Part 4 (1/2)

Shall it not be that in that great day not one of Christ's sheep will be missing? ”My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” ”The +LORD+ is my Shepherd, I shall not be missing.”

Christ Jesus hath the power, The power to renew, The power to cleanse your heart from sin, And make you wholly true.

Christ Jesus hath the power For evermore to keep; Oh, none can pluck you from His hand, Or rob Him of His sheep!

--_Dr. James M. Gray_

=_G.o.d as a Guide_=

What a wonderful truth is a.s.serted in this verse--”_He_ leadeth _me_.”

Meditate just a moment on these words--”_He_,” G.o.d, the great and mighty One, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the One who upholdeth all things by the word of His power, the unerring, unchangeable, all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful One--”_He_ leadeth me”--_me_, poor, trembling, wayward, straying, sinning, fallible, erring son of Adam, unworthy, unfit, not ent.i.tled to the least of G.o.d's blessings; yet, incomprehensible as the truth may seem, G.o.d in heaven leads ”_me_,”

here, on earth. He leadeth me on a journey in which it is so easy of myself to go astray from the right path. Further, He _leads_, not drives, His sheep. ”He goeth _before_ His own sheep and leadeth them.”

The Good Shepherd will not ask you to go anywhere where He Himself has not gone. He does not drive His children. He leads them.

He leadeth me! Oh! blessed thought, Oh, words with heav'nly comfort fraught!

Whate'er I do, where'er I be, Still 'tis G.o.d's hand that leadeth me.

Sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom, Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom, By waters calm, o'er troubled sea-- Still 'tis His hand that leadeth me.

Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine, Nor ever murmur nor repine; Content, whatever lot I see, Since 'tis my G.o.d that leadeth me.

And when my task on earth is done, When, by Thy grace, the victory's won, E'en death's cold wave I will not flee, Since G.o.d through Jordan leadeth me.

He leadeth me! He leadeth me!

By His own hand He leadeth me; His faithful follower I would be, For by His hand He leadeth me.

--_Joseph H. Gilmore_

=_Knowing G.o.d's Will_=

G.o.d's way of guidance varies with different individuals. There is probably no point on which we need more careful instruction than that which concerns the will of G.o.d for us. We may speak of two wills of G.o.d.

The first concerns our _character_ and may be known by all, for it is distinctly declared in the Word of G.o.d in such pa.s.sages, for example, as, ”This is the will of G.o.d, even your sanctification.” There can be no doubt or hesitancy with regard to knowing what the _general_ will of G.o.d regarding our _character_ may be.

There is another will of G.o.d, however, which affects not our character but our _career_. This _particular_ will of G.o.d is not as easy to discern as that which touches our character. Others may not know this for me. In the last a.n.a.lysis G.o.d and I alone must solve the problem of my career. It is true I may consult others and get all the light possible on the question at issue, but ultimately the solution of the matter is to be found in the quiet with the soul and G.o.d Himself.

=_Three Things About Guidance_=

Three things may be said to indicate clearly the _particular_ will of G.o.d which concerns my _career_.

The first comes from a constant and prayerful reading of the _Word of G.o.d_, through which G.o.d will in some way make known to me in particular His will regarding me. The scripture which decides the matter for me may not have the same meaning to others, but I recognize it to be G.o.d's will for me. A minister received one day two calls to the pastorate of two churches. One offered a stipend of $3000 a year and manse, and an established church with 900 members, and located under the shadow of a great university. A flattering call indeed. The other invitation was from a struggling suburban church with a members.h.i.+p of 75, and offering a salary of $1800 a year. What should the minister do? Which call should he accept? To say there was no struggle in the heart at the time would be to belie the fact. The man of G.o.d took the two invitations, laid them on the bed, knelt by its side, and put his open Bible in front of him between the two letters. After prayer for guidance and after reading the Word for some time his attention was riveted upon this verse: ”Set not your mind on high things, but condescend to them that are lowly” (Romans 12:16, R. V.). He had read that verse before, many times, but somehow he could not get beyond it at _this_ time. To _him_ at _that particular time_ it was indicative of G.o.d's will. Obediently he chose the smaller church. After years proved the wisdom of the choice. So G.o.d will in some way indicate to you through the reading of His Word His will for _you_ at _that time_.

The second element in discerning the will of G.o.d is what may be called _the inward impression_, by which we mean the constant, irrepressible, insistent, persistent conviction in the heart of the child of G.o.d that he ought to do thus and so in a given case. It often happens that a strong impulse comes to a child of G.o.d. In a day or two that impulse has pa.s.sed away, and he looks back and sees that he has no a.s.surance that such was the will of G.o.d for him; but to the obedient soul in communion with the heavenly Father, the constant, irrepressible, insistent and persistent conviction that a certain thing should or should not be done is one of the sure indications of G.o.d's voice in the soul.

The third feature in discerning the will of G.o.d is what may be called _the favorable circ.u.mstance_, or _the open door_. If G.o.d wants one to go to a certain place or do a certain thing, the opportunity to do it will be present with the call to do it. If it is not, then one should wait until the door opens. If the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night remains stationary, then Israel must remain in the camp.