are not looking for a pleasant life, but for a life of soul-saving power. It was sinners our Lord was looking for. It was to call them He came, and we, too, should be on the lookout for sinners, and in gentleness and persistent love should be ever winning them to repentance. Tuesday, November 2. Luke S:33-39. Jesus’ disciples were a joyful company1 while He was with them. How could they be anything else in such companionship as His? Fasting did not come natural to them and was not appropriate in those days. This puzzled the people, for not only the Phari sees, but John the Baptist fasted. In their perplexity they wisely went to Jesus and He solved their perplexities for them. He told them it was not the proper time to fast now; He was- “The Bridegroom” and they- “the sons of the Bride Chamber,” and their joy in the presence of the Bridegroom made fast ing impossible. But He also told them the time would come when He; the Bridegroom, would be taken away from them, then fast ing would be perfectly in order; in fact, would be inevitable. We now are in that day to which our Lord referred, when our Bridegroom is absent from us, and fasting and sorrow are in place today. Indeed it would be well if there were more fasting and more contrition than there is in our present-day religious life. Our Lord told them further, that they must not try to make a patchwork of the new Gospel and the old law. It would only bring harm to* both. Much of the alleged Christianity of today is just such a patchwork. Men do not understand the difference^ between law and grace. Wednesday, November 3. Luke 6 :1-5. We have here one of the many indica-
Monday, November 1. Luke S:29-32.
The story of. this feast given by Levi' the Publican (who; of course, "was none other than Matthew, the author of the first Gos* pel) is given by Matthew himself in Mat thew 9:9-13. Levi (Matthew) belonged to a class heartily despised ¡by the Jews. A strict Jew always Coupled the Publicans with the sinners; In going to his house to a feast, our Lord Jesus ran directly contrary to all the notions of the strict Jewish re ligionists of His day, but He acted exactly according to the purpose of His life, “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Levi, on his part, in his great love to his new-found Master, longed to bring to Him all the friends that he had known in the old life, and was willing to make a large sacrifice to do it. He sets a good example for all in any class of society who come to Christ : although they break utterly with the old life, they should try to win as many as they can of their old associates to their new Master. Not infrequently when men and women come, out of a life that is utterly foreign in its spirit and methods to the new life upon Which they are entering, they sim ply break with old-time associates without making any effort for their salvation. Of course, thè Pharisees found fault with our Lord Jesus. They were always ready to do that, and there are many Pharisees in our churches today who, if any disciple of Jesus follows in the footsteps of his Master and makes associates of sinners that he may win them for Christ, are ready to criticise. But who should Jesus associate with except with those who need Him, and who should we as sociate with except those who need us. Their companionship will not be as agree able as people of like minds with ourselves, but if we have the- spirit of our Master we
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