Commitment

Thots Section COMMITMENT

INCLUDES: Dedication, Devotion, Discipleship, Faithfulness/Diligence, First Place, Forsaking All, Giving All, Obedience, Pilgrims & Strangers, Sacrifice, Service, Yieldedness. RELATED INDEX TOPICS: Christianity, Discipleship, First Place, Forsake All, Initiative, Revolution for Jesus, Sacrifice, Service. 1. Florence Nightingale at thirty wrote in her diary, "I am thirty years of age, the age at which Christ began His mission. Now no more childish things, no more vain things. Now, Lord, let me think only of Thy Will." Years later, near the end of her illustrious, heroic life she was asked for her life's secret, and she replied, "Well, I can only give one explanation. That is, I have kept nothing back from God." 2. Moody had no more than a 5th-6th grade education and did poorly even at that. When he attended his first Sunday School class he thumbed through Genesis looking for John. When applying to join Mt. Vernon Congregational Church, be was rejected because of utter ignorance of Christian teaching. His friends thought that seldom was anyone seen more unlikely to fill any sphere of public or extended usefulness. But God can take what seems small and insignificant and use it greatly, if it is given over completely to Him. 3. A conversation is said to have taken place between a hen and a hog when they passed a church and observed the subject of the pastor's sermon: "How Can We Help the Poor?" After a moment's reflection, the hen said, "I know what we can do. We can give them a ham-and-egg breakfast!" The hog protested, saying, "The breakfast would be only a contribution for you, but for me it would mean total commitment!" 4. Mr. Cecil one day went into a room where his little girl was, bright-eyed and happy as could be. Somebody had just given her a box of beautiful beads. The little girl ran to her papa immediately to show this little gift. "They are very beautiful, my child," he said, "but now my dear, throw them into the fire." The little girl looked for a moment. It was a great trial. "Now I shall not compel you to do it; I leave it to you: but you never knew Papa to ask you to do a thing that was not kind to you--I cannot tell you why: but if you can trust me, do so." It cost a great effort, but the little child began in her own way to think--"father has always been kind to me, I suppose it is right," and she took the box and with a great effort threw it into the fire. The father said no more for some time. The next day, however, he gave her something far more beautiful which she had long desired. "Now," said he, "my child, I did this to teach you to trust in that greater Father in Heaven. Many a time in your life He will require you to give up and avoid what you cannot see the reasons for avoiding, but if you trust that Father as you have trusted me, you will always find it best." 5. Stubbornness is strength that is not strong enough to yield.

6. To win, we must surrender. To live, we must die. To receive, we must give. 7. The yoke of the Lord Jesus will never fit a stiff neck. 8. Jesus will heal your wounded heart, if you give Him all of it. 9. You must be melted before you can be molded. 10. Before we can pray, "Lord, Thy Kingdom come," we must be willing to pray, "My kingdom go." 11. Robert G. LeTourneau writes: "Our young people had been going regularly to a mission to hold a Gospel service, and I had been going with them. One night I had some special work to do. I was operating a small factory at the time, and machinery had to be built the next day for which I had to make the design that night in order that a crew of men on contract could build it the next morning. How could I do my work and attend the meeting at the mission? The Lord and I had quite a struggle while I was trying to decide what to do. Although I could not understand how I was going to get the plan drawn for the next morning, I went with the young people and we had a profitable time. I returned home about ten o'clock. Up to that time I had been unable to make a single plan. I sat down at the drafting board, and in about five minutes the outline and plan was as plain as it could be. What is more, the little piece of machinery designed that night has been the key machine in all that I have been building since. It pays to put God first." 12. Love makes obedience a thing of joy! To do the will of one we like to please Is never hardship, though it tax our strength; Each privilege of service love will seize! Love makes us loyal, glad to do or go, And eager to defend a name or cause; Love takes the drudgery from common work, And asks no rich reward or great applause. Love gives us satisfaction in our task, And wealth in learning lessons of the heart; Love sheds a light of glory on our toil And makes us humbly glad to have a part. Love makes us choose to do the Will of God, To run His errands and proclaim His truth; It gives our hearts an eager, lilting song; Our feet are shod with tireless wings of youth! ---Hazel Hartwell Simon 13. Evangelism is not a spare-time activity. 14. Evangelism should be an attitude permeating all the activities of the Christian. 15. The whole secret of abundant living can be summed up in this sentence: "Not your responsibility but your response to God's ability." 16. God will not change your will against your will. 17. Every great person first learned how to obey, whom to obey, & when to obey. 18. I had heard this and read it before, but I ran across the other day this brief but tragic story as

told by Dr. R. A. Torrey: One evening when Mr. Alexander and I were in Brighton, England, one of the workers went from the afternoon meeting to a restaurant for his evening meal. His attention was drawn toward the man who waited upon him, and there came to his heart a strong impression that he should speak to that waiter about his soul, but that seemed to him such an unusual thing to do that he kept putting it off. When the meal was ended and the bill paid, he stepped out of the restaurant, but had such a feeling that he should speak to that waiter that he decided to wait outside until the waiter came out. In a little while the proprietor came out and asked him why he was waiting. He replied that he was waiting to speak with the man who had waited upon him at the table. The proprietor replied, "You will never speak to that man again. After waiting upon you he went to his room and shot himself." 19. Admiral Sir Thomas Williams, a straightforward and excellent man, was in command of a ship crossing the Atlantic. His course brought him in sight of the island of Ascension, at that time uninhabited, and never visited except for the purpose of collecting turtles. The island was barely visible on the horizon, but as Sir Thomas looked at it he was seized by an unaccountable desire to steer towards it. His desire became more and more urgent and distressing, and foreseeing that it would soon be more difficult to satisfy it, he told his lieutenant to prepare to "put about ship" and steer in that direction. The officer respectfully remonstrated that changing course would greatly delay them. This only increased the Admiral's anxiety, and the ship was steered towards the island. All eyes were fixed upon it, and soon something was perceived on the shore. "It is white--it is a flag--it must be a signal!" When they neared the shore they discovered that sixteen men, wrecked on the coast many days before, and suffering hunger, had set up a signal, although almost without hope of relief. What made the Admiral steer his ship in the very opposite direction to what he and his crew wanted was but the superhuman Spirit of God. 20. Your success in life depends on your motive. There is an old fable about a dog that boasted of his ability as a runner. One day he chased a rabbit and failed to catch it. The other dogs ridiculed him on account of his previous boasting. His reply was, "You must remember that the rabbit was running for his life, while I was only running for my dinner." The incentive is all-important. 21. God has given us a will to choose His Will. 22. I had rather be in the heart of Africa in the will of God than on the throne of England out of the will of God.--Livingstone. 23. A poor man plodded along toward home in an Irish town carrying a huge bag of potatoes. A horse and wagon carrying a stranger came along, and the stranger stopped the wagon and invited the man on foot to climb inside. This the poor man did, but when he sat down in the wagon he held the bag of potatoes in his arms. And when it was suggested that he should set it down, he said very warmly: "Sire, I don't like to trouble you too much. You're giving me a ride. I'll carry the potatoes!" Sometimes we think we are doing the Lord a favor when we carry the burden. But the work is His, and the burden is His, and He asks us only to be faithful. 24. What most you long and hope for Might only bring you pain; You cannot see the future God's purpose to explain. So ever trust thy Master; He doeth all things well; He loveth more than heart can know And more than tongue can tell. 25. Hudson Taylor was so feeble in the closing months of life, that he wrote a dear friend, "I am so weak I cannot work; I cannot read my Bible; I cannot even pray. I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child, and trust." This wondrous man of God with all his spiritual power came to a place of physical

suffering and weakness where he could only lie still and trust. And that is all God asks of you, His dear child, when you grow faint in the fierce fires of affliction. Do not try to be strong. Just be still. 26. We get no deeper into Christ than we allow Him to get into us. 27. I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess. 28. True consecration knows no reservations. 29. No man has a right to do as he pleases unless he pleases to do right. 30. God will not accept praying as a substitute for obeying. 31. "Dear Master for this coming year Just one request I bring: I do not pray for happiness, Or any earthly thing-I do not ask to understand The way Thou leadest me, But this I ask: Teach me to do The thing that pleaseth Thee. I want to know Thy guiding voice, To walk with Thee each day. Dear Master make me swift to hear And ready to obey. And thus the year I now begin A happy year will be-If I am seeking just to do The thing that pleaseth Thee." 32. To celebrate an old man's seventy-fifth birthday, an aviation enthusiast offered to take him for a plane ride over the little West Virginia town where he spent all his life. The old man accepted the offer. Back on the ground, after circling over the town twenty minutes, his friend asked, "Were you scared, Uncle Dudley?" "No-o-o," was the hesitant answer. "But I never did put my full weight down." We smile at the remark of the old man, but there is no doubt of the fact that there are many Christians who are exactly the same way. They have been offered and have received salvation; they enter Christ, but they never put their full weight down on Him. He's carrying them all the time, but they are tense and unrelaxed in their Christian life and do not know the joy that comes from complete rest in Him. 33. Years ago a young man began a small cheese business in Chicago. He failed. He was deeply in debt. "You didn't take God into your business. You have not worked with Him," said a Christian friend to him. Then the young man thought, "If God wants to run the cheese business, He can do it, and I'll work for Him and with Him!" from that moment, God became the senior partner in his business. The business grew and prospered and became the largest cheese concern in the world! You ask the name of that young man? J.L. Kraft who became president of the Kraft Cheese Company! 34. One Summer morning a child stood in a great cathedral watching the sunlight stream through the beautiful glass windows. The Bible characters in the windows were bathed with the brilliant colours that resulted. When she was asked, "What is a saint?" she replied, "A saint is a person who lets the light shine through." 35. Please God in all you do and be pleased with all God does. 36. We are all dangerous folk without God's controlling hand.

37. Enthusiasm is unmistakable evidence that you're in love with your work. 38. It is said that Wendell Wilkie asked President franklin D. Roosevelt, when he visited the President in his office in the White House, "Mr. President, why do you keep that frail, sickly man, Harry Hopkins, at your elbow?" Said the President, "Mr. Wilkie, through that door flows daily an incessant stream of men and women who, almost invariably, want something from me. Harry Hopkins wants ONLY TO SERVE ME. That's why he is so near me!" In the light of these splendid words of commendation, let us, who claim to be the servants of Christ, re-examine the motives which enter into our service for Him!" 39. I want my heart so cleared of self That my dear Lord can come And set up His own furnishings, And make my heart--His home. And since I know what this requires, Each morning while it's still, I slip into that secret room, And leave with Him--My WILL, He always takes it graciously, Presenting me with His; I'm ready then to meet the day And any task there is. And this is how my Lord controls My interest, my ills, Because we meet at break of day, For an EXCHANGE OF WILLS. --Anna Jane Granniss 40. Polycarp, venerable bishop of Smyrna was a personal friend and pupil of John the Apostle. When he was age 86, he was urged by the Roman proconsul to reproach Christ and be set free. "Eighty and six years have I served Him and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?" He joyfully went to the stake, thanking God for counting him worthy to be numbered among the martyrs. 41. Alexander the Great was marching on Persia, and it looked as if the great empire was about to crumble, as later it did, before his armies. There was a critical moment, however, which nearly resulted in disaster. The army had taken spoils of silver, gold, and other treasures in such quantities that the soldiers were literally weighted down with them. Alexander gathered all together in one great pile and set fire to them. The soldiers were furious, but it was not long before they realized the wisdom of their leader. It was as if wings had been given to them--they walked lightly again. The campaign proceeded to victory. 42. If you can give your son only one gift, let it be enthusiasm. 43. A Negro minister in the Southland, after presenting a visiting white pastor to his congregation, prayed thus for him: "And now, O Lord, blot him out that we may see JESUS ONLY!" 44. Three-year-old Bobby insisted in standing up in his highchair although mother had admonished him to remain seated then emphasized her admonishment by twice reseating him. After the third time little Bobby remained seated but looked at his mother searchingly and said, "Mommy, I'm still standing up inside."

45. In his Legend of the Eagles, George d'Espartes says that the most heroic piece of self-sacrifice known to history occurred in the building of a bridge. In the depth of winter the French army, pressed on all sides by the Cossacks, had to cross a river. The enemy had destroyed all the bridges and Napoleon was almost at his wit's end. Suddenly came the order that a bridge of some sort must be thrown across the river, and the men nearest the water were the first to carry out the almost impossible task. Several were swept away by the furious tide. Others, after a few minutes, sank through cold and exhaustion: but more came, and the work proceeded as fast as possible. At last the bridge was completed and the army reached the opposite bank in safety. Then followed the most dramatic scene, and one of the most touching, recorded in the annals of history. When the men who had built the bridge were called to leave the water, no one moved. Clinging to the pillars, they stood silent and motionless, frozen to death. Even Napoleon shed tears. 46. Some years ago the ship Shanunga, on her way from Liverpool to New York, came in collision with a Swedish barque named Iduna, from Hamburg, with two hundred and six persons on board. The weather was very foggy, and the Iduna sank in about half an hour after the collision. Immediately the Shanunga's boats were put out, and, with one boat from the barque, picked up thirty-four persons only. One hundred and seventy two persons, including the master, Captain Moberg, were lost. Captain Patten, of the Shanunga, in narrating the catastrophe, said that no statement could exaggerate the horrors of the awful moment. All the survivors that were saved were picked up from the surface of the water. One cause why so few were saved was, almost all of them had seized their belts of gold and silver, and tied them round their waists. Thus those who attempted to save their gold lost both life and gold, being unable to remain afloat till the boats could reach them. 47. When God shuts and bolts the door, don't try to get in through the window. 48. Christ sends none away empty but those who are full of themselves. 49. When faithfulness is most difficult, it is most necessary. 50. Aeschines, perceiving everyone give Socrates something for a present, said unto him, "Because I have nothing else to give, I will give thee myself." "Do so," said Socrates, "and I will give thee back again to thyself better than when I received thee." 51. The contrast between two lives was noted by Dr. Harold E. Luccock. The first was a woman who died in London, famous as "the best dressed woman in Europe." She left almost a thousand frocks, but with each frock she had worn "the same unseeing eyes, the same deaf ears, the same enameled, painted face." The second was a man who died in the same city, with but one suit, blue with a red collar on the coat. He was William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. He had but one costume, but he lived in a thousand lives. 52. In his earlier life Dannecker, the sculptor, gained for himself a wonderful reputation for his statues of Ariadne and the Greek goddesses. Approaching his prime he felt he ought to devote all his strength and time to the creation of a masterpiece, so he set about to carve a figure of the Christ. Twice he failed in his purpose, but finally he carved an image of Christ so perfect, so exquisitively beautiful that when people gazed upon it, they could only love and adore. Later Napoleon sent for him. "Come to Paris," he said, "and make for me a statue of Venus for the Louvre." But no such offer could tempt the heart of Dannecker. His reply was simple, "Sir, the hands that carved the Christ can never again carve a heathen goddess." 53. It is related that Elizabeth I of England once commissioned a rich merchant prince of her empire, to go on an important mission for the crown, promising him rich rewards for his services. The merchant sought to decline the appointment on the grounds that his business would suffer during his absence, but his sovereign assured him: "You go and look after my business, and I will look after yours." On his return, he found that his queen had kept her promise: he was a richer man than he was before. 54. When does the service begin?" whispered a visitor to someone sitting beside him in a Quaker's

