Nature’s Lesson Book

The church of Christ is dependent on Him for her very existence. Only through Him can it gain continued life and strength. The members are to live constantly in the most intimate vital relationship with the Saviour. They are to follow in His steps of self-denial and sacrifice. They are to go forth into the highways and byways of life to win souls for Him, using every possible means to make the truth appear in its true character before the world.

The truth is to be presented in various ways. Some in the higher walks of life will grasp it as it is presented in figures and parables. As men labor to unfold the truth with clearness, that conviction may come to their hearers, the Lord is present as He promised to be….

In His wonderful Sermon on the Mount, Christ used the lilies of the field in their natural loveliness to illustrate a great truth. His language is adapted to the opening intellect of child life. The great Teacher brought His hearers in contact with nature, that they might listen to the voice which speaks in all created things; and as their hearts became tender and their minds receptive, He helped them to interpret the spiritual teaching of the scenes upon which their eyes rested. The parables, by means of which He loved to teach lessons of truth, show how open His spirit was to the influences of nature, and how He delighted to gather spiritual teaching from the surroundings of daily life.

The birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the sower and the seed, the shepherd and the sheep—with these Christ illustrated immortal truth. He drew illustrations from the facts of life, facts of experience familiar to the hearers—the hid treasure, the pearl, the fishing net, the lost coin, the prodigal son, the houses on the rock and on the sand. In His lessons there was something to interest every mind, to appeal to every heart. Thus the daily task, instead of being a mere round of toil, bereft of higher thoughts, was brightened and uplifted by constant reminders of the spiritual and the unseen.

The Lord Jesus would have the true philosophy of nature’s great lesson book opened before the mind…. We need workers who will gain breadth of mind by studying the book God has opened before us of His created works. Angels cooperate with those who proclaim the truths represented by the things of nature. These things are not God, but they are specimens of God’s handiwork.—Letter 223, June 2, 1905, to J. A. Burden.

The Upward Look p. 167
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for D to overcome his besetting sin. B
—-Please pray for Oliver. He has Corona Virus and is hospitalized in ICU. Wanda
—-Please pray for my post open heart patient for successful recovery. Emmerson
—-Our niece was put in ICU over a week ago with pneumonia. They moved her to a room. She had lots of fluid they was giving her a lot of lasix. Well it has dryer her whole body out. Please lift her up in Prayer. Bertha
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Dear Friends,
One of my favorite stories when I was a little girl was what I called “The Breadbasket Story.” I begged for it About 1900, my grandfather, Edwin Harmon, joined in the National Guard. Things were different in those days. It was not just a “weekend adventure.” It was like joining any other branch of the armed forces. The camp was completely made of tents instead of having buildings.

My grandfather and his tentmate Moon, couldn’t sleep one night. They were hungry. Somehow their supper had not been sufficient to hold them until breakfast. As they talked about their plight, they decided to do something about it. They planned to sneak into the tent that housed the kitchen and find something to fill their growling stomachs. The moon was shining brightly, so they had to be very careful not to be seen, because there were guards who walked all night between the rows of tents and made sure everyone stayed in their tent and that all was well. Ed peeked out of the tent door and looked carefully. He saw no one. He went outside for a better look but still saw no one. Moon joined him. Quietly the two young men tiptoed toward the tent kitchen.

When they were almost there, a guard saw them. He shouted, “Halt! Who goes there?” Ed and Moon took off running. They were in big trouble if they were caught. Disobeying an order to halt brought hard punishment but so did being outside of the tent at night. Soon more guards came running. The commotion awakened the sergeant, who joined in the chase.

Finally, the young men reached the kitchen tent and dove under the side. Once their eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, they tried to find a place to hide. Moon went one direction and Ed the other. In one corner of the huge white tent was a large wicker basket. Inside this basket were loaves of unwrapped bread. Ed lifted the lid and found that the basket was about three-fourths full. Carefully he climbed inside and closed the lid. Then he wiggled down into the middle of the loaves and waited. Soon he could hear the soldiers enter the tent. He held motionless. He could hear the sergeant “barking” orders to his men. They were searching everywhere.
Suddenly the older man’s eyes lit up. “The breadbasket, of course!” Walking over to the huge wicker basket, he drew his sword. “If he’s in there, I’ll find him.” He proclaimed. He stuck his sword into the basket many times in many different directions. My grandfather remained motionless. He could feel the loaves move as the sergeant pierced them near his head. Once, the flat side sword blade slid across his belly. Still Ed did not move. After what seemed liked hours, the sergeant said to his men, “Well, I guess he isn’t in there after all.” The guards left. Still Ed did not move. He listened intently for any sound that might indicate that the guards were outside waiting for him. Finally, when he was sure everyone had gone, he wriggled up enough to lift the lid slightly and peer into the now-empty kitchen. Sneaking out of there and into his tent, was not an easy matter for the guards were on the alert, but Ed finally reached his destination. There sat Moon on his bed grinning at him. Ed asked him to tell of his adventure and where he had hidden, but Moon would not. His only comment was, “I’m not telling. I might need to hide there again sometime.”
Often we have trials of our own making. Often it is because of our own sin that we must suffer. Even though my grandfather did not get caught, there were still consequences. Because of his little escapade, my grandfather had to go about his duties after hours of lost sleep without showing any tiredness. The sergeant, no doubt had known that he was in that basket and was careful how he used his sword, but still he could have accidentally stabbed my grandfather. In those far-off days, that could have been fatal. Not only did Ed have to eat dirty bread, for the dirt on his shoes had ruined many loaves, but so did most of the other men. When the cook had seen the dirty bread, he was going to cut away that part, but the sergeant would not allow that. He walked up and down between the long tables of men and watched carefully to see who was not eating bread that morning. He knew that that would be the man who had dirtied them. My grandfather and Moon ate the bread, dirt and all!

God’s Word says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Gal 6:7-9 This is a principle that deals with every aspect of our life. Whether it is mild reaping like my grandfather’s experience, or whether it is of much graver consequences, this principle holds true. May we keep so close to our Dear Saviour, that our sowing and reaping will be within His will.
Rose