“If we reveal the meekness and self-abnegation that was seen in Christ’s life, the seed we sow will grow. As our experience enlarges, our opportunities will multiply, our knowledge will increase, and through Christ we shall become strong in bearing responsibilities. 0 precious privilege to co-operate with heavenly and divine agencies!”-Review and Herald, July 15, 1909, par. 8.
“There are many who have given themselves to Christ, yet who see no opportunity of doing a large work or making great sacrifices in His service. These may find comfort in the thought that it is not necessarily the martyr’s self-surrender which is most acceptable to God; it may not be the missionary who has daily faced danger and death that stands highest in Heaven’s records. The Christian who is such in his private life, in the daily surrender of self, in sincerity of purpose and purity of thought, in meekness under provocation, in faith and piety, in fidelity in that which is least, the one who in the home life represents the character of Christ-such a one may in the sight of God be more precious than even the world-renowned missionary or martyr.”-Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 403:2.
“Those who are trying to purify their souls through obedience to the truth, yet who have had no opportunity of making special efforts and sacrifices for Christ and His cause, should find consolation in the thought that it is not necessarily the self-surrender of the martyr that is the most acceptable to God; it may not be the missionary whose life has been one of trial and endurance, that stands highest in Heaven’s record; but that the Christian who is such in his private life, in his daily struggle with self, in the control of his passions, in cleanness of purpose, in purity of thought, in patience, meekness, and long-suffering under the test of provocation, in piety, in devotion, in holy faith and trust in God, in faithfulness in little things, representing in the home life the character of Jesus-that such a one may be more precious in the sight of God than the man who goes as a missionary to heathen lands, or ascends the scaffold to die for his faith.”-Gospel Workers (1892), p. 217:1.
To have true meekness is to be a recipient of Divine wisdom and understanding. Perception of the character of any person who has slighted, assaulted or deceived you can surely help you bear their infamous behavior without taking rage.
Leo Tolstoy puts it this way: “One must put oneself in every one’s position. To understand everything is to forgive everything.
“By the help of God you must bridle your tongue; talk less, and pray more. Never question the motives of your brethren, for as you judge them God has declared that you will be judged. Open your hearts to kindliness, to the dictates of the Spirit of God, to the cheering rays of the Sun of Righteousness. You need an enlightened understanding. Encourage kindly thoughts and holy affections. Cultivate the habit of speaking well of others. Let neither pride nor self-righteousness prevent you from making frank and full confession of your wrong doings if you desire the forgiveness of God. If you do not love those for whom Christ has died, you have no genuine love for Christ. Your worship will be a tainted offering before God. If you retain unworthy thoughts, misjudging your brethren and surmising evil of them, God will not hear your self-sufficient, self-exalted prayers. When you go to those you think are doing wrong, you must have the spirit of meekness, of kindness, full of mercy and good fruits.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 15, p.183:2.
“I know by the burden which is rolled upon me, that many who are officiating in our schools need themselves to learn in the school of Christ His meekness, His tender dealing with the erring, His compassion and love. Until they are melted over and the dross separated from the character they will work at cross purposes. I am deeply grieved in my heart for serious results which have followed unwise dealings, more serious than many are willing to admit to their own conscience or to God. Self is so large in many, ever striving for the mastery. There are those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ who have never died to self. They have never fallen on the rock and been broken. Until this shall be, they will live unto self, and if they die as they are, it is forever too late for their wrongs to be righted. I love their souls. Jesus loves their souls and He will do a good work for them, if they will humble themselves under His mighty hand, repent and be converted, surrender every day to God. It must be a constant, daily surrender. We must be minute men and women, ever on guard over self, and watching to improve every opportunity to do good and only good for the souls for whom Christ has given His life to make them His own. When the human agents deal with these souls in a hard spirit they grieve the heart of Christ, and put Him to open shame, for they misrepresent in their own character the character of Christ. Said one, ‘Thy gentleness hath made me great.’ I pray to our heavenly Father that all connected with our schools may be in Christ as the branch is united to the living vine.”-Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 284:1.
“Let humility of soul be cherished, and entire surrender to God be made. Let our churches put away selfishness and pride, and cease to lift up the soul unto vanity…. And not only are our lips to proclaim this message, but by lives of simplicity and meekness and right -doing we are to reveal that we believe the truths of the Word of God.”-Review and Herald, August 5, 1909, par. 11.
“Unless the truth sanctifies the soul, unless it leads to humility and meekness, self-denial and self-surrender, the enemy will gain influence on his side. Let the effort made be in harmony with sacred truth of heavenly origin. The Holy Spirit will be imparted, and the church will be consistent, and will fulfill the injunction, ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.’ They will live not unto themselves, but unto Christ who died for them, and rose again, and liveth to make intercession for the saints.”-Testimonies to Southern Africa, p. 65:2.
“The submission which Christ demands, the self-surrender of the will which admits truth in its sanctifying power, which trembles at the word of the Lord, are brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit. There must be a transformation of the entire being, heart, soul, and character. … Only at the altar of sacrifice, and from the hand of God, can the selfish, grasping man receive the celestial torch which reveals his own incompetence and leads him to submit to Christ’s yoke, to learn his meekness and lowliness.”- In Heavenly Places, p. 236:6.
“The abiding rest-who has it? That rest is found when all self-justification, all reasoning from a selfish standpoint, is put away. Entire self-surrender, an acceptance of His ways, is the secret of perfect rest in His love. We must learn His meekness and lowliness before we experience the fulfillment of the promise ‘Ye shall find rest unto your souls’ (Matt. 11 :29). It is by learning the habits of Christ that self becomes transformed-by taking His yoke, and then submitting to learn.”-Ye Shall Receive Power, p . 297:3.
“While you have been walking in meekness and lowliness, a work has been going on for you, a work which only God could do, for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. And that good pleasure is to have you abide in Christ; rest in His love. You must not let anything rob your soul of peace, of restfulness, of the assurance that you are accepted just now. Appropriate every promise; all are yours on condition of your complying with the Lord’s terms. Entire surrender of your ways, which seem so very wise, and taking Christ’s ways, is the secret of perfect rest in His love. Giving up the life to Him means much more than we suppose. We must learn His meekness and lowliness before we can realize the fulfillment of the promise, ‘Ye shall find rest unto your souls.’ It is by learning the habits of Christ that self becomes transformed-by taking Christ’s yoke and then submitting to learn. There is no one who has not much to learn. All must come under the training of Jesus. When they fall upon Christ, their own hereditary and cultivated tendencies are taken away as hindrances to their being partakers of the divine nature. When self-dies, Christ lives in the human agent; the man abides in Christ, and Christ lives in him.”- The Gospel Herald, April 23, 1902, par. 7.
“Lowliness of heart, that meekness which is the fruit of abiding in Christ, is the true secret of blessing. ‘He will beautify the meek with salvation.’…It was through the desire for self-exaltation that sin entered into the world, and our first parents lost the dominion over this fair earth, their kingdom. It is through self-abnegation that Christ redeems that which was lost. And He says we are to overcome as He did. Through humility and self-surrender we may become heirs with Him, when the ‘meek shall inherit the earth.’ “- Sons and Daughters of God, p. 303:5.
