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T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
September 1932
day. Both will receive their reward from the Lord, and hence both should work with that day in view. Lesson Questions Josh. 24:14, 15. What does the word “ fear” mean in this passage? What four things did Joshua call upon Israel to do? Upon what ground is the Christian ex horted to serve the Lord today? Eph. 6:1-4. Upon what one principle would you say the Christian home largely rests? By how many is submission to be shown? to whom, in each case? If this passage were obeyed, what effect would it have upon industrial situations ? What is meant by eye service? Golden Text Illustration During the Franco-Prussian War, when the German army was proceeding toward Paris, it passed through many villages. At one o f these villages, it was met with weapons o f various descriptions. It is said that an old woman came out with a crutch, which she swung in the air. “Go back! They will think you are mad.” “I don’t care what they think,” she said, “as long as they know whose side I’m on.” Pleasing God in My Home E p h e s ia n s 6 :1 -3 , 6 -8 Memory Verse: “ Children, obey your parents in the Lord” (Eph. 6 :1 ). Approach: The Apostle Paul wrote many letters to his Christian friends. In our story of last week, he was writing about Timothy, a young Christian, who obedient to His parents. “And Jesus ad vanced in wisdom and stature, and in fa vor with God and men.” You remember that Timothy was a good son in his home, too. You remember that, in the Old Testament, when God gave the Ten Commandments to the children of Is rael, one o f them was, “ Honour thy fa ther and thy mother.” Then Paul speaks to the fathers and mothers and tells them to bring up their children carefully, and especially to teach them to love and honor God. Then he speaks to the servants in the household and tells them to be faithful and obedient, to serve their masters not only as if their masters were watching them, but as servants of Christ, doing the will o f God from the heart. And he tells the mas ters to be kind and thoughtful to their servants. Home would be a pleasant place all of the time if these ways in which Paul tells the members o f the home to act would be remembered. Paul didn’t write his letter just for the people in that country of long a g o ; he wrote it for all people at all times. So when we read this letter, we must stop and think and find out if we are helping to make our home the kind which is pleas ing to God. « G , I s i O * was faithful to God. In the story today, Paul is writing to Christians to tell them how they can please God in their homes. L e s s o n S tor; y: The first thing he does is to tell the chil dren to obey their par ents. You remember that in the Bible it says that Jesus was
BLACKBOARD LESSON
has done for us, Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present” yourselves unto God (Rom . 12:1).! “ I therefore . . . beseech you that ye walk worthy o f the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph. 4 :1 ). II. S u b m is s io n to t h e L ord ( E p h . 6:1-4). Submission to the Lord is to be mani fested in both the filial and parental re lationships. Parents as well as children are addressed in these verses. The sub mission of children to their parents was taught from earliest times, and it forms the great foundation upon which the glory o f the home rests. The problems o f the home are largely solved when such submis sion is in evidence. In verse 2 there is a threefold exhortation for children which might well serve as a golden text for this lesson. In the words, “Honor thy father and thy mother,” there is found a privilege for the heart, because the honor rendered to parents is honor rendered to the L ord ; a precept for the will, because honoring parents requires a real decision and also the carrying out o f that decision; and a power for the life, because nothing lends strength of character to young people more than submission to authority in the home. But true submission o f children to their parents cannot be' secured until the parents themselves have learned to show submis sion to the Lord (v. 4). III. S e rv ic e fo r t h e L ord ( E p h . 6:5-9). This passage deals with the relation be tween employers and employees. I f we recognize that all employment upon earth is but a channel for serving the Lord, then all employment becomes transfigured, lift ing the one who serves into the realm o f heavenly places. There are three things for servants, or employees, to remember: First, their obed ience is to be as unto Christ (v. 5). Per forming duties as though Christ were the employer, and taking orders as though they came from Him, is true service. Such ser vice will be rendered with fear and trem bling lest Christ be displeased. Second, their service is to be as unto Christ (vs. 6, 7), not with the eyes upon the human employer but upon the Lord. Seeing the Lord behind the “ boss” makes all work dig nified and sacred as nothing else can do. Third, the reward, or pay, is to be taken as from the Lord (v. 8 ). The “pay envelope” does not contain the full wages for service rendered. No one on earth has money enough to pay for work done, because not only the time of the worker goes into the work, but the worker himself; that is, the worker’s life is represented, by the work done. A worker makes a bad bargain and a big mistake who gets only dollars and cents for his work. The value of the work is a question between the human employer and the employee, but the value of the worker is a question between the employee and the Lord. The question should be, not “What is the value o f the work?” but “What is the value o f the worker?” Be cause, “What is a man profited though he gain the whole world and lose his soul?” that is, his life? One’s life goes into any work that one may do, and that life is worth more than all the world. Hence the worker should perform his duties as unto the Lord and from the Lord receive his re ward, whatever the “pay” may be from the human employer. In verse 9, a word is spoken to employ-
ers. They, too, must see that their obed ience is to the Lord. They also have a Master to serve and obey, and to whom to look for reward. The employer is himself an employee and is to serve his Master as his employees serve him. Hence a man might be a good employer and gain much of this world’s goods, and at the same time be a poor employee and lose his life. The infinite fairness of the Lord insures perfect settlement with both employee and employer in a coming day. The reason for the above exhortation is found in verse 9, “Neither is there respect o f persons with him.” When the time ar rives, and all lives are before Him, the fact of whether one has been an employee or an employer upon earth will make little difference. The only thing that will count in that day is the measure o f faithfulness manifested by each. Both will stand before the Lord and be answerable only to Him. They will both be upon even terms in that If W e Had But a Day W e should fill the hours with the sweetest things, I f we had but a day; W e should drink alone at the purest springs In our upward way; W e should love with a lifetime’s love in an hour, I f the hours were few ; W e should rest, not for dreams, but for fresher power To be and to do. W e should guide our wayward or wearied wills By the clearest light; W e should keep our eyes on the heavenly hills, I f they lay in sight; W e should trample the pride and the discontent Beneath our feet; W e should take whatever a good God sent, With a trust complete. W e should waste no moments in weak regret, I f the day were but on e; If what we remember and what we forget Went out with the sun, W e should be from our clamorous selves set free, To work or to pray, And to be what the Father would have us be, If we had but a day. — M a r y L o w e D ic k in s o n .
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