September, 1935
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
354
Spirit to seek God’s will and honor alone in its prayer, it need not be discouraged by delay. I t know s from S cripture th at the pow er of believing prayer is simply ir resistible; real faith can never be disap pointed. I t knows how, ju st as w ater, to exercise the irresistible pow er it can have, m ust be gathered up and accumulated, un til the stream can come down in full force, there m ust be a heaping up of prayer, un til God sees th at the m easure is full, arid the answ er cpmes&ANDREW M urray . “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). The main thing with the captain of an ocean liner is to get his vessel safely into the port for which it is bound. That pur pose overrules everything else. To get safely into port is the thought of every watch, of every command, of every glance at the chart, of every observation of the sun and the stars. Our Father’s object is so to order our life, so to conform our purposes to His, not that we may be saved merely, or just get into port, but that an abundant entrance may be ministered to us into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus .Christ. —J. G regory M antle . The world is loud in its praises of those who acquire advancement and distinction in life—holding them up as bright examples to be strenuously followed ; Christianity teaches us to be content with such things as we have, threatens the fall of .the mighty and the proud, and pronounces a blessing upon the meek, the lowly, and the humble. The world allows, nay, inculcates, selfishness ; Christianity bids us seek not our own welfare only, but also that of others... . The world allows dissimulation, evasive misstatement, selfish delusion, petty fraud, and all the thousand knaveries of common life and business . . . Christianity requires that the whole life and conduct should be characterized by the very trans parency of truth, as ever in the presence of the God of truth and holiness. H - W . M. H etherington . OCTOBER 9 Two Standards "Love not. the world, neither the things that are in the world.. I f any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,. . . and I . . . will be a Father unto you” (2 Cor. 6 :17, 18). “Be ye separate” ! It cometh As a message from the King! Do we know that He has spoken ? Have our hearts received the token With a love unquestioning? Jesus calls to separation, And Himself hath led the way; His own life the explanation, His own life the illustration; Who is ready to obey ? • Blessed Jesus, make us willing Thus “without the camp” to go; OCTOBER 8 The C aptain’s Purpose OCTOBER 10 Call to Separation
DA I LY ^ Devotional 'Readings A MESSAGE FOR EV ERY DAY OF T HE MONTH
• She might have kept one and given the other. But no; she gave the two, all that she had. I believe that the divided state of her purse showed the undivided state of her heart, for she gave all that she had. I will guarantee that that poor woman’s gift has brought more real coin into the treasury than all the gifts that any man ever put in. It was a heart giving out of its fullness. Brethren, let us rise up to the manifestation of this divine unselfishness. Selfishness. is sin, and sin isgfpelfishness; unselfishness is godlikeness. ■ |H -W . P. M ackay . We may keep our life if we will, care fully preserving it from waste; but we shall have no reward, no honor from it at the last. But if we empty it out in loving service, we shall make it a lasting blessing to the world, and we shall be remembered foreverHj. R. M iller . OCTOBER 5 G race Accompanies Correction “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correc tion” (Prov. 3:11). Chastening, or correction, is to make me a partaker of holiness, not a sufferer for sin. It is not to improve my nature, but so to convince me of its utter helplessness that I may be devoted unto God. . . . There is exceeding pain in being convicted of sin; and if there be not a strong sense of the grace of God when we are convicted, there will be great depression, and a ten dency tp give up all in despair. Hence the exhortation is given: “Faint not when thou art convicted [Greek] of him.” —J. B. S. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believed! —J ohn N ewton . OCTOBER 6 The Strengthening of Spiritual Life “I f we suffer, we shall also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:12). Affliction discovers the world’s vanity, baseness, and wickedness, and lets us see more of God’s mind. Out of dark afflic tions comes a spiritual life. . . . We are apt to overshoot in days that are calm, and to think ourselves far higher and more strong than we find we are when the try ing day is upon us. . . . Is not such a day the day that bends us, humbles us, and that makes us bow before God for our faults committed in our prosperity?;f . . . We could riot live without such turnings of the hand of God upon u§||— J ohn B unyan . OCTOBER 7 The Force of P rayer “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Lk. 18:1). It is by faith alone that difficulties are overcome. When once faith has taken its stand upon God’s Word and the name of Jesus, and has yielded to the leading of the
OCTOBER 1 “U nderneath” and “Everlasting” “Underneath are the everlasting arms’’ (Deut. 33:27). Arms of Jesus-—everlasting! Arms that never weary grow! We, our loads upon them casting, Cannot tire them—cannot—no! Open arms, outstretched, inviting To the weary, much-worn saint, With the strain of constant fighting In the heavenly warfare, faint. ;; Arms outstretched! And oh, the wonder 1 Underneath thee, they are there! Always, always, always under, Thee to catch and thee to bear. ’Neath thee in thy sorest trial, ’Neath thee in thy deepest woe, 'Neath thee should thy life’s sundial Tell that-setting sun is low. ■B-^-J. D anson S m it h . OCTOBER 2 Accepting God’s Second Choice “I f the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them” (Num. 22:20). Had God changed His mind? No, this is what had happened: Balaam had a re serve in his mind, and was hoping that God would come down on his side. How often, instead of doing the thing we know we ought to do, we pray about it again, and play with the idea, until at last God says, “Very well, if you will, you shall!” . . . So many people get into all manner of difficulties because they do not differen tiate between what is the directive will of God, and what is the permissive will of God. . . . The difference between God’s directive will and His permissive will is all the difference between the purposes of God, and your purposes. . . . Balaam loved the ways of unrighteousness more than he loved the doing of the will of God. —J. W. B rown . OCTOBER 3 Im portunity “Yet because of his importunity’ (Lk. 11 : 8 ). You will notice how strong the case is made in our text, “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, be cause he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” This, however, does not teach that God’s friendship for His people fails to induce Him to give, but it is a strong case to show that Christians get for their importunity what they could not get without. There are cases where nothing short of importunity gains the desired blessing. . . . The more intensely we feel in our prayer for a given case, the more fully we appreciate the blessing when it comes.—C. G. F inney . OCTOBER 4 Giving All "This poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury” (Mk. 12:43).
Unto Thee in glad subj ection, Unto Thee in Thy rejection, Unto Thee from all below!
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