Seeing and Knowing God

 " I have seen God face to face." Genesis 32:30

      What does God look like? Almost every boy and girl asks that question sometimes. When we pray to Him and read about Him in the Bible, we are always wondering and wishing that we could see Him. The Bible tells us that no man can see God and live. This used to trouble me very much. I couldn't understand why, if He is a good and loving God, everybody cannot see Him.
       One day I heard a little story that made it plainer to me. There was a missionary who was visiting a king in India. He had been trying to tell the old heathen ruler about the true God. At last the king said, "Why don't you show me your God? I tell you about my gods and I take you and show them to you. You tell me about your God, but you never let me see Him."
       The missionary answered, "But no one can see my God. No one can look on Him and live.''   
       The old heathen said, "I don't understand that." Then the missionary went to the window and told the king to come and look at something. When the king came he pointed at the sun and told him to look hard at it for a moment. The king tried and then turned his head away and said, "I can't look at the sun. It blinds me."
       "Yes," said the missionary, "that sun is just one of God's poor servants, and if you are not able to look at that, do you think that you could look at God Himself?"
       That is the reason we cannot look upon God. He is so great and so wonderful and so bright that the very sight of Him is too much for our eyes to see.
       Perhaps we cannot see God's face, but we can come very close to Him if we know how. In the time of Moses God came down on Mount Sinai, and the people all ran away. They were afraid, but we are told that Moses went straight up to the place where God was. He was not afraid.
       Some years ago some men went to Washington to see the president. When they came to the door of the White House where he lived, they were told that he was very busy, and it would be a long time before he could see them. So they sat down there to wait.
       While they were sitting there, a little boy came up the walk, and opening the door of the president's room, went straight in and sat down by the president. Do you know why he went in while every one else had to wait? It was because he was the son of the president, and he could see him at any time.
       That is why Moses was not afraid to go into the presence of God. Moses was God's child, and God loved him, and he loved God. If we love God, and He loves us, then we are His children, and He is always ready and willing to have us come to Him.
       God wants us to know Him. There was once a wise king who desired to know his subjects, and wanted them to know him. While he lived in the palace he could never come to know them very well. They were too far away from him. So he dressed himself so that they would not know he was the king, and went and lived among them as a carpenter. They did not know who this poor workman was, but he was so good and gentle that they all came to love him, and then they found out that he was their king.
       That is what Jesus did. He came and lived among us as a poor workman. He came to make us love Him and to show us how much He loves us. And before He went away He said, ''He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father."
       It is this that I want you to remember most of all in connection with this text. If you want to see God, look at Jesus. Take the New Testament and read about Him and in learning to know Him you will come to know God. Hutchison.

In The Temple

IN THE TEMPLE.

O'ER Judah's plains sweet Spring had
thrown
Her flowery robe of living green.
And Nature in her gala robes
Was mantled like a fairy queen.

High o'er the temple's burnished towers
The sunshine fell like molten gold,
And flamed and flashed from glittering spire,
From pinnacle and turret old.
While through the city's busy street
Echoed the tread of countless feet.

Far over Judah's hills they come,
From shepherd lad to stately priest,
To ancient Salem's gates they haste
To keep the sacred Paschal Feast.

Look, who is he, that youthful Lad, -
Standing within the temple fair?
Why do not Israel's sages know
That he — the Paschal Lamb — is there?

Strange blindness, that they knew him not, -
Those gray haired men, those learned
seers:
Useless the Rabbi's studied lore,
The vain philosophy of years.

From out those sacred, youthful lips
Flow wondrous words of heavenly lore, —
Such words of purity and grace
As man had never heard before.

And now, a kind, obedient Son,
No thought had he of earthly fame,
But 'mong the hills of Nazareth
A humble carpenter became.

He took our fallen nature; he
Who made the hosts which roll above
Of Abraham's frail seed partook,
In godlike sympathy and love.

Slaying of Innocents

 SLAYING OF THE INNOCENTS.

THUS one by one the days go by
Since, in the brightening orient sky,
The wise men saw the shining star
Gleam over Bethlehem's hills afar,
And since the shepherd's hearts were stirred
By sweetest song ear ever heard.

But ah ! those echoes scarce had died
O'er Judah's hills and vales so wide, —
Those hills and vales which lately flung
The echoes back from angel tongue, —
Ere, from those selfsame hills, arise
Loud wails of anguish to the skies.

