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Show Gratitude as the Real Key to Christmas Joy By "BILLY" SUNDAY rli -yNETEEM hundred years fo ago a star poised above a S5527E lowly manger in Bethle-tfftggSji Bethle-tfftggSji hem, and above the moonlit moon-lit hills of Judea the angels an-gels heralded the beginning of the life of Jesus Christ upon this earth. And once more the birthday of the Saviour approaches. How fast these festal days follow one another! Only a few days ago I was penning a Thanksgiving day message. mes-sage. Now we are looking forward with happy hearts and bright anticipations antici-pations to Christendom's great gift-giving gift-giving day. Gratitude Inspires in us the grace of giving. Gratitude is the great original source of noble living and service, just as sin is the original source and root of all selfishness. The great all-seeing all-seeing eye of God, as It surveys this planet, with all its scenes of revelry and its riot of sin. beholds but one festering ulcer selfishness and gazes upon one thing of great beauty gratitude grati-tude which recognizes in every need of man the voice of God. The immortal Frances B. Willard said: "1 regard ingratitude as one of the basest of sins." The Psalmist said: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his goodness good-ness to me?" Then answers bis own question by saying: "1 will take the cup of salvation and call upon tha name of the Lord." Never before have we so seriously faced the question of our obligation to Almighty God. There are thousands of heavy-hearted, world-worried men and women who will never find life worth living until their lives are linked with Jesus Christ. There is no safety save in service. We must use or lose. The Dead sea gives nothing out, and that's why it is dead. Many lives are like the Dead sea. If you would have the joy of Christmas, you must find it in doing what Jesus did. He went about doing do-ing good. No one .will ever find the Christian secret of a happy life save by trying to make it easier for others to do right and harder to do wrong. There is joy in lifting any burdens of others, as the little girl found it who was carrying her baby brother across the street. He wa3 almost aa big as she was. "Isn't he heavy?" asked a passer-by. "Oh, no; lie's my brother." You cannot be a Christian without being a good fellow In the sense o trying to help others to be good, or, as someone has put it, "Except you erect the cross in your own heart, Jesus will profit you nothing." O Holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend on us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter In: Be born In us today. Danger in Open Mind. He who believes something, and bulld3 his belief on the Word of God. is a stronger man than he who prides himself on his liberal views and hta open mind. Ordinarily the open mind Is so wide open that the winds of heresy blow clear through it. |
