EVERYDAY RELIGION by London Baptist

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 9, 1881

EVERYDAY RELIGION.

By London Baptist

A solid, substantial-looking woman, evidently from the country, was examining some dress goods in one of our shops. Fabrics of every style and quality were thrown out upon the counter, and she examined them critically, one by one, until the dapper little attendant grew uneasy, and began to recommend various styles, hoping, no doubt, to hasten her in the choice. She paid no heed to him, but went on with her careful examination as before. At length she said:—

"Young man, I don't intend to buy any flimsy stuff, for that is all shine, and no wear in it. I intend to have a dress that will bear good, solid, everyday use, and soap and water when it needs it. I want a dress that will stand the sun without fading, or a shower without frizzling up, and if you'll give me time enough, I'll see if you have any such thing here."

I did not stop long enough to know whether she found a fabric that would endure so many severe tests, but her words set me to thinking. I thought we all need just that kind of religion, that will stand the hard, everyday wear of life; that will not fade in the sun of prosperity; nor "frizzle up" in the storms of sorrow and adversity; a religion that is no flimsy affair, but solid and substantial enough to use every day.

I began thinking over the various qualities of religion with which I was most familiar among our best regulated orthodox people, and it proved a most interesting study. There was Brother A—, whose religion is very conspicuous on Sundays, and at the prayer-meeting; his prayers are fervent and full of feeling; his exhortations recount with unction his great attainments in the Christian life. He is distressed over the condition of the church and the world; the lack of piety and consecration in ministers and Christians. He is alive and earnest, hardly able to restrain his exalted emotions. But he somehow lays it all away with his Sunday clothes, for it doesn't stand everyday wear. Mr. A— at prayer-meeting, and Mr. A— at home, are two different beings. His religion is not strong enough to keep him from making everybody miserable and unhappy about him. It will not stand a single test; it is only fit to be carefully worn on special occasions. No doubt brother A—'s religion is a means of grace to some, but to others it is a stumbling-block—all sham and shoddy.

Brother B— rarely goes to the prayer-meeting, and when he does he sits utterly silent through it all. We know he had a hard bringing-up, fighting his own way as best he could, and that even now he has a host of besetting sins and temptations to struggle against every day that he lives. We tremble for him, knowing his weakness, knowing how slight a hold he has on his small hope in Christ, how strong a hold the world, the flesh, and the devil have on him. We sympathize with him, we pray for him; we bear patiently with many things we would not dare to excuse in ourselves. His religion is good as far as it goes, and it does help him over a good many hard places.

Brother C— has a good, solid, substantial article, that stands the wear and tear of life grandly. He has a quick temper, and it helps him to hold it in check. He has countless "thorns in the flesh," and trials and hindrances on every side, and it helps him to be patient and cheerful under all. He makes poor, stumbling little prayers, but they are genuine, and there is a true, tender depth to every word.

Sister D— is one of the humblest, most unassuming women in the world. She has a little trembling hope in Christ, but feels altogether unworthy of his mercy. Sometimes in our ladies' meeting she will venture a touching little prayer to her Saviour that we all strain our ears to hear, because we feel sure it is going to him from a full, loving heart.

Her life is a sermon in itself. Never a word from her lips that could grieve or wound another, for she speaks with utmost charity and tenderness to every one. She shames us all with her quiet forbearance and sweet submission in the midst of trials and great afflictions. Patient, cheerful, with a steadfast, loving trust in her Saviour, she is a living epistle, known and read of all. Oh, that we all had a rich supply of such religion!

It is good to be peaceful and happy on Sunday; it is better still if Monday's fret and toil, and worry of mind and body, can be met with patient endurance, and steadfast courage that will take us through, resting in God, doing and bearing all things in his strength. It is good to bask in the sunshine of Christian fellowship, and grow strong in the Lord by sweet communion with him; but it is better still to hold fast and steady when almost overwhelmed by the stern duties and discipline of life.

It may take very little religion to make us simply happy; it takes a great deal to keep back hasty, unkind words, to make us patient with the steady grind of daily care, when everything seems to go wrong, when everything seems to be against us. It takes a great deal when our best efforts for good are misconstrued, when men speak evil of us, when, do what we will, we are condemned. It takes a great deal of religion to hold still when God lays us in the furnace of sorrow, or of pain, to see if there be any gold in us.

Is our religion good for everyday use? Does it stand everyday wear, growing stronger and dearer, an anchor sure and steadfast? God's grace is sufficient for every need of every soul. We have only to go every day for an abundant supply. Yesterday's grace will not do for to-day. It is like manna; we must gather it fresh every morning.

Sustaining and cheering as we go on, day by day, towards our eternal home, we shall find it at last giving us an abundant entrance into the city of our God.—London Baptist.