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of life, and to a determination to grow spiritually. So they set aside a daily period for song, Scripture read ing, and prayer. The results are a new sense of family unity, a shrinking of troubles, and a remarkable freedom from worry. For a lpng time we have known that spiritually s t r o n g characters come from homes where there is a family altar in good repair. Strength for the trials of life cannot be given in great quantities for long intervals of time. Rqther it must be obtained by continu ous application to Him who is the source of the Christian’s strength. More than any other one cause, the breakdown of the family altar is the reason for the lack of virility in Christianity. Too often our belief has been, perhaps unconsciously, that power and courage for the Christian life must come from meetings in the church building. All the while there has been the promise that where two or three gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, God was there to bless and empower. God give us the family altar again! ★ ★ Changes In this month’s magazine our regu lar readers will observe a number of changes. One which will be warmly welcomed is the change to a better grade of paper. Because of war con ditions and our present method of printing on a rotary press, we are not yet able to use a hard finish white paper, but the better grade of "book” paper will, we are sure, make a much neater magazine. THE KING’S BUSINESS is now printed on a high speed press like a newspaper. This process demands an absorbent paper on which the ink will dry almost instantly. Thé other method of printing is by the regular “flatbed” method on which any grade of paper may be used. This is slower and consequently more costly. We thank God for the opportunity to use this better paper, and look forward to the time when our printing method will allow us to use the completely white paper. Some of our readers, while delighted with the contents, have hesitated to recommend the magazine to their friends because of the paper on which it was printed. It is hoped that with this change, many additional friends may be secured, and our opportunities for witnessing thereby greatly en larged. Please pray for üs that we may seek only the glory of God in every depart ment of this magazine. If you have constructive suggestions, tell us; if not, tell the Lord.
to support the war effort, to buy bonds, to give to the Red Cross, to comply with regulations, and to back in every way possible the promotion of the war. This is right, for we believe the Word of God teaches that Christians are to be in subjection to their gov ernment, and that when there is no conflicting principle at stake, they are to support it to the fullest extent. That the propaganda of the govern ment has been successful there is no doubt. Never in all the history of nations has there been such an in credible amount of material and serv ices produced for the prosecution of a war. The industrial might of this country staggers the imagination. But our point is this: Does it not seem strange that when our nation is so earnestly bending every muscle to win the war, and when we are exhorted on every hand not to waste a penny or a minute, that the huge sprawling octopus of the destructive liquor traffic should not only be al lowed to go on its nefarious way, but evidently to be encouraged by some in high office? Is it consistent to take precious grain to brew the foul stuff, and precious gasoline and tires to cart it to shops and docks? Is It consistent to allocate glass and metal for containers and to use valuable space in ships to take it to the far ends of the earth? Is it consistent to be aware of the connection be tween liquor and all forms of debili tating vice and not to crush it to the death? No, America is not consistent in this! Take, too, the recent hullabaloo over ,*if!e cigarette shortage. While un doubtedly a lesser evil than drink, there is no doubt that if we were absolutely honest, we would decide that our war effort would be immeas urably advanced by the strict curb ing of this evil. We might go on to consider the unchecked movie indus try, the horse-racing tracks (now closed, but allowed to operate for three wartime years), the night life, and the gambling. Even aside from the aspect of sin and righteousness, are we con sistent as a nation? These things are postponing the day of final victory. And what does God think? In all His dealings with the sons of men, God is absolutely consistent. It is unthinkable that the Ruler of the Universe should be otherwise. And He must be consistent as He answers our prayers. But how can He regard our repeated and clamorous petitions for victory and peace when our na tional and individual lives only too clearly show our hopeless inconsist ency? God is not deceived. Nor will God be mockedi May He grant to us a real revival of consistent thinking and living. [Continued on Page 159]
Not Enough to Believe In God It seems to be increasingly common for worldly-minded people to assume either a pious or patriotic attitude by speaking familiarly of God. Stories have come out of the war relating how under stress of battle our servicemen have sought God. Over the radio certain other people have offered deftly phrased prayers, or have mur mured “ God bless you,” or have crooned “God bless America.” Let us not be deceived in this. It is not enough to believe in God. With very few, exceptions, all men believe there is a God. Surely only a fool can behold the ubiquitous indi cations of God’s handiwork and not admit that He exists. The demons also believe and tremble. This uni versal recognition of God has no sav ing value, nor has this kind of peti tion any access to His throne. If there is one truth plainly taught on the pages of the New Testament, it is, since the cross, there is but one basis of approach to God. To forget, ignore, or circumvent this Way is to fail to learn the greatest lesson in life. The reason is patent. Mankind is sinful, exceedingly sinful. God is holy, absolutely holy. There is no fellow ship between holiness and sin. The only meeting, plaice is on the ground of satisfactory punishment for sin. As the wagesi/ofjsifT is dejgth, blood must be shed. Therefore the » a n who at tempts to tench the th lifte -o f God without pleading the ^eansing/sadrK ficially shed b}o4d of cjhriif,. is op'siijf flaunting his ^Sin|inmess4;'in GiM's* face. NpVgjf. ' J ' f f ' This matter, of! speaklft^JaffriJiarly of God whil«y>jiiterly ignorii|£ Chrisdt is anotheri*»f!Sit*n’s dfebolicarsubtlw ties. By^MCW fele ii^ i u l l e d into a sleep'of T&aGS Ymrsde, it^sounds so pioub, a‘n# rit^doesnSt Attend 'man’s pride, underneath is the thought that, after all, God and you are compara tively close friends. How tragic! Fail not, my Christian friends, to sound the warning note. Eternal death is the portion of all who fail to come by the Way of the Son of God. ★ ★ Consistency Perhaps the greatest, the most over whelming, the most comprehensive barrage of words that has ever been let loose upon a nation has been spoken and written from our govern ment agencies to the American peo ple. By our newspapers, over the ra dio, in our magazines, with posters, by singers, actors and sky writers, the people of this land have been urged
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