The Sabbath

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17242, 29 October 1927, Page 18 (Supplement)

The Sabbath

’’THE ELIMD SAW. . . It was enough for them, their nightly toil To rid the still lake of its shining spoil— Their eyes, so quick to mark a changing breeze And every sign a cunning fisher sees, Were blind to all else. Beauty was but a name For others’ use. This was before lie came. They walked with Him. He had such tales to tell, Tales of the simple things they all knew well; The miracle of Life within a seed; The lavish Love that decks a common weed So loyally; childhood, and the carefree birds— All lovely things, made lovelier by His words. They had their triumphs, their exalted hours (“Lord, even Lhe devils are subject to our powers!”) They had their Gift of Tongues. . . All these, star-clear, Lived iri their minds; yet none so rare and dear As those long, tranquil hours by GalilCG With One Who touched their eyes and hade them see. —Enid M. Norman, in the British Weekly.

WORK AND RELIGION. IDEALS OF THE CHRISTIAN. An inspiring sermon was preached by Rev. Lawrence Rogers, M.A., recently when at a special service for young, men and women he spoke on “Christ and my work,” basing his remarks on the words “study to work” (Thess 12—11). “I like to work,” one had said. “I like to work,” particularly when I am accomplishing something-.” That, urged the speaker, should be • the Christian attitude, for if one did not love work, one was not fulfilling one's duty to one’s self, to one’s country or to Christ. ~

But it was to be remembered that many who made the most noise did the least work. It was most necessary to have a set purpose—not to bo like those. George Eliot described as “danglin’ around and starin’, not rightly knowin’ .what they’re goin’ to do next." Not to love work was a sign of lack of commonsense and weakmindedness. Men spoke of doing work that was beneath them, but the only indignity was that of doing no work. The Christian should be one _ who, having found his task, did it with all his might and enjoyed it. St Paul had got to the bottom of the problem when he had said: “Study to work.” If work were undertaken with no desire to do it better than it had been done, if there were no striving to become a better workman, one would be making for unhappiness. Everything was difficult at the beginning. Study was needed. The speaker pleaded with those concerned with the choice of an occupation to look ahead and to try and see where a job would lead. “Blind alley" occupations should be avoided. Vision should be practised. The Dignity of Labour.

“Look where you. are going” was a good rule not only in the .choice of an occupation but in other ways. If one looked where one was going one would not sin very much. It was not what w’as happening now, hut what would happen in 20 or 30 years that should bo considered. Nothing was moro disheartening then for a person, after years of work at a chosen profession to have to give up because of being a “square peg in a round hole." On the other hand it was probably better to try another occupation if failure was being experienced in one’s present position. Some system of tesLing the ability of boys and girls with a view to finding out the work for which they were specially fitted or the work they were most fond of was necessary.

“The dignity of labour" was a phrase which should bo emphasised and “the indignity of labour" was a phrase which should not be allowed. The man who dug a ditch might lie every hit as good as the man who occupied a scat in Parliament. Why? Because each was doing well the biggest task of which he was capable and that was all that any man could do for his country and his God.

The speaker referred to the spirit of dishonesty that was present both in employers and employees. There should be a purifying of -motives in civic life and a striving after honesty. There was a tendency for all to be inclined to .blaine other people for

faults and to be resentful if the same things were told us about our own work. “Am I doing my work honestly and sincerely?” should be asked by every employer or employee in home, office or shop. To Give, Not To Get.

Some, no doubt, would argue that one could not work honestly and get on, hut' the speaker maintained that it was belter to go limping through life than to succeed dishonestly. However, he believed it was possible to succeed and be houest, too. But the question was not how much one was getting, so much as how much character one was building. Every rise in the quality of work meant a rise in the qualiLy of the man who did it, for work done honestly and sincerely developed character, just as slovenly work or laziness in the boss’s absence revealed weakness of character. Work should be done uot for one’s employer, not for oneself, and not for the money one would receive, but from the point of view of helping to bring about the Kingdom of God and ox pulling as much Christ-like sincerity and honesty as possible into the task. If more sincerity and honesty were put into work the speaker maintained that there would be no unemployment problem, for the great dim cully, when a workless man asked for help was to know whether or not he was sincere, if a man cadged for money and then spent it in drink he showed a dishonest spirit. But the minister expressed the hope that every man who needed work would have the courage to ask for help from his fellows. The Reasons For Work. From the Christian viewpoint all work was service and it. should be undertaken not for our pockets and not l’or our banking accounts but for our l’ellowmen and for God. The idea which was gaining ground in modern business —that of serving the public—was splendid. If people served their fellow men instead of their banking accounts, and if they served God instead of their own pockets the reason for unemployment would he taken away.

Some thought these ideas were rubbish. An employee would say, “I work to find l'ood for my wife and children ancl myself,” and an employer would say “Business is business and you cannot put sentiment into it.” If that were the idea, he thought that the sooner there was sentiment in business e better for business men,, the country and the community. To get money was only one of the reasons why we worked. The bigger reasons were that we enjoyed work and felt that we could help our fellow men and to help the Kingdom of Christ.

Perseverance was most necessary. Many were inclined to give up when they met what they thought were insurmountable obstacles. Everyone that had anything in him could overcome obstacles with the power of God and with courage.

The speaker thought that If one talent were more to be cultivated than another it was creative ability. All iiacl this in some measure. As children of the Creator it was inherited. The best work for the world, for Christ, and the best work for our own happiness and enjoyment was creative work. e,

“This thing I do not for myself, not for my employer, hut 1 do it for God,” should he said, concluded Lhe speaker, every time one used a broom, took up a pen, tapped a typewriter or used a hammer. Then every ■ single step would bring one nearer to God and would help,llis Kingdom to come.