Only one lease of life is granted us here; and the inquiry with everyone should be, How can I invest my life so that it may yield the greatest profit? Life is valuable only as we improve it for the benefit of our fellow creatures and the glory of God.
Careful cultivation of the abilities with which the Creator has endowed us will qualify us for elevated usefulness here and a higher life in the world to come. That time is spent on a good account which is directed to the establishment and preservation of sound physical and mental health.
We cannot afford to dwarf or cripple a single function of the mind or body ov overwork or abuse of any part of the living machinery. As surely as we do this, we must suffer the consequences. Our first duty to God and our fellow beings is that of self-development.
In order to purify and refine our characters, we need the grace given us of Christ that will enable us to see and correct our deficiencies and improve that which is excellent. This work, wrought for ourselves in the strength and name of Jesus, will be of more benefit to our fellow creatures than any sermon we might preach to them. The example of a well-balanced, well-ordered life is of inestimable value.
Signs of the Times, April 20, 1882.
Last modified: December 3, 2024
