A few days ago I read in Volume V of the "Testimonies," page 423, that "if men pass along day by day with no living connection with God, they will be led to do strange things; decisions will be made not in accordance with the will of God." That message made an indelible impression on my mind. For the past week it has been ringing over and over again in my ears. A daily, living, abiding experience is necessary. This has caused me to look back over the few years of my Christian life to see whether or not my experience today is the same that it was eight years ago, when this precious truth found me. At that time my chief ambition in life was to make money, to have a good time, and to create a reputation for myself. I found myself well on the road to a realization of all these when the precious Spirit of God spoke to my heart a message of deliverance from sin and of hope in Him. This brought me great joy, and the vision caught at that time seemed to lift me out of the sordid things of this world into a living, abiding experience in Him.
At that time I was making twice as much each month as I am making now in a year, was a member of all the prominent lodges and clubs in the city in which I lived, and my name was before the public continually as the result of my activities in civic affairs. Of course it was rather hard to give up all that the world has to offer, to sever the connections with my associations of years' standing, and to step out into something that was entirely new to me; but the Lord gave me courage to take this step. From the viewpoint of the world it was a foolish move, but measured by the standard of the word of God, it was just a good business transaction,—exchanging the sordid, perishable things of this world for life eternal, a transaction equal to trading dirt for gold.
As I sit at my desk meditating on the past, and looking with a retrospective eye over the eight years of service in this cause, I can say with all my mil that there isn't enough money in the world, there isn't enough pleasure in the world, nor enough popularity nor power in the world, to buy from me the joy which I now experience. Often I find myself facing perplexing situations, long hours of toil, and even at times meeting criticism from the brethren, yet the joy of knowing that the "daily, living experience" is still there, that the love for the truth is still there, and that the robe of Christ's own righteousness is still available to cover my sins and mistakes, fills my heart with courage. The word of the Lord is sweeter to me than ever, the Spirit of prophecy, with all its teachings and admonitions, is growing dearer day by day, and my soul is filled with an anticipation of the soon-coming of the Saviour. I am convinced that there never was a time in the history of this denomination when the warnings of the Spirit of prophecy should be heeded as now; for "now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."
An Institutional Worker.
