EDITORIAL
Someone once wrote and asked me my philosophy of life. My answer was as follows:
My philosophy of life is best expressed in the words of Scripture found in the Proverbs: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
My complete "trust" is in the Lord Jesus Christ who died that I might live. I have learned by experience that to trust in my own "understanding" leads only to tragic disappointment. My feeble efforts to "acknowledge" Christ through my monthly devotional and other writings are slight indeed compared to the blessings He has showered upon me.
The Apostle Paul expresses his philosophy in just 11 words: "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." These words express my sentiments exactly. Christ Jesus is the center and circumference of my life. In modern slang you might say, my life is "wrapped up" in Christ.
My past life of failures is forgiven by Him, through His sacrifice on the cross. In my present life of limitations He is my constant Companion and Help. As for the uncertain future He is my Hope.
If I have had even a measure of victory in my affliction, all praise belongs to God who "always causeth us to triumph in Christ" when we accept our affliction with thanksgiving.
For those who have a philosophy of life which hasn't met their need, or for those who have no philosophy, I highly recommend the Person, Jesus Christ the Lord. He daily proves Himself adequate for every situation to those who trust Him.
Sincerely,
Art Gordon, Editor
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BEING A MISSIONARY
Out where the loneliness presses around me,
Looking on sights that are sordid and drear,
Strangely abiding -- yet surely God called me,
Why do I wonder if Jesus is here?
Strangeness of living and strangeness of people,
Have I not come with the gospel of cheer?
Why is my heart then depressed with its burden?
Isn't my Comrade -- my Jesus, out here?
God! Teach me quickly to do without friendships,
How to let go of those things that were dear,
How to be rid of this self that is binding me,
Surely My Master, my Jesus, is here.
He, who is God, took the form of a servant,
Humbled Himself unto death without fear;
Lonely, forsaken, despised, and rejected,
My blessed Saviour, my Jesus came here!
Wilt Thou forgive me for failure in serving;
Heartache, depression, regrets, disappear.
Born of the Cross, a new courage infills me;
Jesus, my Victory, my life, is now here!
-- Author Unknown
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HEAVENLY HEALING
By Frieda Schneider, Litt. D.
We looked for a time of health, and behold trouble! (Jeremiah 8:15)
DIVINE HEALING is a delicate subject. It is one of the most controversial themes in our Christian teachings. Of all the tracts that are circulating with my imprint, the one dealing with divine healing has brought the greatest response, both pro and con. Therefore, I do not even dare to hope that every reader will agree with what follows.
Different denominations and different individuals interpret certain portions of Scripture differently. It is not expected that everyone cares to sing out of my hymnbook! If bodily healing were in the atonement for all people, Frieda J. Schneider would be among the first to wish to receive it. Oh, how laboriously I have longed to be able to say, "I am feeling just fine," and mean it! Each time another siege of severe suffering is on the way, I sincerely try to think that the approaching pangs of pain and misery will be lighter and lesser than they were the previous time. Nevertheless, each time finds me enduring the same excruciating and exhausting experiences. Each time I am sandwiched in between a couple of heating pads and unattended, these prolonged petitions arise, "Oh, God, help me! Oh, Lord, heal me! Oh, God, have mercy on me!"
I have faithfully worn a dozen anointed cloths. Thousands of prayers by widely spread consecrated Christians are frequently offered for my healing. I have traveled hundreds of miles in order to yield to the practices of faith healers. I have religiously read scores of magazines and books dealing with this subject. I have submitted to major and minor surgery, and have consumed gallons of bitter medicine. I have taken hundreds of chiropractic treatments. Still God has not seen fit to restore health. Stumped surgeons say: "You must grin and bear it!"
How can this chronic condition be explained? Is it because God is angry with me? Or is it because He holds something against me? I think not. I do know that I emerge from each spell of severe suffering spiritually strengthened and genuinely grateful that every day is not dimmed with as much dreadful discomfort as were the days just past. Further questioning follows: "Why hast Thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, and there is no good, and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!" (Jeremiah 14:19). The so-called divine healers, working on suffering humanity, would have us believe that we are not saved at all; and that we are not in the will of God. The logical conclusion of their dangerous theory is that if anyone continues being an invalid he is definitely on the path to perdition. They weigh the volume of one's faith by the number of aspirins saved last week.
According to statistics of the Rehabilitation Department in Washington there are twenty-eight million handicapped folks in the United States. This figure is on the annual increase. It does not include the mentally deficient. Could it be that this vast number of afflicted ones are all disregarding the will of God? Are they not included in the promise: "Surely Christ has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows?" (Isaiah 53:4). Indeed they are!
