The founder of Bob Jones University said, go as far as you can on the right road. Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all. He gives my way from day to day, without him I would fall. When I am sad to hear my call, no other one can hear me call. When I am glad, He makes me glad, He's my friend. Jesus is all the world to me, my friend in trial and war, my God to Him who blesses me, and He is ever more to do. Deep in the sunshine and the rain Deep in the heart and soul and brain Sunshine and rain Are meant to reign In my land And all the world to me, I want no better friend. I'm proud here now, I'm prouder when I'm living in L.A. Beautiful life with all your friends, beautiful life that has no end, eternal life, eternal life, eternal life. The internationally known evangelist, Dr. Bob Jones Sr., during his earthly ministry, was one of God's great warriors for the faith. The message we bring you now illustrates one of the principles on which he founded Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. My friends, I remember one time I was talking to a certain preacher friend of mine, and he was a nice fellow, good preacher, rather zealous, But he wasn't such a well-balanced man. He wasn't practical in his approach. He was talking to a crowd of people, or had just been talking to a crowd of people, that were not very far along in Christian life. And when he got through, he and I engaged in conversation, he said, you know, I believe it's compromise not to give a crowd the deep things of God, whether they agree with you or not. I said, my friend, you and I don't have the right idea of compromise. You're not compromising when you take people as far as you can on the right road. Compromising is taking anybody any distance on the wrong road. There's nothing wrong in taking a man as far as you can take him. If you get a man on the right road, he might go further than he usually will, but if he gets on the wrong road, and keeps going and they usually do, they sooner or later wind up in trouble. Now we tell our students in Bob Jones University that the best preparation that they can possibly make for the future is to do the job at hand now. Whatever's at hand, do that. If you learn to do the thing at hand, the thing you ought to do, you'll find out that you can usually do something else you ought to do. Just go as far as you can on the right road. I remember one time when our school was young. We'd been running just a few years. I was speaking in a high school in one of our southern states. Well, to be definite, it was down the state of Georgia. And I said there, go as far as you can on the right road. And the clothes of the exercises, a very timid, reserved girl, said, you know, Dr. Jones, I wish I could go to college. Oh, I want to go so much. She said, you know, I understand that in Bob Jones College you give piano and pipe organ and violin and voice and speech all without any additional cost above academic tuition. And I said, yes, we do. Oh, she said, I think that's the most wonderful thing in the world. I wish I could go. But she said, I can't go. I said, what's the matter with you? Why can't you go? Well, she said, you know, I haven't any money. He said, I have a little bequest that I came into not long ago, but I'm just going to use that to take a business course. And that's all I can do is to take a business course. And I said, well now wait a minute. Do you know in Bob Jones College we offer a business course that you could take in one year, in one year's time? We can make a secretary out of that. And if you can't stay but a year, you've had that much in the atmosphere with Christian College, with all the cultural advantages. And I said, while you're taking that course, that secretary's course, you'll take some speech. And I said, every secretary ought to have a good course in speech. You'll know how to run your office better. You'll know how to meet people. You'll know how to express yourself. And by the way, in passing, I'd like to say to you, One reason, the young preachers from Bob Jones University go out in the world and have such ease wherever they go. They've had stage training. They've been able to get by. I remember one fellow who came to our school and he worked on the stage of our programs. And he was going to be a missionary. So when he was graduating, I said, now, would you like to say something? I handed him his diploma. He said, yes, I would, Dr. Bob. He said, I'd like to say that next to my Bible the thing that's been worth more to me in this institution than anything else has been my work here on the stage. I've learned how the technique of standing for a crowd as I've observed these programs. So I told this girl, I said, you ought to have that kind of training and you can get it while you're there in the secretary's course. You won't graduate in speed. But you'll have some little idea about how to say, will you come in and have a seat and Mr. So-and-so will be here, that's your boss you're going to talk about now, in the office, it'll be worth a great deal to you. And I said, you can come up there for one year, how much money you got? And she told me, I said, well you can get through a year on that. So she came. When she was here a little while, I noticed one day my son, who had an undergraduate major in speech, he saw a little flash in her eye, and I did too, and he said, Dad, that girl has speech ability. All right. I observed it too, and some of the others observed it, some of the