by prayer. Christ declares, “Without Me ye can do nothing.”John 15:5. How, then, can a medical missionary engage successfully in his important work without earnestly seeking the Lord in prayer? Prayer and a study of the word bring life and health to the believing worker.— Manuscript 159, 1899.
(MM 41.1)
To a Young Physician Under Discouragement
My heart is drawn out toward you. The Lord has not left you. He is a God of tender compassion and wonderful loving-kindness, and He does not desire you to walk in darkness. You need not cast yourself away; for the Lord says, “His life need not be a failure. I will make him Mine. I will show him that I prize his soul. I will strive with him, and lift him up. He must not perish. I have a special work for him to do. If he will unite with Me, believe in Me, and work for Me, his weakest points of character, notwithstanding his past failures, will become his strongest points.”
(MM 41.2)
Do not keep your mind fixed on the defective example of professing Christians. You will, of course, see in their lives things that are not right. But if you keep looking at their faults, you will become like them. Instead of looking at the lives of your fellowmen, look to Jesus. There you will see no imperfection, but perfection, righteousness, goodness, mercy, and truth. Take the Saviour as your example in all things. It is in looking to men instead of beholding Christ that you have made your great mistake.
(MM 41.3)
Without Excuse
You are not excusable for living an un-Christlike life. Christ came to this world, subject to His Father’s will, for one great purpose—to show men and women what God desires them to be and what, through His grace, they may be. He came to develop for man a character after the similitude of heaven.
(MM 42.1)
But I did not begin to write this letter to condemn you, but to encourage you to look away from sinful examples to the perfect Example, to point you to the path of peace and holiness. The Lord’s merciful love is still for you. But He would have you follow a better way than you have followed in the past. This you are to do, not by keeping your eyes fixed on the defective lives of professing Christians, but by beholding Christ, the Sent of God, who in this world and in human nature lived a pure, noble, perfect life, setting an example that all may safely follow.
(MM 42.2)
The Lord is reaching out His hand to save you. I long to see you responding to His invitation, “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.”Isaiah 27:5 ∙∙∙ .
(MM 42.3)
There have been many things to tempt you to swerve from your allegiance to the truth, but the Saviour has been willing to lead you at every step. It is young men whom the Lord claims as His helping hand. Samuel was a mere child when the Lord used him to do a good and gracious work....
(MM 42.4)
Building a Character for Eternity
Because some serve on the enemy’s side, all need not forsake the Lord. Gather to your soul the light of the word of God. Remember that day by day you are building character for time and for eternity.
(MM 42.5)
The teaching of the Bible in regard to character building is very explicit. “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”Colossians 3:17. Place yourself under His control, and then ask for His protecting power. He gave His life for you. Do not cause Him sorrow. Be guarded in all that you say and do. Christ wants you to be to other young men His representative, His delegated gospel medical missionary.
(MM 42.6)
Remember that in your life religion is not to be merely one influence among others. It is to be an influence dominating all others. Be strictly temperate. Resist every temptation. Make no concessions to the wily foe. Listen not to the suggestions that he puts into the mouths of men and women. You have a victory to win. You have nobility of character to gain; but this you cannot gain while you are depressed and discouraged by failure. Break the bands with which Satan has bound you. There is no need for you to be his slave. “Ye are My friends,” Christ said, “if ye do whatsoever I command you.”John 15:14.
(MM 43.1)
Jesus loves you, and He has given me a message for you. His great heart of infinite tenderness yearns over you. He sends you the message that you may recover yourself from the snare of the enemy. You may regain your self-respect. You may stand where you regard yourself, not as a failure, but as a conqueror, in and through the uplifting influence of the Spirit of God. Take hold of the hand of Christ, and do not let it go.
(MM 43.2)
You may be a great blessing to others if you will give yourself unreservedly to the Lord’s service. Power from on high will be given you if you will take your position on the Lord’s side. Through Christ you can escape the corruption that is in the world through lust, and be a noble example of what Christ can do for those who cooperate with Him.
(MM 43.3)
Choice of Associates
Do not choose the society of those who are the servants of sin, and thus place yourself in temptation. Nobility of character is not gained by placing oneself in objectionable society. Do not put on one side the grand requirements of the word of God. Your only hope is in placing yourself in right relation to God. You have supposed that you could so harden your heart that you would be regardless of truth and righteousness. But this you have not been able to do. You have longed to clasp the hand of One who could be a stay, a strength, a support.
