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November 1928
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then it cried, and its cry was answered by the mother at the other end of the en closure, along which the lamb walked to its mother, whq came to meet it. “Do not imagine that you are beyond the reach of God,” said the doctor. “He sees you, he hears you, every good desire of yours is known to him, and every secret longing for better things. He sees you as if there were no other child in the whole world.” “I pluck an acorn from the greensward, and hold it to my ear; and this is what it says to me: ‘By and by the birds will come and nest in me. By and by I shall furnish shade for the cattle. By and by I shall provide warmth for the home in the pleasant fire. By and by I shall be shelter from storm to those who have gone under the roof. By and by I shall be the strong ribs of the great vessel, and the tempest will beat against me in vain, while I carry men across the Atlantic.’ ‘Oh, foolish little acorn, wilt thou be all this ?’ I ask, and the acorn answers, ‘Yes, God and I.’-— Lyman Abbott. “They tell a story of a great scientist, a great naturalist, who, one lovely summer day went out in the Highlands of Scot land with his microscope to study the heather bell in all its native glory, and in order that he might see it in < its per fection, he got down on his knees, with out plucking the flower, adjusted his in strument, and was reveling in its color, its delicacy, its beauty, lost ‘in wonder, love and praise.’ How long he stayed there he does not know, but suddenly there was a shadow on him and his in^', strument. He waited for a time, think ing it might be a passing cloud. But it stayed there, and presently he looked up over his shoulder and there was a fine specimen of a Highland shepherd, watch ing him, and, without saying a word, he plucked the heather bell and handed it, with the microscope, to the shepherd that he, too, might see what he was beholding if he had vision. And the old shepherd put the. instrument up to his eyes, got the heather bell in place and looked at it until the tears ran down his rugged face like bubbles on a mountain stream, and then, handing back the little heather ten derly, and the instrument, he said, ‘I wish you had never shown me that. I wish I had never seen it.’ ‘Why?’ asked the scientist. ‘Because,’ he said, ' ‘mon, that rude foot has trodden on so many of them.’ When once you get your eyes open and look through the telescope—God’s telescope of the love of Calvary,—at God’s dear Lamb for sjnners slain, you will accuse yourself because you ever treated Him badly for a moment—when you have got sight, when you have seen Him. The Lord open our eyes!”— Gipsy Smith. December 2, 1928 What is Our Reasonable Service? Rom. 12 :1, 2 (Consecration Meeting) D aily S cripture R eadings Nov. 26—rServe with gladness. Ps. 100: 1-5. Nov. 27—No limit to Jesus’ service. John 13:1-17. Nov, 28—Paul’s service. Acts 20:17-35. Nov. 30—Service in daily life. Eph. 6:6,7. Dec. 1—Principle of service. Gal. 5 :13.
T houghts on the T opic “I exhort therefore, you, brethren, by the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleas ing to God, your intelligent service. And fashion yourselves not to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for to prove by you what is the good, and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.” (From Englishman’s G r e e k New Testament.) The Greek word logikos, translated “reasonable” in Rom. 12:1, might also be tfanslated “rational” or “logical,” derived from another Greek word, logos, meaning something said (including thought), or by implication, a topic (subject of dis course), also reasoning (the mental fac ulty) or motive. Webster’s definition of reasonable is, “governed by reason; think ing, speaking, or acting comformably to the dictates of reason.” Chrysostom renders this phrase “your spiritual min istry.” The word “service” properly denotes worship. So that by “reasonable service” is meant that our worship is governed by mental faculties, which, after all, is the most logical thing for a child of God to 'do. In contrast to the dead sacrifices of the Old Testament, the Christian is ex horted to present his body alive unto God, a sacrifice to be used continually in His service. ' The opening word “therefore” of this chapter in Romans (C. E. chapter) re fers us to the eleven chapters gone be fore, as the effect of the argument there in presented. The first eleven chapters of Romans show us our obligation to serve God. , The reason why we should do this is because of the