Know Christ, have fellowship with Him and make Him known essenger = @ “THE CLOCK OF LIFE” The clock of life is wound but once And no man has the power f To tell just when the hands will stop At late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in “tomorrow” for The clock may then be still!CALLED BY HIS GRACE Elizabeth, Colo. — December 4 and 5 were joyous days for us here, as these days were the testimonial time and baptism of Gary and Beth Van Matre. Gary and Beth had repented of their sins, found peace with God, and were anxious to tell others of their newly found Saviour. Gary told of his past feelings that in- asmuch as he did not indulge in smoking and drinking, he felt he was as good as any Christian, but when he came to accept the ‘Lord Jesus Christin his hear, he found the difference. He now knows that a “good” man is not necessarily a Christian. Beth told of how she matured after she started following Christ and His teachings. She now feels like she is smiling on the inside as well as on the outside. Elder Brothers Jon Popp, Andy Meng ‘and Wilbur Huber assisted inthis happy occasion. We had fam- ily night that evening in the Denver church, and Brother Dale and Sister Carol Meyer and Brother Gary and Sister Beth sang ‘asa quartet, “Do Not Pass Me By.” Gary and Beth can now say, “He has not passed us by.” WONDERFUL PEACE Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon ‘them that hope in his merey. ‘Mansfield — God is still performing miracles in the hearts of those who look to Him for salvation. Having received the gift of peace after repentance are Katherine Reamschnelder and Bryce (Chip) and Mike Hill. The Hill brothers are the sons of Brother Bob and Sister Emy. First be reeoneiled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Matthew 5: 24 WAIT AND TRUST “And there waa famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there: for the famine was grievous in the land.” Genesis 12:10 ‘Atthe command of God, Abram lft his country and kindred and journeyed toward the land of promise. However, the Lord ‘anied to show him thatthe right road isnot necessary an easy one. And so Abram’s faith was tested by a famine in the very place to which the Lord had specifically directed him, But now ‘Abram makes a tragic mistake ... one still committed by God's hide today. HE TURNS TOWARD EGYPT... A TYPE OF THE WORLD! Oh what seeds of sorrow and disaster we sow ‘when, to avoid a present difficulty, we choose the line of least re- ‘stance and go contrary tothe revealed will of God, How much better it would have been for Abram if he had thrown the re- sponsibility back on God, saying, “Lord, Thou hast brought me here; and Thou must provide for me and mine according to the promise, Therefor {wil remain here until T clearly know what ‘Thou wit have me to do." Abram, however, was as human as you and I, and so instead of wating for the Lord's directions, he took matters int his own hands. One has but to read the rest of the chapter to realize that from then on things did not go ‘smoothly for him. anyone should read these ines who has come int a dif calt situation while following the pathway of obedience, let sch {one not despair, but rather cast his burden upon the Lard and ‘walt His divine leading without wavering, and without pante God will certainly come between him and the disaster whichis threatening. In the process, his faith will be strengthened as the ‘Lord displays the wondrous proofs of is keeping power. eat ones, whatever the trouble, wait only upon the Lord, ‘trust also in Him, and He will deliver you. His name is Jehovah: HE WILL PROVIDE! awe? In This New Year .. . CONSIDER HIM “Wherefore, holy brethren... consider (Hebrews 3:1) ‘The first word in Hebrews 3:1, “wherefore,” tells us to re- view the preceding verses if we are to get the full import of that which is to follow. Surveying the first two chapters, we find many things mentioned concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, and they tell us why we should “consider . . . Christ. We read: He ‘was “appointed heir of all things;” He “made the worlds;" He is “the brightness of his (God's) glory;” He is “the express image ‘of his (God's) person;” He upholds “all things by the word of his Power;” He “purged our sins;” He was “made ... better than the angels;” Yea, “...all the angels of God worship him;” Unto Him the Father sai, “Thy throne, O God, i forever and ever.” Infact, the writer of the book of Hebrews says of Christ: the ‘earth; and the heavens... shall perish, but thou remainest;” He {isthe same, and... (His) years shall not fail;” AU things have been “put in subjection”: io Him; He has been crowned with “glory and honor;” He who is “the captain of (our) salv was made “perfect through sufferings;” He delivers ‘who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Finally, we are told He was “made like his brethren, ‘that he might be a mereiful and faithfl high priest!” ‘No wonder the apostle cries out in the opening words of chapter 3: “Wherefore, holy brethren ... consider ... Christ Je- sus.” Yes, CONSIDER HIM! When we do, we cannot help but ‘Worship, praise and love Him. In adoration and rapture, we ry: “My Lord and my God!” Dear ones, yet outside the fold of Christ, won't you, in thisnew year, consider Him? Christ Jesus. I ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. Ask — Seek — Knock “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, andit shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7) The poet has written: God answers prayer; sometimes when hearts are weak, He gives the very gifts His children seek, but often faith must learn a deeper rest, and trust God's silence when He ean- tot speak; for He Whose name is Love, wil send the best. Stars ‘may bura out, nor mountain walls endure, but God is tre, His promises are’ sure, to those who seek! ‘We must not forget that there are three kinds of prayer — the asking, the seeking and the knocking! Some things come by simply asking. Some things must be sought by deep heart- searching and stuy of God's Word and listening to His voice for correction and direction. And then there are closed doors and hard hearts and satanic barriers of opposition that must be opened and broken down by the dynamic force of Spirt-filled, united and persevering prayer. We may not ever fully under- stand in this world the philosophy of i, but there is a secret Somewhere into which we are led by such incidents as Moses’ uplifted hands upen the mount, continuing until the sundown; or Danie’s 21 days of persistent supplication; or Eljah’s seven times repeated conflict on Mt. Carmel; or Elisha’s command to the king of Israel to smite and smite and smite vet again with ar- rowsupon the ground. Let us not try to understand, bt let us, in simplicity of heart, wait upon the Lord. "Empty repetition of the same words without zal or urgeney Js forbidden (Matthew 6:7), but earnest reiteration (II Corin- thians 12:8) i enjoined upon us asthe importunity that prevails! Let's remember that when God's Spirit prompts the asking, when the waiting heart believes, then we know of such petitions everyone who asks receives! Christian Friendship Messenger cS aS= THE CALL TO PLEASE “, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood...” (Galatians 1:16) ‘Paul was perhaps the most devoted Jew of his time, ahead of most flows hs age in is practice ofthe Jewish religion. He ‘was exceedingly zealous in the traditions of his ancestors, a ‘rime example of rigid dedication to and unquestioning accep- {nee ofa belie, a way of life taught to him from youth. Having been reared in an environment conducive to educational ‘achievement, and being himself quite able, Paul took advan- tage ofthe foremost educational opportunities of the times .. tnd some scholar he was, So dedicated that he persecuted and hindered the growth of the living church of the very God he Served in a constricted, deadly way! Thats, until he met Jesus the Christ. Oh, but did Paul's rigid, disciplined, scholarly life change to one oniatd bythe Cris an Ha ransion fuliment of Atrrequted love, peace and joy! Its a wonderful story of Jove: ‘The damerited nuracie of «dying soul given the breath of Life irom tne God whose breath sire the order af the universe. We our abou and see miraces taking place inthe ives of others a5 {Grist applies the merey of rebirth, but none suchas Paul's, ‘On the read to Damascus, there suddenly shined about him ‘a light from heaven. So bright and penetrating and det that Paul fell to his knees. A voice spoke to him. He repli ‘fh art thou, Lord?” "I am Jesus, whom thou persecuted.’ ‘And he, surprised, said, “Lord, what will you have me to do? ‘Only the presence ofthis Great Voice caused a man of great st {ure ofallto the earth and tremble in amazement. Paul relized this encounter od a purpose, tat twas nt accidental, Was ita figment of his imagination, «hallucination of one under great pressure of responsibility who suddenly broke from realty? Not {hte. The men journeying with Paul stood speechless, astound too, having heard the voce ba seeing no man It was dubt- ful, pethaps, whether these men realized what had happened. His companions led him by the hand into Damascus to God-pre- pared Ananias. There he received his sight and ater & few days Mrth the disciples, began preaching in the synagogues that Garis is the Son of God. “Anew life. A new purpose. Anew direction. Alife once per- secuting the Master now the impetus in expansion and growth af the true church of God. We can read further in the first chap- {er of Galatians the evidence of Paul's rebirth. The Gospel he preached and lived was not sceording tothe traditions of men, ‘hat they would have him preach, for he neither received it of ‘an, neither was he taught ft but by the revelation of Jesus Goris Pani wrote: ..