THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL. XXIII January, 1940 No. 1
Table of Contents
To Live Christ -- the Happiest of New Years
Thy Kingdom Come
The True Mark of Christian Maturity
"Rend Your Heart and Not Your Garment"
Faith Can Firmly Trust Him
The Lord Was There
"A Bundle of Myrrh is My Well Beloved Unto Me"
Encouraging Message
The Master of My Boat
Others
Things That Remain
Recently Deceased
Our Year Text for 1940
"For me to live is Christ, and
to die is gain." - Phil. 1:21,
IT WAS not just because uncertainty
shrouded his future, not because he might be brought any day from his dungeon cell to face
sentence to death that the great Apostle uttered these words which have exerted a
transforming power in the lives of all Christians to this day. It was not merely
"now" that Christ was being "magnified" in his body, but
"always." (Ver. 20.) That word "always" covers every thought, word,
and deed from the day of the vision on the road to Damascus, which, laying hold on Saul
of Tarsus, changed his breathing out of threatenings and slaughter into the dispensing
of the greatest possible of present blessings. It was not only "all the Pretorian
camp" (where he at that moment wore the manacles of Christ) that was his field of
endeavor; but "all other places," the whole known world. The fragrance of such a
life as his could not be confined to the narrow quarters of a soldiers' camp. In fact, the
seeds of his planting had already spread until, scattered throughout that vast expanse,
there were other lives sending up the same sweet incense; or, under a similar figure, the
fragrance of the same anointing oil. "Now, thanks be to that God, who always leads
us forth to triumph with the Anointed One, and who diffuses by us the fragrance of the
knowledge of Him in every place. Because we
are a sweet odor of Christ to God." - 2 Cor. 2:14, 15, Diaglott.
From the day of his anointing, the
purpose that pervaded the life of the Apostle was the glorifying of Christ, the principle
that ruled his life was the' favor of Christ, and the Word that governed the life of
Christ in every word and act (John 3:11; 5:19, 30; 7:16; 8:28; 14:10, 24) was the sole
rule of his own life. He desired no more, whether living or dying, than to win Christ and
to be found in Him. He truthfully could say not only, "What things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ" (surely a glorious past), -- but, bringing his
consecration down to the present, he could say just as truthfully, and with even more
fervor,
"Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I
have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but vile refuse, that I may win
Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." (Phil. 3:7-10.) In this passage
the Apostle has touched on some of the details of the life that is
"gain"-"old things passed away"; a mind that looks back upon them not
with longing, but, rather, with abhorrence; self confidence gone; justification by faith
depended on; an intimate personal knowledge of Christ his objective. His was a consuming
desire that there might be as a reality in his own life the fullness of the power that
reached into the depths of the grave and lifted to the very courts of heaven Him who
became sin for us; his was even an eagerness to "fill up to the brim those things
that are left over of the sufferings of Christ" (literal translation). Pervading all
this was a calm and solemn purpose -that' this life of gain might culminate as did the
life he emulated, a willing sacrifice, holy, acceptable-death, gain. This is to
"know Christ"; this "is Christ" -- "the hope of glory" so
transcending that the Apostle could conceive of no adversary so powerful, no conditions so
distressing, no pathway so demon infested but that all would be a mere trifle "if
by any means" he "might attain unto
the resurrection of the dead."
Humility might seem to be lacking in a
claim so lofty as "for me to live is Christ." In this, however, Paul is not
counting that he has already "attained,' either were already perfect." On the
contrary, true modesty is the key-note of this statement, as it is of the yet more clear
one, "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." His would not have been the
life of Christ if it had not been the life of pressing on; "forgetting those things
which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." "For
all those of our number who are mature, this must be the point of view." (Moffatt.)
"Let us mind the same thing."
The world's calendar gives us with the
New Year a convenient season to reexamine our spiritual standing, a time to renew our
spiritual resolves. No question more searching could be asked of ourselves than "Is
it true that for me 'to live is Christ'? Have I in every particular, present and future,
determined that 'to die is gain'?" No higher resolve can be ours than that these
phrases shall be as true of us from this moment to the end of our course' as of the
faithful one who wrote them -- a weak one like ourselves. But when he was weak (in self),
then was he strong (in the Lord).
In the first phrase the Apostle
doubtless would include: (1) separation for Christ, (2) dedication to Christ, (3) use by
Christ, (4) likeness to Christ, and (5) concealment in Christ. Briefly let us examine
ourselves in the light of each of these points.
Separation for Christ
To live Christ can never mean less than
the complete life of separation which was His. "In the world, but not of it,"
every phase of life was contacted by Him, but by that contact He was no more contaminated
than is the pure ray of sunshine by the foulest corner it enlightens.
Jesus' contacts with the evil elements
of the world were neither specially sought nor shunned, though when opportunity offered or
need required He found great joy in serving the meanest sinner or in a literal leaving
behind of all worldly minds and in seeking isolated communion with His Father in nature's
most inspiring surroundings. The self-righteous one can neither fully appreciate that
fellowship nor avoid the fear of contamination if he were to linger in the presence of the
sinner brought directly to him from the discovery of her guilt. Rather than exercise
charity, self-righteousness, falling under the temptation to pride and self-laudation,
would have brought up all the sins of long ago that a black background might be furnished
in which his supposed righteousness might shine.
How often we find that earth's follies
have "touched" us, for they intrude into our most sacred moments. Even when we
are on our knees before the very throne of God, the trivial things of life and often even
the polluting influences of the daily contacts will intrude. Physical separation there may
have been, but the "unclean thing" has touched us to our damage because we have
touched it in spirit. The natural mind would be content with a physical separation; but as
in our separation from Babylon, so in leaving the world, the purpose is that we "be
not partakers of her sins." To continue in any of the sins of Babylon or the world,
either actively or mentally, may result in a smug though condemned contentment. Separation
for Christ inevitably results in a life of
blessing for self and for all we contact who partake of His Spirit.
Dedication to Christ
Vastly the blessings increase when to
the separation is added dedication-consecration. In the separation the loss for Paul, as
for Jesus, was home, friends, reputation, prospects; even life itself daily was laid down.
As one of the results of his life of consecration hundreds of homes, however, became his,
true and eternal friendships were made, and he won favor with the One whose standards are
perfect. In dedicating himself to God and His service, he entered upon the course that
leads to all that life can offer, the way to the "far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory" reserved for those who "look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen.
The New Year could bring us nothing of
greater worth than that old things should pass away, be shut out of our minds, so that
we may fix our mental gaze unwaveringly upon the "things that are eternal in the
heavens." The completeness of the dedication can be clearly discerned by the
individual himself by the reality of the separation Cunningly the flesh argues the
necessity of "things" that the life may be "abundant"; with
unbelievable persistence the heart supposedly dedicated to Him who is love, clings to the
ways of the flesh, even relying on evil-speaking, envy, sarcasm, malice in its boasted
"contending earnestly for the faith." Perhaps it is well that practically all
Christians can look back with shame to such practices in their own lives that they may
have charity with the brother who, while bearing the sacred vessels of the Lord, brings
disgrace upon the vessels and the One whose they are. Dedicated? Yes. A priest? Surely, or
at least a Levite; but before he was dedicated to the Lord, he was dedicated to self, the
world. and the Adversary. The habits formed in those days must be outgrown. In
consecration he has said, "I am not my own. Take me. Use me. Transform me until no
more 'For me to live is I, the selfish I, the self-seeking I, the envious I, the boastful
I." "Not I, but Christ." What a shout of victory there is in these words!
