King's Business - 1918-11

THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S power from the omnipotent power house in heaven to our hearts and homes and lives. You are to graduate this week in the Bible. You have completed and passed satisfactory examinations in vari­ ous very complete ' and thorough courses in the Bible. God grant, however, that you may not dream for one moment that you have graduated from Bible study. I have studied the Bible forty three years and have read the Bible every day of my life without a single exception for forty nine years, and yet I feel today as I nCver felt before how little I know of its prec­ ious contents, and how much I need to study it, to dig into it every day. I would not dare go twenty four hours without studying this Book. I would have a great fear I would not finish the work God had given me to do. I do sometimes go twenty four hours without taking a morsel of food for my body. I never go twenty four hours without feeding my soul on that which alone presents the Living Bread in its purity, the Word of God. 7. There is one more thing we must do if we would glorify God by finishing the work which He has given us to do: WE MUST MAKE THE VERY BEST USE OF th e tim e G od gives u s . W e m u st REDEEM THE TIME, OR AS THE REVISED V ersion pu ts it , ‘‘B u y u p th e oppor ­ tu n it y .” (Eph. 5:16). I have not time to dwell upon that at length. Simply let me say this: First of all we must be watchful that we waste no time. One of the great watchwords of the hour is “Do not waste.” We are told that it is by scrupulously avoiding waste of food that we shall win the war. But there is some­ thing of greater value than food or other resources, that men are wasting daily, and that is time. We should be watchful every day and moment of our lives that we waste no time. We waste time not only when we employ it in doing wrong things ,or in doing nothing at all. We waste it when we do good things when we might be doing better things. For all the follies of the Germans, they have

940 this scene and the words I now speak will come back to you, “Be men and women of prayer.” “Pray without ceas­ ing.” Take time for prayer. Take much time for prayer every day. Prayer is the key that unlocks the door that opens into the secrets of God’s will and prayer is also the key that unlocks the power house of God, and puts all His power at our disposal. 6. If we are to be able to say at the close of our life, “7 have glorified on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest. me to do," w e m u st earn ­ e stly , PERSISTENTLY AND REGULARLY STUDY th e W ord of G od . The Word of God is the instrument God uses for the revela­ tion of His will. Through the Word of God He makes clear to us what the work is which He has given us to do. He does not do it once for all, in some great crisis of life when we receive our call to serv­ ice, but continuously day by day as we study the Book. It is, as I study the Book of God, the Book that stands abso­ lutely alone among the books of earth, the Bible, as I study it day by day, that God reveals to me what each day, is the work that He would have me do for that day. Begin each day with the study of this Book that you may find God’s will for that day. But the Bible not only makes known to each of us the will of God, it also imparts power to do that will. The Apostle John, writing to young men just entering upon their life work, says, “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have over­ come the wicked one." (1 John 2:14). Evidently the strength and the victory over the Wicked One came through the studied and obeyed, and therefore indwelling, Word of God. God’s word is the wire along which God transmits not only His wisdom but His power to us. The same wire that transmits light to pur homes transmits power to our elec­ tric motors; and God’s Word, the Bible, is the wire that transmits both light and

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