The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-23
THE EAM Y FORUM
Sunday Study

ABOUT THE WAYS OF DARKNESS.
The International, Sunday school lesson
for March %, is found in Ephesians ",
11-2. The golden tex. is the eighteenth
verse. The lesson contains various ex-
hortation to duty and right living.
Have no fellowship with the unfrc-t-
full works of darkness" Only as we by
faith enter into His love and purposes
will we De delivered from the works of
darkness mentioned in various parts of
the Bible. Intemperance, as generally
understood, is one of the many works of
darkness, but the child of God should be
free from all if he would know the joy
Of being cnIIa of the Lord.
Awake thou that sleepest and arse
from the dead and Christ shall give thee
light" The three f-vored apostles, heavy
with sleep on the Mount of Transfigura-
ton and actually sleeping in Geth-
semane, show us how the most highly
favored believers may be Indifferent to
the great things of Gcd and how this
cry, Awake thou that sleepest," may APP
ply to us all.
See. then, that We walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the
time, because the days are evil" The
revised version has on these two verses
either in the text or the margin Look
therefore carefully how ye walk, buy
ing up the opportunity" The life of the
believer is spoken Of as a continual dying
to self, an overcoming, a conflict, race,
but in this epistle and elsewhere it is also
called "a walk" We are entreated to
walk worthy of our vocation, net as other
gentilcs walk, to walk in love, as children
of light, to walk worthy of God, who
hath called us unto His kingdom and
glory. AS to buying up the opportuni-
ties, if we had the zeal of INSCRIPTIONS
business men, who for their own gain
make corners in even the necessaries of
life, how much might be accomplished in
the servic CT Christ? If we walked as
Christ walked all would be well, but who
is sufficient?
Wherefore be We not unwise, but I'M
derstanding what the will of the Lord
is" 1t is not the will of Gcd that any
should perish. When sinners are saved,
He desires that they should be holy and
so fully yield to Him that they may prove
in daily life how good and acceptable and
perfect His will is.
BE not drunk with wine, wherein is
excess, but be filled with the Spirit
Drunkenness belongs to the unfruitfuI
works of darkness; to be filed with the
Spirit is the privilege of every child of
light Wine stimulates and exhilarates
unnaturally, but the Holy Spirit stimu-
lates systematically; the enc is for self,
the other for God.
Speaking to yourselves in psalms ard
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody in your heart to the
Lord" drunken man is apt to make
himself known by his noisy talk or ribald
song, but Spirit-filled person, having
true melody in his heart, will sing unto
the Lord. Each proclaimS his master by
that which comes from the abundance of
his heart. If we would be filled by the
Spirit and used by the Spirit, let us lay
up His word diligently in our hearts.
Giving thanks always for all things
unto God and the Father in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ" How earnest
ly we should covet to be filled with the
Spirit since He alone can live this holy
and beautiful life in US. Since God is
love" and has so loved US, He cannot
give US anything that is not love so we
Will thank Him for all things if we be-
Heve this A story is told of two walters
who accidentally jostled one another the
one thereby spilling some hot water on
the other, who meekly replied, Never
mind, it is all in the will" Let US have
the will to meet disappointment with right
will.
Submitting yourselves one to another
In the fear of God" Some one has said
that submission is the highest mission on
earth, higher than home or foreign mis-
sions, and that unless one has learned
v
where. Show our love for God by our
love and thought of others.
MISSIONS.
The Christian Endeavor topic for
March is found in the S5th Psalm In
this psalm the writer appeals to God
for a continuance of divine favors
for his land. "Show us Thy mercy. o
Lord, and grant US Thy Salvation" Thus
the psalmist acknowledged the presence
and favor of God, and thus he prayed
for the continuance of His mercy and for
the salvation of His land His hearts
desire was for the salvation of his land.
With Paul he might have said: "Mv
hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel
is that they might be saved"
The desire for the salvation of ones
own land is a worthy and laudable de-
sire. Christ Himself wept over the city
OF Jerusalem when He realized that il
would not be saved because of it's unbe-
lief. He sent his disciples in the first
place to 1.-The lost sheep of the house of
israel. and in His plan for the evangeli-
cation OF the world the apostles We're to
begin lat Jerusalem and Judea" PauIs
heart yearned for the salvation of his
people, and he made it a subject of prayer
to God The scenes of the missionary
labors of Peter and James and John
were practically entirely among the
Jews, their own people, The Jews
should want Jerusalem saved. the
English should desire the salvation Of
England, the Germans the salvation of
Germany, and the Americans should de-
sire and pray for the salvation Of Amer
lea.
Our interest in the salvation of our
land should not end in desire We should
pray and labor for the realization of
this desire. The ancient Jew prayed for
the salvation of Israel. PauPs hearts
desire and prayer for Israel were that
it might be saved. Nor should our de-
sire end in prayer; it should continue to
service. God only can save the land. but
God works through means. PRAYER and
pains, declared John Eliot, the apostle to
the Indians, through faith in Jesus
Christ can accomplish anything" Prav-
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