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PREFACE

We present this booklet to the public with the sincere desire that it may glorify God in whose name it has been written and may it prosper to His glory.

These short talks have been pre- pared in the midst of a multitude of duties, and are not written for the critic. It is my earnest hope that this small book may prove helpful to all who read it. Will the read- er join us in the prayer that God will accompany these words’ always? Without Him they can be but mere words; with His power in them they will accomplish His work.

We are indebted to various sources for some of the thoughts here pre- sented.

The Author.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE SON OF GOD CROWDED OUT

SELLING OUT

BEING OUR OWN ENEMY

LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP

GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT

O YE HYPOCRITES

WALKING IN THE LIGHT

ENVY

THE CROSS

FOLLOW THOU ME

HINDERING THE SINNER

GROWING IN GRACE

TRUE HAPPINESS CONSISTS IN DOING GOD’S WILL

ETERNITY

THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY GHOST

DUTIES OF THANKSGIVERS

CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY

MY RECORD AT THE END OF THE YEAR

THE CHRISTIAN’S TRUE ADORNMENT

WHAT KIND OF A CHRISTIAN AM I

DIVINE GUIDANCE

QUARRELING

BROTHERLY LOVE

WHOSOEVER IS BORN OF GOD DOTH NOT COMMIT SIN

ASSURANCE

THE DEVIL ON THE JOB

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THE SON OF GOD CROWDED OUT - Luke 2:7

The greatest sin and step towards a downward ca- reer that the Jews ever committed was when they crowd- ed out the Son of God. As we read in the text: “There was no room for him in the inn.” “He came unto his own and his own received him not” (Jno. 1:11). This spirit characterized the age when Jesus came into this world. There was no room for Him. But there was room for all other things. That very same spirit char- acterizes the present age. The Son of God is crowded out—no room’ for Him.

The Individual

There are very few individuals who are not crowding out the Son of God in some way. If Christ is not given the first place in everything we do, He is crowded out; if we do not let Christ control the faculties of our mind and every member of our body, He is crowded out. If we do not ask His guidance in every detail of our life, He is crowded out.

The Home

According to Scripture, Jesus is the head of the home, and is able and willing to direct the affairs of the home in such a way that it can be enjoyed by everyone of its members. In many homes Christ is not given an opportunity to direct its affairs and therefore there are so many unhappy homes. Christ is crowded out of the home. If we do not take the time to read God’s Word and neglect the family worship, Christ is crowded out of our home. Quite frequently family worship is carried on

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as long as there is plenty of time. But when there is much work at hand the family worship is made as brief as possible and at times abandoned entirely. Christ is crowded out. If every home in the United States would make room for Jesus and let Him, control and direct the affairs of the home, our United States would be the best place on this side of heaven.

The Church

It is a sad fact that the church is crowding out Jesus very fast. There is no desire for preaching that goes to the heart and makes people uneasy in their unscru- pulous doings. They do not want to hear about the deity of Jesus and much less about the blood of Jesus that was shed for the sins of the world. They do not want to hear that holiness is one of the essentials for entering heaven. . Christ is crowded out—no room for Him. The church people have become a pleasure-seeking crowd. There is room for all sorts of worldly socials and pleasures, but the Son of God, the world’s Savior, is crowded out. If the church would have a real house- cleaning, do away with everything that is displeasing to God and give all the room to Christ, the church would be able to do her duty and be an institution for God. Many congregations that have crowded out Christ are now teaching the word of Satan.

The Schools

When the Bibles were ruled out of the public schools in some states, it certainly was a step towards a downward career—Christ was crowded out of the schools. The public school is next to the home where the children should get acquainted with the great fundamentals of the Christian religion which centers in Jesus Christ, re- vealed to us in the blessed Word of God. Christ is crowded out of our public schools. This is also true of our higher institutions of learning. Some of our uni-

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versities are turning out more infidels than anything else. Even many of the seminaries have no room for the Son of God. Jesus is no longer recognized as the Son of God. His death and His blood are set aside. His teachings are of no account. That Christ is crowded out of the seminaries is a very sad fact.

