THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S
484
December, 1936
N O T E S on Ch ristian End eavor By M A R Y G. G O O D N E R
JANUARY 3, 1937 WHITHER BOUND, YOUTH? P roverbs 16:3; 8:32-36 Meditation on the Lesson Solomon, the wise man who, through the inspiration of God, spoke many wonderful proverbs, has a message for the youth of today. The advice which he gives will, if followed, invariably lead to the highest success. In Proverbs 16:3 we have this command and promise: “ Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Our thoughts are evanescent, variable, un manageable, and at times we say, in de spair, that we cannot control them. Here in the W ord of God, our problem is met. From the Lord Himself comes the invitation: “ Commit thy works unto the Lord.” What does it mean to “ commit” ? The marginal reading is “ roll.” In other words, we are admonished to roll all of our strivings upon thé Lord, knowing that He will do the rest. Oh, if only young people, with all of their impulsiveness, buoyancy, and eagerness, could grasp this wonderful promise! In Proverbs 8:32-36 we hear the voice of Wisdom crying. Dr. Scofield says of this passage: “Wisdom here is more than the personification of an attribute of God, or of the will of G od as best for man, but is a distinct adumbration of Christ. Prov erbs 8:22-36, with John 1:1-3 and Colos- sians 1:17, can refer to nothing less than the Eternal Son of God.” - With the Lord Jesus Christ as the center of our thought, let us prayerfully consider this passage and its New Testament un folding: “ Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. , . . Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors” (Prov. 8:32, 34). The Father vests authority in His Son, the true' W isdom : “ Behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matt. 17:5). And Christ gives us assurance: “Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Lk. 11:28). Wisdom speaks: “ For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord” (Prov. 8:35). “Life” in the New Testament is a Person: “ In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4), “ I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Many more Scripture verses could be cited to show the remarkable parallelism between “ wisdom,” as described in Proverbs 8, and our blessed Lord, proving that the One called “ wisdom” in this chapter could be no other than Christ who is “ the wisdom of G od” ( 1 Cor. 1 :24). “ Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
of lies. Hence God cannot tolerate, con done, or excuse falsehood. But He has made righteous provision for forgiveness and cleansing and victory, for “ while we w'ere yet sinners', Christ died for us.” Helps for the Leader I. S trengthened by T ruth If you tell the truth, you have infinite power supporting you; but if not, you have infinite power against you. The children of kings should be above all deceit, for they have a mighty and a jealous Protector. We go to other gods—Baal, and the rest—when we lie; we rely on other than God. We may for a time seem to humbug men, but not God. It is indeed worldly silliness to be deceitful. O h ! be open in all your ways! It is a girdle around your loins, strengthen ing :you in all your wayfarings. T o the men of acknowledged highest, character no lie is justifiable.— C hinese G ordon . II. A ids for th e M eeting . 1. A t least a week in advance of the meeting, ask several members of your so ciety to watch billboards and newspapers for the three most striking examples of advertising that is dishonest or that, though literally true, nevertheless is designed to trick the reader into an opinion not war ranted by the facts. If possible, show actual specimens of advertising in the meeting. 2. Consider such questions as: How may Christian young people develop resistance to deceptive advertising? How can our minds and memories be cleansed from the stain of vicious pictures? How may w e help younger boys and girls to recognize the fallacies in the claims of dishonest advertisers ?— S elected . JANUARY 17, 1937 BUILDING CHARACTER THROUGH SELF-DENIAL M atthew 16:24, 35; R omans 15:1-3 Meditation on the Lesson “ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Christ, the Creator, Lord, and Master, has a perfect right to lay down conditions of discipleship. He gives them plainly and briefly in this , passage in which three re quirements are stated: “ deny himself,” “take up his cross,” and “ follow me.” They are given in the normal order. After an individual is born again through faith in Christ Jesus, the very first step in building Christian character is denial of self. The heart of every man is selfish; self is the master until Christ’s call is heard and obeyed. Then “ old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The next lesson in discipleship is that of bearing a cross—not the cross that atones for sin, for Christ alone could bear that
Helps for the Leader I. R oom for W h a t ?
“ The roomiest thing we know of,” says the editor of a modern magazine, “ is a man’s head. Carnegie’s skull was large enough to accommodate a square mile of steel mills. Columbus had space in his suffi cient for a new world. Illimitable room is the mark of man’s brain . . . But he is given power to control his own mental space. He can fill his mind with trifles or immensities at will. Room— for what? Shall it be the movies, or great books? the thoughts of the market place or the thoughts of God? The choice is a daily, one, and life grows great or mean accordingly.” — G. B. F. H allook . II. C hoosing W isely In an old fairy tale, the youth who had entered the treasure house was repeatedly admonished by the good spirit, “ Don’t for get the best.i’ , He chose that which seemed best and shone brightest, and so lost all. One of the tragic aspects of the life of young people is that they cannot bring the mature wisdom of later years to bear on the early decisions which affect all of their later life. Wise with a wisdom that is above this world is the young man or woman who makes the great choice which influences all other choices— the choice of Jesus Christ as Saviour apd Lord. — S elected . JANUARY 10, 1937 RESISTING DISHONEST AND VICIOUS ADVERTISING P roverbs 12:22 Meditation on the Lesson “ Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.” We find again and again in the Scriptures God’s hatred of lying and liars. The memorable example of His drastic dealing with Ananias and Sapphira at the very beginning of this age of grace stands out boldly as evidence of His continued hatred of deception. Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: “ Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:4). “ And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.” Would that men today were more afraid of the awful effects of lying! In speaking of the inhabitants of the heavenly Jerusa lem, Revelation 22:15 has the solemn word of warning that “ without [the city] are . . . murderers, and idolaters, and whoso ever loveth and maketh a lie.” Again in Revelation 21:8 we read the prophecy: “ All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.” God Himself is Truth and Light, and “in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). All lying is of the devil, for he is the father
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