WORD
AND THE
by Helen Frazee-Bower
eternal values, how are they to know? It is necessary, indeed imperative, that Christians sound the word of caution. guidance There is the word of guidance. Perhaps some of us want to overdo this word. We are rather fond of handing out advice, because it seems so easy to see when others are in the need of it! But just as a child, learning to walk, needs someone to show him the way, so there are times when someone must say to us just what God says in His word, “ This is the way, walk ye in it.” Let us never be unmindful of the fact that we are taking a wilderness journey, for which we have had no previous preparation. Let us be willing to give, and to receive, the word of guidance as we go. ijope Then there is the word of hope. Do not confuse this word with courage. They really have two different mean ings. Man needs courage in the face of certain circum stances. He needs hope regardless of any circumstances. God has put so much hope into the world. After the winter, the hope of spring; after the storm, the hope of sunshine; after sorrow, the hope of joy; after this life, the hope of eternity. How gracious it is to remember that there is a reminder in everything around us: that God never gives up. He never gives up with us, either. After all our sinning, there is the hope of salvation. No Chris tian can afford to be without the word of hope, or fail to pass it on to others. The Bible says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” How fitly spoken are those words! What a picture they conjure up. Would it not be a splendid thing to be “ framing apples of gold in pictures of silver” everytime we open our mouths! How can this be done? James says, “ The tongue can no man tame.” But God can tame it; and He is waiting to do just that. He is long ing to put on our lips the word fitly spoken. In the begin ning was the Word; and at the end there will be the Word — just the Word. But, in between, there will be words, and words, and words. You will be speaking them, I will be speaking them, and people around us will be helped, or hindered, in discovering the Word, because of what we say. Every craftsman is careful of his instru ments. Shall we not give to God dedicated tongues, speak ing for His glory only?
profanity Let us pass over the word of profanity. Any Christian already knows that these do not belong in his vocabulary. Let us look instead at another kind of word. A kind that
really works for God. courage
There is the word of courage. The world is full of peo ple in need of courage. How like God it is, that we all need not be despondent at the same time, that He makes it possible for some to be courageous when others need it most. Courage is a word that has a rebound to it. Every time one speaks a word of courage he himself receives a lift. God says, “ bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” So long as there are frightened, confused people in the world, there will be need for the word of courage. comfort There is the word of comfort. That is such a beautiful word. Do you know that when Christ spoke to his disci ples concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit, he referred to Him as “ the comforter?” When Jesus was upon earth, how many times He healed the sick, raised the dead, dried the tears of heart-broken people! Now His Holy Spirit is in the world to comfort and bless too. He is in the heart of the Christian, to speak when the word of comfort is needed. There is the word of caution too. This is a word that some of us are a little afraid of. We associate it with warning, and warning usually means that something unpleasant is coming. We naturally shy away from un pleasant things. Sometimes we are afraid to sound the word of caution for fear that others will think us presump tuous. But how disastrous it would be to the Christian faith if every Christian feared to sound the word of caution! Around us is a world of people rushing headlong to destruction. Unless someone cautions them concerning the transitory values of this life and speaks to them of EDITOR'S NOTE: In the April, 1959 KING'S BUSINESS, another article by Mrs. Bower appeared, entitled, "PASTORS ARE PEO PLE." In response to an overwhelming number of requests, free reprints are available to those writing requesting them.
OCTOBER, 1959
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