Live by the instruments!

Now is the time to learn of Christ. We have opportunity now to study the Bible, to go to church freely, and to choose which day we worship on. It will not always be that way. And how will we stand when our freedoms are taken away? There’s a sure way to tell…

Right now we’re flying under clear skies. But a great storm, such as never has been before, is directly in our flight path – we cannot escape it or go around it. The only sure way to navigate through that storm safely is to learn to trust our instruments now, under clear skies. The instruments (the Bible, the Holy Spirit, Spirit of Prophecy, God’s revealed will, etc.) will never let us down if we use them correctly. But sometimes we seem to think that we can fly on our own during clear skies, and we’ll turn to the instruments if a storm or clouds arise. This is dangerous! If we don’t trust the instruments now, how will we trust them in a storm? We can’t just turn to the instruments in a crisis; we must live by the instruments.

“It is in probationary time, the time in which we are living, that we should calmly contemplate the terms of salvation, and live according to the conditions laid down in the word of God. We should educate and train ourselves, hour by hour and day by day, by careful discipline, to perform every duty. We should become acquainted with God and with Jesus Christ whom he has sent. In every trial it is our privilege to draw upon him who has said, "Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me." The Lord says he is more willing to give us the Holy Spirit than parents are to give bread to their children. Then let us have the oil of grace in our vessels with our lamps, that we may not be found among those who are represented as foolish virgins, who were not prepared to go forth to meet the bridegroom.”

(RH September 17, 1895)

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Is there anything more important?