The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-05-02
hem as result Of the indwellins

them as result of the indwelling
Christ.
THE unperceived door is a sad con-
dition. a most unfortunate circum-
stance; but the perceived door unoccu-
pied Is sadder condition, more un-
fortunate circumstance. Who can
me assure the loss it would have been to
Ephesus, to Asia and the whole of the
world to the present day if Paul had
failed to see the door which God had
set for him? or II, having seen that
door, he had persisted in his first plans,
of passing through Macedonia and Wis
iting Corinth? There is blindness in
Christian service which robs the
world, destroys the real usefulness of
Christian and delays the coming of
the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. There
is willfulness in Christian service which
leaves uncultivated the fields where
God has rich harvests to be gathered,
and which sends one heedlessly to la
boring in the barren fields OF self-pur-
pose and self-desire, and the sad mis-
take may not be realized until the OPP
portunity is gone forever.
The evangelization of the world in
this generation, about which there has
been much written and much dis
cussed, would become a realization in
fact instead of at present possibility
in theory, If Christians everywhere
were keen TO see the open doors and
eager to enter them. Years ago the
burden of prayers was for open doors.
and God has set the open doors every
where. There are enough open doors
to-day which If observed and faithfully
entered by Christians would raise a
cry throughout the world that "they
which turn the world upside down are
come thither." And the world would
begin to be turned rightside up then.
But Christians are too busy planning
trips through the Macedonias and to
the Corinths of their own purposes and
desires to see the doors great and eff
fectual opening before them in the
place where they are now at work.
Their plans are so important and must
be pushed so hard that there is no room
for vision of Gods plan and Gods meth
DDS. While the mind is painting rosy
hued vision of the great work to be
done over in Corinth, the opportunity
right at hand is being neglected.
THE open door which God sets is al
ways great and effectual, for a
work with God in it is a tremendous
opportunity and means a glorious VIC
tory. Oh, yes, the open door may be
an obscure one in the home which to
enter means unappreciated service, pa
tient waiting, loving watchfulness,
faithful Christ-like living; but If the
dear one is brought at last to the feet
of Jesus is it not better that you tar
ried at the Ephesus of Gods opportuni-
ty than to have gone into the Mace
donia of your own plans, even though
to walk there meant prominence and
the praise of men? The open door may
be set apparently in the most unfruit-
full part of the Lords vineyard, and
there may seem TO be a larger and
better opportunity for our powers and
abilities in another direction which it
will take great conservation and hui
mility to resist, but If the place where
God has appointed us to labor is
obediently and faithfully occupied we
will find ourselves building gold, silver
and precious stones into the enduring
structure of Gods purposes. On the
other hand, if we fail to see the open
door of opportunity at Ephesus and
~ b. h., lar Col -
donia, though we may build so high
and so wide as to win the praise of
men, yet that which we build will only
be wood, hay and stubble, which will
burn fiercely in the day when God shall
try our works. If God could only have
every Christian in church enter the
door of opportunity which He would
SET for them, do you know what would
result? There would be mighty
throb felt there as the power of God
found a channel through which to
pour, the community would feel the
influence thereof until every work of
darkness was made manifest and a
howl was raised similar to that which
rang on the air at Ephesus as Demetri-
us and his fellow-craftsmen ran
hitler and thither in mad rage be-
cause the profits of their heathenish
trade were cut off. Adversaries would
be stirred up, but sin and selfishness
and greed would be revealed In their
true light, and there would be great
turning to the Lord as a result. One
reason to-day why the world is so I'M
conscious of sin and its need Of Saw
Jour is that there is not enough of the
light of Jesus Christ shining in the lives
of Christians to make sin and the need
manifest.
THERE is something suggestive of
change and newness in the thought
of door of opportunity. The side
the door we stand the same self we
have been, TIE same field of operations
Is about us, the same God is above us.
But on the other side of that door We
expect to develop into new self, we
expect to discover unknown riches in
the field we have worked over and
over again, we expect to experience
and rejoice over new manifestations
of Gods power and glory as the new
a