| The Every Day of Life |
Chapter 8 |
Page 4 |
Many people have altogether too narrow a concept of what Christ does for them. They think of him as forgiving their sins, changing their hearts, helping them in their purely spiritual affairs, and bringing them home at last to heaven. But there is nothing in our life, which is not of interest to him, and true believing in Christ implies the putting into his hand of all our affairs. This may not always be easy. We like to have our own way, to carry out our own plans. We do not like to have sorrow and disappointment break in upon us. Yet if he is to fashion our life into heavenly beauty, he must have his way with us. Thus we get a glimpse of the meaning of trial. If sorrow comes in place of the joy you have planned for yourself, it is because sorrow is better than joy would have been. Christ may oftentimes seem to be spoiling the beauty of our life; but it is ours to trust him even then, and by and by we shall know that hi way was wiser than ours. Tapestry weavers see only the wrong side as they weave.
“My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me;
I may but choose the colors–
He worketh steadily.
Full oft he weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget he sees the upper
And I the under side.”
Loving this unseen Savior will draw us into his service. No transformation into his character is complete which does not make us like him in the devotion of our life to the good of the world. Perhaps we sometimes over look this, thinking of Christ-likeness as gentleness, patience, meekness, purity, truth, without the active element. But when Christ put the thought of his mission into a sentence it was:
“The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
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