COMMUNION WITH GOD: WORD

RELATED INDEX TOPICS: Proof of Inspiration, Reading & Viewing.

1. When he had become one of the country's greatest merchants, John Wanamaker once said, "In my
lifetime, I have made many purchases. I have bought things which have cost me thousands of dollars . But
the greatest purchase I ever made was when I was a boy twelve years old. Then I bought a Bible for two
dollars and fifty cents. That was my greatest purchase, for that Bible made me what I am today."
John Wanamaker became a great man because he, as a poor boy, loved God and His Word. He
loved the Bible, read it, and followed its teachings.

2. A noted orator asked Dickens for the most pathetic story in literature, and he said it was that of the
prodigal son. Mr. Coleridge was asked for the richest passage in literature, and he said it was the first
sixteen verses in the fifth chapter or Matthew. Another asked Daniel Webster for the greatest legal digest,
and he replied that it was the Sermon on the Mount. No one has equaled Moses for law, nor David for
poetry, nor Isaiah for visions, nor Jesus for ethics, nor Peter for holy zeal, nor Apollos for fiery oratory, nor
Paul for logic, nor John's statements of sanctified love. What a ridiculous statement that to study the Bible
"marks a step backward in education!" God's Word is the very greatest of all books, and its Author is the
very greatest of all teachers. We do well to stay close to its pages. It is the Book.

3. LORD, Thy Word abideth,

And our footsteps guideth;
Who its truth believeth
Light and joy receiveth.

When our foes are near us,

Then Thy Word doth cheer us,
Word of consolation,
Message of salvation.

When the storms are o'er us,

And dark clouds before us,
Then its light directeth,
And our way protecteth.

Who can tell the pleasure,

Who recount the treasure,
By Thy Word imparted
To the simple-hearted?

Word of mercy, giving

Succour to the living;
Word of life, supplying
Comfort to the dying!

Oh, that we discerning

Its most holy learning,
LORD, may love and fear Thee,
Evermore be near Thee! Amen.
REV. SIR H. W. BAKER

4. A learned Chinese was employed by some missionaries to translate the New Testament into Chinese. At
first the work of translating had no effect upon the scholarly Chinese. But after some time he became quite
agitated & said, "What a wonderful book this is!" "Why so?" said the missionary. "Because," said the man,
"it tells so exactly about myself. It knows all that is in me. The One Who made this book must have made
me!"

5. The Bible sure throws a lot of light on the Bible commentaries.

6. J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the great China Inland Mission, was Converted through reading a little tract
in his father's library when he was fifteen years old. Carelessly, he picked it up to while away the time, but,
eighty miles away, his mother was praying for his salvation. Before he laid it down, he was rejoicing in the
knowledge of sins forgiven! When we think of the stupendous work of the mission he founded, we marvel
that God should have used such a little thing to bring it all about!

7. The fact that the Standard Oil Company discovered oil and is operating wells in Egypt is generally
known but the reason for its going to that ancient land to look for oil is probably not so well-known.
It is asserted that one of the directors of the company happened to read the second chapter of
Exodus. The third verse caught his attention. It states that the ark of bulrushes which the mother of Moses
made for her child was "daubed with slime and with pitch."
This gentleman reasoned that where there was pitch, there must be oil, and if there was oil in
Moses' time it is probably still there. So the company sent out Charles Whitshott, its geologist and oil
expert, to make investigations, with the result that oil was discovered.

8. A minister recently sent a number of books, among them a copy of the New Testament, to be rebound.
He was surprised on the return of the books to find on the backbone of the New Testament a label in gilt
letters, "T.N.T." There was no room to spell out "The New Testament", so the bookbinder inscribed merely
"T.N.T.", the first letters of the three words. Not a bad name for the New Testament! It is T.N.T.--it is
spiritual dynamite!

9. The reason people are down on the Bible is that they're not up on the Bible!

10. Twenty years after Adoniram Judson reached Burma the New Testament was translated into the
Burmese tongue. In 1824, when war was waged between England and Burma, Mr. Judson was thrown into
prison, and Mrs. Judson buried the precious manuscript, just ready for the printer, in the earth beneath their
house. But as mold was gathering upon it, on account of the dampness caused by heavy rains, with a
woman's ready wit, she sewed the treasure inside a roll of cotton, put on a cover and took it to the jail to be
used by Mr. Judson as a pillow.
In nine months he was transferred to the inner prison, where five pairs of fetters were upon his
ankles, and it was announced that he, with a hundred others, fastened to a bamboo pole, were to be killed
before morning. During this terrible night, much prayer ascended for the precious pillow. It had fallen to
the share of the keeper of the prison, but Mrs. Judson, producing a better one, induced him to exchange.
Mr. Judson was not killed, but was hurried away to another place, and again the pillow was his
companion. But one of the jailers untied the mat that served as its cover and threw the roll of cotton into the
yard as worthless. Here a native Christian, ignorant of its value, found and preserved it as a relic of his
beloved master, and with him months afterward its contents were discovered intact. After the close of the
war this New Testament was printed, and in 1834 the whole Bible was translated into the Burmese
language--a language peculiarly difficult on account of its construction and curious combinations.

11. Dr. S. D. Gordon tells of an old Christian woman whose age began to tell on her memory. She had once
known much of the Bible by heart. Eventually only one precious bit stayed with her. "I know whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
By and by part of that slipped its hold, and she would quietly repeat, "That which I have committed unto
him." At last, as she hovered on the borderline between this and the spirit world, her loved ones noticed her
lips moving. They bent down to see if she needed anything. She was repeating over and over again to
herself the one word of the text, "Him, Him, Him." She had lost the whole Bible, but one word. But she had
the whole Bible in that one word.

12. Walter F. Burke, general manager of Project Mercury & Gemini, & vice president of the McDonnell
Aircraft Corporation, teaches Sunday school in his church. In an interview he declared: "I have found
nothing in science or space exploration to compel me to throw away my Bible or to reject my Saviour,
Jesus Christ, in Whom I trust. The space age has been a factor in the deepening of my own spiritual life. I
read the Bible more now. I get from the Bible what I cannot get from science--the really important things of
life."

13. There are two dominant themes in the Bible: the one is the story of man's seduction by sin; the other,
man's salvation by Christ.

14. As God is the only holy person, so Scripture is the only holy book.

15. The Bible is not only the book of God but also the God of books.

16. Sin will keep you from this Book or this Book will keep you from sin.--John Bunyan

17. If the Word is to get into us we must get into the Word.

18. I never saw a useful Christian who wasn't a student of the Word.

19. The Spirit is not given to make Bible study needless, but to make it effective.

20. If I were the Devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible.

21. God's promises are like life preservers. They keep the soul from sinking in the sea of trouble.

22. The Lord prepares a table for His children, but too many of them are on a diet.

23. If there is a man anywhere who is hungering after God & is not filled, then the Word of God is broken.
We are as full as we want to be.

