to
listen, nor does he have to be compelled to obey; he is ready both to hear
and to obey. If there is something wrong with the connection between your
ears and your heart, you had better get one of God's "trouble men" to look
after it at once; or, better still, go direct to God and have the
connection remade. Get your heart taught to feel as it ought to feel, and
to respond as it ought to respond. Be not a hearer only, but be a doer of
God's Word.

TALK THIRTY. FRET NOT THYSELF

To fret means to chafe, to be irritated, to be uneasy, to be troubled and
bothered. It is just the opposite of peaceful, trustful rest. Jesus has
promised us rest to our souls, and we may have this rest. We can not have
it, however, if we give place to worrying and fretting. God's purpose for
us is that we shall have calmness and soul-quietness, even in the midst of
tribulation. He has said, "My peace I give unto you." He followed this by
saying, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful" (John
14: 27). (These and all following quotations are from the American
Standard Version.)

It is not God's will that we be continually worrying. This world is full
of things that are not as they ought to be, and if we are to be happy and
peaceful we must adjust ourselves to circumstances and learn to be happy
in spite of the things that are displeasing to us, that are not as they
ought to be. We can never be amidst ideal conditions in this world.

Fretting is like sand in a bearing; it is likely to make all sorts of
trouble. It will use up the energy that we ought to be using for something
else; it will keep our physical and spiritual nerves on edge; it will
spoil the tranquility of our lives; it will mar our peace and take the
sweetness out of our devotions.

Some people are always worrying about the wrongdoings of others. They fret
and grieve, and can not remove the subject from their minds nor the burden
from their hearts. The Bible says, "Fret not thyself because of
evil-doers" (Psa. 37: 1). Many people choose to do wrong; many people do
wrong to themselves and to others, including God's people. Of course, we
can not rejoice over this, but we should not let it spoil our own lives.
We should not fret about it. We should have a proper concern for the
welfare of their souls, so that we shall earnestly pray for them and do
all in our power to cause them to do better, but this is very different
from being fretful, from worrying