The human passions are like water—left uncon­fined their tendency is always downward. You can carry water upward or force it upward with a pump, but in order to do so you must confine it in a vessel or a pipe. The moment it gains its liberty by breaking through the barrier it rushes downward. So the hu­man passions and propensities must be kept con­fined by the will. When they are not they carry the whole man downward. By the power of our wills we may raise ourselves to higher altitudes, to greater heights of morality, but the moment the will weak­ens, so that passion breaks through, the course is immediately downward. Water is raised to heights by great labor; so we reach morality only by the greatest efforts and maintain it only by careful watchfulness and steadfast purpose.
But the sun, with its warming rays, smiles down upon the water, and the water rises in unseen vapor and floats into the atmosphere. There is no struggle and terrible compulsion and repression but only si­lence, calmness and peace. When it rises from the muddy pool, the stagnant pond, or the filthy gutter it rises pure and clean, leaving behind the mud, the slime, the offensive odors, the noxious germs and bacteria. So when the sunshine of God’s love shines upon us and warms our hearts, it lifts us up from all the slime and filth of sinful habits—clean and pure— into heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
So long as the water is kept warm it floats on­ ward, but when it cools it condenses and falls back again, perhaps into the same slimy pool. Likewise, so long as our hearts are kept warm by the rays of God’s love shining therein, our pure moral state is easily maintained. But when we lose the warmth of that love, lower things begin to attract us, and soon we fall down toward the former level. Keep your heart ever turned toward the Sun of Righteousness, cherish its soul-warming rays of love, and you will float on the atmosphere of Heaven far above the things of sin.

Heart Talks by C.W. Naylor

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Christ proved His love by enduring the scoffs and ill-treatment of the people and the shame and suf­fering of the cross. By this He proved His love to be real. If our love is genuine, as was that of the saints of old, we can rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for His name. Paul endured all things for the elect’s sake that they might be saved. If we cannot endure the little persecutions, the unkind words, the sneering smiles, the scoffs and jeers of the unbeliev­ing world is it not because our love lacks fervency? The early church took joyfully the spoiling of their goods because they loved their Lord far more than they loved their goods. God’s ministers, in all ages, have endured hardships and perils and have suffered in a thousand ways without faltering because they loved souls as God loves them.
Sometimes people quote the text, “We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren,” but if these same brethren do some­ thing that does not please them they are offended and grieved and are full of complaint and murmur­ing, and it is hard for them to be reconciled to their brethren. Is the love of such people genuine? Does it really prove that they have passed from death unto life? Love that cannot endure hardness, misrepre­sentation, neglect and such things and still be sweet and strong, needs to be increased.
Love makes service sweet, sacrifice easy and meek endurance possible. Love enriches, ennobles and blesses. It sweetens the bitter cup; it lightens the heavy load. It strengthens the faltering soul. Let us, therefore, see that we have fervent love toward God, toward each other and toward the lost world.

Heart Talks by C.W. Naylor

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We say that we love this glorious gospel; we say we desire to see it spread to the ends of the earth, but how much do we love it compared with our love of self? Do we love it more than self, or equal with self, or far less than self? Many persons spend willingly and even lavishly for self who give sparingly and reluctantly to God. They spend more for their pleasures than they give. If we cannot spend for God and His work more willingly than for self, it is because we do not love Him more than self. ⁠
There is no way to avoid the issue. There is plenty of money, so that all the work of the church could be properly financed and no undue burden rest upon any. The fact is there are too many whose love is wanting in that quality which draws out their hearts into the work of God until they are willing to sacrifice for it. It is true that there are many who do love and who prove it by their sacrifices. But it is just as true that there are many others who do not deny themselves and will not even from a sense of duty, to say nothing of making willing sacrifices through the prompting of love.⁠
It is time that we heard more of the practical side of love preached from the pulpit. People who profess salvation, and at the same time manifest an indifference toward the salvation of souls and the work of the church in general, should not be left to drift along in coldness and be lost at last. A sacrificing person or a sacrificing church will be spiritual if the sacrifice is prompted by love. People who are willing to serve and sacrifice rarely backslide.⁠

Heart Talks by C.W. Naylor

Link for book in bio.
We are told that Jacob loved Rachel so much that he served seven years for her and that those years seemed to him as only a few days. The amount of our love to God is proved by our willingness to serve Him. If there is in us a disposition to do only what we please to do, and if we can, to disregard any of the known will of God, it is a clear evidence that we do not love Him. It matters not what we profess, if we are not willing to put obedience to God’s will before every­ thing else, it is from lack of love.
Love makes people willing-hearted. There are many things to do; there are many ways to serve, and love prompts us to serve wherever possible. If the work of God stands first in our love, our hands will always be ready for service. I have attended many camp meetings where I have noticed those on whom the labor of the meeting fell. Everybody was willing to sit in the meeting and enjoy the good sermons and take all the blessings they could get; but when it came to the labor and responsibility connected with the meeting willingness, suddenly disappeared and a greater part of the burden fell upon the ministers and a few consecrated brethren and sisters who loved God and the people enough to go to work. I have often had occasion to call for volunteers for service and have often found that many people who can say “Amen” and “Praise the Lord,” and perhaps shout in meeting become suddenly silent when it comes to vol­unteering for work. The test of their love proves that love is wanting.
There are duties for all. There are opportunities everywhere. Every one of them is a test of love. Brother, sister, how does your love stand the test? Love will not grumble; it will not complain; it will not shrink from service. Do you love as fervently as you ought?

