need the Lord. These spots of sin in all of our lives cannot be covered by powder or paint, for the old nature is still underneath. We need to be made new men and women in Christ, transformed by the light of His glo rious Gospel. It is what we are inside that proves what we are outside. We must have the Lord who alone can bring us new life in Christ. In Psalm 49:7 we read, “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.” One’s eternal destiny must, and can only, be determined here while he is still living. The Saviour gave us the solemn words, “If you are still in your sins, where I go you cannot come.” Man is lost and guilty needing justification. Man is wrong inside. Washing the outside with bleach or peroxide will make no difference whatsoever. Ever present are the desires for evil things. For such iniquities, soap will never take them away. There is a paint company that car ries the slogan, “Save the surface and you save all.” This is not true, spiritually speaking. It is the life inside that needs regeneration. May the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanse us from all sin, placing all our iniquities upon the blessed Sav iour.
A Christian is one who has given up some of his own comfort in order to provide it for others. * * * SU STA IN ING STRENGTH An ancient monarch had twin sons, but no one knew which one was bom first. All who knew the pair thought them equal in intelligence, personal charm, and physical strength. The king had to make a very difficult decision. He told them in his declining years, “I am sending you together to a far comer of my kingdom. One of my advisors tfiere will place equal burdens upon your1shoulders. My crown will go to the one of you who first returns bearing his burden cheerfully as a king should.” On their way the princes met an aged woman who was struggling under a load too heavy for her to bear. While one stopped, the other protested, “We’ll have burdens of our own to worry about. Don’t waste your time on her," and he hurried on his way. His kindly brother stayed behind, however, receiving the poor woman’s grateful thanks. But his being sought for help didn’t end there. Along the road from day to day he found others who were pleading for as sistance. A blind man took him miles out of his way. One who was lame slowed him to a cripple’s walk. Many days had passed when he finally reached his fa ther’s advisor and secured his own burden. Then, it was with quicken pace that he hurried home. Arriving at the palace his brother was completely dis mayed. “I gave up along the way. How did you ever make it with such ease?’’ The future king thoughtfully replied, “I suppose the secret is that by helping others carry their burdens I found the strength for my own." The Word of God exhorts us to “bear one another’s bur dens.” We are to look, not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things (the spirtual needs), of others. Are you concerned about the weight that someone else has to carry? In this way your life and testimony for Christ can be enriched and extended knowing that He who gives you the strength to carry the load of another will give you the grace to sustain your own burdens in times of personal trial and affliction. * It's the duty of the pastor not only to comfort the distressed but also to distress the comfortable. 12 * *
Al and Margaret Sanders are pictured during a recording session for a special portion of the daily "Biola Hour" broadcasts. The two have worked together on the programs for more than 13 years, having first met in a Biola radio studio 19 years ago.
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