meeting. "Sir, service begins just after the meeting ends," was the reply. 55. "I have found," David Livingstone early wrote in his diary, "that I have no unusual endowments of intellect, but I this day resolved that I would be an uncommon Christian." 56. Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my little apple tree and pay my debts. --Martin Luther 57. Bishop Moore tells the story of a little boy who was swimming one day in a lake when suddenly he suffered some type of physical difficulty and could swim no farther. The boy struggled for his life. He had gone under twice, when he felt the strong arm of a man lifting him. The man had seen the little boy's desperate plight and had swum out to save him. The man took the boy safely to shore and, after making certain that everything was well, turned to leave. The little boy said, "Thank you, sir, for saving my life." The man replied, "You're welcome, son. See to it that you are worth saving." Bishop Moore said that he has never forgotten those words, for he was that boy whose life was saved by a man who didn't even leave his name. A good question for the Christian to ask is, "Am I worth saving?" God in Christ has made a large investment in the life of each of us, and He has every right to expect a return of His investment. 58. At twenty-nine Dorothea Dix, a frail school teacher, was given only a slight chance to live. If she survived the lung disease that caused hemorrhaging, her doctor predicted she would probably be an invalid. She went to England for rest. There, she read the New Testament through several times, asking, "What would Christ have me to do?" She found the answer when she returned home and a minister asked her to teach the Bible to the woman prisoners in the East Cambridge, Massachusetts, jail. She found conditions there at the asylum to be extremely cruel. The determined Miss Dix gathered a mountain of evidence proving cruelty to the mentally ill and came before the Massachusetts legislature. "Gentlemen," she cried, "I call your attention to the state of insane persons confined within this Commonwealth, in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, and pens; chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience!" Her speech shook New England. She moved on to other states and found similar conditions. Disregarding ridicule she prodded legislatures into building hospitals and voting reforms. On to Canada, Scotland, England, and Italy she marched, calling for action. She found a cruel asylum next door to the Vatican. She complained to the Pope and he acted. Finally at eighty she became an invalid. The last five years of her life brought many tributes and distinguished visitors. At her death, a hospital superintendent said of her, "The most useful and distinguished woman America had yet produced has died." 59. We are to evangelise not because it is pleasant, not because it is easy, not because we may be successful, but because Christ has called us. He is our Lord. We have no other choice but to obey Him. 60. Padarewski once explained that he practiced faithfully every day. "If I miss one day's practice," said he, "I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it." 61. When the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it may be that they take better care of it there. 62. In the days of the stagecoach, a man undertook a journey. He was informed that there were first, second, and third-class passengers. However, all the seats on the coach looked alike to him, so he purchased a third-class ticket. All went well for a time and the man was congratulating himself upon having saved some money. Presently the came to the foot of a very steep hill, when the driver stopped the horses and shouted, "Fist-class passengers, keep your seats, second class get out and walk, third-class get out and push behind." What we need in the Kingdom work is third-class passengers. Those who will push! Not firstclass, who are contented to sit and look on while the others are working, not second class passengers who

are willing to walk away when real work comes; but third-class passengers who are willing to bear "the burden and heat of the day." 63. George Atley, a young Englishman with the heart of a hero, was engaged in the Central African Mission. He was attacked by a party of natives. He had with him a Winchester repeating rifle with ten loaded chambers. The party was completely at his mercy. Calmly and quickly he summed up the situation. He concluded that if he killed them it would do the mission more harm than if he allowed them to take his life. So, as a lamb to the slaughter he was led; and when his body was found in the stream, his rifle was also found with its ten chambers still loaded. 64. In the battle of Sempach, fought between the Austrians and the Swiss before the use of firearms, a brave Swiss soldier whose name was Arnold Winkelried, nobly sacrificed his life for the sake of his country. The Swiss army was very small, and that of the Austrians very large, presenting such an unbroken ridge of spears that the Swiss soldiers could not get at their enemies. Arnold told his comrades to follow him, and he would open for them a way to victory. Rushing up to the Austrian front, he grasped as many spears as he could reach with his outstretched arms. Pierced through by spears, he sank down to the earth; the Swiss soldiers pressed into the opening thus made, and gained the victory. 65. The monument I want after I am dead is a monument with two legs going around the world--a saved sinner telling about the salvation of Jesus Christ.--D.L. Moody 66. Enthusiasm is the best protection in any situation. Wholeheartedness is contagious. Give yourself, if you wish to get others. 67. You cannot kindle a fire in any other heart until it is burning within your own. 68. In order to do great things, one must be enthusiastic. 69. It is said of Henry of Bavaria that at one time, becoming weary of court life, he determined to enter a monastery. When he presented himself to Prior Richard, the faithful monk gave him the strict rules of the order. The king listened eagerly and enthusiastically expressed pleasure at the prospect of such complete consecration. Then the prior insisted that obedience, implicit and expressed was the first requisite of sainthood. The monarch promised to follow his will in every detail. "Then go back to your throne and do your duty in the station God assigned you," was the prior's word to him. The king took up his scepter again, and from then until he died, his people said of him, "King Henry has learned to govern by learning to obey." 70. Hachi was a Japanese dog who used to accompany his master to the railroad station each morning and then greet him back in the evening at the station. One night in 1925, the man did not return, having died in another city. Although the little dog had met its master for only a few months previously, for over 10 years hence, the dog went to the station every night--sadly trotting home again after waiting an hour. The faithfulness of Hachi impressed the nation so much that the government erected a statue of the dog on the spot where he had perseveringly waited--and then sent statuettes to all schools in the then Japanese empire. 71. I have not much to offer To Christ, my Lord and King; No wealth, no might, no wisdom, No noble gift to bring. "Five loaves and two small fishes?" But what alas are they Among the throngs of hungry Who crowd life's troubled way?

"Five loaves and two small fishes?" Not much, dear heart, 'tis true; But yield them to the Master And see what He can do! Placed in His hands of mercy Thy little will be much. 'Tis not thy gift that matters But His almighty touch! --Avis B. Christiansen 72. The worst bankrupt in the world is the man who has lost his enthusiasm. 73. Obedience is the hallmark of faith. 74. The great violinist Nicolo Paganini willed his marvelous violin to the city of Genoa, on condition that it must never again be played upon. Wood while used and handled wears but slightly. Discarded it begins to decay. The lovely toned violin has become worm-eaten and useless. It is only a reminder that a life withdrawn from service to others becomes quite useless. 75. There is a story of a coloured man who came to a watchmaker and gave him the hands of a clock, saying: "I want yer to fix up dese hans. Dey jes' doan' keep no mo' kerrec' time for mo' den six monfs." "Where is the clock?" answered the watchmaker. "Out at de house on Injun Creek." "But I must have the clock." "Didn't I tell yer dar's nuffin' de matter wid de clock 'ceptin' de hans? And I done brought 'em to you. You jes' want the clock so you can tinker with it and charge me a big price. Gimme back dem hans." And so saying, he went off to find some reasonable watchmaker. Foolish as he was, his caution is very like that of those who try to regulate their lives without being made right on the inside. And their reason for not putting themselves into the hands of the Lord is very similar to the reason the colored man gave. They are afraid the price will be too great. They say, "We only wish to avoid this or that habit." But the Master Workman says, "I cannot regulate the hands unless I have the heart." 76. "Father, where shall I work today?" And my love flowed warm and free. Then He pointed me toward a tiny spot And said, "Tend that for Me." I answered quickly. "Oh, no, not that! Why, no one would ever see, No matter how well my work was done, In that little place for me." And the word He spoke, it was not stern, He answered me tenderly: "Ah, little one, search that heart of thine, Art thou working for them or Me? Nazareth was a little place, and so was Galilee." 77. A drowning boy was struggling in the water. On the shore stood his mother in an agony of fright and grief. By her side stood a strong man seemingly indifferent to the boy's fate. Again and again did the suffering mother appeal to him to save her boy, but he made no move. By and by the desperate struggles of the boy began to abate. He was losing strength. Presently he arose to the surface weak and helpless. At once the man leaped into the stream and brought the boy in safely to the shore. "Why did you not save my boy sooner?" asked the now grateful mother. "Madam, I could not as long as he struggled. He would have dragged us both to certain death. But when he grew weak and ceased to struggle, then it was easy to save him." It is when we cease from our own works and depend helplessly upon Him that we realize how perfectly able He is to save without any aid from us.

78. Travelling in a railway train with some men who were playing a game of cards, a Christian was asked to have a hand. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I have not my hands with me." "What do you mean?" they asked, pointing to his hands. "These are not mine," he said, "they belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. When they were mine I used to play cards. But since I yielded them to Christ, they are never employed in that way, for He has filled them for His service." (Rom.6:13;12:1) 79. Delayed obedience is the brother of disobedience. 80. Years ago I was stopping in a Roman Catholic village, sixty miles south of our largest hospital in Labrador. On the morning when I was leaving my hostess apologized for the absence of her husband, who she said had been obliged to leave home early on business. It was not until I arrived at my next stopping place that I discovered the nature of his business. This next village on my winter's round was a Methodist one, and I knew that my host there had fallen on bad times. It was with considerable surprise, therefore, that at my first meal in the cottage I found real sugar for my tea and butter for the loaf. Then the secret came out. My Roman Catholic friend had walked fifteen miles on snowshoes through the dawn of that freezing day, carrying sugar and three cans of milk from his own meager supply, in order that his Methodist friend might not be embarrassed at having nothing to offer "the doctor on his rounds," and that I might have palatable food at the end of my day's work. 81. In this world of hurry, and work, and sudden end, If a thought comes quick of doing kindness to a friend, Do it that very minute; don't put it off, don't wait; What's the use of doing a kindness if you do it a day too late? 82. "A commonplace life," we say, and we sigh; Yet why should we sigh as we say? The commonplace sun in the commonplace sky Makes lovely the commonplace day. The moon and the stars, they are commonplace things, The flower that blooms, and the robin that sings; Yet sad were the world and unhappy our lot If flowers all failed and the sunshine came not! And God, who considers each separate soul, From commonplace lives makes a beautiful whole. 83. A greatly-used minister of the Word of God who had a wide and accurate knowledge of the Scriptures was approached, after one of his addresses, by one of his audience who said, "I'd give the world to know the Scriptures as you know them." His immediate reply was--"And that's just what it cost me--the world." (Gal.1:4; Phil.3:19,20) 84. "It doesn't take much of a man to be a Christian, but it takes all there is of him," said Thomas Huxley. (Luke 14:33; Rom.12:1) 85. A young woman who was a great lover of flowers had set out a rare vine at the base of a stone wall. It grew vigorously but it did not blossom. Day after day she cultivated it and watered it and tried in every way to coax it into bloom. One morning as she stood disappointed before it, her invalid neighbor, whose back lot adjoined her own, called over and said, "You cannot imagine how much I have been enjoying the blooms of that vine you planted." The owner looked and on the other side of the wall was a mass of bloom. The vine had crept through the crevices and flowered luxuriantly on the other side. There is a lesson for every Christian here. So often we think our efforts thrown away because we do not see their fruit. We need to learn that in God's service our prayers, our toil, our crosses are never in

vain. Somewhere they bear their fruit and some heart will receive their blessing and their joy. 86. My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But, ah, my foes, and, oh, my friends-It gives a lovely light. --Edna St. Vincent Millay 87. It is so little I can do! It is so little I can say! Nay, but what God demands of you Is just that little: Hear--obey. 88. Years ago I was called to the home of a widow whose daughter was the apple of her eye. When the child was three years old she became very ill, & the doctors said that she would die. We can all understand the shock of this news, but we cannot justify the mother's reaction. She rebelled violently & accused God of cruelty--like the Israelites in Exodus 17:3. She demanded that the Lord spare her daughter & told Him she could never trust Him again if He did not do so. Well, God granted the request, in spite of the doctor's predictions. The child grew up & lived a normal life for 13 years, but then joined with bad companions. Finally, the girl broke her mother's heart when at the age of 17 she fell into real trouble. The tragic end of the story was told me by the weeping woman when I arrived at her home that morning. "My Janie is dead--a suicide. Last night she hung herself in her room!" After minutes of convulsive sobbing she concluded, "O Doctor, how I wish God had taken her when she was three years old." 89. A wonderfully appealing ideal of life is found in the words of G.B. Shaw in a letter to a friend: "This is the true job of life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrapheap, the being a force of nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." How about that for one of your aims for the New Year? 90. O Love, that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give Thee back the life I owe, That in Thine ocean depth its flow May richer, fuller be. O Light, that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to Thee; My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in Thy sunshine's blaze its day May brighter, fairer be. O Joy, that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain, That morn shall tearless be. O Cross, that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee; I lay in dust life's glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be. --George Matheson

91. I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed, That thou might'st ransomed be, And quickened from the dead. I gave, I gave My life for thee, What hast thou given for Me? I gave, I gave My life for thee, What hast thou given for Me? 92. God bade me go when I would stay ('Twas cool within the wood); I did not know the reason why. I heard a boulder crashing by Across the pathway where I'd stood. He bade me stay when I would go; "Thy will be done," I said. They found one day at early dawn, Across the way I would have gone, A serpent with a mangled head. No more I ask the reason why, Although I may not see The path ahead, his way I go; For though I know not, He doth know, And He will choose safe paths for me. 93. Michelangelo, painting the matchless frescoes on the high ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, spent countless hours on his back on high scaffolding, carefully perfecting the details of each figure. A friend asked him why he took such pains with figures which could be seen only at a distance by viewers. "After all," said the friend, "who will know whether it is perfect or not?" "I will," replied the artist. 94. A patient cannot accept the physician & at the same time reject his remedy. 95. I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord Real service is what I desire. I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord But don't ask me to sing in the choir. I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord, I like to see things come to pass. But don't ask me to teach girls & boys, dear Lord, I'd rather just stay in my class. I'll do what You want me to do, dear Lord, I yearn for the Kingdom to thrive. I'll give you my nickels & dimes, dear Lord But please don't ask me to tithe. I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord I'll say what You want me to say. I'm busy just now with myself, dear Lord-I'll help You some other day.

96. Christ never asks of us such busy labour As leaves no time for resting at His feet; The waiting attitude of expectation He oft times counts a service most complete. He sometimes wants our ear, our rapt attention. That He some sweetest secret may impart; 'Tis often in the time of deepest silence, That heart finds deepest fellowship with heart. We sometimes wonder why our Lord doth place us Within a sphere so narrow, so obscure, That nothing we call work can find an entrance; There's only room to suffer, to endure. Well, God loves patience. Souls that dwell in stillness. Doing the little things or resting quiet. May just as perfectly fulfil their mission, Be just as useful in the Father's sight. As they who grapple with some giant evil, Clearing a path that every eye may see, Our Saviour cares for cheerful acquiescence Rather than a busy ministry. And yet He does love service, where 'tis given By grateful love that clothes itself in deed; But work that's done beneath the scourge of duty, Be sure, he gives to such but little heed. Then seek to please Him, whatso'er He bids thee, Whether to do, to suffer, or lie still; 'Twill matter little by what path He led us, If in all we sought to do His Will. 97. The wise man does not expose himself needlessly to danger, but he is willing, in great crises, to give even his life--knowing that under certain conditions it is not worthwhile to live.--Aristotle 98. "Why do you stand in such an unbecoming position?" the Duke of Wellington once asked an officer caught slouching in uniform. "I'm off duty, sir," the man replied. Then the Duke bellowed, "A British officer is never off duty. Resume your military position." 99. He sendeth sun, He sendeth shower, Alike they're needful for the flower; And smiles & tears alike are sent, To give the soul fit nourishment. As comes to me or cloud or sun, Father! Thy will, not mine, be done. Can loving children e'er reprove The father whom they trust & love! Creator! I would ever be A loving, trusting child to Thee, As comes to me or cloud or sun, Father! Thy will, not mine, be done.