(MM 43.4)
God’s purpose for us is that we shall ever move upward. Even in the smaller duties of common life we are to make continual growth in grace, supplied with high and holy motives, powerful because they proceed from One who gave His life to furnish us with the incentive to be wholly successful in the formation of Christian character.
(MM 43.5)
Christ has made an atonement for you. You are not to go through life with a half-formed character. You are to be strong in the strength of God, grounded in the hope of the gospel. You are acquainted with God’s requirements, and I beg of you not to remain a weakling....
(MM 44.1)
I am very hopeful that you will become all that the Lord desires you to be—a gospel medical missionary. You are to be not only an increasingly skillful physician, but one of the Lord’s appointed missionaries, in all your work placing His service first.
(MM 44.2)
Give Christ the Best
Let nothing mar your peace. Give your heart’s best and holiest affections to Him who gave His life that you might be among the redeemed family in the heavenly courts. Striving for the crown of life will not make you dissatisfied or less useful. The Great Teacher desires to acknowledge you as His helping hand. He calls for your cooperation. Will you not now give Him all that you have and are? Will you not consecrate your talents to His service?
(MM 44.3)
This life is your sowing time. Will you not pledge yourself to God that your seed sowing shall be that which will produce, not tares, but a harvest of wheat? God will work with you; He will increase your usefulness. He has entrusted to you talents that in His strength you may use to produce a precious harvest.—Letter 228, 1903.
(MM 44.4)
To a Physician in Perplexity
I have wished so much that I might have an opportunity to talk with you. Could I see you, I should say to you what I have been saying to you recently in the visions of the night. You were apparently undecided as to what you would do in the future. I asked, “Why are you perplexed?” You replied, “I am perplexed in regard to what is the best course for me to pursue.” Then One who has authority stepped up to you and said: “You are not your own. You have been bought with a price. Your time, your talents, every jot of your influence, is the Lord’s. You are His servant. Your part is to do His bidding, and learn daily of Him. You are not to set up in business for yourself. This is not the Lord’s plan. You are not to unite with unbelievers in medical work.” Neither is this the Lord’s plan. His word to you is, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (2 Corinthians 6:14~16) ∙∙∙
(MM 44.5)
You are to receive the grace of Christ, the great Medical Missionary. His divine wisdom will be given to you if you will refuse to yield to the inclination to link up with the world. God desires you to place yourself where you can work in connection with other physicians. You and the one with whom you are associated may not be of the same temperament. It is better if you are not. That which one needs the other may supply, if each will learn to wear the yoke of Christ....
(MM 45.1)
My brother, choose to obey Christ. In His meekness and lowliness, receive His counsel. Stand shoulder to shoulder with your brethren, and this will encourage them to stand shoulder to shoulder with you. Hide self in Christ, and the Saviour will be to you a present help in every time of need.
(MM 45.2)
To Impart God’s Love
God’s people have many lessons to learn. They will have perfect peace if they will keep the mind stayed on Him who is too wise to err and too good to do them harm. They are to catch the reflection of the smile of God, and reflect it to others. They are to see how much sunshine they can bring into the lives of those around them. They are to keep near to Christ, so close that they sit together with Him as His little children, in sweet, sacred unity. They are never to forget that as they receive the affection and love of God, they are under the most solemn obligation to impart it to others. Thus they may exert an influence of rejoicing, which blesses all who come within its reach, irradiating their pathway.
(MM 45.3)
This is where the people of God make so many mistakes. They do not express thankfulness for the great gift of God’s love and grace. Selfishness must be expelled from the soul. The heart must be purified from all envy, all evil surmising. Believers must constantly receive and impart the love of God. Then unbelievers will say of them, “They have been with Jesus, and learned of Him. They are living in intimate companionship with Christ, who is love.” The world has keenness of perception, and will take knowledge to some purpose of those who sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The character of God’s human agencies must be a transcript of the character of their Saviour....
(MM 46.1)
To Link Up with Brethren
I write this to you, my dear brother, in the hope of helping you. You are in an unsettled state of mind, and are tempted to do a strange work which God has not appointed you to do. None of us are to strike out alone; we are to link up with our brethren, and pull together, and God will give us influence and self-control. We are to draw near to God, that He may draw near to us.
