THE SABBATH

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21248, 19 October 1940, Page 19 (Supplement)

THE SABBATH

SONNET What I will not, O Lord, that would I will: An icy wall towers ’twixt me and Thy flame, Chilling my heart. My lying pen Thy Name Distorts. My deeds debase Thy gift of skill. I praise Thee daily with my tongue, and still My heart is silent; it will not acclaim Try proffered grace, yet knows naught else can tame Its pride that would some new mirage distil. O Lord, shine through this rigid, iev wall, This rampart built of sin that shuts Thee out, That on my soul Thy heavenly warmth may fall, Thy promised light dispel each mirrowed doubt. Break own this mirror that reflects but me, Let my enkindled spirit know but Thee. —From “The Italian of Michelangelo,” TEXTS FOR THE WEEK LET GOD MANAGE YOUR LIFE, HE WILL DO IT WELL: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.—l Corinthians 15:58. GOD’S KINGDOM MUST BE FOUGHT FOR: Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comforts; Who comforteth us in all our retribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.—2 Corinthians 1:3, 4. AS CERTAINLY AS WE SHALL INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE: For our light afffetion, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.—2 Corinthians 4:17. FORGET ABOUT YOURSELF: Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.— Galatians 6:2. PLANT A CROP YOU WILL BE PROUD OF: For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption: but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.—Galatians 6:8 KEEP IT UP TO THE END: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.—Galatians 6:9. MAY BE SOONER THAN YOU THINK: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them and they 6hall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.—Revelations 21:3 DIVINE LOVE “God is Love” is the basic truth of Christianity; and even in the world as it is today, it is as indefeasible a doctrine as any that can be presented J to mankind. Above all, Divine Love respects human personality. Our Lord saw in each man a child of God. Man carries within him something of the Divine. Here is the answer to those who ask how God can be Love if He allows such widespread suffering in the world. His gift of freedom to men is evidence of His respect for them, and He cannot take away their freedom without reducing them to machines. Man has to suffer for his sins and mistakes." He has to Learn by Experience to grow to the full measure of his personality. Again, since God is Love, a purpose of goodness, working for human welfare, is operative in the world. Though it may be difficult to define the scope and method of God’s providential care, the broad truth is that the Love of God embraces human lives both in this world and in the next, and that nothing which can happen to us can remove us outside the range of the Divine purpose of love. Nor, if we believe Christ’s word, does God ever deal with men in the mass, but always as individuals whom He calls into special fellowship with Himself. Love is an activity which spends itself upon its object, seeking that object’s highest good. Since God is Love, we must conceive of Him as giving Himself to the universe in sacrificial ou f going. Divine Love seeks to create unity. Love, as men know it, is a principle of harmony and reconciliation. St. Paul lays immense emphasis upon the need for fellowship among Christians, and reinforces his plea for unity on the ground that God is One and that there is but one Spirit' who would fain make of mankind one brotherhood animated by the temper of love. Christians need not hesitate to use human love at its best as an index to the meaning of Divine Love when they remember that God made the supreme revelation of Himself through the medium of a ! human personality. “Love suffereth long and is kind.” ■ God’s loving purpose for the world will ultimately be accomplished, but at immense cost, because many refuse . i to co-operate with that purpose. Men sin against God, and His love is wounded. But God patiently pursues His purpose, bringing good out of evil, and overruling the follies of men. At this crisis in the world’s history the statement that God is Love May Seem Incredible; ’ | yet Christians believe that there was ; 1 once a greater moral crisis at Pales- ; tine, when Christ was crucified. Evil , then temporarily triumphed, but Cal- . vary was followed by Easter and As- : cension. In that happening Christ- • ians have always seen the pledge of j the final victory of love. Divine Love : going to the farthest limit of selfj sacrifice there proved itself unroni querable. ] From this thought may well be drawn the personal and collective ! courage needed to face the perils of ! these days. In proportion as the full ! meaning of Divine love is understood, human love will increase, and in St. John’s words, “perfect love casteth out fear.” Many means.may be suggested of overcoming timidity, but to try to grow perfect in love is the best and surest of all.