24. You are only as spiritual as you are Scriptural.

25. The Christian who is careless in reading the Word is careless in living the Life!

26. You can have a head full of Scripture & a heart full of sin.

27. Let me always remember that it is not the amount of spiritual knowledge which I have, but the amount
which I use, that determines my spiritual position & character.

28. Believing & reading Scripture means that we hear the Word from Christ's mouth.
29. The Scriptures are in print what Christ is in person. The inspired Word is like a faithful portrait of
Christ.

30. As in paradise, God walks in the Holy Scriptures, seeking man.

31. In God's Work we see His hand, but in His Word we see His face.

32. The mightier any is in the Word, the more mighty he will be in prayer.

33. The Word is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.--Martin
Luther

34. All in the Bible that is vital is clear, & all that is not clear is not vital.

35. Let us beware of being wiser than God. What He has written, He has written not for our opinion but for
our obedience.

36. As we search the Scriptures, we must allow them to search us, to sit in judgement upon our character &
conduct.

37. The story is told of a young curate in the church of England who was greatly helped in his
understanding of the Scriptures by frequent conversations with an uneducated cobbler, who was,
nevertheless, well acquainted with the Word of God.
On one occasion when a friend of his, a young theologian, was visiting him, he mentioned this
remarkable knowledge of the Bible which the cobbler possessed. The young theologue, in a spirit of pride,
expressed a desire to meet him, saying he felt sure he could ask some questions which he would be quite
unable to answer. Upon being introduced to the man in his little shop, the question was put, "Can you tell
me what Urim and the Thummin were?"
The cobbler replied, "I don't know exactly; I understand that the words apply to something that
was on the breastplate of the high priest. I know the words mean `Lights and Perfection,' and that through
the Urim and Thummin the high priest was able to discern the mind of the Lord. But I find that I can get the
mind of the Lord by just changing two letters. I take this blessed Book, and by `usin' and thummin,' I get
the mind of the Lord that way."

38. It is a remarkable fact that Sir Isaac Newton, writing on the prophecy of Daniel 12:4 said that if they
were true, it would be necessary that a new mode of traveling should be invented, for knowledge would be
so increased that man would be able to travel at the rate of fifty miles an hour.
Voltaire, true to the spirit of skepticism, said: "Now look at the mighty mind of Newton, who
discovered gravitation; when he began to study the Book called the Bible, it seems in order to credit its
fabulous nonsense, he believed that the knowledge of mankind will be so increased that we shall be able to
travel fifty miles an hour! The poor dotard!" Today even a skeptic would have to say, "Newton was a wise
philosopher; Voltaire a poor old dotard."

39. Sir Bartle Frere, travelling in India, was amazed to find a small town in which the idol shrines and
temples were empty, and the townsfolk professed the Christian faith. Some years earlier, one of the
townsfolk had been given an old garment by an English resident, in a pocket of which, forgotten, lay a
Gospel portion with eight or nine tracts in the native language. The life is not in the sower, but in the seed.
Even if an infidel scattered the Scriptures, he would only be exploding his own battlements.

40. There was a godly man in Germany, named Bengel, who was noted for his intimacy with Christ. A
friend desired to watch the saintly man at his devotions. So he concealed himself one night in his room.
Bengel sat long at his table, reading his New Testament. The hours passed. At length the clock struck
midnight, & the old man spread out his hands & said with great joy, "Dear Lord Jesus, we are on the same
old terms." Then closing his book, he was soon in bed & asleep. He had learned the secret of friendship
with Christ.
41. A skeptic in London recently said, in speaking of the Bible, that it was quite impossible in these days to
believe in any book whose author was unknown. A Christian asked him if the compiler of the multiplication
table was known. "No," he answered.
"Then, of course, you do not believe in it?"
"Oh, yes, I believe in it because it works well," replied the skeptic.
"So does the Bible," was the rejoinder, and the skeptic had no answer to make.

42. We search the world for truth. We cull

The good, the true, the beautiful,
From graven stone and written scroll,
And all old flower-fields of the soul;
And, weary seekers of the best,
We come back laden from our quest,
To find that all the sages said
Is in the Book our mothers read.
John Greenleaf Whittier

43. I am the Bible.

I am God's wonderful library.
I am always - and above all - the Truth.
To the weary pilgrim, I am a good strong Staff.
To the one who sits in black gloom, I am the glorious Light.
To those who stoop beneath heavy burdens, I am sweet Rest.
To him who has lost his way, I am a safe Guide.
To those who have been hurt by sin, I am healing Balm.
To the discouraged, I whisper a glad message of Hope.
To those who are distressed by the storms of life, I am an Anchor, sure and steadfast.
To those who suffer in lonely solitude, I am as a cool, soft Hand resting upon a fevered brow.
Oh, child of man, to best defend me, just use me!

44. When Dwight L. Moody was dedicating the first building of what later became the Moody Bible
Institute, he gave the cornerstone a whack with the trowel, then made an invocation to this effect: "Lord,
You know that what this old World needs more than anything else is Thy Word. We pray that if the day ever
comes when anything contrary to the Bible is taught here, You will wipe this school from the face of the
Earth!"

45. Generations follow generations - yet it lives.

Nations rise and fall - yet it lives.
Kings, dictators, presidents come and go - yet it lives.
Torn, condemned, burned - yet it lives.
Doubted, suspected, criticised - yet it lives.
Damned by atheists - yet it lives.
Exaggerated by fanatics - yet it lives.
Misconstrued and misstated - yet it lives.
Ranted and raved about - yet it lives.
Its inspiration denied - yet it lives.
Yet it lives - as a lamp to our feet.
Yet it lives - as a light to our paths.
Yet it lives - as a standard for childhood.
Yet it lives - as a guide for youth.
Yet it lives - as an inspiration for the matured.
Yet it lives - as a comfort for the aged.
Yet it lives - as food for the hungry.
Yet it lives - as water for the thirsty.
Yet it lives - as rest for the weary.
Yet it lives - as light for the heathen.
Yet it lives - as salvation for the sinner.
Yet it lives - as grace for the Christian.
To know it is to love it.
To love it is to accept it.
To accept it means Life Eternal.

46. A young man was home from the theological school to visit his grandmother. To have a bit of fun at her
expense, he said, "Grandmother, you know the Bible that you say you believe was written in Hebrew and
Greek. It had to be translated by great scholars into our language. How do you know those who translated it
got it right?" "Ah," she answered, "never mind the great men. I have translated a few of the promises
myself!"

