Life's beautiful way heavenward

Front matter

WALTER E. ISENHOUR r\

Glass _JAM_ Book , -i- '7

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT.

Introduction

For more than four years I have been writing for The Union Republican, published at Winston- Salem, N. C, in which I have a department called The Quiet Corner. It is read and known by thousands of people throughout North Carolina and other states. From week to week as the Corner has appeared with its articles and sermons I have clipped them from the paper and kept them in reserve, or a part of them at least, with the hope that some day they mig'ht appear in book form. So the contents of this volume are made up of a number of the best and choicest of these selections, which are the author's own production, and which we hope will be read by thousands who perhaps have never read The Quiet Corner. Also, we trust that many of our Quiet Corner readers will purchase one of these books and read again each article and sermon, and keep them in your homes for your family, even for years to come.

We hope this book will lead many to Christ, and in "Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward.'' Especially are we desirous that the young people may be greatly influenced by it to live lives of godlines, uprightness, righteousness and purity, and thus conserve their moral and spiritual forces. We see such a great need of this among the youths of today, and if we can only help them live for God, lead them outward and upward in the realm of life, causing them to see the beauty there is in a life spent in the right, influencing them to use their talents and opportunities for God, we shall feel that the book has not been published in vain.

Dear reader, we want you to help us put the book into the homes of the people. G«t one for yourself and tell your friends and neighbors about it and have them get a copy. You may be doing a great deed for some life and for God. The book might help to mold and form the character and life of the ver>^ person you speak to about it for heaven.

With the sincere hope and desire that souls may be won. Christians built up in the "most holy faith " and God glorified, we send forth "Life's Beaut ^f Way Heavenward" on its mission in the world. And may the Spirit of God attend it. Yours in His service.

Rev. Walter E. Isenhour.

Gastonia, N. C.

Contents

CHAPTER. PAGE.

A Sketch of the Authors' Life 9

1. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God 10

Chapter I. Seek Ye First The Kingdom Of God

''Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.'*— Matthew 6:33.

Dear reader, there is a great lesson in this scriptural quotation, all the more so because it v/as given us by the greatest Teacher that ever taught a lesson, that ever trod the globe, that ever uttered a word, that ever preached a sermon, that ever laid an example, that ever gave a command or sounded forth an admionition. It is of Jesus our blessed Savior, and is such that all the world would do well and be eternally blest to listen to, to heed, to accept. No one could possibly make a mistake in learning so beautiful, so wonderful, so needful, so glorious a lesson and put it into practice. It is the first step we should take in life when we reach that place or period when we are accountable for ourselves to God. It is the best step anyone has ever taken, the best thing anyone has ever done, and the wisest and most honorable. We read in the grand, good old Book : "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

We want to go back in this sixth chapter of St. Matthew and read a few verses in order to get a clear understanding of what the Master is teaching us in the text. We will begin with the twenty-fifth verse and read to the close of the chapter, in which the text is included.

'"Therefore I (Jesus) say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body. What ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly P'ather feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they toil not, neithei' do they spin : and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought saying, Wliat shall we eat ? or, What shall 'we drink ? or, Wherewithal shall \T2 be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufi^icient unto the day is the evil thereof.*'

Now, reader, we have made quite a lengthy quotation in order to set before you clearly the lesson

Life's Beautiful Way Heaveriward, 21

which we hope to impress upon your mind. We see that Christ is here holding up before us the important truth that first of all we should seek after the things of Grod, — salvation, redemption, righteousness and godliness, — before we seek after the things of this world. Or rather if we seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, all these things shall be given or added unto us. Jesus knew the desires and inclinations of the people, that they were more anxious about food and raiment and the necessities of this life than they were spiritual things, or the necessities of the soul and the life that is to be. They were then and are still today doing the wrong thing by making the first thing secondary and taking the secondary thing and making it first, by first preparing for this life and this world and maybe afterwards preparing for the next world or for eternity. It is not for us to worry over this life, what we shall eat, what we shall be clothed with, or how we shall make money and grow rich, or how we shall attain great and commendable positions to attract the attention of the world and to receive the praise of men. \^niile it is good to do things, or even strive to do things, that are worth while, that are honorable and glorious and that bless the world; yet however, the first and best thing to do is to seek God. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; and all these things shall be added unto you." We should feel content to have our daily needs sup^ plied and never worry and fret ourselves over the needs of the morrow or the distant future. Paul tells us: "Having food and raiment, be therewith content."