100. You ask: "What is the will of God?" Well, here's the answer true; "The nearest thing, that should be done, That he can do--through you!" --E.C.Baird 101. Noah preached to the old world for 120 years, but only eight souls were saved. Lot preached to the cities of the plain, but only three souls were chosen from them. Six hundred thousand men, besides women and children, passed through the Red Sea, but only two entered the Promised Land. (Ex.12:37) Gideon went to fight the Midianites with 32,000 men, but only 300 were allowed to participate in the victory. "Many are called but few chosen." 102. Who is on the Lord's side? Who will serve the King? Who will be His helpers other lives to bring? Who will leave the World's side? Who will face the foe? Who is on the Lord's side? Who for Him will go? Not for weight of glory, not for crown & palm, Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm; But for Love that claimeth lives for whom He died: He whom Jesus nameth, must be on His side. Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem, But with Thine own life-blood, for Thy diadem: With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee, Thou hast made us willing, Thou hast made us free. Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe, But the King's Own army none can overthrow: Round His standard ranging, vict'ry to secure; For His Truth unchanging makes the triumph sure. --Francis R. Havergal 103. To understand the whole work of the Master is not in my power, but to do His will, written in my conscience, that is in my power, and that I know without a doubt. And when I do this, then undoubtedly I am at peace. 104. There's the story of the black boy during WW1 who was sent with a message through enemy territory. To prevent being shot, be was told to "zig-zag". When he returned all wounded & shot up, his officers asked him what happened, & the boy responded, "Well, suh, I guess I musta' ZAGGED when I shoulda' ZIGGED & ZIGGED when I shoulda' ZAGGED!"--Dad 105. Enthusiasm is essential to the triumph of truth. 106. I want my religion like my tea--hot! 107. Zeal is as needful for a Christian as salt for the sacrifice or fire on the altar. 108. For the early Christians "fellowship" was not the frilly fellowship of the church-sponsored biweekly outings. It was not tea, biscuits & sophisticated small talk in the Fellowship Hall after the sermon. It was an unconditional sharing of their lives with the other members of Christ's body. 109. Before Pentecost the disciples found it hard to do easy things; after Pentecost they found it easy to do hard things.

110. If it were possible to put the Holy Spirit into a textbook of pharmacology I would put Her under the stimulants, for that is where She belongs. 111. Those whom God will employ are first struck with a sense of their unworthiness to be employed. 112. Until a man is nothing God can make nothing out of him. 113. Christ can never be known without a sense of awe & fear accompanying the knowledge. No one who knows Him intimately can ever be flippant in His presence. 114. Enemy-occupied territory--that is what the World is. 115. Every responsibility is a privilege, & every privilege a responsibility. 116. I will stay in prison till the moss grows on my eyebrows rather than make a slaughterhouse of my principles.--John Bunyan 117. Of what use is it to have many irons in the fire if the fire is going out? 118. I reckon him a Christian indeed that is neither ashamed of the Gospel nor a shame to it. 119. If your Christianity is comfortable, it is compromised. 120. There is no such thing as an easy Christianity. If it is easy, it is not Christianity; if it is Christianity, it is not easy. 121. The proper temperature of Christianity is red-hot. 122. Christianity is the faith for men who are prepared to swim against the stream, the religion for radicals. 123. Christianity is life under sealed orders. 124. "Crucified" is the only definitive adjective by which to describe the Christian life. 125. If you are in Christ, & Christ is in you, then the world should see nothing else but Him! 126. The Christian's task is to make the Lord Jesus visible, intelligible & desirable. 127. It is not great talents that God blesses, so much as great likeness to Jesus. 128. You & I were created to tell the truth about God by reflecting His likeness. That is normality. How many lies have you told about God today? 129. When no mark of the cross appears in our discipleship, we may doubt the ownership. We should be branded for Christ. 130. We don't GO to church; we ARE the church.--Dad 131. Attachment to Christ is the secret of detachment from the world. 132. The more any man loves Christ, the more he delights to be with Christ alone. Lovers love to be alone. 133. A dungeon with Christ is a throne, & a throne without Christ is a hell.--Martin Luther

134. To please Christ is to live a life in such deep fellowship with Him that our walk is characterised by an eagerness to explore His every wish. 135. God finds pleasure in us when we find pleasure in Him. 136. To be little with God is to be little for God. 137. I can afford to lose everything except the touch of God on my life.--Willard Cantelon 138. Christian evangelism is the only reason for our being on Earth. 139. The Lord is King! Who then shall dare Resist His will, distrust His care, Or murmur at His wise decrees, Or doubt His royal promises? --Josiah Conder 140. In the North of Scotland, where the main railway line crosses a gully--bridged by a viaduct-one night a fearful storm raged, and the little burn under the viaduct became a raging torrent. A young shepherd, a Highland laddie, sheltered his sheep as best he could for the night, and in the morning, long before dawn, he set out to see how they fared. As he made his way up the hillside he noticed, to his dismay, that the central column of the viaduct had gone, and the bridge was broken. He knew the mail train was due and, if not warned, would be dashed to pieces and many lives lost. He made his way up as best he could, wondering if he would be in time. As soon as he reached the rails he heard the pound of the mighty engine. He stood and beckoned wildly, but the engine-driver, making up time, drove on. The train drew nearer, and still he stood, beckoning it to stop. At last it came to where he stood, and he flung himself in front of the engine. The driver applied the brakes and managed to stop the train in its own length. The stop was sudden and the passengers, awakened, came to see what was the matter. The driver said, `It has been a close shave this time. We might all have been lost. Come and I'll show you the one who saved us tonight.' A little way along they saw the mangled remains of the shepherd laddie who gave his life for them, dying that they might live. (1Thes.5:10; Tit.2:13,14) 141. "God first! My interests must always come second to His, never first." "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." Dr. Graham Scroggie was one time speaking along these lines, and at the close of the service he was approached by a young woman a professing Christian, who had been greatly stirred. "And why don't you yield?" inquired Dr. Scroggie. "I'm afraid I should have to do two things if I did," responded the girl. "What are they?" asked Dr. Scroggie. "I play the piano in a concert hall, and I fear I would have to give it up," she replied. "And the other?" "I am afraid God would send me to China as a missionary." Opening his Bible at Acts 10:14, Dr. Scroggie explained to the young woman the absurdity of Peter's answer. A slave never dictates. And to say, "Not so," and then use the word "Lord" was impossible. "Now," said Dr. Scroggie, "I want you to cross out the two words, `Not so' and leave the word `Lord'; or else cross out `Lord' and leave `Not so'." Handing here his pencil he quietly walked away. For two hours she struggled. Then he returned. Looking over her shoulder, he saw a tear-stained page, but the words "Not so" were crossed out. With a glad light in her eyes she left and went home, repeating over the one word, "Lord". No longer would she dictate. She was now His disciple and He her Lord and Master. (Acts 10:14,36; Col.3:24; 1Pet.3:15) 142. First, plant five rows of peas: Preparedness, Promptness, Perseverance, Politeness, and Prayer. Next to them plant three rows of squash: Squash Gossip, Squash Criticism, and Squash

Indifference. Then five rows of lettuce: Let us be Faithful, Let us be Unselfish, Let us be Loyal, Let us be Truthful, Let us Love One Another. And no garden is complete without turnips: Turn up for Fellowship, Turn up with a Smile, Turn up with Determination. 143. A mule makes no headway while he's kicking; neither does a man. 144. This is a true story about a teacher named Mary who taught in an Indian school. There was another teacher in the school that Mary did not like and one day Mary felt something inside her telling her that this bad feeling was wrong. Mary had learned to listen to this "inner voice" because she knew it came from God, so she decided to obey it. "But what can I do?" she wondered. "Give her an egg," was the thought which came.--But that seemed like a foolish idea to Mary. Just one egg! The teacher might feel insulted at such a present! A dozen eggs, now that would be different, but just one egg! She put the thought out of her mind and went off to her day's teaching. But when she came home in the evening, there on the chair in her room sat a hen. It cackled and flew down; and there was an egg. Mary remembered her thought about giving an egg to the other teacher.-And here God had even supplied the egg to give her! So, somewhat reluctantly, she picked it up and set off for the other teacher's house. This other teacher was married and had several children, and one of them, a little boy, was outside the house when Mary reached it. She was glad to see him--it was easier to give the egg to him. "Will you give this egg to your mother, please?" she asked, "It is for her." The next day the other teacher came to Mary. "What made you give me that egg?" she asked. "It was so nice and fresh!" So Mary told her about being sorry for her bad feelings and about the thought she had had of what to do about them, which she felt had come from God. "Yes, that is just like God," said the other teacher. "He must have known that we had so little food in the house that when everyone had had some, there was none left for me. And then your egg came! I was so happy and satisfied when I had eaten it!" 145.It costs to be faithful. It cost Abraham the yielding up of his only son. It cost Esther the risk of her life. It cost Daniel being cast into the den of lions. It cost Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego being put in a fiery furnace. It cost Stephen death by stoning. It cost Peter a martyr's death. It cost Paul his life. Does it cost you anything to be faithful to your Lord & King? (Mat.25:31; Luke 19:17; 1Cor.4:2; Rev.2:10) 146. Some people ask the Lord to guide them; then they grab the steering wheel. 147. "Yield yourselves to God'; `Present your bodies a living sacrifice." A certain preacher had two daughters, one of them older than the other. One Monday morning the minister was sitting in his study in London, feeling that the previous day had been a bad day, without blessing--and he was very unhappy. Mummy was making the breakfast downstairs, and suddenly turned to the children and said, "Run upstairs and tell Daddy breakfast's ready!" So they both ran upstairs; but the big one outran her little sister, dashed into the study, jumped on to daddy's knee, put her arms round daddy's neck and kissed him, and said, "Daddy, breakfast's ready!" The little one came puffing and panting, and looked somewhat crestfallen as she took in the situation. And big sister said something rather catty to little sister: "I've got all there is of Daddy today!" And Daddy looked at that little girl, and held out to her his arm that was free--and she ran into the study and jumped on to the other knee, and he hugged her and put his arm right round her. And that little girl looked at her big sister and said, "You may have all there is of Daddy; but Daddy's got all there is of me." Listen. You have got all there is of Jesus. Has He got all there is of you? (Rom.6:13; 12:1) 148. It was advertised in one of our large cities that a great violinist would play on a violin worth a thousand dollars. The theatre was packed. Many came as much to see the fine violin as to hear the music. The violinist came out and played, and the people were enraptured. But suddenly he threw the violin down and stamped on it, crushed it into matchwood and walked off the stage. The people were shocked, and thought the man must have lost his mind to destroy such a lovely and costly instrument. Then the manager came on and addressed the audience, saying, `Friends, the violinist has not been playing on the thousanddollar violin yet. The instrument you have heard he bought at a second-hand store for 65 cents. He will play

on the thousand-dollar violin now.' And so he did, and there were few people in the audience who could tell any difference. He simply wanted to show them that it is the violinist rather than the violin that makes the music. You may be a 65cent fiddle, but the Master will make music upon you if yielded to Him. (Acts 4:13-14; Rom.12:1,2) 149. `Why am I not happy?' inquired a wealthy lady as she stood beside the missionary, Dr. Goforth of China, in her home. `Have you surrendered all?' enquired the man of God, quietly. `Yes, as far as I know, I have surrendered all,' responded the woman. `Are you sure?' insisted Dr. Goforth, `that your all is on the altar?' `My all is on the altar, I believe,' answered the woman again. `And you are willing for God to take your little girl here and send her to China?" asked the missionary, placing his hand on her head. `God take my daughter, and make her a missionary in China! I should say not. I want her with me,' exclaimed the mother. `And yet you tell me you have yielded all, and you haven't even given your own child to God. How can you expect God's blessing and peace and joy? You stand as it were between God and His will for your daughter, and you say to Him, "Thus far shalt Thou come and no farther. You can have my home; You can have my money; You can have me, but--don't touch my daughter." Madam, do you call that surrender?' (Mark 12:44; Rom. 12:1; Phil.3:8) 150. A Christian in great perplexity prayed but found no relief in prayer. Looking up from where he knelt, his eye alighted on a card, "Try Thanksgiving! He did, & the Lord gave him peace & removed his cares. (Phil.4:6; 1Tim.2:1) 151. Like the old story about the Christian camp meeting where they put up signs: "Girls, no slacks allowed!"--And they all came out in shorts! They obeyed the letter of the law but not the spirit thereof.--Dad. 152."May I have those pearls?" He questioned, Knowing that I prized them so-"If you love Me, will you lay those At My feet?" I answered, "No." But He looked so disappointed; The I cried, "O though it grieves, Take them, Master, take them, take them! Yea, I love THEE `more than these.'" Yes, He took my pearls, just cheap things That could last but for a day, But He gave me back some REAL ONES-PRICELESS! JOYS for aye--FOR AYE! --Edith Mapes 153. I'm feeling very rich today, For Jesus holds my purse. I need not count its scanty store As the only assets at my door; Behind it stands a wealthy name, And vast resources I may claim Since Jesus holds my purse. My Cashier never lets me want Since He controls my purse: Debit and credit always meet.

I marvel at His counsel sweet Concerning purchases I make, Or money given for His dear sake While He controls my purse. I'd face the world in great alarm If Judas held my purse. He'd call the gifts of humble love Naught but a waste, treasure above Uncertain quantity and poor. My life would barren be, I'm sure, If Judas held my purse. And thus I live a carefree life Fore Jesus holds my purse. Since money is a sacred thing, Both joy and sorrow it may bring According as we do His will, Or find our hearts rebellious still. Let Jesus hold your purse. 154. As long as there's a little dark unyielded corner of your life that you're not willing to yield to the Lord, if there's one little part of it, the Enemy can get at you there, like the camel's nose, & he can bother you in that one little thing, plague you with that one little thing. Like the guy who said to the rich man who'd bought the whole village except his cottage: "Remember, Huddersfield belongs to thee & to me!" In other words, the Devil can say, "Aha, see! He's yielded everything except this one little thing! So even though he belongs mostly to Thee, a little bit still belongs to me!"--Some little thing.--Dad 155. Fellowship with God means warfare with the world. 156. I fear not the tyranny of man, neither yet what the Devil can invest against me.--John Knox 157. It costs to follow Jesus Christ, but it costs more not to. 158. Jesus promised His disciples three things--that they would be completely fearless, wonderfully happy & in constant trouble. 159. A disciple is a person who learns to live the life his teacher lives. 160. Discipleship is more than getting to know what the teacher knows. It is getting to be what He is. 161. The making of a disciple means the creating of a duplicate. 162. Who escapes a duty, avoids a gain. 163. When a Christian presents the Good News about Jesus he is preaching treason in the Devil's kingdom. 164. Anyone who witnesses to the grace of God revealed in Christ is undertaking a direct assault against Satan's dominion. 165. It is impossible to save a life from burning & avoid the heat of the fire. 166. The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions, & the nearer we get to him the more intensely

missionary we must become. --Henry Martyn 167. True religion is keeping one's heart clean & hands dirty--in human service. 168. A religion that does nothing, costs nothing, suffers nothing--is worth nothing. 169. The hardest job that people have is to move their religion from their throats to their muscles. 170. Always stand for the right; then you win even if you lose. 171. No man can truly stand erect until he has first bent the knee to Almighty God. 172. Those who go against the grain of God's law shouldn't complain when they get splinters. 173. God holds us responsible, not for what we have, but for what we could have; not for what we are, but for what we might be. 174. Man is responsible to God for becoming what God has made possible for him to become. 175. No man can be at peace with God without getting into an argument with the Devil. 176. Some people are willing to serve God, but only as His consultant. 177. Satan doesn't care what we worship, as long as we don't worship God. 178. We cannot do everything we want to do, but we should do everything God wants us to do. 179. A conscience is a safe guide only when God is the guide of the conscience. 180. No person can fully & completely discharge his debt to Almighty God, but surely he can make regular payments on it. 181. Oh, there are heavenly heights to reach In many a fearful place, While the poor, timid heir of God Lies blindly on his face; Lies languishing for light Divine That he shall never see 'Til he goes forward at Thy sign, And trusts himself to Thee. --Rev. C.A. Fox 182. The dearest idol I have known, Whate'er that idol be, Help me to tear it from Thy Throne, And worship only Thee. 183. We mutter & sputter, We fume & we spurt. We mumble & we grumble, Our feelings get hurt. We can't understand things, Our vision grows dim. But all that we need is Surrender to Him!

