From the author of the well-known hymn “Deeper and Deeper”

To be a Christian for ten years and to be no more like Jesus then, than at the time of conversion, is a tragedy. There are some who have only been saved six months who are more like Christ than others who have been on the way for six years. Only those who spend much time in His presence will ever become like Him. Only those who give Him their undivided attention will really come to know Him.

To get His best we must give Him our best. To become men and women after His heart we must let Him have our undivided attention. To win we must surrender. To live we must die. To receive we must give.

And, oh! the sweetness of such a life, the joy of His fellowship! There is nothing like it on earth. All the success in the world will not compensate for it. Friends can never mean so much. Even loved ones disappoint. Money brings its burdens, and fame its bitterness. But He, He satisfies. God is never a disappointment. To walk with Him is the sweetest thing on earth. To know that all is well, that there is nothing between, that no black cloud of sin hides His face – ah! that is heaven indeed.

Then let us pray it, mean it, and live it: “Lord, make me a man after Your own heart.”

About the Author

Oswald J. Smith (1889–1986) was a Canadian pastor, author, hymn writer, and one of the twentieth century’s foremost advocates for world missions. He established The Peoples Church in Toronto in 1928 and over his lifetime, he preached more than 12,000 sermons in 80 countries, wrote 35 books, and composed over 1,200 hymns and poems, including the beloved hymn Deeper and Deeper. In 1916, he married Daisy Billings, whose faithful support strengthened his ministry for more than fifty years. Together they raised a family, including their son Paul, who later succeeded him as pastor of The Peoples Church.