Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-01-29

Dear Household Friends-I come this beau
tiful morning with a New Years greeting,
and may this year be the happiest, brightest
and best of ell the past to our large family:
We have all passed another anniversary OF
our Saviors birth. the sweet echo OF tne
song OF the angels, peace on earth' soou viii
to men," have reached again, and let US
each moment keep this glad tiding ringing
in our hearts. / so wish that as the new
year comes in with all of its OPPORTUNITIES ana
obligations. we could remember we are not our
own: that we all belong to our LORD ne
has bought with a price and we are his
stewards and some day He Will can US 10
give an account of our stewardship.
/ have just finished reading In His steps,
written by George Sheldon. studied me
Christ-Iike spirit of that book and believe
that nothing except this sweet. self-sacrltlclnS
spirit will enable us to do the work our
Lord intends us to do My heart longs-yea,
hungers to be emptied of everything that Is
wrong and to be filled in the beginning or
this year with, the Holy Spirit Tor no
other way can we be used as HIS mstro-
ments in saving lost souls.
Dear friends. fear that manv OF our fall-
ures to accomplish the good We purpossd TO
do and really longed to do come by our living
so much in our selves. We look over sne
past and many things in our lives
that are unsatisfying, so many mistakes and
we fall so far short OF showing forth the
satisfying love of our Lord to the world that
we find that a spirit of sadness comes over
us, and we lose the Joy and peace that is
the true legacy of every child Of God.
Now / think that is what ST. Paul would
warn us of when he says: I'VE are to forget
the things that are behind. and press for
ward l believe our Saviour would have us
to live only a moment at the time, trust
Him the moments fly; trust Him as the
days 30 by"
II the power of God can keep us each mo-
ment as they fly by and only to live in
this way. when the day is past we will not
have a regret. for we will then realize that
His presence has been with us all the time,
and then in this closeness Of life with the
Master. Satan would not-yea. could not harm
us. ~
the Mount, 'Take- no thought for the NOR
row." anxious thought, and yet. often
we find that we growing anxious over what
is TO come I'm the future. l once met woman
whose face was so sad and despair was writ
ten on her countenance. We were at ladies'
prayer meeting and during the meeting this one
Christian, but she spoke of the future, and
could not tell how she could raise her three
children all alone; her husband had been killed
accidentally, as he was going to work. AS this
poor. hesrtbreken woman talked my heart went
out in such sympathy. She stranger to
me, but felt that must cultivate her and
her trouble. She could not understand the
Sayiour's promise, that God would be husband
to the widow and father TO the fatherless.
very dear Christian friend and found out,
talked to and prayed with this dear, sad
mother; did what we could to help with her
three little ones, and, On how thank the
good Lord that He let this poor soul out into
His divine light and love. for she became
joyous, trusting child of God. She was taken
out or herSeIf ana learned the sweet lesson OF
letting Jesus live in. her, So He viii for all
who viii walk in HIS steps.
hope you win pardon me for referring to a
very strange experience that came to us abOut
SIX years ago; the lesson has been helpful to me
that / hope Ii will be to others
In tie winter of 1903, my husbands health
failed. lie had a -three-horse farm and no
hands, and for several weeks he was unable to
attend to his stock. With only a little negro
to help did his work, and oh, how dark every
thing looked 10 me =, / would try TO take the
burden TO my Father in heaven, but for days
it seemed TO me He surely had forsaken us.
My peace had gone and my heart was filled
with anxious thoughts for our future; then this
passage from a sweet old chapter came into
my heart with such force, that | could not
resist it., Thou viii keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is staged on Thee"
l win never forget that day. l went into
my closet and fell on my knees, and there
was shown why l had lost the sweet peace of
God / was looking at the outward circum-
stances and trying to work 1t out within my
poor, helpless self. l think / was never so
happy. or so close to the Master / at
that moment. rose with light heart, and
while the crcums .ance the l
perfectly light and joyous.
That was in March, and in less than a week
some hands came to us; my husband got muen
better and we never had more successful
year. l thank God for that lesson. and how He
has since kept me from doubling His care over
us. Keep close to Jesus all the way, every mo-
ment, and He will bring it to pass
Friends, we are not left to walk alone In
this life of trials and temptations, but our
blessed Saviour has left us a promise to suit
every experience that comes to us. What does
Lord require of us, but to do justly, love
mercy, and walk humbly with our God"
Oh that men would Vraise the Lord for his
goodness and for his wonderful works unto The
children of
Nothing can come to His children except what
He permits; there never be a dark, sad
moment that He is not near, and the same
loving, sympathizing Lord who wept at the
grave of Lazarus, in divine and human pity, is
Just the same today. May wel who profess to
be His followers put our hand in that of our
Father and willingly, gladly, follow, moment by
moment where He leads? In this way he will
use us in doing the work he has left for us TO
do. No anxious fears for the future win trouble
those whose minds stayed on Him.
Often my heart is grieved by the way many
who have their names on the church roll live
before the world No wonder there Is no little
power In the churches of today. Men will go to
church Sunday, often to attend to some secu-
lar business They even trade at church. when
Gods word tells us we are not to speak our
own words think thoughts his
holy day. l do not believe in Sunday visiting
and yet 1t Is made a special day by many tor
social pleasures.
We living in a crucial time, and all who
truly love the Master must rebuke will all long
suffering the many evils that confront us. We
are commanded to keep ourselves unspotted from
the world, and to abstain from the appearance
OF evil and our God is abundantly able to keep
that which we have committed unto his dare
Now with love and best wishes all Our
Household band. / close. by saying l not
Mrs. John Reese, as the last letter wrote was
signed, but MRS. SOLON H. REESE.