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September 1929
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is why we should form partnerships for our Christian undertakings. We have sec ular partnerships in vast numbers, up to the immense trusts that guide the finan cial destinies of the globe. When we learn to combine as heartily in the King’s busi ness, the cross of Christ will win the world. “I am going to paint the house,” said a big can of paint, waiting, already mixed, in the workroom. “No; I am going to paint it 1” the paint brush asserted, brist ling with indignation. “You are, are you?” sneered the ladder lying against the wall. How far would either of you go without me?” Just then the painter, who overheard these self-confident remarks, ventured to put in a word. “Perhaps I’d better take a holiday,” said he quietly. “I wonder if the house would be painted by the time I got back.” Even the most ef ficient of us is only a tool in the hands of the Infinite Worker.— Sunday Com panion. Recently an inventor examined a loco motive and found history exhibited more than one hundred and fifty improvements during the last century. Each wheel, each lever, each device was named and told the story of its inventor. One man said, “Here’s my steam chest” ; another said, “Here is my piston rod” ; another, “Here is my eccentric” ; another, “Here is my converter” ; but every one of these de vices is now found in the completed loco motive, and the thought of each worker has proved to be immortal.— The Brook lyn Eagle\ Here was the Christianity of the Apos tolic Age—faith that showed itself by works. The new minister was accosted by one of his parishioners who was fat and sleek and evidently self-satisfied: “Pastor, I hope you will feed the sheep.” Where upon the new pastor replied, “My dear brother, you do not need food; what you need is exercise.”—IF B. Hutchinson, D.D. Cooperation is secured through love and understanding and tact. We must learn that each group has a place and function, and give it that place.— Wayne. Find out what is worth doing by all the young people, and then plan how to get all to join in doing it. You cannot quar rel in a side-by-side push. We quarrel when we stop pushing.— Moore. We must get rid of the idea that there is special honor in doing certain tasks. Wo'rkingmen are needed to build the spire as well as to build the altar.— Murray. A fight for supremacy between the or ganizations in a church is fatal to suc cess. Satan is pleased when there is strife. Let us seek more of the spirit of Christ. —Wilson. —o— October 6, 1929 Ideals Worth Living For Phil. 3:7-14; 4:8; Gal. 5:22, 23 (Consecration Meeting) D aily R eadings Sept. 30. The Christ-Life. Phil. 1:21, Oct. 1. Pleasing God. John 8:29. Oct. 2. Faithfulness. Dan. 6:4. Oct. 3. Love. 1 Cor. 13 :1-13. Oct. 4. Faith. Mark 11:23, 24. Oct. 5. Generosity. Mark 11:25, 26.
God designed the sanctuary, the lecture- room, and the Bible as the places where we are to learn what we are to do and to be, and the world as the place where we are to do it and be it. Christ has no hands but our hands To do His work today. He has no feet but our feet To lead men in His way. He has no tongues but our tongues To tell men how He died. He has no help but our help To bring men to His side. —Annie Johnson Flint. A company of business men was as sembled in a local “get-together” conven tion. In the recess, between sessions, the conversation chanced to fall upon the subject of religion. It soon became ap parent that the entire group were Chris tians. Furthermore, each conducted his business according to Christian principles. Then some one suggested that each tell why he became a Christian. And so, one by one, these strong men told, in simple, earnest words, just what it was that had caused them to turn to Christ. In one instance, it was a washwoman who was always singing: “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.” Another declared that the compelling factor was a neighbor, who drove six miles over rough roads every Sunday to attend church services. One had been' first led to investigate the claims of Christianity because of the wonderful and convincing faith of la young mother who had been bereft of her child. One man had been drawn by an in valid, who, with glowing eyes, had con stantly talked of God’s goodness. Nearly half of those present had yielded to the sweet fascination of a Christian mother’s life. In every case the turning-point had been the life of another! This was the amazing thing! These people had been won, no't by the logic of words, but by the convincing ar gument of a life. This thought should sober us and bring us reverently to our knees. Oh, Christian pilgrim, poor and obscure though you may be, doubt not this: Eager ears are listening to the sermon of your life! Nothing is so irresistible as a life that “adorns the doctrine of God our Sav iour.”—E. C. Baird. A few years ago a young man in In dianapolis was heard to say that he had intellectual difficulties about the faith of the Christian. A' prominent layman of the city heard of this and got his address. That evening he went to the young man’s boarding house and in his hall bedroom sat down to talk about the Gospel with him. One difficulty after another faded away. At last he got on his knees by the young man and prayed for him. Then he turned to him and asked: “Won’t you surrender to Christ, now arid here?” And the young man said: “I will.” That lay man went to his pastor and told the story, and said: “I have had many thrilling ex periences, but that one outranks them all.” The man who stayed in that hall bed room with a strange young man till one o’clock in the morning was Benjamin Harrison, ex-President of the United States.
September 29, 1929 How Can the Young People’s Organi zations in Our Church Work Together? 1 Cor. 3:4-9; Rom. 12:10-12 D aily R eadings Sept. 23. Cooperation Essential. 1 Cor. 12:12-21. Sept. 24. Dangers of Discord. 1 Cor. 1: 11-18. Sept. 25. Organized Cooperation. Exod. 18:13-27. Sept. 26. Harmony Restored. Acts 6:1-4. Sept. 27. United Effort. 1 Cor. 16 :1, 2. Sept. 28. Planned Work. 1 Chron. 9: 22-30. C hoice N uggets He serves his church the best, Who lives pure life and doeth righteous deed, And walks straight paths, however others stray, And leaves to us his uttermost bequest, A stainless record which all men may read. This is the better way. No drop but serves the lowly lifting tide; No dew but has an errand to some flower; No smallest star but sheds some helpful ray, And, man by man each helping all the rest, Makes the firm bulwark of the Church’s power. There is no better way. ■iifFrAccommodated from Susan Coolidge. One of the most dramatic incidents in the Great War was the following: A lieutenant was sent up in an airplane from the army of the Allies in Flanders, instructed to locate a certain German bat tery. A sergeant went with him to run the airplane. The lieutenant succeeded in lo cating three German batteries, though they had to do their work in a terrible storm of shot and shell. They were about to return when a shell burst directly above them, putting out the eyes of the sergeant and mortally wounding the lieu tenant. Then came to pass a marvelous return trip, as the dying lieutenant di rected the blind pilot how to steer the machine. At one time .they barely escaped hitting the tall steeple of a church, for the air was full of the smoke of bursting shells. At last, the lieutenant directing and the pilot turning his machine in obe dience to orders, though all was black to him, they volplaned safely down to the army of the Allies just as the lieutenant passed away. Said the blinded hero: “All I regret is that I cannot do it again.” Ah, that is the way we should fight in the warfare against sin in the world! Some of us can see, and some of us have not the faculty of clear prophetic vision. Some of us can speak, others must be dumb. Some of us have the ability to act skillfully, the sense of tact, charm and winsomeness of manners, the executive ability, while others are quite without these splendid powers. Each one of us can do something, and it takes several of us to make a fully equipped soldier of the King. That is why we work in churches, in societies, in committees. That
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