As a matter of fact, if God and any one of us were to change places things would be exactly as they are now, providing we received all that God is, and He became all that we are. The blasphemy which underlies such an epitaph as this is the implication that Martin Elginbrodde has more loving-kindness and tender mercy than God Almighty. The real truth, of course, is that man has less holiness, less justice.
In August the streets of China are filled with fruit sellers. A variegated assortment of a half-dozen different kinds of melons, many varieties of peaches, apples, grapes, and other fruits, is most tastefully displayed. To one accustomed from childhood to eating fruit rather freely, it is a distinct disappointment to see all of this fruit and to be unable to eat any of it. The conditions under which they were grown and the filth accompanying their handling all along the way make it impossible for any foreigner to do what he might do in an occidental country - spend a few coppers, rinse or peel the fruit, and enjoy it.
There is a word which holds out great hope to many suffering from physical ailments, and there is a principle in this word which illustrates admirably one of the greatest truths in the Word of God. The word antibiotics has been derived by doctors from antibiosis, meaning "an association between two or more organisms which is detrimental to one of them."
In an issue of The Atlantic Monthly, a kleptomaniac wrote anonymously of her experiences in shoplifting. After a realistic description of the methods of stealing and of the fear that grips the heart of the thief, the article concludes with the "cure" of the habit. The thief was caught on two different occasions, but because of her genteel appearance, was merely forced to pay for the goods stolen at that moment. The fear of punishment gripped her and she wrote, "I wrote a compact with God today, promising quite a sum of money to the church if He would save me from this mistake... I am glad God allowed me to be caught, for it was the only way to stop me. My will was not enough..."
A Sunday School teacher once asked a class what was meant by the word "repentance." A little boy put up his hand and said, "It is being sorry for your sins." A little girl also raised her hand and said, "Please, it is being sorry enough to quit." There is, indeed, a vast difference between the two. That is why the Lord said through Joel, "Rend your hearts and not your garments" (Joel 2:13).
