Truth Magazine

By J. Wiley Adams

I sit here alone with a broken heart. It is hard for me to write because Wilma, my beloved and beautiful wife, is no longer at my side. For more than 45 years she was always at my side. She died on July 28, 1990 of a pontine hemorrhage, a stroke at the base of the skull in an area which controls various body functions such as hearing, sight, blood pressure, and swallowing. Rarely is there ever any recovery from this type of stroke and, if so, the quality of life is to have no real use of oneself. How merciful that my dignified Virginian lady was spared from that which would have been worse than death for her and her family.

We were in a gospel meeting with the Thorn church of the Lord at the time she was stricken. This is near Houston, Mississippi. We were staying in the home of the Leroy Clarks. What a wonderful week it had been. Crowds were good. Singing was good. A lot of visitors from the area had come each night and some from a long distance. We had one more night to go.

The Clarks had a group of brethren into their home after services Thursday night for refreshments and association. It was so pleasant. Shortly after the guests departed Wilma had a dizzy spell, as she had been having from time to time lately. Thinking it to be an inner ear problem she took one of her pills for that problem. Her condition progressively grew worse until about 4 A.M. Friday. She told me she thought she had had a stroke. We summoned an ambulance from nearby Houston Hospital. On the way to the hospital she lost awareness and she never was conscious again. At Houston Hospital she was treated at the emergency room to no avail. On the advice of the doctor there she was sent immediately by helicopter to North Mississippi Regional Hospital at Tupelo 35 miles away.

Brother Clark took me to Tupelo while his wife and Allen Malone loaded my car and called various members of the family for me. They later came to Tupelo with my car and things. All the children were on the way soon. Allen finished the meeting in my place.

Wilma lingered until Saturday at 2:45 P.M. Three of the grandchildren (Stan and Carla’s boys) had come from Texas and were allowed in to say goodbye to “Mamaw” shortly before she expired. Then, with all our children gathered around her as I held her hand and as blood pressure dropped very low, her pulse went into a straight line on the monitor. Wilma had departed peacefully and without a struggle from this life to be with the Lord and all those saints who had gone on before. We all kissed her brow and said farewell. It was so comforting to have also at her bedside with us Tom O’Neal, Martin Adams, and Allen Malone. The Clarks kept the children in the waiting room. We all wept.

We brought her back to Warner Robins, Georgia where we have lived and labored with the Westside church for 19 years. A beautiful service was held at McCullough Funeral Home July 31st at 2 P.M. The service was conducted by Tom O’Neal, Sewell Hall, and Andy De Klerk. Beautiful congregational singing was ably led by Duane Combs and Allen Neely. It was a service of praise to God, tribute to a wonderful woman, wife, mother, and grandmother, and an appeal to the lost to get right with God.

Her body was then taken to Hopewell, Virginia, her home town and mine, for another service at Gould Funeral Home on Thursday, August 2nd at 2 P.M. This service was conducted by John Nosker, Paul Casebolt, and Weldon Warnock with Connie W. Adams conducting the grave side service. Again the singing was congregational with Allen Malone leading. The service was comforting and uplifting. We laid Wilma’s body to rest about 4 P.M. in nearby Chesterfield County at Sunset Memorial Park in the family plot. Connie’s closing remark before the final prayer was: “Sweet, sweet Wilma, we will all miss you.”

Unique to the occasion was the use of our three sons, our son-in-law, and the three older grandsons as pallbearers. Also in final tribute, a memory rose was placed on the casket by each of the grandchildren. Wilma is survived by her husband Wiley, a daughter, Paige Deason, three sons, Arthur W., Stanley W., and Keith W. Adams, and preceded in death by a baby daughter Karen Ruth. There are nine grandchildren.

Wilma will be missed by all who knew her and loved her. No gospel preacher had ever had a better, more supportive wife. Her loss is like cutting off my right arm. There are so many things I could say but I must be selective. They are in my heart forever whether or not they are written down. Many beautiful memories will sustain us in the days ahead.

It was Wilma who encouraged me to devote full-time to the preaching of the gospel. It was she who helped me more than anyone else to achieve this goal. Patiently she tended to our family and urged me on in this noble work. She was my most attentive listener as well as my most concerned critic. She always followed me in the Scriptures as I preached or taught and took notes on my sermons as though she had never heard them before. She was a wonderful example to her family and to the whole church wherever we were. She had no patience with women who complained about being the wife of a preacher. She counted it an honor to serve the Lord by helping me to preach the gospel and become an elder in the church.

