1175 the water of life.” He spoke of giving, not of being the water of life. The reason for this is that water is the sym bol of the Holy Spirit. Is. 44:3; John 7: 37-39. The Rock was Christ from whom after He had been smitten on Calvary, there flowed the Pentecostal river of salvation which has ever since followed the Church through her wil derness journey. SATURDAY, Dec. 18. John 6:24-35. The Bread of life . The chief proof that, the Bible is good food is the eating of it. The only way to verify Christ’s claim to be a Saviour is to trust Him. Through obedience one may pass from darkness into light. Chemical investigation into the quality and component parts of a loaf of bread has its proper place, but the investigator and his family may starve if they re frain from eating until the process has been- completed to the satisfaction of all concerned. Speculation upon Christo- logical problems may be a hindrance rather than a help to the unspiritual and the unsaved. The devotional aim of Bible study is not merely to discover and realize what God has said in His Holy Word, but what He says to us in each passage on every page. “Thy words were found and I did eat them.” SUNDAY, Dec. 19. John 17:17-26. Jesus’ Prayer. The Word of God is an instrumental cause of sanctification. A testimony to salvation is frequently given based upon a single passage of Scripture, but all truth is necessary for the nourishment and development of the Divine life in the soul. “All Scripture is God- breathed and profitable that the man of God may be perfected.” The Master said that His disciples were clean through the Word which He had spoken unto them, John 15:3, and Eph. 5:26 declares that the church is sanctified and cleansed by Christ through the washing of water by the Word. It is no wonder that believers who habitu ally neglect the Word are defiled by the world and retarded in their spiritual life. Give the Bible its pre-eminence and there will be victory over sin in the daily life. “By the Word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the de stroyer.” MONDAY, Dec. 20. Luke 1:67-79. The Prophecy of Zaeharias. This song composed by the priest in
THE K I NG ' S BUS I NESS The soul can not be fed on negations. Fables, traditions and philosophies are the wild gourds of the soul. The meal is the truth of God. It is not wise to concentrate attention on the poison and forget the meal. The only way to up root error is to plant the truth. A meagre diet produces a meagre life. Every portion of Scripture, like bodily food, goes to make brain, nerve, blood or muscle in the soul that the man of God may be full grown. Heb. 5:14. “They did eat and left thereof, accord ing to the word of the Lord,” vs. 44. The meal is superabundant and inex haustible. THURSDAY, Dec. 16. 1 Kings 17:8-16. Elijah and the Widow. The mission of Elijah to Zarephath was not only- an act of punishment to Israel but it was a prophecy of the call ing of the Gentiles consequent upon the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews. Elijah’s experience with the widow teaches the minuteness of God’s provi dential care. We learn also that no matter how small our, resources are, we can'do something for God if we will. This poor woman could hardly have been worse off and yet by her unselfish generosity, God honored her by per mitting her to board his prophet for nearly two years. A few loaves and fishes given to the Saviour can feed thousands. We should serve God be fore we serve ourselves. God does not care for what we can spare but He will take what we share with Him. “Is thy cruse of comfort failing? Rise and share it with another. And thro’ all the years of famine, it shall serve thee and thy brother. Love divine will fill thy store-house, or thy handful still renew, Scanty fare for one will often make a royal feast for two.” FRIDAY, Dec. 17. Ex. 17:1-7. Water From the Rock. As the passage through the Red Sea is associated with baptism, 1 Cor. 10: 2-4, so the experience of the people in the wilderness of Sin and at Rephidim, suggests the Lord’s Supper, or, rather, the spiritual nourishment of which it was the sign. As Christ had identified Himself with the manna, John 6:33, Paul associates Him with the water at Rephidim. “That Rock was Christ.” He does not say that the water was Christ. Though Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” He did not say “I am
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