THE K I NG ' S BUS I NE S S the things that belong unto Caesar nor unto Caesar the things that belong unto God. TUESDAY, Feb. 15. Matt. 22:34-40. The Greatest Commandment. In Rom. 13:8, Paul reduces all the commandments to one for obvious rea sons. He whose conduct is animated and dominated by love can not do any thing dishonoring to God or injurious to man: Since God is infinite, a sin against Him involves an infinite guilt and the only way to expiate infinite guilt upon a finite creature is by eternal punishment. The greatest commandment enjoins the greatest duty. The violation of the greatest obligation necessarily consti tutes the greatest sin. No sane man would dare to say that he had always loved God with all his heart and soul and mind and strength. Not having done so, he is guilty of the greatest sin in the world. Sin has such a stultifying power, that even under the guilt of this sin against God, man will insistently deny that he is guilty of any sin at all. WEDNESDAY, Feb. 16. Dan. 8:15-27. A Double Relationship. Daniel in Babylon presents a sugges tive picture of a Christian in the world. Daniel was an exile in Babylon and pre sumably of the royal seed. Dan. 1:3. He loved his native land and was faith ful to its interests. Dan. 6:10. He could have sung the T.37th Psalm with all his heart. Nevertheless his gifts of states manship were placed at the service of his royal master and he became the prime minister of the kingdom of Baby lon. Dan. 6:2. As Moses was faithful in all his house, Heb. 3:2, so was Daniel. He was highly favored and greatly be loved, perhaps the only Old Testament character with no “howbeit.” The point to bear in mind is that while he was a citizen of two countries, he was not neg lectful of either one. Under the over powering effect of the heavenly visions and Divine revelations, he lost con sciousness and became very ill. Never theless he took no holiday and delegated 'no duty to other hands. “I rose up and did the king's business.” THURSDAY, Feb. 17. Prov. 14:26-35. Elements of National Strength. The American republic is like the commonwealth of Israel in its possession of a noble ancestry. Israel had Abra ham who left his native land to found a nation for God’s holy purposes. Amer ica has the Pilgrim fathers who left
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their native land for a similar purpose. They took possession of this continent on our behalf and left us a heritage in which the principles were enfolded which have worked themselves out in our national history. They gave us a free church, a free state and a system of free schools. They taught us that all men are equal before the law. The Pil grim fathers are not yet through with America because their prayers are still before the throne of God awaiting a more abundant answer. If we would perpetuate and realize their ideals we must have their loyalty to the Bible, for they got their principles from the Word of God. FRIDAY, Feb. 18. Rom. 10:1-12. Patriotism a Christian Virtue. The opening sentence of this passage introduces Paul as a citizen and a Chris tian patriot. His prayer is condensed and comprehensive. It seeks both the greatest glory of God and the greatest good of the whole nation. It is not the impulsive expression of a passing emo tion, it is the climax and conviction of a purposeful life. Paul had been con templating Christ and. his country. He saw his country’s antagonism to Christ which had culminated in the crucifixion. He saw the possible glory of accepting Christ as Messiah and King. He anti cipated John Knox who said, “Give me Scotland of I die.” Paul said “Give me ■Israel or I die.” We could pray as Paul prayed if we could see Christ and coun try as Paul saw them. In his earthly life Christ Himself was a patriot of the purest water. A Christian man is a bet ter patriot for being a Christian because his patriotism is re-enforced by religious sanctions. SATURDAY, Feb. 19. Psalm 147:1-20. America for Christ. As Paul said “Christ for Israel, Israel for Christ,” we may say “Christ for America, America for Christ.” We know what Christ can do for an individual when yielded up to Him. A nation is. an aggregation of individuals. Christ deals with nations as with moral person alities. Divorce a nation from Christ and It is doomed. Link a nation to Christ and it is exalted. Our country was colonized by God-fearing men who braved the hardships and perils of an unjknown land that they, might have freedom to worship God as conscience dictated. ' God is the Ruler of nations.
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