CHIRISTIANITY is a real thing, sir! I am a soldier, and have seen a good deal of life. And living amongst soldiers is a very testing thing for a Christian.
“I remember well a fellow-soldier who was one of a company drafted to the same barracks in which I was. He was a Christian.
“The first night there, before going to bed, he got down on his knees in prayer to God. Then a number of boots were thrown at him, but he paid no heed.
“This continued only for a few nights. We got ashamed of ourselves, for he took the very boots thrown at him, blacked them, and made them shine—his actions spoke louder than words. We thought a great deal of him ever after.”
This is the substance of a conversation which took place the other day.
Now God has placed each Christian, old and young, in a sphere, and in that sphere He wants us to shine, be it at school, at home, at business, or wherever we may be. We are extorted to “shine as lights.”
If we take Daniel the prophet as an Old Testament instance, he was for God in the face of every difficulty. Three things at least are prominent in his life—
Purpose of heart (see Daniel 1:8). Prayer (Daniel 6:10, 11). Prosperity (Daniel 6:28).
He confessed to all that he believed in the God of heaven, and God kept him right through his life and blessed him.
We who know the Lord Jesus, and have the knowledge of salvation, often lose the joy of salvation through not confessing the Lord’s name.
May we be like the brave Christian soldier, and own openly whose we are and whom we serve.
How can anyone expect to live with God in heaven, who desires not His presence on earth?
ML 04/17/1904