Heart Talks by C.W. Naylor

Link for book in bio.
Again He cares for us in the sense of taking care of us. His care is proved in Him making so beautiful a world to be our home. The flowers, the fruits, the grains, the grasses, the animals, the sunshine, the winds, the rains and all were made to minister to man’s need, comfort and happiness. For us these exist. That we may be, fed He causes the earth to bring forth bountifully. That we may be clothed, He makes the cotton and the flax to grow out of the soil, the wool upon the sheep and causes the silkworm to spin its glossy house. That we might be warmed, He made the coal, the gas and the forests. That we might be protected, He made the stone, the wood, the iron and the clay from which we build houses.⁠
He cares also for our bodies that we may have health. He give us pure crystal water to quench our thirst and cool us in fever, balmy oxygen-laden air to build us up and countless other blessings. Above all this, He is Himself to us a Great Physician whose word heals our suffering bodies and takes us out of the grasp of death.⁠
He cares for us spiritually, giving us His grace to help in every time of need—to shield in temptation, to strengthen in trial, to make strong in adversity, courageous in danger and valiant in conflict.⁠
Truly He cares for us. Let us doubt and fear no more but commit ourselves to Him, knowing that He will “in no wise fail” us.⁠
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Heart Talks by C. W. Naylor⁠
#devotional #dailydevotional #christiandevotional #morningdevotional #inspiration #bible #christian #motivationalquote #inspirationalquote #devo

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He cares for us in the sense that He loves us. “The Father himself loveth you.” “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” “God so loved the world.” He has a deep and abiding affection for every soul, and even when we stray away from Him into the depth of sin His heart yearns over us as a mother over her erring boy—only His love is stronger than a mother’s. He sends His servants out to seek the lost and His Spirit to plead with them. Sinner, He loves you. Though you have grieved Him and have repelled His Spirit over and over again, yet His eye beams with pity, His heart is tender with love, and His arms are outstretched toward you to welcome you to His em­brace.⁠
If He thus cares for the rebellious and neglectful sinner, how much does He care for His own obedient, loving children! How tender His love! Sometimes in a dark and troublesome hour, when His face seems hidden, we may feel as did the disciples when they cried out in their distress, “Carest thou not that we perish?” Ah, He did care. At once He arose and re­ buked the elements and brought the disciples safely to the land. Yea, He does care. “He careth for you.” His help may sometimes seem delayed, but it will come and just at the time to be most effective. In your joys and victories and seasons of refreshing He cares for you and also in the time of trial or persecu­tion—of heaviness and longing and of bitterness of soul. In it all He cares, and He will bring you through when He sees the soul refined and fitted for His pur­pose. “He careth for you.” Believe it. Let your soul exult in it and shout it aloud. Or if you can in your sorrow only whisper it, let your heart still say, “He loves and He cares. I will trust Him and be content.”⁠
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Heart Talks by C. W. Naylor⁠
#devotional #dailydevotional #christiandevotional #morningdevotional #inspiration #bible #christian #motivationalquote #inspirationalquote #devo 

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“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” I Peter 5:7. God cares for us in the sense of having a personal interest in us. We are the work of His hands, and as such He is interested in our pros­perity. He watches over the development of our lives; he notes every step of progress. The one who plants a flower, waters it, cares for it and watches the devel­opment of each tiny shoot and bud cares more for that flower and has a deeper interest in it than has the one who merely stops for a few minutes to ad­ mire its full-blown beauty and to enjoy its fragrance. To the one it is only one plant out of many, but to the other it has a special meaning and attraction and worth because its bloom and fragrance are the result of his labor, care and patience. It is his plant. So it is with God. He gave us our being; He has nourished and protected us and watched us develop day by day; He is interested in us and desires our lives to bloom and send forth a fragrance of trueness and purity all around. Let us so live that He will not be disappointed in us.⁠
He cares for us because He created us for His glory and to fill a place in His eternal kingdom. He created us not merely that we might have an exist­ence but for a purpose for Himself. He wants us to make a success of our lives not simply for our own advantage but to fill the place for which He created us for His purpose and glory. And because of this He will use every endeavor to help us succeed in our lives.⁠
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Heart Talks by C. W. Naylor⁠
#devotional #dailydevotional #christiandevotional #morningdevotional #inspiration #bible #christian #motivationalquote #inspirationalquote #devo

Link for book in bio.