their joy to a world that has not appropriated Cod's truth. I cannot blame people of the world for get ting despondent and discouraged when one considers all the prob lems to be faced. But such an atti tude has no place in the life of a Christian. There was a small company of soldiers during the Civil War who were being bombarded by the en emy. They had been decimated by numerous casualties. Almost ready to give up in despair, somehow a messenger got through to the post with the reassurance, "Hold the fort, I am coming." It was signed, "General Sheridan." Knowing of the promised help, the men fought all the harder until reinforcements appeared and victory was theirs. No matter how many we be, God calls us to hold the fort. Jesus Christ is coming. Another reason to be joyful is because the King has spoken. He has given us a decree of logical in sight. Every sensible bit of evidence points to the Bible as being the very Word of Cod. Way back in the distant past God spoke and worlds were flung into being. In the fullness of time Christ came forth with the Father's testimony, "This is my beloved Son. Hear ye Him." The King has seen fit to pro vide for us in these latter days a message that has come down through the centuries. It is through Scripture that we hear Him speak to us. We ought to be joyful because we are not in doubt as to the final outcome. We are rather an invinc ible army pushing hard toward cer tain victory. The Church cannot fail. Our Lord is going to present it to Himself as a glorious Church, Page 49
Joy By DR. SAMUEL SUTHERLAND One word stands out in theWord of God signifying Christmas: JOY. When the angels announced the birth of the Saviour to the shep herds, one of them assured the men, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." When our Lord was nearing the end of His earthly ministry He told His disciples, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11). At the beginning and close of His ministry, there was the wonderful assurance of joy. There should be a clarification, however, between joy and happi ness. The latter has to depend on outside relationships. It comes from the same root as our word "hap penstance." It suggests that if out ward conditions are satisfactory then we are happy. Joy, however, is of an entirely different source. It wells up from within. You see, we can be joyful as Christians even though we may not be happy in our surroundings or environment. The world, having never received Christ, knows absolutely nothing about this type of joy. If nothing else, remember that "happiness" and "joy" are not in any sense syn- onomous. As Christians we ought to be joyful at all times. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. We are right in the midst of the most fes tive time of our calendar year. What a time for believers to show
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