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BOOK REVIEW
The Covenants of Scotland
John Lumsden
Published 1914
369 pages
This book discusses each of the thirty-one Covenants of Scotland.
It presents the texts of the Covenants, sets out the events leading to the framing and subscribing of each, and examines the results which followed.
The struggles for religious freedom in Scotland are central to the the secured liberty enjoyed today in that part of the United Kingdom and form an integral part of its history.
This book details, in convenient form, what were epoch-making documents the detail of which is not often considered today.
The history of Scotland is bound up with the Covenants then entered into, and acted upon, by the people.
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
Love tested and tried
John 21:15
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
The repeated Interrogation - lovest thou me? Repeated three times.
Peter denied Christ thrice. Now thrice he is challenged about his love for Christ.
The reticent affirmation - thou knowest that I love thee.
The required occupation - Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep.
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A Closer Look
The Sermon on the Mount. Part 1
Over the next few months we will reprint here a beautiful, passage by passage, study of the “Words of Life” as spoken by Our Lord Jesus Christ and considered by the authors Nelson Beecher Keyes and Edward Felix Gallagher in their illustrated column Our Christian Heritage.
If someone asked you the question, “What is a word?” how would you answer? A word is a symbol, a brief sign, for a thought or an idea. It has its sound, but far more important is its meaning, the something that it pictures for us. And it is only as it sets up in our minds the picture which is intended that it has truly served its purpose. Thus, the words of this mighty sermon need to be considered closely.
Take the very first word of the discourse, often rendered as blessed, which signifies the condition of souls in heaven, but which we have need to approach within the limits of earthly life. We have need to find satisfaction, happiness, contentment in the life about us and in which we are cast, and in which we have a part. It is true that a person may have the blessing of many good fortunes but not be happy; while the blessed are necessarily happy with their lot.
Who have the best assurance of finding such happiness? Those who are “poor in spirit.” Once again let us look behind the mere sound of the words for their real meaning. No doubt the place to begin is with the more important term spirit. One biblical meaning is the breath of life breathed into us by the Creator.
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We can look forward to greater rewards in the society which Jesus envisions if we approach life in a spirit of humility.
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Spirit can also mean fire, bravery, animation and enterprise. But when uncontrolled, these can beget pride, conceit and vanity. To be poor in spirit would sure rule out these undesirable forms of the active principle of life, these too common manifestations of the energetic approach to living. The word we seem to be seeking is perhaps best satisfied by the term humility. “In the spirit” carries in it the sense of “not in actuality.” Riches have ever been a concern; and to one poor in spirit there is ether little desire for them or attachment to them even if they are already possessed. Such is the essence of humility, to possess this world’s goods but in a manner as though one possessed them not.
Happy then are the humble. We can look forward to greater rewards in the society which Jesus envisions if we approach life in a spirit of humility. We will then be better prepared to make sacrifices where necessary to obtain those things which really make for happiness and contentment of mind in the Kingdom of God. Such a Kingdom belongs to those who have learned to outgrow the childish ambition to satisfy every whim, fancy and desire; and to substitute for it persistence in seeking worthwhile ends by fully acceptable means.
THE NEED FOR TRUE HUMILITY
The common denominator in life is, unfortunately, money or its equivalent, worldly goods. But their possession, or their lack, is not a proper measuring rod. The rich often prove that they are not only capable of, but on occasion display, becoming humility. The have-not’s, considered better schooled in the ways of humility, nonetheless possess the ability at times to be arrogant. Those who are poor in spirit find happiness without respect to worldly wealth or power. This is true since humility demands that we acknowledge the power of God working through us; and that beyond that we be as putty in His hands, to be moulded to His purposes.
One of the basic urges of man is self-preservation. The will to stay alive as long as life is humanly possible is firmly built into most of us. Thus, our appetites and our organic needs move us to action to keep life within us.
But man, too, is a social animal. By close association with our fellows there is bred into us the desire to excel, to succeed, to win over others, to overcome difficulties, to break through obstructions. Along with this desire, and as a stimulus to it, we develop a sense of pride in our achievements. Such pride seems to be more or less necessary to furnish motive power to more praiseworthy efforts. But what is its limit? Should it not be altered to true humility that acknowledges all as God’s gifts, to the realization that it is God “that giveth the increase”? Such understanding, too, often comes only in one’s twilight years.
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Success can become something of an evil obsession, when we focus entirely upon the goal and do not morally weigh the means of reaching it.
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“Be not wise in your own eyes, do not lean entirely on your own sagacity,” counsels the author of Proverbs. “Trust in the Lord. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your steps.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Success can become something of an evil obsession, when we focus entirely upon the goal and do not morally weigh the means of reaching it. The feeling is all too common that if the objective cannot be attained in one way, it must be in another. And under untamed pride, the other way may not always be a morally permissible one.