47. If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country and the people do not
become religious, I do not know what is to become of us as a nation. And the thought is one to cause
solemn reflection on the part of every patriot and Christian. If the truth be not diffused, error will be; if God
and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; if the
evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of corrupt and licentious literature will.
DANIEL WEBSTER

48. Within this ample volume lies

The mystery of mysteries.
Happiest they of human race
To whom their God has given grace
To read, to fear, to hope, to pray,
To lift the latch, to force the way;
But better had they ne'er been born
That read to doubt or read to scorn.
Sir Walter Scott

49. If asked what is the remedy for the deeper sorrows of the human heart, what a man should chiefly look
to in his progress as the power that is to sustain him under trials & enable him to confront his inevitable
afflictions, I must point him to something which in a well-known hymn is called "The Old, Old Story", told
in an old, old Book, which is the greatest & best gift ever given to mankind.--Wm. E. Gladstone, three
times Premier of Great Britain

50. A YOUNG Christian, packing his bag for a journey, said to a friend, "I have nearly finished packing. All
I have to put in the bag yet are a guide book, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope, a volume of fine poetry, a few
biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and a set of books I have been
studying." Then he placed his Bible in a corner of the suitcase and closed it.
All this--and more--is the blessed Word of God which God has magnified above His own holy
name (Psalm 138:2).
If this young man had put in a can of honey and a bag of gold, he would have included something
else that the Bible is.

51. Some time ago an elderly man living in New Jersey made an unusual discovery as he leafed through an
old family Bible. Many years earlier, his aunt had died and left it to him. Part of her will read: "To my
beloved Steven Marsh I bequeath my family Bible and all it contains, along with the residue of my estate
after my funeral expenses and just and lawful debts are paid." When everything had been settled the
nephew got a few hundred dollars plus the old volume mentioned in the will.
After the money was used up, his only support was a small pension, and for more than 30 years he
lived in poverty. Then one day he cleaned out his attic in preparation for a move to his son's home where he
hoped to spend his old age. There in a trunk was the family Bible he had inherited. Opening it, he was
amazed to find banknotes scattered throughout its pages. He counted over $5000 in cash. Within his reach
were riches he could have been enjoying all along.
52. When William IV of England died, there was a young girl spending the night at the palace. They
awakened her and told her that she was now the Queen of England. As soon as she heard the news she
dropped on her knees and asked the Heavenly Father to help and guide her through all the years that were
to follow.
For sixty-four years this girl, who was Queen Victoria, reigned over the British Empire. England
never made greater progress than during her reign. A prince of India asked her what was the secret of
England's power, and for her answer she quietly picked up a Book from the table near by. "This is the
secret," she said. The Book was God's Word, the Bible.

53. The Bible's almost incredibly correct historical memory has been validated many times by
archaeological discoveries. No discovery has ever controverted a Bible reference.--Dr. Nelson Glueck,
Jewish archaeologist.

54. It is my confident hope that my subjects may never cease to cherish their noble inheritance in the
English Bible which is the first of national treasures. Its spiritual significance is the most valuable thing the
World affords.--King George V

55. There is a huge painting hanging in the Supreme Court Building in the little country of Switzerland. It
was painted by an artist named Paul Robert, and the title is "Justice Instructing the Judges."
In the foreground are the litigants - the wife against the husband, the architect against the builder,
and the like. Above them stand the Swiss judges with their little white dickeys. How are these people going
to judge the various litigations? A whole sociological theory is opened up.
The artist's answer is simply this: Justice (usually blindfolded, with her sword vertical as is
common) is unblindfolded, with her sword pointing downward to a book on which is written "The Word of
God."

56. The true story of the Mutiny on the Bounty has often been retold. One part that deserves retelling was
the transformation wrought by one book. Nine mutineers with six native men and twelve native (Tahitian)
women put ashore on Pitcairn Island in 1790. One sailor soon began distilling alcohol, and the little colony
was plunged into debauchery and vice.
Ten years later, only one white man survived, surrounded by native women and half-breed
children. In an old chest from the Bounty, this sailor one day found a Bible. He began to read it and then to
teach it to the others. The result was that his own life and ultimately the lives of all those in the colony were
changed. Discovered in 1808 by the USS Topas, Pitcairn had become a prosperous community with no jail,
no whisky, no crime, and no laziness.

57. Wherever the Bible has gone, civilisation has taken root, & dehumanising, degrading customs have
disappeared. Two sailors swam from their wrecked ship to a cannibal island in the South Pacific. "We will
probably end in the pot!" said one. Going inland in search for food, the two men cautiously entered a hut
whose occupant was out. Seeing a Bible on a table, one exclaimed; "We're all right! We are safe!"

58. The Gospel breaks hard hearts & heals broken hearts.

59. Seldom was ever any knowledge given to keep, but to impart.

60. Knowledge of the Scriptures does not help if it is not accompanied by a believing submission.

61. Some people are critical of everything; some embrace anything. The wise weigh all things by the Word.

62. The Bible would not be the Book of God if it had not deep places here & there which man has no ability
to fathom.

63. What makes the difference is not how many times you have been through the Bible, but how many
times & how thoroughly the Bible has been through you.--Gypsy Smith

64. God's mind is revealed in Scripture, but we can see nothing without the spectacles of the Holy Ghost.
65. Thy Word is like a glorious choir,
And loud its anthems ring;
Though many parts & tongues unite,
It is one song they sing.

66. The study of God's Word for the purpose of discovering God's Will is the secret discipline which has
formed the greatest characters.--James W. Alexander

67. If you put the Word on the shelf, you will surely follow it.

68. Reading gives us breadth, but study gives us depth.

69. Lay hold on the Word until the Word lays hold on you.

70. I hold that the Bible is essentially a plain book. Common sense is a wonderful help in reading it.

71. Read the Word to get the facts, study it to get the meaning, meditate on it to get the benefit.

72. Whatever keeps me from the Word is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to be.

73. The Bread of Life never becomes stale.

74. Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.

75. The Word... know it--in your head; Stow it--in your heart; Sow it--in the World; Show it--in your life!

76. Don't feed on the World's crumbs; get some delicious meals from the Living Bread.

77. Other books have been written for our information; The Bible was given for our transformation

78. No man is uneducated who knows the Word & no one is wise who is ignorant of its teaching.

79. There will be no sceptics in Hell. Neither atheists, infidels, or agnostics. Eternity will make everyone a
Bible-believer.

