What God has promised us is just as real as what God has performed. * * • It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. * * * WORTHLESS RAGS No doubt you have heard of the in teresting experience of Queen Victo ria when she made it a point to visit the local paper mill. The owner showed her through and, among other places, he took her to an area called “the rag room." When Her Majesty saw these ugly, soiled and dirty scraps, she ex claimed, “What’s the use of saving these? They’ll never be white again.” The mill owner replied, "Actually we have a chemical process by which we can take the color out of anything, even red rugs.” It was some weeks following the visit that the Queen found a box of beautiful stationery on her desk. Each sheet had the letters of her name, nicely personalized. Looking further, she found a note attached to the package. It stated, “Will Her Maj esty be pleaded to accept a specimen of my paper with the assurance that every sheet was manufactured out of the dirty rags she saw at our fac tory. We are always reminded of how the Lord Jesus can take the poor heathen, the vilest of the vile, and make him clean and pure. He then puts His own name upon him, as your ini tials appear on this paper. Those rags are now fit for the palace where they may be admired. Even so, poor sinners can be cleansed and received into the palace of the great King, our God and Saviour. Your obedient servant.” An interesting testimony, revealing the practical truth of Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason togeth er, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crim son, they shall be as wool.” ■k * * The fire youkindle for your enemy will often burn yourself more than him. * * * Only he is fit to go to thetop who can, if need be, go to the bottom. 20
Remember, we can never outgive God. He is debtor to no man. The New Testament basis of giving is not mere ly the tithe but is rather proportionate giving. It is not how much we pay but how much we have left. If men and women who do have something of this world’s goods would just be as generous as we find most Christian widows and elderly people, God’s work would never suffer a lack. Q . Turlock, California — “I’ve been won dering about I Corinthians 2:16, and how I may have ‘the mind of Christ.’ It seems that so many things crowd in that it’s hard to think about the Lord." A. This reveals a very fine and sensi tive Christian spirit. Of more value than asking about individual things, such as certain amusements and pleas ures, it is more important to seek “the mind of Christ.” Paul in this passage tells us how we may appropri ate and receive the deep things of God. God says these things are im parted by the Holy Spirit. He is the One Who gives us the outlook that Christ Himself has. If you are a child of God, make sure you are taking time to read the Scriptures. Here we find the words, of the Saviour. It is true that many things will crowd into your mind. Crowd them out with that which is good. Fill your mind with the Word; meditate upon it and memorize it. Q. Santa Ana, California — “Does the New Testament forbid the use of musical instruments in worship?” A. There is no verse in the New Testa ment which forbids the use of musical instruments in worship. The Old Tes tament tells of various musical instru ments used in the temple. By impli cation the same would be true in the New Testament. There are some very fine and earnest Christians, however, who believe that no musical instru- “ments should be found in the church. In their meetings, it is certainly true that the singing without instrumental accompaniment is thoroughly inspir ing. We feel this is a matter of one’s personal conviction.
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