The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1907, Page 83

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

83

raiment, let us be therewith content,’ 1 Tim. 6, 8.
Yes, the Lord would have us to be content with the
necessaries of life and would warn us against sinful
cares and envy. We should not worry about the
future, but remember that the bountiful Father who
this day gave us our daily bread has in store never-
failing plenty and riches. Therefore, why anxiously
care for the morrow? Let the morrow take thought
for the things of itself.
God never will forsake in need
The soul that trusts in Him indeed.

Finally, let us not forget that we shall say,
“Give us this day our daily bread.” It would be
selfish and therefore displeasing to God, if we did
not include all men in our prayer for daily bread.
Since the eyes of all must wait upon the Lord to
open His hand and satisfy their needs, it necessarily
follows that we should intercede for all and com-
_ mend them to God in our prayer.
Give us this day our daily bread
And all that for this life we need;
From war and strife be our Defense,
From famine and from pestilence,
That we may live in godly peace,
Unvexed by cares and avarice.

F. J. L.

The Christian and Good Works.

Luther says, and says truly, because so the Scrip-
tures clearly teach: “Good works do not make a
Christian, but one must be a Christian to do good
works. ‘The tree brings forth the fruit, not the
fruit the tree. No one is made a Christian by
works, but by Christ; and being in Christ he brings
forth fruit for Him.”

It is folly to imagine that one is a Christian
simply because he does a work which people are
pleased to call good. Heathen can do that too.
That which makes a Christian is his embracing the
righteousness of Christ by faith. But one that does
this will necessarily as a child of God be active in
mission: work and in other good works to the glory
of-our heavenly Father and out of thankfulness to
“our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us,
that He might redeem us from all iniquity and
purify unto Himself a’ peculiar people, zealous of
good works,” Tit. 2, 14. If you are a Christian,
your fruits will not be wanting.

tyre

Mrrxnrss and ; patience are needful, if you
would overcome the devil and the world. — Luther.

Self-Sacrifice in Giving.

A missionary’s wife in India tells in the Chil-
dren’s Missionary of a most remarkable instance of

self-denial that came under her observation. She
writes : ;
“One question that is frequently asked of the

returned missionary is, ‘Do Christians in our mis-
sions contribute anything towards carrying on the
mission work that is being done among them?’

“Tn answer we would say this: If the Christian
people in our church at home gave, according to
their means, one-tenth as generously to the support
of the cause as the Christians in India do, great
things would be accomplished for the advancement
of Christ’s kingdom which now, for the lack of
funds, must be left undone.

“To begin with, it ought to be said that the
people of India are the most poverty-stricken people
on the face of the earth —not even excepting the
Chinese. And yet how out of abject poverty they
give to God the following instance, we think, will
show: :

“During the famine several years ago there were
one thousand people in the famine camp at Guntur.
They were awful-looking human beings. Many of
them were emaciated until there was little left of
them but skin and bones. On the first Sunday after
the camp was opened, the missionary in charge held
a Christian service among them. He did not think
of taking up an offering. He was about to pro-
nounce the benediction when a catechist sprang to
his feet and said, ‘Wait a moment, father; you have
forgotten the offering; the people are ready.’ The
missionary could scarcely believe that he heard
aright. ‘Offering! How can these people make an
offering? What have they to give?’ For he knew
that there were not fifty cents among all that thou-
sand people. The catechist replied, “They have grain
to give.’

“One could scarcely believe, but it was a fact
that those people, from a scanty allowance of twenty-
two ounces of grain a day, had saved a little each
day for their offering on Sunday. A mat was spread
upon the ground in front of the missionary, and
many of those half-starved people came forward,
some staggering as they came, and dropped upon
the mat the handful of grain they had sayed for an
offering to God. This may seem a small offering
to you in America, but it meant much to them. It
meant that they went just that much more hungry
every day. ‘That was giving until people felt it.”