The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1920-03-26

III the verse chosen
81 as a text and in
succeeding verses
His words have a voice, even today,
for those who think anything less
than the best is good enough for God.
God required that the Jews should
bring for sacrifice animals without
blemish, yet they were laying on the
altar the blind, the lame and the sick.
What a picture of the devotion which
we, alas, too often present to Godl
Our sin is worse than that of the
Jews, for Christ has been set forth
before us as cruclfied In our stead, so
that our hearts should sing:
Were the whole realm Of nature mine.
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Some years ago a missionary In
West Africa asked the native converts
to bring a Christmas gift for Jesus.
They came with beads and bits Of
cloth, klt one girl brought a silver
piece worth about sixty cents. The
heart of the missionary sank, for she
thought the money had been stolen.
But after much questioning, the girl
gave this answer: "0h, missionary,
wanted to bring Christmas gift for
Jesus, but l am so poor l had nothing
TO bring. SO went to the SLAYER and
sold myself. This Is the price and |
have brought 1t as gift for the Lord
who died for me-" What a rebuke to
our offering Of the. blind, the lame,
the sick, in our service!
Malachi makes clear that one reason
the Jews dealt so contemptuously with
God was, that they did not realize his
majesty. He speaks of him as "the
Lord of hosts" and makes him say:
al am a great King" If there should
descend upon us sense of whose we
are and whom we serve, we could
hardly be content to offer him the pit
tances of money and time and
strength we are so prone to bring.
Surely, in that day when the hidden
things are brought to light we shall
be ashamed of the paltry things we
have offered to the King. Might we
even now, by faith, through his word,
realize his greatness and present to
him that which is worthy Of "the
Lord of hosts"
The prophet also makes clear that
the Lord has contempt for polluted
sacrifices. He makes God say: ooh
that there were one among you that
would shut the doors, that We might
not kindle FIRE on my altar in vain!'
". 10 r. W He would rather have
the temple closed than to be insulted
with such sacrifices as they brought.
We may deceive our fellows by our
show of zeal in Gods service, but, de-
pend upon 1t, he holds us in contempt
II we are perfunctory in our service
and lacking In heart devotion.
Losing Our Crowns.
Moreover. the prophet makes clear
that the opportunity for service will
be taken away from those who do not
appreciate II. Speaking to these Jews,
God says: "For from the rising of
the sun even unto the going down
of the same my name shall be great
among the Gentiles" ". ~. 1t is
well-known that, for the time being.
God has turned from Israel to the
Gentiles, although he has by no means
"cast away his people" Israel. And
something like this occurs in the In
dividual sphere, as well as in the ma
tional.
"Let no man take thy crown" Is
the exhOrtation of the risen Lord, and
sad indeed Is the condition of those
who miss spiritual opportunities and
who are poor when they might be
rich.
Finally, II is pointed out that those
who do not give God Of their best are
likely to become unhappy in their half
hearted service. "Ye said, Behold,
what a WEAKNESS is it, ". 13). One
has written truly: ''The service Of
God is its own reward. If not, 1t be
comes a greater toll, with less reward
from this earth than the things of this
earth. Our only choice is between
love and WEAKNESS"
An old Jewish writer has left this
beautiful exhortation: "Say little and
do much. Be Ike Abraham. who only
promised a morsel Of bread. but
fetched a calf tender and good" (Gen-
lS:5D.