Editorial

On a cloudy dreary day when we take the breakfast tray into our 93 year old father-in-law’s room he will cheerfully say “even though we can’t see the shin, it is shining up there, it is always shining even if we can’t see it.”

How true this is and what a wise observation. The sun may not be shining on us but it is still shining. We tend to judge everything in its relationship to as. It is almost as if we think the sun, moon and earth all revolve around us. Of course from our view point they do, but we need to stop and learn to view things from God’s point of view. Isaiah tells us that God will make Jesus of quick understanding, and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.”

We take comfort that our Master will not judge just by what he sees and hears and we need to learn that we also cannot always make wise decisions based on merely what we see and hear. When the sun stops shining on us, it simply means that there is something in between us and the sun, not that it has ceased to shine. It may be a cloud, or it may be that the earth has revolved so that the sun is now shining upon another part of the world but the sun never sets and never stops giving off its healing beams of light.

Sometimes there is an eclipse of the sun when the moon gets in between us and it. There is always an eclipse of the moon when the earth gets in between the sun and the moon. When something conies between us and the sun or moon, then the good effects of the sun’s rays or the moon’s beam become lost to us temporarily. Fortunately eclipses do not last long. We need to remember that it never really stopped shining, only it stopped shining on us because something came between us.

Now there is a scriptural lesson we can learn from this. We all want “The LORD to make his face to shine upon us. David cried out in the Psalms “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us.”

The face of God, just like the sun, is always shining and if it does not shine upon us it is because we have allowed something to come between us and Him just as there is an eclipse when something comes between us and the sun or moon.

It is interesting to remember that the moon has no natural light of its own, only the reflected light of the sun. When the earth comes between the sun and the moon, the light of the moon goes out and does not return until the earth gets out of the way again.

If we allow the son of God to shine upon us then we can reflect that light to others. Paul tells us that we are in a “crooked and perverse nation among whom we shine as lights in the world.”

Now we can only shine if we bask in the light of the son of God. When we allow worldly things to come between us and our savior we can go into eclipse and fail to reflect light.

What is it that can cause us to have an eclipse so that we no longer shine? Paul asks this same question when he says “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ?” Paul’s answer was a resounding No. He says, “I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Let us be wise and resolve not to let anything come between us and the son of God. Daniel tells us that the “wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

Los Angeles is getting a disease called “World Series Fever.” Whether or not the Dodgers will win the pennant is at present unknown hut the tickets are already sold in case they do.

Paul drew lessons from the athletes of his day. He mentioned running to win and fighting but not heating the air. There are also lessons we can learn from the modern day athletes which we can use in our walk to the Kingdom.

Whenever we see a professional baseball game we are impressed by the amount of practice that is necessary to stay in the big leagues. In between innings the various members of the team play catch with one another while the pitcher is warming up. Just prior to the game both teams have batting practice, and even after each strike out they play. catch Around the infield if there is no one on base. When we realize that these men play ball for a living and started their spring training in February, it seems incredible that they still feel it is necessary to practice every minute they can late in September. By now they have caught thousands of halls and thrown a like number; surely they would not need to play catch in between innings now!

Champions realize that they must continue to practice or they are no longer champions. This is true in every sport as well as in music. Fritz Kreisler said that if he did not practice one day he knew it, it he did not practice two days, his friends knew it, and if he did not practice three days the whole world knew it. Such an accomplished violinist as Kreisler realized that it required practice, practice, practice to slay sharp. Why is it that when it comes to religion we seem to think that we do not need lo keep this razor sharp edge to serve Christ effectively. The Bible readings need to be done every day, not just when we get around to them. Daily prayer is exactly that, daily prayer. If we neglect to read and pray for one day, we know it. If we miss several days, our family can usually tell the difference, and if we consistently crowd God out of our lives, no one will know that we belong to Him.

The professional athlete literally eats, breathes, and sleeps his sport. He practices until he knows that he will react correctly in any given situation. Although he knows what’s right, he still continues to practice so he will do what’s right.

Now just because we were baptized some years ago and know right from wrong does not automatically make us do what is right. We must continue to practice, to train, to keep our bodies in subjection. The professional athlete realizes that his body is important to his career and for this reason he is careful not to abuse or hurt it. Paul asks us the question “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and Ye are not your own?”

