Chapter 3

"I love my precious Saviour Because He died for me; And if I did not serve Him, How sinful I should be! God help me to be useful In all I do or say! I mean to work for Jesus, The Bible says I may!"

23. Twenty-third Day.

Standard-Bearers.

"Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee."--Ps. lx. 4.

Then what is your banner, and what are you doing with it? For if you are among "them that fear" God, He has given you a banner "that it may be displayed." Is yours furled up and put away in a corner, so that nobody sees it or knows of it? Or are you trying to be a brave little standard-bearer of Jesus Christ, carrying His flag, so that the sweet breezes of His Spirit may lift its bright folds, and show its golden motto? That motto, I think, is "Love." For we are told that His banner over us is love. Are you displaying it, showing your love to Him by your love to others? showing the power of His love over you by your sweet, happy temper, and by trying to please Him always?

Carrying a banner means something. First, it means that you belong to or have to do with those whose banner you carry, and that you are not ashamed of them. At great Sunday-school festivals we know to which school a boy belongs by the flag that he carries. You would like to carry the flag of England or the Queen's royal flag, because you are English and loyal. So let us carry the banner of Jesus Christ because we are loyal to Him, and are not ashamed to own Him as our King. Secondly, it means that we are ready to fight, and ready to encourage others to fight under the same banner. When you are tempted to do something wrong remember whose banner you carry, and do not disgrace it. If one does right, it makes it easier for the other to do right too. Thirdly, it means rejoicing. You know how flags are hung out on grand days, and carried in triumphal processions. The little hand that carries Christ's banner through His war, will carry it also in His triumph; the little hand that tries to unfurl it bravely now, will wave it when His glorious reign begins and His blessed kingdom is come. Then, "in the name of our God we will set up our banners" _now_!

"The Master hath called us, the children who fear Him, Who march 'neath Christ's banner, His own little band; We love Him, and seek Him; we long to be near Him, And rest in the light of His beautiful land."

24. Twenty-fourth Day.

Soldiers.

"Chosen to be a soldier."--2 Tim. ii. 4.

Are you a soldier? You ought to be, for you have been chosen to be a soldier in the glorious army of Jesus Christ.

You ought to be, for you have been "received into the congregation of Christ's flock" at your baptism, and engaged "manfully to fight under His banner against sin, the world, and the devil, and to continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto your life's end." You can never undo that, even if you are a deserter, and found in the enemy's ranks. The Captain of our salvation will not undo it, for He is ready to receive you, if you will but come and enlist now. Now, this very morning, come and enlist! This very morning ask Him to receive you into His noble army, and to give you first the shield of His salvation, and then the whole armor of God, and to "teach your hands to war and your fingers to fight," and to give you victories every day even now, and to let you share His grand triumphs hereafter.

Perhaps you know that you have enlisted already, you know and love your Captain, and He is enabling you, even if very feebly, yet really, to fight the good fight of faith? How came you to enlist? Was it any credit to you? Oh no! it was all His doing. It was He who chose you to be a soldier, not you who chose Him to be a Captain. And then He sent not some dreadful cannon roar, but the sweet bugle-call of His love to win you to join His ranks. And now He fights not only with you, but for you. In His war "nothing shall by any means hurt you," for "He was wounded" for you. Your life is safe with Him, for He laid down His own for you. By His side you can never be vanquished, because He goes forth "always conquering and to conquer."

"Stand up, stand up for Jesus! Ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, It must not suffer loss.

"From victory to victory His army shall be led, Till every foe is vanquished, And Christ is Lord indeed.

"Stand up, stand up for Jesus! The trumpet call obey; Forth to the mighty conflict, In this His glorious day!"

25. Twenty-fifth Day.

A Loyal Aim.

"That he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."--2 Tim. ii. 4.

