The Tupelo journal., 1904-07-08

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IN FIJI His command, with
~m unlimited power to
kG3HHA@ accomplish His
L Nnl~G purposes, with in
kysAUHaJ G3AuGM finite wisdom to d.
6hm0 EWey4N rect and unfath-
LB NkNMYM omable love to con-
VIAM MNH troll, God is a God
INV MHM who is able to
w NJ bless, who wants
&lE to bless, and who
will bless, if We
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 ncommon thing Tor
mar to think that God is capricious n
partial in His dealings, that blessing at
His hands is not a sure reward, but I'M
certain in realization, and d~isproportion-
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-
1t has gone unrewarded, that faithful
ness has been unnoticed and uncom-
mended. that obedience has not received
it's just compensation. We judge God
unfaithful, unappreciative, unloving
and unfair, and turn from Him in impa-
thence and unbelief and resolve that We
.,.1I ~,.x ito C,,1h ;- n oNr ~,
mon experience. l dare say you who
read these words can recall such in your
life. But it is all wickedly untrue. Goo
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 n 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 f1uctuate like the quota
lions of the stock market. No, there Is
blessing for you and mt 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
l. blessing at the hands of the Lord.
! do not recall a single promise of God
which is not linked with some condi-
ton. Mar 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 OF 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:
"Ye 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 ye may live.
and that it may be well with you, and
that We may prolong your days in the
land which We shall possess"
HERE 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? Life!
Life! Life! What a wonderful thing
is this life which throbs in our veins!
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 feel that we
are warranted in believing that he not
only meant life here, but also life be-
yond the grave. cannot conceive of God
thinking of only the physical life, and