80. Read it through; pray it in; live it out; pass it on.

81. In Genesis the world was made by God's creative hand;

In Exodus the Hebrews marched to gain the Promised Land;
Leviticus contains the law, holy, and just and good.
Numbers records the tribes enrolled--all sons of Abraham's blood.
Moses in Deuteronomy, records God's mighty deeds;
Brave Joshua into Canaan's land the host of Israel leads.
In Judges their rebellion oft provokes the Lord to smite.
But Ruth records the faith of one well pleasing in His sight,
In First and Second Samuel of Jesse's son we read.
Ten Tribes in First and Second Kings revolted from his seed.
The First and Second Chronicles see Judah captive made:
But Ezra leads a remnant back by princely Cyrus' aid.
The city wall of Zion, Nehemiah builds again,
While Esther saves her people from the plots of wicked men.
In Job we read how faith will live beneath affliction's rod,
And David's Psalms are precious songs to every child of God.
The proverbs like a goodly string of choicest pearls appear,
Ecclesiastes teaches man how vain are all things here.
The mystic Song of Solomon exalts sweet Sharon's Rose;
Whilst Christ the Saviour and the King, the "rapt Isaiah" shows.
The warning Jeremiah apostate Israel scorns;
His plaintive Lamentations their awful downfall mourns.
Ezekiel tells in wondrous words of dazzling mysteries;
While kings and empires yet to come, Daniel in vision sees.
Of judgment and of mercy, Hosea loves to tell;
Joel describes the blessed days when God with man shall dwell.
Among Tekoa's herdsmen Amos received his call;
While Obadiah prophesies of Edom's final fall.
Jonah enshrines a wondrous type of Christ, our risen Lord,
Micah pronounces Judah lost - lost, but again restored.
Nahum declares on Nineveh just judgment shall be poured.
A view of Chaldea's coming doom Habakkuk's visions give;
Next Zephaniah warns the Jews to turn, repent, and live;
Haggai wrote to those who saw the Temple built again,
And Zechariah prophesied of Christ's triumphant reign.
Malachi was the last who touched the high prophetic cord;
Its final notes sublimely show the coming of the Lord.

Matthew and Mark and Luke and John the Holy Gospel wrote,
Describing how the Saviour died - His life, and all He taught;
Acts proves how God the apostles owned with signs in every place.
St. Paul, in Romans, teaches us how man is saved by grace.
The apostle, in Corinthians, instructs, exhorts, reproves,
Galatians shows that faith in Christ alone the Father loves.
Ephesians and philippians tell what Christians ought to be:
Colossians bids us live to God and for eternity.
In Thessalonians we are taught the Lord will come from heaven.
In Timothy and Titus, a bishop's rule is given.
Philemon marks a Christian's love, which only Christians know.
Hebrews reveals the Gospel prefigured by the Law.
James teaches without holiness faith is but vain and dead.
St. Peter points the narrow way in which the saints are led.
John in his three epistles on love delights to dwell.
St. Jude gives awful warning of judgment, wrath and hell;
The Revelation prophesies of that tremendous day
When Christ - and Christ alone - shall be the trembling sinner's stay.

82. A heathen Chinese gave a gift Bible back to the missionary. "Every time I read it," he said, "it kicks
me!"

83. Testifying before the Senate Agriculture Committee on the value of the peanut, George Washington
Carver, who as an infant was traded for a brokendown race horse, said that he got his knowledge of peanuts
from the Bible. Asked what the Bible said about peanuts he replied, "The Bible does not teach anything
regarding the peanut. But it told me about God, & God told me about the peanut!"

84. Dr. Howard W. Pope tells the glory of a young lady who read a certain book and, having completed it,
remarked that it was the dullest book she had read in many a day. Not long after this, she met a certain
young man. In the course of time their friendship ripened into love, and they became engaged. During a
visit in the home of his fiancee one evening, she said to him, "I have a book in my library which was
written by a man whose name and even initials are the same as yours. Is not that a singular coincidence?" I
do not think so," he replied. "Why not?" "For the simple reason that I wrote the book."
Dr. Pope concludes the story by remarking that the young lady sat up until the early morning hours
to read the book again. When she had completed it, she thought it the most interesting book she had ever
read! The secret? She now knew and loved the author.
85. One day I found a sealed addressed letter someone had left on a city bus. So I stamped it & mailed it.
Then I wrote to the man on the return address that I had mailed his letter. A month later I was thrilled to
receive an answer from him thanking me for the Gospel leaflet I sent him & asking if I could please send
more. Also he said that sending the letter saved his job & that he was so thankful!--Enoch & Galilee Teman

86. There's a big difference between the books that men make & the Book that makes men.

87.The editor of a well-known London newspaper sent a letter of inquiry to one hundred important peers,
members of parliament, university professors, authors, merchants--a varied list. The inquiry was: "Suppose
you were sent to prison for three years and you could only take three books with you. Which three would
you choose? Please state them in order of their importance."
Out of the replies, ninety-eight put one book first on their list--the Bible. Few of those men were
keen about religion, many were not even church-goers; others were agnostics or atheists. Yet they knew that
no other book could give them cheer and comfort to help in dark, difficult days.

88. Martha in the kitchen, serving with her hands;

Occupied for Jesus, with her pots and pans.
Loving Him, yet fevered, burdened to the brim, -
Careful, troubled Martha, occupied for Him.

Mary on the footstool, eyes upon her Lord;

Occupied with Jesus, drinking in His word.
This the one thing needful, all else strangely dim:
Loving, resting Mary, occupied with Him.

So may we, like Mary, choose the better part.

Resting in His presence - hands and feet and heart;
Drinking in His wisdom, strengthened with `His grace;
Waiting for the summons, eyes upon His face.

When it comes, we're ready, spirit, will, and nerve;

Mary's heart to worship, Martha's hands to serve;
This the rightful order, as our lamps we trim, -
Occupied with Jesus, then occupied for Him!
--Lois Reynolds Carpenter

89. "Just one letter of the alphabet makes all the difference between us now," said a recently converted
young woman to an unsaved friend, who could not understand the great change that had come over her.
"You love the World", she said, "& I love the Word."

90. Other books were given for our information. The Bible was given for our transformation.

91. In this Revolution we don't toss anything as weak as bombs & molotov cocktails into an assembly, we
throw out to them the Truth of the Word of God!--Dad

92. Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith's door,

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,

"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"
"Just one," said he, and then with twinkling eye,
"The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."
"And so," I thought, "The Anvil of God's Word
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon,
Yet, thought the noise of falling blows was heard,
The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone."
John Clifford

93. Words! Words! Words!

And we thank Thee, Lord!
For the gift of them;
And the lift of them;
For the gleam in them
And the dream in them;
For the things they teach
And the souls they reach!
For the maze of them
And the blaze of them;
For the ways they open to us
And the rays that they shoot through us.

