75 rendered heart. ■Have we learned the lesson? TUESDAY, Jan. 18. 1 Tim. 6:6-19. The Snare of Riches. 'fhe temple of Diana a t Ephesus bore abundant witness to the lavish' generos ity of her devotees. Paul would have the followers of Christ equally gener ous.' By doing so in taking from their earthly plenty and devoting it to the service of God and man, they will treas ure it up as an investment for the fu ture. Thus they will lay hold upon the life which is life indeed. This charge to Timothy is laid upon each of us to day. We are not to set our hopes on the uncertainty of riches but in the liv ing God. He gives us richly thinBB to enjoy but we are to set our hopes upon Him, not upon the things. A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things but in the knowledge and fel lowship of God. WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19. Mark 10:23-31. The Hundred-fold Recompense. Peter’s question, “What shall we have?” savors more of the hired ser vant than the son. Christ, however, does not disparage the sacrifice His disciples had made. He measures service by love and assured them of a reward th a t ex ceeded their imagination. The Divine compensation is a hundred-fold. The magnificence Of this reward has a so bering effect upon the mind. It is con ducive to humility. There is no ques tion of merit here. No matter what one has done or what sacrifice he has made, he can not pretend th a t he has earned the “hundred-fold.” It is so obviously out of proportion that we recognize it to be of grace not of debt. We cannot earn or deserve such blessing. The free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. THURSDAY, Jan. 20. Luke 16:1-12. What to Do With Money. If you were going abroad, it would be a dictate of sound wisdom to go to a banking house or place of exchange and have your money converted into the cur rency of th a t country you expected to visit. Then you would suffer no in convenience on arriving there. Earthly currency will not pass in heaven. Many a millionaire will find himself a pauper in the world to come. Another who had little of this world’s goods to boast of, but who was rich in .faith and good works will rank among the princes and potentates of glory. We should make
THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S The sinner is restored to- Divine favor on the ground of Christ's perfect obedi ence to the law of God. The Judge pardons, the Father forgives. It is not safe to turn a criminal loose upon so ciety while he is unrepentant and un changed. He would only prey upon it the more. No governor would even consider pardoning an offender unless there was evidence th a t he was a changed man. While regeneration and pardon are theologically synchronous, they are logically related as antecedent and consequent. The justified sinner not only receives pardon but is treated- with unmerited and unmeasured favor. The grace of God is the efficient cause. The obedience of Christ is the procuring cause. Faith is the instrumental cause. SUNDAY, Jan. 16. Matt. 19:19-80. Our All for the Kingdom. There are three places, according to the Scriptures, where one may lay up treasure: heaven, Matt. 6:20; earth, Matt. 6:19; and hell, Rom. 2:5. Had the young man obeyed Christ’s command and given his fortune away,- he would have had it now and kept .it forever. We only keep that which we give away. We only lose what we keep. Instead of saving something for a rainy day, we may lay up something for the judgment day. No day should pass without mak ing some investment that will yield eter nal dividends. Anything th a t can not be related to the kingdom in some way had better be left undone. Every man’s work will be tested. The fire, shall try it and determine its character. 1 Cor. 3:13. Although he may be saved and his work lost it is much better to have the work and the soul both saved. MONDAY, Jan. 17. Mark 10:17-22. One Thing Racking. This young man did not lack wealth. He did not lack those things th a t wealth usually secures, friends, culture, social standing. He did not lack morality. He prided himself upon having kept the commandments. Lacking the one thing needful, however, he was poor indeed. "With Christ one may suffer the loss of all things and rejoice. Without Christ the possession of the world is no com pensation. # This young ruler had a di vided heart. He wavered between love of gold and love of God. There is no happiness in this condition. God asks of every one, not the doing of any out ward act or the performance of any cere mony, but only a yielded life and a sur-
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