The Nations

The nations as a whole have crowded out the Son of God. I wonder how many times He was acknowledged as the Prince of Peace in the peace treaty. The follow- ing words were taken out of the “Gospel Trumpet”: “Some have grieved because God was not acknowledged in the peace treaty. He ought to be, but to do so is a delicate task. A confession of sin in the treaty would be more appropriate, for it could mention the Deity and still not speak of him as a national God or as a God who gave us the victory. Senator Sherman, of I!linois, pro- posed to write the name of God in the preamble, and a lively debate arose. Senator Lodge said it would be a travesty to invoke divine blessings on such a treaty. One senator said that if the Senate chaplain’s prayers had accomplished any improvements, he had not noticed it. Senator Sherman said he was not a member of any church and had never prayed in his life. All of which goes to show the need of prayers by those who know the value of prayer. The Bible tells us to pray for those in authority, and a good time to do so is now when some of our representatives can not do it for themselves.

The Results

“His own received him not.” Misery, woe and sorrow have been upon the people that crowded out the Son of God. The same will come upon the individual home, church, school and nation, that are crowding out the Son

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of God. Those that are crowding out the Son of God are crowding themselves out of a home in heaven

Someone will knock when the door is shut; Hear the voice saying, ‘I know you not.’ Someone shall call and shall not be heard, Vainly will strive when the door is barred, Someone will fail the saints’ reward,

Shall you? Shall I?”

SELLING OUT!

“What will ye give me?”. Matt. 26:15—This question was put to the Jewish authorities by Judas. It is evident that Judas was the financier of the company of the disciples. Each of the disciples had his peculiar gift and traits of character, which if properly directed into the right channel would serve as a blessing for all under their influence.

Judas Iscariot was trusted with the power of purchas- ing of the necessities for the maintenance of the company. Judas had in his heart the greed for personal gain, also knowing that the Jewish authorities were eager to get Jesus. “What will you give me?” said Judas to the authorities. And they came to an agreement for a sum equivalent to $16.95 in United States money. Judas sold out the Christ for $16.95! Indeed a poor. bargain. This deed brought upon Judas an eternal disgrace. We have never heard of a parent that named a child Judas Iscariot.

Many Judases today!

There are many people in these days that have sold Jesus for less than $16.95, yes, and this is true of people that have lived with Jesus even longer than Judas did; they betrayed Him and put Him to shame by an act or deed that was not worth $16.95. |

Sold Out!

For pleasures. — The average person in our day is. pleasure-mad. Everything that is godly goes on the altar of pleasure. What a pity to sell Jesus, the only

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satisfaction of the soul, for pleasures, and therewith forfeit eternal life.

For fashion—Women in these evil days have not sense enough to dress decently. They will sacrifice on the altar of fashion, decency, character and honor. Often times we see women in these days that have not enough clothes around them to cover their bodies decently. Because of such women, many a man has been shipwrecked. Sold out for style.

For money.— Many a man has set his _ heart on personal gain, or has greed for money, and it is sad to say, that on the altar of money, they have sacrificed everything that is godly: the prayer meeting goes and the Sunday services go. Twenty-five cents for the Lord and twenty-five dollars for selfish motives. We find many a rich man in these days that does not see ' anything else but money. Sold out for money!

For ungodly companions.— Many a girl has sold out for an ungodly young man who was _ addicted to all kinds of habits, who had no thoughts of God or of Christ, nor of the happiness of his bride. This also holds true with the young man who sold out to a young lady who cares mostly for dances, dress and painted face, looking more like a mummy than a human being. They sold out Christ! Their penalty is coming!

The Night Follows

It is worth remembering that when Judas made the trade or purposed to make it, he went out, and it was © night immediately. No man can give himself up for a price without entering into the night. Let us do what Jesus said: “Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you, and if your light turns to darkness, how great is that darkness.”

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“What Will Ye Give Me?”

Pleasure, style, money, ungodly companions? Sold out! What a pity! You can sell Him today, but He can never be bought through eternity. You can dispose of Him now, but He contains the greatest values that any heart could ever conceive of, both for time and eternity. Let us today close a bargain and a contract to be. sealed eternally, that we ar: not open for any trade or any departure from the living faith.

BEING OUR OWN ENEMY Hosea 13:9.

