The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-09-06

* '------S--S-=- ser is more con-
cerned on having the Lord on his
side than about being on the Lords
side.
The natural tendency Of man is to
seek his own or the things of human
ity, rather than the things of the Lord,
and man is simply asking what some
particular course will bring to him, or
what it will bring to his. time. The
chief end of man in these days is not
to glOrify God. In this, grievous wrong
Is done. When course of action is
before one, the chief question should
not be, "How will it affect me?" nor,
indeed, SLOW will it affect my neigh
borY but "How will it affect GodT"
The great need Of the day is a new
sensing of God-God at the beginning,
God in the middle, God at the ending.
The right thing for man is to ask
where God is, and to go where he is.
If man would do that many of his
great theological questions would be
settled. God manifests himself
through his Word, and if men would
go to the Word of God with these
questions they would soon be substan-
TALLY correct on all of them.
The text suggests the question, "Who
Is on the Lords side?" or rather,
"What man or woman has n right to
say that he is on the Lords side?"
In the particular case before us, the
people had made a golden calf and
were worshiping it. To do that was
to break the first two commandments
Of the Decalogue, and it became open
idolatry. 1t is inevitable that man
worship. If he does not worship God
he will worship some thing, or some
one else. Nor can a man be on the
Lords side If he does those things that
the Lord hates.
If man would know his duty to the
Lord he should seek to know what the
Lord thinks Of certain things, and here
again he must take the Lords ju1G-
ment through his Word, for he cannot
know what the Lord thinks unless he
knows his Word. AS to particular ac-
tons, man may be left to his own
judgment, but as TO the great princi-
pies that lie at the root Of things, the
Lord makes clear declaration in his
Word. Does the Lord love liar, bru-
tally, deception? The remnant of
Gods image in man says at once, mo
Mol" Does the Lord favor truth, lib
erty, kindness? That same remnant
of Gods image says, "Yes Yesw And
consequently, the duty is clear, and he
should stand for these things. We
might sum up everything by saying,
"Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
The scene connected with our text
was probably this: There was
golden calf and people were
dancing about 1t. Moses stood aloof
and made the cry, "WhosO is on the
Lords side, let him come to me-" Ac-
cording to the constitution and nature
of man we make appeals to him as to
his conscience, to his sense of duty or
privilege, and he must make choice.
What Is 1t to be on the Lords side?
1t Is a natural Inheritance from our
SHINING first parents that we will either
be Indifferent to Gods commands o.
we will positively refuse to obey
them. Fundamentally, the issue is the
same. In the case before us, the wor-
shipper of the golden calf either 1on.
tinued his dancing and worship, or
just endeavored to be neutral. A man
must "come across :" he must take q
positive stand. The position Of neu'
trail is the position of the enemy OF
God. There are no neutrals in our
country now as to Germany. Political.
ly we were neutral until the president
said that a state of war existed, but
now the neutral is a pro-German. We
must be out and out for the United
States of America. A mans religious
obligations could be illustrated by tax
ing the two sides of an imaginary line
and to IN imaginary line there can be
only two sides. 1t Is one thing or 1t Is
the other. We must be positively
clearly, professionally on Gods side
or we are against him. In the day IN
which we are living the ideals and mo-
tives are to be more sharply defined
than In former days.
An eloquent man said very recently
that heretofore men were living tt
make money. and now they are dying
to preserve righteousness. tremen
fous reversal If form. Precisely sc
of a mans actions; II their character
il to be determined by whether they
are right In the sight of God rather
than whether they have been person
ally or socially beneficial, man will ar
rive at the realization Of the purpose
of God and at the realization OF hif
own greatest happiness.