Earlier text: Scripture ReferencesShall We Colonize Around Our Institutions?
By Ellen G. White
Special light has been given me in regard to moving our publishing houses and sanitariums and schools out of the cities into places more favorable for their work, where those connected with them will not be exposed to all the temptations of city life. Especially should our schools be away from the cities. It is not for the spiritual good of the workers in our institutions for them to be located in the cities, where the temptations of the enemy abound on every hand. The instruction given regarding the removal of the publishing work from Battle Creek to some rural place near Washington, D. C., was clear and distinct, and I earnestly hope that this work may be hastened. Instruction has also been given that the Pacific Press should be moved from Oakland. As the years have passed by, the city has grown, and it is now necessary to establish the printing plant in some more rural place, where land can be secured for the homes of the employees. Those who are connected with our offices of publication should not be obliged to live in the crowded cities. They should have opportunity to obtain homes where they will be able to live without requiring high wages. The apprentices in our publishing houses should receive more fatherly care than they have had. They are to be given a thorough training in the different lines of the printing business; and they are also to be given every opportunity to gain a knowledge of the Bible; for the time is at hand when believers will be scattered into many lands. The workers in our publishing houses are to be taught what it means to be sincere followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the past, many souls have been left unguarded. They have not been taught what is comprehended in the science of godliness. Not all of those who have borne responsibilities have lived the Christian life. Consecrated Workers Needed
I listened to words spoken by One who understands the past, the present, and the future. A most solemn representation was given, delineating the characters that should be possessed by those who are accepted as yokefellows in our institutions. These institutions need men who are temperate in the full acceptance of the term. God forbid that men who have not learned to control themselves, and who neglect their own character-building in order to make plans for some one else, should be brought into our institutions at Washington, D. C., and Mountain View, Cal. The workers in our institutions are to heed the instruction given by Christ. When the truth abides in the hearts of those in charge, when they walk in the light shining from God's Word, the younger workers will wish to understand better the words they hear in the assembly of God's people. They will ask for fuller explanations, and there will be special seasons of seeking the Lord and studying his Word. It was in some quiet room or some retired spot in the country that Christ explained to the disciples the parables which he had spoken before the multitude. This is the work that will need to be done for the youth in our publishing houses. Those who are necessarily situated near our institutions should be careful how they send out glowing reports of the place. Everywhere there are people who are restless and dissatisfied, and who long to go to some place where they think they will do better than in their present surroundings. They think that if they could be given work in connection with some one of our institutions, they would have a better chance to earn a living. Those who are tempted to gather about our institutions should understand that it is skilled workers that are needed, and that heavy burdens fall upon all who are properly related to the work. Those who are connected with our institutions must be producers as well as consumers. To those who desire to change their location, and settle near one of our institutions, I would say: Do you think that in settling near an institution you will be able to get a living without perplexity or hard work? Have you counseled with the Lord in regard to this matter? Have you evidence that your desire for a change of location is free from selfish motives, and would be for the honor of God? From letters received by those connected with our institutions, and by movements already made, we see that many desire to obtain homes near these institutions. My mind is weighed down with perplexity regarding this, because I have received instruction from the Lord in regard to the influence that would be exerted upon individuals and upon our work for our people selfishly to gather around our institutions. For years, in warnings often repeated, I have testified to our people that God was not pleased to see families leaving the smaller churches, and gathering into the places where our publishing houses, sanitariums, and schools are established, for their own convenience, ease, or worldly profit. In Australia, we went into the forest and secured a large tract of land for our school. Plans were laid to sell to our brethren building lots near the school homes and near the meeting-house. But I was instructed to protest against permitting families to settle near our school homes. The counsel given was that it would be much better for families not to live near the school, and not to live too close to one another. Those who feel like settling close to our publishing house or our sanitarium and school at Takoma Park, should take counsel before they move. To those who are looking toward Mountain View as a favorable place in which to live, because