THE KING’S BUSINESS
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command it is a grievous sin and insult to Him. If we do obey, what then? “It shall be given you.” It is the easiest thing in the world to get things; just ask for them (cf. James 4:2; Matt. 21:22; John 4:10; 14:13, 14; 15:7; 1 John 13-22). We ought always to be at this work of praying (Luke 18:1-8). But earnest asking does not stop with ask ing; it also “seeks,” “knocks,” and it “finds” and has the door opened to it. Our Lord puts the power of prayer very strongly “every one that asketh receiveth.” Note that He does not say that every one that asks gets everything he asks, but “every one that asketh receiveth.” There is, how ever, a way of asking that gets the very thing asked for every time (John 15:7; 1 John 3:22; 5:14, 15; John 14:13, 14). But in everyone’s prayer there is power, and every real prayer effects something. There is power also in seeking and knocking. Some men never find anything of any worth for they do not really seek. No door of marvelous opportunity opens to some men because they have not the faith and earnest ness to knock. Our Lord founded His “Golden Rule” of life upon the conception of God as Father. This comes out in the word “therefore” that connects verses 11 and 12. Since God is our Father, and gives good things—all good things, pre-eminently the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 11:13) to them that ask—" therefore” everything we desire men to do to us, we should do to others. This sums up the entire Old Testament revelation of duty. And this rule of love requires not merely that we should not do to others what we would not have others do to us. That is negative (the Confucian Golden Rule). The Christian Golden Rule is positive and requires that we should do to others all that we desire others to do to us. Sell goods to others as you wish others to sell goods to you; buy goods of others as you wish others to buy goods of you.; talk of others behind their backs as you wish others to talk of you behind your back. Do you keep this Golden Rule?
more divisions and difficulties than perhaps any other sin. If we will not judge others we “shall not be judged” (cf. Luke 6:37). When we measure out to others, we are really measuring to ourselves. Most men are sharpsighted to see a mote in another’s eye, but pass absolutely unnoticed a beam which is in their own. Jesus meets this strange injustice with a startling “why?” (v. 3). There is no clearer proof of our selfishness than that we judge others by such a different standard from that by which we judge ourselves. Love is indeed blind, and no other love is so blind as self- love. If we learn to love others, this treat ment of them will cease (1 Cor. 13:4-7 R. V.). One great reason for our harsh judg ment of others is that we somehow fancy that to discover faults in others covers up or atones for our own sin, but in reality it does not cover up our own faults, but un covers them; it does not atone for them, but increases them, to judge others (Rom. 2:1, 2, 21; 14:12). Jesus calls the one so blind to his own faults, and so open-eyed to the faults of others by no soft name, “hypocrite.” That is just what he is. His pretended zeal for righteousness is a hum bug for he desires it not for himself but for others. If we really would help the other to get the mote out of his eye, we must first get our own eye clear. It is a good thing to desire to set others free from their fault, but we should first be sure that we are free ourselves. Sunday, January 17. Matthew 7:7-12. These are wonderfully stirring words on prayer; wonderfully suggestive words, too. Our Lord begins with three commands, each of which is accompanied by a corre sponding promise. Remarkably brief are the commands; remarkably expressive are the promises. The enjoyment of the prom ise is conditioned upon obedience to the commands. Command one: “Ask.” What love on God’s part to command us to pray ! As if we were conferring a favor upon Him by doing it. Surely, if we do not obey this
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