The arches of eternity will ring with them. "For me to live is Christ," now, and
for eternity.
"Naught of self to mar His glory,
Naught of sin to make it dim,
Just a glorious, glorious shining
That the friends around see Him.
Resurrection joys abounding;
Every morning mercies new;
Every day His conscious presence;
All our life one interview."
Use by Christ
In the little loom where is being woven
daily the intricate pattern of our lives, strange materials are used. In the vaster loom
where the eternal purposes of our God for a universe are being worked out, the Master
Weaver uses even such as we; and the result will be a tapestry eternally glorifying Him.
The most insignificant thread in that loom is necessary to the perfection of the pattern.
True dedication, therefore, accepts joyfully so trifling a service as the giving of
"a cup of cold water, in the name of a disciple"; nor hesitates at any God
given service -- no service is too large or too small.
Dedication does not wait for commands;
but a mere "this is the will of God concerning you" is enough. Before He entered
upon the life of sacrifice, our "File-leader" could say, "Thy law is
within My heart." No urging was necessary. He needed only to know that "the
will of God" for Him was sanctification, setting apart as a holy sacrifice. One who
could without reservation say, "For me to live is Christ," one who knew all the
joys and all the cost of dedication, one who knew and emulated the tender mercies of the
heavenly courts so that he, too, could "rejoice," as Jesus did, in sufferings
for the Church-this one beseeches, "by the tender compassions of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice," in dedication that places no restrictions on Him who
sends the fire that consumes the sacrifice. Paul was speaking from the darkest depths of
experiences that had resulted from a dedication to the God of "tender
compassion." Not fleshly comforts, honors, and prospects had been showered upon him;
but, rather, the Father assured him: "I will show him how great things he must
suffer for My name's sake" bearing "reproaches, . . . greater riches than the
treasures of Egypt"; being "defamed"; made the "filth of the world,
the off scouring of all things"; scourged; beaten with many stripes; stoned; thrown
into prison-these were the lot of one fully dedicated to the God of all compassion for
him to live was Christ. His Christ was the Christ of the Cross.
Though such experiences are not often
today the lot of those who are used by Christ, even in our milder sufferings with Christ
the half-hearted will find abundant reason for discouragement and idleness. There was
probably some one in Philippi saying, "There are no opportunities for service
today"; while others were packing that box to be sent the thousand miles to cheer
Paul's prison cell. "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them who are of the household of faith." It is easy to interpret this
to mean: "Do good only to the household of
faith, or at least only to those who show some interest in our message"; thus utterly
failing of use for Christ in giving to the neighbor next door the cup of cold water he is
ready to accept.
Likeness to Christ
Without the dedication that made Paul
ready for the most insignificant service, there could have been no likeness to Christ.
Also, to attain that likeness, the power working in him must be the "surpassing
greatness" of power, even that which raised Jesus from the grave. A lesser power
could produce some one or even a few points of likeness to Christ, but for the completing
of the likeness, for filling "with all the fulness of God" as, Jesus was filled,
this miracle that must be worked for every individual of the 144,000, the "exceeding greatness of His power" was
required.
The intimate, personal, daily, hourly,
moment by moment walk with Jesus is truly an essential if we would know Him so well as
ever to become "like Jesus," so well that "for me to live is Christ." Living, is not a spasmodic
thing indulged in a few moments each day-"For me to live is Christ
[uninterruptedly; eternity has begun for me]." God had graciously given Saul a
vision of himself and a vision of Jesus, neither vision to fade until he should be
changed, utterly changed, and "old things had passed away, all things had become new." Each one of us,
too, may "see Jesus," "a living, bright reality," throughout 1940 --
if for us also "old things are passed
away."
Briefly the beloved disciple sums up
the beauties of the One we emulate as "full of grace and truth" -every grace was
His in fulness, and all truth that was due was lived
by Him. To desire less is to fail of attaining His image. To attain it is to "be
satisfied when I awake in His likeness."
Concealment in Christ
"To me to live is Christ" and
not myself. From the moment one is "in
Christ" he is more or less concealed in Christ: the concealing work is begun.
Outside of Christ we are nothing, but in front of that cipher place the One who "is
able," and we live "according to the power that worketh in us. All power in
heaven and earth is His. In Him we rest the blissful, peaceful, joyful rest of the full
assurance faith alone can give. It is a "little flock only that have enjoyed it, for
it is only a little flock who have lost faith in self that they might have concealment in
Him. To enjoy it, self interests must be abandoned, even the old body itself presented a
"living sacrifice." Concealed in Him, the very will of self is trampled under
foot that He may "work in us to will and
to do." His will alone must reign in us.
For concealment in Him, the willing of
His will is first, and of paramount importance. Without that, in everything we do there is a shameful revealing of self,
instead of a blessed concealing. Unless the consuming desire is self-effacement in Christ,
shame and confusion await, even though there are truly "great and mighty works"
of which to boast -- powerful discourses, that
glorify the preacher; hundreds of converts, our converts
instead of God's; bounties outpoured, "to be seen of men"; bodies given to be
burned, for personal vindication: all this without Christ, and "I am nothing"
again, for I have lost the One that made the cipher something.
To Die is Gain
Make these, and the many other things
that are comprised in the phrase "For me to live is Christ," ours and we need no
one to instruct us that "to die is gain," a gain that words cannot express, but
"God bath revealed it unto us by His-Spirit." (1 Cor. 2:10.) As Jesus alone
received the Spirit "without measure," He alone could fully know the joys of
that gain. If self still lives, it will think of the losses rather than the gains, and those things
gained it will plan to use for self first and then for others. If Christ live in us, our
transcendent joy will be the use to which our new powers may be put now in laying down our
lives for the members of His body, and in the future, as the seed of Abraham, in blessing
"all the families of the earth." Self may dream of the honors it is to enjoy;
"dead with Him," His honor alone will employ us. If for me to live is Christ,
then to the ages of the ages I will with Him be able to say, "The words that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself: the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works."
Before the veil is passed, every thought, word, and deed will have been brought under His
control. "Casting down reasonings, and every high thin;; that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5; see Diaglott), what a glorious
year 1940 will be; perhaps the very gateway of heaven! Who can compute the gain!
But can we attain a standard so high?
"Not I, but Christ." "He is able to do exceedingly ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in
us." Oh that He may freely work in us this year to "will and to do of His good
pleasure," so that each one of us can truly say, "Christ liveth in me."
