What kind of impression does your home-life give to your children? You cannot teach them what you do not know! You cannot give them what you do not possess! If you have an empty cupboard, you cannot provide food for your child. If you, yourself, are not right with God, you cannot influence your child Godward. It is home instruction that determines what your boys and girls will be. The devil will try to get at your child soon enough. Guard him as long as you possibly can. Lead him to Christ. Teach him to look to Christ. Your success in this direction will depend upon your own character, your own communion, your own standing before God, and your example and teaching. You will be more likely to win your children for God and good if you are right yourselves. I know that discipleship needs courage and moral backbone. It means taking up your cross. It means becoming patient and gentle and tender and loving because there is the royal road to victory over self and over moral weakness and sin. For the sake of your babies, your boys and girls, your position and influence in the home, the city and the church, let Jesus Christ fill your life. Be wholly consecrated to His service. Tell Him that He shall have one life true to Him, that your time, your talents, your mind, body and soul, shall be His. Tell Him that – and now! Stand by that promise! Whatever happens, stand by it. If you will do that, you will win out, for faithfulness and loyal devotion will have its abundant reward. I do not care how difficult your task may be, or how hard your life may be, if you are true to Jesus Christ, you will win a great reward, and win those you love. Believe me, it is the home life that tells. It is the influence of home that leads boys and girls to decide for Christ. The home is the sanctuary of the soul as well as of the body. Give yourselves to God. Let Him protect and guide you. The only way to go through life safely is to go through it with God. One of the most beautiful words in the English language is that little word “Home!” A real home is where love is, where peace is, where joy is, where God is. A home without Christ in it is like a grate without a fire in it on a cold day. See to it that Christ is the cornerstone of your house, that His altar is on your threshold, that His service is your delight. Then you will raise up sons and daughters who will live to bless you. And in the day of many surprises, when you have left this earthly home for one of the many mansions, you will find them there – safe, happy, restored, united, and with not one absent. – Gipsy Smith (1860 – 1947) was a British evangelist who conducted evangelistic campaigns in many places around the world, especially Great Britain and the United States. This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org

Now were the privilege of repeating my early career allotted me, I will tell you what I should do, could I go back once more to the beginning of my career and be assured that a long spell of vigorous life was before me. I should offer my life up, without a moment’s hesitation, on the altar of redeeming love. I should place myself – spirit, soul, and body – at the feet of Jesus Christ, ready and willing literally to live, suffer and die for Him. But did I not do this many years ago? Certainly I did! When a lad of only fifteen years of age, I made this offering so far as my limited knowledge would allow. But if found in the circumstances I have imagined – with all the light that has, since those days, come into my soul through experience, observation and instruction in harmony with my consecration, and – I should make the same offering, only far more wholeheartedly than I did then. And having made the offering, I should at once proceed to act in that in the most thorough manner possible. I should say, “Oh, my God, I am Thy son, Thy servant, Thy soldier. Henceforth let me do nothing and allow nothing in my heart or in my life but what is calculated to promote Thy interests on earth, the purpose for which I have been entrusted with my being. And then let me come up and reign with Thee forever and forever.” In pursuance of that object, I should resolve to be something that would count in strife between good and evil raging around me. No silly wasting of time, or strength, or faculties, or goods, or opportunities would satisfy me. All would be consecrated, all baptized with holy power, all made truly divine. To further my design, I should be a man of sacrifice – I would accept a life of poverty, privation, and toil, as being my Heavenly Father’s way for me. And I should struggle until I attained that state of mind which would enable me to endure hardship without a murmur or complaint. I should be a man of prayer – I should accustom myself to holding intercourse with heaven, until my spirit was ever communing with God, interceding for man, and crying for the Holy Ghost – that is until I prayed “without ceasing.” Oh, when I look back over the course I have traveled through the world, what a precious, invaluable privilege of prayer has been mine! Were I, while I write this, again standing on the threshold of my earthly life, whether long or short, I should at once start to pray. Indeed, I should pray in public and in private; yes, everywhere I should pray, until my every thought was a prayer. I should be a man of holiness – a truly righteous man. Oh, if I were young again, with the prospect of a long life before me, I should surely say, “Oh, my God, my God, let me indeed and of truth be a holy man, that I may make men know what the Kingdom of heaven really is!” I should be a man of compassion for human suffering – I should cultivate the spirit of sympathy with human distress wherever and whenever I might find men and women and children in sorrow, no matter whether their distress had been brought about by their own evil conduct or the evil conduct of others, or by some mischance for which they were not responsible. I should be a man of faith. To that end I should cultivate the holy habit of trusting God. In season and out of season I should practice believing. Under the most difficult conditions that could possibly befall me, I should accustom myself to a bold reliance on the protection and provision and direction of my loving Lord. In every hour and in every place I should believe all the time that my Father’s arms were around me, that my Savior’s wings were over me, that the Spirit’s light was guiding me, and that all was going well and could not be other than well, both for earth and heaven. I have given you only a very faint and imperfect idea of the manner in which I should deal with my life, had I the privilege of living it over again. Nevertheless, it is there, and to the realization of that standard I shall consecrate the remaining days of my advanced years. For all will agree that the service and devotion which I feel would be my duty at the commencement of my life must be equally my duty at its close. Whether young or old, this, then, is my standard of love and duty, and my standard it shall continue to be until I utter my last word, and breathe my last breath on earth. Will you not join me in this consecration? Long years may yet be your portion. The world may yet be before you: God is on your side. – Adapted. William Booth (1829 – 1912) was an English preacher and founder of the Salvation Army. This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org

