The Medical Missionary, vol. 17

March 18, 1908

“The Secret Life Is the Key” The Medical Missionary, 17, 12, p. 220.

ATJ

ALONZO T. JONES

“WHEN thou prayest, enter into the closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and the Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” MEDM March 18, 1908, page 220.1

Note, this does not say that He will reward you in secret. No, he sees you in secret, he hears you in secret; but he rewards you, he answers you, openly. MEDM March 18, 1908, page 220.2

In this, then, He teaches you and in that we are to care for the secret life and He will care for the open life. And as certainly as we are watchful upon our secret life, and keep it straight for God, so certainly He will be watchful upon our open life, and will keep straight with men. MEDM March 18, 1908, page 220.3

Yet man’s ways is the reverse of this, he is inclined to be ever watching his open life, trying to correct a wrong impression here, to straighten a crooked influence there; all the while neglecting the secret life, of which these outward things are but the reflection. MEDM March 18, 1908, page 220.4

Can a crooked stick cast a straight shadow?—No more can a life that is crooked in secret be straight openly. When a crooked stick has cast its crooked shadow, is it the sensible thing to go to tinkering the shadow to make it straight?—No; correct the stick; make it straight; then there will be no difficulty with the shadow; all who see it will see that it is straight. No more is it sensible to be tinkering your outward life to have it straight; straightening the secret life, and God has certified that your open life shall be straight. MEDM March 18, 1908, page 220.5

Therefore, put your time and attention upon your secret life; keep your time and attention there; spend much time with Him who seeth in secret; and he will put his time and attention upon your open life. He will keep his time and attention there, and will spend much time with you openly, and before those who see only openly. Thus he will see to it that your open life tells only of the good, the pure, and the true—that it tells only of God. MEDM March 18, 1908, page 220.6