"To me to live is Christ," on Him
The precious Corner-stone,
I build my house in faith, and lean
Upon His strength alone.
"To me to live is Christ," in Him,
Firm and secure I stand,
And know that no opposing power
Can pluck me from His hand.
"To me to live is Christ," to Him
I fly in all my need,
And pray Him with the Bread of Life
My fainting soul to feed.
"To me to live is Christ," from Him
I draw a full supply
Of grace, enabling me to fight
And win the victory.
"To me to live is Christ," for Him
I daily strive to live,
My wish-more fully still to Him
My life's best days to give.
"To me to live is Christ," with Him
I hold communion blest,
Foretaste of that more glorious day
Of never-broken rest.
And thus enriched, what can I need
Yet more to fill my heart?
Nought, nought but this, dear Lord, one day
To see Thee as Thou art!
To me to live will then be
Christ
Indeed, for in its train
My very death will bring to me
The Everlasting Gain!
Thy Kingdom
Come
"And after this manner pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done
in earth, as it is in heaven." - Matt. 6:9, 10.
MEASURING TIME, as we do, by our
calendar year, we have arrived another step nearer to Christ's final gathering of the
Church to Himself. The very thought of it is exhilarating to the spirits of those who are
Christ's; whose hope of this gathering is a living reality. We have the glorious prospect
immediately before us of being not only with Him, but like Him and of sharing with Him His
Kingdom-that Kingdom whose existence for the next thousand years will be for the purpose
of bringing the whole human family, living and dead, to (1) a correct knowledge of
God, and (2) the restoring of whosoever will to pristine beauty and perfection, the
God-likeness of Eden.
Another year stretches before us; a
year destined, we believe, to witness rapid steps in the fulfilling of God's purposes
for this age. The heavens, or ruling powers, already show signs of dissolution; they
even now wrestle with mutual mistrust, and chaos in international affairs is becoming
apparent. As we witness the passing away of the kingdoms of this world, it is well that we
reassure ourselves of the nature of the Kingdom that is Christ's, and just how we are to
become joint heirs in that Kingdom for which we have been taught to pray.
Kingdom Defined
It is well, at the outset, that we
define what we mean by "a kingdom," for the term carries with it two distinct
thoughts; or, we might say, a kingdom has two phases: a kingdom consists of (1) those
having royal power and authority, those who exercise dominion; and (2) those subjects and
territories governed or ruled by tree reigning house. For instance, when we speak of the
Kingdom of God, we refer to that which is ruled- over by God, or is under His sway;
including, thus, the Ruler and the ruled.
Man, in the beginning, was in
subjection to God, his Creator, made "in the likeness of God." This was a
dominion of life; for the covenant with the first pair was that of a continuance of life,
dependent only on their obedience. But man is not now in such a blessed condition;
rather, since the fall in Eden, the race is spoken of in Scripture as being subjects of
the prince of darkness. True it is that "the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whosoever He will" (Dan. 4:17); yet this domain is not in the hearts
and lives of men, for in this sense man is truly under the dominion of Satan, whose
power in man works death. (Heb. 2:14.) All of the race are born subject to the prince of
darkness, "born in sin and shapen in iniquity." (Psa. 51:5.) Even those who will
be of the very elect "were dead in trespasses and sins; and in times past walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom we all had our
conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of the mind; and were by nature children of wrath even as others." (Eph.
2:1-3.) Satan's sway, his dominion over the race, is continued and made tenacious by the
power of darkness, darkening the mind to the light of truth. (2 Cor. 4:4.) And how we are
daily made conscious, both in our contact with fellow man and by the world conditions,
that "darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people." (Isa. 60:2.)
Wherever man is found on the face of the whole earth, there, too, is found ignorance of
the true God, superstitious religions, vanities, false philosophies, injustices, fears,
cruelties, etc. always sin and death. What a dominion!
A Righteous Kingdom Promised
But it is the unvarying testimony of
Scripture that this condition is to be done away;, to be superseded by "times of
refreshing from the presence of the Lord," "times of restitution of all things
spoken by the mouth of all His holy Prophets" (Acts 3:19-21), for "the God of
heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed; it shall break in pieces and
consume all other kingdoms"; it shall be "the desire of all nations,"
wherein "righteousness shall be laid to the line and justice to the plummet."
Continually we read in the Old
Testament Scriptures of a Kingdom which God has promised to establish' in the earth to
take away the reign of sin and death. It was that which Enoch saw by faith and prophesied
of; it was that "city" for which Abraham looked. Its coming and wonders were
sung by Prophet and bard, when "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God
will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away
from off all the earth" (Isa. 25:6-9); when "the righteous shall flourish; and
there shall be abundance of peace so long as the moon endures"; when the cries of the
needy shall be heard; when souls will be delivered from deceit and violence (Psa. 72);
when wars should cease, and implements of war be no more; but rather be recreated into
implements of domesticity (Isa. 2:2-4); when God shall put His law in the inward parts
of man, and write it in their hearts; and He shall be their God, and they shall be His
people (Jer. 31:33) when even the very earth itself shall blossom as a rose in its
hitherto barren spaces.
However much we study the Word of God,
we are continually reminded that what God purposed for the human race, before He ever
permitted the reign of sin and death, is the provision of a Kingdom of heavenly origin
that should "bless all the families of the earth" (Gen. 22:18); even those who
are now in their graves. (John 5:25-29.) This occupied the mind of Jesus; and He taught
that it should be the object of our prayers: "After this manner pray ye: Thy Kingdom
come. Thy will be dunk in earth, as it is done in heaven" (Matt. 6:10)-as though
saying, Let this be continually in your prayers, the object of your desires, that man be
again brought under the sway and dominion of God. And Jesus urged, stressing the point,
that His hearers seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, even now, for it is to
such who succeed in this, a little flock, that His Father is to give the Kingdom.
"Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the
Kingdom." (Luke 12:32.) When we consider what that Kingdom is to accomplish-writing
the law of God in the hearts of all the willing and obedient, until all such have been
recreated in the image and likeness of God, making the knowledge of the glory of God fill
the earth as the waters cover the sea -- we easily perceive that only a spirit power of
heavenly origin is sufficient for it.
Our Share in It
As in the Old Testament, so in the New;
the Kingdom is ever before the minds of the inspired writers; but, instead of the
"all families of the earth" who are to be blessed, it is rather the preparation
of the "Seed," who are to exercise the royal power and authority, that is almost
wholly in view. ("Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? . . . Know ye
not that we shall judge angels?") This is that viewpoint, or phase of the Kingdom,
that we as Christians are particularly interested in. The requirements and
qualifications for joint-heirship in that Kingdom are exact and undeviating. Let us ever
bear this in mind: "Whom God foreknew, He also did predestinate to be conformed to
the image of His Son." - Rom. 8:29.
Humility Necessary
As Jesus opened His discourse in the
Sermon on the Mount, He stressed the prime characteristic for membership in that
Kingdom, saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of
heaven." Not that all who are humble spirited will be of that Kingdom. Oh, no! but
it is an essential characteristic, for it is clearly stated as being the prime
characteristic of Jesus, "who made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a
man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross." "Let this mind be in you." - Phil. 2:5-8.
