“A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow His blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it.”

Last Day Events p.189
by Ellen G. White

“The first four of the Ten Commandments are summed up in the one great precept, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.” The last six are included in the other, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Both these commandments are an expression of the principle of love. The first cannot be kept and the second broken, nor can the second be kept while the first is broken. When God has His rightful place on the throne of the heart, the right place will be given to our neighbor. We shall love him as ourselves. And only as we love God supremely is it possible to love our neighbor impartially.”

Desire of Ages p.607
by Ellen G. White

“The sanctification of the soul by the working of the Holy Spirit is the implanting of Christ’s nature in humanity… Love is the basis of godliness. Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to God unless he has unselfish love for his brother. But we can never come into possession of this spirit by trying to love others. What is needed is the love of Christ in the heart. When self is merged in Christ, love springs forth spontaneously. The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within—when the sunshine of heaven fills the heart and is revealed in the countenance.”

Christ’s Object Lessons 384A
by Ellen G. White

“A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow His blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it.”

Last Day Events p.189
by Ellen G. White

“In the ancient world there was no banking system as we know it today, and no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated until liquid, poured into moulds and allowed to cool. When the coins were cooled, it was necessary to smooth off the uneven edges. The coins were comparatively soft, and of course many people shaved them closely. In one century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens to stop the practice of whittling down the coins then in circulation. But some money-changers were men of integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money; they were men of honour who put only genuine, full-weight money into circulation. Such men were called dokimos, and this word is used here for the Christian as he is to be seen by the world.”

Donald Grey Banhouse: Romans:
God’s Glory, p.18

“The significant contrast of the sheep, when represented by either Jesus or by humanity, comes into focus — The Lamb of God was sent to this earth to redeem the lost sheep from their fallen position. By our sinful nature, we are bound to run from righteousness and seek our pleasures in the stead of God’s will. Like the sheep, humanity has poor vision and cannot see or feel the presence of things around them. Humanity, like the sheep, wander without their shepherd. Eventually, with the lack of guidance, the sheep will be lost and in danger of being destroyed. The sheep has no capacity of surviving against predators, no teeth to bite, no claws to scratch, no ability to outrun, and no armor to protect. Without the shepherd’s protection, the wandering sheep will perish. We have all gone astray like sheep. Not one of us can claim perfection or innocence. We all have an equal invitation for Jesus to be our Shepherd. Not one is above another. The works of a sheep will not save it. It is only the works of the Shepherd that preserve His flock.”

Pastor Michael Musante

“Men chosen as elders of the church or as deacons will be tempted on some points; but whatever the temptation may be, they may conquer it. Will they fight the enemy? Will they drive him from them, and stand as victor, or will they do the work Satan wishes them to do, by putting into another’s mind the thoughts of evil they have been tempted to cherish? They do good service for Satan by communicating those evil thoughts to another mind, setting him to watch with keen scrutiny, to think and speak evil of his brethren, and to pass along the dish prepared by Satan to poison others… Those chosen as elders [and deacons] of the churches are to be men of experience, who have a knowledge of the truth and are sound in the faith.”

Manuscript Releases, Vol. 5 p. 448, 449
by Ellen G. White

“If we are faithful in doing our part, in cooperating with Him, God will work through us [to do] the good pleasure of His will. But God cannot work through us if we make no effort. If we gain eternal life, we must work, and work earnestly…. Let us not be deceived by the oft-repeated assertion, “All you have to do is to believe.” Faith and works are two oars which we must use equally if we [would] press our way up the stream against the current of unbelief. “Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” The Christian is a man of thought and practice. His faith fixes its roots firmly in Christ. By faith and good works he keeps his spirituality strong and healthy, and his spiritual strength increases as he strives to work the works of God.”

The Review and Herald, June 11, 1901
by Ellen G. White