YOUR LIFE; WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT?

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 255, 14 April 1888, Page 4

YOUR LIFE; WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT?

When we see a number of young men gathered togother, ono thought naturally piesenba itsself to our minds. Whab an immense power for good or ovil they possess —each one will lead otheis either in the right way or the wrong—and which they do will entirely depend upon what they are themselves. Young men, God has given to each one of you a beautitnlgiit— the gilt ot lite. What are you going to do with it ? There is not a nobJer thing in this woild than the lite oi one wholly devoted to God, given up to serve Kirn, whatever may be his worldly calling ; bold to do and dare for I Him. You may ask, what claim has God to my bcrvieo ? Old lie not make you for tiitrieelt? I Has He nob cared for you and. watched over you up to the present hour? A lady once went up to a man at a iailway station who had a beautiful dog with him ; she know he was not spending his lite tor God, but wasting it on himselt and id the .service oi the devil, and she began to londlo his dog, saying eoidially " VV hat a beautiful dog you have here!" ""Sea," faid the man lather giuflly; ''but take caie he don't bite you. lie is' not iond ot Bti aiders ! ' "O he won't bite me. Dogs know who are fond of them ; no doubt you are tond ot him V " That lam !" " Do you feed .your dog? " " Ye>, ma'am." " Houao him?" " >. es, oi couise !" " Does youi do«: obey your woid ot command?' " \ es, ma'am !" "And you would be disappointed it he did not love and obey you ?' " Tliat I .should ; " Lhcn looking proudly at bin dog, " but Uovei does love hi*, master ;" and he patted the dog's head as it looked up uustiidl) in histaee. -'Would you bognevod if he followed a stianger .'' "Yes, he lephed, lathoi impatient at .so many questions. '• Ah '. ' feiud she, in a. sad, tender, lcpioachingtone, "youunyidtolulsimiei, whafcale.docs that dog teach you ! God has ted you, housed you, caied toi 3011, lo\ed you ihest, many yeata— but jou do not love or obuy Him ' )ou do nob follow Him I He ho loved you that lie gave [iin only begotten Sou to die on the cross tor your sinb, and >oL )ou ne\ei have lo\ed lluuinie Hun' You toliow a stianger. Satan ih \Olll chosen ma-act. The dog knows its owner >ou know not yours ! liulymay it lie said ot you. ' The o\ Unowelh hi-, owner, and the ass his mascot's cub • but isiael doth not know, my people doth not eonsidoi.' (lsa. 1. 3.) hhu looked sadly, yet kiudlj , at him as she earnestly utleied ilicso woi'ds. lii« oyefa tilled with teai.s, he lived them on Ins dog, and m a choking voice nikl, alter a few moments, "Ah! Rovoi, Itovoi ' you have taught your mastoi a ic&sou this day ! 1 h«'i\e been an ungiatclul simict, but by God's help t II be so no longer " That evening he was found for the lust lime in the piayer meeting, eiymg, •'God be uKMcitui to me a .sinner, and suon he wa^rjjoicing in a sense ot pardon tiuough the p.eeious blood Ot Chusfc. U theie not a woni heie toi others besides this, man ' \\<i\o you not lived in toiguttuines-, or <iod.' Have you not followed a sli antfer ' Cod knew you would do this— lie knew v 011 would wandei aw ay norn linn, ilesj)iMngoifoigethugj!i*lo\e, bieaklng His hoi) laws, .mil reiving His great on" my ; and in His wonderlulloveilemadea plan to .save >ou and Lung )ou back to thm-eli. He hated your .s.ns, but Ho loved }ou. He is a ju.st God , theietoLCbin must be piniiihed. Be is a loving God; tlwietoie He longed to &a\e >ou, the mnner. And u h.it was Hi- mighty plan tor your .salvation '.' He laid )our .sins on tlie L.urd lioMi.-' Chn-t, His ov\n well-beloved Son, and then He gave Him up to death in \our sttail. .iesus took \ our place a-, a &mner, that >ou might be .11 counted nghteous m Hun* " lie niiiile Hun to be sin 101 v-, who knew no ; thaf^e might be made the iighteou ne-.-> oi (Jod in Hun " (2 Cor. v. 2L) \\ ill you not s.iy tiom youi heaits, ' 01) ' lua->love. 1 was wouilroiis love ! Tlu'lov c oJ (.Jod 10 me ; It hioui;lii ins - s a\ ioul- lrom above. To a io on L'ah ui.\." What must it have been to tho Loid .Icsiis to leave His ihi one in Heaven at the tight hand ot the Kathei, fco come to eaith in the toim ot man thai He might take man s punishment; living on vhc eaith tor thnty-thiee )ear.>, de&pised and rejected ot men. a man ot sonow> and acquainted vuth griet ; and at length pel nutting ciuei sintul men to nail Hun to :\ cios& ot agony and sli.imo. A, young man was once looking at a j)ictuie ol the Loid Jesus hanging onLhcero^. At the topot the picture wa.s wutten, " i did this tor thee ; vv hat hast thou done tor me .' ' The question went home to Jus iieart, and ti\.m that tune ))is whole Ine was devoied to the sen ice ot Him who had loved hun and given Himselt toi him. The Loid has given h im.se) t for you — not only lias lie cteated you, but He been ledeemed jou —[laid the pi ice that juu in iy go tree Suiely He hn n a light to you and your sen ice. And wheie is the Loid .Jesus now .' He died foi >ou, but He io-.e toi you too. He who was in tlie loim oi God and thought it not iobbei> to be equal with God, " made himselt 01 no imputation, and took upon Him the toim ot a .sen ant, and was made in the likeness- of men : and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death ot the cioss. Wheietoie God also hath highly exalted Him and given linn a name which is above ever) name : that at the name ot Jesus every knee should bow of things m Heaven, anil things m eaith, and things under the earth, and twit every tongue should confer that .Icbus Ciuibt is Lout, to the glory ot God the Father." {l'hti. 11. 7-11.) Have you bowed your knee before Him 111 sincerity .' Have you taken Him as your Almighty Saviour : and are you boldly centering His name, and .serving under Hi.s bannei, as your Leadei and Captain, in the midst ot a wicked world, wheie 11 n- love in despised, His precious blood ttatupled upon, and lht> authority disowned ; H s-o, go on your way lejoicing, remembering that precious assurance ot liis love- '" Whosoever sliull coulees me before men, him will 1 confess also betoie u\\ leather which is in heaven." (Matt. \. 1)2., And even here you will tind tine vv haUiod|hns said, " Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be;iightly esteemed." (1 Sam. 11. 30. But it you have not, received the Lord I Jetsus a.s your own Savioui, it you aie still jetusing to confess Him before men, and to j seive Him, although He gave His life lor you, may you be warned before it is too late by the solemn woids, "How shall we escape it we neglect so great salvation,' (Heb 11. 3), " for theie is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." (Acts. iv. 12.) His own lips have declared, " Whosoever shall deny mo before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven," (Matt. x. 33), and have pronounced the fearful doom of him who wilfully neglects to use the talenb committed to him, " Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ' (Matt. xxv. 30.) We have beautiful examples in the Bible of those who, in the midst ot great tempta-