Jesus teaches us a very beautiful lesson by illustrating it with the fowls of the air. He says: ''Behold the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into bams ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.'' Then He asks the question: "Are ye not much better than they?" Jesus wants us to trust Him for our needs, and believs that He will supply them. If He feeds the fowls of the air that do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns, will He not much more care for us, for we are much better than they? If not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father's notice, of course He sees our every need, and if we are abiding under the shadow of His wings ; if we have first sought "the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things shall be added unto us." He will supply our needs of both soul and body if we have consecrated our lives unto Him and trust Him fully. Ihe child of God doesn't need to be over-anxious for the future, for he can trust God, day by day, for his daily bread. He can say: "Father in heaven, give us this day our daily bread," and so He stupplieth his every need. He trusts God one day at a time for his daily needs and knows of a surety that God will provide them. He doesn't take thought and worry over the morrow, or as the old adage says, he doesn't cross the bridge before he gets to it, but he lets the morrow "take thought for the things of itself." If he lires well the life of today, keeps clean his mind and pure his heart; if he fights successfully the battle of today and triumphs over every foe and every temptation he knows he shall do well. The Master tells him: '^Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Talk about one thing being more needful than another, it is to first obtain salvation, to *'seek first the kingdom of Gk)d, and his righteousness." We are then preparing to live, — live forever, — and not until then. The man who prepares only for this world and this life is- not preparing to live; he is preparing to die. Only those who prepare, get ready, to meet God in peace are prepared to live. God receives such into His everlasting kingdom above and into eternal life. The Rich Man that we read of in the Bible prepared to live here. He had so much to live on, so much of this world's possessions and goods and treasures that he resolved to pull dov^n his bams and build greater ones, as his old bams would not hold them. Then he said: *'And I will say to my soul. Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." But about this time God stepped in and said to him : 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee : then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

But we read of a very poor man who was a beg-

24 Life's Beantifvl Way Heavenward.

gar and who was "full of sores," and laid at a certain rich man's gate, ^'desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table." This v/as that godly man, Lazarus, who had sought the kingdom of God, who had rich grace and Divine love in his heart, who was abounding richly in heavenly things, but who was dying for the lack of care and attention, and who needed bread to keep him alive. "And it came to pass, that the beggar died" — (poor man, it touches my heart to think of it) — "and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said. Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."

The rich man prepared for this world; Lazarus prepared for heaven. The rich man died and went to an av^ul Hell; Lazarus died and went to that sweet home above where there is no more poverty, no more want, no more woe, no more death. Lazarus did his suffering here, had his hard time in this life, and was a Christian, and when he died Jesus received him into His holy and lovely presence. The rich man had his good time here, faring sump-

Life's BeaiiUful Way Heavenward. 25

tuously every day, living in luxury and ease ; but he was not a Christian, did not seek the ''kingdom of God, and his righteousness," and hence when this life was ended he went to Hell to torture forever. Oh, beloved, don't make the mistake of the rich man ! "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous^ ness." I had rather be a Lazarus and go to heaven than a rich man and go to hell.

