Wednesday; July 10
During church services last weekend, our song leader took us down Memory Lane leading us in a few old classics including the hymn “Yield Not To Temptation”. According to a brief internet search, Horatio R. Palmer wrote the song in 1868 and published it in the National Sunday School Teacher’s Magazine. From that point the song developed a following and it became a favorite for a lot of people. We used to sing this song a lot when I was a youngster, but like many of the old standards, we don’t sing it as much anymore. However, as we sang it the other day I was struck by the simplicity of the second verse, “Shun evil companions, bad language disdain, God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain; be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true; look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.”. I am not going to argue the point of the eloquence of the verse, but the practicality is self-explanatory. Whether it is the middle of the 19 th Century or at the beginning of the 21