EDITORIAL
It is most important in a Christian's life to have fellowship with other Christians. Some of us paralytics find it impossible, however, to enjoy this blessing as we would like, especially with the folks in our local churches. But the Lord has wonderfully given me a means of fellowship with other Christians, which in some measure at least makes up for the loss in other directions. I have gained many friends by mail. This past Christmas our hearts were warmed by the many many remembrances. And all through the year many of you have been so faithful in corresponding with us. When you tell us how our ministry through Triumph has blessed you, we are especially glad and thankful to God.
Below are some excerpts from letters we have received from our readers:
"Thank you more than I can say for all the copies of TRIUMPH that have come to me this past year. I have read every word and gained immeasurably from all the articles, poems, and letters from Lillian."
. . . Arizona
"I certainly do appreciate TRIUMPH as it comes each month. It is a real blessing, and the messages seem to come right from the Lord. Thank you so much for sending it." . . . Indiana
"May God bless you and yours in your beautiful endeavor to bring the Good News to so many hearts." . . . Ohio
"Please accept enclosed check as a love gift for my appreciation and gratitude for your wonderful inspirational paper TRIUMPH. It has helped me more than I can say in my devotional life." . . . New York
"I have been receiving your paper which is surely an inspiration to anyone who reads it. I don't know how I have been receiving it but to me it's a very wonderful gift from God." . . . Indiana
"The paper is a bright spot in our lives each month which we look forward to." . . . Ohio
"I really enjoy your paper very much. I read it and pass it on to someone else." . . . West Virginia
In a thank-you note from Maud Lunt, who is connected with the Shut-Ins Look Up Fellowship of Ontario, Canada, was included a poem which expresses exactly my sentiments for you, my reader friends.
THANK GOD FOR YOU
Thank God for you, good friend of mine,
Seldom is friendship such as thine;
How very much I wish to be
As helpful as you've been to me--
THANK GOD FOR YOU.
Of many prayer guests, one thou art,
On whom I ask God to impart
Rich blessing from his storehouse rare,
And grant to you His gracious care--
THANK GOD FOR YOU.
When I recall, from time to time,
How you inspired this heart of mine:
I find myself inclined to pray,
God bless my friend this very day--
THANK GOD FOR YOU.
So often, at the throne of Grace,
There comes a picture of your face;
And then, instinctively, I pray
That God may guide you all the way--
THANK GOD FOR YOU.
Some day, I hope, with you to stand
Before the throne, at God's right hand:
And say to you--at journey's end;
"Praise God, you've been to me a friend--
THANK GOD FOR YOU."
Thankfully yours,
Arthur E. Gordon, Editor
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Dear Shut-In . . .
EXCERPTS from
LILLIAN'S LETTERS
Greetings from the dog house. It does seem so many are wondering why via letter, card, or telephone I haven't been able to contact them as usual. I "is" really heap big sorry, but "me" petered out somewhat.
How anxious I have been to write you sooner. It has really tortured me. But able moments got crammed with all sorts of, it seemed needful things, and energy would flee so quickly. So many days went by when there was no ability to do a thing but lie here on my bed and pray what I could. God said, "All things work together for good." Not just easy ones.
So often when I was unable to read, fragments of precious promises floated to mind bringing such comfort. Ones like: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee -- Thou art mine -- I am the Lord that healeth thee -- Be still and know I am God -- I will provide a way of escape that ye may be able to bear it -- They that now in tears shall reap in joy -- etc. One has to come through with spiritual bonuses in the furnace of trial. Oh what a precious Lord we have.
It seems the arthritis affected my eyes for awhile, and made reading hard. Then the severe weakness, pain, and add to that at times when it seemed nerves would eat me up alive. Just cannot tell you how often I've tried to write and just couldn't pull it through. Many thanks to you who have been praying. Keep it up. When I don't write there is a reason. Am about to start on quite a medical program now, and hope to have some very good news soon.