How we as human beings do want to be
somebody! We are ever on the alert to exalt self; and even when in a wrong course, swift
to justify ourselves in word and conduct. Difficult it surely is to become dead to self,
absolutely; it is a strait gate, a hard way to enter into life, and only a few, a
"little flock," will find it; yet it is a necessity to discipleship, a
prerequisite to joint-heirship with Christ. "If we be dead with Him, we shall also
live with Him." It is only as we are converted and become as little children that we
shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 18:1-4.) God is not choosing many of the
mighty of this world, not many wise or great; and such of these that He does call must put
off those characteristics which pertain to the flesh, the "old man," and
"be renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him [a new man]."
(Col. 3:10.) Furthermore, all our boasting of our many works for the Lord will go for
naught; for in the day when the Kingdom is made up, there will be found left out all those
who base their hopes and prospects of inheritance on having made claim to being the Lord's
very own, and of having prophesied and done many wonderful works in His name; while
included will be those who, as true 'disciples, gloried only in Christ, and sought with
singleness of purpose and a simple sincerity of heart to know and to do the will of their
Father.
But it is clearly stated in. 1
Corinthians 6:9 that "the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God"; and
as "we were by nature children of wrath even as others," it necessitates that a
mighty deliverance and change take place to fashion us as coheirs in the Kingdom of
light. And this is just what God has accomplished in us, as the Apostle states it:
"The Father bath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light He hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
Kingdom of His dear Son." - Col. 1:12, 13.
Lesser and Greater Hopes
We fear, generally speaking, that among
those who have been enlightened with the present truth, the uppermost thoughts concerning
the Millennia! Kingdom have been of a time when there shall be better economic conditions;
when "every man shall sit under his own vine and fig-tree"; when "the
desert shall blossom as a rose"; when "all that are in their graves shall hear
the voice of the Son of God and come forth"; when wars shall cease for all times;
when "the lame man shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall
sing"; when "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, not crying, neither
shall there be any more pain." All this is true, and will surely come to pass, for
God has spoken it, and His word never returns to Him void, but accomplishes that which He
pleases and prospers in the thing whereunto He sends it. (Isa. 55:11.) Yet these things
are but incidental to the true import of that Kingdom; for "this shall be the
covenant: . . . I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and
will be their God, and they shall be My people." "To the Jew first, after that
the Gentile." The true import of that Kingdom will be to deliver all, living and
dead, from the power of sin and death, "the bondage of corruption," and bring
all, whosoever will, into subjection to God, under God's sway and dominion, restoring the
God-likeness that was in the original creation. - Jer. 31:33; Rom. 1:16.
What a stupendous undertaking! Who dare
undertake it? To whom can God entrust such a task with the absolute certainty of its
accomplishment? And the Scriptures answer - To His sons: first, to Christ, for "the
government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." But He is to
have joint-heirs; so we read: "Indeed, the earnest expectation of creation longs
for the revelation of the sons [plural] of God. For the creation was made subject to
frailty, . . . in hope that even the creation itself will be emancipated from the slavery
of corruption, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the
whole creation groans together and travails in pain together till the present time. And
not only it, but ourselves also, possessing the first-fruit of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for sonship, - even the redemption of our body
[the body of sons]." - Rom. 8:19-23, Diaglott.
A footnote from the Diaglott will serve
to clarify this word rendered "creation" by the translator. Quoting: "
'Ktisis,' creation, has the signification here as in Mark 16:15: 'Proclaim the glad
tidings to the whole creation,' that is, all mankind; and also in Col. 1:23, where a
similar phrase occurs. That the brute and inanimate creation is not here spoken of, but
mankind, is evident from the hope of emancipation from the 'slavery of corruption' held
out in the 21st verse, and the contrast introduced in the 23rd verse, between the 'ktisis'
and those 'possessing the first-fruits of the Spirit.'
The First-Fruit
This first-fruit of the Spirit here
spoken of is our begetting to sonship, as elsewhere we read: "Of His own will begat
He us with the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of His
creatures" (James 1:18); "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature"
(2 Cor. 5:17); "unto us are given exceeding great and precious promises that by these
we might be partakers of the divine nature [the nature of God], having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Pet. 1:4); "Behold, what
manner of love the Father bath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of
God." - 1 John 3:1.
It is not only possible to be delivered
from the power of darkness, and translated into the Kingdom of God's dear Son. (Col.
1:13), but God has accomplished it on behalf of His elect. This has meant a new begetting,
to be finally brought forth in a new birth. It is only to those who have thus been
begotten again, who have received the firstfruits of the Spirit, that the real meaning
of the Kingdom of God can be discerned. (John 3:3-5.) And this deliverance from the power
of darkness has been made possible by means of the enlightenment which has come to us
through the knowledge of the truth.
"The Kingdom of
Righteousness"
One who has been born blind and has
never experienced the sensation of light cannot even surmise what it means to see the
form and shape of objects, the beauties of the world of color, etc.; but once light has
penetrated to the optic nerves, and these have registered images on the brain, the great
contrast between light and darkness is startlingly manifest. The one thus enlightened is
delivered from the necessity of groping in blindness, and is enabled to follow along a
chosen path, so long as there is light.
How well this illustrates what God has
done for us. By means of the light of truth He has delivered us from the power of
darkness of mind imposed upon us by the thraldom of the god of this world, delivered us
from the necessity of walking according to the spirit that now rules in the children of
disobedience. This same Word of truth that has enlightened us has also been the begettal
seed to a new life, so that it is equally true that we have been translated into the
Kingdom of God's dear Son, have come under the sway of the law and Spirit of Christ, as
His disciples-as well as having been delivered from the kingdom of darkness.
But the fact that we have been
enlightened does not necessarily carry with it the assurance of a place in Christ's
Kingdom as His joint-heirs. We must bear in mind that "many are called, but few are
chosen." We recall, in this connection, one of the parables of the Kingdom: the net
cast into the sea that gathered of every kind, which when it was full, they drew ashore
and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. (Matt. 13:47, 48.)
Rather, since being enlightened, and no longer ignorantly servants of Satan, we are
warned that we have arrayed against us all the forces of evil, "the world, the flesh,
and the devil," which all have to be overcome by every one who is to be included in
the final choice for the Kingdom.
And how logically necessary this is,
for how could the Kingdom powers of the Millennium ever expect to write the law of God in
the hearts of a sinful and disobedient race unless they first have mastered that law in
themselves? How teach all men to love and worship God, to be meek and merciful and
righteous, unless the teachers have first learned? How restore fallen humanity to the
image of God, unless the restorers are themselves pure in heart? It is only "to him
that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I overcame and am set
down with My Father in His throne." - Rev. 3:21.
"The Day is at Hand"
"The night is far spent, the day
is at hand." It cannot be long, now, ere "the voice of a great multitude, as
the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, shall be heard saying,
Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor
to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."
