I have, within the past fifty years, come out of all uncertainty into a faith which is a dominating conviction of the Truth and about which I have not a shadow of doubt.
It has been my lot all through life to associate with eminent scientists and at times to discuss with them the deepest and most vital of all questions, the nature of the hope of a life beyond this.
I have also constantly engaged in scientific work and am fully aware of the value of opinions formed in science as well as in the religions in the world.
In an amateurish, yet in a very real sense, I have followed the developments of archaeology, geology, astronomy, herpetology, and mycology with a hearty appreciation of the advances being made in these fields.

At one time I became disturbed in the faith in which I had grown up by the apparent inroads being made upon both Old and New Testaments by a "Higher Criticism" of the Bible, to refute which I felt the need of a better knowledge of Hebrew and of archaeology, for it seemed to me that to pull out some of the props of our faith was to weaken the entire structure.

Doubts thus inculcated left me floundering for a while and, like some higher critical friends, trying to continue to use the Bible as the Word of God while at the same time holding it to have been subjected to a vast number of redactions and interpolations: attempting to bridge the chasm between an older, reverent, Bible-loving generation and a critical, doubting, Bible-emancipated race.
Although still aware of a great light and glow of warmth in the Book, I stood outside shivering in the cold.

In one thing the higher critics, like the modernists, however, overreached themselves, in claiming that the Gospel of John was not written in John's time but well after the first century, perhaps as late as 150 A.D.
Now, if any part of the Bible is assuredly the very Word of God speaking through His servant, it is John's Gospel.
To ask me to believe that so inexpressibly marvelous a book was written long after all the events by some admiring follower, and was not inspired directly by the Spirit of God, is asking me to accept a miracle far greater than any of those recorded in the Bible.
Here I took my leave of my learned friends to step out on another path, to which we might give the modern name of Pragmatism, or the thing that works.
Test it, try it, and if it works, accept it as a guiding principle.

So, I put my Bible to the practical test of noting what it says about itself, and then tested it to see how it worked.
As a short, possibly not the best method, I looked up "Word" in the Concordance and noted that the Bible claims from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 to be God's personal message to man.
The next traditional step then was to accept it as the authoritative textbook of the Christian faith just as one would accept a treatise on any earthly "science", and I submitted to its conditions according to Christ's invitation and promise that, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself" (John 7: 17).

The outcome of such an experiment has been in due time the acceptance of the Bible as the Word of God inspired in a sense utterly different from any merely human book, and with it the acceptance of our Lord Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, Son of Man by the Virgin Mary, the Saviour of the world.

I believe, therefore, that we are without exception sinners, by nature alienated from God, and that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, the representative Head of a new race, to die upon the cross and pay the penalty of the sin of the world, and that he who thus receives Christ as his personal Saviour is "born again" spiritually, with new privileges, appetites, and affections, destined to live and grow in His likeness forever.
Nor can any man save himself by good works or by a commendable "moral life", although such works are the natural fruits and evidences of a saving faith already received and naturally expressing itself through such avenues.

I now ever look for Christ according to His promises and those of the Old Testament as well, to appear again in glory to put away all sin and to reign in righteousness over the whole earth.

To state fully what the Bible means as my daily spiritual food is as intimate and difficult as to formulate the reasons for loving my nearest and dearest relatives and friends.
The Bible is as obviously and truly food for the spirit as bread is food for the body.
Again, as faith reveals God my Father and Christ my Saviour, I follow without question where He leads me daily by His Spirit of love, wisdom, power and prayer.
I place His precepts and His leadings above every seeming probability, dismissing cherished convictions and holding the wisdom of man as folly when opposed to Him.
I discern no limits to a faith vested in God and Christ, who is the sum of all wisdom and knowledge, and daring to trust Him even though called to stand alone before the world.

Our Lord's invitation with its implied promise to all is, "Come and see".

I stood at the bedside of my patient one day and beheld a very sick man in terrible pain.
As I ministered to his needs, I noticed that his face was radiant in spite of his suffering and I learned that he was trusting not only in the skill of his doctor and nurse but also the Lord.

