Chapter Two

Retreat! Stand! Advance!

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness (1 Timothy 6:11).

IT was cold, cloudy and rainy as the Dakota got into position, warmed its motors taxied down the runway, zoomed into the air, circled the airport and rose into the clouds, which for a few moments were so thick that nothing was visible. Then, quick as a flash, we burst into the light of the glorious Mediterranean sun. Far to the right we could see, through broken patches in the clouds, the blue Mediterranean. In front of us lay the great Alps of Italy. Below was the beautiful coast of the French Riviera, which we could scarcely see because of the thick cloud formations.

   Cruising at one hundred and sixty miles an hour, we were soon twelve thousand feet in the air. The great mountain peaks that have made the Alps world-famous could be seen jutting through the clouds as they made their way skyward. Soon the stewardess pointed out Mont Blanc. Far in the distance we could see Wetterhorn,

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where only a few days before the thrilling rescue of marooned passengers had taken place.

   The thing that attracted our attention, however, was the fact that all the valleys were filled with clouds and we knew that below it was cold and raining. High above the clouds, on the mountain peaks, the sun was warm, glorious and brilliant. The clouds, instead of being gray, dark and gloomy, were white and wispy. The snow-covered peaks were brilliant and glistening with the many colors of a rainbow.

   After what seemed to be only minutes we were told to fasten our seat belts because we would be landing in Geneva, Switzerland. Sure enough, the plane began to descend through the clouds into the valley of lovely Lake Geneva.

   As we got out of the plane it seemed as if we were in another world. It was dark, foggy. A sprinkling rain, mixed with snow, was falling, and our spirits, which had been so high just a few moments ago while we were soaring above the clouds, had fallen, and we were depressed. We longed to be above the clouds and in the sunlight of the mountain peaks. We could hardly wait until we got to our hotel, changed our clothes and took a train that would carry us far above the clouds to a sunny winter sports resort on some high mountain slope.

   Many of you have experienced the thrill of flying above the storm and clouds and I am sure that you, on many occasions, have thought, as I have, how that experience is paralleled in our spiritual lives. Wherever I go, young people have virtually the same problems, most of which revolve around two or three pivots. Christian young people often ask me, "How can I get the joy and thrill of Christian living that you have been talking about? I have not been living above the clouds: I have been living in the valleys. I am miserable in my Christian experience." A young worldling said to me the other day. "You Christians

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seem to have a religion that makes you miserable. You are like a man with a headache. He does not want to get rid of his head, but it hurts him to keep it. You cannot expect outsiders to seek anything so unfavorable!"

   Is that true in your life? Have you been living an up and down experience? I am convinced that it is possible for young people to have lives of inward rest and outward victory. It is your birthright. Many of you can remember the shout of triumph your soul gave when you first met Jesus Christ! How sure you were of victory then! How easy it seemed to be more than a conqueror through Him that loved you! Under the leadership of such a general you can never be foiled in battle, yet how different has been the experience of many of you! Your victories have been few and fleeting, your defeats many and disastrous. You have not lived as you think a Christian ought to live. Perhaps you have a good understanding of doctrinal truths and you know a few Scripture verses and have made a study of the Bible: possibly you believe in Christ, you talk about Him and you know you are saved; but somehow there is something wrong. In the very depths of your heart and soul you realize that your experience is not a scriptural experience. Many of you have given up in despair and have said, "It is impossible. All I can expect is an alternate life of victory and despair. I must always live in the valley! I can never enjoy the sunshine of the sunny mountain slopes! It is impossible always to fly above the clouds." Is that your experience?

   There are three words that I want to use which may touch upon the secret of your failure. You will find them in the writings of Paul to young Timothy.

   They are: retreat; stand; advance. First and Second Timothy are good books for any Christian young person to read and study. Timothy was a young man, very much like some of you. He faced the same temptations, the same trials, had the same burdens and the same problems

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that you have. He was a man of like passions. Timothy had been converted at an early age and answered the call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the greatest challenge and call that any young man can have.

