finally realized his need o f Christ. With tears in his eyes, he said, “I want the Lord, hut now it seems like a dirty trick to turn to Him when I ’ve wasted my life.” He was encouraged by the p reacher’s rem inder, “I t would he an even shabbier trick not to turn to Him at all!” B efo re he died, the stricken youth had found the joy and assurance o f sins forgiven through the promise o f eternal life. Yes, the door o f grace remains open. L et us never fo rg et that wonderful scriptural admonition, “R e m ember now thy C reator in the days o f thy youth, while the evil days come not nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (E ccl. 12:1). Real happiness is cheap enough yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit. * ★ * CONTENTMENT L egend tells about a king who be came greatly fru strated one day when he went to his garden and discovered that the plants, bushes and trees were all w ithered and dying. The allegory shows the monarch disturbed since the mighty oak was sick o f life. The rea son w as that it didn’t grow straight and tall like the pine. The evergreen on the other hand was discouraged be cause it couldn’t b ear delicious fru it like the apple tree. You can imagine the king’s amazement when he learned o f the apple’s sour disposition because it didn’t have the fra g ran ce o f the eucalyptus. This same dissatisfaction the ru ler found not only in trees, but also in everything else that grew in the garden, right down to the last plant, except fo r the violet. He was amazed to see it crisp and vibrant, as it ex plained to him, “Your Majesty, I know I ’m o f little value and importance. Yet, I believe when you had me planted you only wanted a violet. I f you had wished fo r me to be an oak, Or a pine, or an apple, you would have planted one o f them instead. So, I ’ve made up my mind to be the best violet I possibly can.” It’8 an interesting story yet it has a rea l spiritual m essage fo r us. No one in this world is exactly like you. Spiritually speaking, as a m atter o f fa ct, you’re the only Christian some body knows. God has made your life * * *
to be a witness and testimony fo r Him. Make sure that you are doing all you can to bring glory to H is name rath er than allowing you rself to be d efeated because you’re not like somebody else. I f the L ord had wanted you to be like them, H e would have made you that way. Remember — it’s not so much your ability the L ord wants as your avail ability.
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Never expect to be
anything butwrong
when you run away from God. * * * WORRY
One o f Satan ’s tools he wields so effectively is worry. You know how ocean liners are built fo r stability? By pressing a button the captain can close steel doors throughout the ship, divid ing it into water-tight compartments to avoid any potential disaster. Should the hull be damaged, as an example, a small section can be flooded so that the ship will stay afloa t even though it may have a gaping hole in its side. Even so, throughout the voyage o f our lives, we must learn how to m ake doors shut to keep out the yesterdays with all o f the errors and difficulties. The same is true o f the unborn burdens o f tomorrow. The Saviour told us to take no thought fo r the morrow because sufficient unto the day is the evil th ere of. The scriptural prescription is sim ply, “Worry about nothing, and pray about everything, and the peace o f God shall set a garrison around your heart.” * Separation is not isolation but insulation. * * * GOD’S BEST One o f God’8 choicest saints, Dr. M. R. DeHaan, now home in the presence o f the Lord, had the unique facility fo r pointing out tremendous Gospel truths through simple illustrations. In Psalm 72:6 we read, “H e shall come down like rain upon the mown grass.” On the su rface this would seem like the g reat est o f m isfortune to have rain fa ll on mown hay. Sunshine would be the fa rm er's natural desire. The picture h ere o f “mown grass,” however, doesn’t r efer to that p art which has been cut down and is ready to be brought into the 23 * *
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