Do It Today!

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."  Proverbs 27:1

     All we can be sure of is now.  Today's opportunities will be gone tomorrow.  The soul you should contact today may be gone in another day.  Some years ago on our afternoon broadcast, James Draper, our music director, gave a hymn story which illustrates the urgency of now.

     D.L. Moody said one of the greatest mistakes he ever made occurred October 8, 1871.  On that night he addressed the largest crowd he had ever spoken to in Chicago.  His message dealt with the trial of Jesus in Pilate's hall, and was based on the text,  "What then shall I do with Jesus?"  He concluded his sermon by saying,  "I wish you would take this text home with you and seriously consider it, and next Sunday we will speak on the cross and we will decided what we should do with Jesus."  Speaking of this incident later, Moody called it a tragic error and "one of the greatest mistakes of my life; for I never saw that congregation again."  When the sermon was finished, he asked Mr. Sankey to sing,  "Today the Saviour Calls."  Almost prophetically the third verse ran:

"Today the Saviour calls; for refuge fly;
The storm of justice falls and death is nigh."

     It was the last song sung in that hall, for even as Sankey sang, his voice was drowned out by the clanging of fire engine bells in the street.  It was the night of the great Chicago fire, in which Mr. Moody's hall was left in ashes and in which one thousand perished, some of them undoubtedly from that audience.  Moody said he learned the lesson,  "When preaching Christ, press for an immediate and definite decision."  He explained,  "I would rather lose my right hand than ever again give an audience a week or a day to decide for Christ."

     Don't put off till tomorrow what you should do today."

"Bread For Each Day"

Chocolate Cake

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                             ". . .  all things wok together for good. . . . "  Romans  8:28

     It was my privilege for several years to work with Rev. Wendell P. Loveless when we were both at the Moody Bible Institute station, WMBI, Chicago.  I recall how he used to tell about the delicious cake which Mrs. Loveless often baked for him.  He said,  "My wife can make the best chocolate cake of anyone I know.  I thought one day that I would go into the kitchen to see what wonderful ingredients she put into the batter.  First she sifted out some flour - this did not appeal to me at all, for it was dry and unappetizing.  Then she put in some sour milk - I certainly would not have wanted to partake of that by itself, for it would have turned my stomach.  Then to make matters worse, she threw into the whole untasty mess of ingredients a raw egg!  By this time I was not too sure whether I liked chocolate cake or not.  I left just as she was popping it into to the oven.  To my surprise - that evening her 'masterpiece' was as delicious as any I had ever had before!  I saw in the whole thing a parable.  In this life we often experience many dry stretches (like the flour) which are tasteless and uninviting; we also have sour experiences (like the milk); and even a few raw deals (like the egg), but after we have gone through the furnace of affliction (the oven), praise God - reverently speaking - it will all be chocolate cake over there!"

     I have never forgotten that illustration, for it was certainly Scriptural.  Each thing as it comes may seem undesirable and uninviting, but when it is mixed together with the love and providence of God it works for our eternal good.  In that assurance may we continue courageously onward with our eyes fixed on Jesus, and with our wills resigned to His precious leading.  As Christians we may rest assured that the words of old are comfortingly true:  "God in love averts all evil, or otherwise it turns it to our profit!"

"Bread For Each Day"