Words! Words! Words!

And we thank Thee, Lord!
For the light in them;
For the might in them;
For the urge in them;
And the surge in them;
For the souls they wake
And the paths they break;
For the going in them
And the song in them;
For the throngs of folks they bring to us
And the songs of hope they sing to us!
WILLIAM L. STIDGER

94. Century follows century - The Word stands.

Dynasty succeeds dynasty - there it stands.
Empires rise and fall and are forgotten - there it stands.
Kings are crowned and uncrowned - there it stands.
Storms of hate swirl about it - there it stands.
Atheists rail against it - there it stands.
Profane, prayerless punsters caricature it - there it stands.
Unbelief abandons it - there it stands.
Thunderbolts of wrath smite it - there it stands.
The flames are kindled about it - there it stands.

95. An African chief wanted to know the secret of Britain's greatness. Queen Victoria, holding a Bible in
her hand, said, "Tell the chief that this book, the Bible, is the secret of our greatness!" (Psa.19:9;
Prov.14:34)

96. Moody said: "The blood alone makes us safe; the Word alone makes us sure!"

97. The Bible

The charter of all true liberty.
The forerunner of civilization.
The moulder of institutions and governments.
The fashioner of law.
The secret of national progress.
The guide of history.
The ornament and mainspring of literature.
The friend of science.
The inspiration of philosophies.
The textbook of ethics.
The light of intellect.
The answer to the deepest human heart hungerings.
The soul of all strong heart life.
The illuminator of darkness.
The foe of superstition.
The enemy of oppression.
The uprooter of sin.
The regulator of all high and worthy standards.
The comfort in sorrow.
The strength in weakness.
The pathway in perplexity.
The escape from temptation.
The steadier in the day of power.
The embodiment of all lofty ideals.
The begetter of life.
The promise of the future.
The star of death's night.
The revealer of God.
The guide and hope and inspiration of man.
BISHOP ANDERSON

98. My Bible is not true in spots,

But true in every sense;
True in its tittles and its jots,
True in each verb and tense;
True when it speaks of heaven's joy,
True when it warns of hell;
Its truth is gold without alloy -
Its source a Springing Well.
KEITH BROOKS

99. Some years ago Israeli businessman Xiel Federmann began to brood over the account of the destruction
of Sodom & Gomorrah ("And, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace"), & guessed
that such conflagrations might indicate underground gas--& underground gas meant oil. He was right. In
1953 Israel's first oil well went into operation near the ancient site of Sodom & Gomorrah.

100. A humble & prayerful spirit will find a thousand things in the Bible which the proud, self-conceited
student will utterly fail to discern.

101. We must read the Word like men digging for hidden treasures.

102. Neglect the Word & you neglect the Lord.

103. To do God's work we must have God's power. To have God's power we must know God's will. To
know God's will we must study God's Word.

104. The answers we find in the Word are not quick or easy answers, but they are in fact the only real
answers.

105. Apply thyself wholly to the Scriptures & the Scriptures wholly to thyself.
106. No time for God?
What fools we are...
No time for God?
As soon to say no time
To eat , to sleep, to live, to die.
Take time for God,
Or a poor misshapen thing you'll be
To step into eternity,
And say, "I had no time for Thee."

107. Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is about us.

108. A knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without a
knowledge of the Bible.

109. A Bible that's falling apart often belongs to one who isn't.

110. Carrying a Bible will never take the place of reading it.

111. The most desirable time to read the Word is as often as possible.

112. Keep your Bible open & you will not find the door to Heaven shut.

113. A Bible in the hand is worth two in the bookcase.

114. Dust on your Bible is not evidence that it is a dry book.

115. Many Christians expect the World to respect a book they neglect.

116. How can you have faith in the Bible unless you know what's in it?

117. A Book which will lift men up to God must have come down from God.

118. The Bible contains the vitamins for a healthy soul.

119. Bible verses will save you from spiritual reverses.

120. It's a terrible responsibility to own a Bible.

121. We should study the Bible as a privilege, not as a duty.

122. Don't criticise the Bible; let the Bible criticise you.

123. A colporteur traveling in Bohemia through a Roman Catholic district was surprised to come upon a
locksmith who knew the Bible well. He learned that seventeen years before, a priest had gathered all the
copies of the Bible together and made a bonfire of them. A gust of wind carried away two burning pieces
out of the bonfire, which the locksmith had picked up and read. The first words that caught his eyes were,
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." So impressed was he that he and his
father saved a whole Bible out of the burning, and became Bible readers and Bible students.

124. It was in a meeting where they were giving personal testimony. One man arose, holding a New
Testament in his hand. "My story," said he, "is unlike other men. I was a pickpocket, and one day I saw a
man with a definite bulge in his hip pocket. 'A fat purse,' thought I, and soon it was in my pocket. But when
I arrived home, behold, it was a Book. In disgust I threw it aside, but afterward, out of curiosity, I opened it
and began to read. Before many days had passed I discovered Christ as my Saviour and Lord."
Listening to this testimony, one of the volunteer colporteurs of the Bible Society became
interested. After the service he asked to see the New Testament. It was the one he had carried with him for
years, the one he had considered lost. Is not this evidence of the power of the Word to change and to
transform man's life? What has the Word done for you?

125. A young lady, asked by her friend to explain what is meant by devotional reading of the Bible, made
answer as follows:
"Yesterday morning I received a letter from one to whom I had given my heart and devoted my
life. I freely confess to you that I have read that letter five times, not because I did not understand it at the
first reading, nor because I expected to commend myself to the author by frequent reading of his epistle. It
was not with me a question of duty, but simply one of pleasure. I read it because I am devoted to the one
who wrote it.
"To read the Bible with the same motive is to read it devotionally, and to one who reads it in that
spirit it is indeed a love Letter."

126. And the noted Dr. J. O. Kinnamn said: "Of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts found by the
archaeologists, not one has ever been discovered that contradicts or denies one word, phrase, clause, or
sentence of the Bible, but always confirms & verifies the facts of the Biblical record."

