THE KI NG' S BUSINESS
72
February, 1933
Meditation on the Lesson “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). Jesus came to earth to save sinners: “ Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” But while He was being the Saviour of the world, He was, at the same time, reveal ing to mankind the kind o f God we wor ship and adore. He told Philip, in our les son, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” Jesus revealed the heart of God and, as John tells us, that “ God is love.” Jesus Christ manifested to us that illimit able love o f God—the biggest thing in the universe. Paul prayed for us in Ephesians 3 :17 to 19, “ That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to compre hend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love o f Christ, which passeth knowledge.” How broad is His love? “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he re moved our transgressions from us.” How long is God’s love? There is no end to it. “ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” “I have loved thee with an ever lasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” God’s love can never end. He loves through the longest day, the longest night, till the end of life, and on and on through eternity. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” “Love never fail- eth.” How deep is God’s love ? It is deep enough to reach to me. He “loved me, and gave himself for me.” God’s love is deeper than any sorrow. “Underneath are the ever lasting arms.” His love is deeper than sin. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” He bore our sin; and there is no human being so low that His love cannot reach and save that one. How high is God’s love? His love is so high, so pure, so holy, so glorious, that it can lift us to its own level. He “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” “ Stronger His love than death or hell, Desire in vain its depths to see, They cannot tell the mystery— The length, and breadth, and height !” Illustration R oman R oads One o f the wonders o f the old Roman peoples was the roads they made from end to end of Europe. The Roman cities are in ruins now, but men are still walking on the Roman ways. So Jesus, our Redeemer, is still the Way.—M orrison . Discussion Material I. T he W ay , the T ruth , and the L ife Thou art the Way—to thee alone From sin and death we flee; And he who would the Father seek Must seek Him, Lord, by Thee. Thou art the Truth—Thy word alone True wisdom can impart; Thou only canst instruct the mind And purify the heart. Thou art the Life—the rending tomb Proclaims Thy conquering arm ; And those who put their trust in Thee Nor death nor hell shall harm. Its riches are unsearchable; The first-born sons of light
Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life; Grant us that Way to know, That Truth to keep, that Life to win, Whose joys eternal flow. fcflP-DoANE. II. How to C ultivate a D eeper L ove F or G od First o f all, we must consort with the God we desire to love. We must bring our minds to bear upon Him. Love is not born where there has been no communion. There must be association and fellowship. Have the Lord devoutly before the eyes of your mind, in His behavior and in His ways, as when He is with His disciples, and when He is with sinners . . . setting forth to thy self how compassionate He was to the af flicted; how patient He was of toil and of want. In the second place, we must consort with them that are lovers already. Samuel Rutherford said: “ Christ enquired not, when He began to love me, whether I was fair or black . . . He loved me before the time I knew; but now I have the flower of His love; His love is come to a fair bloom ; like a young rose opened up out o f the green leaves, and it casteth a strong and fragrant smell.” Then let us seek the company o f Andrew Bonar: “I felt something of that word, ‘My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth,’ and I lay down this night intensely desiring to feel con strained by the love of Christ. . . . As we get into the enjoyment of Thy love, may we find that we need scarcely any other heaven, either here or hereafter, only more of this love and the continuance of it.” Then Bushnell: “God comes to me—so great, benignant, pure, and radiant. What a wonder is G od! What a glory for us to possess H im !” ’ Let me mention a third method by which Multiplying the Blessing T he K ing ’ s B usiness is a fine paper. I pass it to one of my friends, who enjoys it very much. —G lenside , P a . It is quite needless to say just how much T he K ing ’ s B usiness means to me. It is a pleasure to lend my copies to friends and relatives. —A marillo , T ex . Enclosed please find my check for renewal o f the magazine for another year. I can no longer see to read it, but am handing it on to the mission aries, who enjoy it. —P asadena , C alif . Your paper is filled with strong, helpful messages for every Christian who has the great privilege of read ing it. I wish my paper to go into the hands o f the unconverted. —S tanhope , N. J. The magazine has not only brought blessing to my own life, but also to the lives o f individual mem bers o f the household, and in hos pitals to which the copies have been sent after our reading them. Souls have been inspired as well as souls saved as the result of passing these books on to others.—-T oronto , C an .
we shall be helped to become lovers of God. I think we ought to sing the song of the great lovers. Songs of this kind: “ O Love that Wilt not Let Me Go,” “ O Love o f God How Strong and True,” “Jesus the Very Thought of Thee.” Songs o f this loveful, soaring kind will lift our souls to heaven’s gate.—J. H. J owett . III. W hat the B ible S ays A bout G od ’ s A ttributes God is Longsuffering (Num. 14:18). God is Righteous (Ezra 9:15). God is Just (Deut. 32:4). God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and un changeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. —S horter C atechism . V. G od ’ s L ove to M en 1. Is great (Eph. 2 :4). 2. Is forgiving (Hos. 14:4). 3. Is unnatural (Rom. 5:8). 4. Is incomprehensible (1 John 3:1 ). MARCH 19, 1933 W HAT W AS JESUS’ ESTIMATE OF HUMAN LIFE? CAN WE LIVE BY IT ? M atthew 16:26; 18:1-16 Suggestions for the Meeting Scripture Response. Leader— “The Lord is in his holy tem ple,” Response— “Let all the earth keep si lence before him.” All—-“ O come, let us worship.” Hymn—“ Crown Him w i t h M a n y Crowns.” Hymn—“O Worship the King.” Prayer. Scripture Lesson Read Responsively. Solo—“Does Jesus Care?” Testimonies. Quiet Hour. Hymn—-“Rescue the Perishing.” Leader’s Message—“ The Value of a Hu man Soul.” Benediction—Romans 8 :38, 39. Make this a strong evangelistic meeting. Get an earnest speaker, one who can pre sent the facts in a convincing manner and then draw the net. Close with an invita tion to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Meditation on the Lesson Luke’s account of this message is ex pressed thus: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” How awful is the state as here set forth! If any one makes this life, with its pres ent opportunities, the supreme goal, if the world of material things, riches, pleas ures, enjoyments—the world such as Satan offered to Jesus—is the object of pursuit, the seeker will not only lose the highest good, but he will also lose his own soul. Even if any one could gain the whole world—and no one ever did—Christ says God is Upright (Psa. 25:8). God is Perfect (Matt. 5 :48). God is Love (1 John 4:16). IV. W hat is G od ? 5. Is matchless (1 John 4:10). 6. Is boundless (John 3:16). 7. Is enduring (Rom. 8 :38, 39). 8. Is everlasting (Jer. 31:3). Siia-DlETRICH.
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