2. ď‚–
ď‚™ Ps. 50:10 For every beast of the forest [is] mine,
[and] the cattle upon a thousand hills. 50:11 I know
all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of
the field [are] mine. 50:12 If I were hungry, I
would not tell thee: for the world [is] mine, and the
fulness thereof.
God Owns Everything
3. ď‚–
ď‚™ Matt. 8:19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto
him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou
goest. 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] nests;
but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.
Christ’s Attitude to
Earthly Things
4. ď‚–
ď‚™ Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other
seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face
into every city and place, whither he himself would
come. 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The
harvest truly [is] great, but the labourers [are] few: pray
ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send
forth labourers into his harvest. 10:3 Go your ways:
behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 10:4
Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute
no man by the way. 10:5 And into whatsoever
house ye enter, first say, Peace [be] to this house.
Christ Calls His Laborers
5. ď‚–ď‚™ Luke 10:6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace
shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 10:7
And in the same house remain, eating and drinking
such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his
hire. Go not from house to house. 10:8 And into
whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such
things as are set before you: 10:9 And heal the sick
that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of
God is come nigh unto you.
Christ Calls His Laborers
6. ď‚–
ď‚™ Matt. 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body
shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is
in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness! 6:24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will
hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and mammon.
Single Minded Men
7. ď‚–
 “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with
the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath
chosen him to be a soldier.” 2Tim 2:3,4
Single Minded Men
8. ď‚–
 {Ev 648.1} “Every good soldier is implicit and prompt
in the obedience he renders to his captain. The will of
the commander is to be the will of the soldier.
Sometimes the soldier may be surprised at the command
given, but he is not to stop to inquire the reason for it.
When the order of the captain crosses the wishes of the
soldier, he is not to hesitate and complain, saying, I see
no consistency in these plans. He must not frame
excuses and leave his work undone.
Attitude of the Good Soldier
9. ď‚–
 “Such soldiers would not be accepted as fitted to
engage in earthly conflicts, and much more will they
not be accepted in Christ's army. When Christ
commands, His soldiers must obey without
hesitation. They must be faithful soldiers, or He
cannot accept them. Freedom of choice is given to
every soul, but after a man has enlisted, he is
required to be as true as steel, come life or come
death.--Manuscript 7 1/2, 1900. {Ev 648.1}
Attitude of the Good Soldier
10. ď‚–
 “As Elijah, divinely directed in seeking a successor,
passed the field in which Elisha was plowing, he cast
upon the young man's shoulders the mantle of
consecration. . . . To him it was the signal that God had
called him to be the successor of Elijah. ... Elisha must
count the cost--decide for himself to accept or reject the
call. If his desires clung to his home and its advantages,
he was at liberty to remain there.
The Call of Elisha
11. ď‚–
 “But Elisha understood the meaning of the call. . . .
Not for any worldly advantage would he forgo the
opportunity of becoming God's messenger, or
sacrifice the privilege of association with His servant.
. . . Without hesitation he left a home where he was
beloved, to attend the prophet in his uncertain life.
{CC 221.2}
The Call of Elisha
12. ď‚–ď‚™ As Elijah, divinely directed in seeking a successor, passed the field in which Elisha
was plowing, he cast upon the young man's shoulders the mantle of consecration.
