CHAPTER IV The Master's Loyalty to His Cause DAILY READINGS First Day, Fourth Week Matt. 7:21-25. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. Have you ever thought of the Master as being subtly pleased and flattered by all the people who call him, "Lord"? Think how unworthy this would be in any one and how impossible it is in him. Would any university professor be worthy of the name if he accepted personal compliments in the place of hard work on his courses? Consider your own Christian life in the light of today's searching passage. Some one has said that to call Jesus, "Lord" is orthodoxy; to call him, "Lord, Lord," is piety; but that neither one nor both of them can satisfy him, unless accompanied by real devotion to his Cause. Second Day, Fourth Week Matt. 12:47-50. And one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak to thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. Jesus says here that only those who do God's will for them can belong to his family. You believe that God has a will in general; have you ever faced seriously the fact that he must have a plan especially for your life? There can be no real plan for the whole that does not include a plan for all the parts; there can be no will of God for the whole world that does not include a will for your life. Some men, like captains of ocean liners, know that there is a course marked out particularly for them and they are trying not to miss it; some, like pleasure sailors out for fun, go any way as chance caprice suggests. Which sort of life are you leading? Third Day, Fourth Week John 4:31-34. In the meanwhile the disciples prayed him, saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not. The disciples therefore said one to another, Hath any man brought him aught to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work. John 7:17. If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching. Have you entered at all into the spirit of Jesus as he seeks continually to know and do what God wills for him? Consider how a man may discover just what God wants with his life. He must be willing to do whatever God wills for him;. he must be loyal to as much of God's will as he knows; he must ask habitually, not once in a while, "What wilt thou have me to do?"; he must test all his choices by the principles of Jesus; he must tune his conscience and his intelligence by prayer until God can speak through them. Does this describe your life? Fourth Day, Fourth Week Matt. 4: 17, 23. From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Matt. 6:9-10. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Consider the Master as a patriot for a great Cause. Is not this sort of loyalty an element in all noble characters? Think of Livingstone, Luther, Florence Nightingale, Lincoln. No character was ever counted great without loyalty to a cause, without standing for something more than himself. The Kingdom of God on earth, the rule of righteousness in the personal life and social relationships of all mankind was Jesus' Cause. Consider how he lived for it, prayed for it, suffered for it, died for it. Are you really a patriot for the Cause of the Master? Can he rely on you at all costs to be loyal? Fifth Day, Fourth Week Matt. 5:13-16. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Jesus says here that his disciples are more than mere individuals. They represent his Cause, they stand for him in the world; his honor, reputation, success are in their hands. Consider how true it is that every man has a power to represent something more than himself, and that he always comes to stand for a type of character or a special human interest in the minds of his acquaintances. Can you think of Beethoven without thinking of music? Can you think of Wm. Lloyd Garrison without thinking of the abolition of slavery? Can you think of Jesus without thinking of the cause of God and righteousness in the world? What do your fellows think of when you come to their minds? What is the reference of your life? For what do you stand in your university or community? Matt. 6:24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matt. 12:30. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Matt. 6:33. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Face in your own life today the serious fact that you always stand for God's cause or the opposite, and that in the long run no one ever succeeds in standing for both. When a man sins he becomes a representative, an ambassador, an ally of the forces of destruction in human life. Consider the terrible effects of sensual vice on the race. Then think what it means that any one who indulges in vice is a representative of that cause. Is not the same true of gambling? dishonesty? lying? Sin is treachery to the cause of human welfare; it is going over to the race's enemies in the spirit of Benedict Arnold. Righteousness is loyalty to the Cause of the world's salvation. In the long run you cannot be on both sides. Which are you standing for? Seventh Day, Fourth Week Matt. 26: 36-46. Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I go yonder and pray. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and sore troubled. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: abide ye here, and watch with me. And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, |