A Word for Sunday School Teachers.
" Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt. 5:16. "And it came to pass in Iconium that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke, that a great multitude of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed."
Acts 14:1.
In these verses we have two thoughts which I believe have a message to us as Sunday School teachers. They are the words " so shine" and " so spoke," and clearly refer to our life and speech. May they come home to our hearts. Are we shining before our Sunday School scholars so that they see our good works? Do they see we are what we profess to be, happy followers of the Lord Jesus Christ? " Actions speak louder than words." Our words will have weight in accordance with the life that is the background, and often children read more in our lives than by our words to them.
Oh! how this little word " so shine" should echo in our hearts. Once we were darkness, but now we are light in the Lord, and so the Lord says to us " Walk as children of light." May the fruit of the light be seen in us as the blessed traits of our Lord and Savior are produced in us by the power of the Spirit.
We trace His blessed actions towards the children in the Gospels; how He lifts the little ones up in His arms and blesses them; how He takes the girl of twelve by the hand and speaks the life-giving word; how He uses the loaves of the lad for the feeding of the multitude; every action speaking forth the love of His heart and the tender grace of His ways! Oh! may we too be marked by love and tenderness towards those that we long to win for Him. May they see as well as hear that God loves them.
How often we have prayed that we might " so speak " that some would believe in Him. It is interesting to notice in the chapter referred to we read in verse 3, " Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of His grace." Their labors were marked by continuance, and so must ours be in the Sunday School. It is ever well for us to remember " We shall reap if we faint not." The rendering of Acts 14:3, by Mr. Kelly is helpful I think-" A considerable time therefore they stayed, speaking boldly in reliance on the Lord, that gave witness unto the word of His grace." Here is a thought we ever need to have before us if we desire to so speak that souls may be blessed. It must be in reliance upon the Lord. Dependence is that which should mark us, and in this connection it is precious to think of the perfect Servant of Jehovah here in this world, of whom even His enemies had to confess " Never man spake like this Man," literally " Never man so spake as this Man." Oh, how true this was, and yet His words were rejected! Solemn thought for our hearts. But the weary found rest in Him, for He knew how to speak a word in season to such, and in Isa. 1. we are told the way of this dependent One. " The Lord God path given Me the tongue of the learned (learner or disciple as ch. 8: 16), that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear as the learned (learner)." It is wonderful to think of the dependence of the Lord Jesus as Man here in this world. He spent whole nights in prayer to God. What an example He gives us! May we know more of what this dependence is. May we be found feeding upon His Word morning by morning that we may know how to speak. It is only as in the Lord's presence with His Word before us that He will teach us. And then in reliance upon the Lord, not in our own strength or wisdom let us go forth and speak boldly, and we may expect the Lord to give witness unto the word of His grace.