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THE KING’S BUSINESS
must, either be God or Mammon. Let it be God, and all for God. If it is all for God, there will be no more anxiety about tem poral things, food and drink and clothes. One will be indifferent to these and take what God sends, and furthermore the ab solutely surrendered heart is always a trust ing heart for it knows God and knows that He is to be trusted. Anxiety is a most use less thing anyhow. It cannot add one cubit to our stature or to our age. Indeed, it takes away from our age, Every moment of worry shortens life, but we cannot over come worry without the single eye and the surrendered will and the consequent knowl edge of the Father, and the trust in the Father that comes from it. The thing to be sought is not food, or drink, or clothes, but God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness (v. 33). If these are the one object of our search the other things will come without seeking. Live a day at a time. Tomorrow will have enough care of its own, and praise God it will have also enough grace to meet the need. Saturday, January 16. Matthew 7:l-6. Judging is God’s work, not ours (cf. Rom. 14:2-4, 10-13; 1 Cor. 4:3-5; James 4: 11, 12). We are neither called nor competent to sit in judgment upon others. If we at tempt it we shall reap exactly what we sow. We “shall be be judged,” We shall be judged by God (James 2:12, 13), by other men (note context), and condemned by ourselves, for the very judgment we visit upon others really applies to ourselves (Rom. 2:1). Of course, it is not meant for one moment that we shall abstain from all estimates of others. It does mean that we shall not be ready to blame others even when appearances are against them (1 Cor. 15:5, 7 R. V.), and when for purposes of deciding what to do, we must form an ad verse opinion, even then we must not re gard the opinion as infallible, irrevocable or final, but leave the final decisive judgment with Him to whom it belongs, that is, God. The practice of judging one another is
rending the Church of Christ. It is causing opposed to that spirit that rushes into the place of unnecessary temptation (cf. 1 Cor. 10:12). There is an “evil one” (v. 13 R. V.), and we need to be always on our guard (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 6:11-12) against his wiles, and the way to victory over him is by prayer. The forgiveness for which verse 12 teaches us to pray is not the forgiveness of the sin that excludes us from eternal life, but the forgiveness of the sins‘which sep arate us from communion with Him who is our Father. Thursday, January 14. Matthew 6:16-23. The fast that has real power in it is not the fast by which men parade their piety before their fellow men, but the fast that comes from; an intense desire to obtain God’s blessing at any cost, and that leads us to forsake even our necessary food that we may give ourselves up to obtaining help from the Most High. Earthly banks -are all insecure. The heavenly bank is eter nally secure. Moths, rust and thieves of one kind or another will sooner or later get everything of earthly good, but there are no moths, or rust or thieves of any kind that can touch heavenly treasures. If our "treasure” is down here, be it of one kind or another, our hearts will be set upon that which is sooner or later bound to disap point, and a broken heart will be our eternal portion. But if our “treasure” is up yonder our hearts will be set upon that which is eternal, and therefore eternal satisfaction is secure to us. By “the single eye” (v. 22) is meant the absolutely surrendered will, and therefore, according to the teaching of Christ, an absolutely surrendered will is the only condition of being “full of light” (cf. John 7 :17 R. V.). One may study as much as he pleases, but if the will is not sur rendered he can never be “full of light.” Friday, January 15. Matthew 6 :24-34. The attempt to love God and to love the world at the same time is absolutely futile, “ye cannot serve God and Mammon.” It
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