the Cross He was made sin for us, our sin, that He might be our Saviour (2 Cor. 5: 21; 1 Peter 2:24). Do we need any fur ther proof that He loves us and that He is interested in every part of our life? Now the Bible clearly teaches that God has a plan for every life (Rom. 8:28; 12: 1-2). The Bible speaks of the will of God for every believer. Study the above Scrip tures and discuss them in your meeting. How we ought to rejoice that God knows all about us and that He wants to bless us and make us a blessing. Only the Christian, however, may have the assur ance and peace that comes from this truth because all others refuse to let God have their lives in the way that God demands (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). But for the Chris tian comes the assurance that every detail of His life is a part of the wise and loving plan and purpose of God (Rom. 8:28); and each believer knows that this plan is “ good and acceptable and perfect.” Surrender Gladly to This Plan of God The great burden of this passage is that every believer might consciously and voli- tionally present his body (life) to God as a living sacrifice. When the believer does this then God takes over and directs that life as it pleases Him. Now some believers never know the peace that comes from resting in the per fect plan of God because they do not sub mit themselves to God, nor do they fulfill the conditions of v. 2, namely, non-con formity to the world. Let the Christian separate himself from all that he knows is displeasing to God and he will have the guidance of the Lord in his life. Notice that Paul speaks of the will of God for you as being “ good.” This means morally good. God is concerned with char acter. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to produce holiness in the believer’s life. Walking in the will of God is walking in holiness and in full obedience to the mind of God. In this condition God directs His child into the path of His appointing and with the accompanying joy and peace which is the birthright of every Christian. The Apostle also speaks of the will of God for you as “ acceptable.” This means that this kind of an obedient life is ac ceptable to God, and it also means that for the Christian whose will is lost in the will of God for his life, that this holy will is wonderfully acceptable to him. The will of God for you is “perfect.” This means that God will lead you into the very course of life that He has pur posed for you. You will never be a round peg in a square hole when God has your life. Many, many lives are misfits simply because they have never found the will of God. God has given to every person cer tain abilities and certain gifts which He intends to be used in exactly the way He has designed. Any other manner of life results in confusion and lack of spiritual blessing. Use Your Life to the Glory of God I Cor. 10:31 A little thought on the subject will con vince any honest person that the only really legitimate meaning for this life is to be found in God. The glory of God is the only worthy goal of life. Your life’s For Your Life Rom. 12:1, 2
occupation and mine must contribute something to the glory of God or it is not realizing the real purpose for its existence. Many people fail right here: some people live for riches, some for fame, some for fun, others for power, and some live in order to help others. But unless all that a man does is done for the glory of God his life is like a shooting star, brightness for a moment and then darkness. God calls believers into every conceiv able honorable occupation, and this is truly the will of God for each sincere be liever. In this calling—be it medicine, law, mechanics—do it as unto the Lord, and His blessing will be yours for time and for eternity. Sept. 13, 1953 The Kick-Off Eph. 4:11-16 This lesson is devoted to helping your society to get a good start for the fall and winter work. The Scripture which forms the basis of the study teaches the great truth of the true unity of the believers in Christ. It is the spirit of oneness and unity in your society that will enable you to accomplish great things for Christ in the year ahead. The Purpose of Your Society Every action should have a reason. Someone has said that if we aim at noth ing we shall hit it every time. Every man and every organization that has ac complished anything for God has had a specific purpose or goal in mind, and everybody worked toward this goal. So it must be for you and for your group in the coming months. Now, what should be some of your ob jectives? May I suggest that you ought to seek for souls for Christ. I think that this is the chief purpose for which you exist as a young people’s society. Your first aim should be to introduce other young people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Once a society loses this goal, this blessed objective, the group degenerates into a mere social club not much different from the clubs on your campus at school. You see, the church has a distinctive calling —you have a calling that only you and others like you can fulfill. Only the Chris tian can witness for Christ, and only the Christian can be used of the Holy Spirit to win others to Christ. At the very out set of your society program for the com ing months put at the top of the list of your objectives the winning of young people to Christ. Another worthy purpose or aim for your society is to provide encouragement to other believers to persevere in the Christian life. This can be done by enthu siastic leadership on your part. Enter into your work with the zest of the Lord, with His joy in your heart, with genuine love for Christ in your soul, and God will use you to inspire others to do the same. One of the reasons fire is so irresistible is the fact that it spreads. The same is true of enthusiastic Christianity. Sacrifice some thing to realize your goal this year. Give some time in prayer and planning and in the promotion of the program. The social life of your group is very important. Unbelievers do many things CONTINUED ►
Helps for Christian Endeavor and Other Young People's Groups By Chester J. Padgett, D.D. Associate Professor of Bible Biola Bible College Sept. 6, 1953 How Can I Enjoy My Work? Matt. 20:8-16; John 5:13-17 Each of us is in the world, and in the providence of God will spend a number of years here. During our sojourn in this world we will want to spend our time in the way that will bring the most good to those about us and the most happiness to ourselves. This is certainly a legitimate goal. For most of us the larger part of our lives w ill be spent in work, for we must work to live. In many parts of the world there is no choice of work for those brought into the world. In many sections of the earth there is very little possibility of choice or change. Children grow up in these areas and are put to work as soon as they are strong enough to work the soil or care for the stock. But in America, thank God, we live in a land of opportunity unparalleled by any other section of the earth. How we American young people ought to praise the Lord for the privilege of living in a nation where the principal of free enter prise and the competitive spirit challenge every young person and give every young person an opportunity to develop to every limit of his abilities. Now the question comes to you, How can I best enjoy the work I will be doing as an adult and responsible citizen of my great country? We shall seek to make several suggestions along this line in our development of the topic today. Know That God Has a Plan for Your Life Rom. 8:26; 12:1, 2 This is entirely consistent with the na ture of God and the nature of man. God is the Creator of all life; He is the Maker of man. As such He is infinitely con cerned about that which He has made. We have the evidence of His love and care in the fact of the Incarnation and the Cross. At the Incarnation He became Man and dwelt among us (John 1:1-14). At
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