THE KINGS BUSINESS
159
“MY GIRLS”
B y Mrs. H. J. Baldwin.
T j ID any of you girls raise flowers last summer? Perhaps you had war gardens. -Let tho'se who ,had success suggest reasons for it. (Early planting, good seed, good soil and care.) In our lessons, today Christ preached upon seed, soil and results. Picture the people crowding about Christ. In order to more easily teach them He climbed into a row-boat and pushed out a bit from shore. As Christ looked oyer the ground His "eye doubtless paught the hill side beyond. A field lay ready for seed. Across it ran a path trodden ( 1 ) hard by many travelers. Throughout the field ran ridges of ( 2 ) rock scantily covered with clay. Here and there stood clumps of (3) thorn bushes fast multiplying with many new shoots. While in the hollows the soil Wa's (4) rich and loamy. The farmer might sow equally good seed over all the field, but how varying the results. Christ as he looked beyond saw not only the field, but the hearts of his audience. And so He looks into the hearts of us who hear Him speak today. He saw four kinds of hearts: Hard, stony, thorny and good. (1) Hard. (v. 4, 15). When you planted your sweet peas you didn’t scatter the seed on the path which led through the garden and expect fine flowers. You would scarcely have gotten away ,until birds would haVe taken it. This is the girl, who, while the teacher or pastor is faithfully presenting “The Word,” thinks only of Jane’te Hew furs, of of the gay time at Kate’s party. When aged grandmother asks her about the lesson and sermon she has to admit that she does not know, for she did not hear it.' A bottle can be held under Niagara, but if it is corked the bottle will j remain dry inside. The truth fell on and off but not one word got inside. Satan carefully planned it sip Satan always unseen uses some of his igents: pride, vanity, foolish convention sad ¡Kirldly distraction. (2) Stony, (vsil S, 6 , 16, 17). This
; soil looks well but has no d.epth. In truth it is rock with only a covering of clay. This is the girl with the best of intentions. She hears and is stirred while in Sunday School. She resolves to study the lesson, invite the new girl, carry some flowers and read a while to Ann in the hospital, then she goe's out and forgets. She is spasmodic. She fears someone will call her “goody-goody/’ if she carries a testament, or that the “set” will “cut her” if she stands for her con victions against wine, cigarettes, or immod est dressing. She will give up church, rather than her crowd. This girl reminds one of flying-fish. They rise from the, water and skim the waves. One expects them to. soar into the heavens, but in a moment their power of flight is exhausted and they flop again into the water. (3) Thorny, (vs. 7, 18, 19). This soil does not lack depth or richness, At first the ’shoots thrive and give promise. Shortly thorns and weeds appear which strangle the plant until at length only a sickly •starved growth remains. These girls love Jesus. They study His Word daily. They are loyal and devoted to the church anfl live for others. These girls are active in school and society also. Life becomes one round of dresses, dinners, concerts, lec tures, autoing and week-end blowouts. Their excuse always is, “Too busy.” God and His Word are crowded out. Things most worth while are choked. Their lives bear no fruit, for Christ and the world cannot mix (1 Tim. 5:6, Matt. 5:24, James 4:5, 1 John 2:15). (4) Good, (vs. 8 , 20 ). This is the only soil where the seed fell on, in, down, and up. How proud the farmer was of this soil, This girl chose to go all the way with God. She was in the world, but not of it. Not pleasure,, glory, ambition, or self, but Christ was on the throne in her life. Her ambition was to have all that Christ had for her, and to be u’sed by Him —to be found “perfect in all the will of
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