God said, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself,” after they had lost their country, power, influence, etc. Israel was victorious and subdued all her enemies as long as they were not their own enemies. But as_ soon as they became their own enemies, their destruction came.

Israel Became Her Own Enemy

when she became disobedient to the commands of God. God had promised them victory along the way with a prosperous country where milk and honey flowed. They should have this for an eternal possession, and no enemy would be able to take it away from them, if they would be obedient to God. But they became disobedient to God and with this they became their own enemies and their downward career toward destruc- tion commenced. This filled their hearts with the thought that they wanted a king like the mighty nations. In other words: God could no longer rule over them. They did not want to submit to His will. God was willing to rule over them and_ bring them safely through, but they preferred men to rule over them. They became a still greater enemy to themselves. The king came and ruled over the Jewish nations; this created pride in their hearts. How true is; the saying) {Pride wodth, betore|)a fall tenner was now her greatest enemy, after being disobedient to God, having chosen a human king to rule them, and their hearts being filled with pride.

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We May Be Our Own Enemies

'Many people that are living today are their own enemies, and many of them are unaware of it, just like Israel. As soon as boys and girls, men and women, become disobedient to God, they become their own enemies. If we would realize what a great step toward a downward career it is to be disobedient to God, we would be more careful. If you want to destroy yourself, continue to be disobedient to God and destruction is bound to follow.

We are our own enemies when we live after the dictates of the flesh. The flesh craves pleasure, lust, honor, etc. If the cravings for the mentioned things are satisfied, you ‘are destroying yourselves. We are our own enemies when we have hatred in our hearts. God says: “He that hateth his brother is a murderer.” The one that hates somebody else really hates himself, and instead of hurting the other wl he is really hurting himself. |

We are our own enemies when we allow jealousy in our hearts. We are our own enemies when we give ourselves over to all kinds of habits like tobacco, drinking, gambling, lying, etc. In brief, we are our own enemies if our hearts are not consecrated to God.

What Are The Results Of Being Our Own Enemy?

Very often by indulging in the things we have mentioned, we are destroying our bodies and minds. Thousands of young lives are destroyed every year by the use oi the cigarettes and by indulging in other destructive habits. |

Real happiness is destroyed by being our own enemy. There is no real happiness outside of Jesus. And to be happy in Jesus means to be separated from all that belongs to the world. If we are our own enemies we are

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destroying our own happiness. Many young men and women are expecting to be happy in some beautiful little home that they will own some day, but by being their own enemies they are destroying all this. The happiness of thousands of future homes is destroyed long before they are ever built, because they were their own enemies. If we are our own enemies we are not only destroying our earthly possessions, but also our eternal home with Jesus.

Are We Guilty?

We find the remedy in the last verse we have read. God says, “In me is thine help.” God draws nigh unto every one that draws nigh unto Him.

LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP Luke 5:4.

Jesus told Simon to launch out into the deep and to let down the net for a draught. Peter was obedient to the Master’s command and the results were very good Thus the Master commands us to launch out into the deep things of God.

Shallow Water

There are many people in the world that never learn to swim, although they have put on their bathing suits and are in the water with the other folks at the beach. Why these folks don’t learn to swim, is because they will not venture out into the deep, but stay where the water is shallow. This is true with many Christians; they have confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior and are comparing themselves with other Christians, listen to the same sermons, and sing the same hymns. But when it comes to a place where real faith and conviction in God is necessary, they fall back because they always stayed close to the shore. In other words, they are in shallow water. When these people are asked how they are get- ting along in the Christian life, they generally answer, “No one is perfect,” and away they go upon another sub- ject. These people in shallow water cannot trust God without being the owner of property, or having a good bank account and having provided enough food for at least a year in advance and then of course they can peacefully say: “The good Lord will provide for another year.” But should they lose their property and the bank account would vanish and there would only be enough food for another meal in the house, with no job

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in sight and severe sickness in the family, then it would be impossible for them to trust God. They have never launched out into the deep things of God, and therefore never learned to trust God at all times under all circum- stances.

