Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17


| life. No doubts no Worries no longings!
| Woe unto you that are rich'-"Woe unto
you. ye that are FULL" says the Lord. And
| the threat meets just such cases, because
their state Of satisfedness prevents them
from ever making a beginning in up
ward direction. Contrary to popular belief
he'll is to a large extent inhabited by good
| people. Their goodness has never led
them beyond themselves. They who rejoice
In state of living faith are people who
once upon a time became impressed with a
sense of need and longing and desire. The
Philippians What must do to be saved?
Saurs Lord. what wilt Thou have me do?
Luther's 20 my sins, my sinsv-there are
but expressions of the self-same recognition
of poverty. And as the pastor delights to
hear them come, In one form or another
from the souls OF those to whom he minis
tiers, the ever-watchful Lord of His flock
hears the faintest outcry OF this nature In
the least OF His beings and Immediately
finds in 1t the opportunity to bless and to
quicken. The empty vessel is in a position
| to be filed.
| Blessed are We poor" because the sense
of need and poverty is the condition of all
spiritual growth.
Woe to the Christian who finds nothing
| to regret in his life after his conversion
| He may have been converted. But the
good work begun in him has come to a
standstili. transplanted trees will. in a
| III
growth The great apostle freely confesses
| in the midst of his blessed career: Not
| that l already made perfect" But
| that very recognition leads him to press
| on toward the goal" to stretch forward to
| the things which are before" The growing
| Christian, while he is cheerful hopeful,
| assured of a successful outcome, is always
cognizant of his failings and shortcomings
| and limitations. While he is grateful for
what he>is and has been permitted to ac-
| complish, he sees plainly what he is not
| and what he has failed to do.
| More love to Thee. o Christ,
| More love to Thee
are the breathings Of his heart. And that
very longing in many forms keeps him in
| touch with the source of life, makes him
the humble, careful. prayerful. srowing
| Christian that he is.
| His very poverty makes him acceptable
among men And this is another reason
why he is blessed.
The sef-satsfied one who makes no mis-
takes and has nothing to regret, is not
the kind of man you want to associate and
work with. The flintstone is bound to pro-
duce sparks The proud will force you and
every one else into attitude OF opposition.
1t is the soft answer. the humble charac
ter, that turneth away wrath And true
humility-one of the results of the poverty
meant here-is true strength. that will tell
among men.
More than that-it insures Gods favor.
God resisteth the proud but giveth grace
to the humble It is most surely true
we live by Gods favor. by the grace Of
God I am what 1 am" But His favor
only rests upon those who are in accord
with Him Gods greatest work is the
sending and ofrening Of a Savior. He that
is spiritually poor reaches out for and glad
| ly accepts this savior. mat is the greatest
act the human soul can engage in. 1t is
| the highest form in which man honor
| God And II only the poor can do this.
there need be no surprise at Christ's
| beathude.
| True poverty is q state OF heart, which
enables US to receive the fullness of the
| life beyond.
| In the parable of the last judgment those
on the right side know OF merit of their
own Lord, when Thee an hun
| gered and fed Thee" They are absolutely
poor But 1t Is they who receive the
final invitation: Enter in, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you. The human soul
was made to be filed with the fullness of
God The one that on earth has become
empty, poor In matters of self. will be
found beyond to be an everlasting vessel of
Gods never falling riches. How supreme
ly important then 70 attain to true. God
pleasing poverty. No man ought to die
rich.
| The proud Roman adage "beati posi-
dentes''-blessed are they who possess-is
| shining but miserable fallacy.
| Christ's paradox. Blessed are We poor is
/ nl,,fa tr,,+b