Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1941-08-28
Church and Home
BY REV. M. MIKKELSEN

Jesus had a way of making peo-
pie understand that there is nothing
in the whole world but his own re-
sentiment that can separate man from
God He opened the kingdom to
all, and did all He could to remove
the barriers and limitations imposed
by doctrine and tradition upon the
common people barring their way
into the kingdom and preventing
them from entering into full COM
munion with God.
The very fact that Jesus was in
terested in friendship, that He had
a deep understanding of human need,
and that He pointed to the values of
the Kingdom of God as possible
way of finding relief made it diff
fcult for the people of His time to
accept His presentation of the king
dom. They did not understand readi-
ly that the blessings of God are the
things we need every day such as
water, food, clothes, houses and that
the living word of God is contained
in those simple necessities rather
than in doctrine and in elaborate
church services.
We should be able better today,
than any other previous generation,
to understand what real Christianity
is like. Anyone having had the OPP
portunity, or m S ortune, going
through dry desert country, to be
without water for some time, long
enough to feel the pinch of thirst, is
able to get the full implication of the
statement: Il was thirsty, and you
gave me to drink" In the opinion of
some of those, who heard Him make
the statement, that he who gives a
stranger a drink of cold water and
offers him food and shelter, friend
ship and love, is expressing in human
terms the Kingdom of God to man,
and is therefore nearer to the heart
of God than he is who refuses to
render these simple tokens of friend
ship and love, Jesus is committing
an act of blasphemy.
There were evidently people, who
had much greater services to their
credit, who never missed a worship
service, who never broke command
ment, who gave freely to missions,
etc. Why should they not have a
place as well within the walls of the
kingdom? It's not easily explained,
for it is not the nature or type of
service that makes the difference,
but rather if you are in it for the
gain, or just for the privilege of serv-
ing. The person who is really con-
cerned about what is good and true
in life will be ready, l believe, to
serve in that capacity all the time.
The most important things you have
done were not the things you planned
to do, but the things you did when
an emergency arose and you had to
act suddenly in order to meet the
situation. When you have time to
plan your activities and put on your
looks you are apt to appear in a bet
ter light; however, real character is
not changed by outward showing of
planned appearance. Weakness of
character is evidenced by pretenti-
GUS ex1lOlLlOIl. DUL IlOIIlulS Is
gained by false appearance! you may
impress certain type of people, but
you cannot fool God, in His sight
you appear as you are no matter
how you behave.
There are tests we shall be re-
quired to meet. We know not when
these tests will come, but we know
that when they come they may as
well come through such simple things
as the giving of glass of cold water
to a stranger, or smile and kind
word to wayward child as by the
way of weightier requirements.
None can tell when the test in
which character is displayed will
come, but we know it will come by
way Of life expressing itself in terms
OF service toward human need.