THE FAMILY ALTAR

July 23.

"And Simon, answering", said unto Him, Master, we have toiled

all the night and have taken nothing-: nevertheless, at Thy word

I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they in-

closed a g-reat multitude of fishes." Luke 5:5-
6.

Here we have the answer to the question why so many men,

in spite of all their attempts, never get ahead in the world. Though

they work from morning till night, Sunday and every other day;

though they scheme and scrimp and slave, they remain poor and

can never make ends meet. Many of them grow bitter on that

account, envy their more successful neighbors, and even turn

anarchists. Yet they have no one but themselves to blame for

their unfortunate lot. "The blessing of the Lord maketh rich,"

as we see again so clearly from our text. But these ambitious

yet luckless toilers think they can get along without God and

His blessing. They have no time to go to church and hear God's

saving Word, no time to pray and ask Him for help and for bless-

ing on their work. In their blind pride they will trust alone in

their own powers, their own wisdom, their own endeavors and —

meet with failure. "For God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace

unto the humble." It is true, Peter's experience here in our text

is often repeated also in the lives of present-day Christians. They

at times meet with little or no success, though they toil faithfully

at their calling. But in such lean and meager days the Word of

their God proves of unfailing comfort and help to them. They

know that their faithful God and Father in heaven will not let

them starve, but will bless and multiply their scanty provisions

in the house, as He did the widow's cruse of oil, and will in due

time also reward their labor with greater prosperity. That blessed

trust gives them a cheerful and courageous heart faithfully to

carry on their God-given work. It safeguards them against a

rampant seditious spirit that also threatens our dear country with

disaster and ruin. Let us make Peter's humble and devout dec-

claration : "Lord, at Thy word I will let down the net," our motto,

and God's rich-making blessing will ever be with u