AN army-preacher told the fol. lowing anecdote of a young soldier, who once came to ask his advice.
“Yesterday evening,” said the young man, “before going to bed, I knelt down, and prayed, when all at once my comrades threw their shoes at me, and raised a loud laugh.”
“Well,” answered the preacher, “would it not be better, to put off praying until you are in bed, and then quietly lift up your heart to the Lord?”
A week or two afterwards the young soldier came back.
“Well,” said the preacher, “did you follow my advice? How did it suit you?”
“Sir,” he answered, “I followed your advice for three evenings, but it seemed to me that I was denying my Saviour. and so I knelt again beside my bed and prayed as before.”
“And what happened?”
“No one laughed, sir, but fifteen others knelt down and prayed too.”
“When he told me this,” the preacher added, “I was ashamed of the advice I had given him. The young man was wiser and braver than myself.”
“Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever shall save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-3834And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:34‑38).
ML 09/17/1922