Early in life, seek Jesus. While you are young, seek Jesus. While you have the greater part of life before you, seek Jesus. While you are blooming into youthfulness, early manhood and womanhood, seek Jesus. While you have a future of usefulness before you, seek Jesus. While you are strong and healthful and capable of accomplishing things for the betterment of the world and the uplift of those around you, seek Jesus. Before your life is darkened and besmutted by sin, and wrecked and ruined by immorality and revelry and dissipation; before a stain comes upon your name and character, and your influence is crippled and maybe killed as to doing good toward your fello^vman, seek Jesus. Before you lead someone astray into the forbidden and destructive 'ways of evil, seek Jesus. Before you become entangled with the things and evils of this world, seek Jesus. Before your power and God-given blessings and precious talents are squandered and destroyed, and before you have to regret a sad, misspent life, weeping over the ashes of destroyed beauty and usefulness, seek Jesus. Before you lose the gem and pearl of your innocence and purity, seek Jesus. Before you become carnally minded and have your mind filled with evil, corruptible, poisonous, lifewrecking, soul-destroying thoughts, seek Jesus. Before the beautiful and golden and priceless opportunities of life are past and gone forever, and the sunshine of life is sinking behind a horizon of neglectfulness, seek Jesus. Before you cause some soul to be lost forever in hell, seek Jesus. Before you form evil and wicked habits that blast the lives of so many people today, seek Jesus. While you may form such habits that will be a benediction to you and those around you, that will enable you to grow into strength and force of character and do' many good and valuable and beautiful things as you pass through life, seek Jesus. Before it is too late; before all is lost and hope has fled away forever, and you have made the fatal plunge into outer darkness where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth," seek Jesus. While you have the privilege of seeking God and His righteousness and living a beautiful and sublime life so that you can some bright day pass through the Golden Gate into the heavenly city to be with Jesus, and while you have the chance to help somebody else get there, too, seek Jesus, — seek JESUS. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness."

To seek first the kingdom of God is ours to do. A young life first moulded and shaped and formed like that of Jesus Christ is the most lovely, the most

to be desired, the most beneficial, most successful life pos^sible. To act and to live in accordance to the Divine commiand is building to our moral and spiritual man, it builds the natural and phj^sical man. It contributes to both the inner and outward man, making him strong and capable of doing things in life worth while, and becoming master of himself and everj^ evil situation into which he may chance to be placed.

To fail to obey God means that we are paving the way to wrecked and ruined manhood, to defeat, to sorrow and heartache, and to hell itself. To fail to obey God means that we are sapping our own pleasure and happiness, destroying our uw^n peace, missing the mark of our own high calling, and closing the gates of heaven against ourselves. Not only this, but to fail to obey God means that we are leading others in the same way of destruction, thus blighting and cursing their lives. Oh, how awful! How wrong to be disobedient to the right and live in rebellion to our Master! How wrong to revel in the corruptness of sin rather than delight in goodness and hunger and thirst after righteousness ! Failing to do God's will, and failing to live the life that measures up to our opportunities, in part at least; and failing to please Him is an evil, the greatness of which God alone knows and fully understands. It is too great for human comprehension, and ought to be too great for us to indulge in.

So, dear reader, after all has been said that can be, it is for us to obey God and do His will; for we might add page after page and unless we accept Christ as our Savior and "seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness," it will all be a failure. Then will you accept Him? "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments : for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12:13-14. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you," so says the text.

Lord Jesus, help us to obey Thee, to do Thy will, to live the Christ life, that we may share Thy glory! Help us, we pray Thee, and Thine shall be the glory forever. Amen.

Chapter II. Repentance

We speak so much of repentance that we sometimes, doubtless, come to think of it very lightly, or as being of little importance. Some, no doubt, may think of it as a kind of appendage — something attached to life that is really unnecessary. But, however this may be, repentance is not something mere^ ly attached to life just to have it there, nor is it placed upon us only as a requirement which is of no real benefit. Repentance is an absolute necessity, as indispensable to spiritual life as food is to natural life. It is of the most vital importance, — of eternal importance. Why? Because it is the way of life; the way from death which sin brought about, into the way of life which Christ establishea.

