DEVOTIONAL COLUMN.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 July 1935, Page 6

DEVOTIONAL COLUMN.

Precept. Yc that fear the Lord, trust in. the Lord. Ps. 115. 11. Promise. He is thqir help and their shield. Ps. 115. 11. Praise. The God which fed rue all my life long unto this day. Gen. 48. 15. God knows the difference between the idle waiting of the desire to escape His will, and the honest waiting of a willing heart to have His will made plain, in order to do it. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him."—Psa. 37:7. THE NECESSITY OP A SPIRITUAL BIRTH. John 3:3, 6, S. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again', he cannot, see the kingdom of God. (5. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirt. 8. The wind blowcth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not telV whence it comcth, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 1:12, 13. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sous of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. HOME TO' COME.

"And there came a leper to Him, "beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean." — Mark 1: 40. In this verse we have one of God's pictures. It is a four-fold picture full of love and mercy. Ist. He came as a leper—without excuse, or comparison—he came honestly. 2nd. He came beseeching Him. Why? He knew his -condition and all that it meant —suffering, death, and then judgment. 3rd. He came kneeling down to Him —his utter helplessness—the low place. It meant life or death, so he was in earnest. 4th. He came in faith—''Thou canst i make me whole." Reward of faith — "I will: be thou clean." Oh! what joy—cleansed! He did not return to the leper camp. ■ —A.R.T.. GAIN COUNTED LOSS. Philippians 3, 7. That I may win Christ —Person, Phil. 3,8. That I may know Him and the Power of His Resurrection —Power, Phil. 3, 10. That I may apprehend—Purpose, Phil. 3, 12. ABUNDANCE IN GOD. The Grace of God, Eph. 3,2, This has special reference to the stewardship, or administration, of the Church "secret," specially committed to the Apostle Paul, for communication to the saints. The Wisdom of God, Eph. 3, 10. To angelic intelligeilces in the heavenlies there is made known the allvarious wisdom of God, by means of the Church. They have had many marvellous displays of Divine wisdom, so wonderfully various; but this secret; long kept but now made known, far exceeds them all. The Fulness of God, Eph. 3, 19.

In view of God's wondrous secret, so intimately connected with Christ, the love of Christ Himself should fully engage our hearts. We know ''his, may get to know it, yet it surpasses knowledge—paradox as it may seem. The Tesult is to be filled, even to all the fulness of God. The secret, the love, the fulness, who can measure? THE CHANGELESS ONE. Through the yesterday Of ages, Jesus, Thou art Still the same Through our own life's Chequered pages, Still the one, dear, v ' Changeless Name! Well may wo 5 In Thee confide, i Faithful Saviour, Proved and "tried." Gazing' down The" far for ever, Brighter glows The one sweet Name; , '". Seadfast radiance, Paling never! . Jesus, Jesus! Still th& same. Evermore Thou shalt endure, ! Our own Saviour, Strong and "sure." THE UPWARD LOOK. "I will lift up mine eyes." Has it ever struck you how few people in the world' ever 100k 1 up. Watch the crowds as they pass along the street and you find that practically every one has his head down and is staring at the ground. The eyes are only lifted occasionally to stare ahead, but .so seldom is the gaze turned upwards to the skies. Why should this

be? The vast expanse of the blue skyis surely an inspiring and a lovely sight, much more worth while contemplating than the mud in the street. With many people, indeed with most, the downcats eyes are an indication, particularly in these days, of the attitude of the soul. The spirits of the people are depressed and sad, and the souls of many Christians even arc much discouraged because of the way. But the downcast eyes may be a sign also of the lack of faith, indicating, perhaps, ..that tlie soul is earthbound. The classic • example of the latter is that pictured by Bunyan in the man with the muckrake, who, gathering to himself the straws from the mud and dust of, the earth, fails to see the angel with the crown over his head. Yes, the downcast eyes may indicate the set of the soul. But the set of the soul can be changed as eari the set of a sail. The soul can be turned Godward if it has been set earthward. The love of God in the Lord Jesus Christ can flood tht soul of any man or woman, and there is nothing that will go- lift up the eyes to the hills and the skies above like the consciousness of His love and abiding Presence in the heart. These are difficult, trying, depressing days for multitudes of peo* pie, and many Christians are suffering in. common with others the loss of jttm«y things. But no Christian will lever Suffer the loss of the best things. Let lis make no mi&'take about that. Therd is hd depression in the Divine economy. God's love is not stinted, His arm of po\ver is not shortened. The The Lord Jesus Christ is with us, and the Holy Spirit in all the plenitude of His power is within to comfort and to bless. Does the loss of a few material things then really matter? 0, happy band of pilgrims, look upward to the skies, Where such a light affliction, shall win you such a prize.