| The Every Day of Life |
Chapter 14 |
Page 4 |
It is the same with the Bible. You read a command with a promise annexed. You say, “I cannot see how if I do so and so, this shall be the result.” While this is your attitude, the truth will not become plain to you. But if you accept the teaching as a revealing of a fragment of God’s will for you, and begin to do it, light will break from it. As you obey the teaching, you shall know.
Duties seem hard. We think we cannot do them all. The door appears shut before us, preventing our progress. But when we quietly and in child-like faith move forward, the door opens. The Israelites lay in their camp on the eastern side of the Jordan River. The command came to cross over. They struck their tents and formed their columns, ready to march. But still the river flowed on, with full floods, with no sign of abatement. They began to move – the advance of the host is now only a few steps from the brink. Still the muddy water rushes on. Shall they turn back? Or shall they stand there on the edge of the river and wait for it to pause in its flowing to let them pass through? That is what many people do on the margin of life’s rivers.
But no; they willed to do God’s will, and the advance guard of priests, bearing the sacred symbol of God’s presence, paused not, but moved quietly on as though there were no river before them. The moment their feet touched the water’s edge the flood was cut off above, and the channel was emptied. This old fragment of history has its living lesson. If we will to do God’s will we shall find the way open for our feet. The path of duty is never really an obstructed path.
Daily life is full of points where this lesson may find application. One bright morning you give yourself anew of Christ. You resolve to do his will all the daylong. You will find the will of God not in your Bible only, as you read its words, but in many circumstances and experiences; for remember you are learning by practice, not merely by theory. Something goes wrong at breakfast. Some one says a quick word, needless of course, thoughtless perhaps, even rude it may be. It hurts, and the color flies to your face, the flash of anger to your eye, and the unadvised word to the very door of your lips. But there is a still, small voice, which reminds you that you have willed to do God’s will to day. It is his will that you should keep your heart loving and sweet and not be provoked. Do it and you will learn the sweet meaning throughout the day, in the blessing that will come to you.
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