Submitting Our Desires continued for some time and was depressed. In every matter whether it af fects our Christian service, our daily calling, our friendships, our marriage, our recreations, we should sincerely seek to know the will of the Lord. To blindly follow our own selfish desires and inclina tions can only end in disappoint ment, disillusionment and possibly moral and spiritual disaster. To know God’s desire for us is the supreme thing, for though it may be utterly contrary to our own we shall find, if we allow Him to di rect our path, that we shall ex perience His best blessing. In the way of God’s will there will be no cause for remorse since “ The bless ing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22). When we bring our desires before Him and receive His ap proval we may go forward con fidently.
For lack of waiting upon God for enlightenment many have gone far astray, and they have brought much sorrow upon themselves and their loved ones. If only we will wait upon God and seek His guid ance through prayer and quiet meditation upon His Word He will not fail us for “ The Lord is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him” (Lam. 3: 25). His desire for us may not be revealed at once, but we may be sure of this, if we are sincere and ready to sacrifice anything for Christ’s sake, we shall not be left in the dark. Somehow, sometime the way will be made plain and we shall hear His voice saying “ . . . This is the way, walk ye in it . . .” (Isa. 30:21). If the answer is de layed let us still wait patiently for light from above for “ . . . in thy light shall we see light” (Ps. 36:9). It is better to wait even a year for God to confirm our heart’s desire, than to take our own course and suffer the remainder of our years for our impatience and folly. It may be 'that some who are reading these lines are suffering be cause they followed their desires without any thought of God’s will.
If so, let us frankly confess our sin to God and trust in Christ’s vi carious sacrifice for cleansing from all sin (1 John 1:7-9). With sins pardoned and God’s peace in our hearts we can face the future with fresh confidence, hope and courage. From this time henceforth let there be a sincere effort to know God’s will and to do it whatever the cost. However much we may have failed in the past through self-will, through following “ . . . the desires of the flesh and of the mind . . .” (Eph. 2:3), we can yet make the future glorious as we seek guidance and grace from Christ in time of need. Perhaps past failure was necessary to teach us our igno rance, our weakness, and only now are we humble enough to receive divine guidance. Peter needed a humiliating defeat to reveal the folly of his pride, self-confidence, self-will; only after his fall could he rise and strengthen his brethren (Luke 22:32). From our own ex perience of the tragedy of a self- willed life, we can help others by our warning and by showing the blessedness of a life in which all desires and affections are subordi nated to the will of God. END.
But how may we know whether our desire is inspired by self or the Holy Spirit? We must quietly and patiently wait upon God to reveal' His mind to us. This is where so many of us fail. We rush into this or that project without any thought of consultation with God.
prefab church
The rush to the suburbs in America has brought on a rash of church building (an increase of 25% last year with an expected increase this year of 22% ). With a watchful economic eye, U.S. Steel Corp. took note of the increase and set out to capture part of the market. The result is a complete line (15 basic designs; $15,000- $35,000) of prefabricated church buildings (see photo). Where speed of erection is vital, the church can be completed in as few as four days. Recently a congregation in Huntsville, Tex. received its church package on a Wednesday. Foundation and basic plumbing already were in place. The entire structure was under roof and rough- finished in time for services that Sunday.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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