Two Ways Of Living

He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. - John 12:25

We have our choice. We may live for self, take good care of our lives, not exposing them to danger, not making sacrifices, looking out for our own interests, and we may prosper in the world; people will commend our prudence and congratulate us on our success. We may reach old age hale and well preserved, and greatly enjoy our accumulated honors and possessions. This is one way of living. Lord God There seems to be something pleasant about such a life; but really it is only the grain of wheat preserved in the garner and kept from falling into the ground. The life abides alone, well enough kept perhaps, but with no increase. It has been no blessing in the world. It has done nothing for the glory of God. It has fed no hunger; it has won no reward. That is the whole outcome of selfishness. “He that loveth his life shall lose it.”

The other way is to forget self; not to think of nor care for one's own life, but to throw it away in obedience to God and in unselfish service. People will say you are foolish thus to waste your golden life, thus to sacrifice yourself for the sake of others or in Christ's cause. But was Christ Himself foolish when He went to His cross? Let the redeemed Church be the answer. Were the martyrs foolish when they threw their lives away for Christ's sake? Ignatius said, when facing the fierce lions in the arena, “I am grain of God. Let me be ground between the teeth of lions if I may thus become bread to feed God's people.” Were such martyred lives wasted, thrown away? Is any life wasted that becomes seed-corn to produce bread by-and-by for the world? The way to make nothing of our lives is to be very careful of them. The way to make our lives eternal successes is to do with them just what Christ did with His.

Acceptable Offerings

She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying. - Mark 14:8

This was a wonderful commendation to come from the lips of the Christ. Mary could not have done better than this if she had been a thousand times as gifted. We get two lessons. One is that all Christ wants is what we have ability and opportunity to do. He asks no impossibilities. The poorest things, the smallest offerings, are acceptable if they are really our best in the circumstances.

A child in a mission school offered her teacher a handful of weeds and grasses, wilted and soiled at that, which she called a bouquet. Did the teacher refuse the gift, and criticize the poor withered weeds? No, she accepted them with as sincere gratitude and as many thanks as if some wealthy friend had offered her an elegant bouquet of flowers. The child did what she could; and the teacher looking behind the gift saw the love in the little heart, and that transfigured her poor gift. So it is that Christ accepts our poorest work, or our homeliest offering, if it is our best

But the lesson has another side. “She did what she could.” It is this, then, that pleases Christ. Are we doing what we could do? Do we always bring to Him our very best gifts? Do we never put Him off with the faded flowers, keeping the fresh and fragrant ones for ourselves? Do we do for Him our very best work? Are we faithful?

If we are only doing half what we might, we cannot take the comfort of this commendation. The widow's mites were very acceptable coming from her, because they were all she had; but they would not have elicited any such commendation if one of the rich men had given them. A little child's ministry is very beautiful for a child, but it would not be as fitting in the father or mother. We must really do the very best we can if we would have this commendation.

Believing Prayer

All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." - Matthew 21:22

There are other scriptures qualifying this. In the first place, it is not all asking that is really praying, and therefore not all asking that receives. St. James says, ” Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. ” A man asks for money, not to use it for the glory of God and the good of others, but for his own glory and pleasure. Again, the Psalmist says, ” If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” That is, if one is cherishing a secret sin in his heart while he is trying to serve God, no prayers that he offers will be heard or answered. So here are at least two kinds of asking that will not bring an answer.

Then there are conditions. One is that we must ask in Christ's name. That implies that we believe in Christ as our Savior, and are His faithful friends, and therefore have a right to use His name. This condition narrows down the promise to the true followers of Christ. Another condition is that we are abiding in Christ, and His words are abiding in us. So there is a double ” if” . Even a Christian who is following afar off does not come within the circle of this promise.

Then there is another qualification which belongs to all promises to prayer. God Himself must be the judge as to the things we ask, whether they would really be blessings to us or not. There may be things we desire very earnestly that it would be the greatest unkindness to grant us. Is God then bound by this promise to give us what we crave? By no means. What is good the Lord will give. ” No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” But He will withhold even from the most upright the things which in His Divine wisdom He sees would not be good things. This is implied in every such promise as this.

Building Men And Women Of God (1)

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 - These words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart; 7and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.

A great preacher once said, 'When times are troubled we cry, "God, give us men to match our mountains." In reply, God gives us children and says, "Here's the building material."' Our children are building kits and we are expected to develop them into men and women of God. Here's a Bible blueprint.

First, 'These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts'. Parent, if you don't practise scriptural principles, your children won't either. Indeed, if you don't live what you preach your words will fall on deaf ears and create rebellious hearts. You don't have to be perfect, but you must be genuine.

Second, 'Impress them on your children'. You must emphasise, stress, prompt, make clear, drum in and imprint. Nothing passing or passive there! It's to be a deliberate, thorough, active and repeated process.

Third, 'Talk about them'. Your kids won't catch the truth by osmosis. You have to talk, not in religious-sounding tones they don't understand, but in natural language, in natural ways, at natural times. 'Talk about them when you sit at home', in the comfort of familiar surroundings. 'When you walk along the road', in the easy give-and-take environment on the way to the park or to school. 'When you lie down and when you get up', watching for opportunities, because teachable moments come and go unannounced. Carpe diem! Parents who 'seize the day' discover that God has equipped them to mould their children into men and women of God.