-Ifany man preach anyother Gospel un- to you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, ot God? or do I sek to please men? For i Yet pleased men; should not be the servant of Christ. But Icer- iify'you, brethren, that the Gospel which was preached of me is I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I ‘will guide thee with mine eye. Psalm 32: 8 A NEW YEAR ‘The year ahead is untried — it is beckoning tomorrow fraught with new experiences and possibilities. The wise in heart will enter it with faith, hope and Scriptural optimism, determined to take advantage of every God-given opprtunity to labor in His servi He leadeth me, O blessed thought! © words with heavenly comfort fraught! Whate'er I do, where’er T be, Stil 'tis God's hand that leadeth me. January 1972 not after man, For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught i, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” But this was not enough, God was to use Paul's disciplined training as a moti- ‘ating foree, the unifying power within the then small, losely organized Christian world. Did Paul immediately go to Jerusa- Jem and join the other “rank-and-file” Christians and Apostles? No! Definitely not. Voluntarily, he, being submissive to God's ‘will, dione ofthe greatest things a Christian could do. He went Into the desert, Arabia tobe exact. We are not told how long he remained there, nor what he did, but we can be assured Pau! ‘was in position to allow Jesus Christ to speak to him without ‘distraction, without the encumbrances and impingements of the external world; and he likewise was able to devote undivided at tention to prayer and meditation, the net result of all being “finding” of himself in God's purpose and direction in his new Christian ie. ‘Guristians how many of us have ness,"alone, to commune with God? Or, perhaps more directly tnd intel, how many of i are willing to devote such fort toallow time in aquest of the desert” where God's purpose and tirection can be known in our lives? For itis at the oasis ofthe ‘desert that we can draw freely the Living Water that leads to Life, The Life, Crist sald, which is more abundant. It is not by ‘coincidence that the most renowned Biblical characters spent some period of thei lives, usually their young adulthood, in @ Guestof divine confrontation in literal desert or wilderness to “Tin themselves and find how they were to be useful in God's relationships to men. Not the least of these was our Saviour, ‘Who, shortly after His baptism and the descent ofthe Holy Sir it, sought the solitude of the desert forty days. From that time on, He was a different Man. The temptations had been resolved. 4He had found that purpose and necessary dedication, counting the cost, i you will, inthe wilderness to return and begin Fis in- vigorating public ministry of preaching repentance for the Kingdom of Heaven. "May we today, as God stil calls and moves, accept His invi- tation to commune often in the wilderness. Or would we rather just live day by day, drifting with the prevailing currents of Christianity, philosophy and. education into the cauldron of apathy, in hopes that inthe end all things will work out forthe ‘good? itis our choice. Must we always confer with “flesh and Food” as the problems, challenges and opportunities of life con- front us, spiritually, as well as mentally and physically, or wil wwe choose as Paul, to fist seek God's Divine Will and Counsel above all else? Do we weigh His purpose, direction and lead- ing against what man may think? That isto say, are we men- pleasers or Christpleasers? Perhaps that is why there are so few “Pauls” among us today. David Kapusinski The Rainbow In The Cloud ““And he shall be asthe light ofthe morning... as . "nea the arto of ‘of trying circumstances enshrowds us, how fervently we lok fora new day of hope to dawn. Yet there aretimes when the Good Shepherd does nck immediately step in, but continues to alow His sheep to wander inthe wilderness of this world, until they ery out in deep distress because of the leanness of their pasture. Few of us who are God's children have escaped such periods of privation. Sorrow and dread, Sretches of seemingly endless desert, have frequenty confront- telus as we Journey up the thorny pathway to the cty of God. Yel, in view ofthe sure promise thatthe “showers of blesing” eventually will fll, and that we shall then experience the joyous “clear shining ster ri,” we must go forward bravely, never ubting that every step of our pilgrimage has been wisely “or- aon = time in the “wilder- «lear shin pages