At a dear friend's home recently, the pastor had stopped and before leaving he was shaking hands with all, even the dear little children. He had such soft hands due to the lack of rugged manual labor; not really large but rather small -- small as men's hands go.
When he shook hands with the baby, what a joy it was to her, not yet two years of age. He was about to shake with another of the youngsters, but, oh, she had enjoyed the other so, she wanted another. How the little one delighted in this expression of love. The little fist went up in his again expecting more. Do you think she was disappointed?
Her tiny white hand was literally lost in his. Her ability to shake hands with him was impossible. She only needed to show the desire, and the kind pastor, enjoying it all immensely, had the thrill of her responding love. She was to helpless; he so able.
The little ones could have been easily forgotten in the rush, but this pastor was sowing seeds that may reap someday beyond his fondest dreams. It's the little things that count.
Was not this an object lesson in truth? God is interested in us too, individually regardless of status. He loves to have interest shown Him also, and oh the joy of fellowship with our Lord and Christ.
Our efforts are so impossible, but the God of love sees the effort, knows the heart, fulfills our inabilities. All of life is witnessing of Him. Oh just think, for those of us watching, waiting, praying occupying till He comes, we shall soon be with Him beyond this vale of tears, sorrows, suffering.
Let's take courage. It's just a little further.
Miss Lillian Butt suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Before her illness she was a nurse.
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SHUT IN
Shut in from dale and glen,
Shut in from blooming flowers,
Shut in your lonesome den,
Through trying, weary hours.
The world goes on its way
Unmindful of your gloom;
Alone, you sit and pray,
Shut in your little room.
Yet, not shut in, alone,
The Lord is with you there,
He fills your heart with song,
He takes away your care.
Shut in, you see His face,
His wonders you explore,
You roam in realms of grace,
And pleasures evermore.
--Selected
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There is an Eye that never sleeps
Beneath the wing of night;
There is an Ear that never shuts
When sink the beams of light;
There is an Arm that never tires
When human strength gives way;
There is a Love that never fails,
When earthly loves decay.
--Selected
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DAY and NIGHT
"The day is thine, the night also is thine . . . "
Psalm 74:14
WHAT A comforting thought is this from God's never-changing, eternal Word.
Day and night belong to God, for He made them. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night."
Day and night shall continue by the power of their Maker, who upholds "all things by the word of His power." "While the earth remaineth . . ., day and night shall not cease."
Day and night give testimony to their Creator: "Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard."
It's a wonderful feeling to awake in the morning to realize the day belongs to God. It's equally wonderful to lie down at night with the realization the night belongs to Him. But it is more wonderful still to know you yourself belong to the One of whom it is said, "The day is thine, and the night also is thine."
The Psalmist exclaims: "It is he that hath made us, and we are his; we are his people." The hymn-writer too: "I am thine oh Lord." So say all who have felt His redeeming power, being purchased by the blood of His Lamb. For all such, not only are THE days and nights God's, but OUR days and nights belong to Him, Precious thought! "There is never a day so weary,
There is never a night so long,
But the soul that is trusting Jesus
will somewhere find a song."
He who created day and night, created us anew in Christ Jesus. He who upholds all things by the word of His power and establishes the day and night until the end of time, upholds us likewise by His power and establishes our way until the end of time and throughout eternity.
But what specifically does this mean to us? Among other things, it means guidance and protection. This is what it meant to Israel in the wilderness, after their flight from Egypt. "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night by a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night." When the Egyptians were about to overtake them, "the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud . . . stood behind them: and it came between . . . the Egyptians and . . . Israel . . ., so that the one came not near the other all night."
The same confidence may be ours. "Now thanks be unto God," says the apostle Paul, "which always leadeth us in triumph in Christ." Peter says we "are kept (guarded) by the power of God." When we awake upon a new morn, no matter what the day may hold for us, whether good or ill, pleasant or unpleasant, easy or hard, we should rejoice to know, our day is in His hands. He will guide. When we lay our head upon the pillow at night, we should be glad to realize that this is not just another night, but the night which God has made, our night belongs to Him and He will keep us.