Here is something worth aiming at, worth trying for! The Lord Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, is He who hath chosen us to be His soldiers and now, does He only tell us that we may do our duty,--serve, obey, and fight? No; He tells us something more, gives us a hope and an aim so bright and pleasant, that it is like sunshine upon everything. He says, we "may _please_ Him."

Only one who knows what it is to mourn for having grieved the dear Saviour, can quite understand what a happy word this is! That we, who have been cold, and careless, and sinful, grieving His love over and over again, should be told after all that we may _please_ Him! Oh, if we love Him, our hearts will just leap at the hope of it! Perhaps we thought this could not be till we reached heaven; but you see His own word says, we "may please Him" now, while we are soldiers in the very midst of the fighting. St. Paul tells us one thing in which you may please Him: "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord." But he prays too that the Colossians "might walk worthy of the Lord unto _all_ pleasing."

Shall this be your aim and your hope to-day? Will you look up to the Lord Jesus now, and ask Him first to give you the faith without which "it is impossible to please Him," and then to show you "how you ought to walk and to please God," and so to help you to "do those things that are pleasing in His sight;" that all your ways, even every little step of your ways, may really and truly "please the Lord" (Prov. xvi. 7).

"True-hearted, whole-hearted, faithful, and loyal, King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be; Under Thy standard, exalted and royal, Strong in Thy strength, we will battle for Thee.

"True-hearted, whole-hearted! Fullest allegiance Yielding henceforth to our glorious King, Valiant endeavor and loving obedience, Freely and joyously now we would bring."

26. Twenty-sixth Day.

Obedience to Christ.

"Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it."--John ii. 5.

How are you to know what He says to you? Ah, it is so easy to know if we are really willing to know, and willing to obey when we do know! He has spoken so plainly to us in His word! In that He tells us, tells even little children, exactly what to do. It is most wonderful how He has said everything there for us, told us everything we ought to do. When you read a chapter or hear one read, listen and watch to see what He saith unto you in it. There is another way in which He tells us what to do. Do you not hear a little voice inside that always tells you to do the right thing, and not to do the wrong thing? That is conscience and He speaks to you by it.

Another way is by those whom He has set over you. He has told you once for all to "obey your parents," and to "obey them that have the rule over you." So, when they tell you to do something, it is the Lord Jesus Himself that you have to obey in obeying them.

Now "whatsoever He saith unto you, do it!" Yes, "whatsoever," dear little one, whether easy or hard, do it because He tells you; do it for love of Him, and it will be a thousand times better and happier to obey your King than to please yourself. And He Himself will help you to do it; only look up to Him for grace to obey, and He will give it.

"Whatsoever He saith unto you, _do_ it." Do not just think about doing it, or talk about doing it, but _do_ it! "Do _it!_" Do the exact thing He would have you do, not something a little bit different, or something which you think will be very nearly the same, but do _"it."_

And "do it" at once. It is so true, that "the very first moment is the easiest for obedience." Every minute that you put off doing the right thing makes it harder. Do not let your King have to "speak twice" to you. "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it" cheerfully, exactly, and instantly.

"Jesus, help me, I am weak; Let me put my trust in Thee; Teach me how and what to speak; Loving Saviour, care for me. Dear Saviour, hear me, Hear a little child to-day; Hear, oh hear me; Hear me when I pray."

27. Twenty-seventh Day.

Do it Heartily

"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord."--Col. in. 23.

In 2 Chron. xxxi. 21, we read of Hezekiah, that "in every work that he began, he did it with all his heart, and prospered." And this morning's "bell" rings a New Testament echo, "Do it heartily!" Sing it now, like a little peal of bells!

[Music: Do it hear-ti-ly!]

See if that does not ring in your ears all day, and remind you that it is not merely much pleasanter to be bright and brisk about everything, but that it is actually one of God's commands written in His own word.