If everyone who demanded of God that they be "made whole" experienced healing instantaneously there would be no opportunity for proving "whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth" (Hebrews 12:6). And the phrase, "Thy will be done" need never enter our petitions. Furthermore, if healing for the body was in the atonement in the same measure as is salvation for the soul then its completeness would assure us of new teeth, new hair and new limbs whenever we needed such. Yes, then my nephew who was born minus four fingers and several bones could presently receive the bodily members now lacking.
We must always remember, countless are the blessings which accrue to the child of God. However, the bountiful benefits of Calvary lie mostly in the spiritual realm. Here our soul's salvation is instantaneous; it is an immediate possession of each new convert. Here spiritual strength keeps us growing even when physical weakness lays us low. In the physical realm is this limitation: the will of God. It is not always His will to heal. How can we know this? By the fact that as Christian cross-bearers we are not given the faith to heal. When God grants the prayer of faith, healing will surely result. If God does not deem it wise to give the prayer of faith the afflicted one may not be healed. God has not bound Himself by any pledge or promise to heal in all cases. If He had, some would undoubtedly take advantage of His extended grace and live on indefinitely. Naturally, if the Lord continued healing us it would permanently postpone death.
Some afflicted ambassadors can pray for and receive thousands of needed dollars for a worthy cause. They can perform mighty miracles in the name of Jesus. Still they do not and cannot get the desired results for their bodily healing. Why is this? Simply because they have not received the necessary faith for the cure of their physical ailments. What I am trying to say is partly portrayed by a fellow-Minnesotan in the following letter from Duluth:
I had two dear friends who came to my bedside and painted before my eyes such a beautiful picture of healing. If it was my will to be healed, all I had to do was to ask it of the Lord. But it just got as far as my head. My heart cried out, "No, no; not my will, Lord, but Thine be done!" I had to tell them that it sounded so selfish and I had given up all self; that I was in the Lord's will, patiently waiting upon Him for healing of my disease. One said, "Sister Carlson, you don't have to lie here sick the way you do: don't you believe in healing?" I said that mine was the faith Jesus taught the disciples centuries ago and that it is His divine program, our heritage, He left for us to follow. He was the disciples' Schoolmaster. He is our Schoolmaster today through the Holy Spirit, the great Comforter. It just took a few seconds for me to think, then it dawned on me. What a selfish thought! I said, no, dear friend, when the Lord wills He will heal me. He knows my disease. Through my sickness I have grown in grace. I am satisfied to rest in Him and wait upon God."
Yes, there are times when "it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Philippians 1:29). We learn obedience by the things which we suffer (Hebrews 5:8). And so we need to know what the mind of the Lord is in this matter. It is infinitely more important to suffer in the will of God than to be healthy outside of the will of God.
Look at it from another angle: If physical healing were available in the same way as spiritual healing, then true believers would never be subjected to any aches or ailments. Then there would be no opportunities for proving that God's grace is sufficient. Thus we are again assured that some compensations of Calvary are to be experienced and enjoyed in the future as the final manifestation of our spirituality. As for the present the Lord has given His Holy Spirit as a pledge that some glorious day our body will be redeemed even as our soul is now redeemed. "We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:23).
Sickness is not sin. It is the result of sin. No one is put in prison simply because he is sick. But he is put there for sin and wrong-doing. Christ did not "forgive sickness. He forgave sin and healed disease, the result of sin. Christ died for our sins and in our stead. Sickness and sorrow are part of our sad inheritance from our first parents.
When afflictions come your way and your head is racked with pain, think of the crown of thorns Christ wore. When nights are restless, then meditate on His night at sea with the anxious disciples while the boat was tossed by surging waves. When feeble and faint, think of His weariness at noontide when He asked for a drink of water from the woman of Samaria. When deprived of the comforts of home life, think of how He had no place to lay His head. All of this human suffering, and infinitely more, Christ endured so as to make our burdens easier to bear. Now, as when He walked the earth, He is touched by our infirmities. Every moan of misery stirs His sympathy and arrests His affection. He never misunderstands our misery.
(Continued next month)
(From AFFLICTION WORKETH by Frieda J. Schneider;
reprinted by permission of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids MI.)
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POEMS
by Yvonne Virginia Smith
IF YOU'LL BE STILL
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10
Child of My love, if you'll be still just now,
Forget all else and think of Me alone,
Then in the quiet chamber of your soul,
Where all is hushed, I'll make My Presence known.
