"Only a word, yes, only a word, That the Spirit's small voice whispered, 'Speak'; But the worker passed onward, unblessed and weak, Whom you were meant to have stirred To courage, devotion and love anew, Because, when the message came to you, You were _out of touch_ with your Lord.
"Only a note, yes, only a note, To a friend in a distant land; The Spirit said, 'Write,' but then you had planned Some different work, and you thought It mattered little. You did not know 'Twould have saved a soul from sin and woe-- You were _out of touch_ with your Lord.
"Only a song, yes, only a song, That the Spirit said, 'Sing to-night; Thy voice is thy Master's by purchased right.' But you thought, ''Mid this motley throng, I care not to sing of the City of God'; And the heart that your words might have reached grew cold-- You were _out of touch_ with your Lord.
"Only a day, yes, only a day, But oh! can you guess, my friend, Where the influence reaches and where it will end Of the hours that you frittered away? The Master's command is, 'Abide in Me'; And fruitless and vain will your service be If _out of touch_ with your Lord."
Every man needs power. Every earnest man covets power. Every willing man has the Master's promise of power. But every man does not possess the promised power. And many, it is to be feared, never will. Many a man's life to-day is utterly lacking in power. Some of us will look back at the close of life with a sense of keen disappointment and of bitter defeat. And the reason is not far to seek, nor hard to see through. If we do not have power it is because _we are not willing to pay the price_.
Everything costs. There is a law of exchange that rules in every sphere of life. It is this, "to get, you must give." It rules in the business world. If I want a house or a hat I must give the sum agreed upon. It rules in the intellectual world. If a young man wants a disciplined mind he must give time, and close application, and some real, hard work. It holds true in the spirit realm. If you and I wish to have business transactions in this upper world of spirit-life we must be governed by this same law. To have power in our lives over sin and selfishness, and passion, and appetite; over tongue, and temper, and self-seeking ambition; to have power in prayer, and in winning others over from sin to Jesus Christ, one must first lay down the required price.