King's Business - 1945-12

455

December, 1945

Soap Wrappers /^NE day a young pastor in a South- 'w' ern California community received a bland letter from one of our large soap companies. Here was the special offer: Why not suggest to the mem­ bers of his congregation that they save the wrappers from this particular brand of soap? Next, they were in­ structed to bring them to the church. For all such wrappers that the pastor and people would send in to the com­ pany, they would be paid at the rate of one-half cent each. Of course, they were assured that all of this would enrich the church treasury and would further the work of the Lord! Soap wrappers indeed! Now, don’t misunderstand me here. I am not blaming the soap company. I do not expect them to understand spiritual truths. No doubt one of their brilliant sales personnel suggested this to the head of the merchandising depart­ ment. But here is the sad part: Many churches actually receive and act upon this and like suggestions, in order to supplement their dwindling offerings. The call is, “Make a quilt and sell it,” or “Bring in your old papers and sell them,” or “Let’s have a bazaar to palm off stuff for which no one has any further use.” Thus is augmented the treasury of the Church of Christ! But such a practice is sin. Christ Himself summed up man’s obligation to the God of the Universe by saying that man should love Him with the whole heart. How can one love God with the whole heart and present to Him soap wrappers? Over and over again on the pages of Scripture, the w ill of God in this matter is revealed. God requires first place. The first- fruits are for Him. He is to be gifted before others. Our gifts are to be presented with the full realization that He is King over all. TT WAS in the great auditorium of -*- the Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles. The student body from the Bible Institute was assembled for the Weekly missions hour. Dr. Charles E. Fuller, of national radio fame, was the speaker. He had just begun to speak and, as is his wont, he called for his hearers to follow him in their own Bibles. “Turn to Paul’s second letter to Timothy,” said he. Then across that expanse of seats sounded some of the sweetest music ever heard. It was the soft murmur of the leaves of Bibles as fingers sought the passage designated. Again, as the speaker directed, “Now in the next ★ .★ Sweet Music

today, what has been accomplished? God speaks again, asking Christian men and women to give of their sons and their dollars to His cause. Will you now hear and heed? W ill you now become dead in earnest about doing the will of God? Or, must God allow a third world war to wreak its unthinkable destruction upon us? To a certain degree, the choice lies with us. ★ Bible Reading A GAIN this year, at the suggestion of the American Bible Society, the civilized world is asked to read regu­ larly the Book of Books. The King's Business is delighted to urge upon its readers the loving meditation of the passages which have been selected by a world-wide canvass of the men and women in pur armed forces. These Bible'readings are as follows: Thursday, Nov. 22....Josh. 1, Psalm 121 Friday ............. Psalm 23, John 10:1-18 Saturday .................................John 14 Sunday, November 25.............. John 3 Monday .................... ......... Matthew 5 Tuesday ............ ....... ..........Romans 12 Wednesday ............. ........ John’ 1:1-14 Thursday ...... Ex. 20:1-17, I Tim. 2:1-8 Friday ...................... ............. James 1 Saturday ..........................Ephesians 6 Sunday, December 2 .............. I Cor. 13 Monday ................... ........... Psalm 24 Tuesday ..........Hebrews 11 and 12:1, 2 Wednesday .............. ......... Matthew 6 Thursday.................. ...........Romans 8 Friday ...................... ........ Matthew 7 Saturday.................. ........... Psalm 91 Sunday, December 9 ........Galatians 6 Monday .................... .......Colossians 3 Tuesday................... ........ Ephesians 4 Wednesday............... ..... Philippians 3 Thursdav .... ............. .. 1 Corinthians 3 Friday ...................... ......Philippians 4 Saturday ................... ............. John 15 Sunday, December 16 .............Psalm 1 Monday .................... ............Psalm 27 Tuesday.................... .1 Corinthians 15 Wednesday............... ............Psalm 46 Thursday .................. ....... Matthew 28 Friday ....................... ......II Timothy 2 Saturday ................................ John 17 Sunday, December 23.... Revelation 21 Monday .................... ... Revelation 22 Christmas, December 25 ......... Luke 2 ★

chapter,” the music swelled again. Of course, we do not know the infinite mind of God, our Heavenly Father, but some say that He loves this music best of all. Recently, we traveled on a public bus on a Sunday morning. It warmed the heart to see the young and old board that bus with their Bibles tucked comfortably underarm. Pic­ tures of sturdy Puritans of other days invariably show them heading for the “meeting house,” carrying their prized copies of the Sacred Book. Nothing so delights the heart of a true pastor as to note that his people habitually bring their Bibles to church. Bibles don’t become your friends un­ til you learn to know them. Written notes, underlinings, and even finger smudges make the Book dearer. And if Bibles could weep, I am sure that copious tears would flow from those which must live forever on the library table. How about your Bible? A Bible student once said: “ Shame on you, Christian, if you don’t wear out your Bible at least every two years.” "DRIEFLY stated, the principle in- volved in giving seems to be this:. If you will not willingly give of your­ self and your means to the spreading of the Gospel of Christ, and to the furtherance of the will of God upon the earth, then God will take forcibly from you many times the amount that would have been necessary for His cause. When all is over, you will have less than nothing in return. Let us review the object lesson, which has been exhibited to us recently. Between the close of the first world war, and the opening of the second world war, the Christian world, and particularly the Church of Jesus Christ, was given a golden opportunity to both accomplish the will of God, and to avert further world combat. But what actually happened? The Church just “played” at missions, and the rest of the world went on in blissful, selfish carelessness. In many churches, the amount contributed for the cause of world-wide missions was less 'than the cost of the Sunday bulletins. Then God spoke. There took place the march of the German armies into Poland, the bombings of London, and eventually Pearl Harbor. The world leaped to the manufacture of costly implements of war; men were maimed and killed; cities were razed at a terrifying rate. The cost in lives was threescore millions, and the monetary cost a full trillion dollars. And now, ★ ★ Will You Give Now?

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