Section 12—Problems in Adjustment
Chapter 60—Conflict and Conformity (Part 2)
Common Fire and Sacred—The truth of God has not been magnified in His believing people because they have not brought it into their personal experience. They conform to the world and depend upon it for their influence. They allow the world to convert them and introduce the common fire to take the place of the sacred that they may, in their line of work, meet the world’s standard.
There must not be these efforts made to ape the world’s customs. This is common, not sacred, fire. The living bread must not only be admired, but eaten. That bread which cometh down from heaven will give life to the soul. It is the leaven which absorbs all the elements of the character into a oneness with the character of Christ and molds the objectionable hereditary and cultivated tendencies after the divine similitude.—Manuscript 96, 1898.
Christ and Conformity—How wonderful is the work of grace upon the human heart! It gives mental power, wisdom to use the talent of means, not in self-pleasing but through self-denial, to carry forward missionary work. Christ, the Son of God, was a missionary to our world. He says, “Whoso will follow, let him forsake all.” You cannot love Him while copying the fashions of the world or enjoying worldly society.—Letter 238, 1907.
Conformity Lowers Standards—Conformity to worldly customs converts the church to the world; it never converts the world to Christ. Familiarity with sin will inevitably cause it to appear less repulsive. He who chooses to associate with the servants of Satan will soon cease to fear their master. When in the way of duty we are brought into trial, as was Daniel in the king’s court, we may be sure that God will protect us; but if we place ourselves under temptation, we shall fall sooner or later.—The Great Controversy, 509 (1888).
Conformity Gradually Perverts Right Principles—It is conformity to the world that is causing our people to lose their bearings. The perversion of right principles has not been brought about suddenly. The angel of the Lord presented this matter to me in symbols. It seemed as if a thief were stealthily moving closer and still closer and gradually but surely stealing away the identity of God’s work by leading our brethren to conform to worldly policies.
The mind of man has taken the place that rightfully belongs to God. Whatever position a man may hold, however exalted he may be, he should act as Christ would were He in his place. In every stroke of work that he performs, in his words and in his character, he should be Christlike.—Manuscript 96, 1902.
Unity, but Not at the Cost of Conformity—Some who profess to be loyal to God’s law have departed from the faith and have humiliated His people in the dust, representing them to be one with worldlings. God has seen and marked this. The time has come when, at any cost, we are to take the position that God has assigned to us.
Seventh-day Adventists are now to stand forth separate and distinct, a people denominated by the Lord as His own. Until they do this, He cannot be glorified in them. Truth and error cannot stand in copartnership. Let us now place ourselves where God has said that we should stand.…We are to strive for unity but not on the low level of conformity to worldly policy and union with the popular churches.—Letter 113, 1903.
A Line of Demarcation—A deep and thorough work of reform is needed in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The world is not to be allowed to corrupt the principles of God’s commandment-keeping people. Believers are to exert an influence that bears witness to the power of heavenly principles. Those who unite with the church must give evidence of a change of principle. Unless this is done, unless the line of demarcation between the church and the world is carefully preserved, assimilation to the world will be the result.
Our message to the church and to our institutions is: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). The attributes of Christ’s character are to be cherished, and these are to become a power in the lives of God’s people.—Manuscript 78, 1905.
https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/78.951#966
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for the divine privilege to be transformed into your image. Please bless us with discernment and determination to be guided by You alone. Please bless us to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendecies to sin and to trust You, regardless of circumstances. Please grant to us that strength of abiding faith. Teach us how to submit to and trust Your Holy Spirit to work within us to love and show mercy and compassion toward others, according to Your divine purpose. Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, please bless us to be all You would have us be, and grant to us the mind and love and faith of Jesus that others might be drawn to You through how we live and what we say, especially in the most trying of circumstances. Because we ask all these in the Awesome name of Your Son, Almighty Jesus the Christ, our Savior, we say Thank You and Amen.
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DID YOU KNOW THIS…?
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.— Romans 12:2 KJV —The WORD OF GOD—It’s the only flesh that is safe to eat (meditate on) to live forever!]
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Do you feel sorrowful, disconnected—without a place to feel at home or useful? I pray this might show you the way forward. Watch…
https://www.youtube.com/live/2QB6fcwVuws?si=fsEvZU-rkI-BngfD
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Therefore, if at any time you fail to receive this post as a text, please visit
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where devotionals are first posted daily (almost without fail). From there devotionals are publicly shared to my page on FB, LinkedIn, and Signal (in My Story), and to a response-restricted group on WhatsApp (once again when I am able to find the time to successfully rebuild it).
NOTE: These began as daily texts to encourage my academy roommate and dear friend of nearly 50 years, until she suddenly passed March 2023. Now I continue to compile and send them to anyone who will receive them and to her family in honor of their mom. Lately, I have begun featuring consecutive chapter portions of a select Bible-based book.
If you agree to continue receiving them, then this is my personal gift to you; and in this way, I not only honor God but the memory of a very dear friend whom I desperately miss.
My personal prayer is that God will bless me to find ways to multiply this gift, so that we all may be encouraged to be found faithful in the sight of a Holy God, whenever Christ returns or our eyes are shut in the sleep of death.
It is a prayerful process that leads me to share from my personal study.
So please feel free to forward to your loved ones or to anyone, as God leads you.
I’m calling them Barb’s Devotionals.