A WARNING TO THE PROUD
When pride steps up to the point of arrogance, when it climbs above charitable consideration of others, it is no longer a desirable stimulant. When it goes to our head, so that we no longer feel the need to seek God for aid and strength, then we have put ourselves entirely outside the Kingdom. The hope for sound advancement lies with those humble enough to know that they need divine assistance.
Also, humility is not a garment that can be put on and taken off at will. Israel should have learned this stern lesson years before in the time of the Judges. When the people humbled themselves and sought God’s guidance, he sent them saviours to lead them out of the quicksand into which their richness of worldly spirit – their fattened pride – had led them. Soon cocksure and self-sufficient when danger was removed, they quickly bogged down again in the idolatry which seeped in, as conceit emptied their hearts of the love of God. Joshua had said, in becoming humility, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 23:15). How much greater sense of security, or happiness of mind and of soul, he must have found then did those who, in their pride, in a later time “did that which was right each in his own sight” and wound up in the hands of their enemies (Judges 17:6).
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The hope for sound advancement lies with those humble enough to know that they need divine assistance.
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Without sufficient humility, there can be little real faith, no, not as much as to equal in size the tiny mustard seed (Luke 17:6). Pride locks up the heart, as in a steel box. Moses and other Old Testament worthies had long since pointed out the danger in this respect (Deuteronomy 8:11-20). It hardens the heart, and makes it insensible to the rights of others (Psalm73 [72]:6,8,9). It engenders strife (Proverbs 13:10) and leads to great difficulties (Proverbs 16:9,18). It ends up in blind conceit and insecurity (Proverbs 28:11,26). It will be the humble alone who will find the better way – the way of faith (Proverbs 3:5).
THE HUMBLE MAY ACHIEVE THE KINGDOM
Those who act in humility possess the Kingdom of God. It is theirs to enjoy now, in this life; and not only reward to be hoped for in the future life. That was Jesus’ promise. He made it clear that you can enjoy life today, if you will but approach it with the right attitude of mind and heart. If you will but curb your desires as He directs, keep your hopes and ambitions under control, approach life constructively and in a sense of love and justice for all. In that way, and only in that way, you may be at peace with yourself and with others.
However, to be humble does not mean to be passive. Humility does not imply apathy, indifference or recreancy. Quite the contrary. Submission to a Higher Power, in which faith can be lodged with complete security, can be one of the finest sources of satisfaction. Submission to a God who can be, and is, firmly and unfalteringly believed in, can be conducive to a warming sense of security and permanence. But humility does not mean submission to or the condoning of evil. That, the humble must firmly resist and humbly combat.
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Those who act in humility possess the Kingdom of God. It is theirs to enjoy now, in this life; and not only reward to be hoped for in the future life. That was Jesus’ promise.
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Yet out of the faith in God, born of humility, comes the power to blunt and turn aside the arrows of outrageous fortune. Out of poorness of a worlding’s spirit comes mental health and well-being. Out of humility comes the possession of that Kingdom whose dimensions and make-up is being opened up before us through Jesus’ words.
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Think on This!
"Do not say that Luther, or Calvin, or Whitefield were great men, and therefore around them great things gathered. The weakest of men may be more honoured than the greatest, if God so wills it."
CH Spurgeon.
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BOOK REVIEW
Bible Commentary (Complete one volume) by F B Meyer
This amazing work arranges commentary on the entire Bible in daily portions and inspiring devotional comments.
It makes easy consecutive through-the-Bible reading.
Each reading stands alone yet acts as a springboard for deeper study.
Meyer brings to the fore the central meaning of each passage and underscores its precise application to our daily needs. The great beauty of his writing and ability is that Meyer is no dry scholastic writer but an exciting champion of how the Scriptures may be applied personally, in our homes, in our jobs and in all our interactions with society.
He builds helpful cross references into his writing to give an understanding of New Testament fulfilment of Old Testament truths.
In this book we have an invaluable help to reading the Bible consecutively with understanding.
It has well been described as Meyer’s “crowning one in his worldwide ministry in voice and pen.”
Go buy or borrow!
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
Glorifying God in the Fire
Isaiah 24:15 - ‘Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.’
In the fire of Conviction
In the fire of Affliction
In the fire of Refining
In the fire of Revival
In the fire of Judgement
Note: Compare God with the flood in ch 24:18.
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A Closer Look
The Sermon on the Mount – Part 2
Blessed are they who mourn – Matthew 5:4,5
On the very face of it this beatitude would seem to be a ‘hard saying’. To attempt to connect happiness of any shade with grief and sorrow would imply that there must be some hidden play upon words, or some ingenious twisting of meaning. Common sense, a term often loosely used, and here meaning ordinary reasoning, might suggest that something has been turned about, or that here is a subtle fallacy, unbelievable, with perhaps a hidden truth to be searched for. But once again, it may be well to check the words.
