Dail$ Devotional Home Readings Connected with International Sunday School Lessons FREDERIC W . FARR
THURSDAY, May 1. Gen. 2:18-24. Man’s Helpmeet. Adam when created was bi-sexual. Man included woman. Eve was created: by subtraction. “Not ou t o f his head to top him, no t ou t of his feet to be tram p led on by h im ; b u t out of his side to be equal w ith him , under his arm to be protected by him and n ear his h e a rt to be beloved.” The Hebrew simply adds th e fem inine ending to the masculine noun, man, man-ess. No proper names are given. The m argin of Gen. 2:22 says th a t God builded the woman. I t is a b eau tifu l picture and prophecy of th e creation of th e Church. In th e deep sleep of th e cross, from the pierced- side of th e second Adam, God took his bride, th e church of th e first born, builded for a h ab itation of God th rough th e Spirit, to reign w ith him in P arad ise restored. P au l in te rp re ts and applies th e type in ' Eph. 5:23-33. In th e p resen t age, however, th e church is no t a bride b u t a betro thed virgin. 2 Cor. 11:2. The wedding will tak e place when Jesus comes. The corresponding obligation involved in th is figure of speech is chastity which means separa tion unto Christ w ith perp etual aloof ness from th e world. FRIDAY, May 2. Eph. 4:17-32. The New Man. Salvation does n o t consist in th e correction or am endm ent of th e old life. It is th e creation of a new life. The old n a tu re is incorrigible. A new and Divine n atu re is imparted. The form er Adam standing has n eith er place nor recognition before God. Rom. 6:6. The believer identifies hiinself w ith the new and hidden man of th e h eart. He recognizes his source, character and destiny. He seeks in every possible way to nourish, develop and bring h im to perfection. A t th e same tim e he repud iates the old man and by refusing his every claim, he seeks to reduce him to inanition and inoperation. The believer seeks to multiply th e points of contact w ith heaven in o rder th a t he may dim inish his dependence on the earth , know ing th a t attachm en t to Christ gives detachm ent from th e world.
SATURDAY, May 3. 2 Cor. 3:7-18. Changed In to H is Image. Salvation is God’s reconstructive process by which th e image of God is restored in fallen man. Enough like ness to God rem ains in man to rem ind him of w h at he had lost and to make him feel the hell of God’s forsaking. The tran sfo rm ation into th e Divine like ness is progressive and continuous, to be completed when we behold his face in glory. Psalm 17:15. Salvation th erefo re p ertain s to th e past, present and fu tu re. The believer may properly and Scripturally say, “ I have been savéd. I am being saved. I shall be saved.” The discipline of daily life promotes th e process. The refiner of silver sits by th e furnace door and allows th e flame to do its work un til th e m etal reflects his face w ithou t a blur. A retrospective view of life from th e th reshold of heaven will cause to rejoice over th e sufferings we have passed through. I t is possible th a t our joy w ill be tinged w ith a shade of re g re t th a t we could no t have glorified God by suffering more. 2 Cor. 4:17. SUNDAY, May 4. L uke 10:25-37. Man an d H is B ro ther. My neighbor is my nigh-bor, th e man who is n ear me, th e man who needs me, th e man whom I have th e power to help. Time and space have been ann ih ilated by m an’s ingenuity. The antipodes are next door. “A certain man.” There ,is no ab stract hum anity to be loved and served. There aré only certain men. There is no hum an need in general to be supplied, only th e p articu la r w ants of certain men. Let us bring our philanthropy down from th e clouds of g littering generalities, let us reduce our lofty altru ism into con crete service by coming into personal contact w ith certain men. Goodness is no t a cold-blooded devotion to an im practicable ideal. It is faith fu l, hum ble, useful service in social relation ships. Jesu s said Lóve God. T h at is definite enough. There is b u t one God. Jesu s did no t say Love man. T h at is impossible. There are m illions of men.
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