35
January 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Let us remember love is what makes a happy home, and when Jesus lives in our hearts, we will do the things He wants us to do. (Fathers and mothers let us do our part by exhibiting a sympathetic un derstanding of childhood and youth.) If we love the Lord Jesus we will love one another, and when we really love, we want to help each other. Now as we look at our house once more, we hope it is a home, a very happy home. A nice h o u s e and beautiful grounds, and ponies can not make a happy home, unless the people are nice also. Of course if we love Jesus, we can not help being kind and loving and obedient chil dren, light until the little wick within is con nected with the oil. The Christians’ life must be filled with the oil of the Spirit if lie is to shine for Christ, whose light he is to reflect (Jn. 8 : 12 ), The great secret of a continuous, use ful Christlike life is to draw all your power from Him who is “the True Light.” Let nothing break the connections. Enter into thy secret closet, look unto Him and be made radiant (Psa. 34:5). This light is divinely placed (v. 14). Lights are for pinnacles. Believers are raised tp “heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” . God expects them to live above the world . . There is something decidedly wrong when a professed Christian dwells in the dungeons of sin instead of upon the pin nacles of righteousness. “Bushel” (v. 15) suggests commerce. For business reasons some hide their lights. Mark adds, “under a bed” (Mk. 4: 21), suggesting the ease and pleasure of worldliness which dims many a testimony. As sun, moon and stars were each given a place in the firmament from which to shine, so believers have a place ■ in God’s will from which their light may radiate to beast advantage. Light is to be located where darkness prevails or where special danger exists. Christians are movable lights, not part of a church chandelier. What a responsibil ity is upon the church to send out the warning lights! We are now given an illustration of the functioning of a body of believers who were indeed cpnnected up to the Great Power House (Acts 2:42-47). This passage shows that the flock was kept well together. A man says : “I can pray by myself—I can worship at home.” So he can. He could swim by himself in the great ocean, but it would be far better to go on the boat in company with others. We are more than ourselves. We be long to a Body, a Sum-total. “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching (Heb. 10:25). Pity the Christian who does not want to stand alongside of other Christians and join his voice to the psalm of thanksgiv ing; who does not care to kneel beside others in prayer; who does not get a
Listen to our memory verse. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right.” Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth.” Now we see how much depends on the children in making a happy home. God pours out His blessings on obedient children. Do you always obey father and mother? Another lesSon we learn from pur story today is that when we disobey our parents we disobey God as well, for it is He that has told us to obey your par ents. The next time father or mother asks you to do something will you think of this ?
dren their relationship and duties to par ents, parents their relationship and re sponsibilities to the children, and all have accepted Christ and have become new creatures in Him, then, and only then, can we have an ideal, model, Christian home. The influence which such a home has upon the children of the same and those of neighbors is shown very force fully in a quotation from Wm. Wallace Faris: “It has been shown that ninety- five percent of the weight acquired by a growing tree comes from air, moisture, and sunshine. It seems probable that at least three-quarters of the character ac quired by children is unconsciously ab sorbed in like manner. Direct instruction, like soil and fertilizer supplied to the potted plant, is a five-per-cent contribu tion. The moral atmosphere of your home is—-for good or ill—continuously a n d powerfully shaping t h e children’s character ‘while you wait/ ”
FEBRUARY 20, 1927 SERVING IN AND THROUGH THE CHURCH MATT. 5:13-16; ACTS 2:42-47
Dr. To'rrey says in characteristic fash ion, “There does not seem to be much connection between the title given to this lesson and the lesson. Forget it.” Two
B y M abel L. M errill A Child A t Home Eph. S:25-6:4.
Memory Verse: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Eph. 6:1. Approach: I have here a picture of a beautiful house, with a lovely big yard, with swings and hammocks and shade trees dotting the green lawn. You can see
passages packed with vital truth, are, how ever, before us. “Ye are salt”—not leaven. Salt flavors and preserves, but it cannot produce th e proper effect unless it is rightly distributed.
it is a large house, and off to one side is a fruit or chard. Here is something else that you b o y s and girls would enjoy; a Shet land pony with saddle and briddle on, all ready to take the little boy for a ride. You noticed I called this a picture of a house, for I do not know the peo ple who live in it, but I hope it is a home as well
Salt will not keep meat from spoiling if the meat is in the cellar and the salt is in the attic, ■ The salt of Christian grace is supposed to give good flavor to a life so that that life can produce a good effect upon its environment. John Wesley said that when a man be comes a Christian, his dog and cat will find it out. Monasticism is a mistake (Jn. 17:15). We are so to live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation that men will be drawn to our Christ. Those who will not hear the Gospel preached should at least be given a chance to see it lived. “Salt that has lost its savor is good for nothing.”' Who is more despised than a professing Christian who' has lost the savor of Christlikeness ? Men take de light in tramping such hypocrites under foot. Not only are believers to be permeating influences like salt—they are to be God’s lighting system. LET your light, shine! Don’t, try to MAKE it! Some believers make more noise than light. It takes more power to produce light than noise. “Suppose the sun were to get tired of shining and wished to talk,” says the Rev. Dr. Henry Howard. “His light reaches us across ninety millions of miles of space, in less than eight minutes, but his voice would not reach us until 1938; for sound travels a million times slower than light. And yet there are people who would rather talk than shine!” Light is characterized by drawing its power from a hidden source. The elec tric light in your home would be a use less thing but for its connection with a power station, perhaps miles away. A lamp with all its ornamental beauty is not sufficient to adorn the world with
as a house. I always think of a home as a place where people who live in it are happy; where they love each other. Our story today is about a child at home. Now you listen and see whether you live in a home or a house. (Let us bow our heads and thank our heavenly Father for our parents, and our homes.) Lesson Story: Boys and girls I have in this hand five pieces of money ; in this hand two pieces. Wrapped up in this paper on the table is one piece. Who will tell me what story this makes you think of? George you may, tell us. (Review, emphasizing the use of our gifts and tal ents to the glory of God.) I am sure we want the house-in which we live to be a home. Some may live in a rented house, but did you know that can be a home also? It is not the house that makes the home, but the people who live in the house. Our story starts out by telling about the father and mother, for of course we can not have a home without our dear fathers and mothers, that lpve us and care for us. If it is to be a real home, the father and mother must be Christians; that is, they must belong to Jesus. The husband must love his wife, as Christ loved the church. By the church we mean all the saved people. Christ loved the church enough to die for it. The wife should reverence the husband; that is, love and respect him. Now what is the part of the children toward having a real home?
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