THE RELIGIOUS OUTLOOK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 7 April 1934, Page 10

THE RELIGIOUS OUTLOOK

(Contributed) The Virtuous Circle The wind goes howling in and out Among my twisted trees, Rut cannot vanquish stems as stout And limbs as tough as these. The storms that war upon my ease, Hard though they he to light. Create the strength and stubbornness I pit against their might. —By Clarihed Weeks Avery in “New Outlook.” God in Experience Happy is the. man who lias one great, dominating objective; it will redeem him from all smaller ideals and lesser aims. It is the objective which possesses men, not men the objective. Christ calls men to have such an aim, that they may he redeemed from the pettiness and sin of unredeemed life. And they learned to know Him as an abiding presence, explaining their perplexities, .Overcoming f.lieir weaknesses, enabling moimlaiiis of difficulty fo be surmounted. That presence turned cowards into brave men, preserving all Hint was good and purging all flint was evil, giving fliein judgment, elm racier, personality, enabling them to make clleetivc the truths tliev bad learned in their companionship with Christ. Experience of this presence is necessary if religion is to be the great power in our lives, burning itself into every fibre of our being. He is with us, sharing all that life brings, our joys and sorrows, our work and our pleasure. He shares all except .sin, which is the only effective bar to our recognition of Him. Nothing helps us to fight sin so much as the knowledge that God within is sharing the battle. Personality is the image of God. Christian experience of God gives the sure ground for the building of it. The Father assures us of His whole and undivided love for each; the Son, Who redeems, ealD us to give ourselves completely to the lure"-- issues and the eternal values, leaving lesser tilings behind;, and the Holy Spirit makes possible the victorv over the chances arid changes of tliis mortal life, enabling us to live a life pleasing to God and useful to men.—Rev. R. H. Williams.

Leadership by the Church The nation will not face the way of Christ unless the church leads, ft is the church’s business to do so. We cannot expect parliaments or governments or dictators to take the initiative in a spiritual advance. Has the church to-day the faith and power for the daring leadership which is required to save the world from hopelessness and despair? Dr. Burroughs quotes the challenging words of that fearless prophet, Canon Barnett—“No man is fit, to lead a revolution unless lie will first lead a revolution against himself.”

That is a truth which we need to take to heart. The revival must begin “in me” and then spread outward in ever enlarging circles until Christ’s will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. If this is accomplished in a way which may not he familiar hut which is obviously God-inspired and directed, foolish is the man who tries to sweep hack the .incoming tide.—Canon Storr.

Group Movement Wisdom in a Nutshell « “Inferiority complex” is backfiring pride.

Tlie “pace” at which some people work for Christ reminds me of the (logs of Georgia. They say it is so hot in Georgia that when a dog chases a rabbit tliev both walk.

Religion is like the money in your pocket—no good to anybody until it gets into circulation.

Are the people who serve you just servants or people? It is our duty to understand the point of view of others, even when we cannot agree with it. /

The test of a man’s religion is very often the look on his wife’s face.

The central tiling in Christianity is to make flesh of every word of Christ.' Tlie self-indulgence of warming our hands At comfortable ideas leads to aesthetic uselessness. —From “Groups.”

Especially for S.S. Teachers The most powerful instrument in influencing character is personality. Without disparaging the conscious influence of training we really educate by wliat we are. All progress in the kingdom of God depends on the type of worker, and this is especially sp in influencing children during their heroworshipping stage. For their sakes we must consecrate ourselves.—Rev. IT. Bisseicer.

The ultimate goal of teaching is not always reached when “the last bell” rings in the Bible school session. Tt is in the keeping of the years and God. Remember that, ancl don’t resign. A thousand things that belong to this age will pass away. War will go. Drink will go. •Slums'will go. Disease will go. Coal will go. The horse will go. [fate and fear and selfishness will go. But one tiling will never pass away. The good seed we sow in the minds of our children will live and grow for ever.—Arthur Mcc. He who walks through life with an even temper and gentle patience, patient with himself, patient with others, patient with difficulties and crosses, has an everyday greatness beyond that which is won in battle or 'chanted in cathedrals.—Dr. Dcwov.