Food for the Lambs Part 10

When you entered the Christian race G.o.d gave an angel to guard and guide you in the way. You need have no fear of this world.

Live in G.o.d's service and do his will, and this guardian angel will keep you. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."

It was this angel that stood with Daniel in the den of lions and with the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. It was this angel that led the weeping Hagar to the well of water when her child was dying of thirst; and that led the righteous Lot out of the wicked city of Sodom and saved him from its awful burning. When Elijah was hunted for his life and sat down to weep and to starve under the juniper-tree, it was this guardian angel that brought him a cake and a cruse of water. It was this good angel that unbolted the prison doors and set Peter free. When Paul and Silas were lying fast in the stocks singing praise to G.o.d at midnight, it was the angel of the Lord that shook the earth and opened the prison doors.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LIFE.]

You once were lost, but the Son of man came to save you. Now you are saved; you have entered his fold; you have become one of his "little ones." Once lost, but now saved. Jesus says to this cruel, mocking world, "Take heed that ye cause not one of these _little ones_ to stumble; for their angels do always behold the face of their Father which is in heaven." As you journey along the way of life, Christian reader, there is an angel of mercy guarding you by day and night. Naught in all the world can harm you. 'Their angels do always behold the face of G.o.d.' By this we understand that your guardian angel has constant access into the presence of G.o.d to bear him an intelligence concerning his _little one_ under his charge. Glory be to G.o.d!

If you will but live holy and confide in G.o.d, he will guide you safely and triumphantly through this world and bring you in a ripe old age to an eternity of rest. Trust not in the world, trust not in man, trust not in yourself; but give up all; give up your life to G.o.d and trust in him.

You are safe in his care; nothing can harm you. You need not have a fear. What a blessed life to live! how peaceful! how secure! how full of rest! And when the last hour has come those guardian angels will be gathered round waiting for your spirit to come forth from the tomb of clay, and they will waft it in rapture to the G.o.d who gave it.

FLEDGING THE WINGS.

The inspired Word of G.o.d abounds in evidences of the twofold nature of man's being. Man, entire, consists of an outer physical being and an inner spiritual being. The one is for time, the other for eternity. The physical being is the transient home of the spiritual being, and is, therefore, called an earthly house. "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of G.o.d, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 2 Cor. 5:1. When the earthly house in which the soul is tabernacled comes to dissolution, we (the spiritual beings) pa.s.s to our eternal home, a building not made with hands, but builded by the Lord of heaven.

The pa.s.sport from the earthly house to the home in the heavens is spoken of by the Psalmist as a "flying away." "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." Psa. 90:10. The physical being is cut down, or comes to dissolution, and we (the souls) fly away, when redeemed by the blood, to our eternal home of rest.

Since it is spoken of as a flying away, the idea of wings is suggested, from which we derive our subject. The inspired apostle said, "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." 2 Cor.

4:16. As the outward, physical man, day by day, becomes more feeble, the furrows on the brow grow deeper, the locks more silvery, the steps more tottering, the voice weaker and more husky, the cheeks more sunken, the ear more deaf, the eye more dim, and the heart-beats more slow; the inward man is gathering strength, or fledging his wings, ready for his upward flight to his beautiful mansion in the sky. Oh, how often the redeemed soul, full of life, love, and hope, looks out through the fading windows of the crumbling house of clay, to its fair home on the Elysian sh.o.r.es eternal, and longs to take its flight! May you, dear reader, and I, as we travel along life's swift journey, so live in prayer and devotion to G.o.d, walk in such purity, so feed upon the divine life, that we shall gather strength to our souls day by day and be ready for the hour of our departure. Amen.

SOME TIME

Some time, when all life's lessons have been learned, And sun and stars forevermore have set, The things which our weak judgments here have spurned, The things o'er which we grieved with lashes wet, Will flash before us out of life's dark night, As stars shine most in deeper tints of blue; And we shall see how all G.o.d's plans are right, And how what seemed reproof was love most true.

And we shall see how, while we frown and sigh, G.o.d's plans go on as best for you and me; How when we called, he heeded not our cry, Because his wisdom to the end could see.

And e'en as prudent parents disallow Too much of sweet to craving babyhood; So G.o.d, perhaps, is keeping from us now Life's sweetest things, because it seemeth good.

And if, sometimes, commingled with life's wine, We find the wormwood, and rebel and shrink, Be sure a wiser hand than yours or mine Pours out the potion for our lips to drink; And if some friend we love is lying low, Where human kisses can not reach his face, Oh, do not blame the loving Father so, But wear your sorrows with obedient grace.

And you shall shortly know that lengthened breath Is not the sweetest gift G.o.d sends his friend, And that, sometimes, the sable pall of death Conceals the fairest boon his love can send.

If we could push ajar the gates of life, And stand within and all G.o.d's workings see, We could interpret all this doubt and strife, And for each mystery could find a key.

But not to-day. Then be content, poor heart; G.o.d's plans like lilies pure and white unfold; We must not tear the close-shut leaves apart, Time will unfold the calyces of gold.

And if, through patient toil, we reach the land Where tired feet, with sandals loosed, may rest When we shall clearly know and understand, I think that we shall say, "G.o.d knew the best!"

THE PRECIOUS OINTMENT.

In the Bible we learn of a woman who took "a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus." This spikenard was very rich in perfume. It was the very best gift she could bring to Him whom she loved. This is a very beautiful symbol of the life work of a Christian. We, as Christian, are a sweet odor unto G.o.d in Christ Jesus. Everything you do for Jesus scents the air around the throne of G.o.d with a sweet fragrance.

