Third:  through our service, what we do.  It may be done bunglingly and blunderingly.  Your best may not be the best, but if it be your best it will bring a harvest.

Fourth:  through our money, what we do not keep, but loosen out for God.  Money comes the nearest to omnipotence of anything we handle.

And, fifth:  through our prayer, what we claim in Jesus’ name.

And by all odds the greatest of these is the outlet through prayer.  The power of a life touches just one spot, but the touch is tremendous.  What is there we think to be compared with a pure, unselfish, gently strong life.  Yet its power is limited to one spot where it is being lived.  Power through the lips depends wholly upon the life back of the lips.  Words that come brokenly are often made burning and eloquent by the life behind them.  And words that are smooth and easy, often have all their meaning sapped by the life back of them.  Power through service may be great, and may be touching many spots, yet it is always less than that of a life.  Power through money depends wholly upon the motive back of the money.  Begrudged money, stained money, soils the treasury.  That which comes nearest to omnipotence also comes nearest to impotence.  But the power loosened out through prayer is as tremendous, at the least, to say no more just now, is as tremendous as the power of a true fragrant life and, mark you, and, may touch not one spot but wherever in the whole round world you may choose to turn it.

The greatest thing any one can do for God and for man is to pray.  It is not the only thing.  But it is the chief thing.  A correct balancing of the possible powers one may exert puts it first.  For if a man is to pray right, he must first be right in his motives and life.  And if a man be right, and put the practice of praying in its right place, then his serving and giving and speaking will be fairly fragrant with the presence of God.

The great people of the earth to-day are the people who pray.  I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean these people who take time and pray.  They have not time.  It must be taken from something else.  This something else is important.  Very important, and pressing than prayer.  There are people that put prayer first, and group the other items in life’s schedule around and after prayer.

These are the people to-day who are doing the most for God; in winning souls; in solving problems; in awakening churches; in supplying both men and money for mission posts; in keeping fresh and strong these lives far off in sacrificial service on the foreign field where the thickest fighting is going on; in keeping the old earth sweet awhile longer.