Living for Christ

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 21, 1870

Living for Christ.

SOME who have indulged hope in Christ, are disposed to yield too much to the solicitations of former companions. Remember, the more you yield the more you may. If you yield once, you will be expected to yield again. You must learn to say, No; and the sooner the better. If sinners entice thee to neglect duty, to do anything wrong or doubtful, consent thou not. If you begin to consent, or hesitate and waver, you will be pursued with solicitations by the enemies of religion and of your souls, and your life will be unhappy, miserable, and wretched. A single neglect, a single yielding, may, by laying the foundation for future opposition and future solicitation, destroy your happiness for life, and your usefulness, too, unless you make up your mind firmly and decidedly that, for the future, let the opposition be what it may and from whence it may, or the solicitations be what they may and from whence they may, you will do your duty, and go on and do it; and that you will not conform to the world, and refrain in every instance from conforming to its vain, deceitful, and wicked customs, habits, fashions, and amusements. Remember these things forever. Some years ago, I read an anecdote, in substance as follows: A young woman of rich and fashionable parentage became a Christian. Her parents opposed her. They tried every way to divert her attention, but without success. She was firm, decided, and unyielding. At length they hit upon a scheme which they thought must be successful. She was an excellent singer. A party was invited to her father's house. It was proposed that the young ladies in turn should sing a piece for the amusement of the company. She made no objection. One and another sang. Her turn came. All eyes were directed toward her; all were anxious. This was the moment in which her parents and young companions hoped to triumph over her. Composed and calm she commenced, “No room for sport, nor trifling here!” and sang two or three stanzas. The company were overwhelmed. Before she closed, they were in tears. Many of them dated their first religious impressions from that time, became hopefully pious, and walked with her in the pleasant ways of piety. Her parents opposed her no more. Had she yielded and sung some trifling piece, the wicked would have triumphed. On similar occasions she would have been expected to pursue a similar course, and to have gone farther and farther in levity and rudeness. Take a decided stand, and you will save yourself much opposition and many solicitations, and you may save the souls of those who now oppose you or strive to lead you astray. By yielding you cannot save them, by yielding you may ruin them and destroy forever your own peace and usefulness. Usefulness and duty go together. To be happy you must try to do good. Eastern shepherds have dogs trained to the business of watching and guarding sheep. Sometimes the sheep go astray, just as young Christians are prone to do. Then the shepherd puts a gag in the dog's mouth and sets him after the stray sheep. The dog pursues, and runs the sheep down, but cannot injure them; he can worry and tire, but cannot bite or destroy. So when you depart from God, when you neglect duty and thus forsake the fold of Christ and go astray, he may let the devil pursue you, and worry and distress you, till you return to your duty, as you will, by the grace of God, if a follower of Jesus Christ. The devil cannot destroy you, for Christ has said none can pluck his people out of his Father's hand. The devil is like the gagged dog. He cannot destroy you, but he can distress you, and he will. This is one reason why some Christians are unhappy. They have forsaken their Shepherd, and he permits the devil to distress them for the purpose of showing them their folly—bringing them back to duty. They who have neglected for a long time to unite with the church, know the truth of what I say; and you will find it true if you are unfaithful.