184. I carefully laid my every plan: The future seemed so bright. My hopes and dreams they towered high-I saw no trace of night. And then at closing of the day I knelt in usual prayer, And prayed: "Dear Lord, bless every plan-All that I hope and dare." But day by day my plans all failed, My hopes came tumbling down. All my ambitions disappeared, And FAILURE was my crown. Perplexed--I could not understand; Had I not knelt and prayed? Why then was every plan and hope Discarded and waylaid? Then in the stillness of the night, Out from the shadows dim, I heard a sweet persuading voice That called me close to Him: "Why don't you let ME make your plans? I know just what you need. Just leave the future in MY hands, And let ME take the lead." I put my future in His hands, And felt Him draw so near, That I couldn't doubt He'd work things out Throughout the coming year! 185. At the close of an address by D.L. Moody, a highly-educated man said to him coldly, "Excuse me, but you made eleven mistakes in your grammar tonight." Mr. Moody replied, "I probably did. My early education was very faulty. But I am using all the grammar I know in the Master's service. How about you?" (Acts 4:13; Col.3:17,23,24) 186. I said, "Let me walk in the fields." He said, "No, walk in the town." I said, "There are no flowers there." He said, "No flowers, but a crown." I said, "But the skies are black; There is nothing but noise and din." And He wept as He sent me back; "There is more," He said; "there is sin." I said, "But the air is thick, And fogs are veiling the sun." He answered, "Yet souls are sick, And souls in the dark undone." I said, "I shall miss the light,

And friends will miss me, they say." He answered, "Choose to-night If I am to miss you, or they." I pleaded for time to be given. He said, "Is it hard to decide? It will not seem hard in heaven To have followed the steps of your Guide." I cast one look at the fields, Then set my face to the town; He said, "My child, do you yield? Will you leave the flowers for the crown?" Then into His hand went mine, And into my heart came He; And I walk in a light divine The path I had feared to see. --George Macdonald 187. A poem written by someone who met an old negro in charge of an ancient paddle steamer on the Great Lakes. Asked why he kept the brasswork so bright, the negro said, "You gotta get a glory." O you gotta get a Glory in the work you do, A Hallelujah Chorus in the heart of you. Paint, or tell a story, sing or shovel coal, O you gotta get a Glory, or the job lacks soul. O Lord, give me a Glory--is it much to give? For you gotta get a Glory, or you just don't live. The great, whose shining labours make our pulses throb, Were men who got a Glory in their daily job. The battle might be gory, and the odds unfair, But the men who got a Glory never knew despair. Or Lord, give me a Glory--when all else is done. If you've only got a Glory, you can still go on. For those who get a Glory, it is like the sun, And you can see it glowing through the work they've done, O fame is transitory--riches fade away-But when you've got a Glory, it is there to stay. O Lord, give me a glory, and a workman's pride, For you gotta get a Glory, or you're dead inside. 188. He who wants anything from God must approach Him with empty hands. 189. You must die while you live before you can live after you die. 190. If you don't surrender to Christ, you surrender to chaos. 191. If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill, Be a scrub in the valley--but be The best little scrub by the side of the rill; Be a bush, if you can't be a tree.

If you can't be a bush, be a bit of the grass, And some highway happier make; If you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass-But the liveliest bass in the lake! We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew, There's something for all of us here. There's big work to do & there's lesser to do And the task we must do is the near. If you can't be a highway, then just be a trail, If you can't be the sun, be a star; It isn't by size that you win or you fail-Be the best of whatever you are! 192. Bondslave of Jesus Christ, Thine, Thine alone; Whom have I else in Heaven, or earth ,or sea? Naught that I have, my Lord, I call mine own: All that I am, O God, I pledge to Thee. Against the doorposts of eternity, The high and holy place of Thine abode, Pierce through mine ear the sign of slavery And point me any service, any road. A slave! I would not question, would not choose. Man's praise or blame no more can trouble me; Even my right to self to Thee I lose, And in that bondage find that I am free. (Exod.21:1-6; Rom.12:1) 193. We are not storerooms but channels; We are not cisterns but springs, Passing our benefits onward, Fitting our blessings with wings, Letting the water flow outward To spread o'er the desert forlorn; Sharing our bread with our brothers, Our comforts with those who mourn. (Neh.8:10; John 7:38) 194. God has a wireless to everywhere: We call it the Word of God and prayer. And every one may daily win God's choicest gifts by "listening in." First you must shut out every sound From the heedless world that throngs around. Vanity fair makes a deafening din On purpose to hinder "listening in." The devil will use his utmost power To keep you from having this quiet hour. He knows that you can be freed from sin Always and only by "listening in."

But when you prayerfully read God's Word, The still small voice is clearly heard. And wondrous peace and power within Daily results from "listening in." God longs to give His best to you To keep you loyal and strong and true. If you haven't begun, today begin To prove the joy of "listening in." 195. The life of the believer is a conducted tour, & the skilful guide is Abraham's guide & ours. He knows the end of the journey which is in view, & he knows the best way to arrive there. 196. LIVINGSTONE, ON SACRIFICE PEOPLE TALK of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt we owe to our God be called a sacrifice? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own best reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? "Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say, rather, it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink, but let this be only for a moment. "All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk when we remember the great sacrifice which was made by Him who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself to us." "MY JESUS, MY LORD, MY LIFE, MY ALL, I AGAIN DEDICATE MY WHOLE SELF TO THEE." The above words were found in Dr. Livingstone's diary under date of the day Stanley left him after failing to persuade him to take the only possible opportunity of returning home. 197. It's pretty hard for the Lord to guide a man if he hasn't made up his mind which way he wants to go.--The path of obedience or disobedience. 198. The Lord calls for us to stand, though not always to understand. 199. God's main problem with the labourers in His vineyard is absenteeism. 200. If God is small enough for us to understand, He isn't big enough for us to worship. 201. I count that hour lost in which I have done no good by my pen or tongue or deed. 202. Our enemies are on every side, so must our armour be. 203. True conversion gives a man security, but it does not allow him to leave off being watchful. 204. Nothing is right for a Christian if it is not God's will for him. 205. Once the will of God to me was a sigh; now it is a song.--Frances Ridley Havergal 206. God will always reveal His will to one who is willing to do it. 207. Most people don't want to know the will of God in order to do it; they want to know it in

order to consider it. 208. If the World goes against truth, then I go against the World. 209. Egypt must be out of Moses as well as Moses out of Egypt before God can use him. 210. Terms with God must always be His terms, not yours. 211. If you don't surrender to Christ you surrender to chaos. 212. Let God have your life; He can do more with it than you can. 213. Men must choose to be governed by God or they condemn themselves to be ruled by tyrants. 214. May the mind of Christ my Saviour Live in me from day to day, By His Love & power controlling All I do & say. --Katie Barclay Wilkinson 215. Sacrifice is the ecstasy of giving the best we have to the One we love the most. 216. The sign of our professed love for the Gospel is the measure of sacrifice we are prepared to make in order to help its progress. 217. Nothing less than a living sacrifice is demanded. Not a loan, but a gift; not a compromise, but a sacrifice; not our poorest, but our best; not a dead but a living offering. Each drop of our blood, each ounce of our energy, each throb of our heart, we must offer to God. 218. If Jesus Christ be God & died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.--C.T.Stud 219. Life offers only two alternatives: Crucifixion with Christ or self-destruction without Him. 220. 'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer Thought it scarcely worth his while To spend much time on the old violin, But he held it up with a smile. `What am I bidden for this?' he cried. `Who'll start the bidding for me? A dollar--one dollar: then two--only two: Two dollars are bidden; say three. `Three dollars once: three dollars twice: Going for three!' But lo! From the back of the crowd a grey-haired man Came forward and picked up the bow. Then, wiping the dust from the old violin And tight'ning the loosened strings, He played a melody passing sweet, The kind that haunts and clings. The music ceased, and the auctioneer, With a voice that was soft and low,

Said, `Now what is bid for the old violin?' And he held it up with the bow. `A thousand dollars: who'll make it two? Two--two thousand: say three. Three thousand once, three thousand twice, Three thousand--gone!' said he. The people cheered, but some exclaimed, `We do not quite understand What changed its worth:' and the answer came, `Twas the touch of the Master's hand. And many a man with soul out of tune, And battered and scarred by sin, Is auctioned cheap by the thoughtless crowd, Just like the old violin. But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd Never can quite understand The worth of a soul, and the change that is wrought By the touch of the Master's hand. O Master! I am the tuneless one: Lay, lay Thy hand on me, Transform me now, put a song in my heart Of melody, Lord, to Thee. (Rom.6:16; 12:1,2; 2Cor.3:18) --Myra Brooks Welch 221. WHEN WE picture God's call nearly all of us think of something dramatic, revolutionary, and startling. The scene on the road to Damascus at once comes to mind. We see the great light in the sky; we hear the voice from heaven; we picture the revolutionizing effects of it all upon the Apostle to the Gentiles. But we forget the great number of men to whom God's call came when they stood upon the holy ground of their everyday life and service. God's call came to Samuel as he ministered in the daily round of the temple; it came to David in the sheepfold; it came to some of the disciples as they were mending and casting their nets. In all these cases the call came to them as they stood upon the holy ground of their daily duties. As of old, He calls His Gideon from the threshing floor, and His Amos from the sycamore fruit; His Moses from the flocks; His Matthew from the receipt of custom; His John from the priestly family; His Peter from the fishing net, and His Paul from the rabbi's school; so now He calls us from the farm and from the merchandise, from the shop and from the office, from the profession and from the trade, from the pulpit and from the servants's hall. He calls us in boyhood; He calls us in manhood; He calls us in old age. ALL have a mission to fulfill and all alike shall, if they do Christ's work, receive His reward. "Among the things that this day brings Will come to you a call, The which, unless you're listening, You may not hear at all; Lest it be very soft and low, What'er you do, where'er you go, Be listening "When God shall come and say to you, `Here is the thing that you must do,' Be listening."

222. A little star shone singly in the night, And thought "How very feeble is my light! There's not a traveler who will see his way, Who will be guided by my tiny ray. But I will not go out--the more will I Attempt to shine in this vast, darkened sky." Down in the world there was a weary soul Striving alone to see the clouded goal. Full of despair, she wrestled all the night, But saw no shining of a guiding light. She said, "There is no moon, I am so sad," And lost the very little hope she had. But through her narrow window did she see A point of brightness gleaming fervently. It was the single star. She cried aloud, And hoped anew for passing of the cloud. When morning came, with all its golden light, She said, "I found the Saviour in the night. "I found Him through a star -- it must have been The Star of Bethlehem that I have seen, For to the Lord it led -- and so I came And saw the hills of Heaven all aflame, All shining with the glory of that star, Whose small but steady light had called afar." O little star! be not afraid thy light Will be too feeble to be seen at night. However small, if steady, it will be Lighting the roadway to Eternity. They know in Heaven, where the angels are, A soul was lighted by a little star. --Vivien Jameson 223. Once an Indian lived alone, hunting and trapping in the Selkirk Mountains. His family had all been killed by a band of white hunters and he grew up a wild man. At length another trapper, a white man, came to the mountains to live. He was kind and patient, and gradually the wild boy came to trust him and to love him. Slowly he entered into the love of Jesus Christ, as the white man taught him. After many months of thought, one moonlit night on top of a noble peak, the young Indian dressed himself in all his heathen finery, took his friend's hand, knelt and prayed silently. Then he rose and made his confession of his new purpose, suiting the action to the word: "Indian lay down blanket, Indian lay down pipe. Indian lay down tomahawk. Indian lay down Indian." Well may all of us learn a lesson from that child of the forest. What Christ requires of us is not some modifications, more or less complete, of our old life of sin and selfishness and doubt, but that we walk with Him in entire newness of life. "Indian must lay down Indian!" 224. Set apart for Jesus! Is not this enough, Though the desert prospect's often wild and rough?

Set apart for His delight, Chosen for His holy pleasure, Sealed to be His special treasure! Could we choose a nobler joy, And would we if we might? Set apart to love Him, and His love to know! Not to waste affection on appearing show. Called to give Him life and heart, Called to pour the hidden treasure That none other claims to measure, Into His beloved hand! Thrice blessed set apart. Set apart for ever, for Himself alone! None to see our calling gloriously shown! Owning, with no secret dread, this our holy separation; Now the crown of consecration Of the Lord our God shall rest Upon our willing head. (John 17:16,17; Rom.12;1,2) 225. How far in service must I go, What sacrifices bring To God, Whose loving hands bestow Each good and perfect thing? How much of time and thought should I Devote to him Who died? What is my debt to him, and why, And how, may I decide? A measured service bound would be, A service mean and small: He did not ask `How much?' from me: He gave Himself, His all. He did not ask how far to go. How far was not to say What bound? How far? I only know That He went all the way. 226. THE KEEPER of a lighthouse at Calais was boasting of the brightness of his lantern, which could be seen ten leagues at sea. A visitor said to him, "What if one of the lights should chance to go out?" "Never! Impossible!" he cried, horrified at the thought. "Sir," said he, pointing to the ocean, "yonder, where nothing can be seen, there are ships going out to all parts of the world. If tonight one of my burners went out, within six months would come a letter, perhaps from India, perhaps from America, perhaps from some place I never heard of, saying, on such a night, at such an hour, the light of Calais burned dim, the watchman neglected his post and vessels were in danger! Ah, sir, sometimes in the dark nights, in stormy weather, I look out to sea and feel as if the eyes of the whole world were looking at my light. Go out? Burn dim? Never!" 227. You are God's opportunity in your day. He has waited for ages for a person just like you. If you refuse Him, then God loses His opportunity which He sought through you, and He will never have another, for there will never be another person on the earth just like you. Bring to God your gift, my brother, He'll not need to call another,

