Article May 27, 1922 Issue

"Arise up quickly"

GEORGENE L. MILLER

Mortals are prone to procrastinate. Even when they have, in a measure, "put off the old man with his deeds," and learned something of the power of Truth to overcome error, they are still inclined to think they must wait for the realization of their hopes. As the poet expresses it, "Man never is, but always to be blest."

In the account of Peter's release from prison, as given in the twelfth chapter of Acts, it will be noted that the message of his angel was, "Arise up quickly," Peter was not loosed from his chains, and then told to wait until daylight to rise up and walk out. Divine Love saw no chains; and there was nothing to keep Peter from immediate obedience. This is only one of the many instances related in the Scriptures where it is made quite plain that there is no provision in the divine plan for procrastination in healing. The "word of God is quick," as well as "powerful." The healings of Jesus were, almost without exception, instantaneous. How could it be otherwise? Does not Isaiah say: "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him . . . and shall make him of quick understanding"?

Should not we also, as followers of the Nazarene, possess this "quick understanding"? One of our difficulties is that we think we must wait. In the Scripture sense "quick" also means "alive," "awake," "alert"; but it is not until some emergency confronts us that we awake to the availability of instant realization. Were we always alive or quick to this, our demonstrations would more frequently be instantaneous. We have all experienced instantaneous healings, or received instantaneous help, at times; but in the daily round of material duties in office or home we often fail to claim our right to instant demonstration. To put it in another way, we fail to bring every thought into captivity to the truth.

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