423. Excerpts from a Testimony of Johan O. Smith, May 2, 1926

We who have received a heavenly calling must be faithful in this one calling in which we can grow, just like Jesus Christ. Moses was faithful, and we, too, must be faithful, not just imitators, but faithful in the calling in which God has placed us. It is not an earthly calling; it is a heavenly calling. It is so easy to imitate others outwardly, but we have to follow our own heavenly calling and be faithful to that. Verses 3-5. Christ is over this house. First, Moses was placed as a servant to oversee all the outward service through the letter of the law. But then the Son came and dwelt in the house, and we are His house. We are the house of Jesus Christ, His own house. God placed His own Son over this house. He was faithful unto death. Wherever the life of Christ is active, the Son is placed over the house, not Moses. This is a life of growth and development. Verses 7-8.

The only way to be faithful is to listen carefully to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We make our calling and election sure by continuing to listen to the voice that speaks from above. That voice goes against our own will—so do not harden your heart! By obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit, we are making our calling sure. Many have received the Holy Spirit and have received much from God, but they have stagnated; and many run astray, following people who they believe are quite perfect, but then we come outside of God’s will!

We must run on our own course, not on another’s course. Each one has his own way, and we must run our own individual race. God’s ways lead to perfection! They are the ways we must take heed to. Verse 10. The only way by which we can come into rest is to go our own way, the way that God has ordained for us individually—our own course. It is God’s intention that we enter into rest. That is the greatest thing that we can attain to. Verses 12-14. The whole race, the race we received from the beginning, is our way, our calling. We meet one another in the center! If we run parallel with one another, one will come to the center, but the other will not. Verses 15-17.

If you have experienced that God has done great things, why not believe that He can do even greater things! The greater the light, the greater the responsibility. Verses 18-19. What is unbelief? It is that we hold on to something which we are not willing to give up, we love something that we will not let go of when God prompts us to let go. People do not want to suffer; they cannot tolerate God taking things away from them, so they begin to run in another person’s footsteps. What God requires of me He might not require of another person. You follow me! No one gets by any easier. We must run our course all the way to the end, each in our own calling! You have no idea what calling another person has.

Have salt in yourself, and be at peace with one another!