The following excerpt is from the last call that D. L. Moody issued – an invitation in 1899 to the General Conference of Christian Workers: “Many thoughtful men have come to feel strongly that the hope of the church today is in a deep and widespread revival. We are confronted with difficulties that can be met in no other way. The enemy has come in like a flood – it is time for those who believe in a supernatural religion to look to God to lift up a standard against him. Oh, for a revival of such power that the tide of unbelief and worldliness that is sweeping in upon us shall be beaten back; that every Christian shall be lifted to a higher level of life and power, and multitudes of perishing souls be converted to God! Why not? God’s arm is not shortened, nor His ear heavy. I believe the sound of the going in the tops of the mulberry trees may already be heard. “The history of revivals proves that such a work must begin at the house of God. Who can doubt that if somehow the church could be thoroughly aroused – not a mere scratching of the surface of our emotions, but a deep heart-work that shall make us right with God and clothe us with power in prayer and service – [we] would witness the mightiest movements of the Holy Spirit since Pentecost? “Let us ‘break up our fallow ground,’ seek a fresh anointing of the Spirit, and then move forward, expecting great things of God….” – D. L. Moody (1837 – 1899) was a prominent American evangelist and publisher. This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org

What is faith? In the simplest manner in which I am able to express it, I answer: Faith is the assurance that the thing which God has said in His Word is true, and that God will act according to what He has said in His Word. This assurance, this reliance on God’s Word, this confidence – is faith. No impressions are to be taken in connection with faith. Impressions have neither one thing nor the other to do with faith. Faith has to do with the Word of God. It is no impressions, strong or weak, which will make any difference. We have to do with the written Word, and not ourselves or our impressions. Probabilities are not to be taken into account. Many people are willing to believe regarding those things that seem probable to them. Faith has nothing to do with probabilities. The province of faith begins where probabilities cease, and sight and sense fail. A great many of God’s children are cast down and lament their want of faith. They say that they have no impressions, no feeling, they see no probability that the thing they wish will come to pass. Appearances are not to be taken into account. The question is – whether God has spoken it in His Word. And, now, beloved Christian friends, you are in great need to ask yourselves whether you are in the habit of thus confiding, in your innermost soul, in what God has said in His Word, and whether you are in earnest in seeking to find whether the thing you want is in accordance with what He has said in His Word. Trials – The Food of Faith God delights to increase the faith of His children. Our faith, which is feeble at first, is developed and strengthened more and more by use. We ought, instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for patience, to be willing to take them from God’s hand as a means. I say – and say it deliberately – trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats are the very food of faith. I get letters from many of God’s dear children who say: “Dear Brother Müller, I’m writing this because I am so weak and feeble in faith.” Just so surely as we ask to have our faith strengthened, we must feel a willingness to take from God’s hand the means for strengthening it. We must allow Him to educate us through trials and bereavements and troubles. It is through trials that faith is exercised and developed more and more. God affectionately permits difficulties, that He may develop unceasingly that which He is willing to do for us, and to this end we should not shrink. If He gives us sorrow and hindrances and losses and afflictions, we should take them out of His hands as evidences of His love and care for us in developing more and more that faith which He is seeking to strengthen in us. We come then to the conclusion that God is a lovable Being, and we are satisfied with Him, and say: “It is my Father, let Him do as He pleases.” When I first began to allow God to deal with me, relying on Him, taking Him at His Word, I rested on the simple promises I found in the sixth chapter of Matthew. Read Matthew 6:25-34 carefully. I believed the Word. I rested on it and practiced it. I took God at His Word! In the last half century of labor I have been able with the simplicity of a child, to rely upon God. I have had my trials, but I have laid hold upon God, and so it has come to pass that I have been sustained. It is not only permission, but positive command that He gives, to cast the burdens upon Him. Oh, let us do it! My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee...” (Psa. 55:22). Day by day I do it. This morning sixty matters in connection with the church of which I am pastor, I brought before the Lord, and thus it is, day by day I do it, and year by year; ten years, thirty years, forty years. Stay Your Soul on God Do not expect to obtain full faith at once. All such things as jumping into a full exercise of faith I discountenance. The little faith I have I did not obtain at once. Letters come to me full of questions from those who seek to have their faith strengthened. Stay your soul on the Word of God, and you will have an increase of your faith. Some say, “I shall never have the gift of faith that Mr. Müller has.” This is a mistake – it is a great error – there is not a particle of truth in it. My faith is the same kind of faith that all of God’s children have had. It is the same kind that Simon Peter had, and all Christians may obtain the like faith. My faith is their faith, though there may be more of it because my faith has been more developed by exercise than theirs; but their faith is precisely the faith I exercise, only, with regard to degree, mine may be more strongly exercised. Now, my beloved brothers and sisters, begin in a little way. But first quietly and carefully examine and see whether what you are trusting for is something in accordance with His promises and His written Word. – George Müller (1805 – 1898) was a Christian evangelist and director of orphanages in England. This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Col. 3:13). Note in our text what an honor this Scripture puts upon our Lord Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 4:32 a similar precept is placed in a rather different form, for it runs thus – “Even as God, for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you.” None can forgive sins but God. He alone forgives against whom the sin is committed. Sin, therefore, being against Christ and Christ being able to forgive it, we see that He is exalted on high to give remission of sins. He shares in the high and royal prerogative of God, seeing He is able to forgive sin. Does not this expression seem to say that albeit the apostle and other inspired writers had many things to write of, yet one thing was always upon their hearts, namely, to honor their Lord? Is not this a proof of how thoroughly they were ­under the influence of the Spirit of God, of whom Jesus said, “He shall glorify Me” (John 16:14)? Whatever He is teaching, whatever duty He is enforcing, whatever promise He is delivering, the Holy Spirit takes care to do it so that the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted in the hearts of His people! Let us, in our hearts, adore the Anointed One, Christ Jesus, the Son of God – and never let us hesitate to honor the Son even as we honor the Father. Let us, as penitents, adore the pardoning Savior, seeing He has power to forgive sins and has cleansed the myriads of His redeemed from all their iniquities. The Pattern of Forgiveness But, brothers and sisters, while this gives glory to Christ, what a weight is lent to the precept, since it is supported by the example and the authority of our Divine Lord – “Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” What a model is set before us! How perfect is that spirit of love which we are to manifest! Even as Christ forgave us, we are bid to forgive others. What nobler pattern could have been chosen? Surely he that trifles with this precept, or thinks it one that is left to our