September 1928
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A few weeks later, a brother missionary visited him, and Mr. Richards asked him, “What do these words mean?” - He replied, “ No doubt this is our Lord’s command—but there, nobody carries it ou t!” At last, after much prayer, God gave him grace to trans late these words o f our Lord, and the result was according to his faith. The natives came and asked him for everything he had! One got missionary’s gun, another got missionary’s table, another missionary’s saucepan, till he had literally nothing le ft; and he felt he dared not refuse them anything, lest he might cause them to stumble. Whether he was right or wrong will be seen in the sequel. Within a few days the Holy Spirit came upon the natives and convicted them; they were seized with compunc tion at Raving left poor missionary without anything, and one by one they brought back every stick they had taken. A revival broke out in that place, and they had over one thousand inquirers within a few weeks. If we are only willing to obey God, then He can trust us, and He can make us channels'through which the living water will flow. Rev. E. L. Hamilton says: “ I remember once rebuking a Christian worker for mani festing an unforgiving spirit toward another. At length she said, ‘Well, I will forgive her, but I never want to have any thing more to do with her.’ I stopped her and said, ‘Is that how you want God to forgive you? Do you want Him to say He will forgive you, but He will have nothing more to do with you?’ ” gte g » Who are the Great People? Dr. Gordon says: “ The great people o f the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean, those who talk about prayer, but I mean those people who take time to pray. They have not time. It must be taken from some thing else. This something, else is important. Very im portant and pressing, but still less important and pressing than prayer. There are people that put prayer first, and group the other items in life’s schedule around and after prayer.” ate ate As to Your Looks J. R. Miller says: “ Those who have Christ in their homes do not look like other people. There is a radiance or sunniness about them when they come out that tells of an unworldly source of joy. There is something about their speech, too, that lets out the secret; they cannot help talking about their Guest. Fragrant flowers cannot be concealed, and there is a fragrance about Jesus that always reveals His presence. Light cannot be hidden, and there is so much light in Him that it shines out at every window, and through every chink and crevice of the house where He abides. Love itself is invisible, but wherever it dwells it produces such effects that its presence soon becomes known. It makes people gentle, kindly, thoughtful, un selfish, and fills them with new desires to do good, and to serve and bless others. And wherever Christ is, love is, in all its pervasive, transforming influence.” O ctober 5, 1928 T ext; Matt: 6:12
Other Than Mine “So are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts .”— I saiah 5 5 :9. C atherine S. M iller I would have chosen a sunlit path, All strewn with roses fair, With never a cloud to darken, my way, Nor a shade o f anxious care. But H e chose fo r me a better way — Not sunshine or roses sweet, But clouds o’erhead, and thorns below That cut and hurt my feet. I have deep joys o f another kind, My Rose o f Sharon is He, ■ And as fo r sunshine——His lovely face Is perfect sunshine to me. I would have chosen my life to be Active, tireless and strong : A constant, ceaseless working fo r Him, Amid the needy throng. But H e chose fo r me a better lot — A life o f frequent pain, O f strength withheld when ’twas needed most, And loss instead o f gain. H e gave me work o f another kind, ■ Far, far above my thought, The work of interceding with Him, For souls that H e had bought. ’ Tis far, far better to let Him choose The way that we should take, I f only we leave our life with Him, H e will guide without mistake. We, in our blindness, would never choose A pathway dark and rough, And so we should never find in Him, “ The God who is enough.” In disappointment, trouble and pain We turn to the changeless One And prove how faithful, loving and wise Is God’s beloved Son.
O ctober 4, 1928 Text: Matt. 5:42
The Rev. Henry Richards had been expounding to the natives in the Congo district, the Sermon on the Mount. When he came to the words, “ Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow o f thee turn not thou away,” he said, “ I dare not interpret this, for if I did, I know that the natives would come and ask me for everything I have.” So he put it aside, and expounded something else.
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