Him. Your actions showed that you really didn’t intend to. Why should I pray for you to be restored and once again become a stumbling block for your husband and children. This wom an was hardened despite the Lord’s goodness to her. Not long after, she died. “The ox knoweth his owner.” If you are saved by grace you will love the Man who made it possible. One of the evidences that you are saved is by what you do for the Lord. Are you showing to the Lord that you are glad He saved you? Do you give Him your heart’s affection and love? Do you open up your pocketbook and “put your money where your mouth is?” God spent the best He had for you in order to redeem you. He wants to give you all the gifts of the Saviour be cause He has a desire to have our lives at rest. There is a strange expression in Jeremiah which says, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” The hour of God’s grace will sometime come to a conclusion. The farmer brings in from the field only those things which are of value to him. The others are just left out in the field. This is what Jeremiah means by this passage. Through sal vation we become His inheritance. That means we must give Him some thing of value. He wants not words but true heart-love. Did God make a good investment for His Son in you? An old soldier gave me five acres of ground down in Florida some years ago. He had bought it from a shyster some years before. When I was preaching later in the area, I went out to see my “inheritance.” My wife and I thought we might plant orange trees on it and enjoy an early retire ment. But, do you know what? It was under five or six feet of salt water. The poor old soldier had been “taken.” I gave the deed to the assessor for it wasn’t even worth the small pittance in taxes. Do you suppose God feels that way about us? Do we give Him any cause to rejoice in our love and devotion to Him? There are a great many people who rob God financially.
Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland (right), Biola Presi dent, goes over report with Dr. Ray A. Myers, Biola Board Chairman. But I am speaking about love for Him which compels us to tell others about Him. As with the ox, so the Lord wants us to know Him by intimate fellowship through his Holy Spirit. Remember the story of the prodigal son? All he could say was, “Daddy, gimme.” His father did, too. But the lad turned his back and off he went to enjoy the gifts he was freely given. Are we ever like that? Did you come to the Saviour to find eternal life with peace and pardon? Since that time, however, have you turned your back on Him so that you might enjoy the gift rather than the Giver? Oh, be loved, the Giver remains long after the gifts are gone. The prodigal only had the worthless husks that were left. He finally came to the realization of his desperate need. Have you come to this place yet as a backslider? You will never be happy until you do. How gladly the father welcomed back his son. He didn’t hold any malice or grudge against him. What grace our God shows to us when we return to Him. This is why God put in His Word, “The ox knoweth his owner.” Is this true with you? He wants our heart’s affection who ever you may be. Your service is fine, but first of all He wants just you. Beloved, get acquainted with the Saviour. It may be that you will need to do this all over again. Go to Him and lay your life at His feet. He will never turn you away, but gladly com mune and sup with you so that you may enjoy not only peace with God, but also the peace of God.
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