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Let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing
in himself alone, and not in another.
Galatians 6:4
.
No one can serve God by proxy. There are so many who seem to think
that there is someone in this world stronger than Christ, upon whom they
can lean. And instead of coming right to Christ, just as they are, giving
themselves unreservedly to Him, they reach out for human help. God
wants us to have an individual experience.... I cannot work out a character
for you, and you cannot work out a character for me.
The gospel deals with individuals. Every human being has a soul to
save or to lose. Each has an individuality separate and distinct from all
others. Each must be convicted for himself, converted for himself. He
must receive the truth, repent, believe, and obey for himself. He must
exercise his will for himself.... Each must surrender to God by his own
act.
The Lord does not desire that our individuality shall be destroyed; it
is not His purpose that any two persons shall be exactly alike in tastes and
dispositions. All have characteristics peculiar to themselves, and these
are not to be destroyed, but to be trained, molded, fashioned, after the
similitude of Christ. The Lord turns the natural aptitudes and capabilities
into profitable channels. In the improvement of the faculties God has
given, talent and ability are developed if the human agent will recognize
the fact that all his powers are an endowment from God, to be used, not
for selfish purposes, ... but for the glory of God and the good of our fellow
men.
To every man God—not man—has given his work. This is an individ-
ual work—the formation of a character after the divine similitude. The lily
is not to strive to be like the rose. There are distinctions in the formation
of the flowers and in the fruits, but all derive their peculiar variance from
God.... So it is God’s design that even the best of men shall not all be
of the same character. A life consecrated to the service of God will be
developed and beautified in its individuality.
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