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children if they enjoyed th e ir fa th e r’s religion. If th e members of his fam ily did no t enjoy his religion, it would be of very little consequence w hether he did or not. He could no t have very much anyway and w hat he did have would hard ly be worth th e having. The prim ary seat of religion is in th e home ra th e r th a n th e church. In th e p a tri arch al age th e fath e r was th e high p riest of th e fam ily who conducted th e wor ship of th e household. The organic re ligious un ity of the fam ily precedes all else in tim e and importance and the church undertakes to create in th e com m unity an organic religious un ity like th a t of th e fam ily. W hat place on earth more nearly resembles Heaven th a n a home where Christ abides, no t as guest bu t host, w ith au th o rity to manage its affairs, choose its guests, regu late its ex penses, and settle every domestic prob lem! MONDAY, Oct. 20. Matthew 14:22-33. Peter in the School of Christ. Jesu s came to His disciples in the darkness and th e ir difficulty and b rough t them deliverance. The cir cum stances of H is coming were so un usual, they were afraid as th e y saw H im walking upon th e waves. He en-, couraged them w ith an assurance of His identity. Simon P eter was usually the spokesman of the twelve, ready to speak and quick to act. “ Lord, since it is thou, bid me come unto Thee upon the w ater.” Even if P eter was too impul sive and desired to do something unus ual, he had faith th a t Christ could up hold him. Jesus desiring to teach P eter a lesson of faith , bade hitn come. P eter a t once obeyed th e M aster’s word and actually walked on th e w ater, not necessarily very far and yet so long as he th u s walked, it was th rough sup ern at u ral aid from C hrist.. However, when he saw th e wind boisterous and the waves rolling, he was afraid, and be gan to sink. In other words, he took his eyes off Christ and allowed them to re st on the difficulties which surrounded him. He sank because his faith failed. H is faith failed because fear entered. He was afraid because he looked a t the waves instead of Christ. He prayed and his prayer was to the point. Spur geon says: “There were b u t th ree words in P e te r’s petition, b u t they an swered his purpose. A sense of need is a m ighty teacher of brevity. Precious th ing s lie in small compass and all th a t
honor in th e Bethany home, M artha stands for service, Mary for fellowship and Lazarusi for testimony. M artha was busy w ith th e care and duty of hos pitality. Mary was absorbed w ith her self-sacrificing love. L azarus fresh from th e world of -spirits was try ing to re-ad ju st him self to earth ly scenes. The Master sa t in th e place of honor among His apostles w ith th e shadow of th e cross already falling upon H is face. The feast was given in His honor and He was th e center of attraction . Neverthe less many of th e Jews w ith O riental freedom came and stood around, “not for Jesu s’ sake only,” bu t actuated by curiosity concerning Lazarus. Honest self-analysis reveals a sim ilar m ixture of motive in much of our service now. Everything we do ought to be done for Jesu s’ sake only. Self subtly in serts itself and th en boldly asserts itself, claim ing credit for w hat is done. In th is chapter we get a glimpse of dispensa- tional tru th . The world will believe when they see a resu rrected man. Res-- urrection is th e wonder and te rro r of th e ungodly. The church is suggested by th e fam ily a t Bethany. The Jew welcomes the Lord who comes in glory. The Gentiles gather, 12:20, Lazarus being raised from th e dead, th e city re ceives h er King and th e natives wor ship. SUNDAY, Oct. 19. Ephesians 6:1-9. Home Relationship. The home is th e h ard est place and th erefo re the best place to bear w itness to Christ and exercise all the Chris tia n graces. In th e home th e re is the absence of th a t re stra in t which is felt in society. The various members of the fam ily have seen us a t our worst and best and we become regardless of th e ir opinions. The fam ily circle is a tra in ing ground to acquire self-restrain t and self-sacrifice and to develop those quali ties th a t are most appreciated in th e outside world. No life is tru e th a t is no t th e same in public and in private. He is a hypocrite who is one th ing in one place and ano ther th ing in another place and therefo re P au l exhorts young converts to learn first of all to show piety a t home. 1 Tim. 5:4. In form er tim es a leading question to ascertain the reality of a m an’s conversion ^ a s , “Do you enjoy relig ion ?” A non-per tin en t and practical inqu iry would be to ask th e m an’s wife if she enjoyed her hu sband’s religion, and to ask his
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