option – to obey or to neglect – cannot rightly know the dignity of the Christ in whose pierced hands this law is held forth before our eyes! Depend upon it, this command, so wondrously linked with the Person of the pardoning Christ, is of no common importance. If the Law given by Moses was so solemnly binding, what shall we say of this law which is embodied in the life of the Lord Jesus? Surely I shall scarcely need to plead with you, who are His disciples, that you give your heart’s best attention to such teaching! Your Lord, Himself, stands before you! You remember how He forgave you all your trespasses? Then I am sure you will give earnest heed to His exhortation to forgive. Carefully study the pattern of forgiveness set before us in the text. “Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” What is this forgiveness of Christ? You know how He exhibited it in His daily life. He was much tried, but He was never provoked to wrath. Both by friends and by enemies He was made to suffer, yet He neither accused the one nor the other to His great Father. He never reviled those who reviled Him, but patiently yielded to their malice, giving His back to the smiters and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. His disciples He gently rebuked, but He never spoke to them in anger. A life of forgiveness was crowned by His dying prayer for His persecutors, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). He loved His enemies. He lived for His enemies. He died for His enemies. He was Incarnate gentleness, the mirror and paragon of forgiveness. Observe, also, that He forgave offenses most great and grievous. It was a horrible thing that when the Lord Jesus came into the world, moved by pure love, He was not welcomed, but Herod sought to slay the young Child. Afterwards, when He appeared publicly among men, the Jews took up stones to stone Him. His miracles were ascribed to the devil and His holy and unspotted character was traduced by His being called a drunk and a wine­bibber. He was the firstborn of the Lord of the vineyard, but when the husbandmen saw Him, they said, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and the inheritance shall be ours” (Mark 12:7). You know with what scornful cruelty they treated Him in the hour of His passion. What could the malice of hell have invented more contemptuous and cruel than that which men used towards the Well-Beloved? Had He been the basest of beings, His sufferings would have been too cruel. Men did all they could against Him. We, also, have crucified Him, for our sins were laid upon Him. We, also, must confess, “...He was despised and we esteemed Him not” (Isa. 53:3). We can never remember this without deep emotions of regret. We used no other friend so evilly. We crucified Him and slew Him, as far as we were able to do it, by our rejection of His love. And yet He has forgiven us! He is ready to forgive all such as seek His face. Oh, the splendor of that love which blots out sins like ours! What a flood of grace is this which rises above the tops of the mountains of our sins and covers them forever! It matters not how black or crimson our transgressions may have been, the moment we come to Jesus He makes us whiter than snow! He puts away the most horrible of offenses, the most glaring of transgressions! He says, “I forgive you. Go and sin no more” – and we, then and there – receive a perfect pardon! The Manner of Christ’s Forgiveness I want you, for a moment, to consider the question, How did He forgive? The manner of our Lord’s forgiveness is as noteworthy as the pardon itself. The Lord Jesus came and pardoned us when that act of grace was unsolicited! Before we had thought of mercy, He had thoughts of mercy toward us! I remember reading in one of our magazines a story of a city missionary who discovered a poor girl who had wandered from the ways of virtue. He had sought to restore her to a better life. He spoke with her till she became somewhat tender of heart. He enquired about her family and learned that she had once enjoyed a happy home and had known a tender father’s love. “But he would never look at me now,” she said. “I am sure he never would – I am such a degraded creature that I could not venture near his door.” “Have you never written to him?” “No, I could not write to him. It would be of no use. I could not expect him to send me an answer and it would break my heart to be refused.” “We will try,” said the good man, “we will write to him.” He wrote to the father and the next post brought back an answer, with the word, “Immediate,” written upon the envelope. The sum of the letter enclosed within was, “Ready to forgive.” She was taken to her father. She was soon locked in his embrace. All was forgiven – the wanderer was restored! Notice that her father had been praying for her, night and day, ever since she left his roof – and he had longed to receive her to his home again. Her seeking his forgiveness did not cause it – it was in his heart long before – and no doubt it was because of his cries and tears that God, in mercy, touched his girl’s heart and brought her home. Pardon is not first in the matter of our personal experience, but it is first as matter of fact with God. Oh! the mercy of the Lord Christ, that before we know our sin, He has made atonement for it by His own precious blood! The Lord Jesus Christ is to be held up as an example of pardoning love for the true and hearty way in which He forgives sin. The Lord Jesus Christ absolves sinners with all His heart. He never acts in a cold, formal manner. Never does He outwardly forgive and in secret retain His wrath – but wholly, entirely, joyfully, He puts away the sin of those whom He forgives – and puts it away forever! When He forgives, He forgives the whole of our faults, follies, failures and offenses. The Lord Jesus drowns all the hosts of sin in the depths of the sea and the whole of our guilt is swallowed up forever. This is great forgiveness, indeed! Glory be to Him who gives it! Let us follow Him in His truth and heartiness. This forgiveness, again, is given by the Lord Jesus Christ in the most complete possible manner. He keeps no back reckonings. He retains no reserves of anger. He so forgives that He forgets. That is the wonder of it! He says, “I will not remember your sins” (Heb. 8:12). He casts them behind His back – they are wholly and completely gone from His observation or regard. His people will, themselves, remember their sins with deep repentance, but the Lord will never challenge them on account of their past rebellions. Blessed be the name of Christ for such complete forgiveness as this! In knowing that we are forgiven by Christ, let us be clear and decided in our forgiveness of others – not only in word – but in deed and in truth let us exhibit a forbearing spirit. Copy Christ’s Example You see your example. Our word is, Copy it for yourselves. “Even as Christ forgave you” – the imitation should be as exact as possible. Mark the “even” and the “so” and endeavor to keep up with your gracious Lord. Notice, however, in the text, that this precept concerning the imitation of Christ in forgiveness is universally applicable. “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any.” You see it is not put that superiors are to forgive inferiors, or on the other hand, that the less are to forgive the greater – but the circle of the command includes the whole! The forgiveness and the forbearance are needed all around and we must both give and take. By the sweet love of Jesus, let us not fail in this business. In urging you to this copying of Christ, let me notice that this forgiveness of those who offend against us is gloriously ennobling. We are not asked to perform a duty which will, in the least, degrade us. Revenge is paltry – forgiveness is great-minded. If you would be the ­greatest among men, bear injuries with the ­greatest gentleness! Blessed is that man who is more than a conqueror because he