   Now, there are a lot of people who think that to be a preacher all you have to do is to preach twice a week and conduct prayer meetings — about an hour and a half's work per week. Many consider the ministry an easy and lazy profession and many have said, "If you cannot be anything else, be a preacher." But a preacher who is true to the Word of God must not only preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2) but must expose false teaching (1 Timothy 1:3). A minister who is true to his calling must warn people against the danger of heresy and false doctrine. Many times he is tempted to soft-pedal because people may misunderstand and he may make enemies. That is why Paul said, "I am praying for you day and night, Timothy." Your pastor needs prayer that God will give him courage to stand true. Timothy was called upon to "reprove." That was a hard thing for a young man to do! Paul told him to "rebuke." That, too, is hard! First Timothy 5:19 tells us that Timothy was instructed to handle church discipline. All these problems are faced by a minister of the Gospel. Your pastor or evangelist carries a thousand and one problems and has hundreds of things to do that you never hear of. Yet Timothy was a young man and Paul charged him with these great responsibilities. The greatest challenge and thrill in the world is to preach the Gospel — even though many times it costs!

I. RETREAT

   In the sixth chapter of First Timothy we find in the eleventh verse that Paul says this: "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."

   I think that General Timishinko of Russia will probably go down in history as the world's greatest leader of strategic

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retreat. You will remember that he led the armies of Russia back from the Polish border all the way to Stalingrad and kept them intact until the time came for the forward move that carried the great Russian Bear to the heart of Berlin.

   There comes a time in our lives when God says, "Run! Flee! Get away! Leave it alone! Have nothing to do with it! Avoid it! Paul was giving this advice to young Timothy.

   Let us give attention to some of the things which he was anxious that young Timothy should avoid. Notice that he mentions —

Pride

   A friend of mine tells the story of Dr. Stuart Holden who was sitting one day in the lounge of his club as a number of people around him were discussing golf. One of them turned and said, "By the way, Holden, what is your handicap?" Without a moment's pause Dr. Holden replied, "Myself!" How true that is! Self, the capital I, is the universal problem, the handicap of us all. We are told in the Word, "These six things does the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look . . ." Notice! A proud look is the first thing that God hates. We are told that "pride goeth before a fall." We are told that "the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world."

   The root of all sin is pride. Perhaps the greatest sin that has crept into the lives of Christians is the sin of pride. No young person can expect victory and inward rest until the capital I has been conquered. God commands us to "humble ourselves." We are never told to pray for humility! That is our job! If we are to live above the clouds, the sin of pride will have to be confessed and forsaken. It is deadlier than the poison of a rattlesnake. It stunts, stifles, weakens and destroys Christian victory.

   When I was a student at Wheaton College a great revival swept

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our campus. Dr. Harold Warren was the human instrument, but it was the Holy Spirit who did the job. From ten o'clock in the morning until eleven at night on two successive days, classes and meals were forgotten as students confessed their sins and God took over. The sin that was confessed most often publicly and privately was the sin of pride. Students, staff and faculty alike realized that this awful sin was ruining their individual victory with God. If that is your sin, confess it today and be rid of it.

Strife

   This is the next thing from which Paul urges young Timothy to flee. Do you get angry easily? Are you impatient? Are you irritable? Do little things vex and annoy? Are there uprisings within? Do you lose your temper? Does wrath hold you at times in its grip? All of these things engender strife. God calls it sin! Many Christian homes where I am entertained are filled with strife. The father and the mother are continually bickering and arguing. The children, instead of being well disciplined, argue with their parents. The sweet aroma of Christian love is weakened. God says that such strife is sin. Let us confess and forsake it.

Envy

   This is the green-eyed monster that has wrecked so many young Christians. It creeps in unexpectedly and slays us before we know it. God says (Proverbs 6:34), "For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance." Some young people are jealous because others are more handsome and more beautiful than they; jealous because others can play the piano and they cannot; jealous because the pastor shakes hands more cordially with others than with them. These things can ruin your Christian experience and keep you in the valley of gloomy defeat. "But thou, O man of God, flee these things." Avoid jealousy.

