"Haul all this mucky mess to the manure pile—through the front," Uncle Jerry said firmly. He walked toward the house. Tommy's heart sank. Uncle Jerry stopped and looked over his shoulder. "A man of character faces the hard work and conquers it," he said.

Have you ever heard of the path of Long Patience? It is not an easy road to follow.... But if you want to come to the Land of Everlasting Joy, you have to take this path all the way to the end. There is a secret for not giving up part way, which is what I want to tell you....

He had not meant to be wicked, but he suddenly realized that his life had been wasted; and he concluded that he was not ready to meet Christ. But John believed that Christ would come to the earth, and he felt that he would give anything to be ready to meet Him.

He heard a voice call his name, "Martin!" Intuitively, he felt aware of the identity of the speaker. "Martin, you have longed to see Me. Tomorrow I shall pass by your window. If you see Me and bid Me enter, I shall be your guest and sit at your table."

He knew only that he existed, and that from day to day there were many things happening about him... a great many of which were distasteful to him. But all that took place he quietly endured, thinking that it was the best that there was in life for him.

Here he lies an infant in your arms. He is at your mercy.... You can lead him in the paths of virtue to a generous Christian manhood, or you can neglect him and allow him to go to shame and ruin. Let this thought be impressed deeply upon your consciousness.

Her quest was not yet over. For we now see four great barriers her faith had yet to surmount; namely, divine silence, human coldness, class, and humiliation. If we look at these in detail, we find that they illustrate the vital issues in many lives today.

He was lost here according to this Scripture. And He was lost by those who loved Him. And lost in Jerusalem and in the Temple!.... And yet why be astonished when the same thing is happening today. Christ is still lost by His friends, and in Jerusalem, and in the Temple.

His great salvation is inseparably linked with a rejoicing spirit. True, it can stoop to sorrow; it will enter the saddest home and the darkest midnight, but it cannot dwell with gloom. It must banish sorrow as well as sin, and live in the light of joy.

His hand began to tremble. What was the matter with that example? Oh, what was the matter? The remainder was too large; no—it was too small; no—it was—he didn't know what! Everybody was watching him; he heard a boy laugh softly.

How do you think you can show that you love God? Not by saying things with your lips. Anyone can do that. Think instead about saying things with your hands and feet today. Will you give God your time and energy and please Him in every way you can?

How many of us really have Christ's peace today?... Is grace not able to help us to attain that peace?... We may say with perfect confidence that.... It is a state into which every believer in Christ may enter... and in which he may dwell in all life's changes.

How many of us, when we had planned to have a day in town, but have to stay to watch our little siblings, say, "Sure, Mama, whatever works out is fine with me"? Or, when [some plan] doesn't work out... you don't even question why it couldn't be made to work?

How precious the experience of a clear conscience and a soul at rest! But, if not jealously guarded and valued, it surely can be stolen from us. How can we guard this priceless treasure? By placing extreme value on it.