We may sing with the Psalmist his song of confidence. "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Keeper will never slumber. The Lord is your Keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm; He will preserve your soul. The Lord will shield your going out and your coming in from now on for evermore." (Psalm 121:2-3, 5-8; Berkeley Version.)
-- A. E. G.
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MY GUARD WITH GOD
I'm standing guard at sunset,
But I know I'm not alone;
There's another One who's watching
From His place upon a throne.
He's my Lord, my Great Protector,
Who once died to make men free.
He is watching, He is guarding.
He is taking care of me.
I'm standing guard at midnight
On an island in the sea,
Far from home and all my loved ones,
But my Lord is still with me;
And the Southern Cross is gleaming
In the starry sky above,
And it serves as a reminder
Of my Lord's undying love.
I'm standing guard at sunrise,
With the dawn's bright sky above,
And I know the Lord will keep me,
Watching over me in love.
Now my watch is almost over,
But His watch shall never cease--
He has given me assurance
And an everlasting peace.
This poem was written by a soldier just before he was reported missing in action.
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"Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
Psalm 34:19
"MANY are the afflictions of the righteous." Thus are they made like Jesus their covenant Head.
Scripture does not flatter us like the story books with the idea that goodness will secure us from trouble; on the contrary, we are again and again warned to expect tribulation while we are in this body.
Our afflictions come from all points of the compass, and are as many and as tormenting as the mosquitos of the tropics. It is the earthly portion of the elect to find thorns and briars growing in their pathway, yea, to lie down among them, finding their rest broken and disturbed by sorrow.
But, blessed but, how it takes the sting out of the previous sentence! "But the Lord delivereth him out of them all."
Through troops of ills Jehovah shall lead his redeemed unscathed and triumphant.
There is an end to the believer's affliction, and a joyful end too.
None of his trials can hurt so much as a hair of his head, neither can the furnace hold him for a moment after the Lord bids him come forth of it.
The same Lord who sends the afflictions will also recall them when his design is accomplished, but he will never allow the fiercest of them to rend and devour his beloved.
From "The Treasury of David," by Charles H. Spurgeon.
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BESIDE THE PLOW
Beside the plow He walks with me,
And if my steps be slow,
He pauses, waiting so that He
May lead me where I go.
I feel His presence at my side,
His hand upon my hair,
His love sweeps boundless like the tide
About me everywhere.
Beside the plow He walks with me,
I cut the furrows deep,
I know His gentle eyes will see
The harvest that I reap.
His guiding touch is on my arm,
And well I know the care
That keeps me safe from sin and harm
Is with me everywhere.
Beside the plow He walks with me,
And all my troubles sweep
Away, I know that there will be
No time to pine or weep.
My very oxen seem to feel
The rapture in the air;
The love that lives to bless and heal
Surrounds us everywhere.
Beside the plow He walks with me,
And lo, the sun shines down;
The same that smiled on Galilee,
And on a thorny crown.
God grant that when the shadows creep
Across the mountain fair
His love may still be wide and deep
About me everywhere.
-- Selected
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LIMPING BETWEEN TWO SIDES
"And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long go ye limping between the two sides? If Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." -- I Kings18:21 ASV
PRESIDENT EISENHOWER, at the Republican Convention, declared his political position as that of a "middle-of-the-roader." He quickly pointed out, however, that this did not include morals. I should hope that we all agree we cannot flirt with bad morals.
But I find there are some who are prone to do just that. They want to be known as respectable church members but still like to take a "snort" now and then, like to let down the bars once in awhile. Can't be too narrow, you know! These are fence-straddlers, falling either way as occasion demands, moral "middle-of-the-roaders," stepping to one side or the other, depending on the situation. They are spiritual cripples, limping between two sides, not caring to declare themselves on either side.
All are not crippled who have maimed bodies. Many who are maimed physically are fit and strong spiritually. Others who have healthy bodies are badly crippled in spirit. These latter go limping about from place to place, from taproom to church, from cursing lips to blessing lips, from evil deeds to good deeds; from the one side to the other they go with apparent ease. Elijah would ask them: "How long go ye limping between the two sides?"