Her efforts to help me in the preaching of the gospel must not be wasted. With God’s help they shall not be. I must continue on in the work of the kingdom of God. I know I will never be quite the same again. I will never get over missing her. But she would say if she could, “Wiley, preach the word. You are my preacher man.”

And so I will do this for whatever time I have left and finish my course as she did hers and keep the faith until that day, whether soon or late, when I shall be laid at her side to await the resurrection and to enter into Heaven’s gates together – together still, forever.

“Who can find a virtuous woman? For her prize is far above rubies?” (Prov. 31:10) Well, Wiley Adams did find such a woman and her name was Wilma. Goodbye, my love – for now!

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 18, pp. 554-555
September 20, 1990

By Michael Garrison

The word “Christian” occurs but three times in the New Testament. Its significance is “a follower of Christ,” according to Strong’s Greek Dictionary. By studying each occurrence of the term, we can learn much about being a Christian.

Acts 11:26

“And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Not just anyone was called by this name, but the disciples of Jesus the Christ were called Christians. A disciple is “a learner, i.e. pupil” (Ibid.). Jesus told those Jews who believed on him, “If you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. . . ” (Jn. 8:31). So, one is a disciple, or Christian, who continues in Christ’s word.

It is thought by some that the name Christian was given to followers of Christ by their enemies as a derogatory name. Such is not the case at all. Strong’s Dictionary says the Greek word translated “called” here means “to utter an oracle, i.e. divinely intimate.” The word is also used in Romans 7:3, “. . . if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. . . ” Who called her an adulteress? God did! Who called the disciples “Christians”? According to the definition, God did, not the enemies of the Truth.

The above facts correspond with the prophecy in Isaiah 62:2: “And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.” The new name is Christian!

Acts 26:28

After hearing Paul’s defense of the faith, King Agrippa said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Paul answered, “I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.” Paul did not think the term “Christian” to be a derogatory one, but one of honor.

When the truth is presented and people believe and obey that truth, they become just Christians. The Bible only, makes Christians only. It takes the creeds, traditions, catechisms, etc., of men to become a member of some denomination and to be called something other than a Christian. We should be content to wear the God-approved, God-given name, Christian, with no additions, subtractions, or substitutions!

1 Peter 4:16

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” Peter tells us that followers of Christ should not “suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.” Such things are not according to the righteousness of Christ. In verse 14, Peter mentions being “reproached for the name of Christ. . .” which is equivalent to verse 16, “if any man suffer as a Christian.”

From the above, the student of truth can see that the term “Christian” is a term that was given by God to his faithful ones and was not a derogatory name applied by those fighting against God. Nor was the name made up by the disciples of Christ themselves.

Who Is A Christian?

In answering this question, let us ask: “Who is an American?” We realize that an alien must do certain things to become an American. It is not enough for one to just call himself an American. Neither is it enough for other people to call him an American. Rather, an alien must do certain things required by the law to become an American.

So, in answering, “Who is a Christian?” we must turn to the New Testament (the law of God, the “constitution of the kingdom” if you will) and learn what an alien must do to become a Christian. It is not enough for one to call himself one, or for others to call him a Christian. Rather, he must do what is required by the law (New Testament) to become a Christian.

The plain teaching of the Scriptures says that sinners are saved by:

Faith. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” But, what is faith? According to J.H. Thayer’s lexicon, it is “used especially of the faith by which a man embraces Jesus, i.e. a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah – the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ” (emphasis mine, m1g). So, without obedience, there is no genuine saving faith!

Repentance. Luke 13:5 says, “. . except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish.” Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words says, “repent” “signifies to change one’s mind or purpose, always, in the N.T., involving a change for the better, . . . and always, except in Luke 17:3,4, of repentance from sin.”

Confession. Matthew 10:32 records, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven.” The word “confess” means “to declare openly by way of speaking out freely, such confession being the effect of deep conviction of facts” (Vine’s).

Baptism. Mark 16:16 teaches us, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” I emphasized the word and because many don’t seem to see that word! Jesus gave the terms of salvation: I can only teach what he said. Mr. Vine tells us, “baptism, consist(s) of the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence.” There is no truth that baptism can be sprinkling or a pouring of water on someone. Let us believe and follow the Head of the church!

