Milo

October 4

I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY
A. Catherine Hankey, 1834–1911
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30)
Soul-winning should be the normal product of our commitment to discipleship and a daily intimate relationship with the Lord. Soul-winning is not salesmanship, in which we try to manipulate or subdue lost individuals to a decision. It is simply taking a message, the objective historical truths of the gospel, and then speaking with the authority of Jesus Christ in the power and love of the Holy Spirit.
Sharing our personal faith should be a joyful and satisfying experience, just as it was with Kate Hankey, author of this hymn’s text. Although she was born into the home of a wealthy English banker and a member of the Anglican church, Kate early in life developed a fervent evangelical concern. She began organizing Sunday school classes for rich and poor throughout London. These classes had a strong influence in the city, with a large number of the young students in turn becoming zealous Christian workers.
When Kate was only 30 years old, however, she experienced a serious illness. During a long period of recovery, she wrote a lengthy poem on the life of Christ. The poem consisted of two main sections, each containing 50 verses. The first section of the poem was titled “The Story Wanted,” later adapted for another of Catherine Hankey’s familiar hymn texts, “Tell Me the Old, Old Story,” still widely sung today. Later that same year while recovering from her illness, Kate completed the second part of her poem, titled “The Story Told,” which became the basic part of “I Love to Tell the Story.”
I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story because I know ’tis true. It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
I love to tell the story, more wonderful it seems than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams. I love to tell the story—It did so much for me, and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
I love to tell the story, for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest. And when in scenes of glory I sing the new, new song, ’twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.
Refrain: I love to tell the story! ’Twill be my theme in glory to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

    For Today: Daniel 12:3; Matthew 4:19; Acts 4:12; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 John 4:9, 10

Reflect seriously on this often quoted description of soul-winning—“It is proclaiming the good news just as one contented beggar tells a starving beggar friend where there is food.” Sing this musical testimony—

The Genesis Record is the only commentary on the complete Book of Genesis written by a creationist scientist.

Written as a narrative exposition rather than a critical verse-by-verse analysis (although discussions on all important historical and scientific problems are woven into the narrative), The Genesis Record is equally useful to both the theologically trained and the layperson.

Dr. Morris writes from the conviction that the first eleven chapters of Genesis are as truly historical as the remaining thirty-nine. This conviction is based not simply on faith but on many years of study of the scientific aspects of the Genesis record as well as the interchange of ideas with many other scientists and theologians (both creationists and evolutionists).

In The Genesis Record, the reader is conducted by a capable guide through the important corridors of earth’s early history, providing the background so necessary in understanding all of Scripture.

October 3

YE SERVANTS OF GOD, YOUR MASTER PROCLAIM
Charles Wesley, 1707–1788
… salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. (Revelation 7:10)
The proclamation of the gospel requires a devoted, zealous spirit. The real purpose of this proclamation is to affect a personal conversion in the hearer, and this experience implies a radical change of lifestyle. The Bible speaks of this change as becoming a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). It involves the convert in at least three new and conscious relationships: To Christ, to the church, and to the world. Conversion means nothing if it does not result in a change from self-centered living to devotion to God and a life of sacrificial service for Him.
Charles Wesley wrote this text in 1744, a year of unusually severe persecution for the Wesleys and their followers. During this trying year the Wesleys wrote several hymn pamphlets titled Hymns for Times of Trouble and Persecution. One of these booklets included “Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim.” The text was based on Psalm 93:1–4 and Revelation 7:9–12. The purpose of this text was to encourage their persecuted followers to concentrate on the One “whose kingdom is glorious—who rules over all.” As is generally true, Christians flourish best for God during times of persecution. This was certainly true of the Wesleys and the early Methodists. “God is on the throne; therefore let us cry aloud, and honor His Son and our Savior” became the battlecry. And the more severe the opposition, the stronger became their proclamation of the gospel.
May our proclamation, too, always focus on Jesus Christ as the Savior, Lord, and Master of life and eternity. May we not become side-tracked with our own ideas, pet themes, or personal experiences.
Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim, and publish abroad His wonderful name; the name all victorious of Jesus extol: His kingdom is glorious; He rules over all.
“Salvation to God who sits on the throne,” let all cry aloud and honor the Son; the praises of Jesus the angels proclaim, fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb.
Then let us adore and give Him His right—all glory and pow’r, and wisdom and might, all honor and blessing, with angels above, and thanks never ceasing, and infinite love.

