Saintly Living

Saintliness of life lies in doing the will of God. If you desire to live the noblest, purest, and most useful life possible, seek to know the will of God and cheerfully do it when known. If you would live a consistent and acceptable life, do not follow impulses and emotions. The great question of life, dear young Christian, is not, “How do you feel?” but “How is your will?” Is it set to do the will of God? Do not watch impressions so much as the path of duty. When an opportunity is open to you to do some good, do not wait for inward impressions to know if you should do the good.

We wish we could make it clear and simple to you, and also to help you to know the importance of keeping your affections, emotions, and feelings all intertwined with your good common sense and under the control of your will, which is to be in perfect harmony with the will of God. Here lies the secret of success in the Christian life. Do not think that your affections and impressions are indicative of the will of God. Many a life has been wrecked at this point. Real true affections and impressions arise out of the will. To allow the will to be guided by the affections and by impulses is like going out to sea without chart or compass.

Some years ago we were called, by a young man, to take a walk with him. Seated under the spreading branches of a maple, he told me what was on his heart. A few years before he had met a young lady at a social gathering. On shaking hands with her, she slightly pressed his hand. A peculiar sensation passed over him. He thought it was love. They married. His life was ruined. His affections and what he thought was love ran away with his will and good judgment.

Wait to know the will of God. But how to know the will of God is the question. The will of God does not come to guide you by emotions, sensations, impulses so much as by giving you good judgment, sound reason, and clear understanding. A young lady said to us, “I have a strong feeling that I should do such a thing, but my better judgment tells me that I had better not do it. What,” she asked, “shall I do?” We told her that ninety-nine times out of each hundred—if not always—the will of God intertwined with our better judgment instead of with our strong feelings. The will of God is not to be discerned by inward impressions only or mainly, but by reason, providence, sense of duty, and by the Scriptures.

“But shall we not love?” This question was asked by a young lady. It is expected that we love. God made us to love; but what is love? It is not that peculiar sensation that goes all through you and seems to center at the heart. Not that passion that runs away with your will and good common sense, but that pure, calm, sober, sensible passion that arises out of the will, and is kept under its control.

Here is a statement we want you to write down in your notebook and refer to frequently: The love of God intertwined and intermingled with your love will never act contrary to, nor seek to control the will of God intermingled and intertwined with your will.

Listen, if you have an impression or a notion or idea—not only in sexual matters, but also in spiritual or religious matters—that is not consistent with good judgment and reason, do not think that such leading is of the Lord. To follow it will mar the beauty of saintly living.