the Pacific Press is to be established there, I would say: Look to other parts of the world, which need the light that you have received in trust. Remember that God has given to every man his work. Choose some locality where you will have opportunity to let your light shine forth amid the moral darkness. It is always the case that when an institution is established in a place, there are many families who desire to settle near it. Thus it has been in Battle Creek and in Oakland, and, to some extent, in almost every place where we have a school or a sanitarium. There are restless ones who, were they to go to a new place to live, would still be dissatisfied, because the spirit of disaffection is in their hearts, and a change of place does not bring a change of heart. Their characters have not been refined and ennobled by the Spirit of Christ. They need to learn the lesson of contentment. They do not study from cause to effect. They do not seek to understand the Bible tests of character, which are essential to true success. There are many who are desirous of changing their employment. They wish to obtain advantages which they suppose exist in some other place. Let them ask themselves of what benefit it would be to them to move if they have not learned8 to be kind and patient and helpful where they are. Let them look at themselves in the light of the Word of God, and then work to the point where improvement is needed. Let those who are thinking of settling at Mountain View remember that this is not wisdom unless they are called there to connect with the publishing work. The world is large; its needs are great. Go, make new centers in places where there is need of light. Do not crowd into one place, making the same mistake that has been made in Battle Creek. There are hundreds of places that need the light God has given you. And wherever you live, whatever your circumstances may be, be sure to bring the teachings of the Word of God into your homes, into your daily life. Seek God as your light, your strength, your way to heaven. Remember that to every man God has entrusted talents, to be used for him. Learn at the feet of Jesus the lessons of meekness and lowliness, and then work in the spirit of the Saviour for those around you. By willing obedience to the commandments, make your home a place where God's honor will love to dwell. “Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” We each have an individual work to do. We are to consecrate ourselves, body and soul and spirit, to God. Each child of his has something to do for his name's honor and glory. Wherever you are, you may be a blessing. If there seems to be but a slender chance of obtaining a livelihood where you are, make the most of every opportunity. Devise wise plans. Put to use every jot of ability that God has given you. Do your duty to yourself, improving in understanding and adaptability, daily becoming better able to turn to the best account the mental and physical powers that God has given you. He wants you to be a success. He wants you to be a blessing in your home and in the neighborhood in which you live. Parents, help your children to help you and to help one another. Be kind and courteous to your neighbors. By good works let your light shine forth amid the moral darkness. If you are true Christians, you will become more and more able to understand what the will of the Lord is, and you will move forward step by step in the light of his Word. Study the life of Christ, and strive to follow the pattern he has given you. Ask yourselves if you have done your whole duty to the church in your own house, and your duty to your neighbors. Have you been faithful in teaching your children lessons of Christian politeness? Are there not many opportunities for improvement in the government of your home? Do not neglect your children. Learn how to discipline yourselves, that you may be worthy of the respect of your children and your neighbors. If Christ is not abiding in your hearts, how can you teach others the lessons of patience and kindness that must be manifest in the life of every Christian? Be sure that you are keeping the way of the Lord, and then teach the truth to those around you. The Stone Kingdom
By E. W. Farnsworth
THE prophet said, “And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” Dan. 2:35. The figure of a mountain representing a government was not entirely new in Daniel’s time. Isaiah, two hundred years before, used the same figure: “It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains.” Isa. 2:2. That is to say that in the last days the professed church of Christ would be united with the governments of the earth. Again the same prophet said, speaking of Babylon: “Lift up a banner upon the high mountain. . . . The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together.” Isa. 13:2, 4. Jeremiah used the same illustration of Babylon when he said: “Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the Lord, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.” Jer. 51:25. We see in these scriptures that a nation is sometimes represented under the figure of a great, towering mountain. In like manner we understand the “stone” cut out without hands becomes a great mountain, or a great kingdom, and fills the whole earth. Other scriptures add clearness to this thought. “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Dan. 7:27. “And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:32, 33. Again we read: “The field is the world. . . . The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.” Matt. 13:38, 41. “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Rom. 4:13. “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. 