From Letters of Love and Counsel

A Bible Lesson

Jenny C. Rutty

Dear Girls:

This ought to be a very precious letter to you, as it is from the dearest book on earth; and I hope it will be gladly received by all the readers, and carefully treasured, that it may bring forth fruit for eternity to the praise and glory of our God.

Perhaps many of you agree with me that there is a great Creator, and that in wisdom and love He has planned all things for the good of man. Then He would desire our instruction in regard to Himself and what would be for our present welfare, and also for the great future; so He gave us counselors. He knew we would wonder about many mysterious things, and in His great wisdom and love He did not wish us to be counseled wrong; so His counselors are established forever. There is no subject, no circumstance of life, or anything unnecessary to be known, but what we may find perfect instruction therefore from these wonderful counselors. Then what are they? You question. We will let King David answer, in the 119th Psalm, 24th verse, “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.”

The testimonies of God are the counselors; for they are His solemn declarations, establishing and proving all that is true and righteous that is necessary for our present and eternal good, and they are found in the Holy Bible. He says to every man, woman and child, “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.”* (Proverbs 19:20) After this short life everyone has an eternity [missing words] of two with the Devil in hell. So God wants us to be wise concerning this, and prepare for that which is best. “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.”* (Proverbs 19:21) “The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”* (Psalm 33:11) From the first scripture we see that there are many devices in a man’s heart, so that all who know not God are devising ways of their own to accomplish their desires.

Though they do so, only the counsel of God shall stand to all generations, or forever. So if we want wisdom that shall endure, that will not change, we must get it from God, through the Bible.

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle.”* (Psalm 32:8-9) Oh, the preciousness of this scripture to my soul! May it be also to you. Here He says He will instruct and teach you in the narrow way in which we must walk while living in this world for He will guide us with His eye. He sees all there is before us, and as we yield to Him He will so guide us that no harm can come to us; for He can see so much better than we can, yet we can by His help see His blessed way. Oh, bless the Lord! Once I thought that God’s word was such a strange book that no one could understand it: that each one should study it and then do the best they could to walk in the way. But, oh, I am so glad that He has promised to guide us with His eye, so we shall be guided alike and aright, in the way of truth and righteousness; and our natures are so subject to God that there is no need to be held in as animals, by force of bit and bridle, but we are by the Lord God constrained to obey His directions.

Shall we believe God? In Isaiah 45:5-6, He asserts in strongest language: “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.” 12th verse: “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” 19th verse: “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.” 22nd verse: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

Should we not put our trust in God when He is so careful to give us such valuable instruction, asserting that all He speaks is right, and in Him is salvation for all people? Did you ever think that if you hesitate to believe what God says, you are doubting or disbelieving, and you want some greater evidence that His word is true, when there is no greater; for by His word all things were created, and the Creator is greater than the created. So if it is a great responsibility to believe in God, it is also to disbelieve Him; and every one who has heard of Him is doing one or the other, so the responsibility rests upon you, whether you admit it or not.

“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.”* (Mark 12:29-30)

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”* (John 4:23-24) John, one of the disciples, says, “God is love,”* (1 John 4:8) and again, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”* (1 John 1:5) Again, be says, “No man hath seen God at any time.”* (1 John 4:12)

God so loved us that He sent His Son to suffer and die for our salvation, and to speak to man His precious truth. So Jesus, the Son of God, testifies that God the Father is the true God, and we should love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and worship Him in spirit and in truth; for God is a Spirit.

Now you can understand that the great God is a Spirit of love and light, and no man can see Him with natural eyes. Therefore we are told that when we come to God we “believe that he is.”* (Hebrews 11:6) Some do not want to serve God, because they cannot comprehend him with the natural senses; but God says, “Believe.” So we know it is not by sight or feeling that He is known, but by faith.

To believe is to trust, or to have faith, and we are continually, in many ways in our everyday life, using faith; so it is not strange that it should be used in the salvation of our souls. We trust our parents and loved ones, our neighbors and friends, our teachers and books, and even strangers. Then is it strange that we should need to trust God? So many stumble and worry because they cannot understand faith, and we cannot please Him without faith, and faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If those who need faith will carefully and humbly study the Bible, they will soon believe in God, and then seek Him (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 10:17).

Can you realize that unbelief is very wicked, and dishonors God? If you were to tell something that was of great benefit to those you loved and they should say, “Oh, we do not believe that,” you would feel much grieved, because they would lose the benefit you desired they should have, and would feel sad to think they would dishonor you by acknowledging that they thought you were untruthful, false, and, in stronger language, a liar. Oh, dear girls, can it be possible that anyone of you would grieve the great and wise God by not believing Him, when He desires to give you so many precious things that you do not at all comprehend now? For He says, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.”* (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) The natural man cannot realize what wonderful things God has for God’s children but they having His Spirit have them revealed to them and enjoy many of them in this life, and shall enjoy the rest in the great eternity of God’s presence.

In Hebrews 11:6 God says we “must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” So we see that He expects us to seek Him. “Those that seek me early shall find me.”* (Proverbs 8:17) “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”* (Matthew 6:33) “Seek, and ye shall find.”* (Luke 11:9) Then it is not enough to believe in the existence of God, but we must seek Him in His own way, by humbling ourselves before Him and believing on His Son Jesus whom He sent to save the world.

Now I do hope and pray that some of you will begin to seek after God, that you may be saved from sin. In the next letter I will tell you what the second step is; for hearing and believing in God is the first step.

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