The Tupelo journal., 1904-07-08

III HIS Is the first and highest blessing
i which He can confer, and with his
gift of life comes promise OF well-being
and completeness of years. THAT II
may be well with you" What does
this mean, If it is not that every cir
cumstance in life shall focus to the one
point Of accomplishing good for you!
Those who know not God and who are
Indifferent to His claims upon them
cannot realize what this means. The
people of the world go through life ex-
%periencing it's sunshine and it's shower,
it's joys and it's sorrows, its trials n
it's pleasures, and never learning any
higher philosophy than that of enjoy
ment or endurance. Circumstances
bring such and such experiences, n
they look nc higher for their message
or their purpose, but it is not so with
one who is walking in obedience and
fellowship with God, for every expert
ence and every circumstance work out
for his best good. THAT 1t may be well
with you" Perhaps not as we would
choose, or as our limited vision would
dictate as best, but that which is well
for us from Gods perfect point OF view.
A parent is often forced to choose for
the child contrary to the little ones
desire and longing. Why? Not to cause
the child sorrow. Not to deprive it of
some real and wholesome good. No,
but because the maturer judgment and
clearer vision of the parent see that
the good of the child demands restric-
ton and denial. THAT it may be well"
with the child, requires that it yield
loving obedience to the parent, and
walk in the pathway marked out by
his tender, wise judgment. And so is
Hit with our relations to our Heavenly
Father. His way is best. His way is
the pathway of blessing. For come
what may, "all things work together
for good to them that love God" And
then there is the thought of complete
ness. THAT we may prolong your days
in the land which we shall possess"
God never turns out anything but a
finished product. View nature from any
standpoint, with microscope or tele-
scope, and everything is complete and
perfect. All, how wonderfully so! And
God desires for us just such delightful
completeness. In His hands, obedient
to His will, following His leading.
mean prolonged days and complete
possession of the place intended to be
filled by us. We come short of the glory
of God because we refuse to walk in
the path of blessing. We fail to reach
completion, but if we observe to do as
the Lord commands us He realizes in
us that glorious completion of life and
character which He had planned.
O 0 MUCH then for the blessing which
- ome in the way of obedience to God.
1t means life, it means ~well-being, it
means completeness. And around this
three-fold blessing cluster all else that
may come to one. But what of the way
of realizing this blessing? How may
we realize this God-given life, this we'll
being at His hands, this completeness of
life and character? God says: 'Ob-
serve to do as Jehovah your Goo hath
| commanded you; We shall not turn to the
right hand or the left; We shall walk in
all the way which Jehovah your God
hath commanded" What is it to OBJ
serve to do all that God has commanded?
Can it mean less than complete observ-
ance of His perfect law? Surely not, for
God means what He says and always
SAYS what He means. And if the way OF
blessing is t o be found only by perfect
obedience to Gods law, who is there who
can fulfill Gods conditions? Moses
failed, David failed, the prophets whom
God sent all failed, there was none who
could perfectly keep Gods law. And
there has been no n since then who has
succeeded. What then is man to do?
Has God imposed conditions He knew
man could not meet? Yes, but He also
provided one who has perfectly kept His
law and earned the way OF blessing,
Jesus, the only begotten Son of God.
And while nan is utterly unable to full
fill Gods conditions Jesus has accom-
plish it for him, and the first step in
obedience to Gods law is the recognition
of Jesus as the Son of God, and the ac-
ceptance of Him as Saviour. Obedience
cannot possibly be realized by the OBJ
servance of a few of the minor law OF
God, while the supreme command: Be
lieye on the Lord Jesus Christ" goes un-
needed and is willfully disobeyed.
n BEDIENCE-what is obedience!
" Aboubeker, the successor OF Ma
homet. in order that he might continue
his conuuests, wrote to Amrou, one OF
his followers, ordering him to levy a
number Of warriors among his tribes
and conduct them to Damascus to swell
the torrent Of Islamism. Amrou, who
governed in peace his shepherd tribes,
received this order with pain, but he did
not hesitate to obey. II am" he sent
back word to the caliph, lone Of the ar
rows of Islamism; God has placed the
bow in thy hand; it is for thee to launch
the arrow to what destination thou may
est choose" Here was admirable obedl-
ence. Amrou might nave yielded obe-
dience in every other relation which he
sustained to his chief and yet he would
have failed if he had refused to grant
his special request. Here was the test
as to whether or not he was an obedient
follower of Aboubeker. Can we think
that God would demand less than an
earthly ruler? If we reject Christ and
His claims upon us, we reject all. II we
81. A. 1hoxy %hn c,,nromo coll Nf Gnd