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Nothing so m inisters to h ealth and vigor of soul as undeviating obedience; th ere is streng th gained by th e very effort to obey. This is tru e in th e case of all, bu t especially so as regard s those who stand in th e capacity of m inisters of th e Lord. Such must walk in obedi ence if they would be used in m inistry. How could E lijah have said, as he afterw ards did, upon Mount Carmel, “ If th e Lord be God, follow H im ,” if his own private path had exhibited a wil ful and rebellious sp irit? Impossible, th e p ath of a servant must be th e path of obedience, otherw ise he chases to be a servant. The word serv an t is as inseparably linked w ith obedience, as is work w ith workman. “A servan t,” as ano th er has observed, “must movfe when the bell rings.” Would th a t we were all more alive to th e sound of our M aster’s bell, and more ready to ru n in th e direction in which it summons us. “Speak, Lord, fo r th y servant h eareth .” Here is our proper language. W hether th e word of the Lord summons us from our retirem en t into th e m idst of our breth ren , or from thence into re tire m ent again, may our language ever be, “ Speak, Lord, for th y servant h eareth .” The word of th e Lord, and th e a tte n tive ear of a servant, are all we need to carry us safely and happily onward. E lijah and a Poor Woman. 1 Kings 17:8-24. Memory Verse.— “All things work to gether for good to them th a t love God.” Rom. 8:28. Approach.— Boys and girls, how many nights th is week have you stayed awake worrying and wondering if you were going to have anything to eat the next few days or BEGINNERS weeks? Now you AND PRIMARY are laughing be- Mabel L. M e r r i l l c a u s e I asked th is question. E arl, why do you not worry about where you are going to get your meals and clothes to
th a t th e soul of th e prophet should he trie d in order th a t it m ight he seen w hether he was depending upon Cher ith , or upon th e Lord God of Israel; hence, “ it came to pass, afte r awhile, th a t th e brook d ried up .” We are ever in danger, through th e infirm ity of our flesh, of having our faith propped up by circumstances, and when these are favorable, we think our faith is strong, and vice versa. But faith never looks a t circum stances; it looks straig h t to God; it has to do ex clusively w ith H im and His promises. Thus it was w ith E lijah ; it m attered little to him whether Cherith continued to flow or no t; he could say,, “ In vain th e creatu re stream s are dry, I have a fountain still.” God was his fountain, his unfailing, exhaustless fountain. The brook m ight yield to th e influence of th e prevail ing drought, bu t no drought could af fect God, and th e prophet knew this; he knew th a t the word of th e Lord was as certain a portion, and as sure a basis in the drying up of Cherith, as it had been during th e tim e of his so jou rn upon its banks; and so it was, f o r . “ the word of th e Lord came to him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zare- phath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell th ere; behold, I have commanded a widow woman th ere to sustain thee.” Circumstances change; human things fail; creatu re stream s are dried, up, bu t Go
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