There is still sacrificing and toil to be done on behalf of fellow members of the body;
each of us has some labor of love allotted him of the Lord in fashioning the antitypical
temple stones. The Kingdom of God, "the Holy City," cannot come down for its
beneficent reign until first the "wife hath made herself ready." - Rev. 19:6,
7; 21:1-6.
The time nears when "the saints of
the Most High shall take the Kingdom, and possess it." (Dan. 7:18.) So in this year
before us let us keep in mind that phase of the Kingdom, which is ours to be kings and
priests unto God, ruling with power and authority to dispense all the long-promised
blessings; considering, too, what are the qualifications of those who are to be
joint-heirs with Christ in that Kingdom, even to be so devoted to the Father's will that
it will be true of us as it was of Jesus, "I delight to do Thy will, 0 my God: Thy
law is written in my heart"; so that like Christ we will manifest the Father, because
of His indwelling Word and Spirit. Ever pray, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done
in earth, even as it is in heaven."
Another Year
One more year behind us,
Year of the hill and vale,
Finger of Time to point us
Over a mountain trail.
Songs that break up the silence
And tell of the Spirit's light,
Clouds that muffle the ridges,
Diamonds that gem the night.
Just one more year now vanished,
Brief days with their blush at dawn,
Harvest of gold thoughts garnered
When the sun's last kiss was on.
Pain-throbs, some wounds, and
blood-drops,
But notes of peace that fell,
And over the grim great vastness
The voice of the Alpine bell.
And another span before us
Smiles with a hope that's clear,
And we know that He who has led us
Will do so this coming year.
Still lies the way before us,
The summit is yet above,
But our Guide is true and will lead us through
To the heights of eternal love.
-- Contributed
Part I
"Put ye on the Lord Jesus
Christ." - Rom. 13:14.
THE ending of the narrow way leading to
life immortal is pictured to us in the Scriptures by a variety of helpful illustrations.
It is represented as the ending of a successful race, and also as the end of a victorious
warfare. Again, it is beautifully pictured as a long period of betrothal, culminating in
the marriage of the espoused Church to her heavenly Bridegroom. Each illustration has
its own special truth and lesson to unfold. But the ending is frequently brought to our
attention in a manner calculated to remind us of some things of the present hour, the
recognition of which will have everything to do with finishing our course with success and
joy. The conditions on which we may hope to have a happy and abundant entrance into the
presence of God, we are told again and again in the Word, need our very special attention
now. The Apostle Paul would have us remember that possessing the mind of Christ, the
likeness of Christ, and having "Christ formed in us," is the only condition on
which we shall reach a place in the glorified Church. He informs us that "no man is
crowned except he strive lawfully," clearly implying that there are inflexible
rules governing the race we run, any oversight of which will mean our forfeiting the
"Well done" from the lips of the Master. A zealously run race will avail nothing
if these rules be ignored, just as a well-built structure of wood, hay, and stubble will
result in disapproval and destruction, though its builder rear it on the right foundation.
(2 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 3:12.) In the matters of both race and building, the spirit of careful
study of the mind of the Lord and obedience thereto is made a thing of supreme importance.
As Paul is the Apostle who has given us
the most complete picture of what constitutes Christian maturity, we may with profit
review some of his admonitions concerning it, as well as note his fervent desire to attain
it in fullest measure for himself. We are impressed with his own determination to always
keep pressing onward and upward until he has laid hold of all that for which Christ has
laid hold on him. He keeps that final end in view; and to "be found in Him,"
then, is to Paul the thing most fervently to be sought. Remembering all that Paul had
attained of knowledge and of relationship to the Lord, and still finding him ''pressing
on" toward greater attainments in both, are we not rebuked thereby if so be we have
in any degree settled down in contentment with our present state of knowledge and grace?
This being Paul's conception of going on to perfection, it is easy to understand the depth
of his desire on behalf of his Galatian brethren, to whom he writes, "My little
children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." (Gal.
4:19.) These brethren had begun with a true vision of the new life in Christ, but had
backslidden from that proper view, and once again Paul experiences as it were birth pangs
on their behalf. It is evident that to the Apostle the matter of having a correct conception of the work of Christ on our behalf was of tremendous
importance. Then we will remember and carefully note the height of attainment he
visualized for all the saints to whom he ministered. His prayers reveal his
understanding of the ultimate purpose underneath God's present dealings with us. For the
Ephesian brethren the Apostle sees the possibility of their being "filled with all
the fulness of God," and asks for it on their behalf. For those of the Philippian
assembly he sees it possible for them to be "filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus
Christ." He believes it wholly consistent with practical expectations to yearn that
the Colossian brethren may be "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power," for so he prays for
them. For his beloved brethren in Thessalonica he asks in similar strain, "The Lord
make you to increase and abound in love one
toward another, . . . to the end He may stablish
your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." - Eph. 3:19; Phil. 1:11; Col. 1:11; 1
Thess. 3:12, 13.
What is Christian Maturity?
Neglecting the clear teaching of the
Scriptures on what really is the maturity Paul urges upon all true believers, many false
standards and many misconceptions have been promulgated, such as conformity to
man-made tests of endless variety, creeds composed of a mixture of works and
organizational ratings, and again, it is often exhibited in a form of boastings, such as
being without sin. But the fact that false conceptions exist will never prevent the
true-hearted from seeking all that Paul advocates in his admonitions and his prayers.
Satan's counterfeits are always the best of evidence that the real and genuine are things
of great importance. Whatever he distorts we may be sure is something worth knowing the
truth about. His false- and lower standards are well calculated to attract the greater
numbers, but will never satisfy the soul hungering for "all the fulness of God."
These lower conceptions in Paul's day
were a source of deep sorrow to his heart. So great was his concern over such hindrances
to the growth he advocated that he was once led to express himself "I would that they
were cut off who trouble you." When, after presenting the free and full Gospel of
saving grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, he saw the message gladly
accepted in the spirit, how it grieved his soul to see Judaizing teachers drawing them
backward into an attempt at salvation by works. After he had faithfully presented the
possibilities of growth into maturity in knowledge and grace through Christ, how keen was
his sorrow in seeing brethren attempting to perfect themselves in the flesh. How very
great his disappointment when he saw brethren who, for the time they had been believers
in Christ, ought to have progressed into maturity and become competent teachers of other
seekers after like maturity, but instead were as yet in their spiritual perceptions and in
their heart developments babes in Christ. Only those who see with Paul the failure of the
Christian life if maturity be not attained, can possibly understand how his heart was
saddened by this exhibition of dwarfed spiritual vision and growth.
