Omaha daily bee., 1915-10-16

! Continued from Page sixteonO
deeper and makes the probability that
I he will ever be saved just that much
less. for the devil tightens his grip on a
man every time he says no 60 Christ
| To decide TO hold on to sin another
hour may mean that you will have 20
hold on forever.
II wasn't because tho poor man OF the
text was the son OF Jesse that God heard
his cry. The fact that he had slain
Goliath didn't give weight 10 his cry. His
having been patient and forbearing with
Saul didn't give any stress to his call
upon God for help. II wasn't because ne
had killed the lion and the bear. or that
he had put many OF the kings eEemies
60 death. Neither was Il because he was
great In ruling the land and commanding
armies or that he was gifted In writing
poetry or In playing on the harp. When
cry goes up to the throne for Gods
help, II comes TO beggar just the same
as Il would 20 king There is no man
% humble or sinful or ignorant, that God
will not as surely heard his cry, when II
comes from a penitcnt heart, as n he
were one Of the greatest and most gifted
You say you are afraid you couldn't
live a Christian life II you should under
take II. Think Of David preforring 20
stay in the pit for fear he might fall in
againl Think OF a sick man not wanting
TO get well because he might get sick
agslni or OF bankrupt refusing TO pay
10 cents on the dollar because he couldn't
pay a hundred
II you can trust God to take you out of
sin while you are in IL, do you thing II
will be any harder TO trust him to keep
you out OF II after ne gets you outp
Because the Lord did something for tho
man OF the text count upon II that he
viii also do something for you. He ia no
respeoter OF persons. and is pledged TO
do for us what he has done for others
David was not only taken out OF the pit
in which he was lost but he was put
where he could travel with Joy and com
fort. The first thing that happens with
every forgiven sinner is that he finds It
a delight 10 do the Lords will II be-
comes thousand times easier for him
to live TO please God than not to do T.
God Makes Road.
HE set my foot upon a rock and eatab-
lished my going" God always makes the
road In which He. wants his pilgrims 10
travel. and It is free from miro. The way
Is made for the man. and the man for
the way, Just as the locomotive iu made
for the rail and the rail for the looomo-
tive II we step where God tells us to
step, though II may be a step in the dark,
when our foot comes down we will find
Il on the rock. That IL where David
found himself as soon as he got out OF
the pit In which he couldn't even try to
take q step without sinking deeper. He
had a solid foundation under him, and
knew whore he was going. This n Chris
tian experience. and IL as good a descrip-
ton OF what occurs today as OF anything
that happened In Bible times. Look at
| the two pictures and choose between
them. Ono shows where sin puts a man,
and the other what comes OF seeking God
In earnest. Look with pity upon the poor
man who founders In the horrible pit,
In which disgusting offal has been thrown,
| slowly and surely sinking In the filthy
slime. This IL what the devil does for
| those who serve him.
In contrast with this dark view, see the
man whose captivity has been turned.
The man whose feet have been taken out
OF the mire and planted on the rock Sec
him as he goes running and leaping on
his way TO the city that has foundations,
and whose maker and builder IL God.
There In a song on his lips and great Joy
In his heart Watch his face light up as
he catches glimpses OF the glorious place
to which he is going. There can be no
question as to which Is the best off; the
man in the mire or the man on the rock.
There is only one sure way to be saved
out of all trouble and that is TO do as the
man in the text did. II was the best
thing he could do. and It is the best thing
[ anybody In trouble can do. He cried TO
the Lord, and when a man gets to where
he cries 10 tho Lord he has reached a
place where he Is bound to get help. He
has come to whore he has stopped expect
ing help from any other source. Another
thing about Il Ia that when he cries TO
God he is willing TO be saved in Gods
way. and when a man once gets there
there is no trouble about his being saved.
When we once get where we stop reject
ing Gods plan OF salvation we are mighty
close to God.
Makes Clean sweep.
The Lord saved him out OF ali his
| troubles" That's the way God does
things. When He helps Us He makes a
clean sweep. He does as the good Samari-
tan did with the poor man on the Jericho
road. He does ali that is needed. HE
saved him out OF all his troubles" and
Jesus came into the world especially TO
do this for each one OF us-for you and for
me. II the text read. This poor man
had a trouble and he cried unto the Lord,
and the Lord heard him and saved him
from It," II would be great thing. but
II might be very discouraging TO some OF
US, for we might think. well. that man
had only one trouble and have many"
or My trouble Ia a great one and his
may have been but light one" But the
words show that the man had many trou-
bles. and this gives US all hope that we
may also be saved from all our troubles.
The cause Of the mans troubles is not
given, and this gives us all a chance to
| como In.
sure Way Out.
The text is good news for all OF us,
for II tells us there Is a sure way to
get out OF trouble and there Is not
one Of US who does not need the help
that is offered. II the Lord helped one
poor man out OF all his troubles He
will helD every other poor man out OF
his troubles, You can't make anything
else than this out Of II. Verses OF this
kind were not put in the Bible simply
70 fill up. but 70 make a ladder upon
which all may climb and find help. God
wants us to know that, although we