d. It is far more alert to the "Rabbi! Rabbi!" of the crowd than it is
to the secret callings of the Lord. The path between itself and the
highest is unfrequented and grass-grown; the path between itself and the
multitude is a well-trodden and barren road.

My Lord, let me be warned! Let me not pervert the ministries of religion
to the aggrandizement of self. Let me not, in appearing to worship Thee,
be seeking the worship of men. Give me singleness of mind. Give me purity
of heart. And may I discover true greatness in seeking greatness for
others.

OCTOBER The Twenty-seventh

_PAYING HOMAGE TO THE KING_

PROVERBS iii. 1-12.

"Acknowledge Him." But not with a passing nod of recognition. I must not
merely glance at Him now and again, admitting His existence on the field.
To acknowledge Him is to acknowledge Him as King, with the right to
control, and as predominant partner in all the affairs of my life, even
the right to give the determining voice in all my decisions. No, it is not
the recognition paid to an acquaintance, it is the homage paid to a King.

And if I thus acknowledge Him, He will direct my paths. Life shall always
be moving on to its purposed end and glory. The path chosen will not
always be the most alluring one, but it will be the right one, and
therefore the safe one, and there will be wonderful discoveries on the
uninviting track.

How will He let me know which path to take? I cannot say. We can never
anticipate God's ways of dealing with us. But if my life is bent to the
loving acknowledgment of His will, He will assuredly find a way to make
His will known. The light will always reach the willing mind.

OCTOBER The Twenty-eighth

_PLEASANTNESS AND PEACE_

"_Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace._"
--PROVERBS iii. 13-26.

In the ways of the Lord I shall have feasts of "pleasantness." But not
always at the beginning of the ways. Sometimes my faith is called upon to
take a very unattractive road, and nothing welcomes me of fascination and
delight. But here is a law of the spiritual life. The exercised faith
intensifies my spiritual senses, and hidden things become manifest to my
soul--hidden beauties, hidden sounds, hidden scents! Faith adds a
mysterious "plus" to my powers, and "all things become new."

And in the ways of the Lord I shall also find the gracious gift of peace.
Not that the road will be always smooth, but that I may be always calm. I