The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-09-28

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almost a lost art. Men and women
too, are using up seven days. strength
in six days time, so that Sunday
usually finds them completely ex-
hausted.
Let me suggest as remedy an hour
a day with Jesus, emphasizing not so.
much the amount of time as the fact
of a generous period set apart each
day for fellowship with the living and
written Word.
Our souls need it. How much they
need it we shall never know until we
adopt the habit. We need it both for
our information and inspiration. We
need to know God better that we may
love him more. We need to know our
selves better that we may take and
keep our proper attitude toward him.
And when we know his will we need
the constant and constraining influence
of the Holy Spirit to fncite us to do it.
A slumbering church needs it, for if
it is ever awakened and set on fire for
God it must be through the instrument
tality of those who are already on fire,
and whose earnest intercession gives
God no rest until he establishes and
makes Jerusalem praise in the earth.
A perishing world needs it--for
never will it realize that it is dead I'M
til it comes in contact with those who.
are alive in Christ Jesus. Formal
preaching and feeble testimony win
never disturb the sleep of the dead,
but 1.-THE people that do know their
God shall be strong, and shall do ex-
Dloits." When people hear about the
Victorious life and zee 1t in fkstss
midst they will realize their own need.
And Jesus Graves it. We are not
simply the servants of Jesus who go
to him for orders, but he says, II
have called you friends,' and "all
things that / have heard of my Father,
| have made known unto you" A
business man may employ hundreds Of
women, and daily assign them their
work and pay them their wages, but
there is one woman whose relation to
him is entirely different. He is not
her employer but her husband. He
did not select her for the work that
she could do, but to be his wife and
companion.
Even SO the church is the bride Of
Christ, and far more than the service
that we can render, he prizes our
fellowship and love.
An hour day with Jesus gives
deep, Astounding joy. did not our
hearts burn within us as he talked with
us by the way, and while he opened
to us the Scriptures?"
1t makes our testimony more effec-
tive. Some years ago / came in close
touch with group of young people.
/ soon saw that one of the number
was far superior to all the rest in
the weight of her testimony and in
her knowledge of the Bible. Then /
found the secret. She was giving an
hour a day to the study of the Bible
and prayer. Her life was beautiful
and her influence unique, though her
natural gifts were only ordinary.
That hour day with Jesus seemed to
cast halo over all that she said and
did.
1t gives greater power in prayer. In
Acts 4 81 we read that when the apos-
ties had prayed, the place was shaken
where they were assembled together
and they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost. "And with great power gave
they witness of the resurrection Of
the Lord Jesus; and great grace was
upon them ALL"
And so we come back to our start
ing point, and leave with you the
question, "Could we not manage our
households, and carry on our business
and accomplish more study, and make
more money if we would spend an
hour day with Jesus and the Bible?"
A little talk with Jesus, how it smooths
the rugged road,
How it seems to help me onward. when I
faint beneath my load;
When my heart is crushed with sorrow,
and my eyes with tears are dim,
There is naught can give me comfort like
a little talk with him.
cannot live without him, nor would il
could;
He is my daily portion, my medicine ana
food.
He's altogether lovely, none with him can
compare,
The chief among ten thousand. the fsir-