THE ENEMY WITHIN It was Abraham Lincoln who de clared in the long ago that if ever this country should fall, it would not be because some enemy force had at tacked her shores from without, but rather because she had grown morally and spiritually decadent and as a re sult had collapsed from within. It is true, too, that internal quarrels, wheth er in the home or the church, are far worse than those from the outside. Endeavoring to call a new pastor, nearly everyone in a certain church voted for him. A fter the ballot, one of the deacons got up and said, “1 move that we extend a unanimous call to our new pastor.” There seemed to be agreement, except for one fellow who had just recently joined the fel lowship. He got up and heatedly re sponded, “You might as well under stand this right here and now. I am opposed to it and as long as I am in this church, there will never be any thing unanimous.” In the Word of God we read this exhortation, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned; behold, the judge standeth before the door." Sometimes it is easier to show patience toward the wicked world about us rather than to our fellow Christians. Can any of us say that we are free from internal feelings concerning others? They are probably completely unaware of our problems and thoughts about them. Too many of us find it difficult to see another person getting a better deal than we are or experiencing less suffer ing, for we conclude that we do not deserve such a lot in life. Our only protection from such insidious attacks of Satan is to put on the whole armour 21
About the only thing you leam from experience . . . is that people don't learn from experience. POSSESSING THE KEY Some years ago Mr. A. J. Cassatt, who was then president of the Penn sylvania Railroad, was making a quiet tour over one of the branches of his system. He wandered into an out-of- the-way switch yard where something one of the yardmen was doing did not meet with his approval. Making some suggestions to him the fellow huffily responded, “Are you trying to tell me what my business is?” The president responded quietly, “I am an officer of the road.” The yardman didn’t take his word for it. “All right then, let’s see your switchkey. You prove it.” Mr. Cassatt pulled from his hip pocket his key ring to which was attached the switchkey without which no railroad man can be in serv ice. That was sufficient proof. The man immediately did what he was told. There is a spiritual application here. For, if we are to have a place of service for Christ in dealing with the souls of men, others must see in our conversation, as well as in our manner of life, and tone of character, that we possess the proper “switch- key.” This, of course, is the evident presence of Jesus Christ indwelling us through His Holy Spirit. Matthew records the words that Jesus came and spake unto them saying, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Do you have this power today through Him? * * * The most destructive acid in the whole world is to be found in a sour disposition.
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