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For the Children B eing H appy W ith W hat W e H ave E xodus 20:17a; L uke 12:16-21; 1 T imothy 6:8 MEMORY VERSE: “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Psalm 126:3). The Lord Jesus Christ told His dis ciples about a rich man whose crops were so great that he asked: “What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow [put] my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow [put] all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be re quired [asked] of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:17-20). Often we say that if we had one certain thing we would not want any thing more. But pretty soon we see something else that we think that we must have to be happy. God’s Word says, “Having f o o d a n d r a i m e n t [clothing] let us be therewith con tent” (1 T i m o t h y 6:8), and “Thou s h a l t not covet [want] thy neigh bour’s house” (Exodus 20:17a). Chris tians have eternal life; they have the friendship of the Son of God; they have the right to talk with God in prayer; they have God’s Word to guide them; they have a Lord who will sup ply all of their needs. Surely these things are greater than any earthly treasures which the Christian might find for himself. Rather than com plaining about not h a v i n g t h o s e things Which others have, God’s chil dren should be happy with all that He has done for them. With God’s servant they should say, “The Lord hath done great things for us: where- 1 of we are glad.”
LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER 22 The Practice of Neighborfiness L E S S O N M A T E R IA L : Ex. 22:21-23; Deut. 24:14, 15; M att. 25:34-41. G O L D E N T E X T : “ T he K in g shall answ er and sa y unto them , V e rily I sa y unto you, In asm u ch as ye have done It unto one of the least of these m y brethren, ye have done it unto m e” (M att. 25:40). I. Outline and Exposition TSRAEL was exhorted to remember ■*- that they had been strangers, op pressed in Egypt. This memory was to deter them from doing harm to strangers who might be in their midst. The helpless widow and the fatherless child were the objects of God’s partic ular care; He would hear their cry against any unjust treatment. Recall ing what we were by nature, and what we are' by grace, should affect our conduct toward all people, caus ing us to treat Deople well. i£ T he T reatment of E mployees (D eut . 24:14, 15) Employers and employees are neigh bors and should be treated as such by each other. No advantage must be taken on e i t h e r side lest their cry come before God. The exploitation of the poor has ever been the sin of the wealthy, and the curse of the hired servant of today is that he turns to government of man for r e d r e s s of wrongs rather than to God who alone can make the crooked things straight. III. T he E xplanation of J udgment . (M att . 25:34-41) The primary interpretation of this passage deals with the time when Jesus will return to the earth as King. Three c l a s s e s are mentioned: the sheep, the goats, and the brethren. The sheep are those who did good to the brethren; the goats are, those who had been unjust to the brethren; and the brethren are the Jews, brethren after the flesh, of the King. But this passage has an application to every age and people. In a sense, the judgment of the Lord will fall upon all who despise their neighbors by refusing assistance to those found in trouble. All peoples, being neigh bors, are to be the objects of solici tude wherever encountered. Points and Problems 1. “For ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Ex. 22:21). Experience is a very effective teacher. From experi ence Israel knew exactly what it meant to be a stranger. As strangers in Egypt, the Israelites had experi enced- cruel oppression. Thus they were well able to sympathize with the situ ation of the stranger. There is a prin ciple involved here that God’s children T he C ommand (Ex. 22:21-23)
P O W E R TO Y O U ! By Rev. William Swaan World Missionary and Evangelist 381 Pages Cloth Binding $2.50 Postpaid POWER TO YOU tended as a daily companion and in- spirer of the better life. It will be sent postpaid for the price. Orders may be left (with a de posit) with your bookstore, who will order for you. M EADOR PUBLISHING CO. 324 Newbury St. Boston 15, Mass. has 100 “thumb nail” sermons and 50 beautiful poems. This book is in
This Navajo Indian . . . was converted in the jail at Ft. Defiance, Arizona. He then boldly testified of his
faith before his fellow prsoners. Roman Cath olic influence in the p r e s e nt Government Administration later denied us this Protes tant service. American Protestants need the courage of this Navajo Indian prisoner if American liberties are to be retained. Our
Mission, must not only preach the Gospel but contend for religious liberty on the Navajo Reservation. “ Come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty W rite for inform ation Navajo Bible School & Mission Window Rock, Arizona Don't miss the thrilling tale of Gos pel records on Page 332.
We Need More Helping Hand« Heartrending letters from Europe reach our office daily. Mothers with emaciated children in their arms; old folks with fingers benumbed from cold. Men and women — without a home, without a country — appeal for help. Their need requires haste. Food in this country is abundant — share it with the less fortunate people of the world. Help us to send individual parcels of relief, $5.00 will fill a box of 11 pounds and pay foreign postage. All contributions should be sent to the RUSS IAN M IS S IO N A R Y SOCIETY, Inc. Dr. F. J. Mi lei, International Secretary 1844 W. Monroe St., Room 2 Chicago 12, Illinois Read letters of thanks in our “ The Friend of Russians/’ sample
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