Every prayer your offer in the Spirit perfumes the corridors of heaven.

I read somewhere of a little girl who told her mamma that G.o.d bade all the angels in heaven keep quiet when she prayed; then all the angels hushed their songs until she said amen. Amid all the songs and shouts and playing of harps in heaven G.o.d hears the prayers of his humble ones on earth. The odor of prayer from the hearts of G.o.d's children on earth is as sweet to him as the songs of angels. The things the saints at Philippi sent to Paul were an odor of a sweet smell to G.o.d. Cornelius'

alms-giving and prayers were kept in heaven as a memorial. So all your gifts and doings and prayers are a rich perfume, which G.o.d keeps bottled up in heaven as a memorial of you.

Your whole life, dear young saint, in all of its giving and doing, its sacrifices and prayers, its humble service and devotion, is to be constantly sending forth a sweet smell to G.o.d. This is spoken of in a beautiful figure in S. of Sol. 1:12: "While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof." The king is Jesus, who sits at the table of our hearts; the sweet spikenard is our Christian lives. In Rev. 3:20 Jesus says, "I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." The Christian's heart is the dining-room; there is a table spread with the graces of the Spirit, the fruits of the garden of the Lord. There Christ and the Christian sit down to dine together. While the glory of the one lights up the room, the holy life of the other perfumes it. O G.o.d, my soul doth magnify thee for the preciousness of these thoughts.

When Christ was born wise men came and presented him frankincense and myrrh, and in after-years Mary came and poured upon his head the precious ointment of spikenard. These things were literally done, and now when we bring our very best gifts, in the fulness of love, to the Lord, we are breaking the alabaster box of sweet ointment and pouring it upon his head. You owe Christ the very best of your life; yea, you owe him your life. He must have all the affections of your heart. Christ must have the very best of everything out of your life. Do not use the dollars for yourself and give him the pennies. Do not sip the honey from the flower and give him the leaves. Do not eat the fresh bread yourself and give him that which is stale. Do not give him the well-worn garment and keep the best robe for yourself.

But how can we now give to the Lord! "As oft as ye do it unto the least of these ye do it unto me." As you go about your life work as a Christian always do what you do as to the Lord. When you pray in public talk to Jesus the same as if he were there in person, and not to be heard of men. When you give money to the needy do it as if you were giving it to Jesus himself, for such it really is. If Christ should come to your door and ask for a drink, how eagerly you would get it for him!

You must remember that to give a cup of water to one of his little ones is the same as giving it to him. When you visit a sick-chamber and are invited to sing you should sing just as sweetly as if you were singing purposely for the Savior, and all your words should be spoken as tenderly as if you were talking to him.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE TREE OF LIFE.]

Jesus has given you the purest love of heaven; he has clothed you with the whitest robe; he gives you the very best heaven affords; and, O beloved, will you not give him the very best life? Live with all your soul for Jesus; serve him every moment. Bring the best of your life, its love, its service, its perfume, and pour them upon the head and feet of Jesus.

THE TREE OF LIFE.

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life," says Proverbs. How wonderful! how inspiring! The fruit borne by a Christian is a savor of life to many. If you live a true Christian life all the way through, G.o.d will use the fruit you bear to bring another soul to life. Your Christian life will not be lived in vain. That "beloved disciple" said, "On either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month." Your life is compared to a river; and if you travel along down its course in the fulness of G.o.d's grace, upon its banks will grow the tree of life, of which others may eat and live forever. Such thoughts are almost too wonderful for me; they overwhelm my soul.

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life," and, "He that eateth of this bread shall live forever." This same Jesus has come into your life. You are dead, but Jesus lives. He lives in you. The fruit you bear will be eaten by others and be life to their souls. O my young reader, will you not be watchful and prayerful and let G.o.d live in you and bring forth fruit to his own glory? Cultivate the Christian graces, and see to it that there is never a withered leaf on your life's tree, but be ever green and full of fruit, scattering a holy influence everywhere. May your life stand out upon the sh.o.r.es of time heavy laden with the fruits of the Spirit, of which others may eat long after you are gone to your reward. You can make it so. Will you do it? As for me, from the fulness of my soul I answer, I WILL.

ETERNITY.

Did you ever attempt to look to the end of eternity? Have you endeavored to comprehend its duration? Alas! it is something beyond the conception of the finite mind. Look into it as far as you can and no less of it lies beyond the end of your vision. Eternity is something never begun and something that will never end. It is a circle which has no end of beginning and no end of closing. It goes on and on and on until millions upon millions of ages have pa.s.sed away, and then on and on to other millions upon millions of ages, and then still on, being no less in duration than before. When you have been there ten million years you will be no nearer the end than when you first entered this boundless duration.

What a vast and awful thought! Eternity! I stand upon the sh.o.r.e of ocean and looking out upon the broad expanse I see nothing but ocean; I see no other sh.o.r.e. I stand and look out upon the ocean of eternity, and see nothing but eternity. I can see out for millions and billions and trillions of years, and yet it is eternity. Where shall I spend it? My soul answers, "In heaven through the blood."

NEARER TO THEE.

Nearer to thee, O my Savior, Nearer I would be each day.

As I cross life's stormy ocean Never from thee let me stray.

Nearer, nearer, ever nearer, Is the language of my soul As I journey down life's pathway, As I near bright heaven's goal.