The Tupelo journal., 1913-01-17

Lord let none or
his words fall to the ground" In 9TH
er words, none OF them were lost,
bat all found their way to their proper
destination, did their appointed work
and returned laden with blessing to
the God who gave them.
In the Saviour's prayer recorded in
John II, He says, Father | have fin
ishe,. the work which Thou gavest
Me 10 do" Finished! Not a word
left unsaid, not a deed undone, OF
all that was given Him to do. How
unfinished and incomplete do our lives
seem In comparison.
Talking is a very potent agency for
good. When We see how persuasive
end forceful some men are In pre-
senting a business proposition, how
eloquent In pleading a political cause,
we cannot but wish that their talents
were consecrated to the service OF
Christ. And whatever one may think
about women speaking in meeting,
Certainly out of meeting m have
a f1uency and fervour which would
make them valuable allies of any
cause which they might espouse.
A single word fifty spoken has
often changed ones whole career.
Said a noble man, IF | have been
happy or useful in the world, it is
due largely to a chance question from
a stranger. | was a poor boy and a
cripple. Watching a game of ball
one day with envious feelings, a man
at my side said to me, You wish you
were in the place of those boys, do
you not?' Yes, | do was the an
swer. I reckon God gave them their
money and health to enable them to
be of some use in the world. Did it
ever occur to you that He gave you
your lame leg for the same reason,
to make a man of your | did not re-
ply. But l could not get his words
out of my mind. My crippled leg
Gods gift, to teach me patience and
strength I did not believe 1t, but
l was a thoughtful boy. and the more
WINGED that the stranger had told the
truth. 1t worked on my temper, my
thoughts and al last upon my actions.
The idea has %sweetened and blessed
all my life"
Christian conversation seems to be
almost a lost art in some quarters.
How seldom does ONE hear the sub
ject preached in public places like
a drawing room, or at a dinner party
ever when all the people present are
protesting Christians! Riding in the
cars with a stranger one day | opened
the subject of religion. After a while
he admitted that he was a member
of a church. IF that is the case" l
said, why didn't you talk to me like
a Christian, and not compel me to
work so long to lind out your posi-
tom" People don't do that down our
way" said he. If | would speak
to a man who came into my store,
on the subject of religion, what do
you suppose he would think of me?'
"He would probably think You were
a Christian" | replied. We'll, no
one talks about religion down our
way, not even the ministers. We
never hear from them on the subject,
except from the pulpit"
That Christians do not talk more
about the things of the Kingdom is
a constant surprise to the unsaved,
and often an occasion of doubt. Said
a skeptical lady to a friend of mine,
81 will tell you why | am a doubter.
| was in a sewing society last week.
Forty ladies were present and every
one a church member except myself.
| was there three hours. We talked
of everything down to crazy patchwork,
but not a word about Jesus. | can
not believe that they see in Jesus
Christ any such beauty or power as
you speak of. | am convinced that
there is a great deal of sham In the
profession of Christian people"
That it requires tact and skill to
carry on religious conversation, no
one can deny. but is it not worth
while to study the art until We be-
come proficient in it,? If We follow
Paul's advice to the Colossians. we
shall always have something to say.
If we begin each day with David's
prayer Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart be
acceptable in Thy sight, 0 Lord, my
strength and my Redeemer." we shall
keep in touch with God. And If We
watch for souls as those that must
give an account, we shall have oppor-
t~unities enough SO that, in a short
time. we shall find Christian conver.
sation a real pleasure TO ourselves
ami q blessing to others.