Calendar:March 16th to April 15th.

DAILY BIBLE READING; ..Mar. 16th, Rev. 4; Mar. 31, Rev.19; Apr.4th,Gen.l; Matt. l; Apr. 15th, Gen. 12; Matt.12.
MEMORY WORK:………… .Gospel of John, chap. 3.
MEMORY OUTLINES:Gospel of Luke, completed in Mar.
GOOD READING:…. John, by J. B. Bellett, continued.

Daily Bible Reading

And here we are at the close of our Bibles! Thanks to our gracious Lord for enabling us to read it through. Have we finished the Bible? No, indeed; but we turn with avidity to the first chapter of Genesis to make a fresh start. How many of us are there? I really do not know, but I think a great many. I make it a point wherever I go to interest others in this simple, practical and most helpful practice, and very many respond. I am not very much interested in counting the exact numbers- perhaps we may sometime, if it will not puff us up. But if I had to do it alone I would not give it up, and I think a good many feel the same way. I trust we have gained much from our reading of the New Testament, and will take this light back to the old, and see how many new glimpses of our blessed Lord we can get as we go over the pages where the Holy Spirit has hidden "the unsearchable riches of Christ" for us to find-under His guidance.

Let us not forget to pray for one another as we open our chapter every morning. You notice I say morning, for I hope we are all going to be gatherers of morning manna. Of course if it is really impossible-tout let us be sure-then let us read it as soon as we can, but bible first is my motto.

Now I have something else to say. I got a letter the other day from some one who is following our work and who said it certainly kept one busy. Well, isn't that what we want? I can't tell you how glad I am for this busy work, and I know many of you are too. The new suggestion is this:I expect a good many are thinking, as I have been, something like this:It will be a long time before we get back into the New Testament, nearly three years at the rate of a chapter a day. Of course there are Sunday School lessons, Bible readings, family readings, etc., that will be taken largely from the New Testament, but we will not have our consecutive reading of a chapter a day. So I expect the day we begin Genesis 1, also to begin Matthew 1 and to go on consecutively with it. This is not meant to set aside our main reading in the Old Testament, but to keep the New fresh in our minds. It will not take more than ten minutes a day. Who will join me in this? I hope-everybody. You can select the most convenient time of the day, say, right after lunch, and when you have found a suited time, stick to it.

So let it be understood that on Monday, April 4th when we begin Genesis 1, we will also begin Matthew 1. I think I will enter it on our Calendar for easy reference.

I don't want to overload you, but to have it entirely voluntary. Let me hear from you about it. May the Lord make it a real blessing to us all.
It will also serve this purpose:sometimes we have a friend, a new convert, or one not very familiar with the Bible, and it is nice to invite such an one to join us in our daily New Testament reading, just wherever we may be reading at the time. You can pick up a good many recruits that way.

Memory Work

For this month we have the third chapter of John, with its marvelous unfolding of the truth of New Birth, and the Cross as the display of the love of God. To be well grounded in the teaching of this chapter will go far toward establishing us in the great truths belonging to the doctrine of Christ, Christian truth.

Memory Outlines

I was quite surprised and pleased the other day to receive the first of the Memory Outlines of Luke. This is, I trust, the beginning of a "shower" of these. We had nine from you on Matthew. I hope to get at least twice as many as that on Luke. I "have received one or two letters saying they had nearly finished Matthew, but not in time for sending in by the end of December. I do hope you have completed it by now, and that you will send them. One of the writers was a university student, but I hope he has found time, amid his other studies, to complete this. He spoke also of going on with Luke. Another writer had been laid up with sickness, but I hope that she too will send her finished work along, even though it is a little delayed. I think all feel the great value of this memory outline work, and I hope that we will go on gradually and steadily till we may have something like a "map" of our inheritance spread out in our minds, and that we will thus be able not only to take Pisgah-views of it, but to gather its abounding fruits and drink of its refreshing waters.

Good Reading

Always keep on hand at least one "good reading" book. A few pages a day will carry you through many a useful pamphlet or volume in the year. Here, as in all things, regularity is of great importance. So let the prescribed book come in for a regular time and place in your work. One of the best "by-products" of our work is the habit of daily routine which it will develop. You will never cease to be thankful that you have learned to "budget your time," you will find time for very many things which would otherwise have been neglected. I feel the special need of this routine reading of useful literature. Many a good volume would lie unread, were it not for this. One speaks of the interest in reading Kelly, on Matthew-I hope all who received it will have finished reading it by this time.

