March 1926
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.”— 1 Thess. 1:8. Pray for Readers and Hearers of God’ s Word. WEDNESDAY, 31 Have You Lost Your Mind? “ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”— Phil. 2:5. Pray for Your Church Prayer Meeting.
not .mocked: for whatsoever a 'man soweth, that shall he also reap.”— Gal. 6:7. Pray for Personal Evangelism. MONDAY, 29 Visualising Him. “ Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spo'ken these things unto her.”— John 20:18. Pray for His Return. TUESDAY, 30 Give the Word. “ For from you
Ushers of men.”— Matt. 4:19. Pray for the Fishermen’s Clnb International. SATURDAY, 27 His Holy Place. “ For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” — Heb. 9:24. Pray for Your Pastor. SUNDAY, 128 Sowers. ‘ ‘Be not deceived: God is
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The Supreme Value of Love W. 8 .. Hottel
ister acceptably and serve to edifica tion. Love adds force and strength to character, and quality to work, be cause it manifests the Divine nature, and delivers from being self-centered (1 John 4 :8 ; 12, 13). Apart from love, self is bound to be in the center of all we do and so true service and ministry are impossible. Service, therefore, will bring no blessing to ourselves, neither an eternal reward, for what is done for display, show and self-praise is done in vain (Matt. 6 :2 ). Love is the supreme NEED of the Christian life, it is the “ MORE EX CELLENT WAY” (1 Cor. 12:31)-. HIS OWN GALLOWS “ So they hanged Haman on the gal lows that he had p r e p a r e d for Mordecai.” A baker living in a village not far from Quebec bought his butter from a neighboring farmer. One day he became suspicious that the butter was not of the same weight, and there fore decided to satisfy himself about it. For several days he weighed the butter, and then found that the rolls of butter which the farmer brought were gradually, diminishing in weight. This angered nim so that he had the farmer arrested. “ I presume you have weights,” said the judge. “ No, sire,” replied the farmer. “ How then do you manage to weigh the butter that you sell?” “ That’s easily explained, your honor,” said the farmer. “When the baker commenced buying his but ter of me, I thought I’d get my bread of him, and it’s the one pound loaf I’ve been using as a weight for the butter I sell. If the weight of the butter is wrong, he has himself to blame.”— The Bible Call. ¿He. A ATLANTA BIBLE INSTITUTE A member of The King’s Business Family in Atlanta, Georgia, sends us an announcement of the opening of classes for study of the Bible in the Baptist Tabernacle, of that city, of which Will H. Houghton is pastor. We bespeak the prayers of our readers for this new enterprise and rejoice in every organization which has for its object “ Bible Study and Training for Christian Service.”
2. LOVE IN ITS POSSESSION IS OF THE SPIRIT’S CREATION (Gal. 5:22; John 15:1-8). 3. LOVE IN ITS PRINCIPLE IS THE LAW OF CHRIST (Gal. 6:2; 2 John 1, 5; Heb. 8:10). 4. LOVE IN ITS WORKING IS UN SELFISH AND PURE (1 Cor- 13:6; Phil. 2:4, 20, 25-30; 2 Cor. 12:15). 5. LOVE IN ITS M I N I S T R Y SERVES (Gal. 5:13; Mark 10:45). 6 . LOVE IN ITS MANIFESTATION IS SACRIFICING (John 3:16; Gal. 2: 20: Eph. 5:25; 1 John 3:16-18). Love is tho sum of grace, the life of truth, the basis of holiness, the vitality of the Gospel, the mainspring jot service, the essence of Christianity, the explanation of Calvary’s Cross, the nature of God, and will be the fulness of glory in the ages to come. Christianity begins in God’s infinite love to fallen man, for “ we love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4 :19 ), and, it is manifested in and through God’s people as they serve, work, sympathize with and help others. It must be remembered that love to others is the necessary evi dence to prove that we know and love God. It is written: “ If a Ilian say, I love God. and katetb his brother, he la a llari fo r he that lovetb not his brother whom he hath seen, how con he love God whom he hath not seen I” (1 John 4 lUO), Love, then, is of supreme value. No matter what else we may have or may not have, we do need to be possessed and governed by love if we would min“ How Much Shall I Give?”
“ If I «peak with the tongue« o f men nnd o f nnaela. but have not love, I am become Mounding; brans, or a clanging; cymbal. And If 1 have the Rift o f prophecy, and know all mysteries and all know ledge! and If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am n o th liiR . And If I bestow all my Roods to feed the poor, and if I Rive my body to be burned, but have not love. It p r o flte th me nothlnR” (1 Cor. 13sl-3, A. 8. V .). H OVE is unique in its value. It is the real test of all we are and do as people of God. If we have not love, the great est gifts we may possess and exercise, are hollow, and the greatest things we may perform are mere empty performances. What we do, derives its value from love. The greatest and the most brilliant gifts, exercised apart from love, do not add any quality to the believer, bring him no real spiritual blessing now, nor yet a reward in the day of Christ, neither do they bring a real blessing to others. Gifts may be exercised for the sake of display and ostentation. They may be exercised in order to appear great in the eyes of men and to be- praised and honored. Without "love” proph ecy, knowledge and faith are not what they seem, but are merely empty show and pretension. Paul says elsewhere In his Corinthian Epistle: M\ ow concerning; thluRs sacrificed to Idols! we know that w e all bave kn ow l edge. KnowledRe puffeth up. but love edifieth (III., butldeth u p ). I f any man tkinketh that he knoweth anythlnR, he knoweth not yet as he ouRht to kn ow i but If any man lovetb God. the same Is known by Him*9 (1 Cor. 8 il-3 , A. 8. V-). Love alone adds quality to what we do, because it alone enables us to serve others to edification. And edification is the Divine purpose in the bestow- ment of all gifts (Rom. 12:4-8; ETph. 4:11-13, 16). Love is the spirit of all true service. ‘ The Apostle exhorts the Galatian believers, saying, “ B u t through love be servants one to an other” (Gal. 6:13, A. S. V .). As we are in possession of and under the control of love alone can we use our gifts to the edification of others. Let us consider love’s character and so learn to know its real source, essence, value, power and ministry. Observe— 1. LOVE IN ITS SOURCE AND NA TURE IS DIVINE (1 John 4:8; Rom. 5 :5 ; 2 Cor. 6:14).
“He ftiat spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up fo r us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all th ings?” —Rom. 8:23. “ Go break to the needy Salva tion’s Blest bread— For giving is living,” the angel said. “ And must I be giving again— and again?” My peevish and pitiless answer ran. “ Oh no,” said the angel, pierc ing me through. “ Just give— 'til the M a s t e r stops giving you.” — Selected.
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