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Railing

   Railing simply means old-fashioned gossiping, talking about your neighbors without foundation for what you have to say. It is sin. Scripture says, "Be swift to hear, slow to speak" (James 1:19); "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity . . . and it is set on fire of hell" (James 3:6). Your tongue is one of the smallest members of your body, yet it is more powerful and deadly than an atomic bomb. Let us pray more for our friends — and talk less! Everywhere I go someone wants to take me aside and tell me an evil story about some Christian worker. I hate it! I don't want to hear it! Ninety percent of the stories that go around about men of God are untrue. Let us confess our sin. Let us confess these filthy communications. They grieve the Holy Spirit.

Evil Surmising

   The searchlight of the Holy Spirit goes deeper than the tongue. It exposes even the thinking of our minds and hearts! Paul says, "Timothy, avoid thinking evil about others!" Think the best of everyone! If you follow this rule in your Christian experience you will find your life cleaner, happier and more vibrant. Gossiping and evil surmising can become habits that stunt our Christian growth and development.

The Love of Money

   Paul mentions in the tenth verse of the sixth chapter of First Timothy "the love of money." Many young Christians have been caught in this subtle trap of Satan. You say, "But I have no money to love." I have talked with many people who did not make five dollars a week, but the love of money was keeping them from living victorious lives in Christ. Christ demands the prominent place! He demands leadership! Striving after money and this world's goods is called sin!

   A young fellow came to me one day in Belfast, Ireland, and he said

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he was living a defeated life. I tried to find the cause and the secret of his defeat. He read the Word; he prayed; he seemed to be living a good, clean honest life, but there was something wrong somewhere. Finally I asked him, "Do you give a portion of your income to the Lord's work?" He hung his head and shamefully said, "Not very much." I said, "That is it! There is your trouble! You have been robbing God." Young people, learn this: you cannot rob God and expect to grow and have power in your life. God says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10). Has this been your trouble?

Youthful Lusts

   Writing to Timothy on another occasion, Paul warns him to flee something else: "Flee also youthful lusts" (2 Timothy 2:22). Young men and women, lust is a deadly thing. Every outward immoral sin begins with a thought. Guard your thoughts. Keep them clean. Keep them pure. Purpose in your heart that you will not defile yourself. Don't let your eyes look upon that which grieves the Holy Spirit.

   Dr. V.R. Edman, president of Wheaton College, said something in chapel one day which I shall never forget: "The first look is not sin. It is the second look!" You may be unable to help the first look, but watch and guard that second look. "Flee youthful lusts."

   In my imagination I can see Paul as he thinks upon all these temptations of Satan to young Timothy. His fingers tremble as he writes. A tear courses down his cheek and blots the paper. A lump comes to his throat and he says, with all the passion of his heart, "O thou man of God,

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flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."

   I heard some time ago of a young boy who was in the trenches of France. The order was given to attack, but as the bullets and the bombs began to explode and whizz around him, the boy became nervous and frightened. Throwing down his rifle, he began running toward the rear. The captain yelled, "Hey, François, where are you retreating to?" Hardly slackening his pace, the boy yelled over his shoulder, "Boss, I'm not retreating... I'm just advancing to the rear." This is exactly what God wants you to do. By retreating and avoiding these sins you will in reality be advancing in your Christian experience.