Repentance is a requirement of God, not man. It is the only way men are saved from sin. Christ came into the world preaching repentance, saying, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And again He says in words that are as lasting as the hills of eternity, ''Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." This means that all classes of mankind everywhere must repent, even from the highest down to the very lowest. None are exempt who know good from evil. The moral man and the self-righteous must repent, for their morali-

30 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenvmrd,

ty and self-righteousness are only as '''filthy rags" in the sight of God. Men do not get to heaven on mere morality and self-righteousness but through repentance and the second birth, and faith in the Lord Je sus Christ.

*'Ye must be born again.'' We were born into a natural life, this life, and we must be bom into c. spiritual life. Paul says: "'There is a natural life, and there is a spiritual life." And this requirement of Jesus, "Ye must be born again," is coupled with repentance. For through repentance we are born into the kingdom, of God. If we cut out this essential all is a failure. Rites and ceremonies won't take its place. They can't. And men today are doing this very thing. They are clinging to the nonessentials and rejecting the essentials. Just as well try to live with your heart out as to try to get to heaven without repentance and the second birth. One is as reasonable as the other. Why did Jesus say, "'Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish," and "Ye must be born again," if it was not necessary? Do you think His words are of no meaning? Do you think He was speaking just to be speaking? No. Only through Jesus Christ and His requirements can we reach heaven. "He that climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."

All men must repent. The drunkard and the profane man must repent. The liar, and the man who cheats and defrauds his neighbor must repent. The dishonest man must repent. The man who

Life's Beautiful Waij Heavemvard. 31

abuses his family must repent. The man who commits adultery must repent. The man who causes strife and discord among his neighbors must repent. The man who desecrates the Sabbath day must repent. The man who oppresses the poor must repent. In short, men must repent of any and all sins, little and great, that they have ever committed, whether in thought, word or deed, or they shall "all like wis., perish."

But what is repentance? Is it just turning about in life, and quitting the evil and doing the good? Is this all there is to it? No; it is all this and much more. Just to merely quit your sins and go to doing the right is not repentance, and yet people will tell you that is all there is to it. That is not even the beginning. It is only reformation; there's no repentance about it. There is a vast difference between repentance and reformation. Repentance is being sorry for your past sins, getting forgiveness of them, and then doing right in the future. Reformation is quitting your sins and doing the right, but it is not getting forgiveness of the past. The biggest devil in the world can reform, but yet he is a devil because he has not repented of his past life and sins. His heart is still smutty with the sins of the past of his life, even though he may be doin^ better now. He has not been to the Fountain of Life for cleansing. The blood of Jesus Christ, which "cleanseth us from all sins," has not been applied. He has "not seen him, neither knovm him," hence is not a saved and redeemed man, not a Christian. Repentance precedes reformation. First repent, then reform. The two taken together make a man Christlike and give to him the mind which is in Christ.

Have I yet made clear to you what repentance is? It is godly sorrow for sin. Listen to what Paul says about it: "Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of." Deep sorrow of the heart because of sin, and a willingnessi to forsake sin and asking God for mercy and pardon is repentance. When David had sinnned he said in sorrowful and penitent words, *'Have mercy upon me, God .... Wash me throughly (not thoroughly) from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Create in me a clean heart, God; and renew a right spirit within me."

I believe repentance is getting down upon our knees, and becoming very humble in the sight of God, and beseeching Him from the very depth of the soul in all sincerity for mercy, pardon and forgiveness of sin. Then I believe He in some way says to the sin-sick soul : "Thy sins are forgiven thee; go and sin no more." Then are we ''bom again," and can go out into the world, '*a burning and a shining light" for God, with clean hands and a pure heart. Too many people have nothing but a "confess Christ" religion, and that is all there is to it. They confess Him, but they don't possess Him. That is the reason we see so many weaklings who call themselves Christians. They don't know anything about Christ only what they have heard. They are strangers to Him. Many may have the "form of godliness/' but not the "power thereof." Anybody can confess Christ, whether they possess Him or not. But to both possess Him (possess comes first) and then confess Him makes us a Christian.

