King's Business - 1956-06

A Well Called Rehoboth continued God might bless you in this land of America in one way or another, but I think there is something more to be desired than blessings and that is the presence of the Lord. So, when Abimelech said, “ Get thee out of this land,” Isaac moved just a little ways away to the valley of Gerar. He didn’t go yet to the land the Lord had said that He would tell him of, he just moved on a lit­ tle way and there he tried to dig some wells. He dug the wells that had been dug in the days of Abra­ ham, his father, and he called them after the names which his father had called them.

think of stepping on anyone’s toes. There was no other missionary there. And in the years that we’ve been there, we’ve been a messenger for the Lord. While in Los Angeles, 40 years ago in the years 1916 and 1917, I peddled telegrams for Western Union. I was a messenger boy de­ livering telegrams to the business houses. For some years now, the Lord has privileged me to be an­ other kind of messenger, a mes­ senger of the gospel in this land called Borneo. In the years that we’ve had the joy and privilege of laboring there, we’ve seen hun­ dreds of people come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. I’d rather be a messenger for Jesus Christ in a foreign land than live here in the homeland out of the will of God. Borneo was the place called “ room” for me and somewhere is a place called “ room” for you. Surely, God hasn’t called everyone to stay in the homeland. You may say, “ Is there yet a place called ‘room’ ?” Let me answer. There is an island called Java which is as large as the State of California and in that one island live 50 million people. It is the most densely popu­ lated place in all the world, and in one section of Java there are 16 million people without one gospel witness. Yes, there are many, many places called “ Rehoboth.” There are many places in the world where there is plenty of “ room.” I trust that God will speak to your heart and you will not dwell by the well of Esek, the well of contention, or by the well of Sitnah, the well of hatred, but that you will move from this land and find a well of spring­ ing water where the Lord will bless you and make you fruitful. END. The setting sun paints the canvas sky As it did in the days when you and I Watched the pageant with bated breath, Together, with never a thought of death. Ah, Junes may come and Junes may go, And suns revolve, but this I know, That I shall look into your eyes Some perfect day in paradise.

You’ll try to dig another well and you’ll run into the same thing as Isaac ran into which was conten­ tion when he dug the first well, and into hatred as he dug the sec­ ond well. These can come to you if you stay in the homeland out of the will of God. A Place Called "Room " But some place in the world there is a place called “ Room” for you— a place called Rehoboth. I remem­ ber while growing up in California that I wanted to settle down and be an ordinary “ Joe,” get married, have a nice home, children, and even some day thought I’d be able to drive a Cadillac if I stayed there long enough. These are dreams any young man thinks about. But the word of the Lord came to me just as it came to Isaac, “ Dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of,” and friends, the Lord Jesus Christ is saying these very words to you and to me today. They are, “ Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Dwell in the land that I shall tell thee of. And one day I found myself in a land called Borneo. And when I got into the interior of that island, I stood on the outside of a grave­ yard which marked the resting place of 58 Europeans who had giv­ en their lives for exploration and commerce. But as I stood out on the path in front of that graveyard, in my mind’s eye I could look in this direction 100 miles, and in that direction 100 miles, and 100 miles this way, and 100 miles that way, and there wasn’t one that named the name of Christ in all that area. This was the land that the Lord had told me of; this was a place of “ room,” a place called Rehoboth, and we didn’t need to The. mocking bird sings at break of dawn, Never caring that you are gone. Butterflies softly drift with the breeze, Bits of color among the trees. The branches bloom and the young leaves start Nor know of the drouth within my heart.

The first well that he dug was the well called Esek. And the herdsmen of Gerar strove with the herdsmen of Isaac and Isaac had to give up that well which he named Esek, meaning “ contention,” for there was contention there. And then he dug another well, and for that they strove also, and he named that well Sitnah because there he met with hatred. And then we read that Isaac “ removed from thence” ; he departed from that place of the Philistines to another place where he dug another well. There he struck water. The Philistines did not strive for this well so he called the name of that well Rehoboth, for he said, “ . . . the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” Though you can stay in this land of America, be blessed in sub­ stance and settle down, if you’re out of the will of God you’ll run into trouble just like Isaac did in the land of Gerar. There’ll be some­ body contending for your place. There’ll be somebody saying, “ This man’s got it too soft, too easy; let’s get rid of him; let’s help him to move.” And you’ll have to move.

Martha Snell Nicholson

A Day in June

And quite unheeding, this afternoon A small boy whistled a merry tune.

THE KING 'S BUSINESS

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