The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-07-08

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f-.fEAh A!ET/SNslE HT ri lONS " SOd-
jIIg MEH who is able to
will bless, if VIC
will put ourselves
in the way of blessing. Man knows God
so imperfectly, and judges of the Divine
nature and character from the hayward
and imperfect and sinful human heart,
that it is not an uncommon thing for
man to think that God is capricious and
partial in His dealings, that blessing at
His hands is not sure reward, but I'M
certain in realization. and disproportion-
ate in amount How often God is
charged with forgetfulness, if not abso-
lutte and heartless neglect. How often
discomfort and bitterness of heart con-
troll in the thought of God, because we
encourage ourselves to believe that mer-
It has gone unrewarded, that faithful
ness has been unnoticed and uncom-
mended, that obedience has not received
its just compensation. We judge God
unfaithful, unappreciative, unlOving
and unfair. and turn from Him in impa-
thence and unbelief and resolve that we
will quit trying. Such, l say, is COM
mon experience | dare say you who
read these words can recall such in your
life. But it is all wickedly untrue. God
longs to bless, and His blessing is not
given capriciously and with Partially,
for God is no respecter of persons" He
has no favOrites, in the human sense of
the term; He does not give to one what
He is unable or unwilling to give to an
other under like circumstances and con-
ditions, and the Divine will and purpose
and the conditions which call forth the
blessing do not fluctuate like the quota
tions of the stock market. No. there is
blessing for you and me at the hands of
the Lord as surely as there was blessing
for the Old Testament patriarchs or the
New Testament saints. Let us consider
the way of blessing.
THERE are conditions governing
Il blessing at the hands of the Lord.
l do not recall a single promise of God
which is not linked with some condi-
ton. Man must do his part in order to
receive and enjoy the blessing which
God would give him. Earthly parents
give too often to their children with
carelessly indulgent hand and spoil IN
the giving. They give without thought,
reason or purpose. They give just to
crafty the parental pride in giving,
and to satisfy the willful desire on the
part of the child to receive. More often
than not no conditions whatever are
imposed, The child receives whether it
merits it or not. Even when conditions
are imposed as like as not it receives
whether the conditions are fulfilled or
not. But it is not so with the dear
Lord, who is too wise, and too loving,
and too faithful, to commit any such
error The promise of His blessing is
conditioned upon the attitude of the
heart of man, upon the yieldingness OF
his will, upon the faithfulness of the
life. In Gods dealings with the chill
dren of Israel we find suggestive
thoughts of Gods method with man to-
day. When they were obedient unto
His law, and followed His leading, they
received the blessing at His hands.
When they were disobedient and turned
aside into forbidden paths, the fruit
age of their sins was trouble and hard
ship, and oppression at the hands of
the heather nations about them. Our
text gives us Gods special admonition:
Eye shall observe to do therefore as
Jehovah your God hath commanded
you; We shall not turn aside to the
right hand Or to the left; we shall walk
in all the way which Jehovah your God
hath commanded you, that we may live.
and that it may be well with you, and
that We may prolong your days in the
land which We shall possess
Ii ERE we have admonition and prom
Ill Use. The way of blessing was marked
by life and well-being and fullness of
years, and to walk that way required
obedience to Gods law, steadfastness of
purpose and persistent effort The high
est thing which God could offer was life.
and well-being while life lasted. and
completeness of years, and blessing at
Gods hands always includes these three.
What greater blessing can God offer than
life? With that one element of life lack
ing Of what good is all else? Lifei
Life! Lifei What a wonderful thing
is this life which throbs in our veinsi
This physical life, which makes of our
flesh something higher and better than
mere earth upon which our feet tread.
And to obey God means Metaphysical
life and spiritual life Sin means death.
it is death, but observing Gods law, and
walking therein means life here and life
in the world to come. First of all then
in matter of blessing is life to be. and
when God promised life 1 feel that we
are warranted in believing that he not
only meant life here, but also life be-
yond the grave. lcannot conceive of God
thinking of only the physical life, and
leaving out of His reckoning the eternal
life. Gods purpose for man from the
very beginning of creation was that man
should continue with Him in life and fell
lowship throughout the endless years of