The air that we breathe, the water that we drink, the food that we eat, the light that we enjoy, is full of life, wonderful life. The grass and herbs and trees live and grow. Multitudes of creatures great and small live in the sea; beasts and creeping things live on the dry land; and birds and insects live in the air. Besides all these, men, women, and children live and move and have there being in nearly all parts of the earth.

Where does all this power and life come from? Not from the creatures themselves, for they cannot keep themselves alive one moment; not from men, for he cannot cause so much as one little blade of grass or wonderful insect to live. Man can take life, but he cannot give life; he can kill, but he cannot cause to live; he has not more life than he needs for himself.

But there is One with whom is the fountain of all this life, from whom flows the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. In Him we live and move and have our being, for it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We read that in six days He created the heavens and the earth, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day. Can you tell, now, who it is?

The Lord needs not that anyone should give Him life, for He has life in Himself, a never-ceasing fountain of life, so that there is enough for Him and for all the creatures that He has made. As He is the only fountain of life in all the universe, it must be that every person and every thing that has life receives it from Him.

Is He not good to be willing to share His life with us who have never done anything for Him? How it must grieve Him when we use it to dishonour Him and take His name in vain, and to do contrary to His will! Oh, let us not do it anymore. Since it is His own life, let us allow Him to live it in us just as He wants to. He wants His life to work out goodness and eternal life in us, but it cannot as long as we hold onto it ourselves and do our own wicked ways with it. When we give it up to Him and let Him use it just as He wishes, we shall become new creatures, not hateful and full of sin, but lovely and good like Him.

He whose life had power in the beginning to create man and all things perfect and good, can by that life now create us anew, if we allow Him to. His life has power to drive out all sin and to bring in all righteousness.

Look around you and above you at all the wonderful things that God created. See the starry worlds on high, more than you can count. They are hung upon nothing, and travel faster than the fastest train that you ever saw, and yet they never fall, and never run into one another. Who holds them and keeps them where they belong? See the tiny spires of grass pushing their way up through the hard ground every spring. What gives them such power? Why do they not forget to come up some year? See the birds and all the creatures so full of life and beauty. Who is it that gives them life now, and tends to all their wants? Who keeps us alive through the night as well as through the day? We read that the same One who created all things changes not and does not slumber nor sleep, but that He keeps and cares for the smallest creatures that He has made.

Since God is still alive and still as powerful to create and uphold as He was in the beginning, can we not trust Him to care for us? When He says that He is able to keep us, to keep us from falling into sinful ways, and is able to present us without fault before the throne of God, can we not believe Him and trust ourselves to Him to let Him live His own way in us? It is no more difficult for Him to keep us in the right way than it is for Him to keep the stars in the right place, that is, if we allow Him to have His way with us as fully as the stars do.

As you look at the beautiful light, and remember that on the first day God said, “Let there be light; and there was light,” remember also that He is able to put the light of His life in your sin-darkened heart, that you may all the time be like the shining light.

As you see the wondrous workings of the unseen air, and remember that God created it on the second day, remember also that although God’s Spirit and life is unseen, it can work wondrous things in you if you will allow it to.

You drink of the crystal water, and remember that God gathered the waters together on the third day, remember also that He invites you to drink just as freely of the “living water,” which is His Holy Spirit.

When you see the grass and flowers and vines and trees and think of how they sprang up on the third day at God’s word, think also of how you are like the grass, perfectly helpless without God; of how you may trust in God and grow as the lily; of how Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches; of how you may bear fruit for God and be rooted in His love.

As you look at the sun, moon, and stars and remember how God on the fourth day, made them His light-bearers, do not forget that you may be His light-bearer too. Do not put this off, for the sun and moon have darkened and the stars have fallen from heaven, and that is a sign that Jesus is coming very soon to take His light-bearers to shine with Him in heaven.

When you see the water animals and birds and insects, remember that God created them on the fifth day, think of the wisdom and love shown in making such multitudes of beings in one day, all perfect, and provided with just the clothing and tools that they need! Remember that your heavenly Father feedeth the birds, and therefore will not forget you,—also that God says that you may learn useful lessons even from little insects.

When you look at the noble horse and friendly dog, and remember how all the beasts were created on the sixth day, remember that the Lord has promised to create a new heaven where all the animals will again be so friendly that a little child can lead them.

When you remember that man was created on the sixth day in the image of God, do not forget that God is your Creator too, and that if you remember Him now in the days of your youth, and let Him live as He wills in you, He will change you into His own image, and at His coming will give you even a body like unto His glorious body.

As the seventh day returns to you week after week, to remind you of God, and you remember how He created all things and rested on the seventh day and blessed it, and made it holy with His presence; remember also that the Sabbath is a sign between Him and you that you may know that He is the God that has power to sanctify you and make you holy in the same way in which He made the Sabbath holy. And then, oh, let Him in, and you will indeed find rest from your sins.

1. Name some of the things in this world that have life.
2. Where only is the fountain of life? Ps. 36:9.
3. Then from whom has every living thing received the life that it has? Job 12:10.
4. Why cannot men make things live?
5. Why is the Lord called the fountain of life?
6. Since every living thing has received life from God, who must have given life to you?
7. Is He not good to share His life with you?
8. How must He feel when you never thank Him for it, and when you use it to please yourself and dishonour Him?
9. What had His life power to do in the beginning?—To create all things perfect.
10. What has it power to do now if you will allow it to live in you in God’s own way?—To create you anew and make you perfect. Eph. 2:10; 2 Cor. 5:17.
11. Will God be able to keep you in the right way after He is created you anew?
12. What makes you think so? Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3; Jude 24.
13. Will He take time to help a little child like you?
14. What makes you think that He will? Matt. 6:26; 19:14.
15. When are you going to ask Him to do it?
16. What did God create on the first day? Gen. 1:1-3.
17. Then is He not able to put the light of His life into your heart?
18. What did God make on the second day? Verses 6-8.
19. Although unseen, like the air, what can God’s Spirit do if you allow it to have its way in your heart?
20. What did God gather together on the third day? Verses 9, 10.
21. Of what does He want us all to drink as freely as we drink of the water? John 7:37, 39; Rev. 22:17.
22. On the third day what sprung up at the word of God? Gen. 1:11, 12.
23. In what way are you like the grass? Ps. 103:15; 1 Pet. 1:24.
24. Who cares for the lily, and clothes it with all its purity? Matt. 6:28-30.
25. If you drink in His Spirit, and feed on His word, what does God promise?—That you shall grow as the lily. Hosea 14:4, 5.
26. What can a branch do without the vine?
27. What can you do without Jesus, the True Vine? John 15:4, 5.
28. In what way may you be like a good fruit-tree? Rom 7:4.
29. What did God cause to appear on the fourth day? Gen. 1:14-19.
30. How may you be a light-bearer for Jesus? John 8:12; Eph. 3:17.
31. How do we know that Christ’s coming is near, even at the doors? Matt. 24:29-33.
32. What did God create on the fifth day? Gen. 1:20-23.
33. Who feeds the birds? Matt. 6:26.
34. Then do you need to fear that He will forget you?
35. What was created on the sixth day? Gen. 1:24-31.
36. What promise has God made about the beasts? Isa. 11:6, 7.
37. Who is your Creator? Ps. 100:3.
38. If you remember Him now what will He do for you?
39. What does the Lord call the seventh day? Ex. 20:10.
40. Of what is it a sign? Ex. 20:12.
41. What does God say we shall do if we allow Him to live His life in us? Ex. 20:8-11.

The Present Truth – February 15, 1894
E. J. Waggoner

Story in pdf   The First Week