5:5. “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth.” Zech. 14:9. “And his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” Zech. 9:10. These scriptures make it very clear that the stone that dashes all other kingdoms to atoms is the kingdom of God, with Christ as its eternal King. That Christ should be represented as a stone, and his kingdom as a stone kingdom, was not new in Daniel’s time, and later writers used the same figure. Notice how the term is used in the following scriptures:— “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” “Then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.” “Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.” “How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up? for their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.” Deut. 32:4, 15, 18, 30, 31. Will the reader note carefully all these scriptures? In them a great truth is taught, and a great error also is corrected by them. “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” 1 Sam. 2:2. “The Lord is my rock.” “For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?” “The Lord liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of the Rock of my salvation.” 2 Sam. 22:2, 32, 47. “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me.” 2 Sam. 23:3. “Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock.” Ps. 28:1. “Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” Ps. 61:2. “He only is my rock and my salvation.” Ps. 62:2, 7. “And they remembered that God was their rock.” Ps. 78:35; see also Ps. 89:26; 92:15; 94:22; 95:1. Isaiah speaks as follows: “Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is the Rock of ages.” Isa. 26:4, margin. “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isa. 28:16.9 What an array of evidence there is in these scriptures that Christ is the rock, or foundation, upon which the whole kingdom rests, now and for all eternity! When we come to the New Testament, the same facts are enlarged upon and made clearer still. The prominence and stability of this foundation are referred to by Christ when he said, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Matt. 7:24. It will stand. Again, when disputing with his adversaries, he said: “Did ye never read in the Scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” Matt. 21:42. The reader will have no difficulty in seeing that Christ applied the statement to himself. He is the rock. He is the chief corner-stone. This is what he meant when he said to Peter, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” Matt. 16:18. Peter had just uttered the sublime truth, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Christ responded, “Thou art Peter,” a rolling rock, a little rock, a pebble stone; but upon this great Rock, this “Rock of ages,” I will build my church. Peter so understood it; for when speaking of Jesus of Nazareth, he said: “This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:11, 12. There can be no misunderstanding Peter’s application of Christ’s words. He speaks once more on this point just before his death: “If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.” “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient.” 1 Peter 2:3, 4, 7, 8. Paul, in Rom. 9:33, repeats the same words of Christ, and applies them to the Saviour. In Eph. 2:20 he states that we “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone.” When referring to himself, Christ said: “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Matt. 21:44. Daniel said the stone “smote the image upon the feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces; then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold [representing all nations], broken to pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer thrashing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them.” Dan. 2:34, 35. “He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matt. 3:12. “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matt. 13:41, 42. With the territory all cleansed by the destruction of the wicked and of every sinful thing, the stone, the kingdom, becomes a great mountain, and fills the whole earth. “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25:34. Morning Prayer
By Mrs. D. A. Fitch
LORD, we thank thee for the night,
For all its rest and care;
And as we view the morning light,
Hear thou our thankful prayer. May the day's untried scenes be wisely met,
Depending on thy strength alone.
To our account let pardon now be set;
The blood of Jesus only can atone. May wounded spirits quick be healed
By quiet tongue and silent prayer.
May all the world be one rich field
In whose great work we all may share. O let the day to us be token
That Jesus soon will come again!
He who in love for us wast broken
