The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1920, Sheet 83

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he Lutheran Pioneer,

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PuBLISHED BY THE EvANGELICAL LuTNERAN SyNopicai, CoNFERENCE oF NortH AMERICA.

REV. F. J. LANKENAU, EDITOR.

Published monthly by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louls, Mo.
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo.,
Acceptance for mail!ng at special rate of postage provided for In section 1103,

Subscription price, 50 cts. per annum, payable perictly in advance.
under the Act of March 3, 1879.

Act of October 8, 1917, authorized on ‘July 5 , 1918,

Vol. XLII.

ST. LOUIS, MO., NOVEMBER, 1920.

No. 11.

Death Is the Harbinger of Life.

Death is the harbinger of life,
An angel who at God’s behest
Delivers us from all our strife,
And grants Christ’s saints a blissful rest.

This angel may be far away

Or drawing near; let us prepare
And use the Gospel while we may,
Lest when he calleth we despair.

Of all our sins we will repent
And flee to Jesus’ pierctd side;
Thus we'll be safe from punishment
And calm, whatever may betide.
H. OsTeruus.

Let Us Labor to Enter into Our Rest.

Christians, like their Master, must work God’s
works while it is day. Our present age is a day of
indefatigable activity in God’s kingdom. All be-
lievers must help to extend the Church, and also in
many other respects faithfully labor in Christ’s vine-
yard. At the same time they must see to it that
their faith remains inviolate, by divine grace. In
Heb. 4, 9—14. we read of this inward labor. No be-
liever dare by any means neglect this work, while
performing other most necessary tasks in the Lord’s
service. In verses 9 and 11 we read: There re-
maineth a rest to the people of God. Let us labor
to enter into that rest. As Augustine of old says,
we find rest in God alone. ‘This repose for our souls
cannot be found in created things. It is obtained by
faith in our Redeemer. Believers have peace even
here on earth, and perfect rest is in store for them
in heaven where they will see their God face to face

and be satisfied. We should therefore labor that we
believe, and retain faith within our hearts unto
death. This perseverance in faith and godliness is
truly a labor. But is not faith wrought and pre-
served by the Holy Ghost? Does not all praise for
our conversion (and sanctification) justly belong to
God alone, who worketh in us to will and to do ac-
cording to His good pleasure? Indeed, such is the
case. But faith is at the same time a human act
and as such requires diligence; for God does not
force man to believe, but leaves it to his choice.
Then, too, faith is distasteful to our flesh and blood.
Humanly speaking, it is no easy thing to stake one’s
entire eternal destiny upon God’s grace, which is in-
visible and cannot be apprehended by our senses.
Good works, faith’s fruits, also require constant
efforts. Hence we must labor to enter into our rest.

The following five considerations will rouse us
to unwearied faithfulness :

Verse 9: There remaineth a rest to the people
of God. Our faith’s labor will not last forever, but
come to a close. Then delightful rest will be ours.
In heaven we shall reap, if we faint not while on
earth, but hold fast the rejoicing of hope to the end.
This rest remains for us, even as Canaan awaited
the weary Israelites in the wilderness.

Verse 10: For he that is entered into his rest,
he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did
from His. The Father rested from His work of
creation on the seventh day. The Savior, having
finished the labor of Redemption, entered the state
of exaltation. So we, too, shall cease from our
labors. Here we walk by faith, there by sight. The
blessed in heaven rest from their labors, and their
good works follow them.

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