June 2009 Signs of the Times Email Newsletter

[Stan]

June 2009 Signs of the Times Email Newsletter

The Signs of the Times newsletter is a collection of stories and quotes from past issues of Signs and These Times.

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One afternoon, in the city of Hamburg, a shoemaker sat in his open shop, busily engaged in mending a shoe. Sometimes he would sing a verse or two of one of the old German hymns which he loved. A student in the university, passing by, heard the happy voice of the shoemaker and remarked, “Well, my friend, you seem to be happy and contented.”

“I am happy, sir,” said the older man; “and why shouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know,” said the student. “A great many people are not happy. You seem to be a poor man.”

“I’m a poor man, it’s true,” said the shoemaker, “but that is no reason why I shouldn’t be happy.”

“I don’t understand it,” said the student.

“Stranger,” said the shoemaker, looking earnestly into the eyes of the young man, “I am not as poor as you think. I am a son of the King.”

The young man turned away, saying to himself, “Poor fellow, he is crazy. He imagines he is well off when he is poor. I was beginning to think that perhaps he might be able to tell me the great secret I am seeking—that of true happiness. But I was mistaken.”

A week passed by, and the student had occasion to pass again along the same street. He found the shoemaker still busy with his work and singing as cheerfully as before. As he drew near, the young man lifted his hat in a mocking sort of way, and, making a bow, said, “Good morning, prince.”

“Stop, my friend,” said the shoemaker. “I wish to say a few words to you, if you please. You left me suddenly the other afternoon, as if you thought that I was crazy.”

“To tell you the truth,” said the young man, “that is what I did think.”

“My friend,” continued the shoemaker, “I am not crazy. What I then said, I said in earnest. It is true, I am a son of the King. Sit down here while I tell you about it.”

When the student was a child he had been taught to read the Old Testament Scriptures and to believe them. Since he had grown up and entered the university he had given up his faith. He was like a mariner at sea without a compass. He could not tell whither he was going or how to direct his life, and this made him miserable. As a drowning person will catch at any object, so he was ready to catch at anything that seemed likely to help him find the way to happiness. Therefore he sat and listened to his humble friend.

The shoemaker told him of the promises of the Old Testament about a glorious King who was to be the Saviour and Ruler of the world. He showed him that all the things which are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms about the glorious King were fulfilled in the first advent of Jesus Christ. He told the student how Christ suffered and died for our sins, how He rose from the grave, ascended to His Father in heaven, and is there interceding on behalf of humanity.

He told how the Lord Jesus sent His messengers into all the world to tell men what He had done for them, and how all who repent of their sins and believe in Him will be pardoned and saved everlastingly; that Jesus will return to this earth again, according to His promise, and set up a glorious kingdom where all who love and serve Him will live with Him forever.

The student sat listening with great interest. He remembered many of the promises of the Old Testament, but he had never thought of them in connection with Jesus Christ. This was all new to him, and he was astonished at what he heard.

“Young friend,” said the shoemaker, “don’t you see how truly I could say, ‘I am a son of the King’? It is because I belong to Him that I find peace and happiness. I believe in Him, and I love Him. The Bible tells me that all things shall work together for good for me. So I am happy.”

The shoemaker gave the young man a copy of the Bible, advising him to take it to his room, read it carefully, and pray for a believing heart and willingness to do the will of God. The student read the Bible diligently, found the secret of true peace and happiness, and afterward became a missionary to his own people.

Truly, those who search for the “hidden riches” of the Word of God will be wonderfully rewarded. We find help and light in the Bible if we earnestly seek for it. Only to those who sincerely desire and pray to have it so is the Bible a lamp unto the feet and a light unto the path. Blessed are all sincere seekers after truth, for they shall find it in the prayerful study of His Word.—By Earnest Lloyd, Signs of the Times, January 27, 1953.

Quote: “Have thy tools ready; God will find thee work.”—By Kingsley, Signs of the Times, December 23, 1889.

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Don't miss the July 2009 issue of Signs of the Times: “Conversing with God,” “The Secret of a Happy Marriage,” “From Sunday to Sabbath,” “When Jesus Reviews Your Life,” “How God Speaks to Us” and other important articles. To order Signs, call: 1-800-765-6955 or online at http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com

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D. L Moody once raised a glass before his congregation and challenged them to suggest a way to get out all the air. “Pump it out,” said one. “Suck it out,” advised another. But Moody shook his head. He knew that such methods can never remove all the air.

Finally Moody took a pitcher and filled the glass with water to the brim. Then he held it up for the people to see. “The air is all out,” he told them. “You have to fill it with something else to get out all of the air.”

God is like that. The Holy Spirit removes all our sin and fills our hearts and lives with the goodness and love of God.—By Marvin Moore, These Times, May 1978.

Quote: “The second coming of our Lord is a good window to look through—it is the window of hope.”—Charles Spurgeon, These Times, March 1954.

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NEW from Pacific Press—God With Us by James W. Gilley. In his down-to-earth style, Jim Gilley handles the timeless truths from John’s Gospel in ways that touch our lives in the twenty-first century. His personal stories from life experiences make John’s picture of the Divine Jesus come alive. In this book we see a picture of Jesus Christ revealed as God in the flesh. Based on John 1-12, this book will be a powerful addition to any Christian library.