great mercy of God. The word “mercies” here d e n o t e s favor shown to the undeserving, or kindness, compassion, etc. In 2 Cor. 1:3 God is called “the Father of mercies.” See also Phil. 2:1; Col. 3:12; Heb. 10:28. The apostle has already shown that we are all by nature sinners, that we have no claim on God, and that He has shown great compassion on us in sending His only begotten Son, by whose death on Calvary’s cross we receive pardon and the gift of eternal life. The presenting of our lives shows that our sacrifice is to be voluntary. The expression “living sacrifice” probably means that we are to devote the vigorous active powers of our bodies and souls to God’s service. This is real Christianity. This offering is also to be “holy and ac ceptable unto God.” The Jews were ex pressly forbidden to offer that which was lame, or blind, or in any way deformed (Deut. 15:21; Lev. 1:3, 10; 3:1; 22:20; Deut. 17:1; cf. Mai. 1: 8 ). In like manner we are to consecrate to God our best fac ulties ; the vigor of our minds, and talents and time; our youth, our health, our strength. Our service must not be pol luted by sin. It is to be with the best af fections of our hearts and lives. In the second verse we are exhorted to abstain from the things of this age or generation in which we live—the h a b i t , manner, dress and style of living, etc. of others. We are to be entirely different from .those of the world (see 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Eph. 4:24; 1 Pet. 2:22). When we are truly renewed in mind, we lose all relish for such things. The Christian finds his greatest joy in doing those things that are well-pleasing to his Father in heaven.
C hoice N uggets Ernestus, Duke of Luneburg, caused a burning lamp to be stamped on his coin, with these four letters, A. S. M. C., by which was meant, A liis Serviens Meipsum Contero (by giving light to others, I con sume myself). Now if he thought this to be the duty of a prince, how .much more we who would help our fellow men, should spend our strength in God’s ser vice. We should run the race with cheer- f . ul ne s s , being constant unto the end: knowing that our labor shall not be in vain in the Lord. “A lady who was interested in Chris tian work in London, wrote me once and .said, ‘I have a meeting I want you to come and speak to. It is only a small meeting, and it will take nothing out of you.’ I answered, ‘I cannot come: and it would be no use if I did come. If it takes nothing out of me it will do no body any good.’ It -is the service that costs, and a cheap religion isn’t worth preaching.”— Gipsy Smith , • ' “The other day a man in a little town of upper Michigan was dangerously sick, necessitating an immediate removal to the hospital. The long distance of twelve miles made a trip by wagon or auto over the rough roads a thing impossible. Quickly sensing the situation, sixteen of his friends offered their services and, in relays of four each, they tenderly carried the man upon his couch over the hills and up through the valleys. It was a tire some journey, but the men worked gladly and cheerfully. When they reached the hospital , at Houston, Mich., the author ities said, ‘You have got him here just in time.’ When this news was given to the carriers, one, in speaking for them all, Said, ‘That’s all the pay we want.’ Northwestern Christian Advocate. . “One of the most significant pictorial emblems I have ever seen is the picture of an ox standing quietly between an altar and a plow. I have somewhere seen its significance thus expressed in verse: “ ‘Between the altar and the plow I stand, Ready for either with an equal mind, Sure in each servitude true liberty, Or in such death eternal life to find.’’’ Dr. Dan Crawford tells Us in “Thinking Black” that traveling in Central Africa is often difficult, because the trail is lost beneath the thick, matted tangle of grass thirteen feet high, which in the dawn is heavily covered with dew. It is the negro custom to make the children squeeze through first. The “human brooms,” as they are called, have to run the first risk of being pounced upon by a hungry hyena or lurking leopard.; they also catch the deluge of dew on their naked shivering bodies. So to the native mind, an ex plorer like Livingstone is a “dew drier” or a “pathfinder.” The “dew drier” is not “ministered unto,” but “ministers” -to those who follow, and he has his reward in the negro song: “Lead thou the way in the wet grass drear, Then, only then, art thou pioneer; For Mr. First must get all the woes, That Mr. Second may find repose.”
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