_THE VIRTUE OF PROPORTION_
MATTHEW vi. 25-34.
I must put first things first. The radical fault in much of my living is
want of proportion. I think more of pretty window curtains than of fresh
air, more of "nice" wallpaper than of the moving pageant of the skies. I
magnify the immediate desire and minimize the ultimate goal. And so
"things do not come right!" How can they when the apportionment is so
perverse, when everything is topsy-turvy? If I want things to be firm and
durable I must revere the Divine order, and must put first things first.
"_Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness._"
And, therefore, I must seek holiness before success. I am to esteem
holiness with apparent failure as infinitely better than success with
stain and shame.
I must seek character before reputation. The applause of the world must be
as nothing compared with the approbation of God. The favouring "voice from
heaven" must be sweeter to my ears than the noisy cheers of the crowd.
And I must seek righteousness before quietness. The way of disturbance is
sometimes the way to peace. I must not be so concerned for a quiet life as
for a life that is "right with God."