Launching Out Into the Deep

When we were boys we went out to bathe in the ditches along the road in shallow water. We tried to swim when our hands touched the ground and we stayed above the water. But the water didn’t carry us. We never really learned to swim as we long as we stayed in shallow water. But when we launched out into the deep we soon learned to swim. When our hands could not touch the ground any longer, it was either go down or stay up. Of course all efforts were put forth to stay above the surface and soon the secret of swimming was discovered. So it is in the Christian life. Launch out into the deep water, into the deeper things of God and you will learn to trust God at all times. Then Jesus will be first and bank account, property, honor, etc., will be secondary. We can trust God without property and bank accounts. We have learned to swim in the abun- dant, all-sufficient grace of God. The deeper the water the greater the joy. Praise His name forever.

Cutting the Shore Lines

As long as there is a shore line fastened to a boat, it is impossible to launch out into the deep. The rea- son so many people never get into the deep things of God is because there are shore lines that are not cut. All those that have launched out into the deep and are enjoying the sweet fellowship of Jesus, have cut all shore lines. The principal shore line that is holding many from launching out into the deep is the selfish “TI.” The “I” must disappear entirely if a person wants to launch out into the deep things of God. “Jesus, it’s you,

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not I.” Another shoreline that prevents so many from launching out into the deep is the companionship with the world and its pleasures. A complete separation from the world is necessary. The shore lines of worldly pleas- ures are holding the church in shallow waters. She makes efforts to launch out into the deep but the prayers are lacking and instead of going onward she moves backwards into shallow waters. This is also true with many individuals. “God help us to cut this shore line of companionship with the world.”

An incomplete surrender to God is another shore line that holds many back in shallow water. ‘There are so many people today that surrender only certain things and to certain points and a strong shore line is still hold- ing them. May God have mercy upon them. This shore line can only be cut by a full surrender to God. With the Lord’s help cut it and launch out into the deep.

What a blessing to know that all shore lines are cut and we can launch out into the great promises of God!

“Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Hallelujah, what a Saviour! Hallelujah, what a Friend! ©

Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He’ll be with me to the end.”

Brethren

Where are we? Are we still in an unsatisfied con- dition, in shallow water, or have we launched out into the deep with all the shore lines cut, and are now enjoying the best that God has for His children?

GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Grieve not the holy spirit of God.”—Eph. 4:30.

Our text strikes the most vital point as to hindering the growth of our Christian life. The first step in back- sliding is grieving the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Roe ture says, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit

must have His own way in the believer, and when He has His way, He will perform wonderful things in, through, and for, the believer. The fruits thereof are as we find in Gal. 5:22—love, joy, peace, etc. Many precious fruits, and how pleased people are with such fruits! We like to be near them. We like their fellow- ship and they will like ours, if we have similar fruits. Not only the fellowship with such Christians is sweet, but the fellowship with God—“I walk with Him, I talk with Him, and He tells me, I am His own.” We say it is glorious to be in such a state as we have mentioned. All this is wrought in us when we let the Holy Spirit have His way in our hearts. We can destroy all this, that we have mentioned, and finally be lost, ery by grieving the Holy Spirit.

A Spirit-filled child of God is heavenly-minded. “And God delights to look down upon His heavenly-minded children. You have noticed as well as I have, that some heavenly-minded Christians become worldly along dif- ferent lines. This is true of individuals and also of con- gregations. When worldliness has gripped our hearts, then the Holy Spirit is grieved.

A Spirit-filled child of God has pure thoughts and will not allow the mind to meditate on impure things. ©

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We cannot avoid the coming of evil and impure thoughts, but we can avoid dwelling on them. As soon as we allow our minds to dwell on impure thoughts, the Holy Spirit is grieved.

‘A Spirit-filled child of God will not cherish non- Christian feelings against his brother or sister in Christ or against unsaved friends—such as believing that we are better than other people; allowing hate to creep into our hearts; speaking of other people’s faults, etc. If these things are cherished, the Holy Spirit is grieved.

A Spirit-filled child of God will not read corrupt lit- erature. The mind of thousands of Christians has been defiled by reading corrupt literature and the Holy Spirit is grieved. Are we guilty of grieving the Holy Spirit along these mentioned lines? The Scripture says, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit.”

