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Look for the Bright Side

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 11, 1915

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 92, No. 8.

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Look for the Bright Side

By A. E. PLACE

A. E. PLACE
“What if thy burdens oppress thee? What though thy life may be drear? Look on the side that is brightest, Pray, and thy path will be clear.”
It is proper for us, and is also our duty, to learn lessons from our experiences and from the experiences of others. It is proper to think, talk, and preach about “the time of Jacob’s trouble” and about the “seven last plagues.” It is also our privilege and duty always to balance these great struggles with the mighty power of God, that even as we balance, or meet, our little daily annoyances with, or by, that same power.
We may be called upon to run with “the horses” or to face “the swelling of Jordan,” but that time is not yet; nevertheless one great need is before us to-day, and every hour in the day, namely, to feel and to know the love, the mercy, the kindness, and the power of our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the ministry of holy angels which “excel in strength.” For only thus can we “run with the footmen,” or meet the smallest temptations. So long as the footmen weary us, it is of no use for us even to consider the “horses” or the “Jordan.”
If the past troubles you, make it right as best you can. If there is trouble between you and God, make it right with him; if between you and your fellow men, make it right with them, as far as you can; and then bury the whole thing.
If the present troubles you, bring it to God as you would to a most trusted friend. If he does not see fit to change the situation, then hear him say to you, as he said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”
If you are troubled about the coming plagues, then “abide under the shadow of the Almighty,” and hear him say to you, “Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” That promise will shield you when the plagues come, so surely as you take it and believe it now.
To the extent that we worry about the past, present, or future we unfit ourselves to grapple with the present. And the present is really the only time we have, or for which we are responsible.
Are you facing temptations? Christ met the devil in every earthly arena, and conquered. Does it seem that you are facing death? Christ allowed the devil to put him to death, to lock and seal him in the tomb. But he came forth with the tread of a conqueror.
Jesus Christ is your friend and Saviour. He did his work, he met his sorrows, that every weak knee might be made strong; that every palpitating heart might settle to a firm and regular beat; that every trembling, faltering, or fault-finding tongue might break forth into clear, steady songs of praise to God. “O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
To every tempted and tried one, “this same Jesus” is seeking to say, as plainly and emphatically as he said it on Mt. Olivet just before he left his disciples, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Does that hold good in “the swelling of Jordan”? Will that promise stand while the plagues are falling? “Verily I say unto you, . . . heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
Have you “toiled all the night,” and caught nothing? Then listen to his voice as it comes to you from the shores of the better country, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.” This means, Cast your net toward your Lord, toward the shores of his eternal kingdom. In that direction, and that only, is there success.
Look for the bright side. Jesus and heaven are there. Look unto Jesus, and be in trouble?—No, no! Look unto Jesus, and be ye saved.
San Jose, Cal.