336
July 1931
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
SEPTEMBER 14 “The blood of. Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). What is the sin that remains in the surrendered Christian? I should say that some of the sins that remain are sins of weakness and sins of omission. How much do you love God? Can any man say that he has exhausted the full mean ing of the command: “Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind” ? Still more, can any man say that he is loving his neighbor as himself ? . . . Ye t the least iota of defect in obedi ence to that command—what can- it be other than sin? Then there are also the sins of inadvertence. Is there any man, however consecrated to the Lord, who does not sometimes inadvertently offend either God or his neighbor? There is al so the sin of ignorance. You may not know it, but God knows wherein your conduct has not been all that He would have desired. Your sight is still so dim, and your understanding of sin is so limit ed, that you may be able to say, “I see nothing there,” while even a better in structed Christian would see defect: how much more the Holy God? All these, it seems to me, are remains of the. flesh, and they are, in the sight of God, stains from which we need daily to be cleansed. Thank God, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” —E lder C umming . Be of Good Cheer It is interesting to note the places where the words, “be of good cheer,” occur in the New Testament. Jesus used this ex pression often in dealing with troubled hearts and afflicted humanity. This was His word to the helpless man on his bed of affliction, whom His friends had let down through the roof in the presence of Jesus. He used this expression when the fearful disciples were tossed on the waves of the angry Galilee. In that last memor able hour with His apostles in the upper room, He said: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” When Paul was on the fated ship bound for Rome, and when those on board had given up all hope of their lives, an angel stood by Paul in the black night and said, “Be of good cheer.” This expression seems to be of heavenly origin. It never carries a false assurance. Who can say to a soul facing the grim providences of this world, “Be of good cheer,” except that one who has the abili ty to hold back the powers of disaster? There is another expression of similar origin, which carries much of the same meaning and assurance. It is “fear not.” No one has a right to use that expression except one who can conquer the powers that create fear. Fearfulness arouses suspicion. It car ries distrust. It is the mother of a thou sand false apprehensions. Fear disarms the soldier. Fear robs the statesman of sane precedure. It creates panic in the people. It tears down and scatters. It never constructs. The world needs brave men and not cringing cowards today. Fear will make weaklings of all men, and there will be none left to build public confidence and
to set the march of events on the up-grade again. Jesus said, “In this world ye shall have tribulation.” He said that before He used the expression, “be of good cheer.” He forewarned His disciples of the things to be faced ip this world, and then He added the comforting word to give them to un derstand how to meet tribulation with a poise and peace of soul that would make them masters of trouble. Hearts thus fortified today are the de pendence of the world. This strange state of fear that has obsessed the minds of men is hard to understand and even hard er to master. No one but God’s spokes men can say to the troubled world: “Be of good cheer.” A man must be anchored in God to be able to say that with a mean ing that can dispell defeat and put hope in the souls of men. This means that our times call for an awakened spiritual leadership. Every body has been having too good a time, the preacher along with all the rest. We are all shocked by the reverses that have come upon us. We are not schooled in adversi ty. Prosperity never calls out the heroic elements in any people. It takes the cru cible to show the stuff that things are made of. This is also true of human character. It is especially true of the Christian profession. Our country has witnessed a break down in its leadership.' Somebody must lead the public mind out of the wilder ness. Shall not the preachers of the gos pel be the leaders? They preach faith in God, and that is the only power that can carry the world through its disasters. If God’s preachers quail and default, what other voice is left to inspire courage and to heal the broken confidences that have shattered the ranks of progress every where? Who better can forearm the fu ture with the weapons of success than the ambassadors of Him who said even in the face of the cross: “Be of good cheer; I have -overcome the world” ? —W estern R ecorder . The Minister’s First Duty The first duty of the minister is to shepherd his flock. He must know his people, love them, sympathize with them, and help them by his comradeship and ad vice. Too many ministers feel that they do their duty when they preach well, or ganize their churches efficiently, and vis it perfunctorily. Said Dr. Bonar, after listening to a minister who was preaching with great gusto, “You love to preach, don’t you?” “Yes, indeed, I do.” “But,” said Dr. Bonar, “do you love the men to whom you preach?” Many a man likes to preach who does not particularly love the men to whom he preaches. It is not our function to be great orators, great scholars, or great or ganizers. It is our function to help men to God. That is why the ordinary preacher, without a great reputation and without remarkable gifts, is often loved and re vered by his congregation. It is frequently true that the simple, plain, unostentatious pastor is the most influential man in his community. To love men and to help them by comradeship and counsel are within the reach of us all. —W atchman -E xaminer .
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