Thus it is that everywhere in the
epistles of Paul we find that he believed most assuredly in a constant growth in both
grace and knowledge. The desire to attain these for himself characterized his whole
attitude from the day he began following the Lord Jesus until he reached the end of his
active life. Teaching, as he never ceased to do, that such as receive Christ in justifying
faith, and let Christ live in them by His Word dwelling in them richly, he would have them
believe that they too could say, even as he, "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by 'the faith of the Son of
God." (Gal. 2:20.) Far from this being a mere expression of a mystical or beautiful
inner conception of things relative to one's life in Christ, to Paul it was a fact of personal experience. It was to him as
"the power that raised Christ from the dead" working in him, and by that working he knew its reality. He is, therefore, no
visionary exponent of that which in practical life may never be expected. It was his own
experience as a branch in Christ the Vine that made him intensely in earnest to bring
others into a similar knowledge and experience of Christ. Such was his great objective in
that day far past, and his disappointments we know. Would he find it any different now if
here among us? How many would he find even now with Christ formed in them, Christ put on,
and the life of Christ manifested through them? Let us each examine himself.
Christ, our Foundation and Chief
Corner-Stone
Paul, as "a wise master
builder," so styled by himself, looked well to his Foundation Stone. Well he knew
that the only substantial foundation on which the superstructure of gold, silver, and
precious stones could be built, was none other than Jesus Christ. He affirms positively
that "other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
(1 Cor. 3:11.) To the Apostle nothing was more clearly apparent than the profound truth
set forth in our Lord's great lesson clothed in the illustration of the vine and its
branches. Imposing buildings may indeed be erected, and such have always been numerous
enough, but sooner or later not one stone is left upon another. Wherever there is absent
the true union with Christ, growth is only seeming and deceptive; the fruitage, though
apparently abundant, is inferior to that which will assure an abundant entrance into
the inheritance of those approved of God. Thus it is that with a steadfast purpose and
consistency Paul never overlooked the fact, nor allowed his converts to forget it, that
only by a proper faith in Christ, and by a correct appropriation of the life-renewing
power that is in Him, can any attain to Christian maturity. This relationship, he wanted
it understood, is practical, yea, imperative. He was under no delusion, such as many seem
to entertain, namely, that such a conception of maturity is too high, therefore a
dangerous teaching, calculated to dishearten and stumble weak saints. Paul was too
consistent to think of lowering God's perfect standards down to the level of human weakness; therefore
he ever sought to raise that confessed weakness up to the robust strength of being
"strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."
The Apostle's admirable impatience with
substitutions and subversions is plainly evident. He had no patience with substituting
tenets of belief for the practical outward evidences of the power of Christ in the life.
He could never agree to sanction any teaching which would make a philosophical
ramification about Christ's redemptive work more important than the personal possession of
Christ in the loving heart affections. He did not rebuke the "foolish Galatians"
because they had deliberately let go of the tenet of justification by faith, but because
they had accepted a perverted concept, and by doing so had let go of Christ to the degree
of making Him something of a half Savior. They had turned from the power of a Christ
crucified for their offenses and raised again for their full justification, to the
acceptance of the specious argument by which they had been so easily bewitched, and by
which many are still as greatly confused. In dealing with this situation Paul is allowing
no middle ground, but frankly tells them, "Christ will be of no benefit to you." (Gal. 5:2, Diaglott.)
He would sweep away all false views of the work
of Christ and the conditions of true relationship to Him. To Paul, anything added to
Christ was a false teaching. And it matters not what we add to Christ, the wrong is in adding
anything at all. Let the fact be once seen in its true Scriptural aspects, and it must be
admitted that if any perverted view such as Paul is dealing with can make Christ of no effect, then every phase of our spiritual
development is retarded thereby. It follows that our growth up into Christ, our putting on
Christ, and having Christ formed in us, is seriously hindered; therefore Christian
maturity will not be attained.
Believers Chosen in Christ
All that pertains to the Church begins
and ends in Christ. The high calling of the Church is no afterthought with God. We were
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. Is it any wonder angels desire to
peer into the favor arranged for us? Do we ourselves come anywhere near a real
appreciation or understanding of it? What a profound revelation is given us in the words
of Jesus Himself, "No man can come to Me, except the Father which bath sent Me draw
him," and, "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me." (John 6:44,
37.) A similar insight into the eternal purposes of God in respect to the Church is
furnished us by Paul in Eph. 1:3-6: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who bath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
According as He bath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He bath made us accepted in the Beloved."
By grace He called us in Christ, accepted us in Christ, made us secure in Christ, and we
are His "workmanship created in Christ Jesus." Christ is the Door by which we
enter the fold of God. He is always the Way to God, and the Truth of God manifested to us.
He is the Life of God imparted to all who come to God by Him. And being thus identified
with Christ, what then? Let the Scriptures answer. "Of
His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." "I am come that
they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly." He, is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask
or think, according to the, power that worketh
in us." (John 1:16; 10:10; Eph. 3:20.) Thus seen, Christian maturity is a
progressive and a, blessedly possible attainment, and certainly they who seek it shall
not fail to find it.
Limiting the Holy One of Israel
In Moffatt's translation of Psalm 78
there is an interesting rendering of verses 41 and 42. Remembering the too frequent
tendency to hold back from launching out into the deep and letting down our nets for a
larger draught, we will find it worth our while to ponder over these words to natural
Israel. "With doubts, of God again and
again, that pained the Majestic One of Israel. They
remembered not His power." The entire Psalm contains much of this lament.
Israel limited God by unbelief, according to Hebrews 3:19: "They could not enter in
because of unbelief." And was this not the
very thing over which Jesus wept, and said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, . . . how oft
would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, but ye would not!" God's arm was not shortened, nor His desire to open the
windows of heaven and pour out overflowing blessings in any way diminished. Disobedience,
broken covenants, multiplied human inventions substituted for true worship, all combined
to shut away the things God delighted to give. These things connected with Israel's
limited blessings, the Apostle tells us, are to be carefully considered by us, and taken
to heart. "All these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written
for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the age are come. (1 Cor. 10:11.) How is it then
with us? Can we say we have not been deficient in faith, or wanting in vision, therefore
content to just go on resting on first principles of the plan of salvation? Or have we
known the invigoration of an overpowering ambition such as Paul tells us was never
absent from his spirit, and like him do we say, regardless of all present attainments,
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow
after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." -
Phil. 3:12-14.
From the various passages of Scripture
we have thus far considered, how apparent it is that it is not our personal inabilities
that prevent us from attaining the goal of Christian maturity. It is more often our
deeply-rooted antipathy for fostering such expectations that stands in the way of putting
on Christ as we should. We look at self and reduce the ideals to the level of our
feebleness; whereas we should count on the promised outcome of God's power to begin and
finish His own workmanship in us and for us. The proper viewpoint in this matter is that
of remembering the certainty of the words of Jesus: "Without Me ye can do
nothing." Let this be our humble confession always. Notwithstanding this
acknowledged fact concerning our own inability, let us never cultivate a lower objective
than, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Spiritual
life is no self generated accomplishment, but a life imparted from a source above us, as
illustrated in the vine and its branches. Our possibilities are thus limited only by the
measure of our willingness to act in appropriating faith. We must believe God when in reference to our
recognized and confessed weakness, He says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my
strength is made perfect in weakness." No weakness need therefore discourage us or
provide us with an argument against our being thus made "strong in the Lord and in
the power of His might." What is this but our being, as Paul has prayed,
"strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man"? Yes, what are these
inspired words but the ground for our right to sing our confident song from the heart, and
with the understanding also.
