The Morning Watch by I. H. EVANS.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 30, 1915

The Morning Watch

By I. H. EVANS.

ANOTHER new year is at hand, and many will make new resolutions concerning their Christian experience and future activities. Some will turn over a clean, white page, unsullied by mistakes, and resolve to make a better record in holy living than they made during the year just closing. This resolution is good. Every Christian should reconsecrate himself, and determine to take a new stand against sin and the weaknesses of the flesh.

We ask ourselves, What reasonable basis have I for expecting a better Christian experience during the new year than I have had? This is an important question. Every Christian should face it, and consider it until he can give it a satisfactory answer. Surely, our resolves will not make us better unless we avail ourselves of helps which we did not appropriate during the past year. One cannot grow in the Christian life without definite planning and real self-discipline. No child can develop rightly without proper regulations and suitable instruction; and the Christian ever needs to avail himself of certain helps, if he expects to make progress in the divine life.

One can hardly make a more fatal mistake than to rely on resolutions, without appropriating to himself the helps provided for spiritual growth. Even the most resolute may soon fall back into his former habits, his faith become weak, and he lose courage and hope. To be a Christian means self-discipline, constant watching, and continual feeding of the soul with such food as will cause it to grow. And the discipline of self is one of the hardest things the Christian must do. By this we do not mean that it is hard to serve Christ. The difficulty does not lie in what God requires, but in our exercising such self-denial, and disciplining ourselves in such a way, as will cause us to use the means provided for growth in grace.

No Christian can make continual progress in his experience without taking time for study, prayer, and meditation. It is not sufficient that he be busy in the Lord's work, or that his time be fully occupied in teaching the truth or trying to persuade others to be Christians. He must study the Word of God, and take time for prayer and communion with God, before there is any reasonable ground for expecting spiritual growth.

Study of the Word is more than simply reading a chapter in the Bible at worship. One must read the Word of God alone, for his soul's edification and instruction. It must be a study for one's own soul. The short prayer in family devotions morning and evening is not sufficient. There must be communion with God, time for prayer, and time for meditation. In order to have these blessings come to us, there must be a special time set apart for this. Nothing should be permitted to come in to hinder; pressure of work must not be allowed to cheat us of this time of devotion.

There is no time in the day more suitable for the season of study and prayer than the early morning hour just after rising. It may mean, to many of us, rising an hour or half an hour earlier than we otherwise should. This calls for self-discipline, self-denial; but it also means spiritual growth and power.

Looking over the Morning Watch for 1916, we are deeply impressed with the help it is planned to afford. At the beginning, we read the following:—

My New Year's Resolve

Resolved, That I will this year endeavor, by God's help, to live a simple, sincere, and active Christian life; repelling promptly every thought of discontent, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike trust in God. I will make an earnest effort to spend some time in Bible study and prayer every day, and at least once a week make some personal effort to encourage or draw some one nearer to Christ.

We believe this Morning Watch “New Year's Resolve” ought to be the resolve of every Christian, whether young or old. If it is carried out,—and this will be only through self-discipline and determination,—the results will be rapid spiritual growth and a victorious Christian life.

But this splendid resolve is only the beginning of the Morning Watch. It is followed with Scriptural readings for each day, month by month, during the year. It also has topics calling for special prayers for ourselves and in behalf of others. Then there is a daily record for missionary work done, covering all lines of missionary activity. Why should not this Morning Watch pamphlet be in the hands of every Seventh-day Adventist? We know of no one help or agency prepared by us that will insure better results in our Christian life than a continued use of the Morning Watch. Surely one cannot carefully follow the plan outlined in the Morning Watch pamphlet prepared by the Young People's Missionary Volunteer Department and not make growth in the spiritual life. We should very much like to see every Seventh-day Adventist in the North American Division Conference have one of these booklets, and, on the first day of the new year, make the “New Year's Resolve” his own, and day by day spend some time in studying the scriptures assigned and in secret prayer.

I. H. EVANS.