O Herod ! heed'st thou not the cry
Of Rachel's anguish, rising high, —
That long, loud wail of mortal pain
From tender babes thy sword hath slain?
Why dost thou raise thy puny arm
To do the Lord's Anointed harm?
Dost thou not know th' Eternal One
Will shield his well beloved Son?

To far-off Egypt's friendly land
He journeys, led by angel hand;
There, safe from cruel rage, is borne,
While Rama's daughters weep and mourn.
O crafty Herod, vain thy might
When waged against Eternal Right.
Vain, vain shall be thy godless boasts,
Thy conflict with the Lord of Hosts.

Birth

 BIRTH

O'ER Bethlehem's hills the stars of night
Were softly shining, clear and bright;
The flocks and herds were sleeping still,
On verdant dale and dewy hill,
And o'er earth's calm and peaceful breast
A benediction seemed to rest,

As though the whole creation knew,
And smiled a welcome warm and true
To Him, her long-expected Lord,
Foretold by Inspiration's Word, —
Foretold and sung by seer and sage,
Bright Star of Hope, from age to age.

Hark, hark! what strains of music rare,
Like faintest perfume fill the air!
And louder still, and still more loud.
Bursts from that swift descending cloud:
Such glorious notes ring o'er and o'er
As weary earth ne'er heard before;
Aloud the heavenly heralds sing.
While through the spheres the echoes ring.

''Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good will to men!"
And the heavens caught the glad refrain,
And echoed it o'er again.
Then up from the hills of glory
There echoed the thrilling cry,
Rejoice, O Earth, for the Christ is born!
Glory to God on high!"

Content with a humble position...

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:1

"...act justly, love tenderly, and walk 
humbly with Me."

       I remember that while I was in the military service of our country there was in my company a young man who was a model soldier. He was always prompt and obedient. There never was an inspection, a drill, or a formation but he was there at the first note of the bugle, dressed in the prescribed manner of the day. His officers never found any fault with him, and the men used to wonder why, when promotion came, he was never promoted. What was the matter? Some men envied him, but others thought he should be promoted instead of some of those who were promoted.

       He finally became discouraged and went to his commanding officer to inquire into the reason for his non-promotion. He was told that he was better as a private than as a non-commissioned officer. He was made to see that as a private his influence over the others to obey and to emulate him in drills would accomplish more than if he were promoted. So, seeing that he was more useful in the more humble position, he was contented to keep it till those over him saw fit to give him a well-earned promotion.

       Though a soldier, he was also a Christian, and that was the secret. of his contentment. Through the exhibition of his Christian qualities he gained the good-will of the men and the respect of his officers, and it was not long after until promotion came.

       This is equally true with us; if we seek to do what we can in our present position in the Christian life, no matter how humble or how unnoticed by man our lives are, it will not be long until, instead of being the unknown, we shall be the known, not because of ourselves, but because of Christ in us. If we keep humble before Christ, putting him ever before us, seeking not honors or fame for ourselves, but for Christ who died for us, he will keep us in perfect peace.

       It is not always necessary to talk in order to let people know that we are Christians, for "actions speak louder than words." If we are true children of God, our lives will show it, and the influence so shed will manifest more to people than we could tell, perhaps, in many words. Clifton H, Lewis

More About Being Humble:

• God's Story: Sermon on the Mount
• God Looks At The Heart from Faithville Productions