(MM 46.2)
No one can gain completeness in Christ, who, having the means of gaining a deeper experience in the things of God, fails to realize that every ray of heavenly light, every jot of blessing, is given to him to give to all who come within the sphere of his influence. If we are qualifying ourselves to live in heaven, we are daily drawing nearer and nearer to our Redeemer. We are to represent Christ in every phase of character.
(MM 46.3)
What is the Bible test of character? “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.”John 14:23. No one need perish in spiritual blindness. A plain “Thus saith the Lord” has been given for the guidance of all.—Letter 40, 1903.
(MM 46.4)
Counsel with Your Brethren
Do not refuse to unite with your brethren, fearing that if you put yourself on an equality with them you will not be able to do all that your own judgment might suggest. God’s workers are to counsel together. Ministers, physicians, or directors are walking in false paths when they regard themselves as a complete whole; when they feel no need of counsel from men of experience, who have been led by the Lord, who, as they have moved forward in self-denial to advance the work, have given evidence that they were led and controlled by the Holy Spirit and were thus enabled to speak and plan and act wisely and understandingly.
(MM 46.5)
The Lord calls for men who are willing to yoke up with Christ and with their brethren; men who are willing to strive to be altogether that which they must be in order to carry forward the work of God intelligently; men who look to Jesus, complying with the invitation, “Come unto Me, ∙∙∙ and I will give you rest. 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 11:28~29)—Letter 13, 1902.
(MM 47.1)
Shall Self Rule?
There is need for every physician closely and critically to examine himself. What is his religious experience? Does he allow self to rule? Does he make his own wishes and desires supreme? Does he keep the glory of God ever before him? Is he learning daily of Jesus? If this is your experience, those with whom you are connected will be led nearer to the Savior. Why? Because you are constantly beholding Him who is the way, the truth, and the life....
(MM 47.2)
Temptation to Feel Self-sufficient
I wish to say that there is danger of our physicians’ taking themselves into their own hands, thinking that they understand best what they should do. They think that those who offer them counsel do not understand their capabilities or appreciate their value. This is the stumbling stone over which some at least have fallen. You are not beyond the temptation of thinking that you can do better work alone than when linked up with your brethren. The very ones who think this are the ones who need the companionship and help of a fellow laborer.
(MM 47.3)
My brother, the Lord needs your help in His work. Will you not be His helping hand? It would be a serious mistake for you to accept a worldly position, where it would not be possible for you to do the medical missionary work that God desires you to do. Do not make this mistake. Place yourself under the guidance of the greatest Medical Missionary the world has ever known. Under His direction you will gain increased capabilities for doing His work.
(MM 47.4)
The Lord’s people are to testify, by Christlike lives, that God has a people on the earth who represent the pure and holy company that will meet round the throne of God when the redeemed are gathered into the Holy City. Those who on this earth love and obey God will be accounted true and pure and loyal, worthy to dwell with Him in the heavenly courts.—Letter 41, 1903.
(MM 48.1)
A Plea for Brotherly Union
To fear God and to walk with Him is the privilege and duty of every physician. I have been shown that Satan presses in his temptations with greater force upon physicians who are among our people than upon those outside of our faith. It is Satan’s work to excite pride and ambition, selfishness, and love for supremacy, that he may prevent that strong, brotherly union which should exist among our physicians, which would give vigor to their purposes and would go far to ensure success in all their undertakings. In all our institutions the physicians who believe the truth should strive for harmony.
(MM 48.2)
There should be no rivalry. Variance and rivalry are even more offensive to God when manifest among physicians than among those who claim to be called to the ministry; for the godly physician is Christ’s ambassador to hold forth the word of life to suffering ones who are letting go their hold of this life. If he has wisdom to speak a word in season, leading the sufferer to rely upon Jesus, he may be the instrument in the hands of God of the saving of the soul. How firmly garrisoned should be the soul of the physician, that impure, sensual thoughts may not find a lodgment there.
(MM 48.3)
I have been shown that much is lost when the physicians of our faith draw apart because of their different methods of practice. Physicians’ meetings should be held, where all might counsel together, exchanging ideas and laying plans whereby they could work unitedly. The Lord formed man for companionship, and He designs that we shall be imbued with the kind, loving nature of Christ, and shall, through association, be bound together in close relationship as children of God, doing work for time and for eternity....
(MM 48.4)
Physicians to Counsel Together
In the love and fear of God, let the physicians have meetings for counsel, and talk up the best ways and means of serving the Lord in their branch of His great work. Let them bring together all their intelligence and skill, that they may be a help to one another. I know that there are ways by which they can come into harmony so that no one shall follow his own independent judgment.—Letter 26a, 1889.