II. STAND

   The sun was shining in a clear blue sky. Semitropical Pasadena was filled with an air of excitement. It was not just an ordinary holiday. It was the one big day of the year when the eyes of the sports world turned to this Los Angeles suburb. Palm trees, orange groves, balmy breezes and the Rose Bowl game were going to make New Year's Day southern California's "big day." T.W. Wilson and I had been given "hard to get" tickets by Miss Henrietta Mears, "The Lady" at Hollywood's First Presbyterian Church. We made our way to Section D, seats 21 and 22. Soon we were shouting, laughing, eating peanuts and having a good time. T. W. and I, being true Southerners, were loyal to Alabama's Crimson Tide. By the end of the first quarter it was apparent that it was Alabama all the way. (Alabama won 34-14, it was 1946) As the Tide neared the Southern California goal line, the cheering students of USC broke out in this chant: "Hold that line! Hold that line!" As I watched that scene so filled with tenseness and excitement it seemed that I could see a spiritual drama being enacted. I could see myself before "so great a cloud of witnesses" and being tempted by Satan, while the great witnesses of the past who

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had lived for and died in this same arena were shouting to me, "Hold the line. Don't yield. Stand, and having done all, stand!"

   I am sure that many of you, when just about to yield or compromise in your Christian lives, have heard the still, small voice of God saying, "Hold that line. Don't yield to Satan's subtle temptations, 'that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil' " (Ephesians 6:11). Again God has said, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13) or again, in Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free."

   You remember the three Hebrew children who refused to bow before the king's image. The king had made a great golden image and had ordered that every man fall down and worship at the sound of the musical instruments. The decree was: "And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace" (Daniel 3:11). Everyone bowed down and worshiped for fear of the king except three men: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The king immediately called them before him and said, in effect, "Fellows, perhaps you did not understand my command, but I will give you another chance. When the instruments play again, either you fall down and worship the image that I have built or I shall have you thrown into the fiery furnace that has been heated seven times hotter than an ordinary furnace!" The king's words received one of the most heroic and thrilling answers any group of God's men has ever given. Listen to it, young people. Hear it. Feel it. See it. "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods,

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nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3:16-18).

   These three fellows did not know whether they would escape the fiery furnace or not, but of one thing they were certain: they would not yield to Satan's subtle temptation to compromise their decision. They were going to stand and having done all, stand. When the instruments played, the three refused to bow. The king was furious and had them thrown into the furnace. The men who threw them in were burned to a crisp. When the king looked in to see how his victims were roasting, he saw instead of three men, four, and the fourth one was like unto the Son of God. God had vindicated their stand! They had remained true! He would see them through! He would not leave or forsake them! Notice that the king could get them neither to "bend" nor "budge" nor "burn."

   Young man or woman, you have been compromising in your Christian life. You have been giving in, yielding here and there. Satan has slipped in and done his deadly work in times of weakness. Your eyes have looked upon things they should never have seen. Your feet have taken you places you should never have gone. Your hands have touched things they should never have touched. Your mind has thought upon things you should never have thought upon. Your tongue has said things you should never have heard. Oh, young people, I beg of you to stand and having done all, stand. In this day when young people are leading "wild, strange, foreign-flavored, globe-girdling, radio-riding" lawbreaking, frivolous, superficial lives, it is glorious to see a young man or woman living a clean, honest, uncompromising spiritual life for Jesus Christ, a life which will result in constant daily victory over sin and inward rest of soul.

   Yield everything to Him! The greatest thing you must yield is yourself, because the greatest burden one has to carry in life is self — his daily living, his failings, his

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special weaknesses and temptations, his peculiar temperament, his inward affairs of every kind. You must hand all these to God and leave them there. He demands that you surrender your reputation, your Christian work, your love affairs, your houses, your children, your business, your employees — everything, whether inward or outward — to Him. Not only must you commit the things of the future but more difficult still, you must commit the present to Him. If you have committed your problems to the Lord, forget them. Don't worry about them. Most people take their burdens, troubles and sins to Him, but they bring them away with them again and are as worried and unhappy as before.

   Some of us are like the fellow who had a house to rent. He said, "I will rent the entire house except for one room." The prospective tenant said, "This is strange! What are you going to keep in that room?" "Oh, not very much," he replied. "Just a couple of pet tigers." You may smile at this ridiculous story, but perhaps that is exactly what you have said to God. "Lord, You may have my heart, my soul and my body but there is one little room I want to keep myself. I have a couple of pets that I want to keep."

