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The Great Undertow

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 14, 1913

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 33.

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The Great Undertow

By F. M. W.

THERE is a great undertow at work at the present time which is seeking to engulf and overwhelm the children of men. The world is becoming infatuated and the minds of men hypnotized by the spirit of evil. God is being forgotten and shut out of mind. In the mad rush for wealth, in the struggle for existence, in the sharp competition of business interests, in the rivalry of national prestige, in the mad whirl of social life, in the excess of sports and pleasures, the world is being led captive by the prince of evil. We see it on every side.
In the midst of these disintegrating elements which are at work; in the confusion of tongues, the babble of voices, God is calling out a people to raise aloft the standard of truth, to sound in the darkness and confusion a loud, clear, eternal ringing trumpet-call, warning people of their danger and inviting them to the only true source of peace and rest.
The call of God today is for men and women who will face the situation as it is, who will stand against these evil influences, who will be true to God and the right at whatever cost. Heaven calls for young men and young women who will stand as did Daniel amid the corruption of the Medo-Persian court, as did Joseph in the midst of the luxury of ancient Egypt. Never did the world's history afford such an opportunity for true heroism as at the present time. Never was the call of God so urgent for faithful men and women to stand in the breach as today. And it is only as we answer this call of Heaven and undertake this work of reformation that we shall be able to withstand the influences of these evil principles in our own experience. Our only safety against the hypnotism of sin is to enlist in the warfare against it. We as a church, we as individuals, will succumb to these worldly influences which are honeycombing and permeating the great professed Christian church around us, unless we stand as heralds of warning. We can save our own souls only as we seek to save the souls of others from impending ruin.
The line of demarkation between vital Christianity and a Christianity of form and profession merely, must be drawn. We must stand on one side of the line. We cannot grasp heaven and the things of this world at the same time. We cannot, as Seventh-day Adventists, be governed by the spirit of commercialism in the world and be true to our profession. We cannot as believers in this message allow the spirit of worldly pleasure and dress and show to enter our hearts and control our lives and be true to our high and holy calling in God. He that is not for Christ in this great crisis of affairs is against him. There can be no neutral ground.
God calls today for positive men and women, for young men and young women of moral backbone who will die rather than consent to depart from the path of integrity, who will follow the dictates of an enlightened conscience and regard the leadings of the Spirit of God above the beck and bid of worldly associates. It will be hard to resist; it will take all that we can muster to buy the field; it will take the full exercise of every power in order to gain the prize at last, but O, it is worth while!
What are a few years of sacrifice, of self-denial, of turning aside from selfish, worldly pleasure, compared with the life that measures with the life of God? We are striving not for a bank account, not for farms, not for pleasant homes in this world, not for the honor the world can give. We are striving for a crown of eternal glory, a life of endless joy and pleasure, an eternity of bliss in the world beyond. This only is worth our effort.
F. M. W.