St. Tammany farmer., 1904-06-25
And the world to-day Is full, Of 1u<4 th,,

And the world to-day Is full Of Ju<t that
kind of people. my land rather than
Gods land, because there every desire
and whim may be gratiied which is
within the power Of one to satisfy; be-
fractions of the world are to be found.
"My people," rather than Gods people,
because they like the world equally we'll
with yourself and help to make merry
the passing moments. When it comes to
question of giving up the things of the
world and the associates that are un-
wholesome, tht soul hesitates But why?
Not because the soul has to give up
more than it receives. No! for God calls
you to go from the poor land of indian
to the land flowing with the milk and
honey of His promises and blessing, and
the friendships there are truer and bet
ter than any which can ever be found in
the world. Ruth, choosing to leave her
own land and people, where she was sure
of comfort and plenty, and going with
Naomi to the land Of Gods own people,
gave up much, perhaps. but see what she
received in return: Better friends than
she left behind, home and husband,
and an inheritance, and a posterity
which prepared the way for the coming
of the promised Messiah Giving up?
YES, 1t means giving up my land and
my people" but it means more; it means
the finding of better land and bet
ter people.
IVES, and it means more than finding
l a better land and people, it means
receiving a commission for larger anI
better service. Hobab need not return
to indian to find something worth his
While to do. The invitation to go with
Gods people included a call to service.
A new mission in life lay before him.
10 go with Gods people meant that he
would have particular place to fill, an
important duty to perform. God has no
room for idlers. He invites you to yield
yourself to Him, to accept Him as
your Lord and Saviour, because He has
something definite for you to do for
Him and for the advancement of His
Kingdom. Hobab had lived in that Sec
tlon OF country through which the chill.
dren OF israel were passing all his life.
he knew every green patch of grass and
every tiny stream, he knew the easy
paths and could avoid the more difficult
PLACES in the journey He was just the
man Moses needed for guide and adj
wiser on the journey. 1t has been won-
defed why, when Moses had the pillar
OF cloud of Gods presence to lead the
way, he should seek other help for the
journey, but, as the commentators point
out, 1t should be remembered that "the
guidance of the cloud though showing
the general route to be taken through
the trackless desert, would not be so mi
mute as to point out the places where
pasture, shade and water were to be OBJ
ta1ned, and which were often hid in OBJ
scure spots by the shifting sands. Be-
sides, several detachments were sent off
from the main body, and the services of
Hobab, not as a single Arab, but as a
prince OF a powerful clan, would have
been exceedingly useful"
\ ND so what splendid opportunity
Hobab had of serving God and Gods
people. Eyes for more than million
precious souls! What a responsibility!
DO you know, dear soul, one reason why
God wants you to belong to Him, to
walk in fellowship with Him, is because
He has something for you to do, some
mission for you to perform, something
for you to do for which you are specially
fitted? The narrow life is the life that
is without Cod To belong to God does
not mean that all ability and talent go
to waste. No! 1t means that as never
adequate scope; field large enough
in which to operate Peter was a good
fisherman on the lake of Galilee, but
God wanted him that he might be-
come the greater fisherman Of the day
of Pentecost. His energies and abili.
ties needed the larger field of Gods
purpose in which to operate. Paul
needed the vision Of Christ and His
call to service to realize the mighty
forces for good which lay within him.
Jennie Lind would have been a great
singer, no doubt, had she kept her
voice for herself and sang only in
grand opera. But she chose to give
that marvellous voice to God, and what
glorious power it. was for good wher.
ever she went. What an influence it
exerted for God! Do not think, dear
soul, that God is asking you to yield
yourself to Him that He may humble
you, and narrow your sphere He
longs to have you come to Him that
He may enlarge your borders.~ and
give you task that is commensurate
with your abilities. He has something
definite for you to do.
IIOBAB missed his opportunity. Are
l you going to be as blind and in
different aas was he. and miss yours,
too? In the face of all that God had
done for His people, despite the evil
dence on every hand which he had
had while sojourning with the Israeli
ties that God was with them and bless
ing them, notwithstanding the fact
that all of Gods promises gave assur.
ance of blessing ahead. Hobab heart
lessly, and heedlessly, and blindly de.
clared: Il will not CO. And how
many there are who are displaying
the folly Of Hobab. Moses pleading
with HObab could not turn him from |