what the Lord expects, this is what His cross deserves,
this is what the world needs, this is what the age has a right to look
for. Everything around us is intensely alive. Life is earnest, death is
earnest, sin is earnest, men are earnest, business is earnest, knowledge
is earnest, the age is earnest; God forgive us if we alone are trifling in
the white heat of this crisis time. Oh, for the baptism of fire! Oh, for
the living coal upon the burning lips of love! Oh, for men God-possessed
and self-surrendered grasping God's great idea and pressing forward "for
the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

All the world for Jesus
My prayer shall be,
And my watchword ever,
Himself for me.

All the world for Jesus,
Lord, quickly come,
Bring Thy promised kingdom,
And take us home.

FEBRUARY 20.

"Fear thou not, for I am with thee" (Isa. xli. 10).

Satan is always trying to weaken our faith by fear. He is a great
metaphysician and knows the paralyzing effect of fear, that it is the
great enemy of faith, and that faith is the great secret of help. If he
can get us fearing he will stop our trusting and hinder the very blessing
we need. Job found the peril of fear and gives us the sorrowful testimony,
"I feared a fear and it came upon me."

Fear is born of Satan, and if we would only take time to think a moment we
would see that everything Satan says is founded upon a falsehood. He is
the father of lies. Even his fears are falsehoods and his terrors ought
rather be to us encouragements.

When Satan tells you, therefore, that some ill is going to come, you may
quietly look in his face and tell him he is a liar, that instead of ill,
goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life, and then
turn to your blessed Lord and say, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in
Thee." Every fear is distrust and trust is the remedy for fear. "What time
I am afraid I will _trust_ in thee."

FEBRUARY 21.

"Be not dismayed, for I am thy God" (Isa. xli. 10).

How tenderly God is always comforting our fears! How sweetly He says in
Isaiah xli. 10, "Fear not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am
thy God: I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness." And
yet again with still tenderer thoughtfulness, "I, the Lord thy God, will
hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee." Not
only does He say it once, but He keeps holding our right