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September 1930
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SNotes on (Christian Sndeavor
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By A lan S . Pearce
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October S, 1930 How May We Help Folks in Our Community? James 1 :27
Think of their pain, their loss, their grief, their care; All that they have to do, or feel, or bear; Think of their pleasure, o f their good, their gain; Think o f those ’round thee—it will not be vain. Mr. Spurgeon one day looked out his window and saw a man wearing a yoke with buckets attached. He made repeated trips to the pump in the town square. “That man is not carrying water for him self alone,” Mr. Spurgeon remarked. “He is getting for others, or he would not come so often.” When we have to go to Christ for others as well as ourselves, we must go often. The sign that is on the tombstone of Dr. Adam Clark stabs me. It is a candle in a socket, burned out, with these words, “In living for others, I am burned away.” Such passion is kindled in the upper room. Bishop T. S. Henderson. He was a poor, skinny, old horse, but he was so happy. He was drawing a heavy load, too, but even that was for gotten, for right in front of him, as he pulled his weary load along, there was a hay wagon. From this he was getting a bit o f unexpected refreshment along the way. I must confess to a great desire to be a human “hay wagon,” that, unknown to myself, I may feed those whose lives, touch mine.— New York Observer.
spect o f persons.” If God does not ac cept the outside appearance for the inner reality (Acts 10:34), neither should we. This rule holds good in every walk of life, political as well as private. A good citizen will be upright in all of his deal ings with his fellowmen. He will always defend his country when she is in the right and will not shun the truth when she is in the wrong. * * * S ide L ights He serves his country best Who lives pure life, and doeth righteous deeds, And walks straight paths, however others stray; And leaves his sons, as uttermost,bequest, A stainless record which all men may read; This is the better way. No drop but serves the slowly lifting tide; No dew but has an errand to some flower; No smallest star but sheds some helpful ray,, And man by man, each helping all the rest, Make - firm bulwark o f the country’s power; There is no better way. —Susan Coolidge. “Now see here, elder,” said the Moral ist, “I am honest, truthful, and sober. I live just as good a life as any member of your church, and as far as I see my pros pects of heaven are as good as theirs.” “By the way,” I answered evasively, “how did your neighbor Carlosky vote last election ?” “He didn’t vote at all. He isn’t a citi zen.” “Why, what’s the matter?” I asked. “ He seems to be a good citizen. He is honest and law abiding. He is a much better citizen than Van Bibber, who was elected sheriff.” “Yes, Carlosky is all right, but you see, he was born in Germany and is still a cit izen o f that country.” “ Then, until he renounces his allegiance, and swears allegiance to the Constitution, he isn’t a citizen?” “Exactly.” “A man’s citizenship, then, depends on something besides living in this country and obeying its laws?” “ Sure, he’s got to be naturalized.” “But you are trying to demand citizen ship in the kingdom of God, basing your claim wholly on the kind of life you are living. Who fixes the conditions of citi zenship, Carlosky or the United State's Government? Who has a right to fix the conditions of heavenly citizenship, you or God?”— Christian Endeavor World.
( Consecration Meeting ) T houghts on the T opic
A person is saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, not through any merit of his own. But after he is saved and has sur rendered his life to the Lord, salvation will express itself in good works. One can not read very far in the New Testament without discovering that the new life in Christ involves service. James »empha sizes the practical aspects of the life of faith. There is no conflict between his writings and those of Paul who exhorts believers to “be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8), because “we are his workmanship, created! in Christ Jesus un to good works” (Eph. 2:10). James and Paul, according to Dr. A. T. Pierson, “stand back to back, defending the com mon faith from the attacks of the sur rounding enemies.” A study of the entire book of James would be profitable; in fact it is necessary for a full answer to the question of our topic. The key verse of the book is James 1 :22. The epistle abounds in illustrations o f everyday helpfulness. Make a list of these on the blackboard or assign various passages in the book to members of the society, asking them to tell in their own words how the truth of the texts may be made effective in the community. . The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself our example for a life o f practical righteous ness. “He went-about doing good” (Acts 10:38). “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,” so we, as His followers, are to serve others in His name. The Holy Spirit em powers us for such a ministry. It will extend to the whole community—to the unsaved, whom we will endeavor to lead to Christ (1 Cor. 9:22), and to “the household of faith” for whom we will seek to “do good” (Gal. 6:10; Matt. 25: 40). * * * S ide L ights Woudst thou be wretched? ’Tis an easy way: Think o f but self, and self alone, all day; Think of thy pain, thy grief, thy loss, thy care, All that thou hast to do, or feel, or bear; Think of thy good, thy pleasure and thy gain, Think only of thyself; ’twill not be in vain. Wouldst thou be happy? Take an, easy way: Think of those ’round thee—live for them each day;
October 12, 1930 Mark of a Good Citizen James 2 :1-17 T houghts on the T opic
The topic for today follows closely in thought that o f last Sunday. Helping others in our community is indeed a mark o f good citizenship. In the opening verses of the chapter, James states that believers cannot have faith in the Lord Jesus and at the same time manifest a spirit of par tiality among themselves. In Lev. 19:15 we see the full force of the idiom “re
Enjoyment and Generosity I am enjoying T he K ing ’ s B usiness more and more each year. I am enclosing some new subscriptions and a renewal. —From Watertown, So. Dakota.
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