127. Someone asked a young convert how he could believe the Bible was inspired. He said, "It inspires
me!"

128. The most desirable time to read the Word is as often as possible.

129. A Christian worker entered a wretched, poverty-stricken home. Beneath a rickety table, he saw a dust-
covered Bible. As he left, he said, "There's a treasure in this house which if discovered and believed would
make you all rich!" A diligent search was made for the hidden treasure. "Could it be a jewel or a pot of gold
left by the former occupants of the home?" asked the searchers one of another. Their search was in vain. No
treasure was found.
Not long thereafter, the mother picked up the old Bible. She began to shift the pages of the unread
Bible. On the flyleaf were written these words, "Thy testimonies are better to me than thousands of gold
and silver!" "Ah!" she exclaimed, "can this be the treasure the stranger spoke of?" She and the other
members of the family began to read the Bible. A change came into their lives. A change came into the
home. Love, joy and peace came into hearts which were formerly filled with sin and discontentment.
When the Christian worker returned to the home, the grateful family exclaimed, "We have found
the treasure, and in reading it and receiving it into our hearts, we have also found the Saviour!"

130. A woman of nervous temperament visited the world-renowned physician, Dr. Howard A. Kelly. The
cares of life threatened her physical strength and even her reason. Having given her symptoms to the
physician, she was greatly astonished at his prescription: "Madam, what you need is to read the Bible
more!" "But, Doctor - " began the bewildered woman. "Go home and read your Bible an hour a day," the
great man reiterated with kindly authority, "then come back to me a month from today."
At first, the woman was inclined to be angry. But she reflected with a pang of conscience that she
had neglected the daily reading of God's Word, and "the secret place of the most High," where formerly she
communed with her Lord. In coming back to her God, and His Word, the joys of her salvation returned.
When she presented herself to the doctor a month later, he said, "Well, I see you have been an obedient
patient. Do you feel as if you needed any other medicine now?" "No, Doctor, I feel like a different person.
But how did you know what I needed ?" Taking up his own worn and well-marked Bible, he said, "If I
would omit my daily reading of God's Word, I would not only lose my joy, but I would lose my greatest
source of strength and skill ... Your case called not for medicine, but for a source of peace and strength
outside your own mind. My prescription, when tried, works wonders!"

131. If God gives Himself to us in promises, we must give ourselves to Him in duties.

132. You cannot starve a man who is feeding on God's promises.

133. We cannot rely on God's promises without obeying His commandments.

134. A little saint may enjoy a great promise.

135. The wise Christian will store himself with promises in health for sickness, & in peace for future perils.

136. A minister went far into a backwoods settlement to hold a meeting and it was necessary that he return
late in the very dark night. A woodsman provided him with a torch of pitch-pine wood. The minister, never
having seen anything of the kind, said, "It will soon burn out." "It will light you home," answered the other.
"The wind may blow it out," said the preacher. "It will light you home," was again the answer. "But what if
it should rain?" "It will light you home," was the answer a third time. And, contrary to the minister's fears,
the torch did last him all the way home. The Word of God is a torch given into the hands of each of us.
What if it rains? What if the wind blows? What if the fires of persecution come? If you will hold the torch
high it will light you home.

137. Ingersoll held up a copy of the Bible and said, "In fifteen years I'll have this book in the morgue."
Fifteen years rolled by, Ingersoll was in the morgue, and the Bible lives on. Voltaire said that in one
hundred years the Bible would be an outmoded and forgotten book, to be found only in museums. When
the one hundred years were up, Voltaire's house was owned and used by the Geneva Bible Society. And
recently ninety-two volumes of Voltaire's works - a part of the Earl of Derby's library - were sold for two
dollars!

138. How to Make the Best Use of the Word

Read it through.
Pray it in.
Work it out.
Note it down.
Pass it on.

139. The Whole Bible Contains

The mind of God.

The state of man.
The doom of sinners.
The happiness of believers.
Its doctrines are holy.
Its precepts are binding.
Its histories are true.
Its decisions are immutable.

140. God's promise is better than any bond or note on any bank, financial institution, or most stable
government, for all these may have to repudiate their bond; God never does so.

141. Learn to put your hand on all spiritual blessings in Christ & say "Mine."

142. God's promises are like the stars; the darker the night the brighter they shine.

143. Know the Word in your mind, Keep it in your heart; live it in your life, Share it with the World.

144. The Word has nothing to fear--except neglect.

145. The Bible is the constitution of Christian civilisation.

146. A Bible known is worth a dozen merely owned.

147. The Bible is not only the World's best seller, it is man's best purchase.
148. A Bible stored in the mind is worth a dozen stored in the bottom of a trunk.

149. One evidence of the value of the Bible is the Character of those who oppose it.

150. Satan is not afraid of a Bible with dust on it.

151. The Bible is most helpful when it is open.

152. Those who don't read the Word have no advantage over those who can't read it.

153. An aged grandfather explained why he reads the Word several hours every day, "You might say I am
cramming for my final examination."

154. Sister Jones got out her Bible & decided she would let the Lord lead to the specific verse she needed
for the day. So with eyes closed she opened her Bible & put her finger on a verse. Opening her eyes she
read, "And Judas went out & hanged himself." She quickly sought a different verse, once again closing her
eyes & placing her finger on the specific spot. This time she was disappointed to read, "Go & do thou
likewise!" Undaunted she followed the same plan a third time, & the verse was, "What thou doest, do
quickly!"

155. One of the best evidences of the inspiration & infallibility of the Bible is that it has survived the
fanaticism & ignorance of its friends.

156. The family Bible can be passed from generation to generation, because it gets so little wear.

157. Other books were given to us for information, but the Bible was given to us for transformation.

158. The value of the Word doesn't consist in merely knowing it, but in obeying it.

159. If you will carry the Bible while you are young, it will carry you when you are old.

160. The study of the Bible is a postgraduate course in the richest library of human experience.

161. You can't understand all you read in the Word, but you can obey what you do understand.

162. The Word finds us where we are, &, with our permission, will take us where we ought to go.

163. If all the neglected Bibles in this country were dusted off at the same time, we would suffer the worst
dust storm in years.

164. A thumbprint on the Bible is more important than a footprint on the moon.

165. The way some people use the "Sword of the Spirit," one would think it was made for splitting hairs.

166. Printers are always especially careful to safeguard against typographical errors in the Scriptures.
Especially in earlier editions, however, some peculiar mistakes have occurred. For instance, have you heard
of the "Vinegar Bible"? This was so named because the heading for Luke 20 appeared as "Parable of the
Vinegar" instead of "Parable of the Vineyard." A Bible published in 1823 became known as the "Camel
Bible" because it contains the statement, "Rebecca arose, and her camels," instead of "damsels."
An edition appearing in 1702 has been called the "Printers' Bible" because, instead of "Princes" in
the Psalms, this version made David complain bitterly, "Printers have persecuted me without cause." In
another edition, "Blessed are the peacemakers" became "Blessed are the placemakers."
Then there is the "Wife Hater Bible," which has Jesus saying, in Luke 14:26, that He must be first
in our lives above all else, and that relatives, possessions, "yes, and his own wife also," must be held in
secondary esteem. The correct word in this instance is "life." The so-called "Wicked Bible" was named
because a printer's mistake omitted the word "not" from the commandment, "Thou shalt not commit
adultery."