Now in our life in Christ, our bodily exercise is less important than godly thinking, for “godliness is profitable unto all things.” The modern athlete also realizes how important the mental attitude is. Just look at the difference two managers can make. The members of the team have the same talents hut under one manager who is able to motivate them to try harder, to give the second effort, the winless team becomes the championship team.

When we consider our manager who gave his all for us, can we refrain from doing our best? He has shown us the way, he has left us the Book of instructions, he will listen when we ask for help. Can we, dare we, do less than our best? Dare we cut short whatever practice it takes to make us spiritual champions? One super star got in big trouble with his manager this year because he did not hustle. The fact he had great talent was not enough, he was required to hustle, to go all out, to do his best.

Our manager is not willing for any of us to perish, to not make the team. We have been called to a wonderful calling Now is the time for us to do our best. He is faithful and just and will not require of us more than we can do but are we going all out for him? Paul did. He said “You ought to run with your minds fixed on winning the prize! Every competitor in athletic events goes into serious training. Athletes will take tremendous pains for a fading crown of leaves. But our contest is for an eternal crown that will never fade. I run the race then with determination. I am no shadow-boxer, I really fight!”

We have just had the good fortune of a visit by our one year old granddaughter and her mother Having a baby in the house again was very exciting and we thoroughly enjoyed her cute little anties. One thing she took great delight in doing was to run away from us. Even before learning to walk she did this by an adult to overtake the fleeing like and bring her back.

As we watched her run away and get caught run away and get caught again and again our mind went back to the story of Jonah and his desire to run away from God Jonah had even less of an opportunity to really run away from God than did our little grand daughter in getting away from us. We often sing Where can we hide or whither fly, lord to escape Thy piercing eye. The answer of course, is no where. In another hymn we sing, Lord, Thou hast searched and seen us through Thine eye commands with piercing view our rising and our resting hours, our hearts and minds with all their powers.

We cannot get away from God and it is childish to think so Paul said, When I was a child I spake as a child, I thought as a child but when I became a man, I put away childish things. It is important that we grow up and stop trying to run away from God. Some never grow up, Some spend their entire life running but never getting anywhere. Where can we go? Where can we go away from God? He possesses Heaven and earth, how can we get away from Him? It is not as though we could go to another god. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God I know not any.

Remember the incident when Jesus said some hard sayings Many of his disciples were offended and from that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve. Will we also go away. Loveable Peter had the right answer, Lord, to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life. Yes, where does one go who goes away from Jesus. “To another redeemer ” another savior ” To whom shall we go” Only away.

Many people do not love God for they do not know Him. We cannot love the unknown As we get acquainted with God through His Book, we come to love Him, He wants us to love Him. Our grand daughter had to get reacquainted with us all over again for she had not seen us since she was seven months old. At that young age they forget. We remembered her and loved her but she had forgotten us. In a sense this is the way it is with God He loves us, He remembers.

God asks the question through Isaiah. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb. Yea, they may forget yet will I not forget thee. It seems unthinkable that a mother could forger her baby yet that is more likely than for God to forget us.

Our grand daughter has now returned to Eastern Canada and will soon forget us again. We understand and accept this for she is a child, but if she forgot us when she was older and mature, then her forgetting would grieve us God expects us to be mature and not forget. Seven times in the 119th Psalm David declares that he will not forget. I will delight myself in thy statues. I will not forget thy word, is how he puts it in verse 16. Let us not forget, Let us not run away from God, for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love which we have showed toward his name, in that we have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

There’s a story about a little boy being dragged down the street by a big dog, The boy is valiantly holding on to the least as he is pulled first in one direction and then another. A pessary asks the little boy where are you taking that big dog?” The boy replies, “I don’t know yet but when he decides where he wants to go, I’ll take him there.”

Many people go through life much like the boy with no defined purpose, allowing themselves to be taken in whatever direction circumstances and those around them dictate. Paul warns us not to be -children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”

The world is always trying to pull us this way and that. We are bombarded from every side as to what to buy, where to go, how to dress and what to think. If we do not make a conscious effort to resist the powerful influences of advertising and the world it represents, we will find ourselves thinking and acting like everyone else.

