The human mind is susceptible of the highest cultivation. A life devoted to God should not be
a life of ignorance. Many speak against education because Jesus chose uneducated fishermen to
preach His gospel. They assert that He showed preference for the uneducated. Many learned and
honorable men believed His teaching. Had these fearlessly obeyed the convictions of their
consciences, they would have followed Him. Their abilities would have been accepted, and
employed in the service of Christ, had they offered them. But they had not moral power, in face
of the frowning priests and jealous rulers, to confess Christ, and venture their reputation in
connection with the humble Galilean.
He who knew the hearts of all, understood this. If the educated and noble would not do the
work they were qualified to do, Christ would select men who would be obedient and faithful in
doing His will. He chose humble men and connected them with Himself, that He might educate
them to carry forward the great work on earth when He should leave it.
Christ was the light of the world. He was the fountain of all knowledge. He was able to
qualify the unlearned fishermen to receive the high commission He would give them. The lessons
of truth given these lowly men were of mighty significance. They were to move the world. It
seemed but a simple thing for Jesus to connect these humble persons with Himself; but it was an
event productive of tremendous results. Their words and their works were to revolutionize the
world.
Jesus did not despise education. The highest culture of the mind, if sanctified through the love
and the fear of God, receives His fullest approval. The humble men chosen by Christ were with
Him three years, subject to the refining influence of the Majesty of Heaven. Christ was the greatest educator the world ever knew.
God will accept the youth with their talent, and their wealth of affection, if they will
consecrate themselves to Him. They may reach to the highest point of intellectual greatness; and
if balanced by religious principle they can carry forward the work which Christ came from
Heaven to accomplish, and in thus doing be co-workers with the Master.
The Giver expects returns corresponding to the gifts. The humblest gift is not to be despised
or left inactive. The little rivulet does not say, I will not flow along my narrow channel because I
am not a mighty river. The spires of grass do not refuse to grow because they are not forest trees.
The lamp does not refuse to give its little light because it is not a star. The moon and stars do not
refuse to shine because they have not the brilliant light of the sun. Every person has his own
peculiar sphere and vocation. Those who make the most of their God-given opportunities will
return to the Giver, in their improvement, an interest proportionate to the intrusted capital.
The Lord does not reward the great amount of labor. He does not regard the greatness of the
work so much as the fidelity with which it is done. The good and faithful servants are rewarded.
As we cultivate the powers God has given us here, we shall increase in knowledge and
perception, and be enabled to comprehend and value the immortal life. Those who have abused
their God-given privileges in this life, and have been content with their ignorance, having their minds completely occupied with subjects of
trivial value to themselves or others, will not comprehend personal responsibility, subdue evil
tendencies, and strengthen high resolves for a purer, higher, holier life.
The youth should be learners for the next world. Perseverance in the acquisition of
knowledge, controlled by the fear and love of God, will give them an increased power for good in
this life, and those who have made the most of their privileges to reach the highest attainments
here, will take these valuable acquisitions with them into the future life. They have sought and
obtained that which is imperishable. The capability of appreciate the glories that "eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard," will be proportionate to the attainments reached in the cultivation of the
faculties in this life.
Those who will empty their hearts of vanity and rubbish, through the grace of God may purify
the chambers of the mind, and make it a storehouse of knowledge, purity, and truth. And it will
be continually reaching beyond the narrow boundaries of worldly thought, into the vastness of
the Infinite. The justice and mercy of God will be unfolded to the moral perceptions. The
grievous character of sin, with its results, will be discerned. The character of God, His love
manifested in giving His Son to die for the world, and the beauty of holiness, are exalted themes
for contemplation. These will strengthen the intellect, and bring man into close communion with
the Infinite One.--Review and Herald, June 21, 1877.