How to Live a Holy Life | Page 9

eternal bliss; we may
imagine ourselves walking through the blooming fields of paradise and
sitting beneath the tree of life; but our dreams, our hopes, and our
imaginations will never be realized unless we carefully keep the
commandments of God. More than a profession is necessary; obedience
is the only door into the kingdom of God. Jesus said, "Not every one

that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Until our faith
pierces through and beholds the beauties and the realities of God so we
can say from the very depths of the soul, "I delight to do thy will, O
God." and, "My meat and my drink is to do the will of Him that sent
me," we have not fully entered the true and right pathway of life.
Keeping the commands of God is the whole man and the whole of a
perfect life.

"BE DOERS OF THE WORD."
I want to remind you again that the mission of this little volume is to
teach you how to live. The life beyond depends on the life here. Let me
emphasize what I have repeatedly said before: to live as we should, we
must live by every word of God. To live by every word of God is not
only to hear it but also to do it. We have learned that, in order to enter
the city of God and eat of the tree of life, we must do his
commandments, and also that it is not "every one that sayeth, Lord,
Lord, that shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will
of my Father which is in heaven."
Now I will read you a text from the Epistle of James, "But be ye doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." We are
living in a careless age. The Word of God is being treated with neglect.
Many are hearing it, but alas! how few are doing it! In this way people
deceive themselves. They think they are on their way to heaven, when
they are not. The only way to heaven is by doing the commandments.
To illustrate this, I will refer you to a few texts. "If thine enemy hunger,
feed him." Rom. 12:20. "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also." Matt. 5:39. "And as ye would that men
should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31. If it comes
most natural for us to live according to these texts, we can begin to
conclude that our hearts are right with God. However, we must have a
heart that does not rebel against any text in the Bible.
We are exhorted earnestly by the apostle Peter to make our "calling and

election sure." The only way to do so is to live to every word of God.
Oh, my dear reader, those sweet hopes you have had of reaching
heaven and of seeing Jesus and those dear loved ones who have gone
before you to that other side will never be realized by you unless you
be a diligent doer of the Word of God. I feel like warning you against
all carelessness and neglect, and to keep yourself in the love of God.
See that your heart and life reads each day as the Bible reads, and you
will then have an unshaken foundation for your faith and hope. If you
would know how to live and make the best of life, read the Bible much
and conform your life to its teaching.

WHO ARE THE WISE?
Who is a foolish man? It is a man who hears the sayings of Jesus and
fails to do them. He is likened to a man who was foolish enough to
build his house upon the sand. This man would better not have built at
all, for the cost of building was lost. He could have had the money for
his use and enjoyment if he had not wasted it in building a house on the
sand. A foolish man, indeed! Who is a wise man? It is the man who
hears the sayings of Jesus and does them. He is likened to a man who
built his house upon a rock. From a temporal standpoint nothing else is
so conducive to man's happiness as a good home. No better use can be
made of money than to spend it in the building of a home, provided the
house be built upon a sure foundation. A man who hears God's Word
and does it is likened to such a man. To build up a Christian character
in obedience to the Bible