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T H E K IN G ’ S BU S IN E S S
now it is, ‘if you follow me, take up your cross’.”—“Every man has his own cross (his cross). What is a cross to one may not be to another.”—“The highest bidder for the crown o f glory is the lowliest bearer o f the cross o f self denial.”—“ No man can steal quietly to heaven in Christ’s company without a cross to bear.” .• v. 35, 36. What shall it profit? “What a man is, is more than what he has.”— “ The world thinks nothing succeeds like success. Christ teaches that nothing fails like success, for it is often depraving to character.”—“ The life o f self is death; the death of the lower self is the life o f the true self.”—“ He makes a poor bargain who sells his soul for the world.”—“ Shrouds have no pockets.”—“ The sum total o f the visible universe, which is passing away is poor compensation for what is invisible and eternal.” Jesús Christ it matters much. Your answer to Him determines your happiness, charac ter and destiny. Peter’s answer pleased Christ (He prob ably spoke for all o f the disciples). Many people were hating and opposing Christ. It took courage for Peter to thus boldly confess Christ when the crowds were against Him. Would it have done just as well for Peter to have believed in his heart, been a secret follower, without openly and publicly confessing Christ? (See v; 38, also Rom. 10:9-11). How are girls thus tempted ? Why should the disciples not publish to everybody that Jesus was Christ, pod, come down from heaven to save us? (v. 30). To announce Jesus as the Messiah might excite tumult and rebellion against the Roman government, for doubtless the people would try to make Christ King immediately. They would not understand that Christ wanted to be their spiritual
“The man o f rock, Matt. 16:16, 17, becomes Satan, an adversary, and a stumbling block by minding the things o f men instead of ¿he things o f God” (Matt. 16:33).—Tor- rey. “ Christ’s prayers during the agony show what it cost him to resist the sug gestion that the triumphant “It is finished” could be reached without suffering.”— Plummer. “The divine ‘must,’ v. 31, had to be fulfilled.”—“A Simon may be a Peter one moment and a Satan the next.”—“The time to get the victory over a temptation is instantly.” v. 34. Take up his cross and follow. “ To deny self is to say when it comes forward with its claims, ‘I do not know you’.”— Torrey. “ Self is an idol to be put away” (Isa. 31:7).—-“We may not be called upon to lose the life for his sake, but ‘deny self’ we always can do, enabled by his grace.”—“ At first Christ said ‘follow me’ ; A VERY thoughtful girl asks many momentous questions: “Where did I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here. What shall my life-work be? The answering of all other questions is of little importance compared with the answering o f the question that Christ asked o f Peter, “Whom say ye that I am?” Today as then there are many opinions as to who Christ . is. Christ is : a great prophet, a teacher, the greatest man, a noble example. Christ is all o f these, but if He is not more than these, very God o f very God (John 1:1, 14), He was not even a good man but a lying impostor. The question is not what other people think o f Christ, but Christ asks what think ye o f me? Edith, Ruth, all answer that question. Remember that neglecting to answer it is an answer. Neglecting to take the train to Chicago is to miss getting to Chicago. It matters little what your opinion may be of any other person but of
“ MY GIRLS”
By Mrs. H. J. Baldwin.
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