Duty

by Ellen White

If you have integrity of soul you will not be swayed from the right. No motive will be sufficient to move you from the straight line of duty; you will be loyal and true to God. The pleadings of affection and love, the yearnings of friendship, will not move you to turn aside from truth and duty; you will not sacrifice duty to inclination. 3T 44

No earthly ties, no earthly considerations, should weigh one moment in the scale against duty to the cause and work of God. 3T 500

The voice of duty is the voice of God. The gospel demands from Christians unreserved consecration of soul and body. The Lord claims the highest service that men and women, aided by divine grace, can offer. In childhood, youth, and age, human beings of every rank, high and low, rich and poor, belong to God. They are to withhold nothing from him. Each one is to stand at his post of duty in the great enterprise of saving souls. RH MAR.02,1905

It is the duty of the people of God to have their lamps trimmed and burning, to be as men that wait for the Bridegroom, when he shall return from the wedding. You have not a moment to lose in neglect of the great salvation that has been provided for you. The time of the probation of souls is coming to an end. From day to day the destiny of men is being sealed, and even from this congregation we know not how soon many shall close their eyes in death and be habited for the tomb. We should now consider that our life is swiftly passing away, that we are not safe one moment unless our life is hid with Christ in God. Our duty is not to be looking forward to some special time for some special work to be done for us, but to go forward in our work of warning the world; for we are to be witnesses of Christ to the uttermost parts of the world. All around us are the young, the impenitent, the unconverted, and what are we doing for them? Parents, in the ardour of your first love, are you seeking for the conversion of your children, or are you engrossed with the things of this life to such an extent that you are not making earnest efforts to be labourers together with God? Do you have an appreciation of the work and mission of the Holy Spirit? Do you realise that the Holy Spirit is the agency whereby we are to reach the souls of those around us? When this meeting shall close, will you go from here and forget the earnest appeals that have been made to you? will the messages of warning be left unheeded, and the truth you have heard leak out of your heart as water leaks out of a broken vessel? RH MAR.22,1892

The third angel's message is swelling into a loud cry, and you must not feel at liberty to neglect the present duty, and still entertain the idea that at some future time you will be the recipients of great blessing, when without any effort on your part a wonderful revival will take place. To-day you are to give yourselves to God, that he may make of you vessels unto honour, and meet for his service. To-day you are to give yourself to God, that you may be emptied of self, emptied of envy, jealousy, evil-surmising, strife, everything that shall be dishonouring to God. To-day you are to have your vessel purified that it may be ready for the heavenly dew, ready for the showers of the latter rain; for the latter rain will come, and the blessing of God will fill every soul that is purified from every defilement. It is our work to-day to yield our souls to Christ, that we may be fitted for the time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord--fitted for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. RH MAR.22,1892

Bear in mind always that the human brotherhood are not sin-bearers. Jesus alone can bear the sins of the transgressor. We are to leave them with him. The conscience needs to be converted. The heart that is not true needs to be renewed, but we can not do this work. We must leave the sinner with God. He has borne long with the false tongue. He does not force men to forsake evil, and we must let men falsify if they will. The Lord is our only trust. We are to rest in him and be still. We may feel that the Lord's work is in jeopardy, through the deceptions of those who deal falsely, but we need not feel thus. We are not to think that the issue of the conflict is in our hands. Our duty is to walk by faith. In his own time God will deal with the deceiver. He will reward every man according to his work. RH NOV.27,1900

There is a wide difference between what God has given men capacity to become, and the degree of excellence to which they actually attain. If it were considered a duty to cultivate all our powers to the fullest extent, they could be continually increasing. The Bible teaches men to act from principle; and whenever we successfully resist evil influence, we are strengthening that principle which has been assailed. The mere possession of talent is no guarantee of usefulness or happiness in life. Right principles are the only basis of true success. RH SEP.25,1883

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