THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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Saviour is found, so you see th ere is com fort in a cloud.” A Scotch m other had six sons, five we're saved, one was a prodigal. A fter years of prayer for Him, a neighbor rem arked, “Why worry about John; you have five good boys?.” The m other’s h ea rt was stirred . “ John— I prayed for him in th e cradle, have hung on to him all these years, and God will yet have him .” She lived to see him saved. “Though He slay me, yet will I tru s t H im .” T rials Tu rned to Triumph. There is a Mission in Jap an which has a meeting place bu ilt by th e stones th a t were thrown a t the Christians in years gone by. A mob rushed upon the Christians and stoned them away; and when the tim e of peace came the Chris tians picked up the stones, and worked them into the building. “All things work tog ether for good.” Rom. 8:28. When S. R u th erfo rd was sentenced to imprisonm ent a t Aberdeen “ for R ight eousness sake,” he w rote th u s to a friend: “The Lord is w ith me, I care not w hat man can do, I burden no man, I w ant nothing. No person is provided for b etter th a n I am. My chains are ever gilded w ith gold. No pen, no words; nothing can express the beauty of Christ.” T rials Develope F aith . A Christian w orker said, “When I dig a man out of troub le th e hole he leaves behind him is th e grave in which I bury my own troubles.” The colored people who were slaves, in the South developed a rem arkable faith in God during th e ir bondage. The u n ju st oppression drove them to God. So has persecution and trib u latio n de veloped the Hebrews. No soft sunny climate, it is said, has ever developed a people who have given much to th e world. Where it is easy to produce a living from th e soul, the people become pleasure loving and self- seeking. But in such countries as Scot land, where it takes h ard toil to get a
vation; He was pledged to see them th rough and to bring them into th e land of promise, and He did finally. In our lesson, He is preparing His leader—Moses. God is pledged to have us w ith Himself, and He is preparing the world for th is end. PRACTICAL POINTS (1 ) God’s prom ise was m anifest in the m aterial prosperity of Israel (Gen. 46:3);- (2 ) God’s people are perfected through persecution. (3) The development of th e Church is determ ined by th e discipline of the disciples. (4 ) Our sins are S atan ’s taskm asters. (5 ) P rosperity separates disciples; ad versity and affliction cement them. (6 ) The Church has been in th e fire for centuries; its history is one of con flict. (7) When Saul made havoc of the church, th e saints were scattered, teaching the Scriptures. (8) If we are to be weaned from the world, we m ust learn to hate its slavery. (9 ) Through th e stren g th of th e Lord, they were stronger th a n th e ir ene mies (Psa. 105 :24 ). “Mary,” said I, “ you m ust have very d ark days; they must be overhung w ith clouds sometimes.” “Yes,” said the dear old saint, “ bu t then I often find com fort in a cloud.” LESSON “Com fort in a cloud, ILLUSTRATIONS Mary.” “Yes, when W. H. P ik e I am very low and d ark I go to the window and if I see a heavy cloud, I th in k of those precious words, ‘a cloud received Him ou t of th e ir sigh t’ (Acts 1 :9 ) and I look up and see th e cloud sure enough, and th en I th in k : Well, th a t may be the cloud b,ehind which my sfe T rials A re Blessings in Disguise.
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