Thoughtful Moments

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 38, 10 April 1942, Page 2

Thoughtful Moments

fSu.Jplied bv ilio Whakalnn? Ministers' Association)

THE DAY BEFORE The Rev. R. G. Butler, of Burnley, Victoria, preached from Luke 12: 40: "Be ye ready." The notes of this sermon as published in the Messenger read as follows: "General Foch, that great French soldier, very frequently said: 'The battle is won the day before.' By this he meant that the condition of the soldiers the day before will decide how they will fight on the day of the battle. Preparation, then, is n vital factor in the sum of success. Someone 'said that 'life is a battle,' and in order to give our young people a reasonable chance of victory in this field we specialise in these modern days in intensive secular education, physical exercises, and nourishing food, so that they will be well prepared 'the day before' they set out on their tasks. " 'How soon can you be ready?' said M.r Gladstone to General Gorj don, when he proposed to send him to the Soudan. 'I am ready now,' | answered Gordon. It is a fine thing to be prepared and ready. 'Like a mighty army moves the Church of God'; but to move' forward her troops must be well disciplined, in good condition, well fed, and ably led. For the battle of the Church is so different to the Avars of the nations. The Church is to be distinguished by her engagement with the seeming impossible —i.e., changing

the leopard's skin, getting rich men into the kingdom, converting armed peoples into brotherhoods, and proclaiming the evangel of grace and peace to all. "Maybe the training and preparation of her young recruits need cial attention, because so many of them drift away prior to 'the dav before.' It is an old saying that an army moves forward on its stomach. That is to say it must be well fed and nourished. The Church of God moves forward on the supernatural grace she receives from heaven. She is nourished and strengthened at the table of her Lord. Two words inspired the Australian soldiers in France. When the line was weakening, and the men were weary and depressed, 'Remember Gallipoli' werf the two. words that inspired those men to accomplish that which seemed impossible. Two words, 'Remember Calvary,' will inspire and strengthen the Church of Christ for great and glorious service. "We may have a privileged part in this service. 'What is that in thine hand?' said the Lord to Moses. Moses answered, 'A rod.' Had it been a gun or a swor<l r it might have become a w r enpo.n of conquest. But a rod used as a shepherd's crook, what good would that be against the martial forces of Eigypt? That primitive rod, energised by the power of God's Spirit, put the awe of

OUR SUNDAY MESSAGE

the eternal into the heart of Pharaoh. It smote a track through the Red Sea; it drew water from tht> flinty rock, and revived the thirsty multitude in that sun-baked desert. That rod became the symbol of liberty and fraternity and brought great enfranchisement to the community of Israel. "What have you in your hand? It may be a saw, a pen or a broom. Well, it can be consecrated to; God's scrvicc. Sir Frederick Treves, the roval surgeon, was on?e asked, at the scene of a railway accident, if he could do anything. As he looked down upon the sorely battered bodies of the engincmen, he wrung his hands in an agony of despair, and said, 'Yes, I could save them, but I haven't got my instruments.' "I believe that God is looking p upon this sorely battered world of ours, with all its sorrow and prob- , lems, and that He is saying, 'Yes, I could save them, I' could solve their problems, I could heal their wounds, , but I need My instruments.' Here , is a chance for us. The Church of ' Christ is the instrument of God. P What have we got in our hand? Let r us lay our gifts at the disposal of 1 our Lord, and so help His; Church in this magnificent struggle of mak- [ ing the crooked places straight and the smooth to. blossom out of the rough. The success we achieve will depend upon our prayerful attitude to God in Christ and our preparation and readiness —'the day before.'

BUT MINE Thou hast no tongue, O Christ, as once of old. fo tell the story of Thy love divine, The story, still the same, so sweet, so true, But theres' no tongue to tell it out but mine. Thou hast no hands, O Christ, as! once of old, Io feed the multitudes with bread divine, Thou hast the living breacj enough for all, But there's no hand to give it ouv but mine. Thou hast no feet, O Christ, as once of old, To go where Thy lost sheep in sorrow pine, Thy love is still the same, so deep, so true, But now Thou has no feet toi go but mine. Oh, shall I use these answered powers of mine For things that only minister to me? Lord, take my tongue, my hands, my heart, my all, And let me live and love, and give for Thee.