610
THE KING’ S BUSINESS
children, “If you really love father and mother, you will show it by doing what they tell you to do.” . As a ' friend. Because friendship cannot endure where there is not common interest. No one can honestly sing, “ Come, not to sojourn but abide with Me,” who is walk ing in disobedience. As a bond-slave. Because He has redeemed us, purchased us, with His own precious blood arid we are His very own, the bond-slaves o f love. See how Paul gloried in being the “bond-slave o f Jesus Christ.” III. How Should We Obey Him? James 1:22-27. By doing His will as revealed in His word. Obedience is a very practical piece o f business. No dreamy suppositions as to “ what would Jesus do?” but, “what has Jesus told us to do?” , Some o f the things He wants us to do a re: 1. To bridle our tongues. Read James 3 for a fuller explanation of this, and then, realizing the futility o f attempting to mas ter the unruly member by our own strength, pray the Psalmist’s prayer—Psa. 141:3. If our hearts were always full o f loving, kindly thoughts, our lips would never utter unkind and hasty words—words that wound and burn, and that cannot be recalled. “ Cre ate in me a clean heart, O God, and renew in me a right spirit”—Psa. 51:10. 2 . T o comfort those who are in trouble, by kindly words and practical deeds. That same tongue can become a mighty instru ment for spreading comfort and cheer. I read the other day o f someone who was asked to speak to a discouraged one. In reply to the kindly question—-“How are you getting along?” the unexpected answer was “ Very well, thank you!” “W hy; I thought you were discouraged.” “I was until you spoke to me.” Only a word, yes, only a word, That the Spirit’s small voice whispered “ Sjieak” ;
But the worker passed onward unblessed, and weak, Whom you were meant to have stirred To courage, devotion and love anew, Because, when the message came to you, You were out o f touch with your Lord. A well knbwn Chicago judge came into his chambers one cold winter day without his overcoat. When asked about it, he said he had used it to kindle a fire. It developed later that he had given it away to a poor man. The fire it kindled was the fire o f loving charity in his own heart. The world can understand that kind of Christianity, that is “practical theology.” That kind o f thing on both sides would not merely bridge the chasm between capital and labor, it would fill it in. 3. To keep ourselves unspotted from the world. See the further teaching on this in James 4:4; Rev. 3:17, 18. This is the command o f our Lord Jesus Yet how it is neglected. Men and women who call themselves by His name, and yet have more time and inclination for dancing than for praying, for moving picture shows than for missionary meetings, for Sunday news papers than for Sunday School, for mag azines and novels than for the Bible. “ The devil’s mission o f amusement” has been so skilfully camouflaged that it actually passes muster as being the Lord’s. It is hard enough these days for our boys and girls to turn down invitations to High School dances; but what are we going to do when leading church women are back o f it? There may be a rara avis somewhere who has enjoyed Bible reading and prayer better when preceded by a game o f bridge or a dance, but I have not had the fortune (good or bad?) to meet such an one. I f these worldly pleasures draw people nearer to Christ than sermons and prayer meetings, let'u s adopt them as substitutes; but the universal testimony o f judges, police, rescue home matrons, and victims, is that they drive people to hell. “Are you a spotted Christian?” or are you an unspotted Chris tian, cleansed every moment by His precious blood? See 1 John 1:7.
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs