Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe .... Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near. Joel 3:13, 14.

The keynote of the book of Joel is "the day of the Lord." The world is moving fast toward a divine climax. It is a time of crisis, of sifting, of separation. Therefore we must make the right decisions.

In order to live right one must choose right. In the realm of the great controversy between good and evil, the side a man chooses is crucial. It all seems quite simple and straightforward. It would be if the choice were either black or white. But in many area, the line between right and wrong is quite blurred these clays. Also the mind can become so warped that it no longer is able to distinguish the fine shades of color as to what is right and what is wrong. There is much that is on the borderline.

The prelude to Lowell's "Vision of Sir Launfal" reads:

If you want to buy a washing machine or an electric mixer you go into a store and compare various makes. You might study the Consumers' Guide and get the rating on all the various models. How much do they cost? Which is most nearly worth the price? You finally make a choice, hoping that you have bought the best. Maybe you bought a "lemon," losing money on the deal. "Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold."

Similar choices must be made in regard to character. If you want to be intelligent you must give up being ignorant. If you want to be courageous then give up being weak and cowardly. If you want to be patient, give up being impatient. The reverse of this is that if you choose to be dishonest, you surrender the idea of being an honest man. If you choose to be immoral you give up the idea of being pure. If you desire to be a Christian through and through you will have to give up that which prevents you from becoming one.