"Of victory now o'er Satan's
power,
Let all the ransomed sing,
And triumph now in every hour,
Through Christ, the Lord, our King."
Such promises, Paul would assure us,
are the measure of strength God will give, to the end that we may have what He wants us
to receive. Are they impossible of being known experimentally? Listen yet once more to the
Apostle's confident assurance "God is witness, that that word of ours which was
toward you is not yes and no: for that Son of God, Jesus Christ, who .was proclaimed to
you by us---was not yes and no, but was yes in Him. For whatever be the promises of God, they are in Him
yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God." - 2 Cor. 1:18-20, Diaglott.
The great blessings God has for us do
not lie on the surface as a rule, but need to be earnestly sought after as for hidden
treasure. The matter of putting on Christ being the greatest of present attainments, it
is therefore reserved for those who seek for it in faith and sincerity. God will fulfill His promises. Let us pursue our search. - Contributed.
(To be continued)
Joel 2:13.
GARMENT-RENDING and other outward signs
of religious emotion, are easily manifested and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel
true repentance is far more difficult, and consequently far less common. Men will attend
to the most multiplied and minute ceremonial regulations -- for such things are pleasing
to the flesh -- but true religion is too humbling, too heart-searching, too
thorough for the tastes of carnal men; they prefer something more ostentatious, flimsy,
and worldly. Outward observations are temporarily comfortable; eye and ear are pleased;
self-conceit is fed and self righteousness is puffed up: but they are delusive, for at
the approach of death, the soul needs something more substantial than ceremonies and
.rituals to lean upon. Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered
without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of
the majesty of heaven.
Heart-rending is divinely wrought and
solemnly felt. It is a secret grief which is personally experienced, not in mere form,
but as a deep, soul-moving work of the Holy Spirit upon the inmost heart of each believer.
It is not a matter to be merely talked of and believed in, but keenly and sensitively felt
in every child of the living God. It is powerfully humiliating, and completely
sin-purging; but then it is sweetly preparative for those gracious consolations which
proud, unhumbled spirits are unable to receive; and it is distinctly discriminating, for
it belongs to the elect of God, and to them alone.
The text commands us to rend our
hearts, but they are naturally hard as marble; how, then, can this be done? We must take
them to Calvary: a dying Savior's voice rent the rocks once, and it is as powerful now. O
blessed Spirit, let us hear the death cries of Jesus, and our hearts shall be rent even as
men rend their vestures in the day of lamentation.- C. H. Spurgeon.
"I have set the Lord always before me: because
He is at my right hand,
I shall not be moved." - Psa. 16:8.
IT IS through the crosses God sends in the every-day settings and
relations, that our characters are built up and Christ's image appears within us. Would we
reach higher heights of living, greater experiences in the overcoming life? We will attain
to this only by obeying the call of the indwelling Christ to lay down our life bearing the
cross He sends. It is our Lord who is calling us to follow Him, which always means, first
of all, taking up our cross.
As we obey His call and walk out with Him, we will see everything
and everybody in a different light than before; and we will behold ourselves as quite
different from the admirable person we heretofore may have considered ourselves. And we
will also begin to discern eternal glories, and understand earthly issues quite
otherwise from what they appeared before.
There is a state that the truly spiritual Christian reaches where
he is no longer taken up with the petty things of earth, where he is no longer moved by
people and things to the losing of his eternal outlook. Why look at people who may have
many faults, but are no faultier than we are, when we can behold Jesus Christ with
unveiled face and heart, and be changed into His image from glory to glory by the
operation of His Spirit within?
Why center upon the trials with which every human life is filled,
when we may vision eternal glories? Why weary ourselves and others by enlarging upon our
own trials and also upon the faults of others, when we may walk with our Lord instead of
with people? Why not talk to others about His perfections, about His long-suffering and
patience?
We may be sure that much we say to people about ourselves and
about others would never be spoken when talking with Him. Only as we take the cross and
lay down our own lives; only as we draw close to God in prayer and in humble obedience,
can we discern eternal glories and issues.
By God's enabling we may reach the state where we are not looking
at the things that are seen, but we are beholding the unseen things. Then we shall begin
to see that "All things are of God," whatever these "all things" may
be. God shows us that all that touches our lives must pass Him before it reaches us. He
shows us that the instruments He would use upon us for our perfecting are hidden in the
relations and settings that He permits, whether it be desirable or undesirable, painful or
joyful. He calls us to yield to these instruments, and makes us know that if we are not
victorious, it will be our own fault.
The faults of others, the collapse of plans, the seemingly
impossible situation is a matter of small importance in itself, and is really not our
affair. . . . All things in each life are from God or permitted by Him, and all are in His
hands, so why wear ourselves out by fretting about them? why disturb our heart's rest by
discussing them with others? The less we do this, the sooner we will rise above all
earthly environings and take up our abode in the quietness of His presence.
As others watch our daily living, do they see Christ or us? As
others listen to our words, do they hear Christ or us? As God looks deep into our hearts,
beholding and weighing our motives, thoughts, desires, does He hear and see us or
"the mind of Christ"? These are indeed searching questions, are they not?
Do we long to reach the blest state Paul was in when he declared
that none of these things moved him? Do we long to be thus independent as he was, of
everything and everybody? If so, instead of talking our trials over with others, which
often hinders both us and them, talk them over with the Lord. We should take our, stand on
God's Word in the face of each testing, and believe that we can endure all that touches
our life because God sent it. - Selected.
Themes such as are of the greatest
importance to God's people today were given prominence in the several discourses. Those
present were urged in varied ways to keep themselves in the love of God by faithfulness to
His Word, and by possessing a rich measure of His spirit of holiness and love. The bond of
blessed union whereby all the Church of God are united to Christ, and to one another, was
given due consideration, and has surely been productive of much encouragement to those
present.
Special mention may well be made of the
hour devoted to praise and testimony on Sunday morning. The tenor of all was that urged by
the Apostle, "By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually,
that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." The testimonies were such
wholesome expressions of praise, not concerning personal achievements, but for what the
Lord had done for His own, and a particularly gratifying feature of this blessed hour was
the testimonies of the younger members present. Truly there is something of an
inexpressible inner joy in seeing a life dedicated to the Lord in its early formative
years. Thank God, they too may share the privilege of saying, "All for Jesus, all my
being's ransomed powers." By their few words of public testimony these dear ones were
themselves blessed, and older runners in the race were made glad indeed.
Thus ended another of these little
seasons apart. Life is taken up again in its routine way, and so on we go not knowing
whether we shall meet again under the same conditions; but over all the possibilities of
deeper shadows than we have yet known, there rises the vision of Home, sweet Home, and
the eternal bliss of the redeemed Church of Christ; and so "until we meet
again" here, or over there, we part, determined to hold fast the beginning of our
confidence, and the hope of the rejoicing firm unto the end.