Will come to break sin's strongest chain. A STRONG attack is being made at the present time on the truth that Jesus Christ was born miraculously of a virgin. Men who rank high in the church are leading the attack. We are now beginning to see the harvest of the seed sown by the “higher criticism,” Ministers have accepted the conclusions of the higher critics, saying that it is not the Bible, but Christ, on which our faith rests. Now it is becoming evident that when the Bible is abandoned, Jesus Christ is abandoned too. The “higher criticism” to-day denies any virgin birth, any special incarnation of the Son of God, or any actual resurrection of Christ; and those who have been credulously following the higher criticism in the past go on following it still. The old gospel, that the Son of God became the sinner’s substitute, is despised to-day as unscientific and out-of-date, but still it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. It is not the gospel which suffers by human unbelief. It is the unbeliever who suffers. Those who believe must insist upon the old truths, and lift up the old standard, regardless of the sneers of human wisdom, and science, falsely so-called. If Jesus had been born of two earthly parents, he would have been only human; and even if he had stood the test himself, it would only have brought the more condemnation to his fellow creatures. There would have been no power to save others. If he had been only the Son of God, all his power and holiness would not have availed to save sinners. Sin had brought such a blindness into man’s heart that he could not see the things of God. Isa. 59:12. They were foolishness to him. 1 Cor. 2:14. But in Jesus Christ were the two natures. Through Mary he received human nature, with all the weakness that pertained to it. From God he received all that God had to give. John 3:34. He was “made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power.” Rom. 1:3, 4. Thus the Son of God took upon himself our nature. As Creator he had borne the burden of the universe; made in the likeness of sinful flesh, he took our sicknesses and carried our sorrows; dying for man, he bore the curse and purged the transgression of the world. “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself.” Col. 1:16-20. Take away the divinity of Christ, and there is no power in his life and death to make reconciliation. To persuade a professedly Christian church that Christ’s work was purely human, and therefore fruitless, would be a master-stroke of satanic policy. It would give the professing church over into his hands, to become Babylon, the synagogue of Satan. Rev. 2:9; 3:9; 18:2. The mother of harlots would greet another daughter then. In Jesus Christ the sinful human nature never once appeared. It was overcome and swallowed up by the divine. The human nature appeared in weariness and hunger, but never in wrongdoing. What the Son of God did then in the flesh, he is able to do in every believer. He is able to keep us from falling, and to present us spotless to God. Jude 24. Every one who is born again into the kingdom of God, by faith in his Word, has the two natures, the flesh and the Spirit. Each strives with the other. Gal. 5:17. We may sow to the flesh or to the Spirit, and the harvest will be according to the sowing. If we starve the carnal mind, refuse it food and exercise, but feed the spiritual mind, giving it free course, we shall be strengthened with might by God’s Spirit in the inner man, and as the result, Christ will be revealed in us. Eph. 4:16-18. The Virgin Mary is an example to us. She received the wonderful promise that the Son of God should be born of her, and her answer was: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” Luke 1:38. This is the response of faith, the key to a Christly life.—Present Truth. IN a certain book of short biographies it is written, “Enoch walked with God.” It is a very short record of a life; three words, but what remains to be said? There is a whole life in the short inscription. There are no details; none are needed, for we see the man. Whether it was yesterday or last year, he is the same. His whole course of life is that of companionship with God. There is no neglect of the affairs of daily life; there is no atmosphere too ethereal for others to breathe; there is no saintliness that separates; but just a good, wholesome, attractive life. He is fervent in spirit, but he is diligent in business; he keeps all his appointments, he is near by when he is needed; he has an open hand and a kindly heart; he is in sympathy with all that is pure and good; every one loves him, and feels better for being with him. But he walks with God. His life takes its course,10 character, and influence from God. He is like a fountain which issues from an unseen rock in the mountain, and flows near by the dwellings of men, where every one who will may drink and be satisfied. There is no great mystery in this, a something that is beyond the ordinary life. On the contrary, it is the ordinary life to every one who wills to have it so. It is a life in which God is ever present as an inspiration, a hope, a living force, directing in our plans, purposes, and doings. We may illustrate: A son loves his father, and delights to do his will. The thought of his father is ever with him, not always consciously, but subconsciously, giving direction to what he does. So the thought of God becomes an abiding presence, entering into the whole life. Not as separating from all the ordinary thoughts and work of life, but as determining their character and giving them direction. One who walks with God goes in the same direction. His life is in the line of the revealed purposes of God, and it is his wish to do what God wishes to be done. He is a worker together with God. He has no plans apart from what he believes to be God’s plans. He is not selfish, making his religion narrow and self-centered, but broad, world-wide in its interests and efforts. His sympathies are for all classes, and his hand is ready for every good work as he may be able for it. He does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly; he does not stand on the street corners as companion to sinners; he does not sit in the chair of the scorner as his friend. He is actively engaged in whatever God is doing. And, more than this, he keeps step with God. If we do not so keep step with him in the world, we soon fall behind, and find ourselves too late for some of his best things. What an honor, and what happiness! The companion of God to whom he reveals what is hidden from the world, and to whom he speaks the sweet words of abiding love! “He walked with God.” So live that men will write it on your tombstones, and will keep the memory of you in their hearts.