Earnestness

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 23, 1901

Earnestness.—God needs earnest men, not impetuous, hot-blooded, passionate men, but men who have so much of the love of God in their souls, so much of the meaning of life in their hearts, such a sense of responsibility to Him, that they shall be deeply in earnest. The following stanzas from Ella Wheeler Wilcox are to the point:—

“The hurry of the times affects us so In this swift, rushing hour, we crowd, and press, And thrust each other backward, as we go, And do not pause to lay sufficient stress Upon that good, strong, true word, earnestness, In our impetuous haste, could we but know Its full, deep meaning, its vast import, O, Then might we grasp the secret of success!

“In that receding age when men were great, The bone and sinew of their purpose lay In this one word. God likes an earnest soul— Too earnest to be eager. Soon or late It leaves the spent horde breathless by the way, And stands serene, triumphant at the goal.”

Not the impulsive flashing meteor, but the steady shining star is what men in darkness need.