March, 1942
THE K I NG ’ S BUSINESS
M
perfect knowledge. How little we know here on earth, even the wisest of men! Sir Isaac Newton, When an old man, said to one who praised his wisdom, “I am as a child on the seashore pick ing up a pebble here and a shell there, but the great ocean of truth still lies before me.” But in heaven the most uneducated souls (so far as human standards go) will fathom the great ocean of truth. In heaven, we shall understand the mysteries of God and why He led us alorfg the way that seemed strange to us. We shall understand then why the financial reverses, the tears, the ' heartaches, the sleepless nights .have entered into our experience. We shall realize then how fully true is the state ment in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,.to thbm who . are the called according to his pur- : pose.” How unsearchable are some of God’s ways with us! We cannot understand why God allows this man to retain his strength and vitality, and takes away another man’s health; or why God leaves this Christian with twenty thousand dollars a year and takes ■ away practically every penny from some other man. But nothing “hap pens” in the providence of God. Some time ago a Christian friend and I were recounting our experiences oyer a period of twenty-five /years. During all that time, I had lacked no necessary provision; My friend told me that before the depression, he had supported ten missionaries. But he said that when the collapse of 1929 came, his entire fortune was wiped away, and many a day he apd his wife had sat at the breakfast table drinking c o f f e e without sugar or • cream because they did not have suf ficient money to buy these supplies. God had seen best to test him se verely, bu t'th e'fu ll purpose of that testing and of the glorious testimony that grew out of it can be known only when we are at home with the Lord. My friends, never try to find out reasons for the providences of God. If you do so, your soul will grow dark and cold. Just trust God, and you will learn some day that all the tears and heartaches were essential as God views human n e e d s . Po.br Jacob cried, “All these things are against me,” when he heard that Ben jamin was wanted in E g y p t after Joseph had been taken away from him. But later he came to see that the very things that seemed to be against him had worked out for his good and for the preservation of his whole family. When you stand on the glory side and look at the pathway > along which you have come, you Will thank God for the loving heart -that planned and for the pierced hand that led you all the. way.
and costly furnishings. Then he sent for his little girl and'brought her into the house |which he had built. But he could not interest her in any part of it. She would give one quick look around the room that was being shown to her, and then would ask to be shown to the next. At last, her father had to say, “My child, there are no more rooms. You have seen them all.” And then she fell to the floor with a despairing cry: “O Mama, O Mama, this ,is not home without you!” Our grateful hearts can understand the child’s feeling, and we qan say with reverent, adoration, “O blessed Lord Jesus, even -heaven would not be heaven without Thee!” ' It is not the golcien streets that we look for, but we long to “see his face.” When we s t a n d in that glorious company, we shall not be afraid. We shall not only see Him, but we shall also be like Him, and we shall praise His name forever. Several y e a r s ago, I was.: going across the Pacific. I was standing on the promenade d e c k , watching - the blazing sun about to’ disappear over the horizon. There were innumerable little white-crested waves moving in a westerly direction, and each one seemed to be doing obeisance to the sun. As I gazed upon that sight,-1 thought of that day when the re deemed of all the ages will stand in Immanuel’s land, and every head will be turned in the direction of the Son of .God and the united voices of that vast multitude will acclaim: “Thou . . . hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred,' and tongue; and. people, and nation. i . . Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. >... Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon; the throne, and unto
"A s many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God" (John 1:12). ByMARTHA SNELL NICHOLSON I would not be an angel; Though they behold God's face, Angels are His servants. And I His child, by gracel The great archangel Michael Would gladly trade with me. Would leave his harp, forgotten. Beside the crystal sea And walk earth's dusty highways In rags and penury. With pain for his companion If he could only be For one ecstatic moment What I shall be always. The child; of God. my Father, To whom be endless praise. Yes, angels are His servants. But listen to God's word: "THOU art—though once a sinner- joint heir with Christ the Lord!" Transfiguration; as Stephen knew his Lord as he was being stoned, and as p iv e s in hell recognized Lazarus and Abraham, so in the life beyond the grave each of us shall know even as also we are known. This belief in continued recognition after death has been set forth beau tifully in a silent testimony. There are graven on the tombstone which marks the place where Charles Kings ley and his wife both are buried, the three Latin words, “ ^mavimus, Ama- mus, Amabimus,” which when trans lated mean, “We have loved; we love; We shall love.” Such was Kingsley’s faith! And such is ours! Our loved ones still will be ours. Mary recognized the risen Lord Jesus by the sweet intonation of His voice when He called her name. The Em-, maus disciples recognized the hands of their beloved Lord as He broke bread with them. The loved traits of human nature are not destroyed by the grave. Richard Baxter, in his fine hymn on the Confidence and-Cove nant of Faith, expresses the true Chris tian point of view: “My knowledge of that life is small, The eye of' faith is dim; But ’tis enough that Christ knows all, And I shall be with Him.” Heaven is a place of universal and
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