imself is poor, he is not ashamed of his
poverty. But Christ was not always poor. We read that "he became poor." He
sacrificed that others might be enriched. The same spirit of sacrifice
will make us willing to sacrifice what we have for the enrichment of
others. If there were more "whithersoevers" among us, we should not hear
of ministers' being kept out of the work through lack of support or a lack
of funds to carry on the Lord's work. Think of a stingy "whithersoever"!
Can you imagine such a combination? Yet many professed followers fail in
their duty to give to the cause.

Let us bring the question home to ourselves. Let us examine our hearts and
lives. Are we willing to follow Christ all the way, even when we are
rejected by our friends and relatives, through sneers and revilings? We
might be willing to walk on the waters with him, but how about Gethsemane?
We may be willing to eat of the loaves and fishes, but are we willing to
go with him to the palace of the high priest? We might drink of the wine
of Cana, but will we wear the thorns? We would gladly sit with him on his
throne, but will we bear the cross with him to Calvary? We can easily
follow him where the way is easy and when our emotions are exalted and our
hearts full of praise, but will we follow him when the skies grow dark,
when we are troubled, when bitter trials come, when it takes courage to
face what is before us? Let us decide to be true when the way is strewn
with stones or hedged with thorns, when the clouds hang low as well as
when all is bright and encouraging. Let us cast away all shrinking, and
say from our hearts and by our lives, "I will follow whithersoever thou
goest."

TALK THIRTY-THREE. PAUL'S PERSUASION

Paul uses the term "persuaded" in the sense of assurance. When he said
that he was persuaded of a thing involving God's attitude, he meant that
he was fully convinced that it was as it was stated to be. He meant that
to him it stood out as a reality. It was a thing that he no longer
questioned. In Rom. 8: 38 and 39, he speaks of one of the things of which
he was persuaded. He did not seem to feel about it as some feel; and when
they read what he says, they realize that they do not feel just as he did.
He says, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate
us from t