The Value of Our Light

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

       Some years ago, in the State of Kansas, a blinding snow-storm was raging. The stinging winds were silently but furiously piling high the snow drifts, making the wide prairie a stretch of valleys and hills.
       As the twilight grew into darkness, the blizzard steadily increased its forces until it was impossible for a wayfarer to keep a certain course. In the midst of this cold, bleak scene was a lonely little one-roomed house which had been dug out of the ground, and so was called a dugout. It was much like our outdoor cellars, the roof being about three feet from the surface of the earth. The small window at the back of the room was its only source of light. On this night a bright fire was glowing in the little stove, which sufficiently heated the small room, and in comparison with its cheerless surroundings, this little dugout bore an aspect of coziness and comfort.
       A young man, George by name, was the sole occupant of this house. That very morning he had come from a town eight miles distant to ''prove up'' the claim on which it was located. Fortunately, he had furnished himself with provisions enough to keep him supplied for several days.
       As this storm had been predicted, George busied himself during the early part of the day by carrying water, and by laying in fuel and such other provisions as he would need while shut in for perhaps two or three days. This done, he next stopped up the cracks and crevices which admitted the snow. This was not an easy task, for the fine, whirling flakes would insist upon entering through some opening.
       Early in the afternoon a few snowflakes told of the approaching storm, and ere long the blizzard had begun in earnest. By this time George had succeeded in making himself very comfortable, and with a feeling of security he thankfully settled himself in his place of shelter.
       Late in the evening George made ready to go to bed. He went to the window, where the candle was shedding its light out across the snow, and was in the act of putting it out when a low, distressed cry met his ears. With anxious interest he paused and peered out into the night, endeavoring to determine the source of the sound; but in vain. What could it be! Perhaps it was the call of a young wolf whose home was on the prairie and whose howl he had often heard during the day. But no; as he intently listened, the stillness was again broken by the same cry, which George now recognized to be the voice of a human being. Guided by George's little light, the wanderer had at last found his way to his only hope of shelter. Realizing the danger and suffering of one who was out. on such a night, George immediately answered the stranger and welcomed him into the humble but much appreciated abode.
       The poor man was very numb and fatigued from the blinding, whirling snow. After putting his horse in a small shed standing near, George at once set to work making the stranger warm and comfortable, while the latter told his interesting story. He said that he, with his faithful horse, had endeavored to follow an old trail, but that as the storm became more blinding he had lost his way. He also told how his hopes for safety had been blighted just a while before. He had seen a light ahead of him, and with joy was working his way toward it as quickly as possible when, to his dismay, just as he came within calling distance, it suddenly went out, leaving him in a most fearful plight. However, he stumbled on and through the mercy of Providence finally noticed the light in George's window, which had been the means of saving him from a terrible death.
       My dear young friends, we can learn a valuable lesson from this incident. We who are in the fold of the Good Shepherd, safely sheltered from the cold, sinful world, are lights to those who are still wandering outside. Our light may be small, yea, even as small as a candle; but if we diligently keep our lamp trimmed and. brightly burning, God will permit us to be the means of leading some lost one into the fold of Christ.
       Under discouragement and temptation we are liable to neglect the precious light which has been committed to us. The enemy suggests to us that it matters very little, for we are so unnoticed that we will not be missed. But think of that small light out on the wide, dismal prairie seen only by the one lost man, and of the keen disappointment and bitter despair he experienced when it faded from his view. Our light may influence only one soul, but is not that one worth more to Christ than this whole world? and should it not be worth more than the world to us?
       Perhaps those whom we least suspect, schoolmates, brothers, or sisters, are watching our lives with all confidence. Our faithfulness in keeping our lights shining brightly will prove to be of untold value not only to ourselves but also to those who are depending upon us.
       Remember, the world is greatly in need of people, especially young people, who are lights to bring souls to Christ. Can God depend upon you? Mary Overhiser

Listener Kids "This Little Light of Mine"

The New Birth

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” John 3:3

        It was night, perhaps midnight. The moon and stars were shedding their mellow light upon Jesus as he taught the man before him a great truth. The man was thinking deeply; for Jesus had just told him, "Ye must be born again,'' and he could not understand it.
       This man was Nicodemus, a Pharisee. The Pharisees, you know, were a proud, self-righteous people. Most of them did not love Jesus nor believe what he said. Indeed, many of them even hated him for his new teachings and were jealous of him.
       But this one had been thinking about Jesus' teachings and miracles, and had concluded that no one could do those things without God's help. Desiring to know more about Jesus, he decided to go to him and have a talk with him. Since he went by night, many have thought he was ashamed to go by day, lest he be seen by the other Pharisees, and so be persecuted. However that may be, he went and had a talk with Jesus.
       Jesus told him plainly that he must be born again or lie could not enter the kingdom of God. This was what puzzled Nicodemus. He was a full-grown man. How could he be born again? You know people are very small when they are born of the flesh. But Jesus did not mean a fleshly birth. He meant a spiritual birth: he meant that Nicodemus must be born of the Spirit of God. Of course, Nicodemus, a large man, could not become a little child again in flesh; but he could be born of God, converted, and in spirit become as a little child -sweet, meek, and innocent. And this, Jesus said we must do. "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.''
       Nicodemus could not understand this. Then Jesus called his attention to the wind. It blows wherever and whenever it will. We hear the sound it makes, but can not see it coming nor going. So it is with the Spirit. We can not see the Spirit, nor can we see how people are born of the Spirit.
       But we can see the effects of both. When the wind blows gently, it sways to and fro the branches on the trees and the flowers at our feet; when it blows hard, it overturns houses and even tears up trees by the roots. We can not see the wind, but we can see its works. Likewise, we can not see the Spirit, but we can see the marvelous change it makes in the lives of those who receive it. When one is born of the Spirit, he bears the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, and peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. No matter how wicked he may have been, after being born of the Spirit he will be pure, kind, and gentle.
       Praise God for the new birth! Byers

What it means to be born again...

