The Monroe journal., 1919-09-26

tuie By doing Gods will in so far as
Ne know il and pouring out 0gr
hearts 10 him ia worship OF prayer
ana praise all The days OF our lives.
And the more we do his will the more
will We come TO know oi his doctrine.
We have the sons own word for that.
Notice the words OF the text again.
. that whosoeyer believeth in
him should not perish. but have ev-
erlasting life" NhosOeyer That
means everybody. doesn't il? There
is the aim OF Gods boundless love
and supreme sacrifice. Saving the
whole world. redeeming all mankind
il il will only believe in the son. God
will save all if all will be saved. The
simple reason why all are not saved
is that all Will not be saved. II We
believe in the son we will love God,
and if We love God. OF course We will
try TO do his will and so become fl
for the eternal life in the Fathers
mansions.
When the Pharisee lawyer asked
Jesus, Master. which is the great
commandment in the law >" you re-
member. that Jesus said TO him
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart. and with all ;hy
soul. and with all thy mind. This is
the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto ii. Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On
these two commandments hang ali
The Law and the prophets"
We must love God. bur we have TO
know him before we can love him.
That's why We must believe in the
son. who said. III We have known me,
We have known the father. | am in
the father and the father is in me. ("
To believe in the son is to know him.
To know the son is To know the faith
er. To know God is to love him. To
love him is TO obey him. To obey
him is to grow i'm his likeness ana in
herit the birthright of citizenship in
the kingdom hose king is love.
Saint John In his first epistle writes:
I'VE love him because he first loved
us. Ii man say, | love God, and
hateth his brother. he is a liar: For
he that loveth not his brother, whom
he hath seen, how can he love GOO
whom he hath not. SEEM We must
believe in God. We mus, know him.
Someone may say. Can | make
myself beleve?" Perhaps not. if you
DO not wish TO. But You will believ e
/ If YOU wish to- DO YOU think Gol
would have made belief necessary ia
I salvation if it was so that anybody
could not believe? No Our God did
not do that. Anyone who wishes to
believe can believe. | challenge any
one to wish honestly To believe in tho
son and continue in unbelief II h'
really wishes the faith he viii ggt T.
something will be shown him 10 con
vince him.
God gave us free win when d,
made Us in his own likeness. To lhdJ
extent he limited himself. So he by
his own limitation cannot force belief
or salvation upon us. And there IS
the supreme glory OF Gods rlan OF
salvation for us, He has nut Us it
that exteat on plane with himself
We work out our own salvation. How
nconceiyably less would be our slcN
If we were transported into the King
dom Of God willy-nilly No, we chooS'
with our imperial God-siyen Will.
whether we will share the real, th'
eternal. the supreme life with Cod, ol
80 down into the degradation of dam
nation-loss of life with God, loss o
everything that is dearest 10 The
hearts of men.
We enter the Kingdom of Gnd oi
stay out. as We choose. We all ha|t
the invitation. And remember, th'
Kingdom of God begins on this earth
and if we ever get TO heaven we VIII
have to carry it there with us
If we ever had the idea that Goo
sits on a throne like an Oriental po
tentate. rewarding some and punish
ing others for what they do or dt
not do. let us get that picture on
of our minds for good and all. In;
reward Is for all We take it or leave
H. as we choose. We ascend th'
heights of glory, or doom ourselves
downward. as we will. It's we after
all that reward ourselves. It's w'
that punish ourselves. We live, o'
we die. And by Gods love, we car
live if we will.