has called him the Christian is to do it “heartily” for the Lord’s sake (v 23). Every believer ought to be a better workman than the unbeliever in what ever field of labor he engages. In your work keep your eyes ever on the ultimate goal—to receive His praise when your life’s work is done (v. 24). If you serve Him through your work, regardless of what it may be, you will receive a reward, just as certainly as if you were a preacher or a missionary.
May 11, 1952 IS YOUR HOME FUN? Col. 3:12-21
By Chester J. Padgett, Th.M. Associate Professor of Bible, Bible Institute of Los Angeles
Helps for Christian Endeavor and Other Young People’s Groups
There is no word in any language quite so precious as the word home. The home is the most important institu tion in the world. God Himself per formed the first marriage ceremony (Gen. 2:21-25), and fashioned the first home. The home is the basic unit of society and the basic unit of the church. When the home breaks down, the church breaks up and the nation col lapses. Young people should make the build ing of their home the most sacred thing in their lives. The way in which we build our homes determines whether they shall be happy and permanent and influential for Christ in the community and in the church. Your Home is Fun if Every Member of it is a Christian The Scripture that forms the basis of this lesson assumes that each member of the home is a born-again believer. No man can live the kind of a life described in these verses if he does not know Christ as his personal Saviour and the Holy Spirit as his personal guide and constant helper in the holy life. When you contemplate marriage, re member that it is dangerous to give your heart to anyone who is not a true believer. God’s Word forbids the union of a believer with an unbeliever (2 Cor. 6:14-18). God’s blessing cannot and will not rest upon any home that disobeys His holy will in this regard. Better never to marry than to marry out of Christ. Your Home is Fun if Every Member Takes His God-appointed Place Colossians 3:18-21 indicates the posi tion in the home God intends for each member of the family. When this order is followed, His blessing rests upon the home; when the order is reversed or ignored, He cannot bless. The Christian wife is to submit her self to her husband in all things, and consider him as the head of the house. She will teach her children to respect
May 4, 1952 MAKING MY JOB A CHRISTIAN VOCATION Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 3:23-25
The very works of God in creation teach us that everything in the universe has its own useful place in the economy of God. Every star, every grain of sand, every leaf—all of these have their predetermined place. Are we to sup pose that God, having arranged the world for man, has no place prepared for him to fill, no use for him tp serve? Every Christian’s Life is Indispensable to God The purpose of God in calling men and women and young people into His family and into the church which is Christ’s Body, is that they may make some important contribution to the Body in its development and influence (Eph. 4:15,16). The task, then, of each Christian, no matter what his vocation in life may be, is to make some contribution to the growth of the true church. When any believer gets out of line the entire work of the Holy Spirit suffers (v. 16). Study this verse. Apply the teaching to your own life and service. Ask yourself what you are doing to accomplish the aims of w . 12-16. Every Christian’s Life Has One Legitimate Goal This goal, according to Colossians 3:23-25, is to bring glory to God. Whether you are in so-called full-time work for Christ or not, the Bible tells you that your chief aim is to bring glory to the Saviour. The Christian, whatsoever he does, is to do it “ as to the Lord” . This means that whether it is scrubbing pots and pans, working at the shop, in the office, or in the class room, he is doing all to the glory of Christ. In performing the work to which God
During the Middle Ages, the erro neous opinion grew up in the church that life was divided into two compart ments, the religious and the secular. The development of this false idea led to the establishment of two classes of people in the church, the clergy and the laity, and to a double code of morality and ethics, one for the clergy and one for the laity. Of course, the Word of God does not teach this at all. According to the Bible, every believer is a priest with God (1 Pet. 2:9) and there is but one stand ard of life for every Christian, the standard of holiness. But even the Protestant Reformation was not able to shake this idea out of the minds of a great many people. The fact remains, however, that all of life is sacred to a Christian regardless of what his occu pation may be as long as that occupa tion is honorable. In the Scripture forming the basis of our lesson we learn a number of truths that will help us to make our job a Christian vocation. Every Believer’s Life is a Plan of God This truth is suggested by Ephesians 4:11. In this verse the call of God to Christian service is dealt with, but the larger truth is that God calls each man to his appointed task as the guide of each believer’s life. When you study the Bible, you dis cover that some of God’s mightiest servants were not connected in any way with “ professional service” . David was taken from among the sheep; Elisha followed the plough; Nehemiah bore the cup; Hannah lived as a humble wife. These people and many more remind us that God is interested in the life of every man no matter where he lives or what he does.
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