290
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
September, 1933
roun (/THE KING’S TABLE . . . B y the E ditor
[The material on this and! the follow ing page, with the exception o f the item, “Answering the Atheists ” and the poem by Thomas Kimber, a graduate o f the Bible Institute o f the class o f 1923, has been fur nished by Dr. John A. Hubbard, Acting Dean o f the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles. In his thirteen years’ connection with the Bible Institute, Dr. Hubbard has endeared himself to very many, who will remember, with praise to God, the blessing that always a ccom p a n ied his devotional messages. J—E ditor .]
cumstances, but Lot is revealed as a thoroughly selfish man, looking out for number one, while Abram is seen as the unselfish one whose trust is in God. In the first chapter o f Ruth, two young women find themselves in precisely the same circumstances. Orpah is seen as the weak, senti mental vaccilating one; Ruth as strong, determined, stead- tast. In John 12, verses 1 to 6 , Mary is revealed as the unselfish, devoted one; Judas Iscariot as the greedy, grasp ing one. Circumstances did not make these different people what they were, but the circumstances certainly revealed what they were. In like manner, each one o f us is being revealed contin ually If the revelations are not what they should be, it is we that need to be changed— not our circumstances. The Necessary Prefix j V f any people with marked ability are decided failures 1 M hie because they lack the necessary two-syllable prefix which turns ability into reliability. Daniel was a young man o f great ability. In the various tests to which he was put, he proved that he possessed the indispensable prefix, for he certainly was characterized by reliability. The same was true of his three companions. In the Apostle Paul, we have another striking example not only o f reliability, but also o f another prefix very essen tial m Christian service—adaptability. To the Jews he became as a Jew, that he might gain the Jews. T o ’ the weak, he became weak, that he might gain the weak He became all things to all men that he might by all means save some (1 Cor. 9:19-23). In our day, we need more abTtSt’an WOr^ers characterized by reliability and adapt- K A Cool Head and a Warm Heart eep your head cool and your heart warm. The one who lets his head get hot and his heart cold is in a bad way. Judged by this statement, many people are truly “ in a pad way, and it is deplorable that among these are some ot God s real servants. Oftentimes, the service of such is greatly hindered. The grace of God is sufficient to change a hot-headed, cold-hearted servant into a cool-headed warm-hearted one. This fact is vividly illustrated in thé case of Peter. In the Gospels, he is often seen as the hot- headed one for example, in the garden where he is seen cutting off the servant s ear; and on at least one occasion cold-hearted— in his denial o f his Lord. In the Acts eter is seen as the transformed one, always exhibiting 1 a cool head and a warm heart. What our Lord Jesfts Christ did for Peter, He can do for us. . u c v u n r i u i s or u o a he chariots o f God are twenty thousand, even thous ands upon thousands” (Psa. 68:17, R. V . ) . Many believers long and pray for a larger,'fuller spir itual life and experience. God sends “ chariots” to carry them on to greater heights, but in many cases, the chariot is not recognized, but appears like a Juggernaut car, before which idolatrous devotees in India cast themselves and are crushed to death. Like Elisha’s servant of old, we need to have our eves opened to see the chariots o f God (2 Ki. 6 ). Joseph’s ex- T
J ohn A. H ubbard
When the Heart Is Overwhelmed
J P rom the end o f the earth will I call unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I ” (Psa. 6 1 :2). Sooner or later, in one form or another, there comes to all the experience referred to here, a time when the heart is overwhelmed, or as another translates the passage, “ covered over with darkness or distress.” When the heart is overwhelmed, what shall we do ? In the Psalms, we have revealed to us two ways o f dealing with these overwhelming experiences, two ways by which men and women seek relief. One is the wrong, unsuccessful way, and the other, the right and effectual.’ The wrong way is indicated in Psalm 55, verses 4 to 8 . When overwhelmed, the writer sighs for wings like a dove that he may fly away and be at rest. Down through the ages, this has been the method by which multitudes have sought relief, trying to get away from the experience by travel, worldly pleasure, drink, and even suicide. But this does not give the real solution. Contrast with this method that indicated in the verse quoted above. In one case, the overwhelmed one is look ing at self, looking at the trouble, looking for an avenue o f escape from it. In the other, the distressed one is looking away from self to a higher source, not asking to be taken away from the difficulty, butfto be granted victory in the overwhelming experience. O f course, “ the rock” referred to is none other than our blessed Lord Himself. Whenever and by whatever the heart may be overwhelmed! there is refuge and deliverance in Him. 0 safe to the Rock that is higher than I, My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly; So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine would I be; Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee. How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe, 1 have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe • How often when trials, like sea-billows roll Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul The Revealing Power of Circumstances C ircum stance s do not make a man; they display him.” Much has been said concerning the influence o f our circumstances and environment. Admitting all of truth there is in this, let us look at the other side, let us look at our circumstances from a different angle as indi cated in this quotation. The Scriptures abound in illustrations o f the truth that circumstances do not make but reveal character In Genesis 13, Abram and Lot are in exactly the same cir-
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs