BIBLE READINGS WITH FAMILIES.
By Mrs. S. N. Haskell
If you long to work for your neighbors, but fear to begin, we beseech of you not to hesitate; for while you are hesitating, Satan may be hedging up the way. Below is part of a letter just received from a sister who, a few months ago, determined with the help of the Lord to do something for her neighbors. She has family cares, but God helped her so to arrange her work that she was able to prepare a Bible reading each week, and give it in his name. God has given her fruit for her labor. “I am still giving Bible readings, with good success. The glory is all due to the Lord, for I know that without his presence I could not give a reading. I hold two meetings a week, and the Lord comes very near to us. I praise God that he led me to begin this work, but I wish to keep humble, that God may use me as he desires. The two young persons who took their stand for the truth have remained loyal. Praise the Lord. We are indeed living in solemn times. Let us be faithful a little while longer. I long to be the means of helping others to reach the goal.” There are many sisters who could have a similar experience if they would only begin and go forward. We have been sending a list of simple texts to you each week through the REVIEW, and praying that God would incline your hearts to give them to your neighbors. Study them over carefully and prayerfully until your mind is full of them, then go to your neighbor and tell her that you have enjoyed studying a line of texts on the subject,—whatever it may be,—and that you think she would enjoy it. Ask her if she will let you come over and study them with her, praying all the time that God will open her heart. If you will only do this in the fear of the Lord, you will find people all around you who are hungry for the truth. Either open or close your reading with prayer. Prayer at the close helps to seal the truth upon the heart. Don’t fail to kneel and pray with your neighbors, even if they do not kneel at first. God will bless you if you go forward; but if you stand back and only wish to work, without doing anything, you do not give the Lord an opportunity to help you. EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE.
I AM doing what I can by taking papers and books with me when I call on my neighbors. I have given away five hundred and sixty-eight pages, and loaned eight-hundred and forty-nine. One woman has taken the REVIEW AND HERALD two months, and has read “Steps to Christ,” and thinks them good reading. I have loaned another woman “Steps to Christ,” “Life of Elder Bates,” and copies of the REVIEW and the Gospel of Health. I love the truth, and feel that each of us has a work to do. I have always felt the burden of work, but was at first determined to work in my own way, and according to my own mind. Now I am ready to be used as God desires, in my home, my neighborhood, town, or State. God has given me two children, and I feel, first of all, responsible to him for their spiritual and physical welfare. Then my husband needs some one to hold up his hands. I am glad the women have been aroused to a sense of their responsibility and of their opportunities. I shall ever feel grateful for the last personal letter I received from Sister Henry. It seems providential now. She told me she was glad to know that anything she had written me had helped me over my difficulties, but she wished to assure me that it was my privilege to get it first-hand, right from the Fountain. And when she was taken away, I could hear her saying these precious words, and I have found by blessed experience that God is not dead, but is an ever-present help, and can show me my faults and errors so kindly and faithfully that I love him more and more. YOU inquire about the work I am doing. Last year I saw in the Life Boat a request for those who could to open their doors for a month or six weeks to the homeless children of the Children’s Christian Home of Chicago. I sent for six, and obtained places for others. Seventeen children came. After much prayer we decided to open our doors this summer, by giving part of our house, and land for garden and small fruit, for a branch home. At present we have four workers and sixteen children. Four or five children are away visiting just now. So you see I am interested in this work. My husband and I have been looking for the coming of the Saviour for over forty years. We have received the following letter, without signature, from a sister who requests that it be answered through the REVIEW:— I am the only one in the neighborhood who keeps the Sabbath. My husband will not let me talk to him about the truth, and does not like Seventh-day Adventists. He threatens to leave me if I work on Sunday, and I do not feel that it would be right to cause him to do this. Please tell me if it is right for me to work when he is not present. I ask the prayers of God’s people for him. I must not give my name, as it would cause trouble if I received letters from you, but I have the REVIEW AND HERALD, and should like a reply through our Woman’s page. I would suggest to you, my dear sister, and to all others who are similarly situated, that, after keeping the Sabbath of the Lord as you believe it, you devote yourself to making Sunday just as pleasant a day as possible for those in your family who have a special regard for it. If they wish you to go to church with them, do so. If your husband invites his friends home with him, be as cordial to them as possible, and serve as nice a dinner as you can prepare. Perhaps this is the only day that your husband is home with you, and surely you should do your part to make the day enjoyable. There is plenty of work that a woman can do on Sunday, which will not give offense to anyone, and yet not be a denial of the true Sabbath principle. Take that day for additional reading and studying, visit the sick, distribute reading-matter, and fill the day with genuine missionary work. It is not necessary or advisable to hang out a washing, or purposely to do such work as would annoy those who observe Sunday as a day of rest, even if the work itself would not be a sin to you. I would not advise any woman to deceive her husband even in doing work on Sunday. Let us be true and loving wives, “giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed.” In all these things wherein we lack wisdom, let us go to God, who has promised to supply us liberally, and we shall know what we ought to do. Read James 1:5, 6; 1 Cor. 7:13–16; 1 Peter 3:1–4. We sisters would so much like a household department in our Woman’s page in the REVIEW. Many of us are too poor to take other papers containing these subjects, and besides they are nearly always spoiled for lovers of truth by light, trashy reading. I noticed one sister asked for an anti-rust remedy for smoothing irons, but got no reply. I think she would find linseed oil, boiled, excellent. We are very glad indeed for the preceding suggestion, and will make it just as practical as possible. If any of the sisters have questions to ask concerning domestic affairs, we hope they will feel free to send them in, and we will secure the best answers possible, and publish question and answer for the benefit of others. Or it may be well to publish the questions, and call for answers from any sister who can give the desired information. We wish to make this department of our paper very practical, and if it is our sisters’ request, space for these household hints should certainly be given.