inflicts no wounds in the conflict, but overcomes evil with good! He that overcomes by love is the better and stronger man through what he has done. He glorifies God and, he, himself, becomes strong in divine grace. Nothing is more glorious than love! Your Master, who is King of kings, set you an example of gaining glory by enduring wrong. We are to forbear and to forgive. “Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” I have heard it said, “If you pass by every wanton offense and take no notice of it, you will come to be despised and regarded as a person of mean spirit – your honor demands vindication.” When Christ forgave you, did His honor suffer by that forgiveness? You transgressed most wickedly and yet He forgave you – do you regard Him as less honorable because of that readiness to pass by offenses? Far from it – it is His glory to forgive! Where is the honor of revenge? It is a dishonorable thing to put yourself on the level of him who injures you. When you speak, or even think of another who has wronged you as though he were only worthy to be regarded as a beast, you are not right in spirit – a degree of evil remains in your heart. Think of the offender without contempt as well as without resentment! Believe that he is a brother worth winning. Say, “If he does me an injury, for that very reason I will do him a double service. My only vengeance shall be double love. I will not allow myself to even think harshly of him. I will put the best possible construction on all that he does and thus show that the spirit of Christ is in me, conquering the spirit of fallen humanity both in me and in him.” Says one, “If we always overlook offenses, other people may also be tempted to do us wrong.” Our text furnishes us with a ready answer to this. The Lord Jesus Christ forgave you. Have you met anybody who has been tempted to do wrong because the Lord has forgiven you? He has freely forgiven myriads of poor unworthy sinners and has that promoted sin? No. Is it not the very groundwork and case of holiness in the world, that Jesus is so gracious as to pardon sin? Why, then, should your forbearance do harm? Do not pretend to be so very wise, for therein you censure your Master! You are not the ruler of the world. It is not for you to be refraining from good for fear that evil may come of it – attend to your own ways – forgive everyone his brother his trespasses and leave consequences with God. “Oh, but,” says one, “I know several pious persons who are very unforgiving.” You do not know any really good man who is of that character! I make bold to say that no man is really good if he has not a forgiving spirit. Unwillingness to forgive is a grievous flaw in anyone’s character. But I hear another one saying, “These persons would not have forgiven me.” Just so, but when you are a child of God – you are, “elect...holy and beloved” (Col. 3:12). You are not to lower your standard to that of publicans and sinners. Does not Christ continually say, “What do you more than others? Do not even the publicans and the sinners the same.” “If ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?” (Luke 6:32). But if you love them that despitefully use you, then blessed are you when men shall persecute you! In that case you have an opportunity of showing your love to your Lord. Do not darken the light of God, but be sure to display it in your life, that many may be attracted to Christ by its luster. Let your goodwill go forth even to the worst of men, for Christ’s sake. Forget their evil as you behold His goodness. “Well,” says one, “I would forgive the fellow, but he does not deserve it.” That is why you are to forgive him! If he deserved it, you would be bound to do him the justice which he could claim. But, as he does not deserve it, you have, here, an appeal to your Christian love. Does not your Heavenly Father give good things to the unthankful and to the evil? Did not Jesus forgive the undeserving when He forgave you? Does He not overlook our wretched characters when He has mercy upon us? I hear one say, “I cannot forgive!” That is a terrible confession. The Apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). Is not the same strength available for you? Some persons find forgiving and forgetting to be hard work, but, as you are bound to do it, or stay out of heaven, you must cry to God for help and set about it with determination. If you are, indeed, a child of God, you will soon find the difficulty gone. To be forgiven is such sweetness that honey is tasteless in comparison with it! But there is one thing still sweeter – and that is to forgive. As it is more blessed to give than to receive, so to forgive is the flower. That Divine Spirit, who bears witness with our spirit when He breathes peace into us because we are pardoned, bears yet a higher witness with us when He enables us to truly pardon all manner of trespasses against ourselves! Let it never be said in a Christian church, that members bear a grudge against one another. Let it not be said of any Christian man that he is unloving, ready to take offense, apt to bear malice, or quick to anger. Cultivate forbearance till your heart yields a fine crop of it. Pray for a short memory as to all unkindnesses. Let us so live as to be able to say, “I am as much at peace with all men as a newborn child.” Thus shall we wear the mark of the Spirit of God. In a word, my brothers and sisters – “Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Amen. – Taken from the sermon “Divine Forgiveness Admired And Imitated.” Charles H. Spurgeon (1834 – 1892) was a Baptist minister in London known as the “Prince of Preachers.” This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org

No matter how excellent the constitution and laws of a country may be, or what its material resources, they are insufficient and ineffectual, unless a sure foundation for social order and public virtue is laid in the healthy regulation and wise discipline of its families. The nation is but the aggregate of individuals comprising it; and unless there are good fathers and mothers, good sons and daughters, brothers and sisters – there will be no good citizens. It is because our home life has so sadly deteriorated, that social decay is now so far advanced, nor can it be arrested until parents once again properly discharge their responsibility. We have no hesitation in saying that the future welfare of our nation is more seriously menaced by the relaxation of family government and the breakdown of home life, than by any governmental incompetence or foreign hostility. HOME! How much that one word used to convey! It is still one of the most precious in the English language unto some of us. Much more so when to all its natural attractions are added the hallowed associations which gather around a Christian home. Is not our favorite concept of heaven embodied in that blessed expression, "My Father’s house"? (John 14:2). Because the Christian is not his own, but bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20), he is to aim at glorifying God in every relation of life. No matter what station he occupies, or wherever he is – he is to serve as a witness for Christ. Godliness in the Home Our home should be a sphere of most manifest devotedness unto Him. All its arrangements should bear the stamp of our heavenly calling. All its affairs should be so ordered that everyone entering it should feel, "God is here!" The supreme aim of family life should be household piety, everything else being subordinated thereto. It is in the home our real characters are most manifested and best known. Out in the world, a certain measure of restraint is placed upon both our corruptions and our graces; but in the home, we are freer to act naturally, and it is there that our worst and best sides alike are exhibited the plainest. As a close observer and one of wide experience said, "I can never form a correct judgment of a man from seeing or hearing him in a religious