Consecration-No. 4 by E. B. Saunders

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 1, 1872

Consecration.—No. 4.

By E. B. Saunders

The Spirit of God is directly opposed to the spirit of the world. The desire of the applause of men, riches of the world, and the pride of life cannot dwell in the renewed heart. And it is because these affections are not rooted out that there is so much drawing back after worldly objects. The heart that loves the vanity of dress will settle back by insensible degrees to the fashions of the world, unless there is an entire consecration and submission so that it has an abiding witness that God accepts.

Crosses are designed to manifest the true state of the heart. Afflictions which seem to come from the hand of God (like those of patient Job) will bring to the surface any rebellious feeling, be it ever so deeply buried beneath forms and ceremonies. When the heart has been cleansed from the love of sin, afflictions only make the gold to shine more brightly. Though earthly hopes, prospects, ambitions, and joys are all swept away in a moment, yet, like Job, we can say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in him.”

The cross of Christ is not something to be taken up by fits and starts and then laid down again; but to be carried all our life long. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, and hunger and thirst to know more of him, the cross is light indeed; and, like Paul, we glory in the privilege of bearing it. Then, it is to us a sacred treasure. But when the heart begins to lose its love to God, and the spirit of the world to creep in, then, we feel burdened, oppressed, till we lay it down, and oftentimes with it the hope of eternal life. Nothing but a life of constant watchfulness and prayer—literally, to “pray without ceasing”—will enable us to maintain the victory and firmly bear the hallowed cross of Christ.

Dear brethren, you who receive the great Advent truths, how beat your hearts? Does the thought of Jesus near enkindle a sacred joy in your bosoms? Can you, like the seer of Patmos, say, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus”? Are you longing “angelic joys to prove”? Or is it all a theory, a head religion, a form, while there is no power to maintain a victory?

The most precious promises in the word of God are for us who live in the last days. Was there ever such a hope as that of being translated without seeing death? Only two of all the race of Adam were thus honored—Enoch, who walked with God, and Elijah, whose strong faith in God could shut the heavens so that it rained not for years, and his poverty such that ravens were sent him with his daily food. Are you, like holy Enoch, trying to draw near to God, longing to know his will more perfectly? or like Elijah, crying to God with strong faith, and venturing your all upon his word? The rich reward is for the overcomer, and the overcomer is he that cheerfully bears the cross of Christ till the victor’s crown is won, never once forsaking the Master, but, with humble faith, love, and sincerity, seeking to do his will.

We often sing, “’Tis sweet to work for Jesus,” but how few have experienced that sweetness, how few have forsaken all to labor in his cause, and thus have brought down the dews of divine grace upon their souls. How few are willing to bear burdens for his dear sake who died for us. Crosses are not lifted, but shunned. By doing duty as it is made known to us, we get strong to meet opposition and endure trials. And trials are designed to purify us, and cause us, like Job, to draw nigh to God. But how many of us are ready to complain when afflictions come! We say, Why does God suffer me to meet with loss of property? or why this sickness? or why is my family afflicted? And an unsubmissive spirit eats out all the sweet love to God we once enjoyed. Dear brethren, we need to submit fully, from the heart, all to God.

All our interests of a worldly nature must be laid upon the altar. Are we in debt? We need not strain every nerve, work early and late, count every penny, hardly taking time for prayer, or hurrying through with it as we do with our chores, and excuse ourselves from doing for the cause of God because we are in debt. But make the cause of God first or chief in all our thoughts and all our plans, and leave these worldly matters to the providence of God. If we are anxious to serve him, and plan to aid his cause by every means in our power, he will see that even our worldly interests do not suffer on account of it. But it is the service of the heart that God accepts. It is not the amount we do so much as it is the love that prompts us in doing. Love prompted the poor widow to cast in her two mites. It was but little, yet it was all she had, and God regarded it. It was an offering of the heart, most precious in the sight of God.

We need to make more heart offerings, but we cannot make them when we are not submissive to the will of God. We must yield the stubborn will; we must have our hearts broken before God; the Spirit of God must rule in the heart; then our tokens of affection, our little gifts to the cause of God will find acceptance in his sight.

Oh! how many will find in the great day that all they have done (Matt. 7:22) and suffered (1 Cor. 13) is lost to them because the motive of the heart was wrong. We must seek and obtain the converting, transforming Spirit of God to dwell in us, so that we be renewed in the spirit of our minds, then our chief delight will be to glorify God and help in the work of saving our fellow-men. E. B. Saunders.