Then, once one has become a Christian, he is added by the Lord to his church. One does not go out to seek some “church” to join (see Acts 2:47, KJV)- Also, a Christian must continue to walk in the right way to remain faithful unto God. We learn from 1 John 1:6-7, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Mr. Vine goes into some detail with the word “walk,” but I think what he says bears learning. He says the term is used “. . . figuratively, signifying the whole round of the activities of the individual life. . . It is applied to the observance of religious ordinances, Acts 21:21; Heb. 13:9 . . . as well as moral conduct. The Christian is to walk in newness of life, Rom. 6:4, after the spirit of life, Rom. 6:4, after the spirit, 8:4; in honesty, 13:13; by faith, 2 Cor. 5:7; in good works, Eph. 2:10; in love, 5:2; in wisdom, Col. 4:5; in truth, 2 Jn. 4; after the commandments of the Lord, v. 6. And, negatively, not after the flesh, Rom. 8:4; not after the manner of men, 1 Cor. 3:3; not in craftiness, 2 Cor. 4:2; not by sight, 5:7; not in the vanity of mind, Eph. 4:17; not disorderly, 2 Thess. 3:6.”

If you are not a Christian, what hinders your obedience to the Lord? “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5: 10). Why not do the good thing and obey the Lord before it is too late?

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 17, pp. 525-526
September 6, 1990

By Mike Willis

The less men know the Bible, the more blurred are their concepts of right and wrong. Living in an age of Bible ignorance, an ignorance which is spilling over into the church, we face a generation whose distinction between the children of God and children of the Devil is blurred. In John 8, Jesus spoke of the children of God and the children of the Devil and gave us several criteria to use in distinguishing the two. Here are some general truths affirmed by Jesus which enable us to distinguish between children of God and children of the Devil.

A Child of God Does Not Commit Sin Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin (8:34).

The plain affirmation of this Scripture clearly shows that one cannot habitually practice sin and still be God’s child. A first century apostasy, known as Gnosticism, affirmed that sins committed by the body did not interfere with the spirit’s relationship with God. The books of 1,2,3 John were written to refute this error. There John emphasized that those who profess to know God while committing sin lie and do not the truth (cf. 1 Jn. 1:6-10).

The heresy has not died. There are still some who believe that those who habitually commit sin are children of God. The “once in grace, always in grace” doctrine affirms that children of God are not separated from the Father by their sins. The “continuous cleansing” advocates affirm that children of God can habitually practice every sin except highhanded rebellion and remain children of God. Hence, they propose to fellowship those “children of God” who use instruments of music in worship, support human institutions (colleges, orphan homes, hospitals, etc.), and use church funds to sponsor any “good” work (such as recreation, church camps, etc.).

The plain statement of this Scripture is that one can distinguish God’s children from the Devil’s children by whether or not they are committing sin. Earlier Jesus had said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (8:12). A person cannot “follow Jesus” and walk in darkness because Jesus did not walk in darkness.

This is not to be understood to state that a Christian never stumbles into sin. Both experience and Scripture show that they do (1 Jn. 1:6-10). When they stumble into sin, they must repent of their sins and confess them to God and man (as the occasion might require, Jas. 5:16). Rather, what this Scripture is affirming is that one cannot continue in the practice of his sin and remain in the fellowship of God. Those who departed from New Testament worship to introduce mechanical instruments of music, choirs, quartets, observance of the Lord’s supper on days other than Sunday, and similar departures must repent of these sins in order to be children of God. Those who perverted the organization of the church in the sponsoring church arrangement and be organizing national Christian conventions must repent of their sins to be children of God. The same is true of every sin: a man cannot continue in the practice of his sin and remain a child of God.

A Child of God Hears God’s Word

He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God (8:47).

A person can distinguish children of God from children of the Devil by their reaction to the preaching of God’s word. The apostle John later added, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 Jn. 4:6).

When a person closes his ear to the preaching of God ‘ s word, he is not a child of God. A child of God has a genuine love for the truth (contrast 2 Thess. 2:10-12) which causes him to search the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) and try the prophets (1 Jn. 4:1). A man who refuses to listen to God’s word is not a child of God.

A Child of God Loves Christ

Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me (8:42).

The man who loves God loves him whom God sent. Regardless of how religious and sincere some of our non-Christian neighbors may be, the man who does not love Jesus is not a child of God. The first century Jews who rejected Jesus as the Christ, denied the virgin birth, charged that Jesus worked miracles through the power of Beelzebub, and otherwise spurned him were not children of God. Neither are twentieth century men who do the same (whether Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, or other unbelievers) children of God.

A Child of God Believes in Christ

I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (8:24).

Belief in Jesus is essential for salvation from sin and being a child of God. Here are some things which one must believe about Jesus which are revealed in John 8: (a) That he was sent from the Father (8:23); (b) That he existed before Abraham (8:58); (c) That he was sinless (8:47); (d) That belief in him would free one from sin (8:21,24) and prevent spiritual death (8:41). A person who does not believe these things about Jesus is not a child of God.

A Child of God Abides in Jesus’ Word

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word,

then are ye my disciples indeed (8:31).