meeting. He may seem a very spiritual person there, and say very beautiful things – but let me go home with him, and there I learn the actual state of the case!" He may indeed pray like a saint in the church – but unless his home is governed according to the Word of God, and his own conduct be regulated by the Spirit of Christ – he fails to witness for Him in that most important and influential sphere. The reality and extent of "a work of grace" in the soul are most clearly revealed amid the petty trials of home life. In the Scriptures, we find some of its most eminent characters subjected to that severe test. For example, the Lord gave as the reason for the intimate confidences He was about to make unto Abraham, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord..." (Gen. 18:19). Thus his home life was as pleasing unto God as was his public life. Nor are the Scriptures less explicit in showing us the disastrous consequences which attend a believer’s unfaithfulness in this relation. A notable case in point is the fearful ruin of Eli’s family: "I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not" (1 Sam. 3:13). The state of a preacher’s home is likewise made the test of his character: he is disqualified from the sacred office, unless he be "one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity," adding, "(for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)" (1 Tim. 3:4-5). Is Your Home Devoted to God’s Glory? What do visitors, especially those who spend a night under your roof, behold in your home? Do they see a household which is well-ordered, everything regulated according to God’s Word – or do they behold a scene of confusion and turmoil? Is there a noticeable absence of that carnal luxury and fleshly display which mark those whose affections are set upon things below? Is there little or nothing to distinguish your home from the worldling’s, or is everything in it aiming at the glory of God? Are the husband and wife conducting themselves as "being heirs together of the grace of life"? (1 Pet. 3:7). Are the children brought up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4) and "in subjection with all gravity" (1 Tim. 3:4) – or utterly spoiled, unruly, and a trial to those who have to endure their presence? Do visitors behold an example of parental piety, of beneficial discipline maintained, evidences on every side that their hearts are set upon something higher than the baubles of earth? Do they see a family that daily worships the Lord? If they do not, they will rightly suspect the genuineness of your Christian profession! Examples of Godly Homes It is not at all difficult to prove the obligation of domestic piety. Consider further the example of Abraham, the father of the faithful and the friend of God. It was for his domestic piety that he received blessing from Jehovah Himself, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment" (Gen. 18:19). The patriarch is here commended for instructing his children and servants in the most important of all duties, "the way of the Lord" – the truth about His glorious person, His high claims upon us, His requirements from us. Note well the words "he will command" them; that is, he would use the authority God had given him as a father and head of his house to enforce the duties of family godliness. Abraham also prayed with, as well as instructed his family – wherever he pitched his tent, there he "built an altar to the Lord" (Gen. 12:7; 13:4). Now my readers, we may ask ourselves, "Are we ‘Abraham’s seed’ if we do not the works of Abraham and neglect the weighty duty of family worship?" (Gal. 3:29; John 8:39). The examples of other holy men are similar to that of Abraham’s. Consider the pious determination of Joshua who declared to Israel, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Josh. 24:15). Neither the exalted station which he held, nor the pressing public duties which developed upon him, were allowed to crowd out his attention to the spiritual well-being of his family. Again, when David brought back the ark of God to Jerusalem with joy and thanksgiving after discharging his public duties, he "returned to bless his household" (2 Sam. 6:20). In addition to these eminent examples, we may cite the case of Job (1:5). Limiting ourselves to only one in the New Testament, we think of the history of Timothy, who was reared in a godly home. Paul called to remembrance the "sincere faith" which was in him, and added, "which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice" (2 Tim. 1:5). Is there any wonder then that the apostle could say "from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures"! (2 Tim. 3:15). Daily Family Devotions It is not enough that we pray as private individuals in our closets; we are required to honor God in our families as well. Each day, the whole household should be gathered together to bow before the Lord – to confess their sins, to give thanks for God’s mercies, to seek His help and blessing. Nothing must be allowed to interfere with this duty: all other domestic arrangements are to bend to it. The head of the house is the one to lead the devotions – but if he is absent, or seriously ill, or an unbeliever, then the wife should take his place. Under no circumstances should family worship be omitted. If we would enjoy the blessing of God upon our family – then let its members gather together daily for praise and prayer. "Them that honor Me I will honor" (1 Sam. 2:30) is His promise. An old writer well said, "A family without prayer is like a house without a roof, open and exposed to all storms." All our domestic comforts and temporal mercies, issue from the loving-kindness of the Lord. The best we can do in return is to gratefully acknowledge together His goodness to us as a family. Excuses against the discharge of this sacred duty are idle and worthless. Of what avail will it be when we render an account to God for the stewardship of our families – to say that we had no time available, working hard from morn until eve? The more pressing are our temporal duties – the greater our need of seeking spiritual support. Nor may any Christian plead that he is not qualified for such a work – gifts and talents are developed by use – and not by neglect. Family worship should be conducted reverently, earnestly and simply. It is then that the little ones will receive their first impressions and form their initial conceptions of the Lord God. Great care needs to be taken lest a false idea be given them of the Divine Character, and for this, the balance must be preserved between dwelling upon His transcendency and immanency, His holiness and His mercy, His power and His tenderness, His justice and His grace. Worship should begin with a few words of prayer invoking God’s presence and blessing. A short passage from His Word should follow, with brief comments thereon. Two or three verses of a psalm or hymn may be sung. Close with a prayer of committal into the hands of God. Though we may not be able to pray eloquently, we should pray earnestly. Beware of wearying the young ones. The Blessings of Family Worship The advantages and blessings of family worship are incalculable. First, family worship will prevent much sin. It awes the soul, conveys a sense of God’s majesty and authority, sets solemn truths before the mind, and brings down blessings from God on the home. Personal piety in the home is a most influential means, under God, of conveying piety to the little ones. Children are largely creatures of imitation, loving to copy what they see in others. "For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments" (Psa. 78:5-7). How much of the dreadful moral and spiritual conditions of the masses today may be traced back to the neglect of their fathers in his duty? How can those who neglect the worship of God in their families look for peace and comfort therein? Daily prayer in the home is a blessed means of grace for allaying those unhappy passions to which our common nature is subject. Finally, family prayer gains for us the presence and blessing of the Lord. There is a promise of His presence which is peculiarly applicable to this duty, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them" (Matt. 18:20). Many have found in family worship that help and communion with God which they sought for with less effect in private prayer. – Arranged from "Christian Homes" and "Family Worship" by Arthur W. Pink (1886 – 1952), an English independent Baptist pastor, teacher and writer. This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org

