| The Every Day of Life |
Chapter 6 |
Page 3 |
The other day a workingman presented himself for admission to the church. He was asked what sermon or appeal had led him to take this step. “No sermon, no one’s word, he answered, but a fellow workman for many years at the bench beside me has been so true, so faithful, so Christian-like in his character and conduct, in his disposition and temper, that his influence has brought me to Christ.” This man’s life, amid all its hardness, was a song of love.
There are many people living in the midst of unattractive circumstances, amid hardship, toil, and care, whose daily life breathes out gentle music, which bless others about them. They do no great services, but they crowd the hours with little ministries, which fall like silver bell-notes on weary hearts. They are faithful in all their commonplace duties. They are patient under all manner of irritating experiences. They keep happy and contented even in times of suffering and need, cheerful and trusting even in want. They live in quiet harmony with the will of God, making no jarring discords by in-submission or willfulness. Thus in their lowly sphere they make music which is sweet to the ear both of God and man.
God wants our life to be a song. He has written the music for us in his Word and in the duties that come to us in our places and relations in life. The things we ought to do are the notes set upon the staff. After the music is written faultlessly, the singer or the player must render it perfectly, or there will be discord. We all know how one untrue voice may mar even the noblest music by singing falsely. To make our life beautiful music we must be obedient and submissive. Any disobedience is the singing of a false note and yields discord. Any in-submission breaks the melody. Obedience and joyous submission makes glad music.
But how much broken music there is in most of our lives! We fail in love’s duties. Envious thoughts and feelings, jealousies, bitterness, anger, resentment, selfishness, all unloving words, acts, and tempers, are harsh discordances, which spoil the melody. Pride mars it; so does a violent temper. Certain hideous sounds made on musical instruments are called “Wolf-Notes.” There are wolf-notes made sometimes in human lives – anger, hate, lust, and the wild utterances of passion. But we ought to strive to make only sweet music.
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