A motto for the new year. It has been a custom with many to make New Year resolutions, with greater or less success in carrying them out. Of course for the unsaved there can be no value in this, save to show them the futility of attempting to do aught to fit themselves for God's holy presence. And we may even question the wisdom of God's children relying too much upon anything that savors in the least of "confidence in the flesh." It is right and desirable to learn lessons from past failures or present needs, and to seek to make practical progress; but we suggest a rule for all believers, which covers all details of the life. "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to THIS RULE peace on them' (Gal. 6:15,16). The new creation is that to which every believer in Christ belongs. "If any man be in Christ, there is new creation" (2 Cor. S:17). Here the cross has set aside "our old man" (Rom. 6:6); here we are "risen with Christ" (Col. 3:1); here the Word of God is our food, and the Spirit a living, personal power for communion and walk. Let us then "walk in the Spirit," and according to this blessed Rule of the New Creation. "Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving"(Col. 4:2).Do we realize as we should the privilege and the responsibility of prayer? Not merely for ourselves, and certainly not chiefly for our earthly needs, but for the Church of God, its needs, its testimony and its service. The Apostles gave themselves "to prayer and the ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:4).Epaphras "labored fervently in prayer" for the saints (Col. 4:12). The apostle felt the need of the prayers of the saints- "Through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit" (Phil. 1:19). Sometimes we «are shocked or discouraged by some glaring failure in others, and instead of speaking of it to the Lord in prayer, we talk it over with one another, with the result that the discouragement is only increased. How much better it would be to spread all before the Lord in simple, persevering prayer. We will probably find many hindrances; as the old hymn says,

"What various hindrances we meet
In coming to the mercy seat;
But who that knows the power of prayer,
But wishes to be often there?"

S. R.