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Peace Among Men of Good Will (Continued from Page 459) airliners, from pony express to telegraph and radio, from daguerreotypes to colored talking pictures, But the world still goes to war every 25 years. And today we see more racial hatreds and prejudices, more economic strife and ill will, than at any time since 1900. Science, far from helping, has simply made wars more ghastly. Un less we change the potential selfishness, with which every baby is born, we shall become engulfed in worse wars every succeeding generation.” (Nothing but the new birth in Christ Jesus can overcome that selfishness, and the Bible is plain in its teaching that believers in this age will always constitute a minority. So /. .!) Avoiding War by War Why quote further? No wonder President Truman, General Marshall, General Wainwright, Admirals Nimitz and Halsey, and hosts of others have passionately plead ed .with America to keep a strong military and naval force as the best guarantee of peace. But that is the strange thing about this old world. The world found to its sorrow that economic sanctions are mere wrist-slappings and cannot deter determined aggressors. (Shades of the League of Nations—Japan in Manchuria 1932—Italy in Ethiopia 1936!) The world agreed in ,the 1,945 San Francisco World Security Coun cil that peace can only be maintained with force. But the use of armed force against a nation is war. Thus war is to be kept down by war! And any of the fifty participating nations may withdraw at any time and thus precipitate a war because of its secession. The whole involved story can be summarized in one sentence: “Wars are inevitable!” Our Lord’s Prophecy . . . and His Peace Now, that is just what Jesus Christ said. “Wars and rumours of wars” will continue with the greatest crescendo, right up to the end of the age when the great est war of all time will take place (Matt. 42:6, 7, 21; Rev. 19:11-21). Even a logical consideration of human history, human nature, and current events leads inevita bly to the same conclusion! Why then do not men recognize and believe the true prophetic character of our Lord’s words? Peace will never come to earth until it is based on righteousness (Heb. 7:2). The peace of men cannot last because it is built upon unrighteous favoritism to the victors. Only when the Prince of Peace comes back to earth, defeats the hosts of wickedness, and casts all evil men out of His kingdom, Will there be enduring peace! (Isa. 9:6,7; 2:2-4; Psa. 2:1-9; 72:7,8,17). But, though turmoil and trouble are all about us in this world, God grants peace to men of good will toward Him, men in whom He is well-pleased! Our Lord said: “ In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The storm outside can never hurt us. It is thé storm inside our hearts that does the damage! The Lord Jesus was given on that first Christmas that we, His people, might have peace—peace with God by faith in the blood of His Cross, and the peace of God amid the annoying details of everyday life (Phil. 4:6,7), Hear His parting bequest to His own: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). It is as true today rs it vz z centuries ago when the angels announced the mcncage cf our Lord’s birth to the shepherds outside of DetlilchTrb that the Father delights to give peace to “men with whom He is w.ell-pleased.” , He is well-pleased with those who are well-pleased with His Son, as evi denced by their faith and love toward Him!
The Shepherd of Bethlehem ( Continued iront Page 453)
"thou art faith me.” When one reaches the place where he counts himself and all that he possesses as dead, and therefore not worth his notice in comparison with the life that is his in Christ, then he has attained the position in which all the blessings of the remainder of the Psalm become his. 5. Provision. “Thou prepares! a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Three benefits are named here: the prepared table, the anointed head, and the overflowing cup. Let us think first of the prepared table. The: Eastern shepherd, when he was about to lead his flock into a field, often would discover small snake holes_ in the ground. He knew the shakes would bite the noses of the sheep as they grazed, and that while this action was riot seriously harmful, it annoyed the sheep. The shepherd, therefore, would destroy the trouble-makers before he led the sheep into the field. Thus the pasture became a place of peaceful satisfaction—a prepared table. The Lord Jesus Christ desires that, with every fret ting care removed, we may feast quietly on the Word. There is also the anointed head. At nightfall, the shepherd would carefully examine each sheep. If any one of them had bruised itself during the day, or if its fleece had been torn, the shepherd would apply the heal ing oil. Among His children, there is no wound of the flesh or of the spirit that escapes the notice of the Shep herd-Lord. He gives “the oil of gladness for the spirit of heaviness”—and what a healing ointment that is! Finally, there is the overflowing cup. When a shep herd gathered his sheep into the fold, he would stand at the door; in fact, he himself actually was the door. He called each sheep by name, He observed whether it was weary, or sick, or thirsty, and he brought the horn of water for each needy one to have a long, refresh ing drink. Christ Himself is the Door. He thus declared Him self in John TO. There is a little chorus that children sometimes sing: “One Door and only One, and yet its sides are two; Inside and outside—on which side are you?” Through Jesus Christ we ,go in for salvation, and out for service. There is no other way. 6. Prospect. "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” The faithful shepherd always precedes his sheep, but the shepherd dog walks after them. F. B. Meyer uséd to explain that’ “goodness” and “mercy” are like two shepherd dogs: they fo llow -üs closely, and we are1 ever the recipients of the blessings of their presence. You may feel today that goodness and mercy are not with you, but when you stand in the Glory, and look back over the way God has led, you will find that even during the days of darkness, stress, and seeming tragedy, goodness and mercy have been in your path, and Romans 8:28 has been true in your life. We shall “ dwell in' the house of the Lord for ever”— that is, we shall be eternally aLhorne. When we reach the Father’s house, we shall be in the land of the living. This world is the abode o ' the dying, and v:c are re- mirr’ oTV'f Ijrat fact eve~» r’ -v. Once during the recent war, when some servicemen were asked what they wanted most, a number replied: “A place to go home to!” There is such a home, and the One who will admit us is the Shepherd of Bethlehem— thé Lord Jesus Christ.
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