The Religious Outlook

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 1 May 1943, Page 3

The Religious Outlook

PRAYER Eternal God, who hast established Thy throne in righteousness, and to whom every earthly power is answerable, have mercy on us and upon our land, and stir us up that we may not be heedless of Thy holy requirements. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Quicken our conscience of those things in our midst which are an offence to Thee, and instruct us in Thy righteousness lest we lose our heritage. Save us from all self-indulgence, selfish luxury and vice. Help every one amongst us to have regard to the good of others. Enlarge our concern for the unprivileged and the helpless, and for the moral welfare of the young. Give us the true vision of national life founded on reverence for Thee, and acknowledging the authority of Thy word. Convince us by Thy Spirit that only that which is built on Thy truth can endure. Forbid that the blood shed for our country and for humanity should be spilt for a vain end. O Lord our God, in whose service alone is freedom, turn us again that we may walk in Thy ways with a perfect heart, and glorify Thee before all peoples; that the generations to come may bless Thy Name for Thy mercies manifest to us, for Thy lovingkindness’ sake. Amen

INADEQUATE VIEWS OF GOD—AND THE CONSEQUENCES

(1 Kings 20: 23, 28.) A carel'ul reader of the Bible can discern a progression of thought concerning God. We believe the words of the text to be but a partial statement of truth. But this was an old world belief and because of it, it led a king to accept a wrong policy. Benhadad, King of Syria, had laid siege to Samaria and was beaten. His advisors counselled him, in the light of the belief, to fight on the plain. That belief led to disaster. It was held that God could control certain local areas while others were beyond His reach. The Syrians were not alone in this belief. Recall how astonished Jacob was when he journeyed beyond the borders of Palestine to find Gpd still with him. "Surely the Lord is. in this place, and I knew it not” (Gen. 28:16). How inadequate a view this is of God. (1) This is a wrong view of God. Of course we must not sit in hard judgment on those of olden days. We see how far we have journeyed in thought from that period. Under the guidance of revelation of God. we have come to more complete thoughts of Him.. Jesus dispelled this localised idea of God once and for all when He spoke to the woman at the well. “The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerulalem, worship the Father. . . God is Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship ! Him in spirit and in truth’' (John 14: | 21, 24). The belief stated by the text ' is incorrect, but wait a moment—have j we come far beyond this inadequate I thinking of God? Last century God's j wrath was emphasised at the expense of J His Love. More recently, His Love has \ been proclaimed at the expense of His | Justice and Holiness, with the result that His Love now seems weak to many. God is thought to be easy-going. So to-day many do not care and leave Him aside from life as of little account, the consequences are apparent; character has deteriorated, and vice almost made a virtue. Jesus is ‘meek and mild' only. The offence and shame of the Crucifixion has been done away and the Cross covered with flowers. If our belief approximates to this, it is far from adequate. We must know God as Jesus knew Him. and Jesus as the Son of God. To see Jesus is to see the Father. (John 14:19) Jesus often spoke stern warnings to people in grave danger of God’s righteous judgments. Jesus | knew God as a loving Father but One j who also made absolute demands on 1 life for righteousness. He is Holy j Love.

We must be careful how we think of God because that thinking will determine largely our life and conduct. That brings us to this, that: — (2) To hold inadequate views of God always leads into wrong or weakened