167. Read the Word

1) Slowly, with mind alert.
2) Carefully and with prayer.
3) Expectantly and with anticipation.
4) In a spirit of enjoyment.
5) Eager to respond inwardly.
6) Seeking a personal message.
7) Repeating aloud verses which strike fire.
8) Keeping a definite time each day for reading.
9) Copying out a key verse to carry with you for re-reading through the day.

168. A few years ago before the war, a humble villager in eastern Poland received a Bible from a man who
visited his small hamlet. He read it, was converted, & passed the Book to others. Through that one Bible
two hundred more became believers.
When the same man revisited the town in the Summer of 1940, he found that those villagers had
memorised, not only chapters, but whole books of the Bible. Thirteen knew Matthew & Luke & half of
Genesis. One had committed all of the Psalms to memory. Together, the two hundred knew virtually the
entire Bible. Passed around from family to family & brought to the gathering on Sundays, the old Book had
become so worn with use that its pages were hardly legible.

169. Bumper sticker on a car in Tyler, Texas: "Read the Bible--it'll scare the Hell out of you."

170. There are a number of splendid translations of the Bible. However, the most effective is its translation
into the lives of people.

171. A person who merely samples the Word of God never acquires much of a taste for it.

172. Our Lord does not open the windows of Heaven to the person who keeps his Bible closed.

173. If some Christians knew as little about their jobs as they do the Bible, they would have to be guided to
their work benches every morning.

174. The Bible promises no loaves to the loafer.

175. Jesus knows we must come apart & rest awhile, or else we may just plain come apart!

176. There's a vast difference between books that men make & the BOOK that makes men.

177. Fill your mind with the light of God's Word & the darkness will flee! Quote Scriptures! Don't listen to
the Devil's lies ! You'd better not, because if you listen to him, the same thing that happened to Eve, will
happen to you. Don't even listen to him! Don't listen to his doubts & his fears & his discouragement & his
temptations & all the rest, sock him with the Word of God! --Dad

178. You doubt God's will if you doubt God's Word, & of course if you doubt the Word, then you've got
nothing to stand on, you're bound to go astray! This is exactly what Saul did, he doubted God's Word, he
doubted the Word of the Prophet, & he went ahead & took things into his own hands & as good as said,
"Well, I can't stand around here waiting for that Prophet of God! I can't stand around here doing nothing
while we're destroyed & while we're being defeated; I've got to do something! whether God or the Prophet
tells me to do it or not, I've got to do it! I'll do it my own way!"--And he did, & crash! And God dethroned
him & destroyed his kingdom! He lost his birthright, he lost his throne, he lost his crown, he lost his family,
he lost everything!--Dad

179. I've got to have the Word to feed my soul & strengthen my body & renew my mind & lift my spirit &
encourage my heart & purify my whole being, the refreshing Water of the Word or the inspiring songs of
the Faith!--Dad

180. You can read a Scripture maybe all your life without meaning, until the Holy Spirit speaks it to you &
applies it to your situation & brings it to life! The voice of His word, as it's called, when He gives it to you
personally for something or He gives it to you in an answer, He brings it to life, applies it to a situation & it
becomes alive suddenly! It's no longer just mere words any more, or words that just run through your head,
but all of a sudden it hits you & you really get the point!--Dad

181. You can read all the Word you want, but if it doesn't come to life by the Spirit, it's not going to do
anything! You can quote it word for word right out of the Bible, but if you don't live it in Love it won't do
any good.--Dad

182. You say, "Dad, I've got so much to read now & so much work to do, how am I ever going to get time
to read the Bible?" Well, if you haven't got time to read the Bible, I don't see how you've got time to watch
videos! If you haven't got time to read the Bible or do your homework, you shouldn't have time to watch
videos, should you?--Because that's just pure pleasure, relaxation, entertainment & recreation, which is fine
& you're supposed to have that. But I'll tell you, when I was your age I never came home from school &
went directly out to play, I always made sure I did my homework first & then I didn't have to worry about
it. I got it done, & then I went out to play! So do your homework first! Amen? PTL!--Dad

183. "If you continue in My Word, then ye shall know the Truth, & then the Truth shall make you free!"--
Only if you continue in God's Word! There's no other freedom on Earth! There's no other Truth on Earth!
There's no other way of being free! This is what gives us the Truth & this is what makes us free, nothing
else! So if they don't have this, if they don't believe this, if they don't believe God's Word, they don't have
the Truth & they have no freedom, they're slaves of the Devil!--Which means most of the World!--Dad

184. I see new things, constantly new things. It never gets old! There's always something new that God
reveals from the Scripture, as well as by direct prophecy & revelation.--Dad

185. When I am tired, the Bible is my bed;

Or in the dark, the Bible is my light.
When I am hungry, it is living bread;
Or fearful, it is armour for the fight.
When I am sick, 'tis healing medicine,
Or lonely, throngs of friends I find therein.

If I would work, the Bible is my tool;

Or play, it is a harp of tuneful sound.
If I am ignorant, it is my school:
If I am sinking, it is solid ground.
If I am cold, the Bible is my fire,
And it gives wings if boldly I aspire.

Does gloom oppress? The Bible is a sun;

'Midst ugliness it is a garden fair.
Am I athirst? How cool its waters run!
Or stifled? What a vivifying air!
Since thus thou givest of thyself to me,
How I should give myself, great Book, to thee!
(Ps. 12. 6; 19. 7; 119. 50; Eph. 5.26; 6.17; Col. 3.16)

186. A certain wayward young man ran away from home and was not heard of for years. In some way,
hearing that his father had just died, he returned home and was kindly received by his mother. The day
came for the reading of the will; the family were all gathered together, and the lawyer began to read the
document. To the surprise of all present, the will told in detail of the wayward career of the runaway son.
The boy in anger arose, stamped out of the room, left the house, and was not heard from for three years.
When eventually he was found he was informed that the will, after telling of his waywardness, had gone on
to bequeath him $15,000. How much sorrow he would have saved himself and others, if he had only heard
the reading through! Thus many people only half read the Bible, and turn from it dissatisfied. The Bible
says, "The wages of sin is death," yes, but it says more, it says, "but the gift of God is eternal life."

187. Engraved as in eternal brass,

The mighty promise shines;
Nor can the powers of Darkness 'rase
Those everlasting lines.

188. I want the proved certainties

To sooth the soul's deep cries;
And not man's vain philosophies
Based only on surmise.

I want a book that is inspired

In which to posit faith;
And not some mutilated scroll,
Or literary wraith.