During the famine the family of Shaphat had become familiar with the work and
mission of Elijah, and now the Spirit of God impressed Elisha's heart as to the meaning
of the prophet's act. To him it was the signal that God had called him to be the
successor of Elijah. {PK 219.3}
ď‚™ "And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father
and my mother, and then I will follow thee." "Go back again," was Elijah's answer, "for
what have I done to thee?" This was not a repulse, but a test of faith. Elisha must count
the cost--decide for himself to accept or reject the call. If his desires clung to his home
and its advantages, he was at liberty to remain there. But Elisha understood the
meaning of the call. He knew it was from God, and he did not hesitate to obey. Not for
any worldly advantage would he forgo the opportunity of becoming God's messenger
or sacrifice the privilege of association with His servant. He "took a yoke of oxen, and
slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the
people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto
him." 1 Kings 19:20, 21. Without hesitation he left a home where he was beloved, to
attend the prophet in his uncertain life. {PK 220.1}
The Call of Elisha
13. ď‚–ď‚™ Had Elisha asked Elijah what was expected of him,--what would be his work,--he would have been
answered: God knows; He will make it known to you. If you wait upon the Lord, He will answer your
every question. You may come with me if you have evidence that God has called you. Know for yourself
that God stands back of me, and that it is His voice you hear. If you can count everything but dross that
you may win the favor of God, come. {PK 220.2}
ď‚™ Similar to the call that came to Elisha was the answer given by Christ to the young ruler who asked Him
the question, "What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" "If thou wilt be perfect," Christ
replied, "go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and
come and follow Me." Matthew 19:16, 21. {PK 221.1}
ď‚™ Elisha accepted the call to service, casting no backward glance at the pleasures and comforts he was
leaving. The young ruler, when he heard the Saviour's words, "went away sorrowful: for he had great
possessions." Verse 22. He was not willing to make the sacrifice. His love for his possessions was greater
than his love for God. By his refusal to renounce all for Christ, he proved himself unworthy of a place in
the Master's service. {PK 221.2}
ď‚™ The call to place all on the altar of service comes to each one. We are not all asked to serve as Elisha
served, nor are we all bidden to sell everything we have; but God asks us to give His service the first
place in our lives, to allow no day to pass without doing something to advance His work in the earth.
He does not expect from all the same kind of service. One may be called to ministry in a foreign land;
another may be asked to give of his means for the support of gospel work. God accepts the offering of
each. It is the consecration of the life and all its interests, that is necessary. Those who make this
consecration will hear and obey the call of Heaven. {PK 221.3}
The Call of Elisha
14.  “Matthew “left all, rose up, and followed Him.” There
was no hesitation, no questioning, no thought of the
lucrative business to be exchanged for poverty and
hardship. It was enough for him that he was to be with
Jesus, that he might listen to His words, and unite with
Him in His work.
The Call of The Disciples
15. ď‚–
“So it was with the disciples previously called.
When Jesus bade Peter and his companions
follow Him, immediately they left their boats
and nets. Some of these disciples had friends
dependent on them for support; but when they
received the Saviour’s invitation, they did not
hesitate, and inquire, How shall I live, and
sustain my family? They were obedient to the
call; and when afterward Jesus asked them,
“When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and
shoes, lacked ye anything?” they could answer,
“Nothing.” Luke 22:35. . . . {CSA 16.3}
The Call of The Disciples
16. ď‚–
 “When Christ called His disciples to follow Him, He
offered them no flattering prospects in this life. He
gave them no promise of gain or worldly honor, nor
did they make any stipulation as to what they should
receive. To Matthew as he sat at the receipt of
custom, the Saviour said, "Follow Me. And he left all,
rose up, and followed Him." Luke 5:27, 28.
No Thought of Wages
17. ď‚–
“Matthew did not, before rendering service,
wait to demand a certain salary equal to the
amount received in his former occupation.
Without question or hesitation he followed
Jesus. It was enough for him that he was to
be with the Saviour, that he might hear His
words and unite with Him in His work.”
{MH 479.3}
No Thought of Wages
18. ď‚–
 “Today the Saviour calls us, as He called Matthew and
John and Peter, to His work. If our hearts are touched
by His love, the question of compensation will not be
uppermost in our minds. We shall rejoice to be co-
workers with Christ, and we shall not fear to trust His
care. If we make God our strength we shall have clear
perceptions of duty, unselfish aspirations; our life will
be actuated by a noble purpose which will raise us
above sordid motives.” {MH 480.2}
God Calls Men the same Way
19. ď‚–
 “The prompt, unquestioning obedience of these men,
with no promise of wages, seems remarkable; but the
words of Christ were an invitation that carried with it an
impelling power. Christ would make these humble
fishermen, in connection with Himself, the means of
taking men out of the service of Satan, and placing them
in the service of God.” {GW 24.2}
Remarkable Obedience
20. ď‚–
ď‚™ Saul was on his way to persecute the Christians
in Damascas. While on his way, he was arrested
by the Lord and given instructions. However,
before he was able to progress in his new found
ministry for the Lord, he was brought in direct
connection with the church.
