"Do not go gentle into that good night", "Rage, rage against the dying of the light".
God has appointed His children to give light to others, and if they fail to do it, and souls are left in the darkness of error because of their failure to do that which they might have done, had they been vitalized by the Holy Spirit, they will be accountable to God. We have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light, in order that we may show forth the praises of Christ.--Review and Herald, Dec. 12, 1893. {ChS 21.3} All who are consecrated to God will be channels of light. God makes them His agents to communicate to others the riches of His grace. . . . Our influence upon others depends not so much upon what we say, as upon what we are. Men may combat and defy our logic, they may resist our appeals; but a life of disinterested love is an argument they cannot gainsay. A consistent life, characterized by the meekness of Christ, is a power in the world.--The Desire of Ages, pp. 141, 142. {ChS 21.4} Those who should have been the light of the world have shed forth but feeble and sickly beams. What is light? It is piety, goodness, truth, mercy, love; it is the revealing of the truth in the character and life. The gospel is dependent on the personal piety of its believers for its aggressive power, and God has made provision through the death of His beloved Son, that every soul may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Every soul is to be a bright and shining light, showing forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. "We are laborers together with God." Yes, laborers; that means doing earnest service in the vineyard of the Lord. There are souls to be saved,--souls in our churches, in our Sabbath schools, and in our neighborhoods.--Review and Herald, March 24, 1891. {ChS 21.5} It is in working for others that they will keep their own souls alive. If they will become colaborers with Jesus, we shall see the light in our churches steadily burning brighter and brighter, sending forth its rays to penetrate the darkness beyond their own borders.--Historical Sketches, p. 291. {ChS 22.1} "Ye are the light of the world." The Jews thought to confine the benefits of salvation to their own nation; but Christ showed them that salvation is like the sunshine. It belongs to the whole world.--The Desire of Ages, p. 306. {ChS 22.2} Hearts that respond to the influence of the Holy Spirit are the channels through which God's blessing flows. Were those who served God removed from the earth, and His Spirit withdrawn from among men, this world would be left to desolation and destruction, the fruit of Satan's dominion. Though the wicked know it not, they owe even the blessings of this life to the presence, in the world, of God's people whom they despise and oppress. But if Christians are such in name only, they are like the salt that has lost its savor. They have no influence for good in the world. Through their misrepresentation of God they are worse than unbelievers.--The Desire of Ages, p. 306. {ChS 22.3}