August, 1936
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
315
NOTES on Christian Sndeavor B y M a r y G. G o o d n e r
Jesus to their household, Mary and Martha had certain duties to perform. If we would please our heavenly Guest, there must be no willful slighting of matters of practical necessity. That the two sisters had worked together in making needed preparation is indicated by the word “also” in verse 39: “Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet.” Mary had done her part of the work, but she had also taken time for fellowship with Christ» The life that is rich and beautiful—that iswell pleasing in God’s sight—must have in it many hours of quiet learning at Jesus’ feet'. But what about Martha»?« She loved her Lord, but she was “cumbered’’ with' the details of service. The Lord Jesus did not rebuke Martha for her activity, but for being “careful and troubled about many things.’’ What a contrast is presented—S Martha concerned with things, and Mary occupied with Christ! Addressing Himself to unhappy Martha and to all who are like her, the Lord Jesus said: “But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Into our homes, today, the Lord Jesus does not enter in bodily form as He came to the home o f Martha and Mary; But in a very real sense we may have His abid ing presence with us all the time. Speak ing words o f comfort to His distressed disciples, the Lord Jesus referred to the ; sacred wonder of God’s willingness to dwell in the human heart: “ If a man loye me,” Jesus said, “he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and w.e will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” Have you invited the heavenly Guest to your heart? He must come as Saviour, if He comes at all. Have you been willing and obedient in service, but far more eager to sit at His feet to learn? Remember that it is blessedly possible to experience the truth of which Paul writes: “ Christ in you, the hope of glory.” In our day, one can hear much talk about growth in the Christian Jife. That is well and good, if there is anything in the life that can grow. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” But if I planted my watch, dare I hope for a crop of watches? Why not? The watch is the product of the trained mind and skillful hand of man, but there is no germ of life in it that could germinate and bring forth fruit. Christ alone, by His indwell ing, can bring forth fruit in our life that i.is well pleasing to God.—D. L. M oody . II. ■M en W ho C ompanied W ith C hrist J. H. Jowett spent two hours every morning in prayer and fellowship with Chrjst. No wonder people “heard him gladly.” Horace Bushnell passed from ex perience to experience until for him the indwelling Christ became the theme and inspiration of his preaching. The nearness of Christ laid hold of him. D. L. Moody Helps for the Leader I. L ife in the I ndwelling C hrist
2. As sin made him— his crown is rolled in the dust; his honor is tarnished. 3. A s Christ can make himf— crowned with glory and honor. Oh, destiny of sur passing bliss !—F: B. M eyer . II. W hose P ossession ... The, .story is told of a wealthy English man who had added to his valuable collec tion a rare violin which was coveted by Fritz Kreisler, the celebrated virtuoso. When the owner persisted in refusing to part with the instrument, Kreisler begged permission to play it just once. The oppor tunity was granted . . . and he played as only a genius can play. He forgot himself. He poured his soul into his music. The Englishman stood as one enchanted until the playing had ceased. He did not speak until Kreisler had tenderly returned the instrument to the antique box, with the gentleness of a mother putting her baby to bed. “ Take the violin,” the Englishman burst out; “it is yours. I have no right to keep it. Itpught to belong to the man who can Inlay it as you did.” That was odd reasoning, to be sure; and yet it has 'something compelling about it. In a$?sense|Bought not an instrument to belong to the milter who can draw the finest music from it? And ought not your life and mine to belong to the Master who S a n draw the noblest harmonies ' from them?—A. B. R hinow . III. I n the C enter of G od ’ s L ove Standing on the top of the Cheviot Hills, with a little son’s hand closed in his, a father taught the message of the measure less love of God. Pointing northward over Scotland, then southward over England, then eastward over the North Sea, then westward over hill and dale, and then sweeping his hand and his eye around the whole circling horizon, he said, “Johnny, my boy, God’s love is as big as all that!” “Why, father,” the boy cheerily replied, with sparkling eyes, “then we must be in the middle of it V’—Thoughts for the King’s Children. SEPTEMBER 13, 1936 THE FRIENDLY CHRIST— IN US L uke 10:38-42; 1 J ohn 3:22-24 Meditation on the Lesson Affording an intimate glimpse into the home life of Mary and Martha with Jesus as their honored Guest, the:verses chosen from Luke 10 fill our hearts with a sense of both joy and sadness. We rejoice with Mary as she receives commendation from her Lord, and we grieve with Martha be cause of the necessity of the Saviour’s rebuke. In five short verses (38-42) we may find the secret of the life that pleases Christ. Both Martha and Mary desired to have the Lord as a Guest in their home. And it is ever true that the Lord Jesus_ waits for an invitation to be “at home” in our hearts. In anticipation of the coming of
SEPTEMBER 6, 1936 THE VALUE OF A MAN IN GOD ’S SIGHT G enesis 1:26; P salm 8:4-8; H ebrews 13:20, 21 Meditation on the Lesson Perhaps it was on a starry night, as the psalmist watched his flock on the hills of Bethlehem, that there came to him the overwhelming sense of the greatness of the Creator, causing him to respond in praise: “ O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Psa. 8:1,9). T o the reverent isoul, any contemplation of the vastness and orderliness of •the heavenly Todies makes the thinker poign antly conscious of his own littleness. Not only David, but many another person as well, has cried out in amazement, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” But David was enabled by the Holy Spirit to see. another view of man that God had “made him a little lower ^than the angels, and . . . crowned him with glory and honor.” While man is insignificant when compared with the immensity of the universe, yet in God's sight, he is greater than any of the wonders of nature. Of him, David declares: “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works'f’ of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” Created in the image of God, man was to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl o f the air, and over 5the cattle, and over all the earth” (Gen. 1:26). ^ Man was created by God to rule. What a tragedy that sin should have entered his heart, marring the divine likeness and ! restricting the dominion that had ,2been given him! But though disobedient and rebellious, man was still precious to God— o f infinitely greater worth than any other creation. O f so great value was he in Jehovah’s sight, that God the Son chose to identify Himself with the human race, in order to restore fellowship between God and sinners. In Christ,jail that was lost in Adam is regained and more is added. Oh, the marvelous grace of Jesus the L ord! He thought man was worth dying for, and willingly He gave “his life a ransom for many.” What should be our response to love as great as this? “To do Lis will” (Heb. 13 :21) should be the crea ture’s first desire. The Lord Jesus Christ ^s at once “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and “that great shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:20). Man has no greatness apart from Him. The only righteousness that man can claim is the imputed righteous ness of Another. There are no human achievements of which to boast. “ He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (2 Cor. 10:17). / Helps for the Leader I. W hat I s M a n ? 1. A s God made him —there are mis taken conceptions of the true nature and •dignity of man; he is in God’s likeness.
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