"You have all seen on the bosom of the lake the beautiful white lily. How anxious we have been, how we have wished and worked that we might get that blossom. No matter how much scum and debris and filth there is around it, yet that does not destroy your desire for the lily. We wonder how the lily can be so beautiful and white where there is so much filth.
Then shall we look at the iniquity around us and dwell upon the dark side? You cannot cure it; then talk of something that is higher, better, and more noble. Talk of those things that will leave a good impression on the mind, and it will lift every soul up out of this iniquity into light beyond." MS 7, 1888 E.G.W.
I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
Hosea 14:15
Well, there is a stem that strikes down to the golden sands beneath and gathers nothing but the purest substance that feeds the lily until it develops into the pure and spotless flower, as we see it. Should not this teach us a lesson? It ought to. It shows that although there is iniquity all around us we should not approach it. Do not talk of the iniquity and wickedness that are in the world but elevate your minds and talk of your Saviour. When you see iniquity all around you, it makes you all the more glad that He is your Saviour and we are His children.
Then shall we look at the iniquity around us and dwell upon the dark side? You cannot cure it; then talk of something that is higher, better, and more noble. Talk of those things that will leave a good impression on the mind, and it will lift every soul up out of this iniquity into light beyond." MS 7, 1888 E.G.W.
I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
Hosea 14:15