Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-05


was to keep near to Him. Anything that
got in the way of that had to be taken
out of the way. Sam Jones says that q
million dollars need not hurt a mans relig-
ion If IL Is in his hand. but one cent can
hide his God from him If he holds 1t close
to his eyes. So. the good things of this
world need not harm us; will not, II we
keep God first.
to boys called First" says: Il am not
here to tell you to seek the kingdom of God.
l have come to tell you to seek the Kingdom
of God first Not many people do that.
They put little religion into their life
once a week, perhaps They might just as
well let 1t alone. 1t Is not worth seeking
the Kingdom of God unless we seek 1t first.
Suppose you take the helm out OF ship
and hang 1t over the bow, and send that
ship to sea: will it ever reach the other
side? Certainly not. 1t will drift about
anyhow. Keep religion In its place and II
will take you straight through life and
straight to your Father in heaven when
life Is over. But If you do not put 1t In
Its place you may just we'll have moth
ing to do with it, Religion out of Its place
in a human life Is the most miserable thing
in the world. There is nothing that re-
quires much to be kept in its place as
religion. and its place is what-second.
third? First Boys, carry that home with
you today-tirst, the kingdom of God. Make
it so that 1t will be natural to you to thlnk
about that the very first thing.
Now. some of us who think We have made
God first are making a great mistake about
this matter of the first fruits Cain made
such mistake, and his bitter chagrin
when he realized it caused him to rise
against his own brother and commit muir
der. 1t may be that some OF us nave peen
harboring, not murder, but something taken
to its beginnings, in the jealousy we feel
toward some Christians who are better off
in this world S goods than we. And 1t may
be just that God can trust them with more
than lie can us, because they do not let the
4, 10 hon
Take the matter of the thing Of your in
come. How many of you have been afraid
to do 1t, because your incomes We're so eX-
ceedng small? You dared not trust your
heavenly Father to increase them to Mt
your needs but needs must measure them
out yourself and make His portion smaller
You compared what you were giving to
benevolent purposes with what some OF
your weather. neighboTS We're giving, and
you thought you We're doing pretty WELL
and God ought to be satisfied with you
You bought things with your money that
perhops were not foolish nor unnecessary,
but after all, if you had realized that you
We're not giving God your first and best,
but only laying aside for Him what you
thought you could spare after your own
wants had been supplied, you could have
done differently.
Take the matter of your time. Do you
give any of the best of it to God? Sun
day2 Yes, but you otten grudge some of
that. You go to church and Sunday school,
can relax trihe your conscience. 1t
does not hurt you much that you spent
whole two hours last Sunday afternoon
criticsing your neighbours clothes and
planning how you would make over your
last summers dress. Why present a day
to God that is full of blemishes? Why
not get up in the morning with the feeling
that your time is His all day. for you just
to give up to His sweet will, and delight
yourself in Him?
The first fruits of every day should be-
long to Him, too. You should give Him
your first thoughts in the morning. 1t
need not take you but a few minutes from
your duties 1t may be but a breath up
ward you will have time for, but your first
waking thought should be toward the Fa-
ther who has cared for you all through the
night and whose guidance you need during
the day, for temptation may be waiting
for you just outside the threshold of your
bedroom door.
Your love, too, do you give the first fruits
of that, or is 1t just what is left over
after you have spread ii upon your friends,
your earthly pleasures, your own way, and
such like? These are worth looking into.
Applied Truth. ...
gentleman of wealth once gave a large
sum of money for the erection of church
building for a poor congregation. The
church became noted for its spirituality
and good work. Later the donor lost all
his money and a friend said to him: Now
II you had the money you gave to that
church 1t would start you in business"
Sir" said he, that is the only money
have saved. If 1t had not been there it
would have gone with the rest. AS 1t is,
have 1t yielding me an interest which
will only cease 10 accumulate when the
knell Of time is sounded. and during the
ages of eternity will be poured into my
BOSOM in the blessed consolation that hun
dreds have bowed at the altar erected with
that money and acknowledged Their Savior"
How to Help the Leader.
Tell how Jay Cooke decided to take ia
cob's pledge-"Of all that thou shalt give
me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee"
and directed his clerk to open an account
with old Patriarch Jacob and credit a
tenth of all the commissions that came into
the office. Speaking of the marvellous sue
cess that attended the firm of which he
was a member, and how the O. p. ]. &C
count amounted to enormous sums. When
asked how he could afford to give so much,
Mr.. Cooke said: 1t don t cost me anything;
it's the Lords money l give"
Parallel passages-Proverbs, 1926, Deu-
teronomy 6:5 Ephesians 3:17-19, Psalms
119:45-47, Matthew 633, Luke 1922, Psalms
1l6:1 II, IS.
Hints to the leader-The Endeavor Hymn
nal-12. 81, 123, 49, ia, 279.
1t would be well if you could ask a dozen
of your members beforehand to look into
their own lives and see If they have rem
their experiences In trying to make good
these gifts to God, of time, money. strength,
love, etc.
Put upon the blackboard different fruits
that we can offer to the Lord which will
prove accepta BILE calling for them from the
members. Leave plenty OF time for sem
tence prayers. These should be of conse-
Grafton and of asking forgiveness for unac-
ceptable gifts brought in the past.
Thou who didst hang upon a barren tree,
My God, for me;
Though till now be barren, now at length,
Lord, give strength
To bring forth fruit TO Thee.
Thou who didst bear for me the Of thorn
Splitting and scorn;
Though till now have put forth thorns, yet
Strengthen me Thou,
That better furit be borne.
--CHRISTINA G. ROSETTI
M ANY A M ERIC Ms