LIFE'S TRIALS He sat by a fire of seven-fold heat. As He watched by the precious ore. And closer He bent with a searching gaze As He heated it more and more. He knew He had ore that could stand the test. And He wanted the finest gold To mould as a crown for the King to wear. Set with gems with a-price untold. So He laid our gold in the burning fire, Tho' we fain would have said Him "N a y " And He watched the dross that we had not seen As it melted and passed away. And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright But our eyes were so dim with tears, We saw but the fire — not the Mas ter's hand. And questioned with anxious fears. Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow. As it mirrored a Form above, That bent o'er the fire, tho' unseen by us, With a look of ineffable love. Can we think that it pleases His loving heart ' To cause us a moment's pain? Ah no! but He saw through the present cross The bliss of eternal gain. So He waited there with a watchful eye, With a love that is strong and sure. And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat Than we needed to make it pure. * * * The reason people are "down" on the Bible it because they are not "up" on the Bible. * The diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the man per fected with trials. * *
A DROP IN THE BUCKET Have you ever heard anyone say, or perhaps you have scad it yourself, “M y influence wouldn’t matter, not as much as one little drop in the bucket.” You may feel what you have to Offer, or to give, is insignifi cant. We need to keep in mind, however, that it all depends on what is already in the bucket. For in stance, one little drop of water fall ing into a bucket of acid may cause an explosion. One drop of germ cul ture in pure water may change the contents of the bucket, in a few hours, to deadly poison. A speck of yeast introduced into a pail of dough w ill leaven the entire mix ture. One drop of cleansing disin fectant may neutralize a whole bucket of poisonous substance. Do you feel that your life means very little? It has become filled with drudgery and your contribution to Gods work seems less than a drop in the bucket. Stop to think for a moment and realize that that life of yours, lived to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, can be of greatest im portance for His own honor and glory. May we say with Paid, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not w ith flesh ly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward (11 Cor. 1:12). * * * little faith will take your soul to heaven, great faith will bring heaven to your soul. Postage Stamps (concluded) when he becomes a child of God (He brews 4:6, 7). Stamps are official in the country which issued them. Our stamps cannot be bought or used in any other coun try. Those friends who would pass as citizens of heaven must come out of heaven’s mint and bear the imprint and the impress of eternal life; they must be bom again. My friend, do you bear the stamp of heaven?
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