[The following article offers several hints to help you read the Bible faithfully and effectively.] 1. For one thing, begin reading your Bible this very day. The way to do a thing is to do it; and the way to read the Bible is actually to read it! It is not merely meaning, or wishing, or resolving, or intending, or thinking about it which will advance you one step. You must positively read. There is no royal road in this matter, any more than in the matter of prayer. 2. For another thing, read the Bible with an earnest desire to understand it. Do not think for a moment, that the great object is to turn over a certain quantity of printed paper, and that it matters nothing whether you understand it or not. Some people seem to imagine, that all is done if they advance so many chapters every day, though they may not have a notion what they are all about, and only know that they have pushed on their bookmark ahead so many pages. This is turning Bible reading into a mere ritual form. Settle it down in your mind as a general principle, that a Bible not understood is a Bible that does no good! Say to yourself often as you read, “What is this all about?” Dig for the meaning like a man digging for gold. 3. For another thing, read the Bible with child-like faith and humility. Open your heart as you open God’s Book, and say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening!” Resolve to believe implicitly whatever you find there, however much it may run counter to your own desires and prejudices. Resolve to receive heartily every statement of truth – whether you like it or not. Beware of that miserable habit into which some readers of the Bible fall – they receive some doctrines because they like them; and they reject others because they are condemning to themselves, or to some relation, or friend. At this rate, the Bible is useless! Are we to be judges of what ought to be in God’s Word? Do we know better than God? Settle it down in your mind that you will receive all and believe all, and that what you cannot understand you will take on trust. When you pray, you are speaking to God, and God hears you; but, when you read Scripture, God is speaking to you, and you are not to “dictate,” but to listen! 4. For another thing, read the Bible in a spirit of obedience and self-­application. Sit down to the study of it with a daily determination that you will: live by its rules, rest on its statements, and act on its commands. Consider, as you travel through every chapter, “How does this affect my thinking and daily conduct? What does this teach me?” It is poor work to read the Bible from mere curiosity and for speculative purposes, in order to fill your head and store your mind with mere opinions, while you do not allow the Book to influence your heart and life. That Bible is read best which is practiced most! 5. For another thing, read the Bible daily. Make it a part of every day’s ­business to read and meditate on some portion of God’s Word. Private means of grace are just as needful every day for our souls as food and clothing are for our bodies. Yesterday’s food will not feed the laborer today; and today’s food will not feed the laborer tomorrow. Do as the Israelites did in the wilderness – gather your manna fresh every morning. Choose your own seasons and hours. Do not scramble over and hurry your reading. Give your Bible the best, and not the worst part of your time! But whatever plan you pursue, let it be a rule of your life to visit the throne of grace and God’s Word every day. 6. For another thing, read all of the Bible – and read it in an orderly way. I fear there are many parts of the Word which some people never read at all. This is to say at the least, a very presumptuous habit. “All Scripture…is profitable” (2 Tim. 3:16). To this habit may be traced that lack of well-­proportioned views of truth, which is so common in this day. Some people’s Bible reading is a system of perpetual “dipping and picking.” They do not seem to have an idea of regularly going through the whole book. This also is a great mistake. No doubt in times of sickness and affliction, it is allowable to search out seasonable portions. But with this exception, I believe it is by far the best plan to begin the Old and New Testaments at the same time – to read each straight through to the end, and then begin again. This is a matter in which every one must be persuaded in his own mind. I can only say it has been my own plan for nearly forty years, and I have never seen cause to alter it. 7. For another thing, read the Bible fairly and honestly. Determine to take everything in its plain, obvious meaning and regard all forced interpretation with great suspicion. As a general rule, whatever a verse of the Bible seems to mean – it does mean! Cecil’s rule is a very valuable one, “The right way of interpreting Scripture is to take it as we find it, without any attempt to force it into any particular theological system.” 8. In the last place, read the Bible with Christ continually in view. The grand primary object of all Scripture is to testify of Jesus! Old Testament ceremonies are shadows of Christ. Old Testament deliverers are types of Christ. Old Testament prophecies are full of Christ’s sufferings and of Christ’s glory yet to come. The first coming and the second; the Lord’s humiliation and His glorious kingdom; His Cross and the crown – shine forth everywhere in the Bible. Keep fast hold on this clue, if you would read the Bible aright. I might easily add to these hints, if space permitted. Few and short as they are, you will find them most profitable when implemented. The “Book” satisfies and feeds the soul. Do not merely read your Bible a little, but read it a great deal. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly...” (Col. 3:16). Do not be a mere babe in spiritual knowledge. Seek to become “well-instructed in the kingdom of heaven,” and to be continually adding new things to old. A religion of mere feeling is an uncertain thing. A religion of deep Bible knowledge is a firm and lasting possession! It enables a man not merely to say, “I feel hope in Christ,” – but “...I know whom I have believed...” (2 Tim. 1:12). – J. C. Ryle (1816 – 1900) was an evangelical Anglican clergyman known for his powerful preaching and extensive writing. This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org