The original setting was this. Elijah, prophet of God, found himself virtually alone in his all-out devotion to God. His fellow Israelites were trying to hold to God with one hand and to Baal, heathen god, with the other. Elijah graphically described this as "limping between the two sides." He challenged them to get on one side or the other. When they hesitated, Elijah decided on a plan to prove who was the true God. "The God that answereth by fire," said he, "let him be God." The mythical Baal answered not. But of Jehovah the account says, "Then the fire of Jehovah fell." "And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Jehovah, he is God."
The call today is for men and women to stop "limping between the two sides," to come without reservation to God's side, through faith in Jesus Christ. It's time we stop walking the middle of the moral road. Let's fearlessly stand and be counted with the children of God. There's no reason to try and hold to both sides--God's and the Devil's. God has abundantly manifested His power and purpose in Christ Jesus through His Word. He has proven Himself real and trustworthy. It only remains for us to declare ourselves on His side.
But may not we Christians be partially responsible that men and women do not want to fall in on God's side? May not they be waiting to see demonstrated in our lives that God is real, that He can and does make a change in the one who trusts Him? Are we showing there is a God, by living a godly life? If we would prove to the world that God lives, and lives within us, then we must have the devotion of Elijah; we must as of now cease our "limping between the two sides." "If Jehovah be God, follow him."
-- A. E. G.
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FREEDOM FROM WORRY
By George Mueller
"Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:6,7.
"BE CAREFUL for nothing." that is, "Be anxious about nothing." No anxiety ought to be found in the believer. Great, many, and varied may be our trials, our afflictions, our difficulties, and yet there should be no anxiety under any circumstances, because we have a Father in Heaven who is Almighty, who loves His children as He loves His only begotten Son, and whose very joy and delight it is to succor and help them at all times and under all circumstances.
Therefore anxiety should not be found in the children of God, but we should attend to the exhortation given us in this verse: "Be anxious about nothing: but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God."
Here notice particularly the following points:
(1) "In everything," that is, not merely when the house is on fire, not merely when the beloved wife is dying, not merely when our children are on the brink of the grave, but in the smallest matters of life, bring everything before God, the little things, the very little things, what the world calls trifling things -- everything -- living in holy communion with our Heavenly Father, and with our precious Lord Jesus Christ, all day long. And when we awake at night, by a kind of spiritual instinct again turning to Him, and speaking to Him, and bringing our various little matters before Him in the sleepless night, the difficulties in connection with our family, our trade, our profession. Whatever tries us in any way, speak to the Lord about it. And in like manner, our joys, our easy days, speak to the Lord about them, and ask Him to help. Ask Him to help regarding everything.
(2) "By prayer and supplication," taking the place of beggars, with earnestness, with perseverance, going on and waiting, waiting, waiting on God.
(3) "With thanksgiving." We should at all times lay a good foundation with thanksgiving. If everything else were wanting, this is always present, that He has saved us from Hell, then, that He has given us His Holy Word, -- His only begotten Son, His choicest gift -- and the Holy Spirit. And therefore we have always abundant reason for thanksgiving. Oh, let us aim at this!
"And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." We shall have the peace of God. And this so great a blessing, so real a blessing, so precious a blessing, that it must be known experimentally to be entered into, for it passeth understanding. Oh, the peace of God, how exceedingly precious this blessing!
See therefore how we get this peace of God through attending to this exhortation, that in everything, in the most minute affairs of life, we let our requests, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, be known unto God. And further, that we seek to the utmost to avoid anxiety. O, let us lay these things to heart, and the result will be, if we habitually walk in this spirit, we shall far more abundantly glorify God, than as yet we have done.