—United Presbyterian. Love one another in spite of your differences, in spite of your faults. Love one another, and make the best of one another, as He loved us, who for the sake of saving what was good in the human soul, forgot, forgave, put out of sight what was bad—who saw and loved what was good even in the publican Zaccheus, even in the penitent Magdalene, even in the expiring malefactor, even in the heretical Samaritan, even in the Pharisee Nicodemus, even in the heathen soldier, even in the outcast Canaanite. It is very easy to fix our attention only on the weak points of those around us, to magnify them, to irritate them, to aggravate them; and by so doing, we can make the burden of life unendurable, and can destroy our own and others' happiness and useful ness wherever we go. But this was not the love wherewith Christ loved us; this is not the new love wherewith we are to love one another.—Dean Stanley. TROUBLE is common to all stations and races. The garden of Eden knew it, and the fairest earthly spot to-day is not exempt. No man’s trouble is precisely the same as another’s; and each one is apt to think his own a little the worst. But it is not of the troubles we wish to speak, but of the way of bearing them. How often we say of one friend, “He takes it so hard,” and of another, “He bears it well.” What makes the difference? Is it in the trouble, or is it in the man? The man who takes it hard declares, emphatically: “The difference is in the trouble;” the observant world answers, slowly: “The difference lies largely in the man.” Ability to suffer is one of the constituents of strength. Manhood means mastery, and troubles are not strong enough to conquer it, nor heavy enough to bow it down. True manhood implies ability to endure without complaint, to suffer without bitterness, to die without fear. In our darkest hours it is well to remember that others have fought the same fights, borne the same burdens, and been still unconquered; yes, have even gone into battle with a song. “My grace shall be sufficient for thee,” was meant for hours of trial, and “around and beneath us are the everlasting arms.” Trials shall be torches, to reveal our weakness and the strength of our Saviour; sorrow shall be salt, to save us from spiritual decay; tribulation shall but eliminate the chaff, and furnace heat, the dross. The way we bear trouble is our way, but it is not a necessary part of us. We can not change our trouble; but we can change our way of meeting it. A little more grace means a little less sadness, and there is nothing between us and the grace of God but a closed eye or a tight-shut hand. Faith opens heaven to every sorrowing soul, and the “balm of Gilead” never fails to soothe and heal. We take things if we bear them alone, but the companionship of Jesus makes heavy burdens lighter.—Treasury. The Easy Yoke
By Alexander McLaren
IT is better to obey Christ’s commandments than to set ourselves against them; for if we will take his will for our law, and meekly assume the yoke of loyal and loving obedience to him, the door into an earthly paradise is thrown open to us. His yoke is easy, not because its prescription and provisions lower the standard of righteousness and morality, but because love becomes the motive; and it is always blessed to do that which the Beloved desires. When “I will” and “I ought” cover exactly the same ground, then there is no kind of pressure from the yoke. Christ’s yoke is easy, because, too, he gives the power to obey his commandments. His burden is such a burden (as I think one of the old fathers puts it) as sails are to a ship, or wings to a bird. They add to the weight, but they carry that which carries them. So Christ’s yoke bears the man that bears it. It is easy, too, because “in,” and not only after or for, “keeping of it there is great reward,” seeing that he commands nothing which is not congruous with the highest good, and bringing along with it the purest blessing. Instead of that yoke, what has the world to offer, or what do we get to dominate us, if we cast off Christ?—Self, the old anarch self, and that is misery. To be self-ruled is to be self-destroyed.—Dr. Alexander McLaren. NEITHER is all wealth poor, nor all poverty rich. The widow who cast two mites into the treasury by so doing became rich, but had she kept them, she would have remained simply “a poor widow.” God then sat in the congregation of princes visibly; as Judge, still he sits invisibly; yet a little while, and again he will sit visibly. Now he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver; then he will acknowledge every gift he has purified and accepted. God will be no man’s debtor. Then will come to light, transfigured, every offering in righteousness—the gold, frankincense, myrrh, of wise men; the boats and nets of fishermen; the money of the exchangers; the loaves and small fishes of disciples, the ointment and alabaster box of loving women; houses, lands, a cup of cold water. All riches which have spread wings and flown away as eagles toward heaven shall then reappear as treasures in heaven. Beloved, yield thy time to God, for he
Will make eternity thy recompense;
Give all thy substance for his love, and
be
Beautified past earth’s experience.
