Afraid of What? (continued) too late. Should they, they question, take a short-cut in their education? If death might come at any moment, why not throw off all moral restraint and “live it up” ? Never has the average American spent so much to be secure and never has he felt so insecure. For the non- Christian to be frightened is most natural, but for the child of God to live on the plane of the natural is sin. To live in fear and to panic under the onslaughts of our prophets of doom is below the spiritual dignity of any child of God. No one ever lived more dangerously than our Saviour. Yet in all circumstances He was the very personification of tranquility. He made it crystal-clear that things would wax worse and worse and that men’s hearts would fail them for fear. At the same time He promised to His own, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27). Fear cannot coexist with the peace He gives. Today many are afraid of Mr. Khrushchev and that which he represents. He is ruthless. The blood of many is on his hands. Today he is building a kingdom for himself, a kingdom he hopes will stretch from sea to sea. It might well be that the construction of the walls of Berlin and the dividing of Germany are just a part of building that great Northern Kingdom spoken of in the Scriptures. We are very sure that the “ Berlin crisis” does not, however, take God by surprise. In ancient times God took care of the great despot, Nebuchadnezzar. When that king became overly proud, the Lord ordered him to go to the fields and eat grass. That he did for seven years. God is sovereign. He can handle Mr. Khrushchev. It is entirely possible his king dom will end up a pile of bones outside of Jerusalem. How are we to deal with fear? Christ first asks of you total acceptance. It is not enough to know Jesus as Sav iour. It is wonderful to be saved from Hell and saved unto Heaven. But He is to be your Lord. When Saul was converted, he cried, “ Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” He knew and experienced the daily Lordship of Christ. Christ is to have all we have and all we are. Every plan and ambition must be surrendered to Him. Accepting His Lordship, we must also accept His Word. Without the Bible we have no foundation. Christ put His seal of approval upon the Scriptures, “ And be ginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). If you are frightened, it may be that you are neglecting the Word of God. Accept the Scriptures fully and the promises of God will give your soul both comfort and courage. This total acceptance applies also to the Holy Spirit. You were born of the Spirit. At that moment your body became the temple of the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit indwells you, but you must accept the obligation to “walk by means of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). He must be the Guide in your Christian life. Without Him you can not walk aright. One day in Hankow, China, I was amazed to see a blind man threading his way dexterously through a crowded market place. “How,” I wondered, “ could he walk so rapidly without knocking or bumping someone or something?” Upon catching up with him, I saw he had his fingers on the shoulder of a man with eyes. The skill was not his but another’s. You will only walk the Christian life as you should if you rely completely upon the Holy Spirit. “Walk by means of the Spirit.” Make your acceptance of Him total. “ Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Christ also demands of you total dedication. It is tragic but true that too often disciples of Karl Marx are more
dedicated to his cause than we are to the cause of Christ. Two months after being captured by the Chinese Com munists, the nineteen-year-old Red lieutenant, who had usurped my home, informed me he was leaving. When I asked him where he was going, he divulged a military secret. That night they were attacking the Walled City just a mile from us. I knew the ten thousand soldiers inside the city were well-armed. I also knew that the bridges across the moat had been destroyed, making the attack a very perilous one. I learned from the young Com munist that they had only five thousand soldiers. The defenders of the city had twice that number. I said to the young officer, “ Sir, it will be suicide to attack that city. You will die trying.” He straightened up and re plied, “ I am quite prepared to die to carry Communism one mile further.” That night he died for what he be lieved. Was my dedication to Jesus Christ as complete as that? Many times since that experience I have asked the question, “ Am I prepared to live and die for Christ?” “WHITE TO HARVEST“ (A missionary hymn) Arise, all God's chosen! Go forth in His name! The fields, white to harvest, are heavy with grain. The seed has been scattered in each distant land; Now gather the harvest; the Hour is at hand. Arise, God's anointed! Awake men from sleep! The dark clouds about us may burst ere we reap. They thunder in fury and threaten the grain; Sound out every clarion; go forth in His name! Go forth, then, God's chosen! Arise! Do not wait! The reapers are few and the harvest is great. Arouse all to labor, for dark is the sun, That all may at last hear the Master's ''Well done"! by Dorothy Loosley Such dedication, of course, is found in the Scriptures, as for example, when King Nebuchadnezzar ruled the world. After building an idol one hundred feet high and overlaying it with gold, he ordered all mankind to bow down and worship it. Only three men stood between the King and world-wide idolatry. Calling these three He brew children before him, he gave them a second chance and warned them that disregard for his commands would mean death. In his wrath he made it certain that they understood exactly what he meant — they would be cremated if they did not obey. He closed his remarks to them with the warning, “ And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” (Daniel 3:15). Their minds were made up. Their lives were totally dedicated to God. Their answer was direct, “ If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, 0 king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:17, 18). Nebuchadnezzar, filled with fury, commanded his mightiest men to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. What
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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