Used by permission of Good News Publishers, Westchester, IL
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SERMON SERIES
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER
No. 18
HOW TO BEHAVE IN THE CHURCH
I Peter 3:8-12
"FINALLY." This does not indicate the end of the Epistle, but the end of a set of exhortations to specific individuals. Christian citizens were first addressed: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man." Then Christian servants were addressed: "Be subject to your masters." Then Christian wives: "Be in subjection to your own husbands." And Christians husbands: "Dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife."
Christian citizens were told how to behave in the state toward rulers and laws. Servants were told how to behave in the household toward masters. Wives and husbands were told how to behave in the home toward one another. Now Christian brothers and sisters are told how to behave in the Church toward the others of like precious faith.
Here then, first, is what Christians should
BE
with relation to other Christians.
" . . . be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous" (8).
Christians should be "of one mind." They should live in harmony. Nothing less will please our Lord; nothing less will attract others to Him. What orchestra leader would be satisfied to stand before an orchestra which emits only sour, discordant notes, where each musician plays as he wishes, without regard for the others? Who would come to listen to such an orchestra? Our Lord must often be grieved as He stands witnessing the selfish individuality we too frequently insist on in our assemblies. The worldling will never be attracted to the One who supposedly leads such confusion.
This is not to suppose that every mind must be absolutely one with every other mind on every detail of every question that arises in the church. But it does mean that we be likeminded on the essential doctrines and practices of the church. It means at least our minds are in agreement with the One who leads us. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," says Paul.
In the second place, Christians should be "sympathetic." This is the meaning of the word translated, "having compassion one of another." It comes from two words, the one meaning "with," the other "to feel." It refers to "feeling with" someone in joy or in sorrow. Paul expresses it thus: "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." This is true sympathy. It is not just feeling sorry for someone in trouble or passively rejoicing with someone, but an entering into that experience with the individual as much as possible.
Thirdly, Christians should "love as brethren," or more properly, "be brethren who are loving." This more than anything else is the mark of true Christianity. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." "We know that we have passed from death unto life," says John, "because we love the brethren." Jesus Himself sets the example: "As I have loved you," says He, "ye also love one another." The Holy Spirit gives it: "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (who believe)."
But what of all the inconsistencies I see in my brethren? What of the times some of my brethren have wronged me, shall I just forget about that? Peter's answer would be: "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer: above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth (forgives and disregards) a multitude of sins."
Paul tells us just what love is. "Love is so patient and so kind; love never boils with jealousy; it never boasts, is never puffed with pride; it does not act with rudeness, or insist upon its rights; is never glad when wrong is done, but always glad when truth prevails; it bears up under anything, it exercises faith in everything, it keeps up hope in everything, it gives up power to endure in anything" (I Corinthians 13:4-7, Williams Translation)
Fourthly, Christians are to "be pitiful," or "full of pity." This word has reference to the seat of the affections. We speak of the heart as the seat of the affections. Thus it may be translated, "tender-hearted." We are to be "tender-hearted" toward our brothers in Christ and, as well, potential brothers in Christ.
Talmage tells of a highly respectable Christian woman of many years ago who lived in the city of Richmond. One day in the streets of Richmond there lay a man dead drunk, his face exposed to the blistering noonday sun. This gracious lady happened to pass that way and upon seeing the debauched man lying there took her handkerchief and spread it over his face, then went her way. Soon the man roused himself from his stupor and began to look at the handkerchief, upon which he found the name of his benefactor. He went to her and thanked her for her kindness. As it turned out, it was that one kind deed that saved the man for this life and the life to come. This man was afterwards Attorney-General of the United States and a consecrated disciple of Jesus Christ.
Finally, "be courteous." Again the original word is made up of two words, the one meaning "low," and the other "mind." thus it means to be "humble-minded." We are to have a modest opinion of ourselves. Too often it's the other way. We have a modest opinion of others and an exaggerated opinion of ourselves.
Possibly the best incentive to be "humble-minded" is found when we consider our calling. "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things . . . the weak things . . . and base things . . . and things which are despised . . . yea, and things which are not . . . "
Are you called of God? You say you are. Then consider carefully this Scripture. Where is there any room for an exaggerated opinion of ourselves? Will we not be more in character to do what our text says, "be humble-minded?" Whatever we have, God has given us. Our brothers likewise. Then let us "be humble-minded." Such an attitude pleases our Lord, promotes harmony among the brethren, and persuades outsiders for Christ.