    For Today: Psalm 93:1–4; 96:1–10; Mark 10:43, 45; Revelation 7:9–12

Ask God to keep your spirit consistently zealous for Him. Carry this musical reminder with you—

October 2

RESCUE THE PERISHING
Fanny J. Crosby, 1820–1915
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives … (Isaiah 61:1 KJV)
One of the most tragic words in our vocabulary is the word perishing. Yet it was a word that Jesus Himself often used (Matthew 18:14; Luke 13:3, 5) to describe people who are spiritually alienated from God.
Fanny Crosby, often called the “queen of gospel music,” recalled how she wrote this challenging hymn:
I remember writing that hymn in the year 1869. Like many of my hymns, it was written following a personal experience at the New York City Bowery Mission. I usually tried to get to the mission at least one night a week to talk to “my boys.” I was addressing a large company of working men one hot summer evening, when the thought kept forcing itself on my mind that some mother’s boy must be rescued that night or he might be eternally lost. So I made a pressing plea that if there was a boy present who had wandered from his mother’s home and teaching, he should come to me at the end of the service. A young man of 18 came forward—
“Did you mean me, Miss Crosby? I promised my mother to meet her in heaven, but as I am now living, that will be impossible.”
We prayed for him and suddenly he arose with a new light in his eyes—“Now I am ready to meet my mother in heaven, for I have found God.”
A few days before, William Doane, composer of the music, had sent Fanny Crosby a tune for a new song to be titled “Rescue the Perishing.” It was to be based on the text “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23).
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, feelings lie buried that grace can restore; touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, chords that are broken will vibrate once more.
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it; strength for thy labor the Lord will provide; back to the narrow way patiently win them; tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.
Refrain: Rescue the perishing, care for the dying; Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

    For Today: Ezekiel 18:32; Luke 14:23; Romans 9:2, 3; 2 Peter 3:9

Reflect seriously that it is the divine image in every person (Genesis 1:26, 27) that gives life an intrinsic dignity and worth—regardless of race, color, sex, age, or social standing. That’s what makes each person worthy of being rescued from eternal damnation. Sing this musical challenge as you go—

October 1

LORD, SPEAK TO ME
Frances R. Havergal, 1836–1879
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
As Christ’s personal ambassadors, we should be people of double resolve: To hear what God has to say to us and then to share that message with others.
Use me, God, in Thy great harvest field,
Which stretcheth far and wide like a wide sea;
The gatherers are so few; I fear the precious yield
Will suffer loss. Oh, find a place for me!
—Christina G. Rossetti
Effective service must always begin with prayer—asking God to use us to accomplish His eternal purposes in the lives of others. But we must not dictate to our Lord as to how and when we should be used. We are simply to be available whenever He directs in a particular situation. Then our representation for Him is simply to speak His truth boldly but always in love. Imploring lost people to be reconciled to God is far different from merely engaging them in theological arguments. We must always remember that the real need of people is to hear about the historical Christ as a personal Savior and Lord and to be guided to a living and vital relationship with Him.
Frances Ridley Havergal, the author of this text, has often been called the “consecration poet” because of her deep commitment to Christ. This text first appeared in 1872 in leaflet form with the title “A Worker’s Prayer,” accompanied by the scripture verse: “For none of us lives to himself and none dies to himself” (Romans 14:7). These words have since been widely used in leading others to a deeper consecration of their lives to God:
Lord, speak to me that I may speak in living echoes of Thy tone; as Thou hast sought, so let me seek Thy erring children lost and lone.
O lead me, Lord, that I may lead the wand’ring and the wav’ring feet; O feed me, Lord, that I may feed the hung’ ring ones with manna sweet.
O teach me, Lord, that I may teach the precious things Thou dost impart; and wing my words that they may reach the hidden depths of many a heart.
O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord, until my very heart o’er-flow in kindling tho’t and glowing word, Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.
O use me, Lord, use even me, just as Thou wilt, and when, and where, until Thy blessed face I see—Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.

    For Today: Psalm 119:9–16; Luke 17:21; John 13:15; Acts 1:8; John 2:17

Ask God to engineer the circumstances that will allow you to represent Him effectively to some needy person. Use this musical prayer—