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B u s i n e s s
February 1929
Feb. 6^- “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15). “For I know whom I have believed” (2 Tim. 1 :12). “In fierce storms,” said an old seaman, “we must do one thing; there is only one way: we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there.” This, Christian, is what you must do. Sometimes, like Paul, you can see neither sun nor stars, and no small tempest lies on you; and then you can doj but one thing; there is only one way. Reason can not help you; past experiences give you no light. Even prayer fetches no consola tion. Only a single course is left. You must put your soul in one position and keep it there. You must stay upon the Lord; and come what may—winds, waves, cross-seas, thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roar ing breakers—no matter what, you must lash yourself to the helm, and hold fast vour confidence in God’s faithfulness, His covenant engagement, His everlasting love in Christ Jesus.— Richard Fuller. “I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea Come drifting home with broken masts and sails; I will believe the Hand which, never fails, From seeming evil worketh good for me. . And though I weep because those sails are tattered, Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered: 'I trust in Thee.’ ” —o— Feb. 7— “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abound ing in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in Little boats always totter about on the surface of the water, going all ways, as it happens, and overturning in a breath, while the great ship sinks deeply and more deeply in, and goes steadily on. The cause of its steadi ness is its depth. So abiding in the great truths of God gives steadfastness of mo tion to the soul. Under all the pressure of error and unbelief and false doctrines, it is unmovable, abounding in the work of the Lord. It is not “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cun ning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” It is a great thing to know error and let it alone. Holding on to the fundamentals of truth, and seeking God’s help, the soul is sure to come into the light.— C. L. Goodell. Oh, the victories of prayer! They are the mountain-tops of the Bible. They take us back to the plains of Mamre, to the fords of Peniel, to the prison of Joseph, to the triumphs of Moses, to the trans cendent victories of Joshua, to the deliv erances of David, to the miracles of Eli jah and Elisha, to the whole story of the Master’s life, to the secret of Pentecost, to the key-note of Paul’s unparalleled ministry, to the lives of saints and the the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). Steady in deep water. — o — Feb. 8— “Be it unto thee even as thou wilt” (Matt. 15:28).
D a ily D evo t ion a l R ead ing s
Feb. 1— “Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see” (2‘Kings 6:17). This is the grayer we need to pray for ourselves and for one another, “Lord, open our eyes that we may see” ; for the world all around us, as well as around the prophet, is full of God’s horses and chariots, waiting to carry us to places of glorious victory. And when our eyes are thus opened, we shall see in all events of life, whether great or small, whether joy ful or sad, a “chariot” for our souls. Everything that comes to us becomes a chariot the moment we treat it as such; and, on the other hand, even the smallest trial may be a Juggernaut car to crush us into misery or despair if we consider it. It lies with each of us to choose which they shall be. It all depends, not upon what, these events are, but upon how we take them. If we lie down under them, and let them roll over us and crush us, they become Juggernaut cars, but if we climb up into them, as into a car of vic tory, and make them carry us 'triumphant ly onward and upward, they become the chariots of God.— Hannah Whitall Smith. It is when we find ourselves in what appears to be a despairing situation that God intervenes on our behalf. Was it not when the widow of Sarepta had come to her last handful of meal that the miracu lous supply was given? Was it not when Isaac was strapped to the altar, and the gleaming knife of sacrifice was bran dished over him, that God, stepped in and arrested the proceedings? It is usually when the crisis reaches an acute stage that relief comes. If I only fight the battle courageously, at the very moment when all seems lost, some reinforcement is sure to come that will turn the tide. I may achieve success just at the very time I am giving up all hope of achieving it. Only let me keep on with a brave and hopeful heart, and “the worst shall yet turn to the best.” At “the fourth watch of the night,” when the storm is at its height, and I am giving up all for lost, there shall be heard a mighty footstep on the waters, and a voice rising in majestic cadence above the roar of the tempest: “It is I ; be not afraid.”—6'. Law Wilson. — o — Feb. 3—" And again I say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). It is a good thing to rejoice in the Lord. Perhaps you have tried this, and the first time seemed to fail. Never mind, keep right on and when you cannot feel any joy, when there is no spring, and no seem ing comfort and encouragement, still re joice, and count it all joy. Even when you fall into divers temptations, reckon it joy Feb. 2—" And about the fourth watch of the night He cometh unto them, walking on the water” (Mark 6:48).
and delight, and God will make your reck oning good. Do you suppose your Fa ther will let you carry.the banner of His victory and His gladness on to the front of the battle, and then coolly stand back and see you captured or beaten back by the enemy? NEVER 1 The Holy Spirit will sustain you in your bold advance, and fill your heart with gladness and praise, and you will find your heart all exhila rated and refreshed by the fulness within. Lord, teach me to rejoice in Thee, and to “rejoice evermore.”— Sel. “The weakest saint may Satan rout, Who meets him with a praiseful shout.” —o— Feb. 4— “Do not begin to be anxious" (Phil. 4:6—P. B. V.). Not a few Christians live in a state of unbroken anxiety, and others fret and fume terribly. To be perfectly at peace amid the hurly-burly of daily life is a secret worth knowing. What is the use of worrying? It never made anybody strong; never helped anybody to do God’s will; never made a way of escape for any one out of perplexity. Worry spoils lives which would otherwise be useful and beautiful. Restlessness, anxiety, and care are absolutely forbidden by our Lord, who said: “Take no thought,” that is, no anxious thought, “saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” He does not mean that we are not to take forethought, and that our life is to be without plan or method; but that we are not to worry about these things. People know you live in the realm of anxious care by the lines on your face, the tones of your voice, the minor key in your life, and the lack of joy in your spirit. Scale the heights of a life abandoned to God, then you will look down on the clouds be neath your feet.— Rev. Darlow Sergeant. —o— Feb. 5— “He . . . learned obedience by the things which he suffered” (Heb. 5:8). True prayer is earnest, not tiring nor fainting. It takes every burden to God— the small and the large alike. It is sub missive, referring all to the Father’s will. Its answer may not come in the direct granting of the request we make, but may come, instead, in more grace and strength, enabling us to keep the burden and yet rejoice. Lying at our Father’s feet in the time of our strong cryings and tears, we learn obedience; and our sobbings end in praise, our struggles in acquiescence, our tears are dried and we rise victorious— not getting our own way, but glad and happy and peaceful in God’s way.— J. R. Miller.
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