Jesus
Our Counselor
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
Psalms 73:24
And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.
Judges 18:5
I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
Psalms 16:7
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Psalms 25:9
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Jesus says, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." "The water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life." Never let amusements, or the companionship of others, come between you and Jesus, your best friend. Set the Lord always before you. When natural inclination draws you in the direction of fulfilling some selfish desire, set the Lord before you as your counselor, and ask, Will this please Jesus? Will this increase my love for my best Friend? Will this course grieve my dear Saviour? Will it separate me from his company? Will Jesus accompany me to the pleasure party, where all will be lightness and gaiety, where there will be nothing of a religious nature, nothing serious, no thought of the things of God? If Jesus sends me there as a missionary to warn some soul of his danger, then I am sure Jesus will not separate from me; but if I go simply to please myself, I cannot be sure of my Saviour's presence. If I choose to go where Jesus cannot enter, where he cannot make his abode, where the hearts of those present are saying, "Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us," I choose another counselor than Jesus.
The great aim and purpose of this life is to form characters so that we shall be accounted worthy of eternal life. We shall act as rational beings, and make religion a practical matter. We need to keep our Saviour ever before us, and educate ourselves in such a way that our desires shall continually flow out toward him, that we shall meditate upon his promises, and address him in confiding faith. Before you engage in any important work, remember that Jesus is your counselor, and that it is your privilege to cast all your care upon him; for he invites you to do so, and is at your right hand, that you shall not be moved. Each day be determined that you will keep nigh to God, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. Do not neglect and slight Jesus; for this you would not do to any of your cherished friends. Do not keep Jesus in the background and never mention his name, never call the attention of your friends to him who is at your side to be your counselor. Would not your friends look upon you as disrespectful were they at your side, and you never spoke to them or of them? "A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honor? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts."
YI July 19,1894
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The Lord Jesus acts through the Holy Spirit; for it is His representative. Through it He infuses spiritual life into the soul, quickening its energies for good, cleansing it from moral defilement, and giving it a fitness for His kingdom. Jesus has large blessings to bestow, rich gifts to distribute among men. He is the wonderful Counselor, infinite in wisdom and strength; and if we will acknowledge the power of His Spirit, and submit to be molded by it, we shall stand complete in Him. What a thought is this! In Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him" (Col. 2:9, 10). Never will the human heart know happiness until it is submitted to be molded by the Spirit of God. The Spirit conforms the renewed soul to the model, Jesus Christ. Through the influence of the Spirit, enmity against God is changed into faith and love, and pride into humility. The soul perceives the beauty of truth, and Christ is honored in excellence and perfection of character. As these changes are effected, angels break out in rapturous song, and God and Christ rejoice over souls fashioned after the divine similitude.
AG 196