I know this is easier to some than to others. Perhaps it "comes natural" to you to do everything heartily. That is very nice, but it is not enough. What else? "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, _as unto the Lord_, and not unto men." He knows whether the industrious energetic boy or girl is wishing to please Him, and looking up to Him for His smile; or whether He is forgotten all the while, and only the smile of others and the pleasure of being quick and busy is thought of. But perhaps it is hard to you to do things heartily. You like better to take your time, and so you dawdle, and do things in an idle way, especially what you do not much like doing. Is this right? Is it a little sin, when God's word says, "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily!" Is it not just as much disobeying God as breaking any other command? Are you not _guilty_ before Him? Very likely you never thought of it in this way, but there the words stand, and neither you nor I can alter them. First ask Him to forgive you all the past idleness and idle ways, for Christ's sake, and then ask Him to give you strength henceforth to obey this word of His. And then listen to the little chime, "Do it heartily! do it heartily!" And _then_ the last word of the verse about Hezekiah will be true of you too--"Prospered!"

'Up and doing, little Christian! Up and doing, while 'tis day! Do the work the Master gives you. Do not loiter by the way. For we all have work before us, You, dear child, as well as I; Let us learn to seek our duty, And to 'do it heartily.'

28. Twenty-eighth Day.

The Sight of Faith.

"As seeing Him who is invisible."--Heb. xi. 27.

If we were always doing everything just as if we saw Him, whom having not seen we love, how different our lives would be! How much happier too! How brave, and bright, and patient we should be, if all the time we could really see Jesus as Stephen saw Him! And by faith, the precious faith which God is ready to give to all who ask, we may go on our way with this light upon it, "as seeing Him who is invisible."

These words were said of Moses; and this seeing Him by faith had three effects. First, "he forsook Egypt;" it made him ready to give up anything for his God, and God's people. It made him true and loyal to God's cause. What did He care for anything else, so long as he saw "Him who is invisible?" Secondly, it took away all his fear. What was "the wrath of the king" to him, when Jehovah was by his side? Of what should he be afraid? Thirdly, it enabled him to "endure," to wait patiently for forty years in the desert, and then to work patiently for forty years in the wilderness; and only think how strength-giving that sight of faith must be which enabled him to endure everything for eighty years!

Try for yourself to-day what was such great and long help to Moses. Ask God, before you go down-stairs, for faith, "the eye of the soul," so that you may walk all day long "as seeing Him who is invisible." When you are tempted to indulge in something wrong,--idleness or carelessness, or selfishness,--this will help you to give it up at once, and forsake it; for how can you give way to it when your eye meets His? When something makes you afraid, this will make you brave and peaceful; for how can you fear anything when your God is so near? When lessons, or work, or even having to be quiet with nothing to do, seem very tiresome, and you are tempted to be impatient, and perhaps cross, this will help you to endure and not only so, but to feel patient; for how can you be impatient when you are looking up to Him, and He is looking down on you all the time!

"God will not leave me all alone, He never will forsake His own; When not another friend I see, The Lord is looking down on me."

29. Twenty-Ninth Day.

No Weights.

"Let us lay aside every weight."--Heb. xii. 1.

If you were going to run a race, you would first put down all the parcels you might have been carrying. And if you had a heavy little parcel in your pocket, you would take that out, and lay it down too, because it would hinder you in running. You would know better than to say, "I will put down the parcels which I have in my hands, but nobody can see the one in my pocket, so that one won't matter!" You would "lay aside _every_ weight."

You have a race to run to-day, a little piece of the great race that is set before you. God has set a splendid prize before you, "the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus," a crown that is incorruptible.

Now what are you going to do about the weights, the things that hinder you from running this race? You know some things do seem to hinder you; will you keep them or lay them aside? Will you only lay aside something that every one can see is hindering you, so that you will get a little credit for putting it down, and keep something that your own little conscience knows is a real hindrance, though no one else knows anything at all about it? Oh, take St. Paul's wise and holy advice, and make up your mind to lay aside _every_ weight.

