slightly drunk and less still in “taking out” their frus trations and hostilities in impatience with their wives and children. Nor was there much real pleasure in forming a foursome for a Saturday evening at one of the best night clubs. The dinner wasn’t worth half the price, the entertainment was more vulgar than talented, and their drinking provided morning-after head aches. But if this isn’t “ living,” what is? To the un regenerate person there is no answer that can be given. Of course, he does not succeed in escaping. Why? Be cause he cannot escape from the way he was created. How Do W e Find True Compensation? The answer to this question is that Christians do not need to compensate. God did not create man so that he could be happy through self-seeking and self-indul gence. God created man above all else for love. It is only as man reaches out in abject humility and love to others that be begins to live the way an all-wise God created him to live. This is the way of the Cross, and “ the preach ing of the cross is foolishness to them that perish, but to us are are saved it is the power of God unto salvation.” The born-again Christian usually fixes his attention and devotion, not on that higher position with the Acme Apex Company, but upon the will of God for his life. Christians have frustrations just like everyone else, but in the frame of reference of “ forgive us as we for give others,” whatever is left of these frustrations melts away in the love of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. But this love of God is never given to anyone until he acknowledges his own sinfulness, realizes his need for forgiveness, and receives Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. A common mistake that some Christians make is assuming that their success in this world is synonymous with the will of God for their lives. But God deals with them as a loving parent with an erring child, and they eventually realize that “ if a man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” The only “ compensation” that Christians are concerned about is being in the will of God for their lives and waiting ex pectantly for the fulfillment of the Blessed Hope, the imminent rapture of the church, which is the beginning of eternity in Heaven. “ For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through (your) faith. And this (salvation) is not of yourselves of your own doing, it came' not through your own striving — but it is a gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9 Amp. V .).
“ Five years, I sweat for that guy — five years! I took his abuse, and let him blame me time and time again for his stupid mistakes. Why, I could do his job blind folded . . . and a lot better, too. So, that assistant man ager spot finally opens up, and who does he give it to? His wife’s brother! That green kid may have a degree in accounting, but he doesn’t know beans about this business,” Jim said as he threw his coat into the back seat of Dick’s car. “Well, that’s life,” replied Dick. “ I had some rotten luck today myself.” “ Oh, you did? What happened?” Jim asked. “ I had made four calls on this fellow, and he prac tically promised me the deal. Today I went in to clinch the sale, and suddenly he’s changed his mind! He’s going to get that junk from our sub par buddies over on Broad way; it’s a little cheaper. Four hundred dollars in com missions go down the drain.” “ That’s too bad. Say, why don’t we drop by Joe’s Bar for a couple of drinks? I need a little fortifying any how before I go home and listen to the wife gripe about who hit whom and demand that I pass sentence and execute same,” Jim said. “ Boy, five lousy years!” “And four hundred dollars is a lot of lettuce. I’m with you. Make that three drinks,” Dick said. The story of Jim and Dick is probably repeated with variations several thousand times every day. Cigarettes, beer and liquor, night clubs, expensive cars, race tracks, gambling and bridge clubs, motion pictures, stage shows and many other commercial indulgences and amuse ments would be almost non-existent if it were not for the need to compensate, to escape, to get away from it all for a while. W hy Do W e Need to “Escape?” As long as we refuse to acknowledge that “ Satan is the prince of this world,” and reject this statement in the Scriptures as fanaticism or emotionalism, we are go ing to be looking for security and happiness through “ winning” in the battle for position and possessions. But often we find that we are on the losing side, so we ex perience considerable frustration, anxiety and hostility in a world that has not been receptive to our best self-seeking efforts. It’s humiliating to lose and in the absence of spiritual resources, we turn to indulgences to compensate for our humiliation. We want to “ forget the cares of the day” — to “ escape” from unpleasant reality for a time. Do W e Succeed in Escaping Jim and Dick didn’t find any satisfaction in getting
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FEBRUARY, 1963
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