Here are a few of the ideas from this chapter that I really liked:

Quote:

1. “When the Spirit of God touches the soul, it abases human pride. Worldly pleasure and position and power are seen to be worthless. Then humility and self-sacrificing love, so little valued among men, are exalted as alone of worth. This is the work of the gospel.”



Our anti-Christian, self-centered pride is a formidable, omni-present enemy, a barrier to experiencing oneness with our heavenly associates and our fellow humans. We may think we’re better off than others, but the truth is we’re far worse off than we think. We may think we’re smarter or more skilled or talented than others, but if we do, we’re worthless to Christianity.

So, we have to get rid of pride and the desire for power and position.

Quote:

2. “Jesus came in poverty and humility that he might be our example as well as our Redeemer. If he had appeared with kingly pomp, how could he have taught humility? Where would have been the hope of the lowly in life if Jesus had come to dwell as a king among men?”



Maybe we should try living under a bridge or in a large cardboard box for a while. Stop buying stuff meant for our own pleasure and entertainment, at least.

Quote:

3. “An unbelieving spirit will turn a person from being a learner into a critic and a judge. Precious opportunities are lost as a result.”



If we criticize and/or pass judgment on others for their bad behavior or failures, we are actually unbelievers, not learners. We’ll drive people away from God as a result.

Quote:

4. “It’s sorrow for sin, faith, and love that enable the soul to receive wisdom from heaven.”



We must look back at the mistakes we have made and ask God to remove them from our life record. Then we can love others who are still struggling with their own mistakes.

Quote:

5. “While trusting to the guidance of human authority, none will come to a saving knowledge of truth. We need to study God’s word for ourselves. Angels from the World of Light are near to those who in humility seek for divine guidance.”



We can’t rely on anyone but ourselves to study out the truths in God’s word. Angels will be at our side if we ask God to guide us as we study.

Quote:

6. “It’s important for us to make a personal effort in direct appeals to our kindred, friends, and neighbors. Some professed Christians have never make a personal effort to bring even one soul to Christ.”



Those who haven’t tried to direct their associates to thinking about spiritual matters may not have much to share, anyway.

Quote:

7. “One of the most effective ways of winning souls to him is in exemplifying his character in our daily life. Our influence on others depends not so much on what we say as on what we are.”




We can say anything we want to our friends about spiritual matters, but if they can see glaring faults, such as selfishness, rudeness, impurity, lack of self-discipline, etc., we’re wasting our time, and theirs.

Quote:

8. “He who seeks to give light to others will himself be blessed. In order for us to develop a character like Christ’s, we must share in his work.”



By sharing spiritual ideas and helping others, we will receive a blessing in return. Doing good for others is good medicine, for them, and for ourselves. This is part of the process of developing a character like Christ’s.

So, there are several things we can do to grow closer to God and others and develop our characters.

We can:

Not feel badly if we’re not in charge, not the boss, or not running the show, or, if we can’t afford expensive vacations or hobbies or entertainment. What’s really important is to humble ourselves and not seek our own pleasure, but seek to bless others, instead. That will, in itself, be a source of a different kind of pleasure. You’ll remember that a lot longer than anything you can do to please just yourself.

Make sacrifices of time or money for the benefit of others, expecting nothing in return. Quit spending money for our own pleasure and entertainment and convenience and instead help out someone with food, medical, housing, or transportation problems. Are we living in a big house? Got a boat or other pleasure vehicles or other unnecessary possessions. Get rid of them and downsize.

Quit criticizing and projecting evil motives in others. If we do, we’re just as bad, or worse, than the objects of our criticism are.

If we are truly sorry for our past sins, then we can move on to experience faith and love. Only then can we receive wisdom from heavenly powers.

If we rely only on our spiritual leaders or teachers, we cannot experience the knowledge of truth. We have to study God’s word for ourselves, but only after asking for guidance from above.

If we don’t make any personal effort towards those we come into contact with in our daily lives, we probably have nothing to give them, anyway. Find something to share or help them with, then they might be more interested in what you have to say.

If we have glaring faults or character flaws or hypocrisy, any words we say about spiritual things will fall to the ground, useless, dead. We can’t be nasty or selfish and expect to have anything to share that will impress others to want what we have.

To develop a character like Christ’s, we must do the work he did, which is all of the above. We can look at the mountain looming ahead and think we'll never make it to the top, or, we can look a little lower. Look down at your feet and take one little step. That's good. Maybe you said or did something nice for someone today. That's your first step.

Tomorrow, we'll take another step forward, or maybe two, if you're up to it. You can ask forgiveness for something you did wrong, perhaps many years ago, and, you can say or do something nice for someone, maybe even a stranger. That's three steps closer to the mountaintop.

Maybe in a week or two, we can take ten or twenty steps in one day. How many is not that important. We just have to keep moving ahead by getting the old garbage off our backs and doing and saying good things to others.

Even by taking just a few steps forward every day, we will reach the summit sooner than we expect.

GT