THE KING’S BUSINESS
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4. How Can We Stir Up Our Giftst By remembering that we must give account unto our Lord. By thinking how much it cost Him, and how He loved us to win these gifts for us (Gal. 2:20). By con sidering the example of others ('Phil. 3 :12, 13). By observing how much our help is needed (Matt. 9:37). By looking to the reward of the faithful (Heb. 12:1-3). By exercising our gift without further delay (Prov. 19:15; Luke 19:24-26% By learn ing the Bible, pleasing the Lord, and serv ing others our faith, hope and love will be stirred up, growing stronger and stronger. Sunday, December 7. Lessons from Bible Heroes.—Heb. 11:32-38. CONSECRATION MEETING. 1. Heroes. Heroes are those who have braved great personal dangers and won vic tories of patriotism, philanthropy, or faith. We are proud of our Washingtons, Perrys, Lincolns and Grants. But there are no heroes like those of the Church. Remember that! There lived a defender of the faith so courageous, so often barely escaping with his life, so persecuted, without quailing, that men speak of him as “Athanasius against the world.” When Luther, that great hero of the Reformation, stood up to defend the truth against the Emperor, Pope, and princes of the empire, an old war beaten general said to him, “Poor monk, you are fighting a battle that |takes more courage than any I ever faced.” 2. The Eleventh of Hebrews. Here is a brief honor roll of God’s heroes. We choose six of them for a consecration day “Sin is composed of nought b u t subtle wiles, It faw ns and flatters and b etray s by sm iles; ’T is like th e pan th er, or th e crocodile, It seem s to love an d prom ises no wile, It hides its sting, seem s harm less as a dove, It hugs th e soul and h ate s w hen m ost vows love. It plays th e ty ra n t m ost by guilded pills, I t secretly ensnares the soul it kills.
study. Enoch (vs. 5, 6) showed his hero ism by walking with God in a wicked world (Gen. 6:5), and succeeding in pleasing Him amidst all that displeased Him. It takes heroism to do that. Noah obeyed God in face of a godless world (Gen. 5, 6), and built the ark to save his soul and family, when all must have counted him a fool, and laughed at his fear of judgment to come. It will take courage to tell others that they must find refuge in Jesus, our ark of salvation, or be eternally lost; and a brave boy or girl it will be who sounds the warn ing. Abraham (vs. 17-19) was heroic be cause he confessed himself a friend of God, and left the idolatrous land in which he lived, to be witness of the true God. Moses (vs. 24-27) gave up untold wealth and power, risking life itself, again and again, to be counted among Hebrew slaves, for the sake of Christ and His people. Samuel (1 Sam. 3:19-21), when his whole nation had turned away from God stood true in His service through a long life; from a small boy he was found faithful among the faithless. David (Acts 13:22)—you all know how he spared Saul’s life, who hunt ed him as if he were a wild beast. He had in his youth killed a lion and a bear (1 Sam. 17:34) ; and with a sling stone slain Goliath (1 Sam. 17:50) ; and all his life stood fast for his God and conquered. 3. The Secret of Being a Hero is faith, by which we fear God and nothing else, and hold fast to the true and the good against all opposition, and fight for the right at whatever sacrifice or suffering. This is possible for young and old. 'S in’s promises-7-they all deceitful be, Doth prom ise w ealth, b u t pays u s poverty; Doth prom ise honor, b u t doth pay u s sh am e; And q uite bereaves a m an of his good nam e; D oth prom ise pleasure, b u t doth pay us sorrow, D oth prom ise life today, pays d eath tom or row. No th ief so vile, n or treach ero u s as sin, W hom fools do hug and ta k e m uch pleasure in.”
“Sin”
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