Items For Prayer And Praise
By Lois J. Stucky
It is hard to believe that it is time to prepare the July, 1990 Herald of His Coming paper. The year is passing swiftly. The Apostle Paul reminds us, "The time is short!" (1 Cor. 7:29).
Time passes so quickly that we must let some things go unattended to. The challenge is – what are the things we will attend to and what will we let go?
What Are the Essentials?
In this issue of Herald of His Coming we want to call attention to those things that are too vital to let go. In the light of our Lord's soon coming, we stress wholehearted love to God, the overcoming life, childlike trust in the Lord in His dealings with us, surrender to His will and obedience to His Word.
These are things we cannot thoughtlessly do "on the run" as we tend to do many things these days. These are things that take quietness of heart, time with God, attention to His Word, eager waiting to sense and to do His will.
We all have matters of everyday living that take a portion of our time. But we must watch that we do not become entangled by these things so they absorb too great a portion of our time. Brother Moore's article stresses this.
Houses must be cleaned; meals prepared; chores done; families provided for; a living must be earned – even busy service for the Lord must be performed. Our heart attitude while doing these necessary things can be stayed on God so as to make time count. Still, we must take care that these matters do not absorb our time for serious prayer and for pressing in close to God and for finding and doing those things great and small that are His best will for us.
Good Soldiers
Paul exhorts us to be "good soldiers." A young man who joined the U.S. Marines told me recently that he hadn't been sworn in for a day before the rigorous training made him wish that he was out. The feeling intensified as he was called out of bed between 4 and 5 in the morning.
Are we the kind of soldiers in God's Army who are sticking it out when the training gets rigorous? God drills His soldiers to make them worthy followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and fit companions of the good soldiers who have gone on before.
When a military leader sends his men into battle, they must be trusting and obedient. They must believe in his judgment and they must take orders and do what he says. This will mean hazarding their lives and perhaps even laying down their lives. Their trust in their leader makes them obedient.
How much greater reason have we to trust our Leader! Selfishness must be set aside if we are to follow as good soldiers. God is working in our lives to rid them of selfishness. This is the explanation of many of the trials that come our way. We must make the choice – to do our own will or to die to our own will and desires and plans. Our day by day choices in little things are more telling to the Lord than we perhaps realize.
Sister Moore's article reminds us that our loving and merciful Saviour is also the One with eyes of fire and the One from whose mouth comes the sharp, two-edged sword. Let us heed His word to "Repent!" where it is necessary and to press on into the overcomer's place which He offers to us all. The battle-scarred will be with Him there on the Throne. There will be those there with tear stains of loneliness and opposition and hardship. Those tempered by discipline and humbled by sense of their own weakness and failure will be present. O Hallelujah, they will be in the presence of the Lord! What reward! They will all be there with a glad testimony of the overcoming grace He gave as they made their day-by-day decisions for "Not I, but Christ."