-November 1943
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undefiled, and lived in unselfish loy alty to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.—Abridged from Illus trations from Art, by Biederwolf. Gifts for the Little Lord Jesus M atthew 2:1-12 MEMORY VERSE: “And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother . . . and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts” (Matt. 2:11), AIM: To show that we must first re ceive God’s Gift, the Lord Jesus; then we can give Him our gifts. APPROACH: (Re
nificent than any which man would ever build. Eight times Mumtaz Ma hal went down to hazard death in t|ie mysterious land of motherhood, but the eighth time the babe came back alone. As Shah Jahan sat, bowed in irreparable grief by the side of his lifeless mate, he cried, “O my Mumtaz Mahal, you shall have the palace I promised you although' it must be your tomb1.” For more than twenty years he employed more than 20,000 men and spent more than $20,000,000 in building this marvelous mauso leum. Engraved upon the tomb is the inscription: “To the memory of an undying love.” There is One who in His undying love for all mankind triumphed over death and Hades at the cost of in finite suffering, and brought life and immortality to light by His glorious resurrection . . . What monument have we built for Him? . . . May it be a monument not in white and perish able marble, but in a life pure and
Medes, they formed a special class of priests and were chiefly occupied with foretelling events from the stars, and in the preparation of medicines for bodily ills. Not all of the Magi were imposters. Some of them were seekers after truth. Evidently the Magi of this chapter were of the latter kind. How many of them there were is not known, but they were all seeking light. They showed themselves to be wise irt at least three respects: (1) in the object of their seeking, (2) in their act of worship, and (3) in their spirit of giving. 2. "We hove seen his star in the east" (v. 2). What sort of a star was this? Was it a meteor hanging in the lower regions of the sky, or a part of a comet? We do not know. It is interesting to listen to Kepler, the great astronomer, who says that at this time there was visible in the heavens a brilliant temporary star. Most likely it was a supernatural luminary provided by God for the purpose it fulfilled. When these men saw this peculiar star appear, prob ably they were reminded of Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24:17. 3. "When they were come into the house" (v. 11). From this statement we conclude that there must have been an interval of time between the events of Luke 2 and those of Mat thew 2. In Luke 2, the events gather about a manger. Here they gather about a house. Evidently enough time had e l a p s e d since the birth of Christ, the coming of the shepherds, etc., for the dispersion of the crowds that filled even the inn,, and for the settlement of the holy family in some convenient house in Bethlehem. This view is contrary to the prevailing idea and the expressions of art. But it har monizes with Scripture. Note verse 16 which suggests that as. much as two years may have elapsed between the two records. . 4. "They . . . worshipped . . . pre sented unto him gifts, .-. . departed into their own country, another way" (vs. 11, 12). The attitude of the Magi suggests the proper order for every believer. The believer’s first duty is Worship. Nothing can be. substituted for this, ihen giving and renewed liv ing should always follow.. Standing on the banks of the Jumna River at Agra, in India, is the Taj Mahal, the love-tribute of Shah Jahan to Princess Arjamand, his wife, whom he called Mumtaz Mahal, the “exalted of the Palace,” a woman loved as few women ever have been loved. It is the most beautiful structure in the world. It is, as some one has called it, “frozen poetry.” Shah Jahan had promised his wife a palace more mag Golden Text Illustration J o h n 3:16
view the shepherd story.) When peo ple say “t h a n k you” for God’s Gift of 'the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, then they want to give somethiiig to Him. W o u l d you
E t IX
, 5- Division
The Executive D ir e c to r o f th e League a d d ressin g a meeting at Ft, Dix. Notice regimental color ’ guard, inset : The Friendly Bible Class , 2nd Armored. Division , “SayaPrayer forMe!” A FTER a Ft. Dix meeting, a young soldier - approached our speaker and said: “ I have a -wonderful little wife down in Georgia and a five-months-old baby. But I have been think ing how I have disgraced them by the way I’ve been living these last few months.” His lip quivered, and he swallowed hard. “ Fm so ashamed of myself! I hope God will forgive me. Sir, will you say a prayer for me?” On their knees the penalty of sin and the sweet story of a Saviour’s redeeming love were explained. The young soldier sobbed out his confession, accepting Christ as his personal Saviour. With a new glad light on his face he approached his Chaplain: “ Please write my wife I have accepted Jesus, and she has a Christian husband now!”
The Ministry o f the League T HE Pocket Testament/ League and its nation-wide, ministry for good was first conceived by Miss Helen Cadbury, member of a noted English family of that name. Mr. Charles M. A lexan d er, fam ous evangelist, later became her husband. He recognized at once the practical value of the work, and in World War I d istrib u te d hundreds of th ou san d s o f T estam en ts and Gospel portions in the armed camps both here an "398 men out last night, and many decisions writes a P.T.L. field man. Christian friends are.urgently requested to fray for our work, which is ' supported by the gifts of God's people. Send for free illustrated quarterly. I 'Address all communications to m M iM M S IM S S S Ê Ê nflTIOnflL HEADQUARTERS, 156 fIfTH -AVEflUE, flEUJ VORK/O.n.V.
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