But I would have you still, so still that you
Can hear each heart-beat of My precious love,
That you can hear my slightest whisper, yes,
So still that I'll be all you're thinking of.
I long to pour My heart's love into yours,
Until for want of space, 'twill overflow,
And I'm so real to you, your heart cries out,
"Oh, Jesus, Saviour, Lord, I love Thee so."
If you, dear Child, would hear all I would say,
If you would feel My love, My nail-scarred touch,
If you would have me draw you very close,
Just tell Me that you want it very much.
Just tell Me that you love Me, that your soul
Vibrates with joy whene'er I speak to thee;
Just tell Me that I'm all for which you long,
For Child, I am, and evermore shall be.
Just tell Me that you'll let Me mould your life,
Completely own you, spirit, body, soul;
Just tell Me that you'll trust Me, precious Child,
And you will leave each day in My control.
And if you ask Me why I love you so,
And why I want you always close to Me,
Why thou are precious to this heart of Mine --
Dear Child, My own, you cost Me Calvary!
TODAY
" . . . I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
Hebrews 13:5
He's been so sweet to me today,
His precious name has thrilled my heart;
He drew me to Himself, apart
From every worldly noise and care;
He touched me as I knelt in prayer;
My Heart's so full, I can but say,
He's been so sweet to me today.
He's been so good to me today,
E'er my petition I revealed,
He read the prayer my heart concealed,
And answered every deep desire;
He made my heart burn like a fire;
With gratefulness to Him I say,
He's been so good to me today.
He's been so near to me today,
I felt Him gently take my hand
And lead me in the way He'd planned;
When shadows made my pathway dim,
He drew me very close to Him;
His hand still holding mine I say,
He's been so near to me today.
He's been so real to me today,
The morning brought Him close to me;
At noontime I His face could see,
And when the sun dipped in the West,
I found in Him a place of rest;
My heart's so full, I can but say,
He's been just wonderful today.
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CAPPY'S MASTERPIECE
By Louis Paul Lehman, D. D., LL. D.
HE WAS THE THIRD of seven children. They called him "Cappy" because he was a captain, a natural-born leader.
His home was anything but Christian. Money was very scarce and the children were not very well cared for, but Cappy took command of most situations. His gang of kids looked to him.
In addition to being a leader, he was very curious, especially about machinery. He had to know how it worked. When Cappy was ten he was so curious about a certain piece of machinery that he got too close. He was pulled into the giant monster of wheels and gears and mechanized propulsion, and his mangled body was taken to the hospital. There were only a few who clung to any hope of recovery.
But Cappy was not a give-inner. He fought to live. It took eight months before he was well enough to go home. One shoulder and one leg were still in casts. At home he had to stay in bed, but it gave him some liberty. The old gang came trampin' through the house to his bedroom.
Cappy had returned to be a leader astride a white-sheeted bed, and cast for a suit of armor, and a pair of pale drawn lips for a smile of victory.
The doctors issued warnings that no improvements were permanent. He would probably never walk again. Any shock or disease easily endured by other children would probably be fatal.
The after-school hours were bright and happy for Cappy, but he complained about the long hours when there was nothing to do. He remembered an old radio that didn't work any more, and it was salvaged from a pile of junk in the basement, carted to his room, and Cappy worked on it while seated in a chair. He occasionally endured long delays in fixing this old squealer because of a lack of parts, but he finally got it all in good shape, and then the radio played from five a.m. until he went to sleep at night.
Radio did a strange thing to Cappy: it took him to church. He had never been inside a church in all his life, but an early morning program of gospel songs gained his interest. He started to sing these songs. He taught them to his gang when they came in the afternoon. He listened to sermons, and he gave those to his afternoon visitors. At first Cappy didn't understand much about all this, but, as he told his smaller brother Dick: "It was easier to understand when I made up my mind to understand it."
One day he told the whole gang, "Look, I belong to Jesus now. God's my Captain. I want to be a good soldier."
Cappy was a wonderful soldier for one year. He led almost all of his gang, and his brothers to Christ. His mother and father consented that this was fine for Cappy, but they wanted no part of it for themselves.
One week after the doctors told his folks, "Cappy has tuberculosis of the bone, he can't get better," Cappy was dead.
It was plain that the gang loved him. The kids put a Guard of Honor by the casket for every hour of the day. Once in a while one of them would look as though he might cry, but the others would say, "Cappy said not to cry. We're supposed to sing." And they would sing a gospel chorus he had taught them during the past year.