A person who believes in Jesus may not be a child of God. In John 8, among those who believed in Jesus (8:30) were some who did not love Christ (8:42) and who were designated as children of the Devil (8:44). These men momentarily had faith in Christ but departed from that faith, stumbling over some of the things which Jesus said about himself.

“Abiding” in Jesus’ word has several important points of emphasis. First of all, “abiding” emphasizes perseverance in obedience to Christ, doing the works of Abraham (8:39). Being a child of God requires more than a “splash in the pan.” Some people make a momentary commitment to Christ, a commitment of shallow emotionalism which does not last. They are like those believers who were compared to seed planted in rocky and thorny ground which never bring fruit to maturity (cf. Lk. 8:11-14). A child of God must endure to the end (Matt. 24:12).

Secondly, “abiding” in Jesus’ word emphasizes that Jesus has set the boundaries of divine revelation. The same Apostle John later wrote, “whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 Jn. 9). Those who transgress the doctrine of God, moving into unauthorized activities, are not children of God, regardless of what professions to the contrary they make.

Conclusion

Let us not allow the uncertainty of an agnostic age to cause us to blur the distinctions so clearly revealed by Christ. We can know the children of God. Those who have never obeyed the gospel plan of salvation, teach for their doctrines the commandments of men, call works of the flesh “alternative lifestyles,” and such like things are not children of God. Those who have once obeyed the gospel but have not been content to abide in the doctrine of Christ, perverting and distorting the work, worship, and organization of the New Testament church, are not children of God so long as they do the works of the Devil. These clearly revealed criteria for distinguishing the children of God from the children of the Devil must be taught to every succeeding generation.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 17, pp. 514, 532
September 6, 1990

By Dennis C. Abernathy

Stonewall Jackson held prayer meetings in his classrooms at Virginia Military Institute, so Timothy Dwight held revivals in the chapel of Yale. Dwight was the head of the institution from 1795 to 1817. There was also a second Timothy Dwight who became President of Yale and he is noted for changing from a college to a university.

During the tenure of the first Timothy Dwight at Yale College, Tom Paine’s infamous book The Age of Reason was sweeping the country. Yale, like other colleges, had become infected with the “free thought” of Paine, Rousseau, and the French Revolution. It is estimated that there were no more than five who professed to be Christians on the entire Yale campus. Dwight took to the chapel pulpit with his Bible in hand and his dynamic leadership ignited a spiritual revival which soon spread to other New England campuses as well.

Timothy Dwight was truly one of the illustrious names in early American history. He served for a time as chaplain with George Washington in the American Revolutionary War. He could do a good job with almost anything he undertook. He was a farmer, preacher, editor, poet, legislator, orator, businessman, and educator. One of his pupils summed him up as “interested in everything” and his knowledge was “boundless.” But Timothy Dwight’s main interest was in the furtherance of learning and the advancement of Christianity.

While teaching oratory, literature, and theology, preaching to his students, and managing business affairs at Yale, Dwight also undertook the editing of a collection of Isaac Watt’s hymns. He also wrote thirty-three original hymns. All but one have practically been forgotten, but this one stands out today as the only hymn written in America during the two centuries after the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, that is still in common use.

All of Timothy Dwight’s accomplishments seem more amazing when it is realized that for the last forty years of his life he was unable to read consecutively for more than fifteen minutes a day. His defective eyesight had been caused by a case of small-pox, and the pain in his eyes is said to have been agonizing and constant.

Verse One

I love thy kingdom, Lord, The house of thine abode;

The church our blest Redeemer saved with His own precious blood.

I love Thy church, O God! Her walls before Thee stand,

Dear, as the apple of Thine eye, and graven on Thy hand.

This verse and the Bible teaches us the following things:

1. The church and the kingdom are the same (Matt. 16:18-19). The church of our Lord is not some “afterthought” that came into being because of the postponement of the kingdom. No, indeed! The Lord will not set up his kingdom “someday”; it is here on the earth today. The church is the kingdom and the kingdom is the church.

2. The church is the house of God. In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul said, “If I am delayed you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God.” God’s house is composed of God’s people and he dwells in it (Eph. 2:19-22; Heb. 3:2-6). My friend, do you think of the church as God’s spiritual house, house built by the Lord himself (Matt. 16:18)?

3. The church is saved by the precious blood of Christ (Acts 20:28; 2:47; Eph. 5:23). Without the shedding of Christ’s blood as the perfect sacrifice and offering for sin, there would be no church today.

4. We ought to “love the church of God. ” Do you? Are these just empty words with you? Do you “really” love it? How do you prove your love (cf. 2 Cor. 8:8,24)? How does a husband or wife prove their love for their mate?

