The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-09-11

1ne busy pee improves each Shin
ing hour, but as he skins from flower
to flower, slipping the honey from Ma
ture's dainty cup, he gives rich re-
turn in the fructifying pollen which
his velvety sides deposit in the heart
of the blossom. The beautiful recip-
rocal relation which one part of Ma
ture sustains to another is little un-
derstood by the surface-living world.
It's vision is limited to the present
moment, and the future is ruthlessly
robbed in order to realize immediate
gain. Suppose the little bee should
selfishly say: 81 will carry no pollen
to yonder flower. I'll sip the honey
it has in store, but never a bit of en-
riching pollen will give in return?
The little flower would die alone. No
seed would fall into the ground to
bring forth future plant and flower,
and then from where would next sea-
sons supply of honey be drawn? No
man can live unto himself alone and
live as God intended He should live,
The man whose horizon is narrowed
down to the limits of this world may
grasp the wealth of Rockefeller,
may win the financial and commercial
power of a Morgan, may receive the
plaudits and honor of the world, and
have such poverty of soul as to rem
der it impossible to minister unto
others single real blessing.
The Abundance Of God.-Our text
takes us into the presence of Jesus.
He has just called His disciples into
active service and, having placed the
eternal riches of Heaven at their dis
posal, He bids them go forth, saying:
Freely ye have received, freely
give" They were to give out with as
bountiful a hand as God had given to
them, and like the widows cruise Of
oil, which failed not, their giving was
always a reinsurance of their faith
that the source of supply would never
fail. Their relations to mankind aft
er receiving their great commission
was to be adjusted upon a Divine
equation, which made the giving ex-
actly balance the receiving, and their
receiving of the riches of Heaven
equal the degree to which they be-
slowed. But in order for the dis
ciples to have an adequate conception
of the wonderful mission upon which
they were about to enter, they needs
must be given glimpse into Gods
treasure box and understand it's in
exhaustible riches, and they must be-
lieve and understand that everything
was at their disposal.
The agent of a certain rich man,
commissioned to purchase in Eu-
rope rare paintings and statuary for
the rich mans new home, was not
prepared for the performance of his
task until he had seen the bank book
of his employer and knew just how
much money was at his disposal. The
servant of Jesus Christ is not ready
to undertake the Divine commission,
to which everyone is called, until he
has allowed his spiritual vision to
be quickened and he has looked into
the treasure house of God, where are
to be found gifts for mankind, both
temporal and spiritual, and has heard
the Lord say, as He does say to you
and to me: Freely ye have re-
ceived, freely give" Gods Word re-
veals to us the inexhaustible riches
of Heaven. It tells us "that every
good gift and every perfect gift il
from above, and cometh down from
the Father of Lights"
Think of it! All at your command
as you give in the name of the Lord
and are guided in the giving by Gods
Spirit. For we are not to cast Gods
pearls before swine, neither must we
give the children's meat to the dogs.
But we must give freely as God
shows us the need, because freely
have we received, and there is no linn
it to the supply.
The eighth verse of III. Corinthians,
to which we have already referred,
gives us a hint of the riches of God,
| which we may obtain SO as to bestow
upon others. Listen: "'God is able to
make all grace abound toward you;
that ye, always having all suficiency
in all things, may abound to every
good work." This reveals to us what
was implied by Jesus words, when
He said: Freely ye have received,
and shows what the equipment Of the
disciples was for the mission to which
they had been called.
The Gospel Of Giving.-The "all
grace" of God bestowed upon them in
cluded the healing Of the sick, the rails
ing of the dead, the cleansing of leperi
and the casting out of devils, as specia
equipment for the peculiar needs 0,
the. time and the purpose Of their mis-
sion. True it is that the grace of Coo
may not include such gifts to-day, but
| you may be sure all the grace needfu
to abound in every good work will b,
given to the disciple Of Christ wht
gives with overfowing love. God IN
derstands the needs of the times, sAA
always provides the particular kind o
grace required. Note that we are no
to dictate what special form of grac,
shall be given to us.
No wonder the disciples returned t.
Christ after their missionary tou
filled with Joy. They went out il
faith in the declaration of Christ
Freely ye have received" and cam