The Omaha guide., 1945-08-11

"a viz NY
wondrous things.-Psalm 72:18.
4 man of peace in a wartorn world
may seem to be a bit out of place,
but he a%ssuredly is not if the peace
he has and promotes is the peace OF
God.
Our world has seen anew a dem
~onstration Of the awful results Of the
philosophy that might makes right.
Violence and bloodshed have been
mans way Of asserting his supposed
or assumed rights. One could hope
that we are now ready to recognize
that we need a new viewpoint. that
patience and meekness are not
weakness, that kindness and love are
Christian virtues worth emulating
and cultivating.
That result can come only if men
will recognize Christ as the King Of
their lives and nations will receive
claim His truth and the gospel of
His grace anew. and win all we can
to Him.
Isaac was a man of peace. He
was a rather ordinary man, one Of
the common people, but his life is
both interesting and instructive. He
had come through varied expert
ences of victory and defeat before
the time of our lesson. Fearing a
famine, and apparently not trust
ing God at the moment, he had gone
down from the promised land to the
country of the Philistines, there re-
digging the wells which his father
Abraham had dug. The result was
that he prospered. Ere long, how
ever, envy on the part of his ne
mics taught Isaac that n may ex-
pect
l. Strife in the World wv. 1920.
Isaac had prospered, but he was
still out of the promised land. and
while he was in the land of Philis-
tines he could expect no permanent
peace.
We are in the world. We long for
peace, and would throw all our in
1uence and service into the cause
of bringing a righteous peace to the
troubled peoples Of the world. But
let us not be misled by that desire
into the support Of unscriptural and
impossible peace programs. This
world is a sinful world, and as long
as that is true, there will be strife
and war.
Our business in such a world is
to preach the gospel Of grace. win
ming men to Christ. that they may
become men Of good will. Isaac was
such a man, willing to yield even
what seemed to be his right, rather
than cause contention.
Undoubtedly there are times when
one must defend his name and his
possessions, but all too often those
who do stand for their rights have
wrecked homes. churches, and ma
tons. and have gained nothing but
an empty victory.
The peace OF this world is tenn
porary. Is there then no real abid-
ing peace and joy?
III. Joy in Gods Fellowship wv.
22-25).
When Isaac came up into Canaan,
the land which God had promised to
him, he found real peace and an
abiding JOY in renewed fellowship
with God. Even so, the Christian
man and woman who will step out
of a spiritually destructive fellow
ship with the ungodly world and
come over Fundamentally into the
spiritual Canaan of full conservation
and separate living. will find true
peace and satisfying communion
with God.
III. Testimony in Right Living (yv
26-3D.
These men e. wicked men, even
speaking falsehood in their cleim
Of friendship toward Isaac ". 20.
Now that they perceived that God
was continually blessing Isaac in
spite of their repeated injustice to-
ward him, they decided it would be
well to make a covenant Of frisnd-
ship with him. Even those who fol
low the way of war and aggression
cannot deny the effectiveness Of true
Christian testimony.
Observe also that by his patience
and kindness, Isaac ultimately made
friends out Of his enemies. 1T is
better to turn enemies into frierds
than to beat them, and have than
enemies still" And SO this an
with the patient, self-sacrifcing
spirit brought peace not only to hi m
self, but to those about him, because
he believed and trusted God. when
a mans ways please the Lord, be
maketh even his enemies to be at
peace with him. prov. 16:D.
~. Blessing in Service wv. 80,
33).
Inc tnlng TO DO When the selfish
ness Of others is about to cause
strife is to 60 and dig another
we'll" If we will do that, we will
find that God has been there ahead
of US and prepared a rich flow Of
fresh water with which we may re-
fresh and encourage ourselves.
Isaac's men said, we have found
water" and he then named the
place Beersheba, which means the
well Of the OATH" referring undoubt-
edly to Gods fulfilled promise to
bless him. He had found the way
Of peace. fellowship and blessing.
because he had gone Gods way.