Junior Endeavor Topics By J. H. S.
Sunday, November 15.—Joshua 1:8 A Bible Memory Meeting
word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” , (_ Ps. 119:11). See how Jesus, whose memory was packed with the Word, used it (Matt. 14:1-11) and won. a victory over Satan as David did over the giant (1 Sam. 17:40, 41; 48-50). A great man named Cromwell said of a text, “ That saved my life once.” It had come up in his mind when he was most broken hearted on the death o f his daughter. A text in mind has saved many a soul from endless death. Be sure to learn John 3:14- 16; Matt. 11:28,29; Isa. 1:18; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:1-3; Psalms 23 and 100. Showing Gratitude to God and Man Sunday, November 22.—Ps. 136:1-9 1. Ingratitude Is a Great Sin. When Paul describes the awful wickedness of men in the past he begins by saying, “ They glorified him not as God, neither were thankful” (Rom. 1 :21-32); and of the wickedness of men when Jesus shall come again he said, “ They shall be lovers of their own selves . . . unthankful” (2 Tim. 3:1). That child has a bad and selfish heart and all good people dislike him who does not say, “I thank you.” - One of the first things to be taught is to say, “ Thank you.” But not to say it only, but to feel it To say it may be cold politeness, to feel it is true gratitude; God will accept no o'ther. W e say, “ If you don’t say thank you, you can’t have it.” If our heavenly Father said that a good many people would go very hungry. 2. Gratitude Is a Great Grace. Hun dreds of times it is taught in the Bible. Most of the Psalms are songs of thanks giving (see 65, 100, 103, 106, etc.). The epistles teach it. Paul was always thank ing God (Rom. 1 :8, 1 Cor. 1 :4; 2 Cor. 1 :3, 4; Eph. 1:3, 16¿ P h il. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1 :2; 2 Thess. 1 :3 ; 2 Tim. 1 :3; Phile. 1 :4), he said that we should give thanks to God "always for all things" (Eph. 5:20), Jesus himself said, “ I thank thee, O Father” ; He did not eat without giving thanks (Matt. 11:25; John 6:11; 1 Cor. 11:24). Which
1. Wonders of Memory. Memory is a wonder of wonders. It is every man’s diary. Without it he could not say, “I lived.” Nothing he had seen, heard, thought of did could be recalled. He would be as if he had never been, and would live only in stant by instant and no moment linked with another. But we read of men who could repeat all they had seen, heard or read; who could repeat a book from cover to cover on one reading. Themisticles, a Greek statesman, knew each of the 20,000 citizens of Athens; Cyrus, a general, every soldier in his army. Josephus, the Jewish his torian, writes that every Jewish boy knew the Old Testament by heart; many Chris tians could recite the whole New Testa ment and give chapter and verse. Surely, Juniors, boys and girls, can memorize Scripture, too. Memory can be trained to great things and its most profitable exer cise is in God’s Holy Word. 2. God Commands and Promises. We are commanded to commit His word to memory (Eccles. 12:1; Joshua 1:8; Cor. 3:16, etc.), and blessings shall follow it (Joshua 1:3-9; Ps. 1:1-3; John 14:21). Paul commends the youth Timothy for his knowledge of Scripture taught him by mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 1 :4, 5; 3:14-17). 3. Figures of Memory. A Bible-stored memory is like the camel’s hump; a can teen; a medicine chest; a phonograph; a quiver full of arrows; the boy David’s “ shepherd’s bag.” W e carinot always have the Bible in hand, nor find a text just when we want it. The camel far from fodder absorbs the hump in the long desert jour ney; the hunter- far from, the fountain drinks from his canteen; the homesick soul may commune with the friends who talked into his phonograph; and we need arrows at hand to win victories over Satan; a sling stone to fling at Goliath. This is one of the best uses of memorized Scripture: “ Thy
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