If the church members and so-called Christians all had a heart full of the real love and grace of Jesus, with a baptism of the Holy Ghost, there would not be half so much luke-warmness and backsliding among us. The Holy Ghost keeps us. We don't have to keep ourselves; we only have to watch and pray. But so many so-called backsliders are not backsliders. They stand just where they have always stood — in sin. They have never repented nor been "born again," have no knowledge of God and His saving power, hence are not backsliders. They have never been anywhere to slide back to. A man must first climb up before he can fall. Therefore we appeal to all mankind to repent, get a full supply of salvation, with holiness, and we will be on the upward march from earth to heaven.

Repentance is honorable and glorious. It is the way of the earth that is traveling heavenward, after we have become accountable for ourselves to God. There is nothing in repentance to be ashamed of. It is of God. He fixed it for our way of escape from the curse of a broken law and the penalty that was to follow. It is the way all good, great, noble, and true men and women are going. It is the gateway through which even the angels of heaven passed. It is the entrance that leads us into the marvelous light and liberty of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the way that leads from darkness into the sunlight, from the smaller life into the larger, better and more wonderful. It is the way we come to be followers of Christ and become Christlike. It is the way we are crowned "with honor and glory, a little lower than the angels,'* and by which we expect one day to stand with them, forever glorified on the shores of "sweet deliverance." It is the way to please our heavenly Father and have Him as our Shield and Guide, and make Him our "Friend that sticketh closer than a brother." It is then we can say, —

"What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear." Young man, young girl, one and all, repent. Enter into the higher and nobler life. Enter into the only life ; for the way of sin is death, not life. Do the will of our Master, repent. It's not His will that you perish. It's not His will that any perish, "but that all come to repentance." Life and heaven will then be yours, and you can be like Jesus, for some day we shall see Him as He is and be glorified with Him. My last word is repent, and "Prepare to meet thy God."

Chapter III. What One Sinner Can Do

"One sinner destroyeth much good." — Eccl. 9:18.

Perhaps there are few texts in the Bible that assert a fact that are more easily seen and realized than this, — ^"One sinner destroyeth much good." We do not have to wait until we find ourselves in another world to see the truth of this Scripture, while we may understand it more fully in the world to come. But right here in this world, in our midst, before our eyes, as plain as daylight, we see the harm the sinner does by the ''much good" he destroys.

The man that deals out strong drink to his fellowman destroys much good, more than anyone can tell, for God alone knows how far-reaching his influence goes. He curses and wrecks and ruins one youth, or half a dozen, or dozens, and maybe hundreds, and they ruin others, and these "others'* ruin still others; and so on and on the awful work goes and may not stop until the world itself is no more. The evil this liquor dealer does lives after him. Long after he dies and perhaps is in hell (he's there if he hasn't honestly repented) his work goes on, that is his influence still lives in the lives of others. He doesn't know how many souls he has sent to the pit, nor how many he will still send by his sinful and wicked career. Perhaps hundreds of years after he is in eternity someone will be a drunkard because of the good this man destroyed while in the world by dealing in liquor. God says: "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that putteth the bottle to him and maketh him drunken also." Hab. 2:15.

When God says "Woe" a man had better stop, for it means danger ahead. And therefore the liquor dealer and the drunkard had better come to a halt, turn about, repent, get right with Gk)d, or hell will open her mouth and swallow them up. "No drunkard shall enter the kingdom of heaven." The man addicted to this evil habit destroys his own manhood, talent, morality, ability, makes a wreck of his own life, and his evil influence wrecks the lives of others, thus enlarging hell, and destroying "much good." Friend, reader, whoever you are, do you realize how much injury you are doing the world by your sinful life along this line? I tell you, I'd stop for heaven's sake and see how much good I could do instead of harm.