tions and fiery trials, stood firm for God, taking for fcheir mofcto— " The Lord our God will we serre, and his voice will wo obey. " (Jos. xxiv. 24. ) Look at J )aniel and his young companions, far away tirom their own land, captives amongst thosa who knew nothing of the true God, rof/using the dainties of the king's table an# choosing the plainest food day after day,) rather than break the law of their God., See their beautiful trusr, in Him, comirijatting their cause to His keeping when deafclji threatened, and heartily returning ohaniks for the answer to their prayer when deliverance came. See Daniel boldly deck iring to the heathen king, that there is a G, od in heaven who revealeth secrets, and atl ength forcing from him the acknowledgment—" Of a truth it is, that your God is a 'Clod of gods, and a Lord of kings, and n tevealer ot sectcts, seeing thou coulds b reveal this secret." (Dan. ii. 47.) The >n how nobly these three companions of his, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ,stai id out on the sacred page — they alone ere cb, when surrounding thousands are bow< xi down before an image of gold ; and when dragged before the king, who never before k newwhatitwas to have his will opposed, and threatened with being cast into the burning Viery iurnace, declaring that they were not careful to answer him, their cause was in God's hand, "it it be bo, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out ot thine hand, 0 king. But if not, be it known unto thee, 0 kin g, that we will not serve thy gods, nor wors hip the golden image which thou hast set u }>." (Dan. iii. 17, 18.) Thus they honoured God, and God honoured them. Was He not with them in the hoi y iurnace, protectin g every hair of then- head and bringing them out ot it unharmed, constiaining the king again to acknowledge that theie ffaa no god like unto their God, tund also to promote them to a higher place in His kingdom than they had filled Kef ore. Young men, go you, and do likewise. Give yourselves wholly to the !-ervico c'if the King of kings, live ior Him wlio die( ( l for you, and boldly enisling in His strength, say like the>e young men, " We will not," when temptation comes to sinagan,i.sb Him. Thus honouring Him betoie m.n, aot necessarily by becoming pieaciiers, but by the power aiid example ot a holy life, you Mill lead others to enter ILib blessed sen ice; being yourselves taught of God to- let your light shine in all places, whethei in your homes or m youi daily occupations, men .shall see your good woi-ks and glorify your Father in Heaven, and at last each one shall hear those joyful words,—" Well idone, good and faithful servant ; enter thou. into the joy ot thy Lord."' (Matt. xxv. 23.) ' "Oh, what arc you going to do "brother ! bay v> h.it arc > ou going to do .' You liavc thought o( some useful labour. But what is the end in view/i You are fresh trom the home i,)f your hoyhooci And just m the bloom ot yen ah ; Hive j'uu tasted the sparkling water That Hows from the fount of truth? Is j, ouv heart in the Saviovnr's keeping I Remember he died tor you ! Then what are you going -xj do, bi other ( bay what are you going i« Co .' " Will j ou honour His c ause ai id kingdom, \Yh<ite\ or your path may be ! And stand as a bright example, That others yo r light may soc ? Aie you willing to li\ c for Jesus ( And ready the eros& to bear ? Aie > ou willing to meet reproaches .' The n owiib ol the \\ orld lo sh are I Your lot may perhaps be humble, Bui God has a work for you ; Then what are you going to do. brother .' Say what arc you going 1 o do ! "Oh. what are y^u going to do. brother ? The mo-ninn ot youth is past ; Tlic vigour and strength of manhood. My brother, are yours at last. You are ri-uigm worldly prospects. And nrospeied m woildlv things; — A dut\ lo tliOM.' iess ta\ oured The smile ot >our fortune brings. (Jo, piove thai your heart ib grateful— TJie Lord i.as> <i work for you ; Then \x luit ace j'ou going to do brother. 1 Sa.\ , w hat aie you going to do ?"