The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1963-06-07
If God Ca res
Lesson for June 9, 1868

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often we have heard that! But
there are millions of people who
don't believe that at all because
they are convinced that if God
cared for them He would do
something about it. The trouble
here is not with God. However
strange His ways may be, we
cannot conceive of Him as a
cruel or uncaring Creator and
Crusher, one who delights to de-
stroy his own creatures. T h e
trouble here is with people, just
like ourselves, or perhaps actual
~ ourselves. There may be
people who could have believed
in God if it hadn't been for us.
That is a terrible thought, but
don't throw it away just because
it hurts. 1t may be true.
If He Cares, We Must
If God is our God land we
like to claim HIM then if He
cares for other men, so must
We. No use talking about our
selves as Gods children if we
act more like the devil than like
God. No use talking about our
selves as Gods children if we
make no effort to be and do
like the true Son of God. If the
Father in heaven is concerned
over what happens to any hu-
man being, even the least; if
our divine Father notes even a
sparrow fall, then the least we
can do is to share His concern.
Now it is not psychologically pos
Sible to have exactly the concern
for people that God has, for one
simple reason. His mind is in
finite and ours is not. For eX-
ample: Suppose a big airplane
crashes somewhere in Peru. You
read in the papers the list Of
A m rican passengers. All
strangers. So you breathe little
sigh of relief" Nobody ever
knew" And off you go to bust
ness or pleasure and never give
that crash another thought. Is
this sinful? Partly so; but one
big reason why we can't feel
desperately sorrowful, maybe
not even tiny bit sad over the
crash. is that our minds just
can't grasp it. Every minute or
so some one dies, and that death
means sorrow for some one, per-
haps for many: and if you felt
all that grief yourself. you would
be crushed by the continual bur-
den.
If We Care, We Must Help
One writer in the Bible. Saint
James, makes fun of people who
tell people in trouble, go in
peace, be warm and fed with
out doing anything to make the
wish come true. A benediction
is not a happy substitute for
breakfast. Caring about people
is not a matter of emotion, feel
ing sad when they get into
trouble and dancing with them
when they are gay. If you do
actually care for people, you will
go to some trouble to help them
out of trouble. A person who is
helpful only when it's convenient
won't be much help, and not
very often. It's hard to believe
IN God when the people who
sing and even holler) about
Him act like the devil. It's hard
to believe in God if people who
do claim to believe in Him act
as If they had not even read
His Book. God is being m a lie
credible or incredible every day
in the world, by the people who
bear His Name.
The Shape of Love
If we ask a blessing before we
eat, the usual way is to thank
God for the food which is spread
before us; and at breakfast we
may thank God for a peaceful
night. Now it does not m axe
Gods glory or goodness a bit
less if we remember that with
out the aid of people we would
have neither the food nor the
comfortable night. Somebody
planted the seeds Of what you
eat, somebody raised the chick
ems and the pigs and COWS,
somebody planted the wheat for
the bread; and somebody knew
how to cook. So with the peace
fM night. Policemen kept it
peaceful, so did the army and
navy, when you come to that. So
did the good cook; without her
Tor him. you'd have had indi-
geSlon and a night you couldn't
feel thankful for. The personal
God uses persons to help per-
sons, that is the way God op-
crates. We surely would not want
it otherwise. To be a true God S
helper is the happiest opportuni-
ty of life. Not that we are like
the tools of a machinlst. God
does not use persons as YOU
use pencil. God uses only those
who are willing and ready to be
used.
-. Based on outlines copyrighted
hx, thu n;,,..:ox. &c ~