   God will expect no less than all. We must confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus. He demands Lordship. Thus, when you are entirely yielded to Him, He fills you with His Spirit, and His powerful dynamo called the Holy Spirit will enable you to stand against every onslaught of Satan. "When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt" (Deut. 20:1).

   It is not a battle with flesh and blood; it is a spiritual battle against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness

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in high places. The Holy Spirit is absolutely the only one who can give you the ability to "hold the line." Are you holding? Are you standing? Only as you "stand" against every attack can you say you are living above the clouds in glorious sunlight on the mountain slopes of God's love, peace, joy, happiness and pleasure. "In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore."

III. ADVANCE

   When I was seven my father bought me my first bicycle. I had never ridden one. Patiently my family and friends tried to teach me the art of cycling. I soon found that there was one thing that I must do if I was to stay on the bicycle: keep moving forward. If I ceased to go forward I would fall and hurt myself. So it is in the Christian life. Paul told Timothy not only to endure hardness as a good soldier but to "strive" for masteries. Peter said, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

   You can never live this glorious life on the highest plain unless you are continually growing and moving forward. If you are not closer to Christ and more mature spiritually today than at any time in your Christian experience, there is something wrong with your life. You should be closer to Him today, heart, soul and body, than at any time in your life. There should be a constant growth.

   John spoke of fathers, young men and little children (1 John 2:13). He was speaking of spiritually mature men — young men who were growing but who had not reached spiritual maturity — and babes in Christ. There are degrees of spiritual growth. You cannot grow in justification; there is no development in the standing of your relationship with God.

   You ask, "How can I grow? How can I advance? How can I move forward?" First: Bible reading: "Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). Read it! Study it! Meditate on it! Memorize it!

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Ninety percent of the Christian's difficulties and troubles are caused by a lack of reading and studying the Word. Do not be content to skim through a chapter merely to satisfy your conscience. Hide the Word of God in your heart. A little portion well masticated is of greater spiritual value to your soul than a lengthy portion scanned hurriedly. Do not be discouraged because you cannot understand it all. The greatest theologians have had to say, "The half has not been told." However, the Holy Spirit will make hard passages plain to you, and the Word will become a living reality in your heart.

   Dawson Trotman's Navigators have a splendid system of Scripture memorization that has been a blessing to me. This system advocates carrying index cards daily and memorizing the Word of God during odd moments. The Bible is food for your soul. Don't neglect it! "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

Prayer

   The enemy is attacking. We need to fortify our prayer lives. Prayer is the Christian's greatest weapon. Young people, you cannot get along without it. You can never live the life above the clouds without being instant in prayer in season and out of season. This doesn't mean that the only time you can pray is when you are alone or hidden in a private closet. You have access to the throne room at any moment of the day. You are the child of a King. It is your royal privilege to talk with your Father. He is interested in every detail of your life. The little heartaches, burdens and troubles that nobody else knows about — in these He is keenly interested. He has numbered the hairs of your head. He wants to help you with even the most simple things that you would ordinarily not bother anyone about. God is interested. Let Him bear your burdens. Let Him solve your problems. Learn to pray victoriously. Such prayer is necessary for spiritual growth.

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Witnessing

   God's purpose for you and me after we gave been converted is that we be witnesses to His saving grace and power. Are you a daily and constant witness? Are you one of God's minutemen? Are you a commando for Christ? He expects you to witness at every given opportunity. "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men," Christ said, "him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven."

   Acts 28:23 presents a thrilling scene. Paul, held in bonds at Rome, persuaded men concerning Jesus from morning to evening. Concerning each of us it should be said every day, "Behold, a sower went forth to sow."

   As Dr. Harry Rimmer indicates, very little originality is permitted a Western Union messenger boy. His sole obligation is to carry the message he receives from the office to the person to whom it is addressed. He may not like to carry that message. It may contain bad news or distressing news for the person to whom he carries it. But he cannot stop on the way, open the envelope and change the wording of the telegram. His duty is to take the message.

