THE KING’S BUSINESS
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star,” said one of the world’s wise men. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of zvisdom” (Prov. 9:10) Solomon tells us; and the one who “seeks- first the kingdom of God” (Matt. 6:33) cannot fail, in the end, because he has the Lord God for his help; and because he who fails while do ing his best, in the cause of the best, succeeds. . 2. . What to Do With Our Failures. (1) Let them teach us to do better next time, for, says the poet Tennyson, “Men m ay rise on step p in g -sto n es Of th e ir dead selves to b e tte r th in g s,” (2) The main thing to do with our fail ures is to— “T ak e th em to th e L ord in p ray er,” to confess them to .Him frankly, owning our folly, our carelessness, and our sin. Tell Him that we can do nothing good and well without Hint; ask His forgiveness, believv ing that He grants it; and pray Him to make us better, wiser, more successful, since we: have chosen that our success sboitld be for His glory. The story of Joshua tells us: First: (1:7) what to do to avoid fail ure. Second : ,(7:6-9) what to do with fail-, ure. Third: (7:13) what to do to regain victory. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Sunday, August 16—Psalm 37: 23, 24. What Shall We Do With Our Fail ures? 1. Prevent Them. The first thing to do with our failures is not to have any. Yes, it is true that we cannot altogether avoid them. But we can avoid the most and worst of them and “Prevention is better than cure.” That boy or girl would not have “turned out bad’’ if he or she had not turned in bad. The pupil would not have failed in. examination at the end of the year if he had studied faithfully from the beginning of it. No one would fail in de portment at school who practices obedience and good manners at home, It has been said, “The shoe was lost for want of a nail; the horse was lost for want of a shoe; the rider was lost for want of a horse; the battle was lost for want of a leader;” and what was lost for want of a victory no one can tell. But there is a long list of great losses for want of a little nail. The first lie, the first cigarette, the first drink of liquor, or some. other seeming trifle has caused the failure of a whole precious life, in this world and in the world to come. One of the main things to prevent fail ure is to choose the highest and best end at the beginning. “Hitch your wagon to a
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