October 1931
474
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
III. “That night they caught nothing” (v. 3). But while their determination was good, and they were in the right place, there was something missing. Here they were, toil ing in the dark, working hard, yet ac complishing nothing. Likewise, many Christians are busy turning wheels and seeking to serve; yet they are powerless. The difficulty was that it was the^ “I” method of fishing. Peter had said: “I go a fishing.” He had forgotten the Master. There was no dependence upon the Lord. The same is true of u s; when we start to serve in our own strength, we fail mis erably. _ IV. “But when the morning was now come,, Jesus stood on the shore” (v. 4). It is a striking thing to note that Christ did not come to the disciples at their first disappointment. Their lesson had to be learned. They toiled all night; and then came Jesus, the Dispeller of gloom, the One who always comes when we need Him most. V. “Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No" (v. 5). How many church members, how many Christian leaders, how many pastors, while working and slaving at their tasks, are receiving no adequate returns for their efforts! This is always true if we serve in our own way and strength. VI. “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find” (v.- 6). Here was the difficulty. They had been fishing on the side of their own choosing. Now He suggests a better way. How much time and effort would be saved, if only we would ask for His way and His will before we start our fishing 1 The true secret of effective service is found in that prayer of Christ’s : “Not my will, but thine, be done.” VII. “Now they were not able to draw it for the multitude o f fishes” (v. 6). If we follow the Master’s leading, the result will be inevitable. II. M inding Y our O wn B usiness “What is that to thee? follow thou me" (v. 22). How truly human was Peter, and how we can see our own foibles portrayed in his character! Here in the midst of Pe ter’s final examination for the gospel min istry, when Christ has put to him the su preme test, Peter’s mind wanders and, seeing John, he asks, “Lord, and what shall this man do?” The rebuke is imme diate. Christ again rivets Peter’s mind on his own responsibility, saying, in effect: “After all, it is none of your business, Peter, what My other servants do. Your responsibility is to follow Me.” How oft en this tendency crops out in our. own Christian experience! We avoid searching our own hearts, by the simple expedient of questioning the work of some one else. We dodge our own responsibility, by criti cizing the accomplishments of others. I wonder how often the Lord, if He were on earth today, would "stop us in the #midst of our conscious meddling into other people’s affairs, with these same words? Rather than seeking to delve into the affairs of others, let us examine ourselves and search our own hearts that God may not call us to account.
rious death, and the miraculous resurrec tion has been faithfully set forth by the writer of this sublime book. The charm-, ing scene reported here, while in a sense an appendix to the gospel, is in perfect harmony with its contents. As one has said, '“here a symbolic sign and a specific prophecy attest to the divine nature of Christ; here the essence of faith is'set forth in loving obedience ; here life is in terpreted in, the terms of service,” Preparation MONDAY : Read the chapter carefully, dividing it into its component parts. Put the out line in your notebook. TUESDAY: After re-reading the chapter, write a 200-word summary of the contents of the chapter without the use of the text or notes, trying to be accurate in pre senting the order of the details. WEDNESDAY: Go through the chapter and set down in parallel columns the statements of the disciples and the words of Christ. THURSDAY : Spend this day in making a rapid re view of all the verses which you have memorized in the Gospel of John. FRIDAY : Write a 200-word comment in answer to the question: “What is the greatest blessing that I have received through the study of the Gospel of John?” SATURDAY: The eighteenth verse of this chapter is introduced with : “Verily, verily, I say unto thee.” Study and; copy in your notebook all the times that that phrase has been used in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:51; 3:3, 4, 11; 5:19, 24, 25; 6:26, 32, 47, 53 ; 8:34, 51, 58; 10:1, 7; 12:24; 13:16, 20, 21, 38; 14:12; 16:20, 23 ; 21:18). SUNDAY: Selecting a verse or section of this chapter, prepare an outline for a short talk or testimony to be passed on to some one else at the first opportunity. Expression I. C hrist ’ s M ethod of F ishing “He said unto them, Cast'the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find" (John 21:6). In this interesting passage, we have one of those narrative portions which is filled with valuable subjects applicable to every day life. The following outline could be used as a basis for a short talk or devo tional message. I. ‘‘I go a fishing" (v. 3). Peter’s determination was good. Deci sion is always essential to action. No one can start working as an active member of the church, a teacher in the Bible school, or a worker in the young people’s society without making the decision : “I go a working.” II. “They went forth, and entered into a ship" (v. 3). Again Peter and the disciples did the right thing; they went to the right place. It is foolish to try to catch fish on dry land; yet there are many Christians who fail in their service because they are not in the çight place.
6, Study the verses which present the subject of thanksgiving in the New Testa ment, as suggested under Preparation for Thursday and Friday. Study these in connection with the causes for thanks giving which we have today. 7. Discuss the commercial spirit and attitude which is entering into the observ ance of the Thanksgiving season. What should be the attitude and actions of the Christian at this period of the year? While Thanksgiving is not a holy day in the Biblical sense .of the word, do you not think it would be better to make it a holy day rather than a holiday in spirit? NOVEMBER 29, 1931 The Secret of Successful Service J ohn 21 *»yoHN 1 gives us the prologue of the 1 b o o k ; John 21, the e p i l o g u e . The tremendous drama has been brought to its successful culmination. The record of the marvelous life, the, myste- WIN THE BOYS AND GIRLS C hem ical Illu stra tio n s pf B ible T ru th s P rep a re d C olors a n d C hem icals, h arm less, read y to u se w ith d irectio n s a n d helps Eight talks (with duplicate set) $1.00 Postpaid C. A. SCHMITT 82 Summer Ave., Reading, Mass. REGULAR $1 .0 0 Box of 21 S teel E n g rav ed C h ristm a s C ard s, 21 tissue lined envelopes, fo r only 50c, A n ti-C h rist, 96 p . 50c. T h is b o o k a n d 2 boxes fo r on ly $1.1 0 . P o st C a rd s o n e-h alf c en t each. P olecats, 10c, 505 Bible F acts, 40 p . 10c. A g e n ts W an ted . CHAS. F. HOWARD. Windfall, Indiana.
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