ď‚™However, the representative of the church was
not any of the original great apostles who
walked with Christ but an obscure name that we
heard nothing of before or afterward. And this
was done in the confines of a private dwelling!
The Call of Apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-17)
21. ď‚–
 “Jesus was the sinner’s friend; His heart was ever open,
ever touched with human woe. He has all power both in
heaven and upon earth, but He respects the means He
has ordained for the enlightenment and salvation of
men. He directs Saul to the church, thus acknowledging
the power He has placed upon the church as a channel
of light to the world. It is Christ’s organized body upon
the earth, and respect was required to be paid to His
ordinances. Ananias represents Christ in the case of
Saul. He also represents Christ’s ministers upon the
earth who are appointed to act in Christ’s stead. {15MR
131.1}
Saul Connected to the Church
22. ď‚–
 “Saul was a learned teacher in Israel, but while [he was]
under the influence of blind error and prejudice Christ
reveals Himself to him and then places him in
communication with His church, the light of the world.
They were to instruct this educated, popular orator in
the Christian religion. In Christ’s stead, Ananias
touches his eyes that they may receive sight. In Christ’s
stead he lays his hands upon him, and praying in
Christ’s name, Saul receives the Holy Ghost. All is
done in the name and authority of Christ. {15MR 131.2}
Saul Connected to the Church
23. ď‚–
ď‚™ After his baptism and laying on of hands by
Ananias, Paul began to preach in Damascas, but
because of persecution fled into the desert of Arabia
and there remained for three years.
ď‚™ He afterward returned to Damascas and began to
preach again but since there was a plot to take his life
he escaped through the window in the wall and
journeyed to Jerusalem.
The Call of Apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-17)
24. ď‚–
 “Under the showers of the latter rain the inventions
of man, the human machinery, will at times be swept
away, the boundary of man’s authority will be as
broken reeds, and the Holy Spirit will speak through
the living, human agent, with convincing power. No
one then will watch to see if the sentences are well
rounded off, if the grammar is faultless. The living
water will flow in God’s own channels.” {2SM 58.4}
Human Machinery Excluded
25. ď‚–
ď‚™ God calls upon every church member to enter His
service. Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted to
others, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue.
Everyone must learn to work and to stand in his lot and
place as a burden bearer. Every addition to the church
should be one more agency for the carrying on of the
great plan of redemption. The entire church, acting as
one, blending in perfect union, is to be a living, active,
missionary agency. {HP 317.4}
God Calls To Service
26. ď‚–ď‚™ In the life of Christ, everything was made subordinate to His work, the great
work of redemption which He came to accomplish. And the same devotion, the
same self-denial and sacrifice, the same subjection to the claims of the word of
God, is to be manifest in His disciples. {HDL 48.1}
ď‚™ Everyone who accepts Christ as his personal Saviour will long for the privilege
of serving God. Contemplating what heaven has done for him, his heart is
moved with boundless love and adoring gratitude. He is eager to signalize his
gratitude by devoting his abilities to God's service. He longs to show his love
for Christ and for His purchased possession. He covets toil, hardship, sacrifice.
{HDL 48.2}
ď‚™ The true worker for God will do his best, because in so doing he can glorify his
Master. He will do right in order to regard the requirements of God. He will
endeavor to improve all his faculties. He will perform
ď‚™ 49
ď‚™ every duty as unto God. His one desire will be that Christ may receive homage
and perfect service. {HDL 48.3}
ď‚™ There is a picture representing a bullock standing between a plow and an altar,
with the inscription, "Ready for either," ready to toil in the furrow or to be
offered on the altar of sacrifice. This is the position of the true child of God—
willing to go where duty calls, to deny self, to sacrifice for the Redeemer's cause.
{HDL 49.1}
Singleness of Purpose