You will do; He will add His blessing to it, And the two of you will do it, God and you. --R. E. Neighbour 228. He held the lamp of truth that day So low that none need miss the way, And yet so high, to bring in sight That picture fair, the world's great Light, That, gazing up, the lamp between, The hand that held it scarce was seen. He held the pitcher, stooping low, To lips of little ones below, Then raised it to the weary saint And bade him drink when sick and faint. They drank:--the pitcher thus between, The hand that held it scarce was seen. He blew the trumpet soft and clear That trembling sinners need not fear, And then with louder note and bold To raze the walls of Satan's hold. The trumpet coming thus between, The hand that held it scarce was seen. And when the Captain says, `Well done! Thou good and faithful servant, come, Lay down the pitcher and the lamp, Lay down the trumpet--leave the camp,' The weary hands will then be seen Clasped in His pierced ones, naught between. (2Cor.4:5-8; 2Tim.4:6-8) 229. IN THE cemetery of an English town there is a tombstone which attracts the attention of many visitors. It marks the grave where the celebrated Swedish singer, Jenny Lind, known as the Swedish Nightingale, was buried, and upon the stone is the text, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Jenny Lind was born in 1820. When only seventeen she came from her native land, and her lovely voice took the concert-loving people by storm. The good Queen Victoria often was found in her audience and signally honored "the slim girl with a marvelous voice," as she was called , by throwing to her a bouquet of flowers. From the crowned heads of Europe Jenny Lind received honor, and gifts were showered upon her from all sides. Wealth poured in, but all her success did not make her proud or exacting, as is so often the case, and she humbly wrote to a friend in later years, "My unceasing prayer is that what I gave to my fellows may continue to live on through eternity and that the Giver of the gift and not the creature to whom He lent it may be acknowledged." A certain writer has remarked, "Nothing is more astonishing about the career of Jenny Lind than its comparative shortness. She sang in the English opera for only two years and retired practically in five years after her first appearance in London, though she appeared occasionally during the next few years, but chiefly for charities." To many it would seem strange circumstances which led a young girl to abandon such a promising career and retire to the quietness of an English country home. On one occasion she sat on the seashore, reading a Bible, when one who greatly admired her beautiful voice saw her and asked, "How is it, madam, that you abandoned the stage at the very height of your success?" Jenny Lind gave the following reason: "When every day it made me think less of this"--laying her hand upon the open Bible, "what else could I do?" What a beautiful answer and how convincing! It was the knowledge that this precious Book had

brought her--the knowledge of a Saviour's love which led her to abandon what the world counts of such value--riches, honor and popularity. 230. I love, my God, but with no love of mine, For I have none to give; I love Thee, Lord, but all the love is Thine, For by Thy life I live. I am as nothing, and rejoice to be Emptied and lost and swallowed up in Thee. Thou, Lord, alone art all Thy children need, And there is none beside; From Thee the streams of blessedness proceed; In Thee the blest abide, Fountain of life, and all-abounding grace, Our source, our center, and our dwelling place. --Madame Jeanne Marie Guyon 231. The legend of the raindrop Has a lesson for us all, As it trembled in the heavens... Questioning whether it should fall For the glistening raindrop argued To the genie of the sky, "I am beautiful and lovely As I sparkle here on high, And hanging here I will become Part of the rainbow's hue And I'll shimmer like a diamond For all the world to view."... But the genie told the raindrop, "Do not hesitate to go, For you will be more beautiful If you fall to earth below, For you will sink into the soil And be lost a while from sight, But when you reappear on earth, You'll be looked on with delight; For you will be the raindrop That quenched the thirsty ground And helped the lovely flowers To blossom all around, And in your resurrection You'll appear in queenly clothes With the beauty of the lily And the fragrance of the rose; Then, when you wilt and wither,

You'll become part of the earth And make the soil more fertile And give new flowers birth."... For there is nothing ever lost Or eternally neglected For everything God ever made Is always resurrected; So trust God's all-wise wisdom And doubt the Father never, For in His heavenly kingdom There is nothing lost forever. --Helen Steiner Rice 232. I worship thee, sweet will of God! And all thy ways adore; And every day I live, I long To love thee more and more. When obstacles and trials seem Like prison-walls to be, I do the little I can do, And leave the rest to thee. He always wins who sides with God To him no chance is lost: God's will is sweetest to him when It triumphs at his cost. Ill that God blesses is our good, And unblest good is ill; And all is right that seems most wrong, If it be His dear will! --Frederick William Faber 233. Once it was the BLESSING, now it is the LORD; Once it was the FEELING, now it is His WORD; Once His GIFT I wanted, now, the GIVER own; Once I sought for HEALING, now HIMSELF alone. All in all forever, JESUS will I sing; Ev'ry thing in JESUS, and JESUS ev'ry thing. Once 'twas painful TRYING, now 'tis perfect TRUST; Once a HALF salvation, now the UTTERMOST; Once 'twas ceaseless HOLDING, now HE holds me fast; Once 'twas constant DRIFTING, now my ANCHOR'S CAST. Once 'twas busy PLANNING, now 'tis trustful PRAYER; Once 'twas anxious CARING, now HE has the care; Once 'twas what I wanted, now what JESUS says; Once 'twas constant ASKING, now 'tis ceaseless PRAISE. Once it was MY working, HIS it hence shall be; Once I tried to use HIM, now HE uses ME;

Once the POW'R I wanted, now the MIGHTY ONE; Once for SELF I labored, now for HIM alone. Once I HOPED in Jesus, now I KNOW He's mine; Once my lamps were DYING, now they brightly SHINE; Once for DEATH I waited, now His COMING hail; And my hopes are anchored safe within the veil. 234. Five little pebbles lay in a brook, Five little pebbles hid in a nook. `What are we good for?' one said to another. `Little or nothing, I'm thinking, my brother.' Wearing away day after day-It seemed that for ever those pebbles must stay. If they were flowers ever so gay, Doubtless someone would take them away; Or if they were big stones that builders could use, Perhaps then some builder those big stones would choose. Wait, little pebbles, rounded and clean, Long in your loneliness lying unseen, God has a future waiting for you Five little pebbles, sturdy and true. Five little pebbles hid in a brook. David came down and gave them a look, Picked them up carefully out of the sand: Five little pebbles lay in his hand. Hark! there is shouting and fighting today, And boldly these pebbles are borne to the fray: One of them chosen and put in a sling. Would we have thought that a stone could thus wing? Onward it sped with a might not its own: Onward it sped, by a shepherd boy thrown; Swift as an arrow, straight as a dart! For the whole nation that stone did its part, Striking the giant's great, terrible head, Laying him low--a mighty man dead. Five little pebbles found in a brook Are mentioned with honour in God's holy Book. Be thou a pebble, contented and low, Ever kept clean by His Spirit's pure flow, Hidden and ready till Jesus shall look And choose you, and use you, a stone from the brook. (1Sam.17:40) --Samuel J. B. Carter 235. Thy Will be done. No greater words than these Can pass from human lips, than these which rent Their way through agony and bloody sweat, And broke the silence of Gethsemane To save the world from sin.

--G. A. Studdert-Kennedy 236. We are bid to take, not to make our cross. God in His providence will provide one for us. 237. Christ's cross is the sweetest burden that ever I bare; it is such a burden as wings are to a bird or sails to a ship.--Samuel Rutherford 238. Prepare yourselves to become weaker & weaker; prepare yourselves for sinking lower & lower in self-esteem; prepare yourselves for self-annihilation--& pray God to expedite the process. 239. When you put your life on the altar, when you make ready & accept to die, you are invincible. You have nothing any more to lose. 240. It is easier to give anything we have than to give ourselves. 241. God does not ask about our ability or our inability, but our availability. 242. It has always been my ambition to have no plans as regards myself. 243. Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success. 244. Without Christ, not one step; with Him, anywhere! 245. A disciple can be forgiven if he does not have great mental ability. He can be forgiven also if he does not display outstanding physical prowess. But no disciple can be excused if he does not have zeal. If his heart is not aflame with a red-hot passion for the Saviour, he stands condemned. 246. Mix a conviction with a man & something happens! 247. A zealous Saviour ought to have zealous disciples. 248. A man cannot be thoroughly humbled until he comes to know that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers, counsel, endeavours, will & works & is absolutely dependent upon the will, counsel & pleasure of another. 249. If God were not my friend, Satan would not be so much my enemy. 250. Put relentless hands down into your heart, & tear out by the roots everything that will not advance the interests of the Redeemer's Kingdom. 251. God does not want us to think less of ourselves. He wants us not to think of ourselves at all. 252. There are no trivial assignments in the work of the Lord. 253. Men who love much will work much. 254. God knows all about my health & need of a rest & need of many other things regarded as absolutely necessary...I gladly laugh at being without them, & rejoice in a living death with a marvellous joy in order to fill the place that others have left unoccupied whatever their reasons for so doing.-C.T.Studd 255. I have taken my good deeds & bad deeds & thrown them together in a heap, & fled from them both to Christ, & in Him I have peace. 256. Recreation to a preacher of the Gospel must be a whetting is with the mower, that is, only to be used so far as is necessary for his work.

257. A religion which costs nothing is worth nothing. 258. How we use our money demonstrates the reality of our love for God. It proves our love more conclusively than depth of knowledge, length of prayers or prominence of service. 259. To pay the price of obedience is to escape the cost of disobedience. 260. Doing the will of God leaves me no time for disputing about His plans. 261. What is obedience? Giving up my will to the will of another. 262. True obedience neither procrastinates nor questions. 263. Christian obedience is unlike every other kind of obedience. It is not the obedience of slaves or soldiers, but essentially the obedience of lovers who know, love & trust the person who issues the commands. 264. If God has called you, don't spend time looking over your shoulder to see who is following. 265. When Christ takes the burden of guilt off a sinner's shoulders He places the yoke of obedience upon his neck. 266. Just as obedience to the Lord is an indication of our love for Him, so is it also a proof of our fear of God. 267. God marks with sorrow the point in the history of any one of His servants where there is failure to yield to Him implicit, unquestioning, heroic obedience. 268. Obedience to God is the most infallible evidence of sincere & supreme love to Him. 269. Not only does God require obedience, but an obedience which issues from, is animated by, & is an expression of Love. 270. Christ's lovers prove their love by their obedience. 271. The possessive clinging to things...must be torn from our souls in violence as Christ expelled the money changers from the temple. 272. Oh, how greatly has the man advanced who has learned not to be his own, not to be governed by his own reason, but to surrender his mind to God! 273. What then is the nature of true liberty? Not being free to do anything you want to do, but in coming to the place where you delight in the performance of what you ought to do. 274. The primary test of life is not service but love, both for man & for God. 275. Idolatry is everywhere represented in Scripture as the greatest insult the creature can offer the Creator. 276. Man in his rebellion against the Creator remains incurably religious, & he seeks to satisfy this instinct by making his own deities. He much prefers these lifeless puppets to the One True Living God, because they allow him to pull the strings. 277. Not to do what we ought to do is as bad as doing what we ought not to do.

278. To be much like Christ, be much with Christ. 279. We are not merely to serve Christ, we are to be like Him. 280. No Christian is where he ought to be spiritually until the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ is being reproduced in his daily Christian life. 281. To withhold one thing from God is theft, for everything is His. 282. Anything that takes God's place is out of place. 283. What is holiness except Christlikeness? 284. To be holy is to be like Jesus. 285. Christians are the light of the World, but the switch must be turned on. 286. The roots of happiness grow deepest in the soil of service. 287. Character does not reach its best until it is controlled, harnessed & disciplined. 288. The greatness of a man's power is the measure of his surrender. 289. I will place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the Kingdom of Christ.--David Livingstone 290. Before we can pray, "Thy Kingdom come," we must be willing to pray, "My kingdom go." 291. Christianity is the total commitment of all I know of me to all I know of Jesus Christ. 292. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. --Isaac Watts 293. Unless I go about my business of saving the souls of men with an energy & a zeal almost amounting to madness, nobody will take any notice of me, much less believe what I say & make everlasting profit out of it.--William Booth 294. Give me the love that leads the way, The faith that nothing can dismay, The hope no disappointments tire, The passion that will burn like fire. Let me not sink to be a clod; Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God. --Amy Carmichael 295. If by excessive zeal we die before reaching the average age of man, worn out in the Master's service, then glory be to God, we shall have so much less of Earth & so much more of Heaven. 296. The supreme need of the church is the same in the twentieth century as in the first; it is men on fire for Christ. 297. No craze is so great as that of the gambler, & no gambler for Jesus was ever cured, thank God.

298. Let us live as people who are prepared to die, & die as people who are prepared to live. 299. The first qualification for being a spiritual shepherd is to be a good sheep. 300. The Christian life is not applied like make-up to the outside of our personalities, but is an outgrowth from an inner transformation. 301. When God declares a man righteous He instantly sets about to make him righteous. 302. We are God's expendables!--Created to burn out on His altar of sacrifice--made to wear out as His tools of design--to die, that you might live.--Dad 303. Where God guides He provides. He is responsible for our upkeep if we follow His directions. He is not responsible for expenses not on His schedule. 304. God is a totalitarian Ruler Who demands full allegiance from his subjects. 305. The Christian should resemble a fruit tree, not a Christmas tree. 306. The crosses & comforts of this present time would not make such an impression upon us as they do if we did but believe the things of Eternity as we ought. 307. Men do less than they ought unless they do all that they can.--Thomas Carlyle 308. A missionary was preaching on an Indian reservation & there was a chief sitting in the back. And as the preacher was preaching away, this Indian chief got under conviction & he came running up to the front & said, "This Indian chief give his pony to this Jesus." And he went back & sat down. But it didn't phase the missionary at all! He just kept preaching away & pretty soon the Indian chief came running up again! "This Indian chief give his blanket to this Jesus!" & he went back & sat down. The missionary continued preaching & this Indian chief continued to get under further conviction & he came running up & took off his headdress & laid it at the preacher's feet & said, "This Indian chief give his headdress to this Jesus." & he went back & sat down. Pretty soon the Indian chief with tears in his eyes came running up to the front & threw himself down on the ground & said, "This Indian chief give HIMSELF to this Jesus!" The missionary knew he'd finally gotten his point across!--And came down & threw his arms around the Chief & wept & prayed with him! 309. Our strength is shown in the things we stand for; Our weakness is shown in the things we fall for. 310. I heard Dr. Morrison tell at Winona Lake about his trip around the world, preaching and teaching the gospel truth. He went on this trip at the same time that Roosevelt went to Africa. Morrison preached the gospel at every port. "Teddy" went to Africa to do some exploring and shoot a few water hogs. When he came back, he was accorded a reception such as few living men had. The governor and the mayor greeted him, the bands played, and countless thousands thronged the wharf to welcome him. Morrison came home. The governor of the state did not come to meet him, nor did the mayor or the police force. The fire department never noticed him. No flags were waving, no whistles blowing. He did not even have a relative waiting for him. In New York Roosevelt boarded a train and had the same sort of reception all over again when he reached his home city. He was lauded and honored all the way. Morrison also boarded a train and went home. He did not have a reception at all. Nobody met him. The only person who recognized him was the old baggage master, and he just said, "Hello, there!" in a casual sort of way. Morrison said: "I picked up my heavy grips and started off, all alone. I could not help contrasting the homecoming of Roosevelt with my own. God had privileged me to lead ten thousand souls to Christ on that trip--and yet there I was, without a soul to meet me! Nobody cared. Suddenly I stopped. A new,

glorious truth had gripped me. And I found myself saying aloud, slowly, exultantly, `Maybe I'm not home yet! Maybe I'm not home yet!'" 311. When King George V was opening the Conference on Disarmament, a special room was prepared in New York so that the king's message might be relayed through the United States of America. Just at the critical moment, a man tripped over the cable and broke it, and twenty minutes would be required to repair it. Something had to be done. Mr. Vivian, who was is charge, threw himself into the breach, seized one end of the cable in one hand and the other end in the other, and stood there as the king's message passed through his body. Then he fell down and was taken to hospital. His body was the vessel used to convey, uninterrupted, the king's message. (Phil 1:20; 2Tim.2;21) 312. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. 313. What kind of an organisation would my organisation be if all of its members were just like me. 314. Many Christians look upon the will of God as bitter medicine they must take, instead of seeing it as the gracious evidence of the Love of God. 315. Likeness comes from liking. We grow to be like that which we like. 316. Conformity to the World can be overcome by nothing but conformity to Jesus. 317. The guard of the train had a rose in his button hole. A drunken man came along the platform and snatched it out. The guard went red but said nothing. An onlooker said, `However did you keep your temper? You said nothing.' The guard replied simply, `I'm on duty.' As Christians, we should remember that, wherever we are and whatever happens to us, we are always `on duty.' 318. A young mulatto girl was being sold at auction one day. She was a beautiful girl, tall and slender. The bidding was keen, and quickly mounted higher and higher until at last only two men were left bidding for her ownership: the one a low, uncouth fellow who swearingly raised his bid every time to outbid the other, a quiet man of refinement. Finally the bidding stopped, and to the gentleman who had bid so very earnestly were given the papers which made him the lawful owner of the young girl. With a shove the auctioneer presented her to her new master. Proudly, defiantly, she stood before him, hating him with every part of her being. Suddenly, a change came over her face: first there was a look of pure amazement closely followed by one of utter incredulity. Her owner was ripping up the papers of ownership, and, with a smile of kindness, said to the now trembling girl, "My dear, you are free. I bought you that I might free you." Too stunned for speech, the girl merely stared till finally, with a cry of happiness too deep for words, she cast herself at the man's feet, and through her tears exclaimed, "Oh, master, I'll love you and serve you for life!" What the papers of ownership could not do, the man's kindness had won completely. The Lord Jesus has loved you and has paid such a price that He might buy you from the slavery of Satan and free you. Will you not tell Him, "Master, I'll love Thee and serve Thee for life?" 319. Famous men of the past have bequeathed us statements that have become mottoes. History declares that Henry Clay was about to introduce a certain bill in Congress when a friend said, "If you do, Clay, it will kill your chance for the presidency." "But is the measure right?" Clay asked, and on being assured it was right said, "I would rather be right than be president." 320. Love to God & obedience to God are so completely involved in each other that any one of them implies the other too.

