The Tupelo journal., 1903-06-12

! Of God to disprove this declaration.
| Only those who obey God have clear
ness of vision and definiteness of aim.
The people of Noah's day were as
blind as bats, and as shifting as the
wind. They could see the glitter of
gold; they were far-sighted in human
enterprises and commercial posi-
bilities; they could see pleasures that
would crafty the lust of the eye and
the pride as far as mans foot could
travel, and his appetites plunge him;
they could dream of some new thing
every day, and exercise cunning in
genuity in its creation, ever as do
the people of this generation, but
they had no vision that could see the
coming food, and the sure Judgment
Of God. They were blind on the
Godward side. And because they
were blind and would not see. they
dared to joke about Noah's food, and
his new boat. Possibly some of the
more scholarly and learned of their
number went about the country lee
turing on the mistakes of Noah, and
weaving smooth sentences and plaus-
ible theories and springing with
cisms to strengthen the people of the
world in their unbelief. The world
hasn't grown a bit old in it's unbe-
lief towards God since Noah's day,
nor in it's methods of attacking Gods
Word and Gods way. AS a weather
prophet and architect, Noah was
considered a dismal failure, but obe-
dience to God enabled him to look
a hundred years farther than the
people who were laughing at him,
and it gave him definiteness of aim,
which made the building of the ark
the supreme object of life. Many
contemporaries of Noah were APP
parently living with more definiteness
of purpose than was the builder of
the ark, and it seemed that they were
accomplishing more, but when Gods
testing came, the flood swallowed up
everything that mar had been doing,
except the great ark, which foated
out upon the dark waters and proved
that only he who builds into the
great purpose and plan of God has
real definiteness of aim.
A MOTHER reward of obeying God
- is that of the possession of a per-
feet confidence, which day by day I'M
folds into the nearer realization of
the future hope. Perfect confidence:
| that naana ahi1inr IN fhn eo,,1
which rests undisturbed even though
the storms of life rage without. This
is a condition to which the people OF
the world are absolutely strangers.
Only those who obey God can know
what it is to rest in Him; can
know the confidence with which each
act of obedience is performed; can
know with absolute certainty that
the final results are to be as endur-
ing as God Himself. The soul that
is building only for himself; the
Christian, perhaps, who is following
his own will, instead of the will of
God, has to face the hours and days
and weeks of anxiety and worry. But
he who obeys God has no reason to
be troubled or anxious over the ulti.
mate results. Yes, doubts and diff.
culties may come along the pathway
of obedience to God. but not as to
the final issues, but only as con.
Germs some of the minor details
which are to be worked out in at.
tanning the supreme end. / have
no doubt that many a difficulty came
to Noah in the building of the ark
In carrying Il many of the details
of that structure he was building for
God, it is more than likely that he
had his days of doubt and trouble.
But all through those long years OF
building there "a no shadow OF
doubt as to the certainty of the com
pletion of the ark, or as to the neces.
sity for its use. And so it is always
with those who obey God. Their con
fidence is in One Who never fails, and
the act of obedience links their des-
tiny with the eternal purposes OF
God.
IT is declared of Noah that he did
l ALL that God commanded him,
That little word ALL lis a mighty
word in its influence on final results,
Noah did ALL that God commanded
and so there was room in the ark for
all that God was to preserve alive
therein. He did ALL, and, there
fore, there were no leaks to sink the
craft after it started on it's voyage
He did ALL, and it was a stanch and
serviceable craft, able to endure the
deluge of forty days and forty nights,
and ride safely on the waters until
they subsidized. This is an importan
word to look at in considering this
matter of obedience to God. But
right here is where so many Chris
tians fail This little word ALL
trips up their unwary feet, and the
craft they build for God is defective,
leaky and unsafe. But it is well to
remember that you are the one who
must ride in the ark you are build
ing for God. Noah observed the ALL
of Gods commandment, and hence he
reaped a sure reward of his faithful
ness. But it is SO hard to render full
and complete obedience, and not fol-
low the personal desires of pride and
ambition. Saul found it so. He did
not observe the ALL of Gods COM
mand when he went out and warred
against the Amalekites. He saved the
best of the cattle, and brought Agag
back as a living witness to his valor
and But the ALL of Gods