These are things we should be. Now for some things we should
DO
with relation to the others in our local assembly of believers.
"Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing" (9).
Like their Master who, suffering wrong at the hands of evil men, returned nothing but blessing, so Christians are to give back for wrongs inflicted and abuses suffered only and always "blessing." This was one of our Lord's early teachings. Said He, "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, pray for them which despitefully use you."
And it isn't impossible. Paul testifies: "Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: being defamed, we intreat." His conclusion? "Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me." Deacon Stephen is a glowing example. Being stoned by an angry mob, Stephen, rather than fighting back or uttering abusive words, "kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." It may indeed seem impossible for us; only because we have practiced the opposite so long. But it is possible. And all that remains for us is to do it.
What is the incentive? -- "Knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing" Elsewhere Peter assures us: "God . . . hath begotten us again unto a lively hope . . . to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven." The inheritance is kept for us who "are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people . . . Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." With the heavenly inheritance lying immediately before us with all its accompanying blessing, how can we do otherwise than what our text enjoins?
Something else to do--
"For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it: (10,11).
Peter here quotes from David's thirty-fourth Psalm. The preface to the Psalm tells the occasion of writing: "A Psalm of David; when he changed his behavior before Ahimelech, who drove him away, and he departed." The Psalm nowhere mentions David's sins on that occasion but this that Peter quotes surely was written with them in mind. We have heard that experience is the best teacher, and we do learn from experience. But in the case of evil we would do better to learn from another's experience. Let us learn then from David's unhappy experience.
David was forced to flee for his life from King Saul, to the city of Nob where dwelt Ahimelech the priest. David was weary, hungry, and scared. Instead of showing himself to be the God-fearing man he usually was, David lied to the priest to obtain sustenance and weapons. From there, he fled to a heathen city where, for fear of being apprehended, he pretended to be insane. David was finally delivered, for which he praises the Lord in the thirty-fourth Psalm, but remembering his sins he counsels all who read, not to fail as he failed. He was remembering his deceitful words to the priest, when he wrote: "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile." He remembered his deceitful actions in the heathen city, when he wrote: "Let him eschew evil." David and Peter then would teach us to "refrain from" and "eschew" these evil things, to stop doing them, to turn away from them.
But Christianity is more than so many negatives. It is also to "do good . . . seek peace, and ensue it." If we only did! If we would take this literally and do it, our churches would be changed overnight. "To seek," here means "to strive after." "Ensue" had the idea of earnestly seeking, or earnestly endeavoring to acquire it.
Peace has a way of eluding us. If you have ever been to a church business meeting, you know this. But we should be as determined to acquire and retain peace among the brethren, as peace is determined to elude us. How can we do otherwise, when we remember from whence comes our peace: "For he (Christ) is our peace . . . having abolished in his flesh the enmity . . . so making peace."
Paul's conclusion would be: "that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
"FOR
the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers" (12a).
Why be and do right? -- Because the Lord is watching us. He is watching not to catch us up in some inconsistency, but to see to our welfare, to provide for us. "His ears are open" to our prayers. This literally reads, "his ears are into our prayers." The picture might be that of God bending down toward us as we cry weakly for help. He is anxious for the welfare of His children and is always ready to hear them. "As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." We may not be able in ourselves to be and do as we should toward our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we may be sure that we have One who makes adequate provision for us, even in this, and He stands ready to help.
"BUT
the face of the Lord is against them that do evil" (12b).
Take warning, all who are practicing evil. The reward for your evil deeds is judgment. "The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth." "And these" adds the New Testament, "shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."
There is no need for you to go into eternity lost, however. For "a righteousness of God hath been manifested . . . even the righteousness of God (which is obtained) through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe." And for all such, God promises: "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."
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