When we see the lack of dedication and zeal for the church on the part of those who profess to be a part of it, we doubt that they love the church. They are spasmodic in their attendance, and less than zealous in their work and service. Suppose your wife/husband just dropped in “occasionally,” or prepared meals “every now and then”? But they would always tell you, “I love you.” What would you think?

5. The church is very dear to the Lord. It is “the apple of his eye” (read, Eph. 5:25-32).

Verse Two

For her my tears shall fall, For her my pray’rs ascend;

To her my cares and toils be giv’n, Till toils and cares shall end.

Beyond the highest joy I prize her heavenly ways,

Her sweet communion, solemn vows, Her hymns of love and praise.

From this verse and from the Bible we learn that we ought to be concerned for the church and prize it highly. How often do you shed tears and pray for the church? As sad as it is, I’m afraid that many professed Christians only think of the church occasionally. It does not occupy a place near and dear to their hearts. “To her my cares and toils be giv’n” could be thought of in a couple of ways:

1. We ought to bring our toils and cares to it. We need the close communion, help, and fellowship that is found in the Lord’s church. We help each other. We ought to “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). Many though, when they have cares and problems, do not seek help from brethren, but rather do the opposite. They quit the church until “they get their problems worked out.” How many have you talked too that said, “I need to work out my personal problems first”?

2. What about your care and concern for the church. Do you toil (work) for it? So many don’t even attend the services. They excuse themselves from teaching or the various other things that need to be done that the borders of God’s kingdom might spread in their community. Many can’t (won’t) see to it that their children attend regularly. Oh, yes they will toil for their school, their ball team, their scout troop, their band, and countless other things – but not for the Lord’s church which he purchased with his blood. Does your life show the proper concern for the church (Matt. 6:33)? We ought to prize the church as our highest joy. It is the greatest institution on this earth. It belongs to the Lord and is composed of the saved.

Verse Three

Jesus, Thou Friend Divine, Our Savior and our King!

Thy hand from every snare and foe, shall great deliverance brin2.

Sure as thy truth shall last, To Zion shall be giv’n.

The brightest glories earth can yield, And brightest bliss of heaven.

From this verse and from the Bible we learn that Jesus is our Friend, Savior and King. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” You will never have a greater friend than Jesus. Don’t you want him for your friend? Remember that Jesus also said, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (Jn. 14:13-14).

“And we have seen and testify that the Father hath sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 Jn. 4:14). Don’t you want him as your Savior? Don’t you appreciate and love him for all that he has done for you? Jesus wants to be your Savior, but you must be in the church. “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (Eph. 5:23).

Jesus is to be honored as the eternal, immortal and invisible King (1 Tim. 1:17). He is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14). Do you want Jesus as your King. Remember that Jesus is King over his kingdom, which is the church. One is called into his kingdom (1 Thess. 2:12; Col. 1:13). This call is accomplished through the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14), and is referred to as the new birth (Jn. 3:3,5; 1 Pet. 1:22-23).

Finally we learn that the church (Zion) shall be honored and receive the bliss of heaven. “Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power” (1 Cor. 15:24).

The church is indeed “the apple of the Lord’s eye.” He loved it enough to die for it (Acts 20:28). It is through Christ and in the church that we receive reconciliation (Eph. 2:16).

How do you view the church, the Lord’s body? Did Christ die in vain for you as he did for many? If you appreciate his death you will appreciate his church. You will appreciate it as the spiritual institution it is, resting upon the foundation of Christ himself. You will not view it, as many do, as a social institution so your children can go to Six Flags, or where you can gather in the fellowship hall for fun and frolic. I ask you, is this what the Lord’s death and his church is all about? Don’t be guilty of trying to bring spiritual things down to the level of the carnal.

I sing, “Give me the Bible.”

How I love that dear old song.

But a thirty minute sermon;

Becomes boring and too long.

I sing, “Take Time to Be Holy.”

It gives me pure delight.

So I attend on Sunday morning,

But not on Sunday night.

I sing, “I Love Thy Kingdom Lord.”

I’m proud to be a member.

But by the daily life I live,

I’m just a dying ember.

I sing, “I Want to Be a Worker.”

It makes me feel so good.

But, when some work comes along,

I don’t do what 1 could.

I sing, “I Love to Tell the Story.”

It really plays upon my heart.

But I’m so busy and afraid,

I never made a start.

In worship to God I sing these songs,

This truth I’m not denying.

But by the life which I live

Do I not prove I’m lying?

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 17, pp. 520-521
September 6, 1990