January, 1938
T H E K I N G S B U S I N E S S
4
Around the King's Table
By PAUL W . RO O D
cannot be classified as a science. The chasm between the highest form of animal life and the lowest form of human life has never been bridged, and the missing link is still missing. The religious in stinct is found among humans everywhere but is not found among animals.1 The theory of the nonmiraculous origin of life is contrary to reason and revelation. The theory of brute nature brings the brute reaction. Those who believe they are mere animals have a tendency to live like animals. Behaviorism denies human re sponsibility and tends toward abandonment to perverted instincts and impulses. Mod ernism—which is refined atheism, denying the authority o f the W ord of God—tends toward lawlessness. Thus it prepares for communism and the overthrow of Con stitutional government. Present-day youth is at the crossroads. What a challenge to parents! If we are concerned for the welfare of our chil dren and the future of our nation, we must now lead our children by precept and example into the old paths and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. W e must reestablish the broken- down family altar and bring back old- fashioned godliness in the home. If Amer ica is to survive, educators will have to recognize their tremendous responsibility and will need to counteract the influence of the materialistic philosophy of life now dominating the thinking of the growing generation. Young people themselves will have to become God-conscious. They will need to recognize the exceeding sinful ness of sin, the inadequacy of materialism, and the necessity of seeking first the king dom of God and His righteousness. Only Christ can solve the problems of youth and can satisfy the hunger of the human heart. Christ alone can forgive sin, save the soul, fortify the will, and give the vision that will enable young people to become world conquerors of the kind that God desires. Through Christ’s aton ing death on the cross of Calvary, youth can be reconciled to God ; and through His resurrection life, consecrated youth can be empowered to evangelize the world. Thus Christian young people can speed the day of our Lord’s return when righteous ness shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea and the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms o f our Lord and of His Christ. Young people are challenged to consider the claims of Christ, to accept Him as a personal Saviour, and to follow Him to the ends of the earth. The result if they obey? They shall ultimately share the glory of the K ing of kings and Lord o f lords who will conquer the world I
“ is long-suffering to us-ward” (2 Pet. 3:9) will give His people yet another year of opportunity to witness to His Son. Let us pray that every day will be used to the glory of God. Let us pray for a revival in our churches and communities and in the body of Christ throughout the whole world. Truly, “ Pray, without ceas ing” (I Thess. 5:17) is an exhortation that we need to remember continually. May we above all else be men and women of prayer during 1938. Pray at the start. Praise at the finish I Young people like to project themselves into the future. Old people live in their memories and young people live in their hopes. The young build air castles— and who would deny them that privilege? He who never builds castles in the air will never build a castle on the ground. Some of us who are now in middle life re member how during our childhood school days, teachers and visiting speakers would stir our ambition by telling us that some one in our school might be President of the United States some day. None of us in our community became President, but some of us did better work in the class room because of the lure of the goal that was set before us. It is obvious that present-day youth will capture the world. Among the young people of America today we have the fu ture mayors, governors, senators, and presi dents of our land. In that group are to be found the future educators, editors, preachers, and missionaries. The young people of today are captur ing the world. The demand of our day is for youthful leaders. W e used to look for maturity and experience in persons vested with responsibility, but today these qualifications are discounted. There is an almost universal demand for young lead ers in every phase of life. Youth move ments are the order of the day. “ Chil dren should be seen and not heard” was a copy book maxim forty years ago, but today children are heard as well as seen — and often are the only ones heard! Young people must be reckoned with in the present era. Youth is being captured and dominated by a materialistic philosophy of life. Evo lution in the realm of philosophy, be haviorism in psychology, modernism in re ligion, and communism in political economy are capturing the young. Evolution is a philosophy and not a scienee. Science is knowledge gained and verified. Evolution is an unproved theory and consequently When Present-Day Youth Captures the World
Pray at the Start; Praise at the Finish
Some months ago while riding in an automobile with Dr. and Mrs. N. A. Jep- son from Seattle to Everett, Wash., I no ticed a sticker on the windshield with the words, “ Pray at the start; praise at the fin ish.” Realizing there must be a story con cerning this sticker, I asked for an explan ation. Mrs. Jepson related that she had only recently learned to drive 'and that while she was learning, she was coní* stantly praying for protection from accident and danger. One day she wrote out the words, “ Pray at the start and praise at the finish,” and placed the card on the windshield. The idea struck fire. By and by, others asked whether they might have a similar card. Their interest led to the printing of thousands of stickers that have been dis tributed all over Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. What an appropriate slogan for a Christian motorist 1 Certainly every Christian who drives a car will recog nize the need of prayer. W e should pray about everything, but not the least about our driving. Certainly none of us should start out on a trip without asking for G od’s protection. At the conclusion of the trip, we should return thanks to God for bring ing us safely to the destination. Pray at the start. Praise at the finish! This slogan, however, has an even wider application. It certainly applies to every venture and task in a Christian’s life and ministry. W e should begin the day with prayer and end it with praise. In the morning, let us look to God for His guid ance during the day and for His blessing upon the activities of the day. T o be sure, the heart attitude of the Christian contin ually should be one of praise and wor ship to the ■-Lord. But as we look back on the answer to our petitions, let there be special gratitude to Him. When the day’s work is done, let us never forget to return thanks to God for His goodness dur ing the day. Pray at the start. Praise at the finish 1 W e stand now at the opening of a new year, and we look back upon the year that is drawing to a close. W e have reason to thank God for all the blessings that He bountifully has bestowed upon us. Let us thank Him even for testings and for heartaches, for “ we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called accord ing to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). As we begin the new year, let us pray that this may be a year of spiritual growth and achievement. Perhaps our Lord will come for His church before the year draws to a close, or it may be that God who
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