"My God shall supply all your
needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Thus wrote an Apostle of the
unfailing faithfulness of God. Be our needs, therefore, ever so great, all will be
supplied according to His loving wisdom. And in the multitude of ways our heavenly Father
brings this rich supply into our lives, He has chosen that "in the fellowship of
kindred minds" there shall be a condition most favorable to an opening of the windows
of heaven. There are blessings many and great for the one who goes alone into the chamber
of prayer, but there is also a promise of other greatly to be desired results when
"two of you agree as touching" vital interests connected with the will of God.
There will be no lack of blessing for the one who reads and meditates upon the Word alone
with God, but yet it must not be forgotten that "where two or three" are
gathered in the name and spirit of Christ, there He will come in special grace. For
strength to fight the good fight of faith, it is most essential for the individual
goodsoldier of Jesus Christ to be much alone with God, a coming apart at times even from
others of kindred mind, yet it has been ordained in divine wisdom that certain vitally
important needs of the saints shall require that they forsake not the assembling of
themselves together in His presence, "and so much the more" as the increasing
force of the evil day is felt.
Therefore, since these things be so, it
is in perfect agreement therewith that another of those happy gatherings of brethren at
Atlantic City can be reported as a verification thereof. To a rather large circle of
friends living within reach of this seashore city, these yearly gatherings have become an
occasion of special interest. Certain associations and circumstances combine to make this
a feature of these conventions, and among these outstanding factors may be mentioned the
love of the members of the local class, and the place they hold in the love of those who
have come to know them well.
Canticles 1:13.
MYRRH MAY well be chosen as the type of
Jesus on account of its preciousness, its perfume, its pleasantness, its healing,
preserving, disinfecting qualities, and its connection with sacrifice. But why is He
compared to "a bundle of myrrh"? First, for plenty. He is not a sprig or flower
of it, but a whole bundle. There is enough for all my necessities; let me not be slow to
avail myself of Him. Our Well-beloved is compared to a "bundle" again, for
variety: for there is in Christ not only the one thing needful, but in "Him
dwelleth all the fulness of the deity bodily," everything needful is in Him. Take
Jesus in His different characters, and you will see a marvelous variety-Prophet, Priest,
King, Husband, Friend, Shepherd. Consider Him in His life, death, resurrection, ascension,
second advent; view Him in His virtues, gentleness, courage, self-denial, love,
faithfulness, truth, righteousness-everywhere He is a bundle of preciousness. He is a
"bundle of myrrh" for preservation-not loose myrrh to be dropped on the floor or
trodden on, but myrrh tied up, myrrh to be stored in a casket. We must value Him as our
best treasure; we must prize His words and His ordinances; and we must keep our thoughts
of Him and knowledge of Him as under lock and key, lest the devil should steal anything
from us. Moreover, Jesus is a "bundle of myrrh" for specialty; the emblem
suggests the idea of distinguishing, discriminating grace. From before the foundation of
the world, He was set apart for His people; and He gives forth His perfume only to those
who understand how to enter into communion with Him, to have close dealings with Him. Oh!
blessed people whom the Lord hath admitted into His secrets, and for whom He sets
Himself apart. Oh! choice and happy who are thus made to say, "A bundle of myrrh is
my Well-beloved unto me." - C. H. Spurgeon.
Dear Brethren:
Some time ago I received a bundle of
tracts from you, and I would like to get another supply.
I operate a spare-time mail order
business dealing mostly with small-town and rural people. I will be glad to put a tract or
card or both in each letter I send out. In the fall and winter months I could distribute
at least 200 monthly.
I am very thankful to have been able to
contact your organization. A sister in the truth loaned me a volume sent out by you. I am
very thankful for this book, as it opened my eyes to many things and enabled me to get on
the right track. My mother, two aunts, a cousin, and myself have left our former
association.
I am enclosing $.... to help pay the
expenses on the tracts you send me. I would that it could be fifty dollars.
Sincerely,
Yours for God's Kingdom,
J. D. T. -- Texas.
I owned a little boat a while ago
And sailed a Morning Sea without a fear,
And whither any breeze might fairly blow
I'd steer the little craft afar or near.
Mine was the boat, and mine the air,
And mine the sea, not mine, a care.
My boat became my place of nightly toil.
I sailed at sunset to the fishing ground.
At morn the boat was freighted with the
spoil
That my all-conquering work and skill had found.
Mine was the boat, and mine the net,
And mine the skill, and power to get.
One day there passed along the silent
shore,
While I my net was casting in the sea,
A man who spoke as never man before;
I followed Him--new life began in me.
Mine was the boat, but His the voice,
And His the call, yet mine, the choice
Ah, 'twas a fearful night upon the lake,
And all my skill availed not at the helm,
Till Him asleep I awakened, crying,
"Take,
Take Thou command, lest waters overwhelm!"
His was, the boat, and His the sea.
And His the Peace o'er all and me.
Once from His boat He taught the
curious throng,.
Then bade me let down nets out in the sea,
I murmured, but obeyed, nor was it long
Before the catch amazed and humbled me.
His was the boat, and His the skill,
And His the catch, and His, my will.
- Joseph Addison Richards.
Lord help me live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way,
That, even when I kneel to pray,
My prayers will be for others.
Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sincere and true,
And know that all I'd do for
You Must needs be done for others.
Let "self" be crucified and
slain
And buried deep; and all in vain
May efforts be to rise again,
Unless to live for others.
And when my work on earth is done
And my new work in heaven's begun,
May I forget the crown I've won
While thinking still of others.
Others, Lord, yes, others,
Let this my motto be,
Help me to live for others,
That I may live like Thee.
God's Gift
"One only night had I to spend
In Amalfi by the sea;
I prayed an earnest prayer to God
To let the evening be
A cloudless one,
To let the sun
Set clear and flawlessly.
"It seemed God had not heard,
Clouds arose
To hide the heaven's blue.
But, oh, the sunset I beheld!
The glory shining through
That clouded west
The loveliest Amalfi ever knew!
"No longer do I word my prayer,
'God give this certain thing--'
Nor fret about the good or ill
That life may chance to bring.
The gift God sends
Always transcends
My small imagining!"
Friends may come, and friends may go,
But Love remains forever.
The lights along the harbor glow,
Love's lighthouse faileth never.
The day is ended, the night is here,
The leaves are withered, the world is sere,
But the lights of heaven are drawing near,
And God remains forever.
Years may come, and years may go,
But Truth remains endearing.
Its glories lie along faith's sky,
In love's full flow appearing.
The Harvest speaks, and its work goes on,
And tells the approach of a new-born sun,
And the race -- our race -- is almost run,
Mr. Geo. W. Harris, Philadelphia, Pa. -
(Nov.)
Mr. J. B. Scurlock, Corpus Christi, Tex. - (Dec.)
Dr. H. W. Canada, Lynchburg, Va. - (Dec.)
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