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JULY 8, 1934 What Makes a Vacation Worth While M ark 6:31, 32 Suggestions for the Meeting Hymn—“Jesus Calls Us, O’er the Tu mult.” Hymn— “ God Will Take Care o f You.” Hymn—“Wonderful Peace.” Prayer. Scripture—Mark 6:31, 32. Solo or Duet—“Resting in His Love.” Leader’s Message. Round Table Discussion on the following questions: 1. What definite experiences in past vacations have you considered espe cially helpful? Why? 2. What defects in your previous vaca tions call for improvement? 3. In what ways do you hope to make your next vacation more profitable than those o f former years? Hymn—“Wonderful Jesus.” Quiet Hour. Benediction—Psalm 100, in concert. Meditation on the Lesson Perhaps nowhere else in the Gospels is the tender thoughtfulness o f our Lord in regard to our physical welfare more graphically shown than in these two verses. In this quick, revealing gleam, we see His marvelous capacity for caring for His own. The disciples had just returned, flushed with joy over the results of the first evan gelistic tour upon which Jesus had sent them. W e read in Mark 6:13 that they had “cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” However, as the disciples had traveled on foot, they must have been weary from the strain o f the journey as well as of their spiritual ministry. Eager to tell Jesus all they had done and said, they crowded around Him to make their report. Much as He longed to hear their story, in terested as He was in spiritual results above all else, His matchless voice was heard in consummate tenderness, saying: “ Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.” Was there ever such love? Our hearts are reminded o f David’s description: "He knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Indeed He does. “ He careth for you,” said Peter. And we rejoice also in the Lord’s own blessed words as He tells His dis ciples: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one o f them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. . . . Fear ye not therefore, ye are o f more value than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:29, 31). The Lord Jesus, being the Creator o f our bodies, knows their needs, and limita tions ; hence, today, He is still saying to His disciples: “ Come ye . . . apart” —not from Him, but with Him. Any vaca tion is worth while which is spent as Jesus’ guesj. The words “vacation” and “vacant” come from the same root. As we prepare
tionships, we wonder how such an outcome is possible. But in verse 5, we are reminded of the source o f these promises: “ Thus saith God the Lord,” the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the One who sus tains the life o f all men in the earth. God desires that we realize that a perfect earth will never come as a result o f human effort —that only His intervention, in the per sonal return of His Son, can accomplish the righting of a world that is in rebellion against God. . Christ has come once “ for a light o f the Gentiles” (Isa. 4 2 :6 ); He will come a second time as “a rod out of the stem o f Jesse” (Isa. 11:1, 10) to over throw evil and to occupy the throne o f David. When we come to see international af fairs as Christ sees them, we look to the wondrous climax when He shall return to reign in righteousness. Meanwhile, we eagerly wait for that day when men every where shall obey the command: “ Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end o f the earth.” W e cannot approve the injustice in our present age, but we find that our hope for the future centers in the person o f our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus we seek to make Him known—to obey the command, “ Oc cupy till I come,” realizing that “ o f him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever.” Leader’s Helps I. A R ed em ptio n W h ic h C rosses N a t io n a l B o u n d aries 1. God’s universal purpose o f blessing through the redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ: (a ) The Prophetic Program (Gen. 18:18, cf. Gal. 3 :8 ; Isa. 11:10, cf. Matt. 1:6; Isa. 42:1, 6, cf. Matt. 12:17, 18, 21) ; (b ) The Present Situation (Eph. 3 :6 ; Lk. 2:30-32; Acts 9:15; 15:14-18). 2. The redemption which alone fulfills God’s requirements for all men everywhere (2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Tim. 2 :5 ; Acts 4:12). 3. The Christian’s responsibility toward national authority throughout the world (1 Tim. 2:1, 2). II. W e ’ ve a S tory to T ell to t h e N a t io n s We’ve a story to tell to the nations, That shall turn their heart to the right; A story of truth and sweetness, A story of peace and light. W e’ve a song to be sung to the nations, That shall lift their hearts to the L ord; A song that shall conquer evil And shatter the spear and sword. W e’ve a message to give to the nations, That the Lord who reigneth above, Hath sent us His Son to save us, And show us that God is love. W e’ve a Saviour to show to the nations, Who the path o f sorrow has trod, That all of the world’s great people Might come to the truth o f God.
JULY 1, 1934 The Mind of Christ and Interna tional Relationships I s a ia h 9 :4 Suggestions for the Meeting Hymn— “W e’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations.” Hymn— “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun.” Scripture—Isaiah 42:1-12. Prayer. Quartet— “Let the Song Go Round the Earth.” Discussion—If we have the mind of Christ, if we see the world as He sees it: 1. What will we consider the best means of meeting the problems o f interna tional relations (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20 )? 2. What will be our attitude toward foreigners whom we meet in every day life (John 4 :7-10; Matt. 8 :5- 13)? 3. What will be our attitude toward Jewish people (Matt. 25:40, “my brethren” ; Psa. 122:6) ? 4. How does our knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour affect our attitude toward believers who have different racial backgrounds (Eph. 2:12-19)? Testimonies. Hymn—“ Hail to the Brightness.” Quiet Hour. Hymn—“ Christ for the World W e Sing.” Benediction—Psalm 19:14. Meditation on the Lesson Though Isaiah 9 :4 occurs in the midst o f one o f the great Messianic prophecies, the application of that particular verse to international relations may be strongly questioned. The burden of the opening verses of Isaiah 9 is that the nation Israel is to be central in the kingdom which the Lord Jesus Christ is to establish when He returns in glory. But although this par ticular passage does not seem to have a world-wide scope, it is the clear teaching o f the Word of God that all the world will share in the blessing of the coming age. In the opening verses o f Isaiah 42, we see God’s glorious and universal purpose, to be wrought out through the coming Servant o f Jehovah, Christ Jesus our Lord. These words of the prophet Isaiah are unmistak ably applied to Christ in Matthew 12:17-21. In the Word of God we find a sharp dis tinction between “the nation”—Israel—and “ the nations”—all other nations o f earth. In the Revised Version rendering ' of Isaiah 42:1, the word “Gentiles” has as a marginal note, “nations.” And what does God premise to the nations through His perfect Servant? “ He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles” ; “He shall bring forth judgment unto truth” ; “ He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.” Perhaps as our eyes turn to all the in justice o f personal and international rela
— C o lin S terne .
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