(MM 49.1)
A Student of Cause and Effect
The intelligent Christian physician has an increasing knowledge of the connection between sin and disease. He is constantly striving to perfect his knowledge of the relation between cause and effect. He sees the necessity of educating those who are taking the nurse’s course to be strictly temperate in all things, because carelessness in regard to the laws of health, a neglect to properly care for the body, is the cause of much of the disease on our world. A failure to care for the living machinery is an insult to the Creator. There are divinely appointed rules which, if observed, will keep human beings from disease and premature death....
(MM 49.2)
When a physician sees that the ailment which has taken hold of the body is the result of improper eating and drinking, yet neglects to tell the patient that his suffering is caused by a wrong course of action, he is doing the human brotherhood an injury. Present the matter tenderly, but never keep silent as to the cause of the affliction.—Letter 120, 1901.
(MM 49.3)
The Physician as a Sabbath Observer
Christ was a Seventh-day Adventist, to all intents and purposes. It was He who called Moses into the mount and gave him instruction for His people ∙∙∙ . In awful grandeur Christ made known the law of Jehovah, giving, among other charges, this charge: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”Exodus 20:8. My brother, you have not placed upon the Sabbath the sanctity that is required by God. Irreverence has come in, and an example has been set that the Lord does not approve. He is not honored and glorified.
(MM 49.4)
There will always be duties which have to be performed on the Sabbath for the relief of suffering humanity. This is right, and in accordance with the law of Him who says, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.”Matthew 9:13. But there is danger of falling into carelessness on this point, and of doing that which it is not positively essential to do on the Sabbath.
(MM 50.1)
Unnecessary traveling is done on the Sabbath, with many other things which might be left undone. “Take heed,” saith the Lord, “to all thy ways, lest I remove My Holy Spirit because of the lax regard given to My precepts.”“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Bear in mind the charge to remember. Do not carelessly forget, “Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work.”Exodus 20:8, 9. In this time all the duties necessary to prepare for the Sabbath are to be done.—Letter 51, 1901.
(MM 50.2)
Rest for the Overweary
The temptations that come to a physician are great, for he is often pressed beyond measure, overworked, overwearied. But if he will commit the keeping of his soul to God as unto a faithful Creator, he will find rest and peace. A soothing influence from Jesus will come to him.
(MM 50.3)
Infidel physicians abound. They refuse to be illuminated by the light which irradiates others. They exalt self, and they lose spiritual and eternal advantages. But medical practitioners who have the influence of the truth upon the mind and heart are skilled in the use of remedies for the sin-sick soul as well as the body. They can with the wisdom of heaven speak words that will cause melody in the soul because of spiritual growth.
(MM 50.4)
You are a shepherd of the soul as well as a physician of the body. You need divine aid, and you may have it if you will come to the Lord as a little child. You may have a rich experience. But you must not wear yourself out by overworry and overtaxation. If you are balanced by the Holy Spirit, you will seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. You will place yourself in a position where the truth for this time can come in clear, distinct rays of light to you. You will see the truth as it bears upon the present time, and your experience will be in complete harmony with the message of the third angel....
(MM 50.5)
Behold the Eternal and the Unseen
We cannot keep our eyes fixed upon the things that are seen, and yet appreciate eternal realities. We need, and especially you who are so bound up with the afflictions and necessities of humanity, to keep the eye of faith beholding the eternal and unseen, that you may become more and more intelligent in regard to the great plan of God to bring these suffering ones to discern the value of the human soul. You are to esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.
(MM 51.1)
Discouragements come to you, I know, and trials press upon your soul, and you almost forget that Jesus is your Helper, and that His eye is upon you every moment. In the working out of your plans for the blessing and relief of humanity ever bear in mind that it is not you who are doing the work. Christ requires you to wear His yoke, and lift His burdens. The great and sympathetic heart of Christ is ever identifying itself with suffering humanity. You cannot of your own self do anything. Regard yourself as an instrument in God’s hands, and let His mind, His peace, His grace, rule in heart and life.
(MM 51.2)
Be God’s thread to work out His design. You can never handle yourself. You can never place yourself in position with any success. You must work as an agent cooperating with God. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”Philippians 2:12~13. Here are the combined elements, God and the human agent, both working harmoniously.—Letter 97, 1894.
