It is the absence of the graces of God’s Spirit that leaves the home in a dark, unhappy condition. Your home should be a blessed sanctuary where God can come in, and where His holy angels can minister unto you. If impatience and unkindness are manifested one to another, angels cannot be attracted to your home; but where love and peace abide, these heavenly ones love to come and bring still more of the holy influence of the home above.
Scarcely any of us realize that angels are about us; and these precious angels, who minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation, are saving from us many, many temptations and difficulties. The whole family of heaven is interested in the families here below; and how thankful we should be for this interest manifested for us day and night. Words spoken in our homes which are impatient and unkind, angels hear; and do you want to find in the books of heaven a record of the impatient and passionate words you have uttered in your family? Impatience brings the enemy of God and man into your family, and drives out the angels of God. If you are abiding in Christ, and Christ in you, you cannot speak angry words. Fathers and mothers, I beseech you, for Christ’s sake, to be kind, tender, and patient in your homes. Then light and sunshine will enter your homes, and you will feel that bright beams from the Sun of Righteousness are indeed shining into your hearts.
You should never separate Christ from your life and family, and close the doors against him by un-Christlike words and actions. There are those who profess the truth who neglect family prayer. But how can you venture to go to your labor without committing the care of your souls to your Heavenly Father? You should show that you trust in him. You should consecrate your families to God before you leave your homes. Every prayer that you offer up to God in faith, will surely be respected and answered by your Heavenly Father. When Abraham was told to go out into a place which he knew not, wherever he pitched his tent he built an altar, and offered up his prayer morning and evening; and the Lord said of Abraham, “I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.” This is the very work that should be done in every family, but it is strangely neglected. We want to live as in the sight of God in this world. It is of the greatest importance that we constantly make preparation here for the future, immortal life. We may have that life that measures with the life of God; if we are faithful, we shall have an immortal inheritance, an eternal substance; we shall see the King in His beauty; we shall behold the matchless charms of our blessed Saviour.
We should feel the importance of educating and training our children, that they shall seek and appreciate eternal life. Their will must be brought into subjection to the will of God, and they must seek constantly to repress everything that is evil in their natures. If fathers and mothers want their children to be Christlike in disposition, they must set them the example. Your every act should be one to fit yourself and your children for heaven, and you will have special help in the matter. The Saviour desires your joy to be full, therefore He tells you to abide in Him and He will abide in you. Open the door of your heart, and let in Jesus and the bright rays of His righteousness. He loves us with a love that is inexpressible, and if at any time you begin to fear that you will be lost, that Jesus does not love you, look to Calvary. Do you want a clearer expression of his love than that which the Father has bestowed upon us, in that He has given us in His Son? The light shining from the cross of Calvary should make us the happiest people on the earth. Now I ask you, dear brethren and sisters, why should we not love Him? He exclaims, “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” If we had to work out our salvation in our own strength, we might be discouraged, and give up the warfare; but now He says, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” When He has given us such an assurance of His care, should we not respond to it by giving him our confidence? If you have been in the habit of murmuring, complaining, and finding fault, you must cease, for you are showing the Satanic side of your character. If you neglect your own soul, and begin to find fault and pick flaws in others, you are doing Satan’s work. But if you are talking of the love of Jesus, and are trying to bless those around you with your influence, you are a blessing and not a curse, you are bringing yourself into close relationship to Jesus. Every day we are to be gaining the victory. Only one day at a time is given us in which to work. We must exercise living faith in God today; we must believe that God accepts us this day if we come to him in sincerity.
You must not be controlled by feeling. You must look away from the things that are seen, to the things that are unseen, trusting and rejoicing in the promises of God. I have thought with what joy the angels would look down from heaven upon us, if we were all praising God, and abiding in Christ. If, indeed, there is joy to the full for the Christian, why should we not possess it, and manifest it to the world? The whole treasure of heaven is opened before you in Christ: why should not every one bring Christ into his life, and represent him to the world?
Our Saviour is coming again, and he wants to find you all ready for his appearing. If you are ready, your eyes will be beholding Jesus and heaven your home. When trials come to depress and discourage you, you must talk faith, not doubt and despondency; you must place your eyes upon heaven and heavenly things. Says Paul, “Our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” Then let us keep talking of Jesus and His love; let us dwell upon the precious truths which He has intrusted to our keeping; let us show to the world around us that these truths are accomplishing something for us. How can the world tell of the value of the truth which you have received unless they witness the transforming effect on your character? When you have Christ abiding in your hearts by faith, you will bring His righteousness into your life and experience. Satan will say to you, “You cannot be saved; you are a sinner.” Well, tell him that you know you are a sinner, but that Christ came to save sinners. He says, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Tell the enemy, “I have laid hold of the righteousness of Christ, and He is my Saviour I have no righteousness of my own, but Christ is my righteousness.” Then you will be justified by faith.
In just a little time, Christ will come in power and great glory, and what a terrible thing it would be if we should not be ready! Let us get ready at once. Separate evil from you, begin to sing the song of praise and rejoicing here below. Do you want to learn the song of praise here, do not let a single word of bitterness or envy or fault-finding escape your lips; but let your lips be tuned to praise God. There is enough to discourage us everywhere, but we must look to the Author and Finisher of our faith, and by beholding His loveliness and purity become changed into the same image. You can feast your soul on His love; you can know that you are obtaining the victory every day; you can rejoice in the Lord.
I am so sorry for my Master, because He hears so little praise, so little thankfulness, for the love that He has bestowed upon us. Angels in heaven are praising God all the time, and here are mortals for whom Christ left the heavenly home, and suffered mockery, insult, and death, that He might lift us up to sit in heavenly places, and they offer no song of praise.
If you sit in heavenly places with Christ, you cannot refrain from praising God. Begin to educate your tongues to praise Him, and train your hearts to make melody to God; and when the evil one begins to settle his gloom about you, sing praise to God. When things go crossways at your homes, strike up a song about the matchless charms of the Son of God, and I tell you, when you touch this strain, Satan will leave you. You can drive out the enemy with his gloom; his dark shadow will be swept from your pathway by praising God, and you can see, O, so much clearer, the love and compassion of your Heavenly Father. It is Satan’s studied effort to eclipse the light of the Sun of Righteousness so that you cannot see it. Your mind should be uplifted to God; you should have praise meetings in your family and in the church. Do not tell a dismal story at any time or in any place. Let the whole world look upon you, and say, “These are people who love God; for we can see his image reflected in them.”
Now, brethren and sisters, may the grace of God and His blessing come into your hearts. God does not want you to gather to your souls every little trial and difficulty, and talk of them until you become discouraged, and changed into a cloud of gloom and discouragement. Uplift your soul into the pure, heavenly atmosphere; get out of the moral miasma of this low earthliness; let the soul open to the love of God.
Be of good courage, brethren and sisters; Jesus lives! He is your Saviour; He wants to save every one of you; He wants to place a crown of glory upon every brow. Let us act before the world as God’s peculiar people, showing forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
O what a time of rejoicing there will be in heaven when we get out of the perplexities of this life! With gladness we shall cast our crowns at the Saviour’s feet. We shall touch the golden harps, and fill all heaven with the richest harmony. Let us touch the harps here, and let our lips glorify God.
—————————————-
Excerpt by Ellen G. White, author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Review and Herald, August 5, 1890. Reprinted with permission.