321. Obedience to God is the most infallible evidence of sincere & supreme love to Him. 322. Even the heart of God thirsts after love. 323. Don't throw God a bone of your love unless there's the meat of obedience on it. 324. The proof of love is its capacity to suffer for the object of its affection. 325. To be His slave is to be a king. 326. Many people fervently pray, "Oh, God, guide me": then they grab the steering wheel. 327. There are three possible positions the Lord Jesus can occupy in a Christian's life: In all Christians, He is present. In some Christians, He is prominent. In a few Christians, He is pre-eminent. 328. I you are not living as close to God as you once did, you need not guess who moved. 329. I you were on trial, accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? 330. So live, that as people get to know you better they will get to know Christ better. 331. Treasures in Heaven are laid up only as treasures on Earth are laid down. 332. I have held many things in my hands, & I have lost most of them; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.--Martin Luther. 333. A modern fable relates that a hen & a hog were travelling together. They passed a church that displayed the sermon subject for the coming Sunday: "How Can We Help The Poor?" After a moment's reflection the hen ventured: "I know what we can do! We can give them a ham & egg breakfast." The hog promptly relied: "You can say that because for you that's just a contribution, but for me it's total commitment." 334. Life is like a game of tennis. The player who serves well seldom loses! 335. The Gospel brings abundance of life, & also death at the stake; freedom, & also imprisonment; peace, & also the sword. 336. It is far less important to die the martyr's death than to live the martyr's life. 337. Jesus invested His life in you. Have you shown any interest? 338. God is looking for some wicks to burn. The oil & the fire are free. 339. It is much better to suffer for the truth than to be rewarded for a lie. 340. If I really love God there are some things I will have to hate. 341. If you find it hard to stand for Jesus, try kneeling first. 342. The crowd is usually going the wrong way. Sacred & secular history indicate that it is usually God's righteous minority bucking the crowd that is going the right way. 343. What we can do for Christ is the test of service. What we can suffer for Him is the test of love.

344. The service that counts is the service that costs. 345. Service is love in working clothes. 346. Service can never become slavery to one who loves. 347. A century and a half ago there died a humble minister in a small village in Leicestershire, England. He had never attended college and had no degrees. He was merely a faithful village minister. In his congregation was a young cobbler to whom he gave special attention, teaching him the Word of God. This young man was later to be renowned as William Carey, one of the greatest missionaries of modern times. This same minister had a son, a boy whom he taught faithfully, and constantly encouraged. The boy's character and powers were profoundly affected by his father's life. That son was Robert Hall, the mightiest public orator of his day, whose sermons influenced the decisions of statesmen and whose character was as saintly as his preaching was phenomenal. It seemed that the village pastor accomplished little. There were no spectacular revivals, but his faithful witness and godly life had much to do with giving India its Carey and England its Robert Hall. 348. ANONYMOUS WRITER, about an American tourist's visit to the 19th-century Polish rabbi, Hofetz Chaim: Astonished to see that the rabbi's home was only a simple room filled with books, plus a table and a bench, the tourist asked, "Rabbi, where is your furniture?" "Where is yours?" replied the rabbi. "Mine?" Asked the puzzled American. "But I'm a visitor here. I'm only passing through." "So am I," said Hofetz Chaim. 349. Father, let me dedicate All this year to Thee, In whatever worldly state Thou wilt have me be: Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim; This alone shall be my prayer, "Glorify Thy name." Can a child presume to choose Where or how to live? Can a Father's love refuse All the best to give? More Thou givest every day Than the best can claim, Nor withholdest aught that may Glorify Thy name. If thou callest to the cross, And its shadow come, Turning all my gain to loss, Shrouding heart and home; Let me think how Thy dear Son To His glory came, And in deepest woe pray on, "Glorify Thy name." If in mercy Thou wilt spare

Joys that yet are mine; If on life, serene and fair, Brighter rays may shine; Let my glad heart, while it sings, Thee in all proclaim, And, whate'er the future brings, Glorify Thy name. --By L. Tuttett 350. Love goes beyond safety. 351. God rarely seems to use a man who pampers himself with luxury. 352. It doesn't take a great mind to be a Christian, but it takes all the mind a man has. 353. All Heaven is waiting to help those who will discover the will of God & do it. 354. Obedience won't stop the decomposition of our physical lives but it will halt the decay of our spiritual lives. 355. In the nineteenth century people who passed the Rothschild mansion in the fashionable quarter of London noticed that the end of one of the cornices was unfinished. The question maybe asked: Could not the richest man in the world afford to pay for that cornice, or was the lack due to carelessness? The explanation is a very simple yet suggestive one when it is known. Lord Rothschild was an orthodox Jew, and every pious Jew's house, tradition says, must have some part unfinished, to bear testimony to the world that its occupant is only, like Abraham, a pilgrim and a stranger upon the earth. 356. The Calif Omar said, "Either these books conform to the Koran or they do not. If they do, they are not needed; if they do not, they are positively harmful. Therefore let them be destroyed." And so he ordered the destruction of the 700,000 manuscript volumes of the great Alexandrian Library. 357. When Robert Morrison, the first missionary to go to China, disembarked from his ship in a Chinese port, the captain sneeringly said, "So you think you are going to make an impression upon China." Morrison quietly replied, "No, sir, but I believe God will." 358. I am only an average man, but I work harder at it than the average man.--Theodore Roosevelt 359. When Thorwaldson was asked, "Which is your greatest statue," He replied, "The next one." 360. Charles Dickens, when asked the secret of his success, answered, "Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well: whatever I have devoted myself to I have devoted myself to completely." This is simply another version of Paul's advice. "Whatsoever you do, do it heartily." He was writing to slaves, for whom it was hard to throw their soul into the work. He reminded them that they were working not for men but for God. "Ye serve the Lord Christ." (Col.3:23) 361. It's like the old maid: They asked her one day, "How come now you're always so peaceful & you seem now to be happy when before you were always upset & nervous & worried?" She said, "I've quit struggling." She quit worrying about getting a husband, "I quit struggling". When you stop worrying about being good, if you have God's goodness, He will make you good enough for Him, when you stop worrying about what people think about you.--Dad 362. The Rev. J. Alexander Clark, a Scotch missionary from Africa, told in this country a very striking story of an African who had been mauled by a lioness and was well-nigh dead. Mr. Clark cared for his wounds, and when he got well he left. After three months he came back to Mr. Clark, and said, "You know the law of the African forest, that the redeemed belongs to the redeemer. I was dead, but I am now

alive. I am yours. Here are my six wives and my children and my cattle; do with me as you will." Are we willing to surrender all to Christ like that? The secret of our lack of power and service is just this--we do not acknowledge that we, the redeemed, belong to the Redeemer. 363. Some years ago a couple of stock buyers in the South rode up to the home of an old colored man and noticed a fine milk cow grazing in the yard. One of them said, "Uncle, we would like to buy this cow. Is she yours?" The old Negro replied, "No, sah, boss, dat ain't my cow. Hit's de Lawd's cow. I'm jest a-keepin' her fer Him." That old man had grasped the great principle of stewardship. We really do not own anything. Whatever we seem to possess is just loaned to us for a little while, for "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof." 364. A young lady stood talking to an evangelist on the subject of consecration. "I dare not give myself wholly to the Lord," she said, "for fear He will send me out to China." The man of God said: "If some cold, snowy morning a little bird should come, half frozen, pecking at your window, and should let you take it in and feed it, thereby putting itself entirely in your power, what would you do? Would you grip it in your hand and crush it? Or would you give it shelter, warmth, food, and care?" A new light came into the girl's eyes. "Ah, I see, I see!" And her face shone as she went away. Two years later she again met the clergyman and recalled to him the incident. With a countenance all aglow with holy joy, she said, "And, do you know, I am going to China!" 365. The Christian needs won't power as well as will power. 366. There are three particular temptations that assail Christian workers: the temptation to shine, the temptation to whine & the temptation to recline. 367. I don't like to hear cut-&-dry sermons. When I hear a man preach I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees.--Abraham Lincoln 368. Salvation is a helmet, not a nightcap. 369. You do not do God a favour by serving Him. He honours you by allowing you to serve Him. 370. Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this World. 371. We are saved to serve, not to be served. 372. To be of use in the World is the only way to be happy. 373. Shamgar had an oxgoad David had a sling, Samson had a jawbone, Rahab had a string, Mary had some ointment, Aaron had a rod, Dorcas had a needle, All were used for God. 374. If we are correct & right in our Christian life at every point, but refuse to stand for the truth at any particular point where the battle rages--then we are traitors to Christ.--Martin Luther. 375. "Work for Christ" 1) The field is large. Mat.13:38 2) The need is great. Jn.4:35 3) The time is now. Gal.1:10

4) The call is urgent. Mt.20:6 5) The work is varied. 1Cor.12:12 6) The partner is Almighty. 2Cor.6:1 7) The means are provided. Lk.19:15 376. A ship is safe in the ocean as long as the ocean is not in the ship, & a Christian is safe in the World so long as the World is not in the Christian. 377. Commitment is a relationship with the Lord Jesus that enables us in the midst of life's greatest comforts to be willing to die, & in the midst of life's greatest trials to be willing to live. 378. Give your life to God; He can do more with it than you can! 379. Sonship costs us nothing, Jesus paid the price. Discipleship costs us all we have, A total sacrifice. 380. If the Lord Jesus isn't worth serving every moment of every day, then He is not worth serving any moment of any day. 381. Discipleship is not dynamic until it is willing to be despised by the World. Furthermore, discipleship is not dynamic until it is despised by the World. And the converse is equally true. Discipleship is not despised by the World until it is dynamic. 382. The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you. 383. The secrets of the Lord are for those who live close to Him. 384. He who lives for God's honour & glory seeks neither praise nor reward, but in the end he is certain of both. 385. 1. Others saw the giants, Caleb saw the Lord; They were sore disheartened, he believed God's word; And that word he fully, fearlessly obeyedWas it not sufficient that the Lord hath said? Chorus: "I will never leave thee, go in this thy might; One shall chase a thousand, two put ten to flight." Oh, to follow fully like this one of old; Oh, to be like Caleb, doing what is told; Then the Lord's rich blessing will be ours today, He will prosper ever those who Him obey. If we are half-hearted, we'll not taste God's best; Those who follow wholly will be wholly blest, Blest in soul and spirit, body, mind and heart, Rich in heav'nly treasure, which He will impart. Oh, to have one Master, only One to please; Oh, to have one purpose, not our will or ease; Pressing ever onward to the goal before, Serving gladly, wholly, Him Whom we adore.

--Mabel Johnston Camp. 386. I dare not choose my lot; would not if I might, Choose Thou for me, my God, so shall I walk aright. --H. Bonar (1808-1888) 387. A fugitive is one who is running from home, A vagabond is one who has no home; A stranger is one away from home, And a PILGRIM is on his way home. 388. Who builds a church within his heart And takes it with him everywhere Is holier far than he whose church Is but a one-day house of prayer. --Morris Abel Beer, 1887389. The English novelist, J. B. Priestly, was once asked why it was that several gifted writers who were young with him had not matured in their arts as he had. His answer was this: "Gentlemen, the difference between us was not in ability, but in the fact that they merely toyed with the fascinating idea of writing, I cared like blazes! It is this caring like the blazes that counts." 390. Sir Joshua Reynolds was one of the most distinguished painters of his day; and, in answer to the inquiry, how he attained to such excellence, he replied: "By observing one simple rule, viz., to make each painting the best." 391. Always & everywhere the servants of Christ are under order to evangelise. 392. If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two.... If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you'd do. Oh, I know you'd give your nicest room to such an honored guest And all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very best, And you would keep assuring Him you're glad to have Him there.... But....when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door With arms outstretched in welcome to our heav'nly visitor? Or would you maybe change some things before you let Him in. Hide some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been? Would you turn off the loud TV & hope He hadn't heard, And wish you hadn't uttered that last, loud and hasty word? Would you hide your wordly music and put some hymn books out? Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about? And I wonder....If the Savior spent a day or two with you, Would you go right on doing the things you always do? Would you go right on saying the things you always say? Would life for you continue as it does from day to day? Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace? And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace? Would you sing the songs you always sing and read the books you read? And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you'd planned to go, Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends, Or would you hope they'd stay away until His visit ends? Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on, Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone? It might be interesting to know the things that you would do, If Jesus came in person to spend some time with you. 393. It's like the story of Saint Dominic: He came into this town & he was preaching the Gospel & they grabbed him & they were going to kill him. They had false witnesses paid to testify against him & they accused him. They said, "You're a thief!" He said, "Yes, I am." They said, "You're a liar!" He said, "Yes, I have been a liar too!" "You're a bad wicked man!" "Yes, it's true!" All the things they accused him of he said, "That's true! I'm very bad, wicked. I'm a sinner, all these things." "You deserve to die!" He said, "Yes, I do!" But he said, "God has forgiven me because Jesus died for me. I'm all these bad things, I would be even this & worse except for God & His goodness!"--Dad 394. I have learn'd the wondrous secret Of abiding in the Lord; I have tasted life's pure fountain, I am drinking of His Word; I have found the strength and sweetness Of abiding 'neath the blood; I have lost myself in Jesus I am sinking into God. I am crucified with Jesus, And He lives and dwells with me; I have ceased from all my struggling, 'Tis no longer I, but He. All my will is yielding to Him, And His Spirit reigns within; And His precious blood each moment Keeps me cleansed and free from sin. All my sicknesses I bring Him, And He bears them all away; All my fears and griefs I tell Him, All my cares from day to day, All my strength I draw from Jesus, By His breath I live and move; E'en His very mind He gives me, And His faith, and life and love. For my words I take His wisdom. For my works His Spirit's pow'r; For my ways His ceaseless Presence, Guards and guides me ev'ry hour. Of my heart, He is the Portion, Of my joy the boundless Spring; Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, Glorious Lord and coming King.

