INCREASE IN DRINKING The Methodist Board of Temper ance recently reported that here in the United States establishments which are licensed to sell beer, wine or liq uor exceed by more than 131,000 the total of all churches, synagogues, ca thedrals, mosques, temples and other p l ace s of religious worship. That means, roughly speaking, that there is a total of 137,000 purveyors of alco holic beverages while there are only 306,000 places of religious worship in our country. I t is a sad and betraying note of the times in which we are liv ing. This is why we desperately need dedicated young man and women who will be the missionaries and spiritual leaders of tomorrow. As an example, right here in our own land is a tre mendous mission field with some 37,- 000,000 boys and girls, many of whom have never heard the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, except as someone has used it in swearing. THE CHALLENGE OF PEOPLE A recent news report states that the population explosion is of such mag nitude that every second, 21 hours a day, three more babies are bom. Each year which closes adds to the human mass the equivalent of a country like Italy (more than 50,000,000 people). When one considers the staggering crime rate and the rapid increase of immorality on every hand, there is a continuing and urgent need for men and women to stand true and firm to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the very purpose of Biola’s training program. It is the reason why our graduates go out, not only to the foreign fields, but also to such impor tant home mission fields as our public schools. Here there are some 37,000,- 000 boys and girls. Many of them have never heard the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ except in swearing. Proverbs 28:18 tells us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish.” A translation of that word "perish” tells us that “Where there is no vision, the people cast off all moral restraint.” What a sad commentary as we realize how true this is in our own land today. 6
certainly didn't to r these people, and yet they still wouldn’t return to God. This is the way with so many of us. We think that if we had things dif ferent, another husband or another wife, then we would be better off. We are never satisfied with what we have. Why would God give you any more if you are not content with what you have? No wonder He had to say to this people, “Behold you are of noth ing.” The Lord gives the parable about the master who had to say, “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness.” This person never did any thing of merit, and was constantly and wilfully disobeying his lord. Some people make it harder instead of easier for the Lord to work. There was a little boy who wanted to help his daddy as he worked in the garden doing planting. He went along right behind his father, pulling up each tomato plant which had been carefully placed in the ground. Was he really helping his father? When his daddy realized what had happened he put a quick stop to it. It was worse than doing nothing. There was a man whom I remem ber who had been a backslider. Al though he had been very active in the church, he had soon left the fellow ship. I told him, “Brother, you don’t treat me right. You make me spend time praying for you when I should be praying for the unsaved. You’re causing the Lord and His people a lot of heartache. You’re a liability in stead of an asset.” Thank the Lord, he saw the light and changed his ways. How many others there are, however, who go along in their un concerned ways. How about your heart, beloved? Are you an asset or a liability? Does He have to follow you around fixing up things that you damaged or did in correctly? Don’t be a troublemaker or a critic. Let your life be a blessing to others so that the Holy Spirit can work through your life. You can know then that God will be glad you came to Him for salvation.
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