The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1898, Page 1

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~— Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LurueRAN SynopicaL ConFERENCE oF Nortn AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Of_ice at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

Vol. XX.

St. Louis, Mo., January, 1898.

No. 1.

A Happy New Year.

All men wish to enjoy a happy new year,
but not all know what true happiness is.
Many seek happiness in the riches and in the
joys and pleasures of this sinful world. They
deceive themselves In the time of need, in
the gloomy days of sickness and sorrow their
treasures will fail them. The new year which
they enter so merrily may be their last year
upon earth, and if they die in their sins, they
will enter an eternity of woe. What an un-
happy year that will be!

True happiness is found in Jesus only; for
in Him only ‘‘we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins.’”’ Of Him
the angel said, ‘‘Thou shalt call His name
Jesus; for He shall save His people from
their sins.’’ Without salvation from sin, with-
out forgiveness of sins there can be no true
happiness; for sin is the source of all un-
happiness. When sin entered the world, sick-
ness and sorrow and troubles and death came
by sin. That is misery. We need a Saviour
from sin, if we are to be made happy. This
Saviour with His redemption from sin is
brought to us in the Gospel, which calls to
all burdened sinners, ‘‘Be of good cheer, thy
sins be forgiven thee!’’ Sin and death, and
all the woe that is the result of sin have lost
their mastery over them that believe in this
Jesus, who came to save His people from
their sins. Believers are happy; for though
they live in a world of sin and suffer for a
season, they are heirs of heaven and rejoice
in the hope of glory. With good cheer they
enter another year of their earthly pilgrimage.
They may have heavy crosses to bear and
Many sorrows by the way. They may be poor
and sick, and suffer pains of mind and body
like other men. Yet they are not unhappy
like those that know not Jesus. ‘The faith
with which they trust in the Saviour for for-
giveness of sin and deliverance from death,
enables them to trust in their heavenly Father
for protection, and guidance, and for the sup-
Ply of all their earthly wants during their
Journey to the better land. They enjoy true

happiness and are on the way to everlasting
bliss. H

A pastor was one day called to see a young
woman, who lay dying. He found her in a
dark corner of 2 poor garret room, on a miser-
able bed. Cold sweat was upon her brow,
and her eyes and mouth were closed. The
pastor saw that death was very near. He
asked her, ‘‘Do you suffer much pain?’’ She
did not answer, although he repeated the
question in a louder voice. He, as well as
the mother, who stood near by, thought she
had already become unconscious.

The pastor, leaning over the bed, spoke
very close to her ear, saying: ‘‘Do you know

Jesus ?”’

The sick woman opened her eyes and with
a sweet smile whispered, ‘‘Yes, He is my

Saviour.’’

“How long have you known Him as your
Saviour ?”’

With tears in her eyes she replied, ‘‘Not
very long. Only since I became sick. Oh,
I have been a great sinner, and I was so un-
happy. But Jesus loved me and took me up
out of my misery. Hehas redeemed me from
all sins by His precious blood —from all sins.””

“Are you happy then ?’’ asked the pastor.

With heavenly joy beaming in her face, she
looked up and whispered, ‘‘Very happy.”’

A few hours later she fell asleep in Jesus,
in whom she had found true happiness.

Very happy! Would you not like to be
very happy? Believe in Jesus, who came to
save us from our sins and to lead us into the
land of everlasting happiness. We wish you
a happy new year.

Trust in God.

The Bible tells us to cast all our cares upon
God, who careth for us. It tells us to commit
our way unto the Lord. The unbeliever can
not do this. ‘The man who thinks he can
manage his affairs without God will not cast
his cares upon God; he will not commit his
way unto the Lord. The Christian, however,
trusts in God, his heavenly Father. He enters
the new year without fear, knowing that God
is able to protect him in all dangers.

Years ago a train was rushing along on one
of our railroads at great speed. The passen-

gers were anxious, because it was the time of
the war, and they were afraid that the enemy
might tear up the tracks or some other acci-
dent happen.

A bright little girl came towards a passen-
ger and said, ‘‘Good morning,’’ in a clear,
sweet voice.

The gentleman asked her if she was not
afraid to ride on the cars.

She said, ‘‘Sometimes, but I am not afraid
this time.’” :

‘Why are you not afraid this time? Every-
body else seems to be afraid. . Besides, we
are running very rapidly.’’

“Oh, there is no danger at all; papa is
running the engine.’ :

Her father was the engineer, and she had
such confidence in his ability to protect her,
that she felt perfectly secure and happy.
When we have God to guide us, we have
nothing to fear. He is much better able to
protect us than the engineer on ‘the train was
to take care of his little daughter.

The Christian also knows'that God is willing
to take care of him. He has God’s promises,
which can not fail. And should not He who
cares even for the grass in the field take care
of His children?

A Christian traveler was once lost in a
desert and suffered many hardships. He felt
desolate and forsaken. His eye fell upon a
tiny piece of moss growing in the sand, and
he said, ‘‘If God cares for such a little bit of
moss as to keep it alive in this desert place,
surely He cares for me;’ and from it he
gathered courage to go on till help came to
him. ‘If God so clothe the grass of the field,
shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of
little faith ?””

Look at the little bird as it goes to rest,
letting God care for it. What a lesson it
teaches us of our Father’s care. Martin
Luther said of one which he saw preparing
to go to sleep, ‘‘That little bird has folded
its little wings; gone trustfully. to rest there
as in its home.’*

Oh, let us never forget that we have a
Father in heaven who cares for us, and guides
us in our way, and shelters us under His
wings.