Obstinacy Not IndependenceBrother G, it will be uphill work for you to cultivate pure, unselfish love and disinterested benevolence. You have not much experience in yielding your opinions and ideas, and in sometimes giving up your own judgment and being guided by the counsel of others. Brother and Sister G, you both need to have less of self and more of the grace of God. You both need to acquire a habit of self-government, that your thoughts may be brought into subjection to the Spirit of Christ. It is the grace of God that you need in order that your thoughts may be disciplined to flow in the right channel, that the words you utter may be right words, and that your passions and appetites may be subject to the control of reason, and the tongue be bridled against levity and unhallowed censure and faultfinding. “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” The greatest triumph given us by the religion of Christ is control over ourselves. Our natural propensities must be controlled, or we can never overcome as Christ overcame. {4T 235.1}

Genstridighed, ikke uafhængighed
Bror G, det vil være en tung opgave for dig at opelske ren, uselvisk kærlighed og uegennyttig godgørenhed. Du kender ikke så meget til at opgive dine meninger og ideer og nogen gange opgive din egen bedømmelses evne og lade dig lede af andres råd. Bror og søster G, I begge behøver mindre af selvet og mere af Guds nåde. I begge mangler selvbeherskelsens vane, så jeres tanker kan underkastes Kristi Ånd. Det er Guds nåde som I behøver, for at jeres tanker kan disciplineres til at flyde i den rette kanal, så jeres ord kan udtrykke de rigtige ting og så jeres lidenskaber og appetit kan komme under fornuftens kontrol og tungen kan tøjles mod letsindighed og syndig og uvenlig kritik. »Hvis en ikke fejler med sine ord, så er han en fuldkommen mand, i stand til også at holde hele sit legeme i tømme.« Den største sejr vi har fået i Kristi religion, er at styre os selv. Vore naturlige tilbøjeligheder må styres, ellers vil vi aldrig kunne sejre, som Kristus sejrede.