I want the calm assurance of

A voice beyond this dust,
A voice from out eternity
In which to place my trust.

For when I come, at eventide,

To Jordan's swollen stream,
I want the tested verities,
And not some mystic dream.

This mortal life is far too brief,

Eternity too vast,
To follow human sophistries
And lose the soul at last!

Then give me back the Holy Book

By inspiration penned;
I'm through with fabled falsities,
And allegoric trend.
M. D. Clayburn

189. Believe me, sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Word of God before I go to
bed.--Douglas MacArthur

190. God never promises more than He is able to perform.

191. Sir. Monier Williams, possibly the greatest authority on the so-called sacred books of the East--the
Koran, the Hindu Vedas, the Buddhist Tripitaka, and the Zend Avesta--said: "They all begin with some
flashes of true light, and end in utter darkness. There is a gulf between the Bible and the so-called sacred
books of the East which severs the one from the other utterly, hopelessly and forever, a veritable gulf which
cannot be bridged over by any science of religious thought!"

192. Seven Wonders of the Word:

1) The wonder of its formation - the way in which it grew is one of the mysteries of time.
2) The wonder of its unification - a library of 66 books, yet one book.
 3) The wonder of its age - most ancient of all books.
4) The wonder of its sale - best seller of any book.
5) The wonder of its interest - only book in world read by all classes.
6) The wonder of its language - written largely by uneducated men, yet the best from a literary
standpoint.
7) The wonder of its preservation - the most hated of all books, yet it continues to exist. "The word
of our God shall stand for ever."

193. There are Christians living on spiritual stale bread & mouldy cheese when they might be enjoying
roast turkey from Heaven!

194. Certainly no revolution that has ever taken place in society can be compared to that which has been
produced by the Words of Jesus Christ.

195. We must throw the printer's inkpot at the Devil.--Martin Luther

196. It is easier to go six miles to hear a sermon, than to spend one quarter of an hour meditating on it when
I come home.

197. Doers of the Word are the best hearers.

198. Busyness in the King's business is no excuse for neglecting the King.

199. No man has a right to lead such a life of contemplation as to forget in his own ease the service due to
his neighbour; nor has any man a right to be so immersed in active life as to neglect the contemplation of
God.--Augustine

200. The Bible is the sceptre by which the Heavenly King rules His church.

201. Our vision of God must be controlled not by what we see in the world but by what Scripture authorises
us to believe.

202. I will put down all apparent inconsistencies in the Bible to my own ignorance.--John Newton

203. The Lord does not shine upon us, except when we take His Word as our light.

204. The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering & the most comfortable
way of dying.

205. While other books inform, & some few reform, this one Book transforms.

206. Scripture is not only pure but purifying.

207. When the dust of battle dies down we shall hear all sixty-six books declare with the apostle Paul, 'Do
thyself no harm, for we are all here.'

208. In the study of the Scriptures, "on the threshhold of your task you will find a host of lurking demons to
lure you away from it," warns Dr. Samuel Zwemer. In this, as in all branches of study, "concentration is the
secret of success," as Emerson has said.
D. L. Moody said: "I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible. If a person
neglects the Bible there is not much for the Holy Spirit to work with. We must have the Word." And
Bengel's advice is very sound: "Apply yourself wholly to the Scriptures, and apply the Scriptures wholly to
yourself."

209. There is a story told of an American who went over to Paris, and, wishing to buy his wife a little gift,
purchased a phosphorescent, mother-of-pearl match-box container; and the beauty of it was that in the dark
it was said to radiate a wonderful light. He packed it in his trunk, took it home to the U.S.A., and after the
family welcome dinner asked for the lights to be put out. In the dark he took the match-box container from
his pocket to present it to his wife, but, when he looked at it, it was as black as the darkness around. Then
he said, 'That is just what they palm off on foreigners. I've been swindled.' Next day his wife, a bit curious,
discovered on the box a few words in French. She took it down to some friends who had a French maid and
had it translated. That night, in the darkness, it was all aglow, for she had followed the instructions written
on the box, which said: 'If you keep me all day long in the sunlight, I will shine for you all night long in the
darkness.' (2 Cor. 4.6; Phil. 2.15)

210. When fiery darts and doubts attack,

Use God's Word to drive them back!
Don't dream and waste the time away;
Redeem the time, review today!
--so when you come to fight some doubt,
You'll have the Word to drive it out!
Each verse is hot and well-refined,
Like ammo dug from Heaven's mine!
So stock up well and memorise
If you'd be well and strong and wise!
'Cause when the tests and trials hit
You'd sure hate to be out of it,
Or sit back blank and all spaced-out,
Your mind wide open for some doubt.
That's been my case, well, more than once,
And I sure felt just life a dunce!
I'd idly daydreamed, fiddled and
My thoughts were not at my command.
I'd missed Word-time to dream and play,
And when hot trials came my way,
My faith forcefield was low and weak,
Instead of glowing on high peak!
My verses I could barely find,
And I was really in a bind.
And then some doubt, I knew and sensed,
Shot through my faith's line of defense!
It was some knavish fiery dart
The Devil'd aimed right for my heart!
My power source had fallen low;
Forcefields of faith would barely glow.
I hadn't read some Word that night
And I was in for quite a fight!
Then came a Voice, so clearly heard:
"Your only hope's to use the Word!
Nothing can blow those doubts apart,
Save all that Word hid in your heart!"
But oh, I'd missed my Word that day,
And hadn't stored one verse away!
I pulled some rusty verses out
I thought might fight that fatal doubt;
But no, they really wouldn't do!
I needed something hot and new!
I grabbed my MOP and Memory Book,
Then prayed real hard and took a look:
And there it was!--The Quote I prized,
Lying there hot and energised!
Just what I needed to fight that trial!
I loaded it with a fightin' smile;
Then "Battle stations!--Every thought!
Now give it everything you've got!"
I grabbed more verses!--Real good ones!
And loaded them into my Gospel guns!
I aimed at the doubt (It was so absurd!)
And blasted it with the white-hot Word!
I winged it! Good! It fell down fast!
I took quick aim, gave one more blast!
There went the death-rays of the Word!
A mighty roar was sudd'nly heard!
It shot the hell out of that doubt
That fiery dart was all put out!
I'd knocked that doubt-dart from the sky,
And zapped it out of my mind's eye!
It fizzled out without a spark
When my Word cannons hit their mark!
So if you'd be a warrior too,
I think you know just what to do:
Redeem the time and don't daydream.
Keep faith forcefields up on high beam.
Take Word-time now, you'll find at last
That memorising's quite a blast!
--Written by Hart

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