Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-30


ever you are able to do in the
world.
Martha the Cook.
You remember that Jesus was up
there at the house one day and
Martha was out getting dinner for
Jesus and the disciples, and Mar
tina poked her head in the door
and said to Mary, "Carest thou not
that | serve alone?"
Now. wouldn't it get on your
nerves if there were IL great husky
men in for dinner, and you had
great big sister loafing on the Job
doing nothing? Just get a little
horse sense into it now. So Mary
sat there, and Martha poked her
head in the door and said, "Carest
thou not that / serve alone?"
Jesus said. Tut, tut. tut, thou
art troubled and worried about
many things"
She said, "Oh, my potatoes are
burning"
Her hands were all covered with
flour and the sweat was rolling
down her face. She said. 81 should
think I am troubled about a lot OF
things. Here my potatoes are
burning up"
Jesuss aid, Martha, thou art
troubled and worried about many
things. One thing is needful."
What is that? II is needfuI above
all to be a Christian Seek we
first the kingdom of God" but you
can't pray all the time, you have
got to cook. You can't go to pray
er meeting all the time Certainly
not! And so therefore, il is no de-
pertinent of Christian effort to be
occupied in one thing when some
thing just as important remains
undone. If somebody didn't hustle
around and cook you would starve.
You can't sit around and read, and
be pious and long-faced all the
time. Somebody has got to get up
and hustle.
] think Mary was a uneeda bis
cult, fruit salad, peanut butter
kind of a woman.
If you ever invite me to your
home, cut out the veal loaf. It is
all right, it is good, but l don't like
it. ] would just as soon eat baled
shavings.
Now, Mary needed this time of
testing. Her heart really wasn't in
sympathy. Oh, God Almighty will
be testing this old community as
never before in her history. God
will test every preacher, and God
will test every church member,
whether you are ready to throw
your influence on the side of
Jesus Christ.
You are not going to be found
wanting when Jesus needs you.
You are being tested all around.
Now, l have never seen a revival
that didn't start just that way in
my life. Nothing good ever started
with a majority. The anti-slavery
movement; they rolled William
Lloyd Harrison in the mud in Bos-
ton because he dared stand up and
champion freedom for the slave.
They build monuments to him
now, my friends.
Sometimes it is a godly sister,
signing and groaning before the
Lord. Sometimes il is a preacher,
moaning because of the deplorable
condition of the people. and their
apathy and their indifference and
their stolidity to Gods cause and
the truth
oh, there is nothing like per-
sOnal experience, sir; and what
Mary learned, she got from Martha.
Mary's religion was secondhand
That's what's the matter with a lot
of you today. You don't live so
that God can show his power
through you, so you can learn from
personal experience.
Get Right With God.
When the church of God gets
right. you'll see thousands and
thousands of people in this world
converted.
Just this and am done: When
they rolled back the stone, then
they could see the dead body of
their brother; then when they did,
they began TO weep. Jesus wept,
Martha wept, Mary wept. They
just wept, and they had a weeping
time.
They that sow in tears shall
reap in Joy" Did you ever cry
over anybody going to the devil ?
Did you ever shed a tear over the
sins of somebody in the world?
You didn't have to try to cry when
your baby died did you? You
didn't have to try to cry when the
hearse called at your house. did you.
when you looked at your loved one
in the coffin? Did you have to try
TO work yourself up to tears? Why
not? Because it was the easiest |
thing in the world to cry. 1t was