The people of the world think of themselves as “free men” when in reality they are all slaves. As Paul has rightly told us, we are servants “to whom we yield ourselves servants to obey.” It is like the little boy who thinks he is taking the dog for a walk when in reality the dog is taking him. Whose leash are we holding? If the world is at the other end of it, then we are in the same dilemma as the boy. When it decides where it wants to go, we’ll take it there. Many young people have gotten themselves in all sorts of trouble because they were holding on to the wrong leash and were led to places and did things that they never thought they would do. It all happens just one step at a time. This is why Solomon’s adv ice is so appropriate. He tells us, “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” If they should say to us, “Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path.”

The key is knowing where we want to go. If we have a well defined goal and it is firmly fixed in our mind then the “‘winds of doctrine- and the temptations of the world are not apt to blow us off course. This is the secret of success. This is exactly how Jesus and Paul did it. We know this is true for we are told that Jesus, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” Jesus had firmly fixed in his mind the goal and by meditating upon the joy of that goal, for the joy that was before him, he was able to endure the terrible sufferings that had to come first. Paul used this same principle. He tells us to forget the things that have happened and “reach forth unto those things which are before.” Paul says, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

If the Kingdom of God is all our hope and all our desire, then we, too, will press on, paying little attention to the winds and pulls of the world around us. If the Kingdom of God is not a real goal for us, then we have trouble every turn of the way because all these side allurements seem so enticing.

Nehemiah had the right idea and the right answer. He knew what he had to do and was busy doing it. When he received enticing messages to turn aside, he said, ‘I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?”

We have a great work to do also. Let this be our reply when others would distract us from our goal in life. Let our answer be, “I am doing a great work.”

In a book of humorous definitions by children, one small child said “a hole is to dig.” We were in high school when the war broke out, and the first change that took place on our campus was the erection of an obstacle course which included “a wall that was to climb.”

The good athletes could run right at this wall almost full speed and with a running jump hit the wall about half-way up with one foot while grabbing the top with both hands and seemingly in one smooth motion vault and land on the other side. Most of us ran at the wall, hitting it with a thud that nearly knocked the wind out of us while we grabbed to get one arm over the top. Then with a series of wiggles, squirms and kicks we laborously struggled to get both arms over, then one leg and finally straddling the wall, pulled the other leg over and jumped down the back side. There were a few who simply hit the wall, dangled helplessly for a while and finally fell back with disgust, unable to scale it at all.

The wall did not change, it was the same height for everyone. For some it was fun, for it was a challenge to be conquered, for others it was a real struggle but eventually climbed, while for a few it was an impossible obstacle where they met certain defeat.

So it is with the obstacles of life. God wants us to overcome. Jesus actually promises us that we will have tribulation but that we should be of good cheer because he had overcome the world. In the Revelation he promises us that he that overcometh

will I give power over the nations.” Now there has to be something to overcome or we cannot overcome. The wall was to climb, our trials and tribulations are to overcome and are sent to us by a loving Father who wants us to climb over the adversities that He has placed before us for our everlasting benefit,

Understanding this principle, Paul cries out with joy “‘we glory in tribulation also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed: because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts.”

When Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh” he’ thanked God for it after he understood that God have given it to him for a purpose. Paul said that he took pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake: for when he was weak, then was he strong.

This is the attitude we should take towards the problems we face. They are allowed by God, else we would not have them. The yen hairs on our head are numbered, so He knows the most intimate details of our lives. This being true, we can take what comes, for we are positive that “all things are working together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose…

Believing that God is in control of our lives, we take comfort that He will never give us a wall to climb that is beyond our ability to scale. In school this was not so, for some simply could not master the obstacle course, but God has promised us that we will never have a temptation beyond that which is oar ability to bear and He will always prov ide a way of escape that we may be able to bear it. This is a great comfort and should fill us with hope as we look at the walls m our lives. They are all scalable and we can overcome. Instead of complaining about them, let us thank God for His love in providing them for us to climb.

Paul cried out that “he could do all things through Christ, who strengthened him” and so can we. Let us run at the walls in our lives with enthusiasm believing that through Christ we can overcome. Let us say with Paul, I do concentrate on this: I leave the past behind and with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead I go straight for the goal -my reward the honour of being called by God in Christ.”