The Effects Upon the Christian’s Life

We lose the joy and comfort of our Christian re- ligion. There are many people at present that really en- joyed and found comfort in serving Jesus, but now they say, “I have no joy and comfort in my Christian life.” Why? Because they are guilty of grieving the Holy Spirit along some of the lines mentioned.

We lose our usefulness. Some people tell us that they were used of the Lord, but they began to lose out, and finally they were not used at all in the Master’s service. And often it looks as though they had been en- tirely set aside. What is the reason? In nearly every case they have grieved the Holy Spirit.

We lose that tender conscience that so wonderfully did smite us for the least wrong committed; but grad- ually it became hushed. They can do things that they would not dare to do previously. How is this brought about? The answer is, they have grieved the Holy Spirit.

We lose our grip on God. A Spirit-filled child of

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God has a wonderful grip on God in prayer and in serv- ice, but this is lost. The hushing of the conscience pre- cedes the losing of the grip on God. The Holy Spirit has been grieved.

The final outcome is a hard-hearted backslider. There are thousands of backsliders all over the country, just on account of grieving the Holy Spirit. Are you guilty? Repent! ;

How to Avoid Grieving the Holy Spirit

The Scripture says, “Watch and pray.” If this is done continually in a humble way with obedience to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, the Spirit will not be grieved. The Scripture says, “Grieve not.”

O YE HYPOCRITES! Matthew 16:3

We are hypocrites if we profess to be what in truth and reality we are not. We put on a character which we are conscious does not belong to us and by which we intentionally impose upon the judgment and opinion of mankind concerning us.

The Name

comes from the Greek tongue in which it. primarily sig- nified the profession of a stage-player, which is to express in speech, habit and action, not his own person and man- ners, but the imitation of another. The underlying prin- ciple of a hypocrite is imitation and deceit, professing and acting as a Christian without the new birth or a saving grace.

The Hypocrite is a Double Person

He has one person who is natural, another who is artificial. The first is kept for himself, the other we put on as we put on our clothes. We usually put off the old clothes before we put on the new. The hypocrite puts on the new man without putting off the old man. My dear reader, if you are playing the hypocrite, you are a double person.

Sorts of Hypocrites

According to Matthew 23:5 we have a description of a worldly hypocrite. This fellow makes a profession of religion and pretends to be religious merely to be seen by the world. He puts on the Christian cloak when he

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appears before men, and thereby wants to make people believe that he is a Christian, but under that cloak is Satan. Romans 10:3 describes the legal hypocrite. These folks establish their own righteousness and be- lieve that they thereby may merit heaven. We find so many of them at present. Their own righteousness is the suit in which they make this appearance, while at the same time they have no real love for God, they never sub- mitted to the righteousness of God.

Matt. 13:20, II Pet. 2:20 give us a description of the evangelical hypocrite. This fellow rejoices under the idea that Christ has wrought out a salvation by His death for him, that he can be saved, and yet has no de- sire to live a holy life himself. We find this to be true at the present time. Wherever we go, we find that un- saved people are singing songs that only true Christians should sing; they take part in Christmas programs and rejoice that Christ is born but themselves do not take Him as their Saviour. This class is perhaps the largest of all. |

Another class of hypocrites is described in Matt. 13: 29, II Cor. 11:14, 15; we may call him the enthusiastic hypocrite. This fellow has an imaginary sight of his sins and of Christ. He talks of remarkable impulses and high feelings and thinks himself very wise and good while he lives in the most scandalous practices. Paul says, “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light, therefore it is no great thing if his minister also be transformed as the minister of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their work.” |

Their Work

Jesus says that their portion is a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt. 24:51. Indeed it is the worst place that is to be found. It makes a person shiver, even to think of a hypocrite’s doom. Why is the punishment so severe? Undoubtedly because he

LIVE THEMES 27

played the hypocrite against better knowledge. We cannot believe the idea of a hypocrite that he is in ig- norance of his hypocrisy. To commit a sin knowingly is a sin as black as hell. A hypocrite knows that he is wrong, and sins against better knowing. This makes the punishment. so severe.

WALKING IN THE LIGHT! I John 1:7

There is only one way to get to heaven, and that is by traveling in the day-time; it is a walk in the sunshine and light. No Christian pilgrim treads in the path of darkness, but in a clear, well-defined and lighted path. It is a walk in the open daylight that all can see which way the traveler is going.