Young Believers' Meetings

Out here on the Coast I have been having delightful times with the Young People at their meetings. While at San Diego, and now at Los Angeles, we have had one each Lord's Day evening at 6:15 for an hour. The other evening we tried a new plan for reading the scripture. Instead of reading the verses alternately, we read them in concert, and we "read" them without our books! It was part of the first chapter of John, and it was very nice to hear so many voices reciting in unison this precious portion. These meetings have been attended by large numbers, not only of the young ones but many who could not be classed in that way, but who have young hearts. That is the main secret of a useful Y. B. M. It is for those whose hearts are young, and conducted on that line.

I am very glad to hear of consecutive and systematic Bible Study at these meetings of the young saints. I think that perhaps thirty minutes at least should be devoted to this. Some book could be taken up, and the lesson prepared in advance, different parts being given to each one. I think the first half of Romans-chaps. 1-8-or Galatians, or 1 Peter would be very good for this. I shall be very glad to hear from various places what you are doing with this Bible Study at your meetings.

REPORT OF MEETING

65th Meeting Y. B. D., held at home of M. DeV., Nov. 10,1926. Total present, 16.

Opened meeting with singing of hymns and prayer. Had some very interesting reports on the following tracts:

Are you a member and of what? Sabbath. Staff and Scepter. Fruitful Bough.

Quite an interesting discussion took place on "Where do we find the 'purifying hope' explained?" and "Does 1 John 3:1,2 teach that the vision of Christ is to be the transforming power?"

In regard to first question it was stated that the coming of the Lord is the hope we look forward to, reference being made to Phil 3:17 and 1 Thess. 4. Portion read from C. H. M. on the "Coming of the Lord." It was stated by another that the emphasis seemed to be put on "We shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2), and because of this hope we should purify ourselves, even as He is pure. A quotation from F. W. Grant explains it much better than I could word it :"The hope of being perfectly like Him. What must be the transforming energy already of such a hope as this. The hope of being perfectly like Him in a little while does not destroy the energy of the present but calls it forth. The joyful assurance of that to which God has destined us makes us desire now to anticipate it as fully as we may. The man who has this hope still purifies himself." The standard before us is perfect and it is by the power of the Spirit in us now that we are to be conformed to the One whom we shall soon be absolutely like.

References:Rev. 19:7; 1 Pet. 1:15, 22 and Phil. 1:27. The following questions were taken for next meeting:What is the third Heaven?(E.G.)Prov. 27:17:"Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." (C. S.)Rom. 14:3:"Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not," etc.(H. F. and W. F.). Oral reports on following for next meeting:The Bible. Whence is it, from heaven or of men?(M. DeV.).The Bible:its supremacy and sufficiency (W. F.). Roll up the Catalogue (M. D.). Humanity of Christ (J. D.).The Lord's Supper-a memorial of Christ(D. F.).Mutual concession, etc.(H. G.).

Quite a discussion re amusements. The questions to be taken up next time. Asked by R. L. What difference between foot-ball games and tennis, etc.-watching and playing? Reading books and seeing same played in a theater:dancing and watching same. Difference between dancing and skating. Next meeting to be at L. M.'s.

Budget Your Time

For the Christian, body, soul and spirit, our whole being, should be for our Lord! Surely He is our first thought-our Lord who bought us with His blood, our dear Saviour whose love and care is constantly providing for us. How do we do this? Most people have their evenings, and what they can and will give of their mornings, but God and His Word should be first-perhaps just a verse, and a little season with our Father. Memory work can be done by using the little separate books of the Bible. Carry one to your work, and memorize a verse now and then as you read, and with a pencil outline the chapter.

Each one has his proper place in the Assembly, so care should be taken to have a prayerful, energetic interest in one's particular sphere of service, and attention to what God ministers through others. In other words, come to the meetings full of live interest. There are evenings for visits to the sick, or for gospel work, correspondence, and then, too, we want fellowship with others. Each thing should be done carefully and prayerfully. So let us purpose in our hearts to wholly follow the Lord by prayer, study, activity, doing all things decently and in order.-A. H. B.