T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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man an exalted place in partn ersh ip w ith Himself in the work of saving men. He has co-ordinated th e Divine and the hum an in John 1 4 :1 3 / “Ye shall ask— I will do. ' The highest thought of prayer however is not man moving God hu t God moving man as th e Holy Spirit makes intercession through him according to th e will of God. TUESDAY, Dec. 27. Heb. 13:10-21. S piritual Sacrifices The Old Testam ent p riest was pu ri fied in order th a t he m ight offer the appointed sacrifices'and en ter th e holy place to intercede for others. While the sacrificial system of th e Old T esta ment prefigures the A tonement and finds its fulfillment in the Gospel, th ere are th ree sacrifices th a t each believer is to offer as a New Testam ent priest. 1. His own body, Rom. 12:1; Phil. 2 :17 ; 2 Tim. 4.6. 2. His worship and praise to God, Heb. 13:15. 3. His sub stance, Heb. 13:16; Phil. 4:18. The la st two may be united as we attend th e sanctuary services on the Lord’s day. A thorough consecration will se cure all three. Every child of God is called to a sacrificial life. He does not count his life dear unto himself, 1 John 3:16. He follows in th e footsteps of his Master and his sacrificial service is precious in the sight of God. “ It came to pass th a t God did tempt Abraham ,” Gen. 22:1. A b etter word for “ tem p t” is test or prove. Every thing is tested from th e smallest needle to th e g reatest engine. As th e value cf th e product, is increased the te st be comes more severe. T h at which passes th e te st successfully is stamped with_ the trad e mark. T hat which fails to pass is rejected. Life is full of moral tests. God tests all His creatures. The highest type of character always re ceives the most exacting test. God wanted to make Abraham th e fath er of the faithful, th e progenitor of a m ighty race. W hat a glorious privilege to be stamped w ith th e trad e m ark of Heaven! Heavy burdens and sharp trials are compliments if we only knew it. When Satan tests our faith, it is to destroy it. When God tests our faith it is to strengthen it. WEDNESDAY, Dec. 28. Jas. 1:12-17. The Test of F aith .
“ ‘H ast thou a sorrow ?’ saith the tem pt er bold ‘It shows th y F ath e r h ath forgotten thee, Renounce thy faith, thy tru st in Him w ithhold, Would One who loves afflict so grievously?’ ■“ ‘H ast thou a sorrow? faith saith to my soul, ‘It shows thy F ath e r seeks thy b etter ment. Ask Him so to direct it and control, T h at thou mayest gain the blessing w ith it sen t’.” P rayer reaches back to the first ages of man upon the earth. Abraham was an Old Testam ent saint who believed in and practiced prayer. When in obed ience to th e Divine call he went out into an unknown country, wherever he pitched his tent, he bu ilt an a lta r and called upon th e name of th e Lord. As God’s revelations became more full and frequent, Abraham ’s prayerfulness in creased. On one of these occasions “Abraham fell on his face and God talked w ith him ,” Gen. 17:3. Prayer is a dialogue in which God’s p a rt has th e g reater value. Even th e destiny of Ishmael in later years is shaped by Abraham ’s prayer, “O th a t Ishmael m ight live before th e e !” In his in te r cession w ith God for Sodom it is signi ficant th a t Abraham stopped asking b e fore God stopped giving. There was at least one righteous man in Sodom, 2 Pet. 2:8. Had Abraham dared to ask God to spare the city for his sake, it is possible th a t Sodom m ight have been saved. FRIDAY, Dec. 30. Jo h n 12:23-33. Sowing o r Storing Life. A bushel of wheat may be stored in a bin .or sowed in the ground. In the bin its value decreases un til it is worth less. In the soil it reproduces itself a hundred fold. Jesu s had already placed H is foot upon th e slope of th a t ascent whose sacrificial summ it was Calvary. A little company of heathen sought Him out and asked for an interview . He m ight have seen behind th a t little com pany of Greeks, the vast m ultitudes of the heathen world. There m ight have come to him the suggestion to postpone THURSDAY, Dec. 29. Gen. 18:23-33. Abraham th e Man of P rayer.
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