Progressing in the Light

To walk means to move and make progress on the path. If we were to undertake a journey to a distant land with a path unknown to us, we would indeed take the day for walking—‘“walking in the light.” It would be of no use if we were on the path during the day, and would not walk. So it is with a Christian’s life. It is not enough to say, we are on the path in the day and do not walk. We must be walking on the road, in the light— making progress on the road. The Christian pilgrim walks and does not sleep, nor sit down, nor does he yield to self-indulgences. He goes forward and is today one day nearer his resting place than yesterday. He says with Paul: “Not as though I had already attained either, were already perfect; but I follow after, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” To walk in the light is to walk uprightly, to walk in the ways of the Lord, to walk by faith and in the Spirit, to walk in the truth, to walk in love and to walk in the newness of life.

To Walk in the Light is:

1. A safe walk—We read in John 11:9-10: “But if a man walk in the night (not in the light) he stumbleth,

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because there is no light in him.” To walk in the light is to see the pitfalls and dangers on the way, and he avoids them. It is a safe walk. If a person walks by day. and falls by the wayside, it is because of his own carelessness. So it is in the Christian’s life. A walk in the light is perfectly safe. He sees all the dangerous places and shuns them.

2. It is not only a safe walk but also a pleasant walk. We cannot enjoy the nice and beautiful scenery along the way, when we travel in the dark. Everything looks so very dreary and disheartening, but when the beautiful stun rises and the gladsome sunbeams brighten our path, it is indeed pleasant to walk in the day. So it is in a spiritual sense. The sun of righteousness. shines on our path and makes everything look beautiful on the road to heaven. And it is indeed pleasant to walk by the day and behold all graces with the spiritual eye.

3. To walk in the light is also a healthful walk. A walk early in the morning is good for the body, makes us feel refreshed all day. This is also true with the peo- ple on the way to heaven. Walking in the light is good exercise and therefore healthy for the body. Walking in the light is good exercise, because it starts the faculties of the mind and the members of the body moving for God, and that is very healthy for the spiritual man.

4, It is a walk that will catch the eye of the people in darkness. In other words, it is an attractive walk. A person that walks in the light is a happy and joyful person, and therefore attractive. A person walking in darkness is generally unhappy and downhearted. The happy person will attract the unhappy, downhearted per- son and win him for God and start him on the path of light. Would all professed children of God walk in the light as they should, many unsaved would be attracted and started out on the path of light.

5. And finally it is a sure walk. The one that walks in darkness does not know where he is going or where he will land. Sooner or later he will discover

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that he is all wrong. The ones that walk in the light see the road. It is plainly before the traveler and he knows where it leads to. He is certain that it will end well and bring the traveler to the happy and longed-for home.

Brethren!

Let us walk in the light every moment of our life, and the end of our journey will be victory, and will land us on the other side of the pearly gate. It is indeed a blessed privilege that the heavenly Father has given us: to walk in the light that comes from God.

ENVY Proverbs 27:4

Wrath is cruel and anger is outrageous, but who is able to stand before envy? Envy is rottenness of the bones. Prov. 14:30. Nothing is so detrimental, injurious and dangerous to the Christian as envy. We should be more afraid of it than of a rattlesnake or a ravenous beast.

The Source of Envy

A writer has well said, ““Envy is a sensation of uneasiness and disquiet, arising from the advantages which others are supposed to possess above us, accom- panied with malignity towards those who possess it.” It is universally admitted to be one of the blackest pas- sions in the human heart. No one indeed, is to be con- demned for defending his rights and showing displeasure against a malicious enemy, but to conceive ill-will or bad feeling toward one who has done no evil or injury to us, just because he is more prosperous than we are, is a disposition altogether unnatural. It is said that the character of an envious person is altogether odious—all disclaim it; and they who feel themselves under the in- fluence of this passion, carefully conceal it.

The chief grounds may be reduced to three points. First: Intellectual advantages. Here is a person with a bright mind. His intellectual abilities are above his friend’s. He is accomplishing things that the other fel- low cannot do, although he tries but makes a failure of it. He now sees that the intellectual abilities of the other fellow are superior to his. Envy at once appears and from that very day the other fellow is a thorn in his eye, although he is innocent.