In his heart he had that peace of which the Lord spoke when He said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid".

What a joy to realize that we, too, can claim this promise tendered by the Lord during His earthly ministry to a group of men who were very dear to Him.
He was about to leave them, to depart from this world, and return to His Father in Heaven.
Before He left them He promised that His peace would be their portion to abide in their hearts and minds.

I praise God for the privilege of being a nurse who has that peace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It makes my work a great deal easier to be able to pray for the Lord's guidance while ministering to the physical needs of my patients.

How often have I looked to Jesus when entering the sick room, asking for His presence and help in my professional duties as I give my talents not only as the world giveth but as one who loves the Saviour and His creatures.

Looking unto God, the Prophet Isaiah wrote these blessed words almost three thousand years ago: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee".

Are you longing for peace in your heart?
Such a calm and assuring peace can be yours.
As only a member of the family can share in the innermost joys of the family, likewise one must belong to the family of God in order to receive the benefits that are promised to those who are His own.

Perhaps you are not His child.
Perhaps you do not know if you belong to Him.
You may know that you are in God's family and be just as sure of it as you are that you belong to the family of your earthly father.

"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life", and "as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name".

It is to those who believe on His name and belong to Him that He gives His peace;
not that empty peace the world offers, but a deep, abiding peace which nothing can destroy.

Why not open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ now, accept Him as your Saviour and let Him fill you with peace that only He can give.

Then, with the hymn writer of old, you can say:

"I am resting today in His wonderful peace,

Resting sweetly in Jesus' control.

I am kept from all danger by night and by day,

And His glory is flooding my soul".

Satellites, sputniks, rockets, balloons;
what next?
Our necks are stiff from gazing at the wonders of outer space, which have captured the imagination of the American public.
Cape Canaveral's achievements thunder forth from the radio, television, and newspaper.

While we are filling outer space with scientific successes, for many the "inner" space of their soul is an aching void.

Proof?
An average of 50 suicides are reported in America each day!
One out of every three or four marriages ends in divorce!
Over $200,000,000 is paid yearly to the 80,000 full-time fortune-tellers in the United States by fearful mankind who want to "know" what the future holds!
Delinquency, juvenile and adult, is at an all-time high!
Further proof?
Read your daily newspaper!

Unfortunately, in our rush to beat the Russians, we have forgotten these truth-packed words of Jesus Christ: "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world (that includes outer space), and lose his own soul?
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul"?
(Mark 36, 37).

Gaining outer space and losing "inner" space is bad business according to God's standards.

It is true that we must keep up our national defenses and scientific accomplishments;
only a fool would think otherwise.
But we must not forget man's soul.

Is putting a rocket in orbit half so significant as the good news that God put His Son, Jesus Christ, on earth to live and die to save our hell-bound souls?
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3::
16).

Never forget that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Your spiritual "inner" space helps determine the spirituality of America as a nation.
We trust you are not one of the 70,000,000 Americans who do not attend church, but who feel that various forms of recreation are more important than worshipping the God who made our country great.

Is forgiveness of past sins, assurance of present help, and hope of future bliss in your orbit?
Or are you trying the devil's substitutes to relieve that spiritual hunger you feel within?
Pleasure, fame and fortune, drowning your troubles with a drink, and "living it up" with the gang are like candy bars when you're hungry: they may ease your hunger temporarily, but they'll never take the place of a satisfying, mouth-watering steak.

So it is spiritually.
No amount of religious ceremonies or even joining a church will relieve the gnawing of your "inner" space.
Why?
Because your soul was made to be filled with God Himself, not religious functions "about" Him.
Only He can satisfy the deepest longings.
That is why the Bible commands you to "Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed (happy) is the man that trusteth in Him" (Psalm 34: 8).

You can receive God into your heart and life by a step of personal faith.
Accept the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ, as your own personal Saviour.
"As many as received Him (Jesus), to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name".