Different persons have different weights; we must find out what ours are, and give them up. One finds that if she does not get up directly she is called, the time slips by, and there is not enough left for quiet prayer and Bible-reading. Then here is a little weight that must be laid aside. Another is at school, and finds that he gets no good, but a little harm, when he goes much with a certain boy. Then he must lay that weight aside. Another takes a story-book up to bed, and reads it while nurse is brushing her hair, and up to the last minute, and then her head is so full of the story that she only _says words_ when she kneels down, and can not really _pray_ at all. Can she doubt that this is a weight which must be laid aside?

It may seem hard to lay our pet weight down; but oh, if you only knew how light we feel when it is laid down, and how much easier it is to run the race which God has set before us!

30. Thirtieth Day.

The Shield of Salvation.

"Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation."--2 Sam. xxii. 36.

This beautiful little text teaches us a very precious truth. It shows us that the salvation which the Lord Jesus came to bring is not only salvation at last, just escaping hell, but that it is salvation now, and salvation in everything Salvation does not only mean victory at last, but it is like a broad, shining shield, given to us in the midst of the battle, coming between us and the poisoned arrows and sharp sword-thrusts of the enemy. It is a shield not only to keep us from death, but to keep us from being hurt and wounded. It is the shield which the Captain _has_ given us to use now, as well as the crown which He _will_ give when the warfare is ended.

How are you to use this shield? what does it really mean for you? It means, that if you have come to the Lord Jesus to be saved, He does not merely say He _will_ save you, but that you _are_ saved, that He saves you now. And this is how you are to use it--believe it, and be sure of it, because you have His word for it; and then, when a temptation comes, tell the enemy that he has nothing to do with you, for you are saved; that you belong to Jesus, and not to him,--look up and say, "Jesus saves me!" Will He fail you? Did He ever let any find themselves deceived and mistaken who looked up in faith and confidence to Him, trusting in His great salvation? Never! and never will you find this shield of His salvation fail to cover you completely. Satan himself can not touch you when you are behind this shield! Lift it up when you see him coming, even ever so far off, and you will be safe.

"Jesus saves me every day, Jesus saves me every night; Jesus saves me all the way, Through the darkness, through the light."

31. Thirty-first Day.

I will love Thee

"I will love Thee, O Lord."--Ps. xviii. 1.

Yes, even if I have never loved Thee before, I will love Thee, O Lord, now!

I will love Thee, Lord Jesus, because Thou hast loved me, and because Thou art loving me now, and wilt love me to the end. Oh, forgive me for not having loved Thee! How could I have helped loving Thee, when Thou wast waiting all the time for me, waiting so patiently while I did not care about Thee! Oh, forgive me! and now I will love Thee always; for Thou wilt take my love, and fix it on Thyself, and keep it for Thyself.

I will love Thee, O Lord Jesus; I will not listen to Satan, who tries to keep me from loving Thee; I will not ask myself anything about it, lest I should begin to get puzzled about whether I do love Thee or not. Thou knowest that I do want to love Thee; and now, dear Lord Jesus, hear me say that I _will_ love Thee, and that I will trust Thee to make me love Thee more and more, always more and more.

I have said it, dear Lord Jesus, and Thou hast heard me say it. And I am so glad I have said it. I do not want ever to take it back, and Thou wilt not let me take it back. I am to love Thee always now; and Thou wilt give me Thy Holy Spirit to shed abroad Thy love in my heart, so that it may be filled with love. Fill me so full of Thy love that it may run over into everything I do, and that I may love everybody because I love Thee.

Yes, I will love Thee, dear Lord Jesus!

"My Saviour, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine! For Thee all the follies of sin I resign; My gracious Redeemer, my Saviour art Thou; If ever I loved Thee, my Saviour, 'tis now!

"I love Thee, because Thou hast first loved me, And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree; I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow; If ever I loved Thee, my Saviour, 'tis now!

"I will love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death, And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath: And say, when the death-dew lies cold on my brow, If ever I loved Thee, my Saviour, 'tis now!"