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Christ’s Object Lessons
service. All are to labor in winning souls to Christ. Donations of
money cannot take the place of this.
Every moment is freighted with eternal consequences. We are to
stand as minute men, ready for service at a moment’s notice. The
opportunity that is now ours to speak to some needy soul the word of
life may never offer again. God may say to that one, “This night thy
soul shall be required of thee,” and through our neglect he may not be
ready. (
Luke 12:20
.) In the great judgment day, how shall we render
our account to God?
Life is too solemn to be absorbed in temporal and earthly matters,
in a treadmill of care and anxiety for the things that are but an atom
in comparison with the things of eternal interest. Yet God has called
us to serve Him in the temporal affairs of life. Diligence in this work
is as much a part of true religion as is devotion. The Bible gives no
indorsement to idleness. It is the greatest curse that afflicts our world.
Every man and woman who is truly converted will be a diligent worker.
Upon the right improvement of our time depends our success in
acquiring knowledge and mental culture. The cultivation of the intel-
lect need not be prevented by poverty, humble origin, or unfavorable
surroundings. Only let the moments be treasured. A few moments here
and a few there, that might be frittered away in aimless talk; the morn-
ing hours so often wasted in bed; the time spent in traveling on trams
or railway cars, or waiting at the station; the moments of waiting for
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meals, waiting for those who are tardy in keeping an appointment—if
a book were kept at hand, and these fragments of time were improved
in study, reading, or careful thought, what might not be accomplished.
A resolute purpose, persistent industry, and careful economy of time,
will enable men to acquire knowledge and mental discipline which
will qualify them for almost any position of influence and usefulness.
It is the duty of every Christian to acquire habits of order, thor-
oughness, and dispatch. There is no excuse for slow bungling at work
of any character. When one is always at work and the work is never
done, it is because mind and heart are not put into the labor. The one
who is slow and who works at a disadvantage should realize that these
are faults to be corrected. He needs to exercise his mind in planning
how to use the time so as to secure the best results. By tact and method,
some will accomplish as much in five hours as others do in ten. Some
who are engaged in domestic labor are always at work not because they