From Genesis to Revelation the Bible is constantly pointing out to men that faithfulness is the foundation upon which the successful achievement of any endeavor rests. To be genuinely faithful is to dare to do what we know is right, regardless of any efforts or arguments that may be employed to dissuade us. The merely cheerful performance of daily tasks, which may not be to one's liking, is not always faithfulness; but if one is willing to give up cherished mortal beliefs, to practice self-abnegation and self-immolation and be steadfast in his determination to know and do the will of God, he is then being faithful. Moses, Elisha, Elijah, the prophets, our Master and his disciples, all bore witness to the fact that unless implicit obedience is constantly forthcoming, all the striving of daily living and thinking "profiteth nothing." On the other hand, the sad plight of the children of Israel, who wandered about for so long a time in the pitiless wilderness of mortal selfhood and wrong thinking, will be repeated in the experience of men until contrition replaces pride, stubbornness yields to understanding, and hungering and thirsting after righteousness becomes the supreme and animating desire.
To one who is struggling with an almost overpowering sense of sickness or sorrow, or battling with the odds that so often seem arrayed against him, the words of our Master, "Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things," do not at first, perhaps, offer much of comfort or hope of relief from the burden that seems to be so great. The promise of greater responsibility and increased activity seems to involve only added cross-bearing as the reward for honest endeavor; and the question arises, How can increased responsibilities enable one to escape from beneath the weight of the present load of care?
Our Master never lost sight of the fact that his mission upon the earth was to teach all men how to come out from beneath the bondage of materialism into the light of spiritual understanding. It is but natural, therefore, that the answer to this question should be found in his words: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; ...and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." How simple the solution! Trusting in him whose word has never failed, and exchanging the yoke of misunderstanding and evil beliefs, which has been carried for so long, for Christ's yoke of obedience to Truth and Love, which reveals man as God's child, sustained by His love and held in His law, the seeker after Truth finds his burden lifted and his yoke made easy. God always blesses, and helps, and heals; and to be ever conscious of His presence and power is a mental state which enables men to resist every subtle suggestion or open attack of evil, and to reverse every false situation. Not only has God given men dominion over every wrong concept and materialistic belief, but He has also given the power to prevent the development of those thoughts which would ensnare in the meshes of disease, fear, or discouragement; so that, unless one is himself willing to indulge evil thinking, nothing can develop with him except a larger and more perfect understanding of God's allness, presence, and power.