(MM 51.3)
Hiding Self in Christ
Dr. John Cheyne, while he rose to a high point in his profession, did not forget his obligations to God. He once wrote to a friend, “You may wish to know the condition of my mind. I am humbled in the dust by the thought that there is not one action of my busy life which will bear the eye of a holy God. But when I reflect on the invitation of the Redeemer, ‘Come unto Me,’ and that I have accepted this invitation; and, moreover, that my conscience testifies that I earnestly desire to have my will in all things conformed to the will of God, I have peace; I have the promised rest promised by Him in whom was found no guile.”
(MM 51.4)
Before his death this eminent physician ordered a column to be erected near the spot where his body was to lie, on which were to be inscribed these texts, as voices from eternity: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”Hebrews 12:14.
(MM 52.1)
And while Dr. Cheyne thus strove, even from the tomb, to beckon sinners to the Saviour and to glory, he concealed his own name, withholding it from the column entirely. He was not less careful to say, as speaking to the passerby, “The name and profession and age of him whose body lies beneath are of little consequence, but it may be of great importance to you to know that by the grace of God he was brought to look to the Lord Jesus as the only Saviour of sinners, and that this looking unto Jesus gave peace to his soul.”“Pray to God, pray to God,” it says, “that you may be instructed in the gospel; and be assured that God will give the Holy Spirit, the only Teacher of true wisdom, to them that ask Him.” This memorial was designed to turn the attention of all to God and cause them to lose sight of the man.
(MM 52.2)
This man brought no reproach upon the cause of Christ. I tell you, dear brother, in Christ we may do all things. It is an encouragement to remember that there have been physicians who were consecrated to God, who were led and taught by God; and there may be such in this age-physicians who do not exalt self, but who walk and work with the eye single to the glory of God, men who are true to principle, true to duty, ever looking unto Jesus for His light....
(MM 52.3)
As we examine the records of the past, physician after physician rises up before us qualified to minister to the soul as well as to the body, and some of them actually doing so. Driven by the perils of their profession, they sought the wisdom of God, and were guided by His Spirit in the path whose end is glory....
(MM 52.4)
The God-fearing, God-loving physician longs to reveal Jesus to the sin-sick soul and tell him how free, how complete, is the provision made by the sin-pardoning Redeemer. “His tender mercies are over all His works;”Psalm 145:9. but for humanity more ample provision is made, and the promise is full which points to Jesus as the Fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. What can make a heart so light, what can spread so much sunshine through the soul, as the sense of sins forgiven? The peace of Christ is life and health.
(MM 53.1)
Then let the physician realize his accountability and improve his opportunities to reveal Christ as a forgiving Saviour. Let him have a high regard for souls and do all in his power to win them to Christ and the truth. May the Lord put His Spirit upon our physicians, and help them to work intelligently for the Master because they love Jesus and the souls for whom Christ died.— Manuscript 17, 1890.
(MM 53.2)
For Further Study The Christian Physician: Counsels on Health, 321-386 (Testimonies for the Church 6:229-234; Testimonies for the Church 4:566-569); The Ministry of Healing, 111-124; Testimonies for the Church 6:243-253. Better Qualified Than Minister Who Merely Preaches: Counsels on Health, 503, 504. A Messenger of Mercy: Counsels on Health, 351-354 (Testimonies for the Church 7:72-75). Practical Results of Communion With God: The Ministry of Healing, 511, 512. Neglect of Religious Duties: Counsels on Health, 362; 403, 404. Moral and Intellectual Culture: Counsels on Health, 257-260 (Testimonies for the Church 4:545-549). Value of Trial, Danger of Self-Sufficiency: Testimonies for the Church 8:123-132. Habits of Temperance: Counsels on Health, 321-32; Testimonies for the Church 5:439-442). Patience and Sympathy for the Undeserving: Counsels on Health, 347-354 (Testimonies for the Church 3:178-184; Testimonies for the Church 7:72-75). To Be Firm, Yet Courteous and Tender: Testimonies for the Church 3:170. Duty of Truthfulness: The Ministry of Healing, 245. To Teach Causes of Disease: Counsels on Health, 366. Appropriate Promises for the Dying: The Ministry of Healing, 121-124. Divinely Helped in Operations: Testimonies for the Church 8:187, 188. Praising God for Recovery: Counsels on Health, 334, 335; The Ministry of Healing, 119. No Place for Graduation: Counsels on Health, 405 (Testimonies for the Church 4:554-562).