The last night before the funeral, little brother Dick said, "You know, I forgot all about Cappy's masterpiece. He told me to be sure and get it and read it when -- when this happened."
Dick rushed up the stairs to Cap's room. He brought back a paper from the dresser drawer, put it in his mother's hand and said, "Read it to all of us."
Everyone was quiet while she read Cappy's Masterpiece:
It makes no difference how bad you've been,
How mean and dirty and full of sin,
But did you open your heart or keep it locked
When Jesus passed by and at the door knocked?
I lied and cheated and fought and swore,
But when Jesus knocked I opened my heart's door,
He made me different outside and in,
If I die tomorrow, I'll be in Heaven with Him.
And that night Cappy's mother, and Cappy's dad, and the rest of Cappy's gang, all came to know Jesus when they heard his poem called, "Cappy's Masterpiece."
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SERMON SERIES
Romans 8
No. 6
WE ARE OBLIGATED
(THE FACT)
"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." -- Romans 8:12,13 AV
"THEREFORE." What's it there for? This exhortation is there because of the truth that goes before. If Christ is in us by the Person of the Holy Spirit, then certain things are true of us. Our spirit is spiritually and vitally alive. And we have the promise that even our body, now subject to death, shall one day be made alive. This ministry being performed by the Holy Spirit, based upon the fact of Christ's death, resurrection and life. These are blessings we have "in Christ Jesus."
"Therefore, brethren . . . " (12a) we are obligated. This obligation falls to the "brethren." "Brethren" in the Bible sense refers to those who are co-believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. All who are "in Christ Jesus." The primary reference is to the believers at Rome. Paul addresses this epistle: "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called saints . . . " But he does not limit the gospel he preached just to these brethren. "For," says he, "it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth."
When we believed the gospel we became the brothers of all other believers. Brothers with the believers in early Rome, and with all believers of all ages until this present day. And as we share this distinction with the Lord's people, with the multiplied blessings therefrom, so there falls to our lot some obligations. We wouldn't want to escape the blessings; we shouldn't want to escape the obligations.
WE ARE DEBTORS
"We are debtors . . . " (12b) All of us are debtors in divers directions. Sometimes we fail to recognize it, but the fact remains. We are debtors to our parents, to the forefathers of our nation, to one another in the work-a-day world, to dedicated men and women who guard our health, to relatives, friends, neighbors, just to name a few. And if this is true on the human level, how much more is it true of our relationship to God. We are debtors to God.
As to our obligations, our text mentions some specifics. First, negatively:
NOT TO THE FLESH
"We are debtors, NOT to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die . . . " (12c, 13a). We owe nothing to the flesh, or our "old man," (the lower nature) as Paul calls it elsewhere. We have derived no advantage from the flesh and we are under no obligation to it. Everything we have that is worthwhile, as we have seen from the verses preceding, comes not from our lower, sinful nature, but from God.
Consider our salvation. The Trinity devised, developed, and delivered it. The Father prepared and planned it, the Son purchased and procured it, the Spirit proffers and makes it practical to all who receive it. " . . . God (the Father) sending his own Son . . . for sin . . . in us . . . after the Spirit." The Father sent the Lord Jesus Christ to effectively deal with our sins; the Lord Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to fulfill in us this salvation as we would yield to Him.
This is all the work of God, no thanks to the flesh. The flesh can in no wise devise, develop, or deliver salvation; it can only hinder it. It has no part in salvation's preparation, procurement, or presentation. In fact it was because of the flesh that salvation became necessary.
Indeed we are debtors, but "not to the flesh, to live after the flesh." Yes, our debtorship IS to LIVE, but not according to our lower Nature. The flesh breeds sin, and sin death. "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." Eternal death is the outcome of living according to the dictates of the flesh, with its accompanying misery beginning in this life and continuing throughout the next with ever increasing fury. Eternal death is the destiny of everyone not in Christ.
But is not our text speaking to Christians -- brethren in Christ? Is there a suggestion here that true, born-again Christians may at last be cast into the Lake of Fire which is the Second Death? No, this could not be. Note, Paul switches his pronouns from first to second person. In verse twelve: "we." In verse thirteen: "ye." As for "we" who truly trust in Christ, our destiny is sure: Heaven not Hell. Paul is speaking to those people in the local church ("ye") who were mere pretenders. By their fleshly living they proved they had no relationship to the Spirit nor to Christ. For them, Paul has a solemn warning:
"Ye shall die!" Actually this should read, "ye are about to die." What they needed to realize was that the string holding their life was ever so thin and at any moment might be severed to plunge them into the awful abyss, severing for them the last hope of salvation forever. Sad to say this is the terrible plight of thousands sitting in our churches today. Many who read these words are in this sinking ship.
