T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S (4) TESTIMONY OF THE BACK SLIDER, 19-22. Naomi had been chastened. She went out for gain and got gall. She went out in unbelief. She returned with bitter remembrances. She testi fied to the truth of God’s Word. The means she took to avoid want brought it. Like the prodigal,— tears, self-re proach, emptiness and self-renunciation —were her portion. This is the history of every saint of God who endeavors to find help and comfort and soul satisfaction in . the world. No matter what the test, whether it be a question of bread and butter, or pleasure, or position, or what ever the allurement that Satan holds up before the child of God,— if the back is turned upon the crucified Christ, there must be the bite bf bitterness, there., must be the disappointment and sorrow, there must be the loss of time, and means and privilege. Can we learn the lesson and take our places with Ruth, and pledge our fidel ity to the Lord, and say to Him, “ Thy God and Father shall be my God and Father;I will follow Thee whitherso ever Thou goest? To be with Thee; to have the con solation of Thy presence and voice, whether it be in prosperity or adversity. I covet the crucifixion with Thee, the life with Thee, the joy with Thee, the sorrow with Thee. Thy people shall be my people, and Thy good will, my pleasure.” PRACTICAL POINTS. (1) A famine is a test to many a fam ily. (2) Faith failed in the face of the famine. (3) Moab was a “ promising” land, but not the “ promised” land. (4) Backsliders are bound to taste the bitterness of death. (5) The heart that knows the Home land hears the call “ come home.” (6) The temptation to tarry in the for
407
bidden land proves a test of char acter. (7) Renunciation and surrender are the stepping stones to a splendid life. (8) The delight of the Christian’s heart should be devotion to Christ. (9) Listen to the language of love and say ye “Whither Thou goest I will go.” jWfe. m There is an old legend of a saint who lived such a godly life that the angels came down from heaven to see the man and learn his secret. After studying him for some LESSON time they be- ILLTJSTRATIONS sought the Lord W. H. Pike to give him power to work miracles; and hewas to have the right to choose the kind of work he was to do. He refused power to heal the sick, leaving that to God; the leading of wan derers he left to the angels; but he chose to do good without knowing it. And so his shadow falling behind him, or on either side, brought life and health to all it touched. A wise choice is more valuable than silver or gold. Choosing the Source of All Results. Agassiz said he had stood in one place in the Alpine Mountains in Switzerland where he could throw a chip into the water in one direction, and it would roll on into the Mediterranean; or he could throw a chip into the water in another direction and it would reach the Black Sea by the Danube; or he could throw a chip in another direction and it would enter the German Ocean by the Rhine. How far apart are the Mediterranean, German Ocean and Black Sea, yet how close they are in the choice of the one who threw the chip. An army officer in the United States Army while in' Kan sas chose to set fire to some grass and the result was the greatest prairie fire ever known in the state.. It swept
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker