The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1953-01-29
s er m 0 n ellie
Theme: Open Windows
Text: Daniel 6:1O

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Prince in Babylon.
He had such striking qualities
of character and such abilitie.
that he soon received the favor
of the king. When tempted to
lower his ideals and partake o1
food and drink unfit for a Jew
he resisted successfully. dan
l:8-l5)
Through his open windows
Daniel could look across the city
roofs to the long level of the
plain. He had a long vision, in
other words he looked beyond
the horizon. He could look west
ward toward Jerusalem, home
the city beautiful, Zion the city OF
Temple, Gods own city.
What did God, home, city OF
Jerusalem, temple mean to him?
What does God, home, church
mean to you and l? Could Daniel
look from his windows without
kneeling to pray? Does kneeling
to pray mean anything to us? Sc
long as the windows were open
Daniel was great. So long as ou1
soul is open to God, so long are
we great.
Our lives must have open win
dows, they need access to God
Some lives are like rooms with
out windows, all shut in, impris-
oned with the material, no win
doWs out on the spiritual. Some
people think about only material
things, the things they handle
and eat and wear and get sensual
pleasure from. Their lives are
without ideals, without vistas
devoid of spiritual visions. nc
windows out upon the ethical
moral, or altuistic ends.
Our souls must have an open
window SO that we, may have 6
long view (Luke l2:34). "Where
your treasure is there will your
heart be also" When the eyes
are tired, do not fix them upon
the near, but look upon the far
away things.
Let us open our windows to-
ward the ideals that elevate. The
people that one pities most in
the world are not the crippled
nor the blind, nor the sick, nor
the poverty stricken; but those
who cannot see ideals, the beauti-
ful and the good.
Dream of your life as you
would have it be. See every
thought and word and action per-
feet. See the life filled with the
beauty of holiness. See it achiev-
ing greatness. Things undreamed
never happen.
We must have our windows
open toward heaven. Daniels
eye could not pierce across the
plain to the great city of Zion
But he could rest by his win
dows and say, "There it is out
there in the west. So you and
can say, "There is God | feel his
presence He could paint its
glories and anticipate it's joys
and let memory bring back the
faces of his loved ones. Others
may scott at heaven; we must
open our windows and strain our
eyes to see its glories. But to the
natural eye the glories of heaven
cannot be seen.
Did Daniel become an imprac-
teal man because he sat by his
window and looked toward Jeru-
salem? Does being filled with the
Holy Spirit make one impracti-
cal? Not at all! He was a man
who could do his work in the
every day world.
So distinguished did he be-
come as a man of achievement
that the King would have made
him third ruler of the whole
kingdom. He who sits by the
window Of his soul becomes
nerved to the most earnest and
deliberate action.
In conclusion the things that
made Daniel what he was, can
make us what we ought to be.
The men who conquer the world
are the men who see beyond the
world. The ones who conquer
sin are those who see beyond the
shadows of sin.
If we keep the windows of our
soul open toward God and keep
in touch with Gods power house
we are as secure as was Daniel.
Keep, then, the windows of
thy soul open toward God. -