To Medical Missionaries
That which is most needed by medical missionary
workers is the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord. Those who
labor as Christ, the great Medical Missionary, labored must be
spiritually minded. But not all who are doing medical missionary
work are exalting God and His truth. Not all are submitting to
the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Some are bringing to the foundation
wood, hay, and stubble--material that will not bear the test
of fire.
I pray that I may have wisdom and power
from God to present to you that which constitutes gospel medical
missionary work. This is a great and important branch of our
denominational work. But many have lost sight of the pure, ennobling
principles underlying acceptable medical missionary work.
In my diary I find the following, written
one year ago: October 29, 1902. This morning I awoke early. After
praying most earnestly for wisdom and clearness of mind, that
I might properly express the matters urged upon my attention,
I wrote out about ten pages of instruction. I know that the Lord
helped me to trace on paper the important matter that should
come before His people.
When writing thus, I feel intensely, but
after the instruction has been recorded, relief comes to my mind;
for I know then that the subject matter presented to me will
not be lost, even though the subject may pass from my mind. Those
only who realize that the cross is the center of hope for the
human family can understand the gospel that Christ taught. He
came to this world for no other purpose than to place man on
vantage ground before the world and the heavenly universe. He
came to bear testimony that fallen human beings, through faith in His power and efficacy as
the Son of God, may become partakers of the divine nature. He
alone could make atonement for sinners and open the gates of
paradise to the fallen race. He took on Himself, not the nature
of angels, but the nature of man, and in this world lived a life
untainted by sin. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten
of the Father,) full of grace and truth." "As many
as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:14,
12.
By His life and death Christ taught that
only in obedience to God's commandments can man find safety and
true greatness "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting
the soul." Psalm 19:7. God's law is a transcript of His
character. It was given to man in the beginning as the standard
of obedience. In succeeding ages this law was lost sight of.
Hundreds of years after the Flood Abraham was called, and to
him was given the promise that his descendants should exalt God's
law. In course of time the Israelites went into Egypt, where
for many years they suffered grievous oppression at the hands
of the Egyptians. After they had been in slavery for nearly four
hundred years, God delivered them by a wonderful manifestation
of His power. He revealed Himself to the Egyptians as the Ruler
of the universe, One greater than all heathen deities.
At Sinai the law was given a second time.
In awful grandeur the Lord spoke His precepts and with His own
finger engraved the Decalogue upon tables of stone.
Passing down through the centuries, we
find that there came a time when God's law must once more be
unmistakably revealed as the standard of obedience. Christ came
to vindicate the sacred claims of the law. He came to live a
life of obedience to its requirements and thus prove the falsity
of the charge made by Satan that it is impossible
for man to keep the law of God. As a man He met temptation and
overcame in the strength given Him from God. As He went about
doing good, healing all who were afflicted by Satan, He made
plain to men the character of God's law and the nature of His
service. His life testifies that it is possible for us also to
obey the law of God.
Never did Christ deviate from loyalty to
the principles of God's law. Never did He do anything contrary
to the will of His Father. Before angels, men, and demons He
could speak words that from any other lips would have been blasphemy:
"I do always those things that please Him." John 8:29.
Day by day for three years His enemies followed Him, trying to
find some stain in His character. Satan, with all his confederacy
of evil, sought to overcome Him; but they found nothing in Him
by which to gain advantage. Even the devils were forced to confess:
"Thou art the Holy One of God."