"YE ARE ABOUT TO DIE!" ETERNALLY! Won't you turn from your fleshly life and live? Why will ye die? Christ died to save you. The Spirit is here to help you. The Father loves you. Why will you die? Turn and live!
BUT TO THE SPIRIT
" . . . but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (13b). To put to death the deeds of the body is our obligation before God, as God's children. We are not here asked to mortify the flesh, that is impossible. The old sinful nature will be with us till we enter glory. We may, however, keep it subserviant. Again we are not here called upon to mortify the body, that wouldn't help to holiness. The body will soon enough mortify in the grave. But we are to put to death the "deeds" of the body, the sinful doings of the body.
Our body is the only avenue of expression that our inner man has. Our lower nature expresses itself through the body. We may harbor sin in our mind, but our body is the instrument to actuate sin. Likewise, our body is the means whereby the Holy Spirit expresses Himself. It is through our body He wants to work. So our body may be an instrument for good or for evil -- evil deeds or deeds of righteousness.
When governed by the flesh our body gives expression to sin, and sin when it is finished brings forth death. When governed by the Spirit, however, righteous works follow, and afterward life eternal. It is up to us whom we permit to govern. Who will it be for you: Governor Flesh or Governor Spirit?
Please note, it is not in our own strength, even as Christians, that we slay the deeds of the body. "But if ye THROUGH THE SPIRIT do mortify the deeds of the body." How? is the question most frequently asked when considering sanctification. How may we realize practical sanctification? HOW? Well, here's how. "Through the Spirit." Not in our own power. The flesh is prone to sin. It can only produce its kind. No use looking to the flesh. No deliverance there; only more sin.
It is "through the Spirit" that deliverance from sinful deeds is actuated, with our cooperation of course. We cooperate by yielding to His control. When we let Him sit in the governor's chair in the state-house of our life, we shall soon begin to experience some mortification of the sinful practices of our body. His administration may be painful at times as He brings to light some of our hidden inconsistencies and judges them and puts them to the cross, but we may be absolutely sure of this, He works for our greater good and God's higher glory. He never purposes our hurt. We may trust Him to do what is right and profitable.
If you, therefore, through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, "ye shall live." This refers to eternal life. Eternal life does not come to us as a result of our mortifying the deeds of the body, for the Bible emphatically states that it is "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." But the fact that we mortify the sinful deeds of the body evidences something deeper -- even our yieldedness to the Spirit, which in turn shows that we belong to Christ and He to us. The result of belonging to Christ is the presence of the Spirit; the result of yielding to the Spirit is mortification of sinful deeds; and all of this naturally issues in life -- eternal life.
We usually think of eternal life only in the quantitative sense. It is not only quantity but quality of life. It is not just long life but good life. Not merely ever-lasting life but abundant life. It is life in the highest sense, beginning here when we believe in Christ and continuing through eternity. It is both satisfying and lasting.
No doubt you have heard the saying: "Boy, this is the life," when speaking of some fleshly indulgence. But actually this isn't the life. That kind of living is best illustrated by the drunken man. He may enjoy his experience at the beginning, but in the morning it is a different story. How miserable he feels. And so it is with all the pleasures of the flesh, satisfying for the moment -- but afterwards!! They neither really satisfy nor are they lasting. Eternal life in Christ does satisfy and is lasting.
In contrast to the flesh-controlled person who is "about to die," the Spirit-controlled person is vitally and wonderfully alive -- alive to God and all that is high and holy -- both NOW and forever. The flesh-man dangles precariously by a thin and frayed cord over the horrible abyss, at any moment to be plunged to eternal destruction. The Spirit's man rests in the security of the Son's and the Father's strong hand, no danger of him being plucked out ever, either in this life or the one to come.
Eternal life is ours through the eternal Son of God. Jesus said, "I am the life" He was saying, "I am eternal life." "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Possessing eternal life is possessing the Son. Would you have life? Then receive Christ as your Saviour. Do you want to know what real living is? Then let Him live in you. You will find Him both satisfying and ever-lasting.
"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh," to live according to its dictates, but to "the Spirit," to live under His control. May we determine, through the power of the Spirit, thus to meet our obligation.
More on this subject next month.
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