THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS
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Meditations in Matthew and Mark
lone Lowman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Apologetics, Bible Institute of Los Angeles
Hallowed be thy name” (Matt. 6:9). “Our Father!” There are no sweeter words to express our confidence and faith. Once a man was walking up and down the paths of his garden. In his arms-, he carried his little blind daughter. A business acquaintance came into the garden and took the child from her father’s arms. She made no objection. The father said, “Aren’t you afraid, Little One?” She answered, “No.” “But, you do not know who has you.” Her reply chal lenges our trust: “No, I don’t, but you do, Father.” We, too, can say, “No, I do not understand the purpose of this testing, but You do. Father, and it is all right with me.” April 7 “If ye . . . know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matt. 7:11). These words remind us of the words of the Psalmist, “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk up rightly.” The things which we often desire may seem good to our eyes, but they might cause tragedy were they permitted to become our own: “I walked a mile with Pleasure, She chatted all the way, But left me none the wiser, For all she had to say. “I walked a mile with Sorrow, And never a word said she, But oh, the lessons that I learned When sorrow walked with me.” —Anon. April 8 “He touched her hand, and the fever left her” (Matt. 8:15). “From ev’ry stormy wind that blows, From ev’ry swelling tide of woes, There is a calm, a sure retreat, ’Tis found beneath the mercy- seat”
begets human babies, a beaver begets little beavers . . ,. . A beaver builds a dam, a man makes a statue . . . He may make a statue which is very like a man . . . But, of course, it’s not a real man; it only looks like one . . . “What God begets is God; just as what man begets is man. What God creates is not God; just as what man makes is not man. That is why men are not sons of God in the sense that Christ is.” So we bow in worship before Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son, only begot ten, very God of very God, our Saviour. April 4 “And Jesus went about . . . teach ing . . . preaching . . . healing” (Matt 4:23). As we read these words, may our minds be quickened to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. A teachable mind becomes a means of enrichment to others as it is itself taught by God. May our emotions be challenged as the “preaching of the Cross” stirs us to activity for our Lord. May our souls know the healing touch of the nail- pierced hands so that the heart of the Lord may rejoice over us. April 5 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). My light? Have I a light? Jesus Christ is the Light of the world and He dwells in every child of His. We are not instructed to be lights; we are told to permit the Light to shine. The purpose of the shining is to reveal the “good works, which God hath . . . ordained that we s h o u l d walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). If we are obedient to this command, God, our Father, will be glorified. When He commands, He makes obedience possible. Set your will to let the Light shine. April 6 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven,
April 1 "The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph . . . Mary thy wife . . . shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20, 21). "Take time to be holy, Speak oft with_thy Lord. Abide in Him always: And feed on His Word.” Prayer is a two-way conversation. As we speak to the Lord and read His Word, He speaks to us. He does not communicate with us in dreams to day, for we now h a v e the written Word, and through it the Lord Jesus speaks to us in the precious conscious ness of fellowship. We, too, call Him by His name, Jesus, for He has saved us from our sins, and our hearts re spond to His Word in adoration and praise. Lord Jesus, we thank Thee for the power of Thy Name. We offer Thee our wholehearted obedience this day. April 2 “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2). Where is He—Jesus, Lord, born King of the Jews? I know He is King of kings and Lord of lords; but let me ask myself this question: “Where is He in my life today? Is He seated on the throne?” The throne of the human personality is in the citadel of the will. That one who occupies the throne in my life is not necessarily the focus of my intellectual attention, but he is the one who makes my de cisions by energizing my will. Lord Jesus, by Thy Spirit, take my will un der thy direction that I may honestly say that Thou art my King. April 3 "A voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son” (Matt. 3:17). God’s beloved Son! The only be gotten of the Father! C. S. Lewis, in Beyond Personality, p u t s in lucid form the meaning of this to us. “To beget is to become the father of: to create is to make . . . A man
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