The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-07-21

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some definite pur
4 / V#& M pose in all ones
III reading.
i All stringed in.
I struments quickly
III ~ get out of tune
III 2 The action of the
atmosphere and
III constant vibra.
IN ton in playing, re-
III M lax the tension of
/ .ssa @ tho strings so that
they need to be
tuned very often. No matter how good
the violin is, it needs to be tuned every
day, and often many times a day.
Man is like a violin. He soon gets
out of tune with God. The wear and
tear of life, and the demoralizing at
mosphere which sin creates, so affects
his disposition that he needs to be
brought into harmony with God every
morning. 1t is not surprising, when we
consider the subtlety of sin, and the
weakness of the flesh, rather 1t is
strange that a harp of thousand strings
| Should keep in tune so long.
Nothing will bring the believer into
touch with God so soon as a little taste
of the divine Word. For devotional
purposes the psalms are perhaps the
best reading, because they cover so
wide a range of experience. Here we
find aspiration and confession, joy and
sorrow, alteration and praise. Here
| we behold the calm confidence which
| grows out of a sublime faith: "The
Lord is my shepherd; shall not want"
Again we meet the bitter anguish
which comes from ingratitude, or UNI
requited love, or the ecstasy of sin
forgiven, or the passionate plea for
mercy as in the fifty-first psalm, or
the shout of triumph in the tFirty-sec.
ond psalm. 1t is doubtful if there is
any experience in life for which we
cannot find duplicate in the psalter,
and, noting how the man after Gods
own heart behaved in similar emergen-
Giles, we are unconsciously led into the
same feeling.
Morning and Evenfide.
In the morning read the nineteenth
psalm and at eventide the eighth
psalm. If you are going on a journey,
Psalm 81 is appropriate. If in per.
plexity read Psalm 81. If you are
grateful, choose Psalm 105, or Psalm
l06, or Psalm 107. If your heart needs
searching, read Psalm 1870, which be-
gins with the words, 80 Lord, thou
hast searched me, and known me-" and
after sublime description of Gods
omniscience, closes with the prayer
that only an honest heart can utter:
search me, 0 God, and know my
heart: try me and know my thoughts:
and see if there be any wicked way in
me, and lead me in the way eyerlast-
ing" If it is comfort you need you
will find it in abundance in Psalms "a,
81 and 103.
The Gospels are also excellent for
devotional reading because there we
come in contact with the words and
works of Jesus. We see how he lived
In the home and by the wayside, in the
carpenters shop, and by the open
grave. We see him in public life and
In private ministry always the same,
never hurried, never worried, always
thinking Of others and never of him
self. We see him playing with the
children, watching the birds on the
trees, the growing grain and the fad
Ing flowers. In everything he saw
Gods love and care, and from all
things natural he drew some spiritual
lessons. The. epistles are especially
helpful to the mature Christian as re-
vealing the relation of the believer to
his fellow man; to the church, the
state, and the perishing world.
How Long.
If 1t be asked how much one should
read at a time for devotional purposes,
let me answer with an illustration. I
once saw picture of the disciples on
the way to Emmaus. The Master has
just left them and the two men are
looking at each other in glad astonish-
ment. One of them is holding both
hands over his heart as he says with
rapture, ''Did not our hearts burn
within u.s. while he talked with us by
the way, and while he opened to us
the Scriptures" He can almost feel
his heart burn still as he recalls the
memory Of that blessed walk.
If you ask how long one shall read
his Bible for devotional purposes,
answer, "Read until your heart burns
and your soul thrills with the con-
of Gods approval"
The Morning Watch.
George Muller's testimony regarding
the morning watch is very valuable:
1.-THE first thing a child Of God has to
do morning by morning is to obtain
food for his soul. And what is food
for the soul? Not prayer, but the
Word of God; not the simple reading
of the Word, so that it passes through
our minds as water runs through
pipe, but considering what we read,
over it, and applying it to
our hearts. When we pray, WE speak
to God. When We read the Bible, God
i 4