ationship is always expressed by purpose. The wise ambassador has
an absorbing purpose to further the interests of his government. Jesus
said, and it at once reveals His relationship to God, "I do always those
things that are well pleasing to him."

The relationship that underlies prayer has an absorbing purpose. Its
controlling purpose is to please Jesus. That sentence may sound simple
enough. But, do you know, there is no sentence I might utter that has a
keener, a more freshly honed razor-edge to it than that. That the purpose
which _controls_ my action in every matter be this: to please Him. If you
have not done so, take it for a day, a week, and use it as a touch stone
regarding thought, word and action. Take it into matters personal, home,
business, social, fraternal. It does not mean to ask, "Is this right? is
this wrong?" Not that. Not the driving of a keen line between wrong and
right. There are a great many things that can be proven to be not wrong,
but that are not best, that are not His preference.

It will send a business man running his eye along the shelves and counter
of his store. "The controlling purpose to please Jesus ... hm-m-m, I guess
maybe that stuff there ought to come out. Oh, it is not wrong: I can prove
that. My Christian brother-merchants handle it here, and over the country:
but _to please Him_: a good, clean sixty per cent, profit too, cash money,
but _to please Him_--" and the stuff must go down and out.

It would set some woman to thinking about the next time the young people
are to gather in her home for a delightful social evening with her own
daughters. She will think about some forms of pastime that are found
everywhere. They are not wrong, that has been conclusively proven. But _to
please Him_. Hm-m. And these will go out. And then it will set her to
work with all her God-given woman-wit and exquisite tact to planning an
evening yet more delightful. It will make one think of his personal
habits, his business methods, and social intercourse, the organizations he
belongs to, with the quiet question cutting it razor-way into each.

And if some one listening may ask: Why put the condition of prayer so
strongly as that? I will remind you of this. The true basis of prayer is
sympathy, oneness of purpose. Prayer is not extracting favours from a
reluctant God. It is not passing a check in a bank window for money. That
is mandatory. The roots of prayer lie down in oneness of purpose. God up