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Second: There are advantages as to birth and rank. This often creates envy in the hearts of men. Here are well-to-do, refined parents with their children. These have the advantage of others in many ways because the parents are able to give them, a good education and many other helpful things that pertain to a successful life. Finally, they inherit a fortune, and before they are middle-aged, they are up in the world and well-to-do, while the other fellow has tried hard, but because of not having the helpful advantages in his younger years, he has not been so successful as the other. Here is again a start for envy toward the other fellow, although he has done nothing to merit it.

Third: Envy is created by the other fellow’s success in worldly pursuits. Human nature is such that it does not like to see the other fellow get ahead of him. If he does, envy appears on the scene. Rachel envied her sister Leah because of her fruitfulness. Joseph was en- vied by his brethren because his father loved him more than the other children. The Jews envied Paul because he preached Christ and Him crucified. Pilate knew that the Jews for envy had delivered Jesus to him because God honored the work of His Son.

Envy Among Children of God

Envy is not only found among the worldly people, but also among the children of God. Where you find a number of God’s children worshipping the Lord, envy will appear among them. Young people that are talented and can do things in a more attractive way than others are soon envied by the others. This sometimes puts one family against another. It is also true of ministers and

conference workers. Sometimes one congregation will

envy the other; one mission the other; etc.

Envy Manifests Itself

when we begin to criticise. Here is a person that is hum- bly working for the Lord, with success. Instead of this

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successful worker being remembered in prayer that he may be more successful, he is criticised unmercifully and hindered as much as possible. An envious person, as a rule, mistrusts others and is easily hurt by not getting enough honor. They believe other people are under- mining them. These people are also dissatisfied, it seems, with nearly all things, and therefore unhappy, while others are receiving blessings in the meetings and are becoming happy. Of course, it is no wonder, because the heart is full of envy and there is no room for a blessing from, God.

Envy Does Much Harm

Envy destroys unity and is.very often the cause of great church quarrels. Many a blessing is lost through envy and the fellowship with God and with one another destroyed. Souls are kept out of the Kingdom of God and are finally lost. Envy robs the individual and the Church of the first love, and hinders the work of the Holy Ghost in the individual, church and conference and does many other harmful things.

The Bible Says

that envy is just as bad as rioting and drunkenness; as chambering and wantonness and strife. Envy is put on the same level with all these, therefore envy should be put off. The character of an envious person is, as a rule, hateful. Has envy found a place in our hearts? Let us put it away with the help of God. No envious person will ever enter into heaven.

May the Lord give us grace to put all these aside for Jesus’ sake. |

THE CROSS I Corinthians 2:7; Gal. 6:14

The theme of Paul, the great preacher and greatest character of the age, was Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And he gloried in the Cross. Why did Paul select this theme? Because it was popular, or because the people were so anxious to hear about the Cross? No, it was just the opposite. The preaching of the Cross was weakness to the Romans, as they trusted in the arm of flesh. To the Greeks, the preaching of the Cross was foolishness, be- cause they trusted in education. To the Jews, the preach- ing of the Cross was a stumbling block, because they did not want Jesus to be their Messiah. Paul did not preach because the people wanted to hear about the Cross, but because it was needed.

This is true of today. The preaching of the Cross is not welcomed. It is weakness, foolishness and a stumbling block to the people. If there ever was a time when the preaching of the Cross was necessary, it is today.

One look to the crucified Saviour reveals to us

The Love of God

The Cross on Calvary reveals to us the greatest love story the world has ever seen or heard. God gave His only begotten Son to die on the Cross for the sin of the world. When He cried out, “It is finished,” the prom- ise was fulfilled which the Lord had given to the first parents when they had to leave Eden. The serpent is still in the world, but the power of sin received a blow with the statement of Jesus, “It is finished.” The resur-

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rection morning put the seal on the aia labor of love for the past, present and future. i

God’s love to the world reveals itself in the crucified: Saviour. Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.

The Cross Reveals Sin

What did God think of sin? Look to Calvary and you will see God’s thoughts about the sin into which humanity had plunged. If sin were only a common thing God would never have permitted His Son to suffer on the Cross as He