teachers of speech noticed it. That girl stayed in Bob Jones University four years and took a major in speech. She had a secretary training, first year. had to take some additional hours, a little heavier load, long after that in order to take a major in speech. And at that time we had no graduate work in speech. Of course we do now have graduate work in the field of fine arts and the field of religion, but in those days we had no graduate work in speech. So she went to one of the great universities of America and took a graduate degree in speech and came back to Bob Jones University and taught speech. Now there was a girl that couldn't see but one year, just a year, You know, if a fella can see a year ahead of him, he's doing some pretty good seeing. A fella can see a year ahead of him. I've rarely ever been able to see that far. If you can see a year ahead, and see how you can get through one year, you can go on as far as you can. Just go as far as you can. And if you can't go any further, just be sure you're going in the right direction. And if you go in the right direction, you'll come out sometime to the right place. So go as far as you can on the right road. Now don't let anything stop you. Now all you have to do is say, well, this is the right road, and I see now what I ought to do. I'm going to start. In my evangelistic work, so many people have said to me, you know, I'd like to be a Christian. But you know, I'm afraid I can't hold out. Well, I say, you can start, can't you? Yes. Well, I'd do right today, regardless of tomorrow. I'd do right today. It's the right thing to do, isn't it? Yes. You ought to be a Christian, yes. Well, do right now. Trust Jesus Christ. Begin the Christian life. Take his standpoint. And I said, you know, a great many Bible scholars believe if you once get this thing, you'll never lose it. And some people believe you could lose it, but they all say you don't have to lose it. I never saw anybody that ever said you had to lose it. Some say you can't lose it, and some say you can lose it, but I've never heard anybody tell anybody you've got to lose it. And if I knew, I'd get the thing in hand. If you can't lose it, you can't. And if you can lose it, you don't have to lose it. So I'd start in. Now, why don't you do that? Why don't you folks who are listening in now say, well, I know this is right. I'm going to do the right thing. I ought to be a Christian. I'm not a Christian. I ought to trust Jesus Christ as my Savior. He died for me. He loved me. He bore my sin in His body on the cross. He who knew no sin was wounded for my transgressions and bruised for my iniquities. He came all the way from heaven's noonday to the midnight of this earth and went up a hill to Calvary's hilltop and there hung in agony and bled and died. I ought to be a Christian. I ought to take my stand for Jesus Christ and confess Him before men. Why don't you do it? Say, listen, if I were you, I'd take at least one step on the right road. Just take the first step. You'll be surprised about how much easier it is to take the second step than it is the first step. The hardest step on the Christian road is the first step. It's the step that says no to self and yes to Jesus Christ. Make one step in the right direction. Go as far as you can on the right road. That's a good rule to follow in all the affairs of life. Oh yes, I know the Bible says count the cost, and you ought to count the cost. But also count the cost of not going this way. Not so much what does it cost to be a Christian, but think of what it's going to cost you not to be a Christian, and go just as far as you can on the right road. And hold on to that in everyday life. You young people, listen to me. Some of you have ambitions. and aspirations, and you want to make something out of your life, you want to invest your life for God, you don't like all of this sordid, ordinary, everyday thing that drags and degrades young people. You dreamed your dreams and had your hopes. Why don't you get on the right road? You can do it right now by that, right by your radio, right where you're sitting. You can make the first step. You can look up and trust Jesus Christ and surrender your life to Him and go as far as you can, and I'll tell you how far you can go. You can go all the way from where you are now, up the shining road, up that narrow way, until you reach your Father's house. And the toils of the road will seem nothing when you get to the end of the way. Our Father, help somebody who's listening to this message to yield himself or herself to Jesus Christ. When we get to heaven sometime, help us to meet somebody there, because of this little, simple, practical, everyday, common-sense, Christian message we've tried to bring. We've tried to bring it in Thy name. So we pray Thee to bless it, for Jesus' sake. Amen. You've been listening to the Word of Truth with Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. A man who went to his heavenly home after more than 70 years of influencing thousands with his compassion for souls and the Word of God. Christian young people who have character and want to grow more of it, who have surrendered to God's will and want to prepare themselves to do it, are attracted to Bob Jones University. If you want that too, contact Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina, 29614. Ask for a free Personal Opportunity Profile. Listen next week at this time for another message from the Word of Truth, sponsored by Bob Jones University.