The whole of Christian living, in my opinion, hinges on the way in which Christian people read the Bible for themselves. All sermons and addresses, Sunday School classes, all Bible readings, Christian magazines and books, can never take the place of our own quiet study of God’s precious Word. We may measure our growth in grace by the growth of our love for private Bible study. And we may be sure that there is something seriously wrong when we lose our appetite for the Bread of Life. Perhaps we have been eating too many “sweets” or taking too little exercise, or breathing too briefly in the bracing air which sweeps over the uplands of spiritual communion with God. Here are a few simple rules which may help you to acquire this holy art of private Bible study. May the Holy Spirit Himself own and use them! Make Time for Bible Study The Divine Teacher must have fixed and uninterrupted hours for meeting His scholars. His Word must have our freshest and brightest thoughts. We must give Him our best, and the first fruits of our days. Hence there is no time for Bible study like the early morning. We cannot give undivided attention to the holy thoughts that glisten like diamonds on its pages after we have opened our letters, glanced through the paper, and joined in the prattle of the breakfast table. The children of Israel had to gather up the manna before the dew was off, and the sun was up, otherwise it melted. We ought, therefore, to aim at securing at least half an hour before breakfast, for the leisurely and loving study of the Bible. To some this may seem a long time in comparison with what they now give. But it will soon seem all too short. The more you read the Bible the more you will want to read it. It is an appetite which grows as it is fed. And you will be well repaid. The Bible seldom speaks, and certainly never with its deepest, sweetest words, to those who always read in a hurry. Look Up for the Teaching of the Holy Spirit No one can so well explain the meaning of his words as he who wrote them. If you want to read the Bible as you should, make much of the Holy Spirit, who inspired it through holy men. As you open the Book, lift up your heart, and say: “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psa. 119:18). “...Speak; Lord, for Thy servant heareth...” (1 Sam. 3:9). Read the Bible Methodically On the whole there is probably no better way, than to read the Bible through once every year. This may be done by reading some from the Old Testament and some from the New Testament each day. Read a Psalm daily for your personal devotion and worship. By reading Proverbs it will help you in your daily relationships with others. Read the Bible with Your Pen in Hand Frances R. Havergal’s sister wrote this about her Bible reading: “She read her Bible at her study table by seven o’clock in the summer and eight o’clock in the winter. Sometimes, on bitterly cold mornings, I begged that she would read with her feet comfortably to the fire. ‘But then, Marie, I cannot rule my lines neatly. Just see what a find I’ve got.’ “If only one searches, there are such extraordinary things in the Bible. She resolutely refrained from late hours, and frittering talks at night in place of Bible searchings and holy communings. Early rising and early studying were her rules through life.” Underline and date special verses which have cast a light upon your path on special days. You may want to draw connections across the page, between verses which repeat the same message, or ring with the same note. Jot down new references, or the catchwords of helpful thoughts. All these methods find plenty of employment for the pen and fix our treasures for us permanently. Our Bible then becomes the precious memento of bygone hours, and records the history of our inner life. Read the Bible for Personal Edification Do not read the Bible for others, for your Sunday School class or congregation, but for yourself. Bring all its rays to a focus on your own heart. While you are reading, often ask that some verse or verses may start out from the printed page, as God’s message to yourself. Never finish your reading until you feel that you are carrying away your portion of meat from that Hand which satisfieth the desire of every living thing. It is well, sometimes, to stop reading, and seriously ask, what does the Holy Spirit mean for me to learn by this? What bearing should this have on my life? How can I work this into the fabric of my character? Above All, Turn from the Printed Page to Prayer If a cluster of heavenly fruit hangs within reach, gather it. If a promise lies upon the page as a blank check, cash it. If a prayer is recorded, appropriate it, and launch it as a feathered arrow from the bow of your desire. If an example of holiness gleams before you, ask God to do as much for you. If a truth is revealed in all its intrinsic splendor, entreat that its brilliance may ever irradiate the hemisphere of your life like a star. So shall you come to say with the psalmist, “Oh, how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psa. 119:97). – F. B. Meyer (1847 – 1929) was a Baptist pastor and evangelist in England. This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org

"And He said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not...I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth" (Luke 11:5-8). Prayer is the secret of success in all Christian work. It can defy all the power of the world, and fit men to conquer that world for Christ. It can draw down the power of the heavenly life, the power of God’s own Spirit, the power of Omnipotence, into the life on earth. If we would be delivered from the sin of lack of prayer, we must enlarge our hearts for the work of intercession. It is in intercession for others that our faith and love and perseverance will be aroused, and that power of the Spirit be found which can fit us for saving men. The Master teaches us, in the parable of the Friend at Midnight, that intercession for the needy calls forth the highest exercise of our power of believing and prevailing prayer. Intercession is the most perfect form of prayer: it is the prayer Christ ever liveth to pray on His throne. Let us learn what the elements of true intercession are: 1. The Urgent Need Notice the urgent need: here intercession has its origin. The friend came at midnight – an untimely hour. He was hungry, and could not buy bread. If we are to learn to pray aright we must open eye and heart to the need around us. We hear continually of the millions (even billions) of unsaved living in midnight darkness, perishing for lack of the Bread of life. We hear of millions of nominal Christians, the great majority of them almost as ignorant and indifferent as the unsaved. We see millions in the Christian church, not ignorant or indifferent, and yet knowing little of a walk in the light of God or in the power of a life fed by bread from heaven. We have each of us our own circles – congregations, schools, friends, missions – in which the great complaint is that the light and life of God are too little known. Surely, if we believe what we profess, that God alone is able to help, that God certainly will help in answer to prayer – all this need ought to make intercessors of us, people who give their lives to prayer for those around them. Let us take time to consider and realize the need. Each Christless soul going down into outer darkness, perishing of hunger, with bread enough and to spare! Millions a year dying without the knowledge of Christ! Our own neighbors and friends, souls entrusted to us, dying without hope! Christians around us living a sickly, feeble, fruitless life! Surely there is need for prayer. Nothing, nothing but prayer to God for help, will avail. 2. The Willing Love Note the willing love: The friend took his weary, hungry friend into his house, and into his heart too. He did not excuse himself by saying he had no bread: he gave himself at midnight to seek it for him. He sacrificed his night’s rest, his comfort to find the needed bread. "[Love] seeketh not her own" (1 Cor. 13:5). It is the very nature of love to give up and forget itself for the sake of others. It takes their needs and makes them its own, it finds its real joy in living and dying for others as Christ did. It is the love of a mother to her prodigal son that makes her pray for him. True love to souls will become in us the spirit of intercession. It is possible to do a great deal of faithful, earnest work for our fellowmen without true love to them. Servants of Christ may give themselves to their work with devotion and even self-sacrificing enthusiasm without the Christlike love to souls being strong. It is this lack of love that causes so much shortcoming in prayer. Love will compel us to prayer, because we cannot rest in our work if souls are not saved. True love must pray. 3. The Sense of Impotence Note the sense of impotence. We often speak of the power of love, yet the