rocky coastline of eternity, washed by the wild waves of time, weather-beaten by the ceaseless storms of sin and sorrow, attacked by the hurricane winds of hell, but ever immovable, as an edifice of almighty power, borne up by the bul warks of Omnipotence, and constantly revolving with the radiant light of love. Fix your eyes upon that light for a few minutes. No matter how dark your night, how stormy your voyage, how rough your way, how desperate your out look, it will flash a message of hope and help to your soul, above and beyond any thing the world can offer. Its Origin Watch it for a moment, and trace the backward beam to the origin of the Gift. Away back across the vast landscape of eternity, the light flashes for a moment, revealing the motive power be hind that great gift: “ For God so loved.” Love is the origin or source of the gift of Jesus Christ to the world. When Columbus first saw the river Orinoco, someone said he must have dis covered an island. He replied, “No such river as that flows from an island. That mighty torrent must drain the waters of a continent.” And he was correct. When we gaze upon the lowly stall in Bethlehem and see “ that holy thing” born of Mary lying there in its weakness and helplessness; when we watch the Boy of twelve talking with the rulers in the temple—about His “ Father’s busi ness;” when we see the Man of Nazareth touching the leprous, the blind, the dumb, and demon-possessed with the finger of power; when we see the Man of Sorrows, weeping over the grave of His friend and over the city of His enemies; when we behold the Lamb of Calvary hanging on the cruel cross with blood and water flowing from His side like a river of redemption; we also feel, with Columbus, that no such torrent comes from an isolated island of affection, but rather drains the vast continent of eter nal love. “ In the beginning God.” And “ God is love.” “ God so loved . . . that he gave his only begotten Son” to provide “ so great salvation” for a sinful world. Paul knew much of that love, and yet gazing upon “ the gift unspeakable,” he could only cry: ‘The love of Christ which passeth knowledge!” John knew much of that wondrous love, and yet as he gazed on “the gift of God,” he could only exclaim: “ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us!” The expanse of that love is too great to embrace in words. Just look on it, and whisper “ So loved!” Isaac Watts, the Anglican, asked: “Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond degree!” Charles Wesley, the Methodist, wrote, “ Love Divine, all love excelling!” George Matheson, the Presbyterian, *Australian evangelist.
cried, “ O Love that wilt not let me go !” “ So Loved,” is the chorus of the entire Christian Church! Jacob so loved that he gave Joseph a coat of many colors. Jonathan so loved David that he stripped himself of his robe and not only gave it to him, but his garments, his sword, his bow, and girdle, “ because he loved him as his own soul.” When Mary gave her heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, she broke a very costly box of spikenard, and poured it over His feet. So has God expressed His mighty, matchless love. “ In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). Its Objective Watch the light and see its forward beam move to the objective of this Gift: So loved “ the world” and “whosoever.” This is wide, embracing universal love, “ the world” ; this is narrow, con centrated individual love, “whosoever.” He loved the world! Yes, because He made it. “ He was in the world, and the world was made by him.” The disciples marveled that He talked with the Sa maritan woman, but He did so because He loved the world—Samaria as well as Jerusalem. The disciples prided them selves that they were “ the sheep of His pasture,” but He looked beyond and said, “ Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall be one fold, and one shep herd.” “ Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” was His great command after His resurrection. But, better still, it is individual love! A headmaster may love his school. A colonel may love his battalion, a manager may love his staff, a teacher may love his class—but these men may not be able to give individual devotion. Our Lord is different. He loves “whosoever.” No one is too small and insignificant for this great love. The revolving light gleamed on a poor little blind girl away in a native village. As a missionary passed by her hut, she came out and put up her hand in an appealing way, crying: “ Oh, don’t hit me. I’m only a poor little blind girl.” With tender, loving tones, the man of God said: “Hit you, my dear child! I will not hurt you in any way, but have come to tell you of the God who loves you.” Yes, “ so loved” that little blind heathen girl! “ Whosoever!” And His beam of love is on you, as He calls, “Whosoever will, may come.” “ Despise not one of these little ones.” No one is too bad and unlovely for His great love. A pastor told me that he once sympathized with a mother who had lost a mentally deficient child, by say ing: “Well, it is better that he should be taken than one of the others.” With agony, she replied: “ Pastor, don’t say that. I loved him more than the others.” God loves like that.
CASTING ALL YOUR CARE Come, heavy souls, oppressed that are With doubts, and fears, and corking care. Lay all your burthens down, and see Where's One that carried once a tree Upon His back, and, which is more, A heavier weight, your sins. He bore. Think then how easily He can Your sorrows bear that's God and Man; Think too how willing He's to take Your care on Him, who for your sake Sweat bloody drops, prayed, fasted, cried. Was bound, scourged, mocked and crucified. He that so much for you did do. Will do yet more, and care for you. —Thomas Washbourne, 1606-1687 ★ “Whosoever!” Richard Baxter loved that word. He said, “ It is the most com forting word in the Bible. If God had said there was mercy for Richard Baxter, I am so great a sinner that I would have thought He meant some other person of the same name. But when He says ‘who soever,’ I know that He included me, the worst of all Richard Baxters.” “ Whosoever”—harlot and hypocrite, murderer and glutton and gambler, biga mist and blasphemer, rebel and rogue__ “ God so loves” you. Oh, sin not the last great unforgivable sin of treading this matchless love under foot. Hell is a loveless land, and sin must be put away ere you enter “ Love’s own country” called Heaven. Dr. George Adam Smith said, “ The greatest sin in the world is the sin against love. There is only one sin which is unpardonable, and that is the sin against His matchless love. Men must believe in a hell. There is no alternative. But hell is not a place where God puts men. It is the place where men fling themselves.” Its Outcome Again, look to the light and notice its downward and upward beams revealing the outcome of the gift. Note the negative outcome as the re volving light flashes downward to the whirling waters and the rugged, wreck ing rocks: “ Should not perish.” Perish! What a painful, pathetic word! What (Continued on Page 20) T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S ★ ★
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