# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1903_S1 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Ghe Lutheran Pioneer. A MISSIONARY MONTHLY. PuBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LutHeRAN SynopicAL CoNFERENCE oF NortH AMERICA. R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor. Entered at the Post Oftice at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter. Vol. XXV. St. Louis, Mo., January, 1908. New Year’s Prayer. ‘Father, take Thou my hand In Thy unfaltering one. Lead me in Thine own way Until the journey’s done; Thou knowest my stumbling feet, My weakly, wavering tread, My lack of hope and faith When skies grow dark o’erhead; But lead Thou me; then let My path be shade or sun, Be strewn with thorns or flowers, If heaven, at last, be won.” ——s-o<—P o-oo “His Name was Called Jesus.” This is the message which greets us at the beginning of the new year. It is a blessed message. It points us to Him in whom alone true happiness can be found. Jesus means Saviour, and the Babe of Beth- lehem was called Jesus because He saves us from our sins. Without Him there is no sal- vation from sin, and therefore no true happi- ness. He that has not salvation from sin is still under God’s wrath. How can such a one be truly happy? He has nothing to cheer him in the troubles and miseries of life, nothing to comfort him in the hour of death. His life is but a journey to endless woe, and such a jour- ney surely cannot be a happy journey. Man may imagine to find happiness in the riches, the honors, and the pleasures of this world, but he is deceived. The passing things of this world cannot give true happiness. Sinners can find true happiness only in Jesus, because in Jesus alone there is salvation from sin. He that by faith embraces Jesus as his Saviour enjoys the salvation from sin which Jesus pro- cured for all sinners. He has forgiveness of all sins and.is no longer under the wrath of God. He is God’s child and an heir of heaven. His life is a journey to endless bliss, and such a journey must be a happy journey, no matter what befalls the traveler on the way. The believer knows that the way in which his heavenly Father leads him is the way to his everlasting home; and all sorrows, and troubles, and afilictions, and even death, can- not destroy his happiness. Such is the hap- piness of God’s children, which they have by faith in Him whose name was called Jesus. Dear reader, at the beginning of a new year and at the beginning of a new volume of our paper we wish you happiness for all the years of your life here on earth and for all eternity, and therefore we wish you abiding faith in Jesus, your Saviour and your Friend. o> 0 <0 ee The Joy of Home-Coming. When we recently visited among Christian friends, we spoke of those who had departed this life since our last visit. ‘‘Yes,’’ said an aged Christian, ‘‘God’s children are going home—one by one, and to those who are left behind the world becomes more lonesome ; but we also shall reach home, and great will be the joy of home-coming.’” Yes, the night of our wandering shall be followed by the joy of home-coming. We are but pilgrims here on earth, having no abiding city. ‘‘Change and decay in all around we see.’’ The longer the journey, the greater the weariness, and as the shadows lengthen we sigh more deeply for home. All the joys of this life will be as noth- ing to the joy of the home-comers as they pass through the gates of the New Jerusalem. ‘‘Heaven’s morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee,”’ and in God’s ‘‘presence is full- ness of joy.” ‘The redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head ; they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away,’’ Is. 51, 11. ———s> —- o-oo Be not Anxious about the Future. God’s children are forbidden to be anxious about the future. ‘Take therefore no (careful) thought for the morrow,” Matt. 6, 84. The morrow may bring grief or gladness, pain or pleasure; but whatever it may bring, it will bring the Lord with it, who says, ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world,’? Matt. 28,20. We know not what lies before us in the darkness of the future, but we know Him who declares, ‘‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,”’ Hebr. 18, 5. Safe Keeping. He will keep thee as the apple of His eye. Deut. 32, 10. : He will keep thy foot from being taken. Prov. 3, 26. Lest any hurt thee, He will keep thee day and night. Ps. 121, 3. He will keep thee as a shepherd doth his flock. Jer. 31, 10. He will keep thee from the evil that is in the world. John 17, 15. He will keep thee from falling. Jude 24. He will keep thee from the hour of tempta- tion. Rey. 3, 10. He will keep thee in all places whither thou goest. Gen. 28, 15. He will keep the feet of His saints. 1 Sam. 250 : He will keep thee in the way, and bring thee into the place which He has prepared. Ex. 23, 20. : He will keep that which thou hast committed to Him. 2 Tim. 1, 12. The Safety-Lamp. When going through a coal mine, it is neces- sary to carry a safety-lamp, in order to throw a light across the path. The light prevents many a stumble over the uneyen ground. This world through which we travel is full of the darkness of sin; snares and temptations lie in the Christian’s path; but if he carries with him. the lamp of God’s Word and gives heed to its light, it will show him where the danger lies, and so keep him from falling: “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” Ps. 119, 105. —_—— s+ oro His Sentiments Changed. Many modern infidels have had the weapons with which they endeavor to batter down the Christian faith, furnished them by De Wette. But when this man had married an earnest Christian woman, his sentiments were changed completely. In his last commentary he con- fesses: ‘‘Only this I know, in no other is there salvation, except in the name of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”