Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

up."
ruined!"
well"
LESSONS FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 10, 1955
VOLUME LIV WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1955 NUMBER 25
"The
Missing Center"
by
Edwin Raymond Anderson
Do you recall the Jig-saw puzzle It was quite
the rage a few years ago, with almost everyone bent
low over a table littered with all manner of sizes of
pieces, feverishly seeking to scramble them together
into the sense of the pattern pictured on the cover of
the box.
For most people, the jig-saw puzzle has given
way to some later fad, in the bewildering crazy-quilt
of our civilization. But there is one old-timer in town
who is still excited over the game. At every oppor
tunity he will turn his hands to the putting together
of a pattern. I dropped over to visit on a particular
afternoon. As soon as he opened the door in response
to my knock, I could sense that something was terri
bly wrong !
He stared at me for a moment, his lean frame
trembling from head to foot. Then he suddenly
reached out, grabbed my arm and pulled me into the
living-room, hurried me through to the side-room
where he kept his precious puzzles. There on the
table before me, I spotted one of them.
"Take a good look at that . . . just
take a good
look !" he was almost shouting in my ear, in the grip
of whatever disaster had befallen him. "See what
has happened. Never before in all the time I've been
working these things, has anything like this come
I drew closer to the table. Instantly I spotted
the "tragedy." There, spread before me, was a jig
saw puzzle almost completed. It was a beautiful re
production of a famous painting, and I appreciated
the time it must have taken the old-timer to have
come thus far with it. But right in the center of
that picture was a jagged blank; a piece was miss
ing!
!"
"And . . and. he cried out behind me, "I've
been looking all over the house for that one piece to
finish up the picture . . for days ! Yes, I said, days !
Asked everyone, had them help look for it . . . but
no luck. Just for that one piece, the whole thing is
ruined And as he
. .
formed that
.
word,
"ruined"
the poor old chap broke out into bitter
weeping.
Perhaps you smile ; I did at first. But there is a
solemn spiritual lesson which has long lingered with
me. For lack of a center-piece, the picture was in
complete, and that blank would haunt the whole.
Surely one can see the spiritual implication in that!
Let us allow that this life is like a jig-saw puzzle,
taking many things of differing forms to go into
the making thereof, so there be harmony and fruitfulness.
But where is the evidence of it Is it not
more evident that for so many in our day, there is
every indication of the missing center-piece of the
Lord Jesus Christ and His "so great salvation" pro
vided in the wonder of His finished work at Calvary
For all the talk, all the longing of peace, of rest, of
quietness, of assurance, it is hardly much more, for
life without the Lord of life, is not life at all, at
highest and richest and best, but rather a tragic lie
lived under the rule of this world's god.
But unlike the old-timer, many in our day ap
pear totally indifferent, unconcerned about this vital
center-piece. They blandly, blindly believe that "all's
without the wonder of it. It is your business
and mine, beloved, to so labor with the Word, in the
enabling power of the Holy Spirit, that they shall be
stabbed awake to their emptiness, their vital need.
And if we are to be at all effective in this service,
we must first make certain that there are no miss
ing center-pieces in our make-up. We have accepted
Him as Saviour, we must go on and "fill in" by
crowning Him as LORD of life, presenting ourselves
continually as the living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1, 2).
There must be the feeding on the Word, the "water
ing"
by fervent prayer, a constant occupation in re
deeming the time, approving ourselves in all things
as faithful stewards of the things of the Lord.
Are you missing "something" Is your life ALL
that is intended of the Lord It is high time (Rom.
13:11) to return unto the Lord, mark that which is
missing, and thus meet with Him in renewal and
consecration. May we be truly concerned about this
vital matter!