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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
April-May, 1933
F ROM THE B O O K OF LI FE A N D EVERYDAY LIFE B y R oy T almage B rumbaugh
and grandeur of the mountain. To see Mount Tacoma, one must look at it twenty- five or fifty miles away. It is possible to live too near a man to really see him. The details of a great life blind one to the essential magnitude of a colossal personality. Distance lends per spective. Twenty-five to fifty years from now, men who are deemed by their contem poraries as small will be lauded as the heroes of the age..
eth out human fear. It was godly fear that led Noah to build an ark for the saving of his house. Ungodly fear should be a stranger to the Christian.B'Fear not ye,” Christ says to all believers. “Go quickly." Notice the wordgpJcome,” “see,” “go,” “tell.” First we come unto Him, then we tarry with Him, then we go quickly and tell what we have seen and heard. Some one has well said that the resurrection put “go” in “gospel.” Not only “go,” but “go quickly: ” Souls are perishing every minute. The lost need to be told about the Saviour crucified, risen,' ascended, coming again—and that quickly. How the women hurried! Good news spreads like wildfire. The elect ladies were the first to carry the startling news of the resurrection to the disciples. The feet of earnest disciples tarry not by the wayside. As the women hurried to tell the dis ciples, Jesus met them. He was undoubt edly coming from the opposite direction. He said unto them, “All hail,” which is, literally, •“Oh, joy!” In His presence is fullness of joy. Resurrection news is joy ful news. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy.” Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord alway; again I say, rejoice.” Without Christ, there is no joy. Consciousness of His presence gives us the joy that abides through all time and in all circumstances. He arose—and lives! Hallelujah! world passes down the left, side of the street, which is all right for the world, but wrong for the Christian. The Christian is to be a nonconformist, being transfigured into the Christ-likeness. CLIMB—It is impossible to see the val ley when in the valley. To see the valley, one must climb up to the mountain top and look down upon the valley. One who lives in the old nature cannot see it. To see the old nature, one must be lifted into the new nature. The lower nature may be seen from the higher nature. Only those born again know the old man and admit that the natural heart “is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” They also know how sweet is the fruit of the Spirit. Taste and see. TOO NEAR—If one goes into the Na tional Park and climbs Mount Tacoma, he will find his attention diverted by big trees, ravines, glaciers, the winding road, - and other details, and so will miss the greatness WHICH SIDE?—At Hamilton, Ber muda, we noticed that the people riding on bicycles and in carriages went down the left side of the street. The left side to them was the right side, but to us, the left side was the wrong side. The
A NEW DAY—The old dispensation had come to a close. It ended in darkness. The seventh day was on its deathbed. That
week, teem ing with mo rn e n t o u s events, w a s breathing its last breath. D a w n was knocking at the door of the first day of the week. L i g h t was br eak i ng . No t onl y was the sun about to rise upon a won drous scene, but spiritual light was to
FLIGHT FROM GOD—“Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord.” This is stated thrice; it is emphatic. Jonah fled
from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He believed, of course, in the om nipresence of God. He k n e w w h a t
Adam and Eve discovered—that they could not hide from the presence of God. But he also knew that God was present in a very peculiar way in Palestine. God had prom ised Solomon that His presence would not depart from the temple in Jerusalem: “Mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.” The Shekinah was seen only in the temple. The visible manifestation of God was seen only in the holy of holies. In addition to this, the prophets stood in the presence of the Lord when they were in the will'of God. They spake of the “Lord before whom I stand.” Men of God stood in the place of peculiar privilege; they stood face to face with God. Jonah was running away from the place of God’s pe culiar presence, although he knew he could not get away from the presence of God. God is present everywhere, but He is also present in a very particular sense in certain places—in the private prayer closet, at the public prayer meeting, at the place of wor ship and of Bible study. The restraining influences of God are placed round about us. Influences re strained Jonah. His friends were there. Hosea and Amos were contemporary prophets. Surely their influence restrained him. Yet Jonah broke through all these influ ences to run away from God. There are also rebellious spirits who break away from the influence of the Christian com munity, the Christian church, the Christian home, Christian prayers, and ties of Chris tian friendship, in order to get away from the presence of God. Some people leave a Bible-teaching church because they cannot stand the truth of God. God surrounds each one of us with restraining influences, but man can resist God. God will not force Himself on any man, although His will shall be done. God is love. Why not then obey Him?
shine into open hearts. Christ rosS on the first day of the week. The disciples met for worship on this day. .The true church, from the resurrection to the present hour, has observed the first day as the day of rest, gladness, and spiritual worship with fellow saints. On this new day, the women came to see the sepulchre. As iron filings are drawn to a strong magnet, so the hearts of these women were drawn to the place where the Saviour lay. Events hastened their pace. Startling occurrences were quickly mobil ized. There was a great earthquake. The terra firma was convulsed with significant phenomena. An angel of the Lord had descended from heaven and rolled back the stone from the door of the sepulchre. He sat upon it, that it might be known who had rolled the rock back. The stone was rolled away not to let Christ out, but to let wit nesses in. The Lord had disappeared from the tomb long before this. The tomb was empty before daybreak. Many blessings born in the night are not revealed until the day unveils hidden benefits. The general appearance of the angel was like lightning. Heavenly effulgency dim med human eyes. The keepers were ter rified. Fear smote them. Men cannot pre vent the fulfillment of prophecy. Christ had to arise. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will fulfill every promise. "Fear not ye." The enemy was struck with fear of the angel. But the angel said unto the women, “Fear not ye." The friends of God are the friends of the friends of God. The angels who worship God are the brethren of all believers. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister- for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Perfect love cast-
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