Chorus: I'm abiding in the Lord, And confiding in His Word; And I'm hiding in the bosom of His love. Yes, abiding in the Lord, And confiding in His Word, And I'm hiding in the bosom of His love. --Rev. A. B. Simpson; J. H. Burke. 395. We can't afford to win the gain that means another's loss; We can't afford to miss the crown by stumbling at the cross. We can't afford the heedless jest that robs us of a friend; We can't afford the laugh that finds in bitter tears an end. We can't afford the feast today that brings tomorrow's fast; We can't afford the race that comes to tragedy at last. We can't afford to play with fire, or tempt a serpent's bite; We can't afford to think that sin brings any true delight. We can't afford with serious heed to treat the cynic's sneer; We can't afford to wise men's words to turn a careless ear. We can't afford for hate to give like hatred in return; We can't afford to feed a flame and make it fiercer burn. We can't afford to lose the soul for this world's fleeting breath; We can't afford to barter life in mad exchange for death. But blind to good are we apart from THEE, all-seeing Lord; Oh, grant us light that we may know the things we can't afford! 396. Unless Jesus Christ is Lord of all, He cannot be Lord at all. 397. D. L. Moody said he wanted the "O & O" degree--"Out & Out" for Jesus. 398. Testimony of an enthusiastic Christian: "If people want to call me a nut, that's OK. But remember, I'm screwed on to a strong Bolt!" 399. Is the Holy Spirit only a resident in your life, or is She president of your life? 400. I have resolved never to do anything that I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life. 401. Those who can see God's hand in everything can best leave everything in God's hand. 402. If you cannot on the ocean Sail among the swiftest fleet, Rocking on the highest billows, Laughing at the storms you meet, You can stand among the sailors Anchored yet within the bay; You can lend a hand to help them, As they launch their boats away. If you are too weak to journey Up the mountain steep & high, You can stand within the valley While the multitudes go by; You can chant in happy measure As they slowly pass along,

Though they may forget the singer, They will not forget the song. Do not, then, stand idly waiting For some greater work to do; Fortune is a lazy goddess, She will never come to you; Go, & toil in any vineyard, Do not fear to do or dare; If you want a field of labor, You can find it anywhere. 403. Before you go to sleep, say to yourself, "I haven't reached my goal yet & I'm going to be uncomfortable & in a degree unhappy until I do." 404. Centuries ago, there lived in Italy a maker of violins, Antonio Stradivari. When he became able to have a workshop of his own he made it a rule that no violin should ever leave the shop until it was as near perfection as human care & skill could make it. He said, "God needs violins to send His music into the World, & if my violins are defective, God's music will be spoiled." 405. Bending over his workbench in Cremona, Antonio Stradivari, who died December 18, 1737, issued a vow that, through more than 200 years, has remained valid: "Other men will make other violins, but no man shall make a better one." 406. Give me souls or take away my soul! 407. He who abandons himself TO God will never be abandoned BY God. 408. HE CALLED ME OUT, the Man with garments dyed. I knew His voice--my Lord, the Crucified. He showed Himself, and oh, I could not stay; I HAD to follow Him, HAD to obey. IT cast me out--this world, when once it found That I within my rebel heart had crowned The Man it had rejected, spurned, and slain; Whom God in wondrous power has raised to reign. And so we are "without the camp"--my Lord and I. But oh, His presence sweeter is than any earthly tie, Which once I counted greater than His claim: I'm "OUT" not only FROM the world, but "TO His Name." 409. What is a mother but a slave to the child? What is a wife but a slave to her husband--a helpmeet! What is a shepherd but a servant unto his flock? The farmer kneels by the cow & serves her, & the cow is like a queen with the farmer at her feet--a mere servant. A teacher is the servant of the class. A leader is servant of the follower! May we be servants of the flock, Lord, slaves of Thy Children.--"In honour preferring one another." You are our Servant, Lord, waiting upon us all--ministering rather than being ministered unto! You are the greatest sample of all!--The greatest of all samples of humility & mercy!--Dad. 410. The Almighty appeared on Earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie & stare & wriggle & make noises, needing to be fed & changed & taught to talk like any other child...The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. 411. Happy is he who makes daily progress & who considers not what he did yesterday but what advance he can make today.--Jerome

412. I can say from experience that 95% of knowing the will of God consists in being prepared to do it before you know what it is. 413. "A martyr is not a martyr because he dies; he dies because he is a martyr." 414. Shall I, I pray Thee, change Thy will, my Father Until it be according unto mine? But no, Lord, no, that never shall be, rather I pray thee blend my human will with Thine. 415. Oh, to grace how great a debtor, Daily I'm constrained to be! Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Take my heart, Oh, take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above! 416. The Master stood in His garden, Among the lilies fair, Which His own right hand had planted, And trained with tend'rest care. He looked at their snowy blossoms, And marked with observant eye That the flowers were sadly drooping, For their leaves were parched & dry. "My lilies need to be watered," The Heavenly Master said; "Wherein shall I draw it for them, And raise each drooping head?" Close to his feet on the pathway, Empty, & frail, & small, An earthen vessel was lying, Which seemed no use at all; But the Master saw, & raised it From the dust in which it lay, And smiled, as He gently whispered, "This shall do My work today: "It is but an earthen vessel, But it lay so close to me; It is small, but it is empty-That is all it needs to be." So to the fountain He took it, And filled it full to the brim; How glad was the earthen vessel To be of some use to Him! He poured forth the living water

Over His lilies fair, Until the vessel was empty, And again He filled it there. He watered the drooping lilies Until they revived again; And the Master saw with pleasure That His labour had not been vain. His own hand had drawn the water Which refreshed the thirsty flowers; But He used the earthen vessel To convey the living showers. And to itself it whispered, As He laid it aside once more, "Still will I lie in His pathway, Just where I did before. "Close would I keep to the Master, Empty would I remain, I'll be here whenever He wants me To water His flowers again." 417. We must not seek rest or ease in a world where He whom we love had none. 418. Ease is never good for the people of God. 419. He values not Christ at all who does not value Christ above all. 420. Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin & desire nothing but God, & I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of Hell & set up the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.--John Wesley 421. I cannot say "Our" if I live in a watertight spiritual compartment. I cannot say "Father" if I do not demonstrate the relationship in daily life. I cannot say "which art in Heaven" if I am so occupied with the Earth that I am laying up no treasure There. I cannot say "hallowed be Thy name" if I , who am called by His name, am not holy. I cannot say "Thy Kingdom come" if I am not doing all in my power to hasten its coming. I cannot say "Thy will be done" if I am questioning, resentful of, or disobedient to His will for me. I cannot say "in Earth, as it is in Heaven" if I am not prepared to devote my life to His service. I cannot say "give us this day our daily bread" if I am living on past experience or if I am an under-the-counter shopper. I cannot say "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" if I harbour a grudge against anyone.

I cannot say "lead us not into temptation" if I deliberately place myself in a position to be tempted. I cannot say "deliver us from evil" if I am not prepared to fight it in the spiritual realm with the weapon of prayer. I cannot say "Thine is the Kingdom" if I do not accord the King the disciplined obedience of a loyal subject. I cannot say "Thine is the power" if I fear what men do or what my neighbours may think. I cannot say "Thine is the glory" if I am claiming glory for myself. I cannot say "for ever" if my horizon is bound by the things of time. 422. A classic in the annals of the U.S. Coast Guard is the story of Captain Pat Etheridge of the Cape Batterne station. One night in the howling hurricane, the look-out saw a distress signal from a ship that had gone aground on the dangerous Diamond Shoals, ten miles at sea. The lifeboats were ordered out. One of the life-guards protested, "Captain Pat, we can get out there, but we can never get back." "Boys," came the reply that has gone down in history, "we don't have to come back." The Lord Jesus has given us our marching order. He has commanded that the Gospel be preached in all the World. He has not promised His messengers an easy time. He has not given the assurance of a safe return to the home base--but He did say--"Go!" 423. God is not looking for ornamental but fruit-bearing Christians. 424. If we are to have genius we must put up with the inconvenience of genius, a thing the world will never do; it wants geniuses, but would like them just like other people. 425. Jim Elliot, martyr: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." 426. Though love repine, and reason chafe, There came a voice without reply,-"'Tis man's perdition to be safe, When for the truth he ought to die." 427. Christ's sheep are marked in the ear & the foot; they hear His voice & they follow Him. 428. Understanding can wait. Obedience cannot. 429. Faith & obedience are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God, trusts God; & he that trusts God, obeys God. 430. I had rather obey than work miracles.--Martin Luther 431. Who answers Christ's insistent call Must give himself, his life, his all, To give the World glad tidings! Who sets his hand unto the plough And glances back with anxious brow Will not be long abiding! 432. Once upon a time in the heart of the Eastern Kingdom lay a beautiful garden. And there in the cool of the day was the Master of the garden, who went for a walk. Of all the dwellers of the garden, the most beautiful & beloved was a gracious & noble Bamboo. Year after year Bamboo grew yet more beautiful & gracious. He was conscious of his Master's love & watchful delight. Yet he was modest & in all

things gentle. Often when Wind came to revel in the garden, Bamboo would throw aside his dignity. He would dance & sway merrily, tossing & swaying & leaping & bowing in joyous abandon. He would lead the great dance of the Garden which most delighted his Master's heart. One day the Master himself drew near to contemplate His Bamboo. With eyes of curious expectancy, Bamboo bowed his great head to the ground in loving greeting. The Master spoke: "Bamboo, Bamboo, I would use you." Bamboo said: "Master, I am ready, use me as you want." "Bamboo," the Master's voice was grave, "I would be obliged to take you & cut you down." A trembling of great horror shook Bamboo. "Cut...me...down? Me whom you, Master, have made the most beautiful in all of your garden? To cut me down, ah, not that, not that. Use me for your joy, O Master, but cut me not down!" "Beloved Bamboo," the Master's voice grew graver still, "if I do not cut you down, then I cannot use you." The garden grew still. Wind held his breath. Bamboo slowly bent his proud & glorious head. There came a whisper. Bamboo replied, "Master, if you cannot use me unless you cut me down, then do your will & cut." "Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would cut your leaves & branches from you also." "Master, Master, spare me. Cut me down & lay my beauty in the dust, but would you take from me my leaves & branches also?" "Bamboo, alas; if I do not cut them away, I cannot use you." The Sun hid his face. A listening butterfly glided fearfully away. Bamboo shivered in terrible expectancy, whispering low: "Master, cut away." "Bamboo, Bamboo, I would divide you in two & cut out your heart, for if I do not cut so, I cannot use you." "Master, Master, then cut & divide." So did the Master of the garden take Bamboo & cut him down & hack off his branches & stip off his leaves & divide him in two & cut out his heart, & lifting him gently, carried him to where there was a spring of fresh, sparkling water in the midst of Master's dry fields. Then putting down one end of Bamboo in the spring, & the other end into the water channel in his field, the Master laid down gently his beloved Bamboo. The spring sang welcome. The clear sparkling water raced joyously down the channel of Bamboo's torn body into the waiting fields. Then the rice was planted & the days went by. The shoots grew. The harvest came. In that day was Bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, yet more glorious in his brokenness & humilty. For in his beauty he was life abundant. But in his brokenness he became a channel of abundant life to his Master's world. 433. Do you do your job each day well enough that you would hire yourself? 434. There is healing in the Promise, There is healing in the Blood, There is strength for all our weakness In the Risen Son of God. And the feeblest of His children All His glorious life may share, He has better balm in Gilead; He's the Great Physician there. Would you prove this Great Physician, You must do what He commands; Carefully obey His orders; Lie submissive in His hands. You must trust without a question; Cast upon Him ev'ry care, And you'll find there's balm in Gilead, There's a great Physician there. 435. Christians who move the World are those who do not let the World move them. 436. Understanding can wait. Obedience cannot. 437. Martha in the kitchen, serving with her hands; Occupied for Jesus, with her pots & pans. Loving Him, yet fevered, burdened to the brim--

Careful, troubled Martha, occupied for Him. Mary on the footstool, eyes upon her Lord; Occupied with Jesus, drinking in His Word. This the one thing needful, all else strangely dim: Loving, resting Mary, occupied with Him. So may we, like Mary, choose the better part: Resting in His presence--hands & feet & heart; Drinking in His wisdom, strengthened with His grace; Waiting for the summons, eyes upon His face. When it comes, we're ready, spirit, will, & nerve; Mary's heart to worship, Martha's hands to serve; This the rightful order, as our lamps we trim-Occupied with Jesus, then occupied for Him!---Lois Reynolds Carpenter 438. Rest in the Lord, my soul; Commit to Him thy way. What to thy sight seems dark as night, To Him is bright as day. Rest in the Lord, my soul; He planned for thee thy life, Brings fruit from rain, brings good from pain, And peace & joy from strife. Rest in the Lord, my soul; This fretting weakens thee. Why not be still? Accept His will; Thou shalt His glory see. 439. A pilot was experiencing difficulty in landing his plane because of fog; & the airport decided to bring him in by radar. As he began to receive directions from the ground he suddenly remembered a tall pole in the flight path, & appealed in panic to the control tower about it. The reply came bluntly, "You obey instructions; we'll take care of obstructions". How many a Christian hesitates to obey God's Word because of problems & difficulties! If we only obey, He is capable of dealing with the problems & difficulties. 440. You can take change in your life two ways--victoriously or defeatedly! You've been defeated because you weren't yielded, and that has opened the door to discouragement, doubt, fear and lack of faith! But you've got to snap out of that no matter what it takes!--Even if it means asking for desperate prayer from the Family to lay hands on you, and then FIGHT, because unyieldedness is a dangerous road to go down! NON-YIELDEDNESS to the Lord's will is SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS! In essence you're saying, "I know better than the Lord! My will is more important than the Lord's will!" That is self-righteousness! And when you open your heart to this, the Devil can come in like a flood, and he'll keep smashing you down. On the other hand, if you yield to Jesus, then HE can control your life and give you peace and make you happy in SPITE of circumstances. When everything's going your way, you can be a great Christian! But sometimes the Lord allows us to get in these situations to remind us or show us that we're not really all that wonderful and we're not all that great and that we're really a wreck! And He does all he can to show us that WE can't get the victory. It seems like everything we do is just like sinking deeper into the mud, worse and worse! It's like quicksand, the harder we struggle, the deeper we sink, and pretty soon we're just sucked under, and then we see that only the Lord can pull us out!--Peter 441. If you're putting the Lord and His work first and His Kingdom first, with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, everything else isn't going to make that much difference. The Lord can send

blessings your way then because He can TRUST you with them, but if you forsake your plow and your relationship with the Lord to run off and get involved with some personal relationship, the Lord's not going to bless it and the Enemy can use it as a distraction! You have to put the LORD first. The Lord is the only place you'll ever find the comfort and the peace that you need. Every other situation or person will fail--your job, everything. If you put your hopes in natural relationships they will fail. It just doesn't work! It was designed that way! The Lord's pretty smart, He designed things so that the only thing that really fills the void is Him, and nothing else satisfies! So just love the Lord and put Him first and let Him work out whatever other situation He wants to work out. We have to know how to be in love or not in love, to have a relationship or not have a relationship. Whether you have someone to have sex with all the time or you're in jail and you don't have anybody to have sex with ever, what's the difference really? Does that mean you're going to stop serving the Lord or stop loving the Lord?--It shouldn't! Because all that counts is the LORD! All the other stuff should really be neither here nor there. It's just a little extra added frosting on the top! As long as you've got your eyes on the Lord and you're going forward and staying on the Lord's path and His will and not getting sidetracked by your job, your mate, your lover, He supplies all those things and gives you what you need, but they're not that important. But boy, if you get your eyes off the goal, your usefulness is lessened or lost--your connection with the Lord, your connection with the Word, your relationship with others, everything suffers! But as long as you put Him and His Kingdom first, everything works out right and all the pieces fall into their right place. --Peter 442. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Into Thy freedom, gladness and light. Out of my shameful failure and loss, Into the glorious gain of the Cross. Out of unrest and arrogant pride, Into Thy blessed Will to abide. I'll leave all the tears and sorrow I've known, And come to the joy and light of Thy throne! All of the things that once I held dear, Lord, I forsake, that I might draw near, Near to Thy bosom, for no Earthly care, Dare trouble or worry or weary me there. I lay at Thy feet my pride and my plans, And place all my hopes in Thy nail-pierced hands. 443. Out of my sickness, into THY health, Out of my want and into THY wealth, Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus I come to Thee. Out of my sorrows, into Thy balm, Out of life's storms, into Thy calm, Out of distress to jubilant psalm, Jesus I come to Thee. Out of myself to dwell in Thy Love, Out of despair to raptures above, Upward for ever on wings like a dove, Jesus I come to Thee! Out of the depths of ruin untold, Into the peace of Thy shelter and fold, Ever Thy glorious face to behold, Jesus I come to Thee! 444. I CANNOT but God CAN,

