Feb. 28, 1954 T hree F or M e OBJECTS: A piece of chalk, a shoe and a chair. LESSON: If I should tell you that these three — the chalk, shoe and chair — had all died for us,'would you be surprised? I hope you would believe me. It is true, even though it does seem strange. At one time this piece of chalk was alive. It is made up of the dead bodies of mil lions of very small creatures. Be cause they died, we now have the use of the chalk with which we write, and through which we may learn new truths. This chair was once alive in the forest, and its life was given in order that we might have a place to rest when tired. At one time this shoe was the skin of a live animal. The animal had to die in order that we might have shoes and walk with ease. It is not difficult to find many things which we use every day, hav ing come to us because something has died. Because of this, it should be easier to understand about Christ’s death for us. In John 10:10,11, we read: “ I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” Going back to the chalk, let me
ing up the cross, rather than folding it up. Feb. 21, 1954 A L oyal L etter OBJECTS: A letter, addressed and stamped, and an imitation signboard, cut from cardboard with the name of a local town on it. LESSON: Who can tell what this is? Yes, it is a signboard. It reads, “ Portland, Oregon, 10 miles.” (Sub stitute any local town.) The arrow
JUST IN CASE « ear Lord, make our Bob better soon. And bless Albert’s leg. He can walk now without his crutches but he takes them along just in case.” The 6-year-old was supposed to be thanking the Lord for the food on the table when he came up with this startling prayer. Kent’s older brothers and sisters tried vainly to suppress giggles. Albert, a close friend of the old er sons in the family, had broken his leg for about the 10th time. When the leg was set the doctors performed an operation in an at tempt to strengthen that weak bone. Now after many weeks the young man was on his feet but he was taking every precaution in negotiating steps and turning around. His use of crutches did not indicate lack of faith in what God had i wrought for him. He knew God had performed a minor miracle in the healing thus far. Neither was he presuming on God’s grace by carelessness. Kent’s “just in case” set Mother to thinking of the numerous chil dren of God who do limp along on the crutches of lack of faith when they should be “ running the race” with vigor. Oh yes, they have faith that God will save their loved one. But they wear the crutch of prayerlessness because the case seems so hopeless. Do they have faith in the for eign missionary program among evangelicals? Indeed! This will be the most fruitful year yet with more missionaries than ever going out. But this faith will not be put into action by their giving. Their crutch, “just in case” of an unexpected emergency in their home or business, is faithlessness in giving. They say they are un able to give more. God sees a heart which is unwilling to sacrifice. Genuine faith does not limp along on the crutches of “just in case.” It is the “ substance [assur ance] of things hoped for, the evi dence [a conviction] of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Have we j faith?
on the signboard tells the direction of the town. All of you know that this is a letter I hold in my other hand. It, too, has the name “ Portland, Ore gon” written on it. Letters and signboards are very different, although they may have the name of the same town written on them. What is the difference? I hear someone say, “The signboard tells you which way to go, and the letter goes for you.” Yes, that is a good answer. The signboard says, “You go,” and the letter says, “ I’ll go for you.” Signboards and letters are like peo ple. There are many people in the world who, when there is a hard task to be done, say, “You go. I will stay here.” They may point the way cor rectly, but they never go themselves. They are good at telling others what to do, but they never do the thing themselves. Now look at this faithful letter. It is properly addressed and stamped. All I need to do is to drop it in a letter box, and it will go to deliver my message. Another thing which should be remembered about this let ter is that it will deliver every word I give it. It will not add to or take away from my message. As I look at this faithful letter, I am reminded of the blind man about whom we are told in the 9th chapter of John. When asked about the One who had healed him, he took God’s message direct to those that asked by saying, “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see . . . If this man were not of God, he could do nothing” (John 9:25,33). God is looking for people who are willing to be “ letters” for Him, faith fully delivering His messages.
remind you that through it, we may learn many truths. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). The chair reminds us of rest, and immediately we think of Christ’s words, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). The shoe reminds us of walking and we think of John 8:12, “ I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Because he was the Good Shepherd and gave His life for us, we have many things for which to thank the Lord Jesus Christ.
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