— Christina Rossetti. GIDEON OUSLEY, whose faithful ministry was crowned with wonderful results, tells how he was called to preach, in the following very striking and suggestive way:— “The voice said, ‘Gideon, go and preach the gospel.’” “‘How can I go?’ said I; ‘O Lord, I can not speak, for I am a child.’” “‘Do you know the disease?’” “‘And do you know the cure?’” “‘Indeed I do, glory be to thy holy name!’” “‘Go, then, and tell them these two things, the disease and the cure. All the rest is nothing but talk.’” The disease and the cure! Ah, there is the root of the matter! What business has a preacher to talk about anything else but that?—Selected. Called to Serve
By Harry Armstrong
THE call of God is, as it has always been, the call to service. There is no room or place for officialism in the church of Christ. Every living member of his body—the church—is called not to officiate, but to serve. Going back to the days of the calling of the disciples, we read, “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” As these humble fishermen left their nets to be trained by their Great Teacher into an efficiency that would make them successful fishers of men, there is revealed in their aspirations a lack of understanding regarding the real purpose for which they were called. With an imperfect faith they looked for Jesus to establish a worldly kingdom, with its attendant seats of honor, power, and glory. Day after day they expected that Jesus would manifest his power, delivering them from the Roman yoke of oppression. Their highest hopes could not reach beyond the thought of a temporal kingdom with temporal power. And as the disciples met together in the school of Christ, too often their minds would be diverted from the lesson of the day by the thought of self-exaltation. “And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.” “Grant unto us that we may sit,” said two of the members of the little church of Christ. “Ye know not what ye ask,” said Christ. Sitting denotes lordship, authority, dominion,—the place to be occupied only by those who have authority to pass judgment. We read in Dan. 7:9, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down [placed], and the Ancient of days did sit, . . . thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” In this brief, but graphic description of the judgment scene, we notice that the King of kings, even the Judge of all the earth, sits, while an innumerable company of ministering angels stand before him to serve. The king sits, while the subjects stand. And again: when Daniel and his captive companions were carried into Babylon to serve the king of Babylon, the record says that King Nebuchadnezzar “appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. . . . Now at the end of the days . . . the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.” Jesus had called the disciples from their work that they might labor with him. He did not come to judge or condemn, but to save. He says, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” And in seeking for co-laborers Jesus had no seats of worldly honor for self-exaltation to offer, no positions of rulership for the execution of judgment; for he said, “To sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.” When the other members of the church, the ten, heard that James and John had aspired to sit in the highest seats on the throne of his glory, and had even tried to secure them first, “they began to be much displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.” The princes of the Gentiles (heathen) exercise lordship and dominion, “but so shall it not be among you.” The members of the church of Christ are not to sit in judgment one upon another, criticizing and condemning. They have a more noble and unselfish ministry, being called by love to serve one another. And when any member climbs up into the judgment seat to judge another, in passing judgment he condemns himself. “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself.” But, says one, quoting from 1 Cor. 6:2, “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?”—Yes: we are even told that the saints shall judge angels, but not yet. “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come.” “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” That is to say, after the disciples have served according to the will of God, standing daily before him, they shall sit and reign with Christ upon his throne. “It shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.” After Daniel had served in Babylon, he was promoted by the king, and “Daniel sat in the gate of the king.” And even to-day, all who will stand to give faithful service, dedicating all the powers of their being to God, which is but their reasonable service, shall be made kings and priests, sitting at the right hand of God. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” “Casting all your care upon Him, for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7. WHAT can it mean? Is it aught to him
That the nights are long and the days are dim?
Can he be touched by the griefs I bear,
Which sadden the heart and whiten the hair?
Around his throne are eternal calms,
And strong, glad music of happy psalms,
And bliss, unruffled by any strife;
How can he care for my little life? And yet I want him to care for me,
While I live in this world where the shadows be,
When the lights die down from the path I take,
When the strength is feeble and friends forsake,
When love and music that once did bless,
Have left me to silence and loneliness,
And my life-song changes to sobbing prayers,
Then my heart cries out for a God who cares. When shadows hang o’er me the whole day long,
And my spirit is bowed with shame and wrong,
When I am in fault, and the deeper shade
Of conscious sin makes my heart afraid;
And the busy world has too much to do
To stay in its course to help me through,
And I long for a Saviour, can it be
That the God of the universe cares for me? O, wonderful story of deathless love!
Each child is dear to the Heart above.
He fights for me when I can not fight,
He comforts me in the gloom of night;
He lifts the burden, for he is strong;
He stills the sigh and awakes the song;
The sorrow that bowed me down he bears,
And loves, and pardons, because he cares. Let all who are sad take heart again;
We are not alone in our hours of pain;
Our Father stoops from the throne above
To soothe and quiet us with his love.
He leaves us not when the storm is high,
And we have safety when he is nigh.
Can it be trouble, which he doth share?
O, rest in peace, for the Lord does care! Sisera’s Fate Warns God’s Enemies
If Sisera had not taken up arms against the forces of the Lord, he would not have fallen by the stroke of Jael’s hammer. There is always a Heber’s tent awaiting the man who undertakes to fight against God.