The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1903, Page 1

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

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.”