Read the first chapter of this book online at http://www.adventistbookcenter.com/olink.tpl?sku=0816322856 Order online or from your local Adventist Book Center--1-800-765-6955.

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A farmer visiting the city entered a restaurant for his noon meal. When the food was served, he quietly bowed his head and gave inward thanks. Four young men at the next table, thinking to embarrass him, called out in a loud voice, “Hey, farmer, does everyone do that in the country where you live?”

The farmer quietly replied, “No, son, the pigs don’t—they just start right in!”

The disciples of Jesus could never erase the memory of Jesus’ saying grace before feeding the five thousand.—Editorial, These Times, November 1982.

Quote: His Ways

“God has a thousand ways

Where I can see not one;

When all my means have reached their end

Then His have just begun.”—By Esther Guyot, These Times, January 1959.

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Place this in your church bulletin or newsletter: Praying for a friend or neighbor? Why not take the next step and add them to your Signs list? They’ll receive twelve monthly visits from the Holy Spirit via Signs of the Times®. Send a subscription today. To order call: 1-800-765-6955 or online at: http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com

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There was a poor boy in London who loved toys, but he could not have them. He used to go down the street and gaze through the shop-windows at the wonderful displays of things that he wanted and longed for. But he never got them, for there was always a glass window between.

One day he was run over in the street by a truck and was taken to the hospital. As he lay there on his cot, they propped him up and brought him toy soldiers to play with. He looked at them, then slowly reached out and touched them. He touched them again and again, and every time he would say, “No glass between.” He didn’t have to look through a glass window which held back his hands. Now he could actually hold the precious toys! The Scripture says, “Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face.” 1 Corinthians 13:12

Why not make application today for a place in that kingdom which shall never end, the land of eternity; a home in the City of God where we shall see Jesus face to face?—By Kenneth Holland, These Times, February 1954.

Quote: “God respecteth not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they are; nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how neat they are; nor the geometry of our prayers, how long they are; nor the music of our prayers, how melodious they are; nor the logic of our prayers, how methodical they are; but the divinity of our prayers, how heartsprung they are. Not gifts, but graces prevail in prayer.”—By John Trapp, Signs of the Times, March 1, 1883.

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Read articles from previous issues of Signs of the Times at: http://www.signstimes.org

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Among today’s churchgoers the name of John E. Bode scarcely stirs a ripple. As he died more than eighty-five years ago (this was written in 1962) and he was but a humble parson in England, his personal fame has vanished completely. Yet, he has left one monument.

There fell one supremely happy day during the fourteen years he served as rector at Castle Camps in Cambridgeshire, and he saw that it was duly commemorated.

Just remember that Parson Bode had given his life completely to his church. No cleric of the Church of England was ever more loyal. He loved his work and his parish, and he knew of no more rewarding field in which to labor. He seems to have won some renown as a scholar, for in 1855 his alma mater invited him to deliver the Bampton lectures at Oxford.

But that was not the red-letter day of his life, the event he chose to make so worthy of remembrance. It fell on a Sunday in 1868 when his daughter and two sons were received into the church, and he had the privilege of presiding at their confirmation. No doubt the father felt the highest kind of joy that it was possible for a parent in his position to experience.

On that day he gave them—and us—the words that were to become a well-known hymn.

Shortly before the confirmation service took place, this faithful rector retired to his study and put some stanzas down on paper. Probably he never dreamed his lines would have any lasting appeal. The inspiration of a moment in the long chronicle of time, they were jotted down, and that was all.

Fortunately, they were not forgotten. In due time they were joined to a lovely tune, “Angel’s Story,” composed especially for them by Arthur H. Mann, an English musician and an authority on Handel. His music helped to make a perfect combination with the father’s inspired words.

Time passes swiftly, and almost a century has rolled by since Parson Bode dashed off his verses. Though the author’s name is seldom noticed any more in the hymnal, and nobody knows what happened to his children, that happy day of long ago comes back to us when we sing, “O Jesus, I Have Promised.” Nowadays, when young people dedicate themselves to Christian service, no hymn could be more appropriate or has become a greater favorite:

“O Jesus, I have promised

To serve Thee to the end;

Be Thou forever near me,

My Master and my Friend;

I shall not fear the battle

If Thou art by my side,

Nor wander from the pathway

If Thou wilt be my Guide.

“O let me feel Thee near me;

The world is ever near!

I see the sights that dazzle,

The tempting sounds I hear;

My foes are ever near me,

Around me and within;

But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer,

And shield my soul from sin.

“O let me hear Thee speaking

In accents clear and still;

Above the storms of passion,

The murmurs of self-will;

O speak to reassure me,

To hasten or control;

O speak, and make me listen,

Thou Guardian of my soul.

“O Jesus, Thou has promised

To all who follow Thee

That where Thou art in glory

There shall Thy servant be;

And, Jesus, I have promised

To serve Thee to the end;

O give me grace to follow

My Master and my Friend.”—By Vincent Edwards, These Times, June 1962.

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Compiled by Dale Galusha. Please pass this newsletter on to others. If this FREE newsletter was forwarded to you by a friend, and you would like to receive it directly on a monthly basis, email: join-signsnews@lyra.pacificpress.com

[BobRyan]

My late Uncle - a close family member, was the editor of the "These Times" and then "Signs of the Times" for many years.

It is good to see this subject thread.

in Christ,

Bob