O balm for all my care, The burden that I DROP HIS hand will lift and BEAR. Though eagle pinion's tire I walk where once I ran, This is my strength: To know I cannot, but GOD can! I know not, but GOD knows, O blessed rest from fear, All my unfolding days To Him are plain and clear. Each anxious puzzle, "Why?" From doubt or dread that grows, Finds answer in this thought, I know not, but GOD KNOWS! 445. When I stand at the Judgement Seat of Christ And He shows me His plan for me: The plan of my life as it MIGHT have been Had He had His way. And I see How I blocked Him here & I checked Him there And I would not yield my will. Will there be any GRIEF in my Saviour's eyes? Grief, though He loves me still? When I stand at the Judgement Seat of Christ And He shows me His plan for me, The plan of my life as it might have been Had He had His Way, and I see. Will my desolate heart then well-nigh break With the tears I cannot shed. Will I cover my face with my empty hands And bow my uncrowned head? Oh Lord, mold me now as Thou wilt, In the pattern THOU hast planned. For the years that are left for me to live, I give them to THY hand. 446. The will of God for us is not something that we're to be resigned to in a sort of melancholy reluctant way, but something we are to feel JUBILANT about, because of what it is going to do THROUGH us, in making us malleable and submissive. "I delight to do Thy will, O my God." (Psalm 40:8) Not in dumb resignation Lift we our hands on high, Not like the nerveless, faithless, Content to do & die. Instead our faith springs like the eagle's, Who soars to meet the sun! We cry exultantly unto Thee, O Lord, Thy Will be done! 447. Holy Ghost with light divine, Shine upon this heart of mine. Chase the shades of night away,

Turn my darkness into day. Holy Ghost with power divine, CLEANSE this guilty heart of mine. So long SIN did have control, Held dominion o'er my soul. Holy Ghost, all divine, Dwell within this heart of mine, Cast down every idle throne, Reign supreme and reign alone! 448. I worked so hard for Jesus I'd often boast and say, I've sacrificed a lot of things To walk the narrow way. I gave up fame and fortune I'm worth a lot to Thee. Then I'd hear Him gently say to me: I left the Throne of Glory And counted it but loss My hands were nailed in anger Upon the cruel Cross. You've suffered, yes, but do you think You've suffered all that much? The cup of sorrow that I drank You did but scarcely touch! 449. "His Will be done", we say, reluctantly with sighs, Expecting trial, bitter loss & tears. But often He then answers us with blessings, And sweet rebuking of our faithless fears. Why do we often fear to do His bidding, And fail to do the thing He wants us to? The One Who clears a path and leads us down it Will light our way and also see us through. God's Will at times is not so soft and easy And often seems the harder path to choose, But let Him have His way and trust Him wholly, For though you give Him all, you'll never lose! It's true the road to Heaven's straight and narrow But let us bear our burdens with a smile, When we get Home beyond those shimmering portals, How small will seem each Earthly test and trial! His Will for us is good, & grace, & glory His Kingdom coming & on Earth begun. Why should we fear to say, "His Will, His righteous, Tender loving, joyous Will be done!"? 450. Dare to be like Daniel, Dare to stand alone, Dare to brave the lion's jaws.

Dare to stand up for your cause, Dare to stand alone! Dare to stand up boldly for all you know is true, Dare to risk your reputation, Risk your life to save the nation, Dare to stand alone! Dare to trust that God is with you in your stand! Trust He'll cause you to succeed, And give you courage that you need! Stand where Daniel stands! 451. OTHERS saw the giants, CALEB saw the Lord; THEY were sore disheartened, HE believed God's word; And that word he fully, fearlessly obeyed-Was it not sufficient that the Lord hath said? "I will never leave thee;" "Go in this thy might;" "One shall chase a thousand, two put ten to flight." Oh, to follow fully like this one of old; Oh, to be like Caleb, doing what is told; Then the Lord's rich blessing will be ours today, He will prosper ever those who Him obey. If we are half-hearted, we'll not taste God's best; Those who follow wholly will be wholly blest, Blest in soul and spirit, body, mind and heart, Rich in heav'nly treasure, which He will impart. Oh, to have one Master, only One to please; Oh, to have one purpose, not our will or ease; Pressing ever onward to the goal before, Serving gladly, wholly, Him whom we adore. Mabel Johnston Camp 452. Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to yield Thee Gladly, freely, of Thine own; With the sunshine of Thy goodness Melt our thankless hearts of stone Till our cold and selfish natures, Warmed by Thee, at length believe That more happy and more blessed 'Tis to give than to receive. 453. 1) Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love. 2) Take my feet, and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee; Take my voice, and let me sing Always, only, for my King.

3) Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages for Thee; Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold. 4) Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in endless praise; Take my intellect, and use Ev'ry power as Thou shalt choose. Frances R. Havergal, 1874 454. I have learn'd the wondrous secret Of abiding in the Lord; I have tasted life's pure fountain, I am drinking of His Word; I have found the strength and sweetness Of abiding 'neath the blood; I have lost myself in Jesus I am sinking into God. I am crucified with Jesus, And He lives and dwells with me; I have ceased from all my struggling, 'Tis no longer I, but He. All my will is yielding to Him, And His Spirit reigns within; And His precious blood each moment Keeps me cleansed and free from sin. All my sicknesses I bring Him, And He bears them all away; All my fears and griefs I tell Him, All my cares from day to day, All my strength I draw from Jesus, By His breath I live and move; E'en His very mind He gives me, And His faith, and life and love. For my words I take His wisdom, For my works His Spirit's pow'r; For my ways His ceaseless Presence, Guards and guides me ev'ry hour. Of my heart, He is the Portion, Of my joy the boundless Spring; Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer, Glorious Lord and coming King. A. B. Simpson 455. You have longed for sweet peace and for faith to increase, And have earnestly, fervently prayed; But you cannot have rest; or be perfectly blest Until all on the altar is laid. Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?

Your heart, does the Spirit control.... You can only be blest and have peace and sweet rest, As you yield Him your body and soul. Would you walk with the Lord, in the light of His Word, And have peace and contentment alway, You must do His sweet will, to be free from all ill, On the altar your all you must lay. Oh, we never can know what the Lord will bestow Of the blessings for which we have prayed, Till our body and soul He doth fully control, And our all on the altar is laid. Who can tell all the love He will send from above, And how happy our hearts will be made, Of the fellowship sweet we shall share at His feet, When our all on the altar is laid. Elisha A. Hoffman 456. Encamped along the hills of light, Ye Christian soldiers, rise, And press the battle ere the night Shall veil the glowing skies. Against the foe in vales below Let all our strength be hurled; Faith is the victory, we know, That overcomes the world. His banner over us is love, Our sword the Word of God; We tread the road the saints above With shouts of triumph trod. By faith, they like a whirlwind's breath, Swept on o'er ev'ry field; The faith by which they conquered death Is still our shining shield. On ev'ry hand the foe we find Drawn up in dread array; Let tents of ease be left behind, And--onward to the fray. Salvation's helmet on each head, With truth all girt about, The earth shall tremble 'neath our tread, And echo with our shout. To him that overcomes the foe, White raiment shall be given; Before the angels he shall know His name confessed in heaven. Then onward from the hills of light, Our hearts with love aflame; We'll vanquish all the hosts of night, In Jesus' conquering name. John H. Yates

457. I will say "Yes" to Jesus, Oft it was "No" before, As He knocked at my heart's proud entrance, and I firmly barred the door; But I've made a complete surrender, And giv'n Him right of way, And henceforth it is always "Yes", Whatever He may say. I will say "Yes" to Jesus, Yes Lord, forever "Yes"; I'll welcome all Thy blessed will, And sweetly answer "Yes." I will say "Yes" to Jesus, His promises I'll claim, And on ev'ry check He endorses I'll dare to write my name; I will put my "Amen" wherever my God has put His "Yea." And ever boldly answer, "Yes," whatever He may say. I will say "Yes" to Jesus, To all that He commands, I will hasten to do His bidding With willing heart and hands; I will listen to hear His whispers. And learn His Will each day, And always gladly answer "Yes," Whatever he may say. I will say "Yes" to Jesus, Whate'er His hands may bring; And, tho' clouds hang over my pathway, My trusting heart will sing; I will follow where'er He leadeth, My Shepherd knows the way, And while I live I'll answer, "Yes," Whatever He may say. A.B. Simpson 458. Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave, and follow Thee; Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shalt be: Perish ev'ry fond ambition, All I've sought, and hoped, or known; Yet how rich is my condition, God and heaven are still my own. Let the world despise and leave me, They have left my Saviour, too; Human hearts and looks deceive me, Thou art not, like man, untrue; And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might. Foes may hate, and friends may shun me, Show Thy face and all is bright. Man may trouble and distress me, 'Twill but drive me to Thy breast; Life with trials hard may press me, Heaven will bring me sweeter rest. O 'tis not in grief to harm me, While Thy love is left to me; O 'twere not in joy to charm me, Were that joy unmixed with Thee. Go then, earthly fame and treasure! Come disaster, scorn, and pain! In Thy service, pain is pleasure; With Thy favour, loss is gain. I have called Thee, Abba, Father;

I have stayed my heart on Thee: Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, All must work for good to me. Henry F. Lyte 459. Living for Jesus a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do; Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free, This is the pathway of blessing for me. O Jesus, Lord and Saviour, I give myself to Thee, For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me; I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne, My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone. Living for Jesus who died in my place, Bearing on Calv'ry my sin and disgrace; Such love constrains me to answer His call, Follow His leading and give Him my all. Living for Jesus wherever I am, Doing each duty in His holy name; Willing to suffer affliction and loss, Deeming each trial a part of my cross. Living for Jesus through earth's little while, My dearest treasure, the light of His smile; Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem, Bringing the weary to find rest in Him. --Thomas O. Chisholm 460. I clasp the hand of Love divine, I claim the gracious promise mine, And this eternal countersign, "I take, He undertakes." "I take Thee, blessed Lord," I give myself to Thee, And Thou, according to Thy word, Dost undertake for me. I take salvation full and free, Thro' Him who gave His life for me, He undertakes my All to be, "I take, He undertakes." I take Him as my holiness, My spirit's spotless, heav'nly dress, I take "The Lord my Righteousness," "I take, He undertakes." I take the promised Holy Ghost, I take the pow'r of Pentecost, To fill me to the uttermost, "I take, He undertakes."

I take Him for this mortal frame, I take my healing through His name, And all His risen life I claim, "I take, he undertakes." I simply take Him at His word, I praise Him that my prayer is heard, And claim my answer from the Lord, "I take, He undertakes." A. B. Simpson 461. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mould me and make me after Thy will, While I am waiting, yielded and still. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Search me and try me Master, today! Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now, As in Thy presence humbly I bow. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Hold o'er my being, absolute sway! Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, living in me! Adelaide A. Pollard 462. Saved to serve, oh, list the wondrous story, Saved to serve the royal King of glory; Going forth His banner floating o'er me; Saved to serve the King. Saved to serve when days are bright and cheery, Or when shadows make the pathway dreary; Never in His service growing weary, Saved to serve the King. Saved to serve, allegiance gladly yielding, Sin or wrong in any form ne'er shielding; In His name the sword of truth e'er wielding, Saved to serve the King. Lida Shivers Leech 463. Tell me not of earthly pleasures, Tempt me not with sordid gain: Mock me not with earth's illusions, Vex me not with honours vain. I am weaned from sinful idols; I am henceforth not my own; I have given my heart to Jesus, I belong to Him alone. Oh, the blessed rest it brings us To belong to Christ alone; We can draw on all His fulness When we've nothing of our own.

Blessed Jesus, take me, own me, Make me, keep me wholly Thine. Deign to find in me Thy portion, While I joy to call Thee mine. Weary soul, give up the struggle, Cease at length thyself to own; Give yourself away to Jesus, And belong to Him alone. Once He gave His all to win thee, Now He asks as much of thee; All He has He fully gives thee; Let thy love His portion be. A. B. Simpson 464. I choose Thee, blessed will of God! In Thee alone, my heart can rest, The current of Thy love, I know Can only bear me to Thy breast. I choose Thee blessed will of God! In Thee alone my heart can rest. I choose Thee, blessed will of God! No longer shall this will of mine In selfish blindness to Thy love, Its hateful choice and strength combine. I choose Thee, blessed will of God! The sweetest thing my heart hath known A chariot my God hath sent To bear me upward to His throne. I choose thee, blessed will of God! For in the circling of Thine arms, The gladdest Spring of Joy I find; Outside Thee fears and strange alarms. May Agnew Stevens 465. They tell of the bliss of the ransomed above In the land that is far, far away; But Jesus so fills my glad heart with His love That I'm living in heaven today. For heaven is Jesus and Jesus is mine, And His presence is with me alway; He fills me so full of His glory divine That I'm living in heaven today. They tell of the pleasures that never decline And the treasures that never decay; But Jesus Himself and His riches are mine, And I'm living in heaven today. No sorrows e'er come to that beautiful shore, And their tears have been all wiped away;

But Jesus has taught me to sorrow no more, And He fills me with heaven today. I now have a joy that they never can know, In that land that is far, far away; I'm seeking and saving poor sinners below, And this is my heaven today. A. B. Simpson 466. Jesus, Master, whose I am, Purchased Thine alone to be By Thy blood, O spotless Lamb, Shed so willingly for me, Let my heart be all Thine own, Let me live to Thee alone. Other lords have long held sway, Now Thy name alone to bear, Thy dear voice alone obey, Is my daily, hourly pray'r; Whom have I in heav'n but Thee? Nothing else my joy can be. Jesus, Master, I am Thine; Keep me faithful, keep me near; Let Thy presence in me shine All my homeward way to cheer. Jesus, at Thy feet I fall, Oh, be Thou my all in all. F. R. Havergal. 467. (PROPHECY) WHILE YOU WERE PRAISING THE LORD THE LORD WAS PRAISING YOU FOR GIVING YOUR ALL TO HIM: "These have given all to Me! These who have given all to Me shall receive in abundance many times over what they have given, and they shall receive reward beyond their comprehension, and beyond all that they could ask or think shall I give unto them when they are come into My house!" 468. Yes, it takes a lot of COURAGE To put things in God's hands, To give ourselves completely, Our lives, our hopes, our plans; To follow where He leads us And make His will our own. --But all it takes is FOOLISHNESS To go the way alone. --Betsy Kline 469. As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to Him because He was my friend. But then instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone, I hung around & tried to help with ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back & cried, "How can You be so slow?" "My child," He said, "what could I do? You never did let go."