Talk ye of all His wondrous works. I Chron. xvi. 9.
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We do not talk sufficiently about God. Why it is so may not be easy to explain; but there seems a too great reticence among Christian people about the best things. In the days of Malachi, "they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard." We talk about sermons, details of worship and church organization, or the latest phase of Scripture criticism; we discuss men, methods, and churches; but our talk in the home, and in the gatherings of Christians for social purposes, is too seldom about the wonderful works of God. Better to speak less, and to talk more of Him.

But probably the real cause of our avoidance of this best of topics, is that our hearts are filled with so much which is not of God, and they speak out of their abundance. You may judge the contents of a shop by what is put in the windows; and you may judge of the inner life of too many Christians by the subjects which are most familiar to their lips. The heart does not seek for God and his strength, nor his face continually; and therefore we find it hard to talk of all his wondrous works.

But go back in thought to the day of Pentecost. One of the first signs of the descent of the blessed Spirit was that the crowd heard every man speaking in his own tongue the wonderful works of God. What God has done in the past, as recorded on the page of Scripture; what He is doing day by day in the world around, and in our hearts; what He has promised to do on the horizon where heaven and earth shall blend in the Second Advent -- yield fit themes on which his children may beamingly talk to each other, till He goes beside and talks with them till their hearts burn.

-F. B. Meyer

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Mr. Meyer indicates, but does not make explicit, the fact that this sort of conversation cannot be manufactured. Luke 6:45, "...for of the abundance of the heart [the] mouth speaketh." As we spend time with the Lord in our prayer closets and meditate on His precious letter to us our conversation will naturally be changed. May the Lord bless us all with that grace!

Esh-baal,... Merib-baal. I Chon. viii. 33, 34.

A thought from F. B. Meyer

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Esh-baal,... Merib-baal. I Chon. viii. 33, 34.
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Baal was the idol-god of Zidon and of many surrounding nations. This idol, representing the sun in his productive force, was worshipped with impure and scandalous rites. The introduction of this name into the appellation of one of Saul's sons indicates the secret root of the declension and consequent misfortunes of that ill-fated monarch. In the earlier part of his reign he was perfect in his allegiance to Jehovah -- Jonathan means "Gift of Jehovah" -- but as the years went on, he became proud and selfsufficient; he turned to Baal, the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, and an evil spirit rushed in to take His place, as wind rushes in to fill a vacuum.

The name which Jonathan gave his son had another significance. Merib-baal is one who opposes Baal. It is as though he would indelibly stamp upon his child an undying hatred and opposition to that idolatry which was undoing his father's character and kingdom. In this choice of his child's name we also gather the deep-seated piety and devotion of that noble soul, whose heart was true to God amid the darkening shadows of his father's reign. It was this that probably drew David and him so closely in affinity.

How absolutely necessary it is for the peace of a household that there should be a oneness of devotion to God! Where that is the first consideration, there is peace and blessedness; and that it may be so, it is of the greatest importance that the parents should be constant in their godly allegiance. The ruin of Saul's home, family, and realm, began in his personal disloyalty to God; and how far he influenced the nation for evil it is difficult to estimate.

Personal Menu for Squeak

Things I like to have on my Personal Menu in Squeak...

 |spaceTallyPath|
 spaceTallyPath := FileDirectory default
   fullPathFor: 'STSpace.text'.
 aMenu addLine.
 aMenu add: 'SpaceTally [', spaceTallyPath, ']' translated
   target: SpaceTally new
   action: #printSpaceAnalysis.
 aMenu add: 'Empty Trash Can' translated
   target: Utilities
   action: #emptyScrapsBook.
 aMenu add: 'Clear Command History'
   target: CommandHistory
   action: #resetAllHistory.
 aMenu add: 'Collect Garbage'
   target: Smalltalk
   action: #garbageCollect.
 aMenu add: 'Flush MC Caches (follow this with a GC)'
   target: MCFileBasedRepository
   action: #flushAllCaches.

Heman the singer. I Chron. vi. 33.

A thought from F. B. Meyer

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Heman the singer. I Chron. vi. 33.
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This is a very brief record to put on a man's grave, but a very expressive one. To decipher that epitaph about Heman is to learn a good deal about him. From this clue we might almost construct his entire personality and character. And it would be well if it could be said of us that we had ministered with song before the tabernacle of the Lord.

Would you be a singer -- not on Sundays only, but always; not with your voice only, but in your heart; not only when the sunshine pours into the open casement through the swaying boughs of honeysuckle, but when the shutters tell of bereavement and removal -- then remember these rules: -- (1st.) God must put the new song into your mouth; (2nd.) You must be fully consecrated to Him; for the song of the Lord only begins when the burnt-offering is complete. (3rd.) You must not go into a strange land, for it is impossible to sing the Lord's song there.

Sing on, dear heart, sing on. There is nothing that scares off the devil so quickly as a hymn. Luther said, "Let us sing a hymn, and spite the devil." There is nothing that so well beguiles the pilgrim's step, and quickens his pace, when the miles are growing long and weary. There is nothing that brings so much of heaven into the heart. Singing makes every movement rhythmic, every service praise, every act thanksgiving. Sing when times are dark, you will make them bright; sing when the house of life is lonely, it will become peopled with unseen choristers; go down into the valley of shadow with a song, and you will find yourself singing the new song of Moses and the Lamb when you awake on the other side.