Evening star., 1922-12-23
Sunday School Lesson

did not intimate that the service
asked of Him was wrong. but He
pointed out that His gospel did not
deal directly with such problems. 1t
went deeper and sought to reconstruct
human character He introduced the
changes and that eventually would
correct all the abuses and wrongs in
society and every realm of human life.
He tried to make men understand that
their first duty was to make life.
Too many men in their efforts to
make a living have forgotten that
their first concern should be the MAX
ing of life. Covetousness makes
men forget the supreme value OF lire.
1t fills them. like the rich fool. with
the passion for money. Jesus warned
His hearers against the peril OF be-
ing money mad
The Master sought to impress upon
His hearers the "deceitfulness of
riches by His parable of the rich
fool. There is not single word IN
the teachings Of Christ that can be
construed as antagonistic to the pos
session of wealth that is acquired
honestly through ability and indus
try. There is something attractive
about the RICH man of the parable. His
possessions were evidently derived
from the earth, which would imply he
had been Industrious and Intelligent
in his work of tilling the soil. His
prosperity was the result of toll. He
had earned his riches not by specula-
tion or charging exorbitant prices for
his produce, but by hard work. He
was prudent in planning to protect
his harvest and increase his invest
ments. He made big plans for the fu-
ture but the cancer of covetouSneSS
had destroyed his spiritual life.
Orr has pointed out that the r!ch
fool made three mis- ;akes: he miStook
his body for his soul: he n,istook time
for eternity: and he miStook hImSelt
for God. the ruler of all destlnles.
There We're other errors that may nave
resulted from his being self-centered.
He misappropriate the goods. He
forgot that all which he possessed
belonged to God and that he was only
a trustee authorized by Jehovah 20 diS-
pose of the same for His glory and
the welfare Of humanity. Neither ne
or we have Il right to consider that
ought of our possessions are personal
our Lord has entrusted us with the
same and He will exact an account
ing from us when We give TO him IN
eternity the record of our life and
labor. He erred by considering the
barns and harvest as his. forgetting
what belonged to God.
CovetouSneSS ia 4 greater peril TO a
rich man than to the poor man. If we
think that a mans life consistent in
the abundance of the things wich he
pcssesseth. we have been enSnared by
the dangerous sin, that has ITS roots
in the love of money. 1t viii! destroy
our spiritual life and imperil our fu-
ture. especially if God should sudden
" summon US. as He. did the rich fool.
by the m-sse niger OF death w eai'h
can't prevent the coming OF the reap
.r Against this dark background OF
covetousness. that made d man forget
God ard his feilowman, We turn TO
consider in this Christmas lesson how
we should prepare to meet Him when
He comes again by a life of faith,
The rich fool was not prepared for
his summons to meet God. The pre-
paredness of the lesson topic is not
the rnlitariStic kind with which the
word in recent years has been asso-
ciated. When the nations of the world
are ruled and controlled by the spirit
of this lesson, and not until then. can
our country afford to exhibit such
faith in humanity as to be unprepared
for war. The message of the angels
promised peace to men of good Will.
There is no better way for America to
create a spirit among the nations that
will foster good will than by a disin-
terested effort to minister unto the
suffering of all nations and help them
regain their place in the worlds ac-
tivities through a practical applica-
ton of Christ's message to His dis
ciples that carried to a logical con-
clusion the parable of the rich fool