WITH IN; B y D R . W A L T E R L. W I L S O N
It is said that when the flea jumps and reaches the peak of its curve in the air it turns completely around and proceeds the rest of the way backward facing its pursuer. Let us leam from this that we should face fearlessly every enemy that would hinder or injure our souls or our testi monies and be ready always to give to every man a reason for the hope that is in us. Most of the lightning bugs which we see in the summertime are males. The female is a small creature like a caterpillar which crawls but does not fly. She, too, has a tail-light like her husband. It is a perfect light, burn ing without destruction, and without heat. No man has yet invented any light to compare with it. So the Lord says about the Christian — “Ye are the light of the world.” Nothing of any kind should ever extinguish this light. END. spiritual REVOLUTION in the heart: “ Ye MUST be born again,” 2 “ W e MUST be saved.” 3 There is no power in yourself as you are — for the Bible declares that you are “dead in tres passes and sins,’” “ without strength.” 3 What, therefore, will give the power, grant the enabling for real living on a higher level? Not a 7-step program of human outreach, but a simple, sin gle step of repentance and faith6in the Lord Jesus Christ.7 This is a long proven reality: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.”3 He who said, “Behold, I make all things new,” 3 will thus possess the life in such a gracious and glorious way that you will be able to say, “For to me to live is Christ” 10; and “ the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” 1 When you are His, this may well be your “ resolution” for the days ahead: “ This one thing I do, forget ting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” 13 —Edwin Raymond Anderson Bible References 1) James 4:14; 2) John 3:7; 3) Acts 4:12; 4) Ephesians 2:1; 5) Romans 5:6; 6) Acts 20:21; 7) Romans 10:9, 10; 8) 2 Corinthians 5:17; 9) Revela tion 21:5; 10) Philippians 1:21; 11) Galatians 2:20; 12) Philippians 3:13. 14. (Printed'by permission of The American Tract Society.)
the ant is said to have four pairs of ears, a pair in the front feet, one in the thorax, one in the abdomen, and one in the head. If you have observed ants under a microscope or under a magnifying glass you will see that they commune with each other by placing the front feet on the head of the other and rubbing them there. From this we should learn that we should be four times as good at hear ing as we are at talking. We should be “ swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” We may also learn that no ant will pick up that which has been in possession of another ant. An ant may lay down a bit of food, tell another ant where she found the food, and then pick up her portion, go on her way, while the second ant makes no effort whatsoever to pick up that which the first ant laid down. This is a wonderful lesson in honesty and unselfishness. some 10-30 resolutions; you will be defeated before you begin. Pick up only 1 or 2 resolutions at the com mencement. 4. Do not seek to locate the most troublesome problem — not at the beginning. It will be better to pick out the relatively minor sore-spots. 5. Make your intended resolutions as specific as possible. Do not be too vague, too general; do not try to cover too much territory. 6. When you have decided upon the resolutions, prepare to put them into definite effect. Tell your hus band, your wife, what you plan. Think often of those resolutions. Get them deeply planted in your mind; in that way you will steel yourself for the job of actually keeping them. 7. The job, itself, will officially be gin on “ R-day,” the actual date when you feel ready to start. Then work real hard at it! And if “ 7” be the number of per fection, then it is all but bitter irony, for most people sense a “ catch” in the program. It reads well, it means well, but where will the actual power come from to gain victory? Are you not conscious of a deep division between the desire and the actual doing? You will get small comfort from the Bible, for it is silent on this mat ter of resolutions. But it cries aloud for the desperate need of a genuine
Lord is able to meet the need of every emergency. We may say with Paul — our sufficiency is of God. When Solomon wrote — “ Go to the ant, thou sluggard; c o n s i d e r her ways, and be wise,” he was revealing afresh the wonderful accuracy of the Scripture, even in regard to the ways of the insects. It is quite evident that Solomon knew something about ento mology. The ants are the busiest peo ple in all the world, but they attend every picnic. Those who attend are female ants. Those who infest your pantry are females. It is the female ant who does the foraging for food. The males stay in the ground and do the housework. This accuracy of God’s Word should remind us forc ibly that what He says about our selves is accurate and we should heed each warning and each promise. Now, what shall we consider in re gard to the ant. First, let us note that A brand new bundle marked “A New Year” has been placed be fo r e us, which contains an assortment of days. For some of us, there will be more than others, but we can only extract one at a time. We cannot count them all at once, for as the Word of God reminds us: “ What is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and. then vanisheth away.” 1 A brand new year! We face it, each with our own thoughts. We think of tomorrow in the light and shadows of yesterday, sincerely desiring even to the point of earnestly promising our selves, that this year shall tell a better story. For many this will revolve about the business of RESOLUTIONS — those solemn promises compiled in a long list of do’s and don’ts. A prominent psychology professor has expressed concern over this, be cause it has become a joke with most people. After careful study, he has come up with a 7-step program for success in the endeavor, as follows:— 1. Do not try to put the resolutions into effect all at once on the very first day. It would be better to arrange a “ preparation period.” 2. It would be better to start by drawing up a list of the things you like to do; the enterprise will become easier in that manner. 3. Do not draw up a long list of
Stepping Into a New Year
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