The Omaha guide., 1945-10-20

6OhDEN IEAI-IOVe SuIIeT6LH lOA6i
and is kind.-I Corinthians 1874.
Things do not just happen. 1t takes
praying and planning and real ef-
fort to accomplish a worthwhile
purpose. We are thinking these
weeks of the home as a Christian
center of influence. We trust that
many are asking in their hearts,
What can l do to make my home
really Christian"
The answer is clear. A home viii
be Christian when those in it are
Christian and put their Christianity
into daily practice. First, you must
be sure Of your own salvation and
that of the members Of your house
hold. Then you can proceed to put
the principles of goodness to work.
Our lesson presents the believing
home as one that is well-balanced.
There is both:
1. Work and Worship duke 10:
38-42).
No home can be q place of COM
fort and pleasant fellowship without
much work. A disorderly, dirty or
rundown house is a disgrace and a
Encouragement to all that is finest
in the relations of those who live in
it.
Home need not be a mansion. II.
does not have to be richly furnished.
but it does need to be clean and
orderly. Meals must be made
Cleaning must be done. So far
Martha was right. but she went too
far. She let the labor Of the house
hold hinder her from what she 81
deeply needed fellowship, not only
with her family but with the Lord.
Now, notice that Mary had not
shirked her duty to share the work
Observe the word 'also" in verse
SO. She had worked, but she also sat
at Jesus feet. She knew when il
was time to cali a halt to labor and
make the most of good comradeship.
Blessed wisdomi Would that many
burdened housewives would learn Of
Mary!
Jesus made it clear that life in
the home is to strike a proper bal
ance between work and worship. If
you do not know where to make the
division in your home, err on the
side Of worship. Give that more
time than it should have rather
than less.
Alas, is it not true that in most
homes, ven in Christian homes.
worship is almost, if not entirely.
forgottenl Something should be done
about that. Will you do it in your
home?
ii. Love and Longsuffering q Cor
bad.
We are apt to think Of love as the
warn feeling of interest and emo
ton which suffuses ones nature in
moments of special pleasantness or
Of intimate fellowship. But life is
not made up Of a succession Of
pleasant incidents, of sunny after
Moons and moonlit evenings.
Life is real; it is earnest, and
often it is drab and irritating. What
about such times? Can love meet
them? Yes. for love knows how TO
be longsuffering.
But someone may ask, Does love
really work, or is this just a fine
sounding but obsolete theory? 1t
works!
Think of the things in life which
irritate and depress us. Then put
opposite them the qualities Of Chris
tan love as given in verses 4 to 7,
and you will agree that what this
world needs most Of all is love.
Remember that talking about love.
or reading about it, or studying it in
the Sunday school will not make
it effective. We must put it into prac-
tice. Why not start now? You will
be surprised at the results.
iii. Promise and Perfection wv.
8-13).
Christianity has a hope, and that
is not just a vague wishing that
something might come to pass; it is
a sure hope. In Christ all the rich
promise of prophecy, of faith. Of
hope will come to pass.
The Christian home is the place to
teach boys and girls to believe with
assurance that He who has begun a
good work in US will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ" CPhil.
1:6).
We who see only dimly shall one
day see u Lord face to face, and
love shall abide through all eternity.
Many gifts r only temporary in
their usefulness; in fact, almost ev-
erything that man makes or does
(apart from his service for God) is
transient.
Even as vital a matter as
prophecy shall one day find its end
in fulfllment. Hope shall eventually
find its longing expectation salts
fed. Faith will be justified in seeing
what it has believed. Childish things
will be put away by the full
grown man; knowledge will increase
and darkness disappear.
But love - love is eternal. 1t
lever fails, and will never fail. God
is love, and God is eternal. From
all eternity and unto all eternity
love continues. Therefore, we agree
with Paul who, in the verse proceed
ing this chapter Il Cor. 12:31) saws
that while you may covet the best
gift. here is the more excellent way.