The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1911-01-20

k!SkUESSZS ion of what God would
lEsssk1s-sZAla1G2a do for His people make
Setraight in the desert a highway for
zour God. Every valley shall be ex-
allied and every mountain and hill
2ehall be made low; and the crooked
shall be made straight and the rough
u laces plain; and the glory OF the
Lord shall be revealed. and all flesh
Shall see 1t together
III Surely this world is a wilderness II
sc look at it in the light of the Ser
Snon on the Mount. or of the Golden
@Rule 1t is topsy-turyydom gone to
Seed There are good people In it,
hot a few. and good work is being
Zone in 1t, not little; but taking it
~ long end large II Is so unlike Gods
IDEAL that it seems when conrasted
with that ideal like a wilderness over
%hrown with thorns and thistles.
n But God had loving purpose In
@ereating the world, and He intends to
2kve effect to that purpose 50 fully
That when the final outcome appears
M created intelligences will acknowl-
edge that He has done all things well.
Gods Need of Servants.
# And God Is going TO carry out His
purpose Of good in the world through
dc fundamentally of His servants in
a. That involves delay. because God
Fan only work through men in proper
lion as they put themselves at His
disposal and work willingly under His
'Mirection. and very few men or wom
En- yield themselves wholly to the will
ACf God The few who do can accom-
S1lish great things for God, but very
much is also being accomplished
Ahrough the exceeding grace of God
by persons who though not wholly
&consecrated in heart and life, are
4 nevertheless honestly trying to do
1 some work for God
God has promised to give the king
Il dom of this world to His Son, and
that the earth shall be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea Heb.
2:1D: how is this glorious state of
affairs to be brought about?
By the efforts Of poor, weak, fool
ish creatures such as We are. For
God Is able to make all grace abound
toward us and to work In us both to
will and work for the accomplish
ment of His purposes He can make
His strength perfect In our weakness.
But there must be preparation of
heart in us. If we are to assist effec-
lively in preparing highway for our
God in the desert We ourselves need
TO be prepared for that service, the
wilderness must be cast out of our
own hearts. The thorns and thistles
that are growing there must be up
rooted and the good seed OF the
kingdom must be planted in their
place.
Faith in Christ Needed
This cannot be done without much
conflict with ourselves and there is
no use in attempting 1t unless we have
determined purpose to succeed We
also need a very definite faith in
Christ, for we cannot gain the vic
tory over sin without His help.
We all naturally shrink from this
with himself But there is no other
way of escape from bondage to the
thoughts, desires, and habits that rob
life OF It's highest Joys and noblest
aims; there is no other way of fitting
ourselves to take our part in prepar-
ing the way of the Lord.
And none of us can afford to lose
our chance of having a share In the
bringing about of the glorious trans,
formation of the worlds desert into
the garden of the Lord; for a day is
coming when We shall realize that To
have had share in that work was
the only thing worth living for "a day
Is coming when we shall feel. as we
cannot feel now. that every life has
been complete failure which has not
won from the lips of the Lord of glory
the commendation, well done, good
and faithful servant"