• Trueway talks about Spiritual Birth...
• Scotty Neasbitt shares the story of Jesus and Nicodemus
• Nicodemus Bible Story from Kids on the Move

Going to Bed

 Going to Bed

Dear God, I'll soon be in my
bed,
To go to sleep and rest.
And Thoughts will come into my head;
Please make them just the best.
God, send the kind of thoughts that make
Good dreams and helpful sleep,
So that to-morrow, when I wake,
I'll have Good Thoughts to keep.

And when to-morrow morning's Sun
Brings Work and Play again,
Help me to play and have some fun,
And work with might and main.
Please bless my family, and give
What's truly good and right;
And be our Friend, so we can live,
Near You, dear God. Good Night.
AMEN.

At Night

At Night

 The day is done; dear God, may I
Safe in Your watchful presence
lie.
O make Your Love to live supreme
In every passing dream I dream.
May Night's kind hours come and see
How still and good a Child can be.
Then will they leave some gifts behind
To bless my body, heart, and mind.

The day is done; O dear God, spread
Your Love and Wisdom o'er my head.
Rest for my body, heart, and mind
In Sleep's great Kingdom I shall find.
Good Dreams, like faithful Friends, shall
be
A sweet and restful help to me.
Then shall another day bring light
After the blessings of to-night.
AMEN.

I do not need to wait.

I do not need to wait.

I need not wait for special times
To speak to God in prayer;
Nor do I always have to kneel
To feel that He is there.
No matter what the time or place,
I only need to be
Just full of faith that God is near,
And He will succor me.

God's love for me is not alone
In times of joy and power;
It glows with light and comfort through
Each darkened day or hour.
In times of work, or thought, or play,
Through hours of pain or care,
God lives with constant love, and hears
Each earnest wish and prayer.
 

Saying "No"

"Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned." James 5:12

"Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one." Matthew 5:37

       Our news media has been having a difficult time pronouncing the names of some of the towns in Russia or Ukraine. They are long names and hard to pronounce, and the attempts that people make to say them are often very funny. But there are words in our own language that are hard to speak. One of the shortest words that we know is one of the very hardest to say sometimes. It is the little word of two letters, ''No."
       Someone was telling me of a young man who had gone wrong. His parents did everything for him and gave him every advantage. The great trouble was that they had not taught him to say ''No." When temptation came to him to do what was wrong, he never had the courage to stand up and say, "No, I will not." He had learned many things but he had never learned that.
       There was a little boy named Albert, and one fine summer afternoon his mother told him that he must not go swimming that day. So he made up his mind to stay around the house the rest of the day. But before long he heard the boys coming down the road, and calling out to him, "Come on. Let's go swimming. The water is fine.'' Now, Albert's mother had told him not to go, and he ought to have said, ''No, I can't go today." But just then Albert began to think about that water and the fun that the boys were going to have, and when he tried to say ''No," it seemed to stick somewhere in his throat, and wouldn't come out. The first thing he knew, he was going down the road with the boys to do what his mother had told him he must not do, and all because he hadn't been able to say "No."
       We have all had times when it was hard to say that little word that seems so easy.
       When an army pitches its tents for the night, sentinels are stationed all around the camp, and no one is allowed to go through those lines of sentinels, unless he is able to give the password. Do you know that there is a password to life which we must all learn, before we can enter into the larger, greater life that every boy and every girl longs for? It is the little word "No."
       There are so many times in life when you need that word more than anything else in the world. When bad companions come, and they try to induce you to do what you understand is wrong, have the courage to say "No," and mean ''No." There are some people who say ''No " and do not half mean it. A little coaxing will make them say "Yes." Our text tells us what to do. "Let your nay be nay."Say ''No" and mean it, and hold to it.
       Then we must say "No" when we are tempted to forget what we have been taught in Sunday school, and in our Christian homes.
       Long ago there was a young man in the employ of Stephen Girard, the great Philadelphia merchant. One day Mr. Girard told him to do some work on Sunday. The young man said, "No, I am a Christian, and I promised my mother that I would not work on Sunday." Mr. Girard told him he could not keep him unless he was willing to do as he was ordered, and he was discharged.
       Not very long after a man came to Mr. Girard and said, "I need a young man to fill a very responsible position in my business. Do you know of anyone? "Mr. Girard answered, ''I know just the man. I had to let him go because he would not work on Sunday. He wasn't afraid to say ''No,'' and stick to it, even when it meant the loss of his place. You will not make any mistake to take him." And so that young man found a better position than the one he had lost.
       All the world honors the boy or girl who is able to say ''No."
       The bravest boy is not he who fights the most. That is not real courage. A dog, or a snake, or a bear will fight bravely if he is angry enough. The highest, finest kind of courage is that of the boy who is able to say ''No" when he is tempted to do something that is wrong. He has won a battle with Satan, and that is the greatest victory that any of us can win.