   We young Christians have the Word of God. Our Great Commander has said, "Go and take this message to a dying world." Some are neglecting it; some are tearing up the message and substituting one of their own; some are taking out a part of it; some are telling the people that the Lord does not mean what He says; others are saying that He really did not write the message but that it was written by ordinary men who are mistaken about the meaning of it.

   Let us remember that the Apostle Paul exhorted the Christians centuries ago to preach only the Word.

   Remember, we are sowing seed. Some indeed may fall on beaten paths and some among thorns, but it is our business

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to keep on sowing. We are not to stop sowing because some of the soil looks unpromising.

   We are holding a light. We are to let it shine though it may seem but a twinkling candle in a world of blackness. It is our business to let it shine.

   We are blowing a trumpet. In the din and noise of battle the sound of our little trumpet may seem to be lost, but we must keep sounding the alarm to those who are in danger.

   We are kindling a fire in this cold old world full of hatred and selfishness. Our little blaze may seem to be unavailing, but we must keep our fire burning.

   We are striking with a hammer. The blows may seem only to jar our hands as we strike, but we are to keep on hammering.

   We are using a sword. The first or second thrust of our sword may be evaded and all of our efforts at striking deep into the enemy may seem hopeless, but we are to keep wielding our sword. It is the sword of the Spirit.

   We have bread for a hungry world. The people may seem to be so busy feeding on other things that they will not accept the Bread of Life, but we must keep on giving it, offering it to the souls of men.

   We have water for famishing people. We must keep standing and crying out, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." We must persevere. We must never give up. Keep using the Word.

   The seed will find some good soil and spring up and bear fruit, even thirty or sixty or an hundredfold. Somebody will hear the trumpet, even in the din and tumult, and will flee to the Refuge and be safe. The fire will kindle a sacred flame in some cold hearts and make them contrite and yielded to God. The sword will pierce the armor of sin and cut away the self-satisfaction and the pride and open hearts to the Spirit of God. Some hungry

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men and women will take the Bread of Life and some famishing ones will find the Water of Life at our hands.

   Let us as Christian young people declare the whole Word of God.

   Young people, are you retreating where you should retreat? Are you standing where you should stand? Are you advancing where you should advance? Only by doing these three things faithfully can you climb above the gloomy, discouraging spiritual valleys of this life into the glistening, thrilling experience of sun-bathed heights on mountain peaks.

   It was a cold, dreary, snowy night. The father was sitting in the lounge reading a newspaper; the son was absorbed in a novel. Seeing that the fire was about to go out, the father turned to the son and said, "Son, kindly go out into the woodshed and get a stick of wood and bring it in and put it on the fire." There was no reply. Again he repeated his request, and the son made no indication that he had heard.

   Being an Irishman, the father lost his temper and said angrily, "Son, if you don't get that stick of wood and bring it in and put it on the fire, you can leave this house."

   The son jumped to his feet, angrily threw down his book, stalked out and slammed the door.

   Two weeks passed and the father had not received word from his son. Though he was brokenhearted, yet he was stern. He was teaching his son a lesson in obedience.

   It was another cold, dreary, snowy night. The father was trying to read the newspaper and occasionally a tear trickled down his cheek as he thought of his boy. The fire was about to go out again. He heard a knock at the door. Going to it, he saw his son, hungry, tired, cold and pleading. "Father, please forgive me! Let me come in! I'm sorry!" The father softened for a moment. Then he grew stern and, pointing to the woodshed, said, "Son,

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that same stick of wood is in the woodshed. Get it, bring it in, put it on the fire, and you can come in."

   God is saying that same thing to you today. There are sticks in your life. They are in the woodshed, away from the altar of consecration. God says that you will have to get all of those sticks and bring them to the altar before you can have the thrill, the warmth, the joy and the glory of His hearth.

Chapter Three  ||  Table of Contents