strongest love may be utterly impotent. A mother might be willing to give her life for her dying child, and yet not be able to save it. The friend at midnight was most willing to give his friend bread, but he had none. It was this sense of impotence, of his inability to help, that sent him begging: "A friend of mine…is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him." It is this sense of impotence with God’s servants that is the very strength of the life of intercession. "I have nothing to set before them." As this consciousness takes possession of the minister or missionary, the teacher or worker, intercession will become their only hope and refuge. I may have knowledge and truth, a loving heart, and the readiness to give myself for those under my charge; but the bread of heaven I cannot give them. With all my love and zeal, "I have nothing to set before them." Blessed is the man who has made that "I have nothing," the motto of his ministry. As he thinks of the judgment day and the danger of souls, as he sees what a supernatural power and life is needed to save men from sin, as he feels how utterly insufficient all he can ever do is to give them life, that "I have nothing" urges him to pray. The sense of our impotence is the soul of intercession. The simplest, feeblest Christian can pray down blessing from an Almighty God. 4. The Faith in Prayer Note the faith in prayer. What he has not himself, another can supply. He has a rich friend near, who will be both able and willing to give the bread. He is sure that if he only asks, he will receive. This faith makes him leave his home at midnight. If he has not the bread himself to give, he can ask another. We need the simple, confident faith that God will give. And in God’s Word we have everything that can stir and strengthen such faith in us. Scripture shows us God’s true heaven, filled with all spiritual blessings – divine light and love and life, heavenly joy and peace and power, all shining down upon us. It reveals to us God waiting, delighting to bestow these blessings in answer to prayer. By a thousand promises and testimonies it calls and urges us to believe that prayer will be heard, that what we cannot possibly do ourselves for those whom we want to help, can be had by prayer. Through prayer the poorest and feeblest can dispense blessings to the needy, and each of us, though poor, may yet be making many rich. 5. The Importunity That Prevails Note the importunity that prevails. The faith of the friend met a sudden and unexpected check: the rich friend refuses to hear – "I cannot rise and give thee." How little the loving heart had counted on this disappointment; it cannot consent to accept it. The supplicant presses his plea. The love that opened his house at midnight, and then left it to seek help, must win. This is the central lesson of the parable. In our intercession we may find that there is difficulty and delay with the answer. It is not easy, against all appearances, to hold fast our confidence that God will hear, and to persevere in full assurance that we shall have what we ask. And yet this is what God looks for from us. He so highly prizes our confidence in Him, it is so essentially the highest honor the creature can render the Creator, that He will do anything to train us in the exercise of this trust in Him. Blessed is the man who is not staggered by God’s delay, or silence, or apparent refusal, but is strong in faith, giving glory to God. Such faith perseveres, importunately, if need be, and cannot fail to inherit the blessing. 6. The Certainty of a Rich Reward Note, last, the certainty of a rich reward. "I say unto you...because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth." Oh that we might learn to believe in the certainty of an abundant answer. Would that all who feel it difficult to pray much, would fix their eye on the recompense of the reward, and in faith learn to count upon the divine assurance that their prayer cannot be vain. If we will but believe in God and His faithfulness, intercession will become to us the very first thing we take refuge in when we seek blessing for others, and the very last thing for which we cannot find time. And it will become a thing of joy and hope, because, all the time we pray, we know that we are sowing seed that will bring forth fruit an hundredfold. "…He will rise and give him as many as he needeth." Time spent in prayer will yield more than that given to work. Prayer alone gives work its worth and its success. Prayer opens the way for God Himself to do His work in us and through us. Let our chief work, as God’s messengers, be intercession. In it we secure the presence and power of God to go with us. Between our impotence and God’s omnipotence intercession is the blessed link. – Condensed and revised from The Ministry of Intercession by Andrew Murray (1828 – 1917), a South African pastor, missionary leader and prolific writer. This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org

D. L. Moody said, “The world has yet to see what God can do through one man wholly surrendered to Him.” Moody was anointed, but it was his surrendered life that made him the power he was – in other words, his daily contact with God, when he received a fresh anointing for each new service. For instance, here is a fire and here is a piece of iron. Now if I want to get the iron hot I will have to place it near the fire. And if I want to give it an unusual experience the like of which it has never had before, I will plunge it suddenly into the fire and it will become red hot. But that does not meet its need of heat for all time to come. It cannot say, “Now, at last I have had a great experience, wonderful feelings; I am hot and hot for all time to come. And now everything I touch will be hot too.” And then, thinking it is self-sufficient, deliberately leave the fire and go out on its mission taking it for granted that all the dross has been burned up and it can now impart its heat wherever it goes. Ah, no! It will soon find itself cold again, and utterly unable to impart heat. What then must it do? It must remain near the fire, and only as it does will it partake of the heat of the fire. Only then can it impart its heat. So it is with you, my friend. You may have a great experience. You may partake of the divine fire. You may have wonderful visions and revelations. But unless you are in daily contact with the fire of God’s presence, you will soon be cold and powerless. If the anointing is to remain it will necessitate daily commun­ion and fellowship with the Anointer. The blessing can only be kept by constant contact with the Blesser. There is no easy road. I know of no experience that will last for life. The price must be paid. And the price in this case is daily contact with God. And that price but few will pay. They will seek blessings and manifestations. They will agonize and pray. They will look for visions and revelations. But that daily waiting on God that establishes and settles, they neglect. Have you, my friend, a place to meet God? And have you a time? Or are you too busy? Do you observe the Morning Watch, the Quiet Hour? Is Jesus Christ real to you? Do you know Him? You have met Him, of course you have. You met Him when you were converted. But, do you know Him? Have you become acquainted with Him? Do you visit with Him regularly? What does He mean to you? I have met many people but I know only a few. You have to live with people to know them. It takes time to get acquainted. Do you take time? You must walk with God. Does He not hunger for communion with His own? Ah, yes! And He wants to meet you every day. And if you are to partake of the divine fire, you will have to contact Him constantly, or you will grow cold. You must walk with God. – Oswald J. Smith (1889 – 1986) was a Canadian pastor and author passionate for evangelism and world missions. This article is provided by permission of Herald of His Coming: heraldofhiscoming.org