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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
June, 1938
J u l y 20 Intrusted
JULY 12 He Is Enough
child the greatest possible treasures of grace...........Let us not fear the hidden mys teries of God’s providences. Let us willingly accept what we cannot understand, and wait patiently; and in God’s own time, when our heart has been prepared for the outburst of blessing, the cloud will pour forth its secret contents, the mysteries will be made plain, and our heart will be filled with unspeakable gratitude for the thick darkness that enshrouded us and for every cloud that veiled God’s face for a time. —E zra S. G erig . JULY 17 A Divine Standard "That ye may know . . . the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who be lieve, according to that working of the strength of his might which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead” (Eph. 1:18-20, R. V .). Samuel Chadwick once said that the res urrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the New Testament standard of power: it is the sample and pledge of what God can do for man. . . . “ From Moses to Malachi the appeal was to the Red Sea as the su preme demonstration of God’s power to help and save.” But in the New Testament it is no longer the Red Sea, but the empty tomb, “ and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead stands at the forefront of the Christian dispensation, as the greatest achievement of omnipoten'ce, and the stand ard of what God can do for them that believe.”—T . W ilkinson R iddle . JULY 18 Now "Behold, now is the accepted time1’ (2 Cor. 6:2). No time for God? What fools we are to clutter up Our lives with common things And leave without the heart’s gate The Lord of Life, and life itself— Our G o d ! No time for God? Some day you’ll lay aside This mortal self and make your way T o worlds unknown; And when you meet Him face to face W ill He—should He Have time for you? —'The Apostolic Review. JULY 19 Confessing Christ "A disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38). There cannot be a secret Christian. Grace is like ointment hid in the hand; it be- trayeth itself. A lively Christian cannot keep silence. If you truly feel the sweet ness of the cross of Christ, you will be constrained to confess Christ before men. Do you confess Him in your family? Among your companions do you own Him a Friend whom you have found? Are you willing to be known as a man washed in the blood of the Lamb? — R obert M urray M c C h eyn e .
“My grace is sufficient’ (2 Cor. 12:9). Old Matthew Henry has translated “ El Shaddai,” the Hebrew name for God, “ The God who is enough.” It is a fine sugges tion. It is the idea of all sufficiency, ade quacy, fullness. W e are so limited; we reach the end of our resources so soon ; we are constantly sensible of our inadequacy. How glorious to realize that we have a God who is enough! He has made full provi sion for all our need.—A. B. S impson . JULY 13 Purchased Peace “ Having made peace through the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:20). I have lost that weary bondage of doubt, and almost despair, which chained me for so many years. I have the same sins and temptations as before, and I do not strive against them more than before, and it is often just as hard work. But whereas I could not before see why I should be saved, I cannot now see why I should not be saved if Christ died for sinners. On that word I take my stand, and rest there. —'F rances R idley H avergal . JULY 14 An Eager Echo "Surely I come quickly . . . Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). It was as the representative of the church that John answered the Lord’s blessed declaration regarding His imminent return. And when we think of our personal impedi ments, trials, sorrows, and adversaries, what else can we cry but “ Come” ? When we think of a poor, sin-laden humanity, of a distracted, devil-ridden world, what else can we do but re-echo the response, “ Come” ? . . . When we think of an un spiritual, apostate church, then the cry is intensified. For us He died I For us He lives and intercedes! For us He is coming! Yes, and He is on the way. The night is far spent, beloved; let us be ready to hail H im ! —H erbert L ockyer . "Thou art no more a servant, but a son; . . . an heir of God through Christ’ (Gal. 4:7). I f all Christians but realized their glori ous dignity and destiny, what joy it would inspire in their hearts! This was the free dom that Paul had. See him in the jail at Philippi, in the inner prison, his feet fast in the stocks, but his spirit free as the eagle that soars in the sky..................Nero might thrust him into the Mamertine dun geon, but it was the tyrant and not his prisoner that was the real slave. A child of God who realizes his dignity cannot be robbed of his liberty, c—J. R. M iller . JULY 16 God in the Cloud "My God . . . viho maketh the clouds his chariot’ (Psa. 104:1, 3). Behind every dark cloud is the loving Father who delights in His own, and who fashions every cloud with infinite skill that it may carry into the life of His trusting JULY IS Liberty in Christ
"I have kept the faith” (2 Tim . 4:7). In this expression Paul compared faith to a golden deposit, a divine treasure that had been committed to him for safe-keeping. And as a good banker takes care of the money that is deposited with him, so Paul, as a good banker, had kept the faith that Christ gave him, inviolate against all heresy and error and infidelity, and had preserved in his heart the one pure faith that Christ had once for all delivered to the Saints. . . . The keeping of this faith inviolate against all false doctrine and all unfaith fulness is the test of our probation in this life.— G eorge D. W atson . “ And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9). The Hebrews have a saying that God is more delighted in adverbs than in nouns: it is not so much the matter that’s done, but the matter how it is done, that God minds. Not how much, but how w ell! It is the well doing that meets with a “ well done.” Let us, therefore, serve God, not nominally or verbially, but adverbially. —R alph V enning . Let me work now, for all eternity, With its immortal leisure, waiteth me. — S elected . JULY 22 Self-Defense "The. word of God is not bound” (2 Tim. 2:9). The strongest defense of the gospel is the constant proclamation of the gospel. One of Satan’s most subtle and damaging de vices is to divert Christian ministers and Bible teachers from their primary obligation to proclaim the gospel to the making of attacks on enemies who pervert the gospel. The truth is its own vindication. When it is declared in the power of the Holy Spirit it defends itself and thwarts its enemies. —Bible Today . JULY 23 When We Call "Call unto me, and I will answer thee" (Jer. 33:3). “ Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and”— as it is in the Hebrew —■“ inaccessible things,” incredible things, impossible things, things that you could not believe; but if you have faith, you will believe in the impossible. “ I will show thee great and incredible things which thou knowest not.” You have often heard that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity, but do you know something further? that God’s opportunity is man’s importunity? i'j'ijtCHARLES A. FOX. "As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Cor. 15:49). Is it my ambition that in all my ways I may be like Christ? Am I seeking that men shall sec ill hie the lineaments of JULY 21 Adverbially JULY 24 His Image
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