CHRIST IN YOU by Mrs. H. W. Pierce

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 23, 1901

CHRIST IN YOU

By Mrs. H. W. Pierce

MRS. H. W. PIERCE (Oxford, Miss.)

As I have read our precious REVIEW, Glad Tidings, and other literature making plain the great mystery of “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” I have been amazed at the goodness and long-suffering of our God in giving “line upon line, line upon line,” to teach His people this great essential truth, “Abide in me, and I in you.”

Our loving Father well knows that if we fail to depend upon His indwelling presence, we shall be swept away in the hour of temptation so soon to come upon us. Union with Christ, even as He is one with the Father, is plainly taught by Jesus himself; and when this great truth is recognized by each one of us, we shall render praise and gratitude to God, with humility of soul. When, with self-surrender and firm faith, we are enabled to appropriate the theory of this blessed union to our individual need, then, and not till then, does the soul experience the uplifting power of His constant presence. But even with this relation to the dear Saviour, we find ourselves human, our feelings changeable. He who controlled the foaming waves of Galilee is at the helm, and says, as of old, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

It may be you have labored for others to the best of your ability, and been repulsed with prejudice or indifference, if not with positive insult; still you can not be discouraged, because your mind is in union with Him of whom it is written, “He shall not fail nor be discouraged.” Upon Him you lean. You learn of Him meekness and lowliness, because His presence in the heart transforms it from the natural to the spiritual, even to His own nature. It may be you are ill-treated by those whom you love and for whom you labor, still you may not become impatient, for we read that Jesus “was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth.” It is true that we feel sad when misrepresented and maligned by those we love; yet if self is dead, we do not pity ourselves, but only grieve that those dear ones have not this union with Christ, so that they may reveal His character more perfectly.

Pitiable indeed is the case of him who departs from the Lord after having known His blessed presence; for being left to himself, as was Saul, the king of Israel, he is in want of help and counsel, which he can not obtain from God, because his connection with the divine is broken, and, like Saul, he seeks to the Lord’s enemies.

Even though Saul knew that God had rent the kingdom from him and from his family, he did not accept the will of God, and in penitence humble himself, as David did, later in life. Instead, he pathetically seeks the sympathy of the people. Listen: “All of you have conspired against me, . . . and there is none of you that is sorry for me.”

Again: when the Ziphites put themselves on Satan’s side in helping Saul to find David that he might destroy him, Saul says, “Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.” But Saul knew he was wrong. Had he repented, he might have received pardon and had peace with God even though the kingdom could not be restored to him.

Though long and sorely persecuted by Saul, David reveals an indwelling Saviour in refusing to take revenge, and trusting God to bring about his deliverance. He loved his enemy, and lamented his sad end, as well as that of Saul’s son Jonathan, who was so dear to David.

We may take courage from the life of David. His heart was loyal, he trusted in God; and when he sinned, he repented with all his soul, and found pardon and acceptance with the Lord. Thus may it be with us; victory is ours by faith even now, and all the way along. Except Christ be victorious in us through our faith and submission, we fail to reveal Him in our lives, and thus reflect no light upon others; but with Him, others are helped and comforted by us.