Three very brave boys!

The Lion and the Bear

"Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God." 1 Samuel 17:36

       One of the greatest soldiers who ever lived was David. He was so strong that he could break a bow of steel with his arms, and he was so brave that he was not afraid to go and fight a giant, with nothing but a sling and a few stones.
       Before he became king he had been a shepherd boy. It had been his duty to lead the sheep out to the hillside every morning and stay with them all day so that no harm would come to them, and then bring them safely back home to the fold at night.
       One day a lion came to kill the sheep, and David stood between the lion and the sheep and killed the lion. At another time a bear got into the sheepfold. David took a club and killed him. These were the first battles that David fought, and they show what a brave boy he was, for it takes courage to stand up against a lion and a bear. After many years he had many other hard battles, with Goliath, and with the Philistines, and with the Syrians, but I am sure that none of these fights were quite so hard as those first ones with the lion and the bear. If he had let the lion or the bear conquer him, he never would have lived to fight with Goliath, and to be a great king.
       Every boy and girl is like King David in one way. The first battles they have to fight are with the lion and the bear.
       Let me tell you first about the lion. It isn't a lion in a cage such as you see when you visit a zoo. It is a lion inside of us. It is bad temper. Almost all of us have somewhere inside of us a temper that sometimes gets the better of us. You know how a lion attacks a man. He waits for his chance, and when the man isn't looking or thinking, he springs upon him. That is the way bad temper and passion come upon us. They spring upon us and get the mastery of us before we know it.
       If you go to the zoo, you will see a lion shut in a strong enclosure. You are not afraid of him because he is locked in behind strong bars, deep pits and strong fencing. But if a zoo keeper should
leave that door open where he feeds the lion, and the lion should escape, then you would be afraid. That is the way with the lion of temper. He must be shut up and guarded day and night, so that he cannot hurt anyone. And if our tempers do sometimes get the mastery of us, we ought, as David did with that lion, to fight and overcome them.
       Paul said, " He that overcometh his spirit is better than he that taketh a city."
       Then there is the bear. We must not forget about him. David killed the bear, too. The best thing about a good little child is his gentleness. You know little bears are not gentle. They are cross and clumsy and go around making trouble wherever they are. They are very much like some little boys, who are rough and cross and ill-mannered.
       They used to say that an old mother bear never lets the little bear out of the den till he has been licked into shape. Someone has said that there are hosts of fathers and mothers who let their children out into the world, before they have been made to mind, and that is why they are so ill-mannered and cruel and unkind, for all the world like little bears. David's second great fight was with the bear. One of the first things that everybody ought to do is to fight and overcome his bearishness.
       Paul said in another place, "Be ye kind." Kindness is one of the best weapons with which to overcome bearishness. Some of the biggest, strongest men in the world have been the gentlest, because they knew how to be kind.
       One day Abraham Lincoln was riding with one of his friends along a road in Illinois, when he stopped, jumped down from his horse, and began to feel around in the grass under a bush.
       His companion said to him, ''Did you lose something, Mr. Lincoln?" ''No," he said, "I saw a little bird fall out of her nest as we passed, and I am trying to find her and put her back again."
       It was little acts such as this that made him so gentle.
       David, I imagine, killed the lion and the bear with a club. We can kill our lions and bears with kindness and gentleness.

Slow to Anger, giving people lots of time to change...