There are several Greek terms which have been translated in the New Testament by the word mourn. The particular one used in this instance also means to be sorry, to grieve not only because of a loss, as of a loved one, but also because of sin or error.
Thus, we are forced to ask ourselves why we mourn, what is the cause of our sorrow. Is our suffering sincere and merited, or are we merely engaged in self-pity? Have we suffered real loss, or is it just that our pride or our feelings have been hurt? Are we sorrowing over the loss of something for which we did not labour, or which we did not cause to grow, as did Jonah? (Jonah 4:10) He felt no compassion for the thousands who might perish about him, but the loss of his gourd vine, his possible loss of face as a prophet, made him mourn until he hoped for death. No love was lost by him upon a repentant people. But injured pride, threatened prestige, threw him into the depths of despair. There are many adults who revert to such childish whining, usually merely the expression of selfishness. This is ingrown and perverted pity, and by no stretch of the imagination the feeling of sorrow and mourning Jesus wished to convey.
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The person who seriously mourns because of his own shortcomings and sins will certainly be inwardly consoled by a forgiving God.
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The person who seriously mourns because of his own shortcomings and sins will certainly be inwardly consoled by a forgiving God. Also, he is certain not to be alone in his sorrowing in a world of real brotherhood. All about him will be similarly forced to weigh their own concerns in respect to their righteousness. For if there is no time and no room for distress in considering our defects, there will be neither the opportunity nor the patience to mend them.
The man or woman who is not competent to look himself, or herself, over, critically and impartially, and then feel concern to the point of grief over such unsuitable characteristics as are found, will lack much of the human touch and understanding that make for true brotherhood. He who cannot admit sorrowfully that there are specks in his own eyes is not satisfactorily equipped to look for them in the eyes of others. Sympathetic understanding begins a t home, and we will not be able to show true compassion for others, and thus win their gratitude, until our own inadequacies and truly regret them. Sometimes we have to become embroiled in sin itself, and have its wages made clear to us, before we learn how to be contrite. Such was David’s sad experience. But he was man enough to admit his shortcomings, and to mourn for his sin; and for the self-satisfaction that keeps our thinking self-centred rather than God-centred.
There is, of course, the more normal, natural grief, the grief of loss. The list of Bible characters who mourned and frankly showed their distress as it fell upon them is very impressive. Abraham mourned for SARAH (Gen 23:2). David for Saul (II Sam.2:17-27) for Abner (3:33-34) and for Absalom (18:33). There are instances mentioned when Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Amos, Peter, Paul and also Jesus gave themselves very frankly to deep grief. In fact, it adds materially to their stature as well-rounded human beings.
REAL MOURNING IS FROM THE HEART
Tears can be but a shabby refuge when they stem from a grievance rather than from real grief. And mourning can be carried to ludicrous extremes. The eastern peoples have long been capable of making it into an empty ceremony. Hired mourners could be had to visit a grace in the early morning to pray audibly, chant, moan, son and beat their chests. Individuals, too, tend to be excessive in their demonstrations of sorrow, tearing their clothes, rather than their hearts (Joel 2:13); shaving their heads, or plucking out their hair (Jer. 7:29); or by donning sackcloth, perpetuated by us today in mourning garments (Joel 1:8). These were perhaps in part emotional outlets, by which one found relief, and with the same benefit as we derive from tears. There was much insincerity in such demonstrations, however, and this had no part in the sort of mourning which Jesus recommended.
But there can be excess in the opposite direction too. There were among the Greeks at this time a sect known as the Stoics, whom Paul would encounter one day in Athens (Acts 17:18). They were completely impassive and taught that one should show utter indifference to both pleasure and pain. We still manage to worship at the feet of some of their beliefs today when we glorify the dry-eyed ‘he-man’ insensible to pain. What parents are there who have not, in so many words dinned into the minds of their male children the dubious admonition, ‘Boys don’t cry’? Little sister, who has broken a favourite doll, can rush into a shower of tears, relieve the tension of her grief, and come back refreshed and capable of appreciating a similar hurt suffered by one of her playmates. But her brother must manfully store up his tense feelings, to let the pressure down slowly if he has been coached in such a technique, or to have his explosive feelings dash him headlong into some mischief, if he has not had that danger pointed out to him.
Those who can mourn naturally and sincerely and find an outlet for their own grief in helping to bear the griefs of others can avoid many frustrations. While those who hug their griefs to their breasts and nurse them into excessive growth, are headed for trouble.
Humility, which is the touchstone to son-ship with God and brotherhood with one’s fellows, should also be a part of our grief and mourning. Grief that is centred in one’s self, that is in-growing, can become a mental canker sore. When the sensitivity that comes from the experiencing of deep sorrow is turned outward, to be used for the benefit of others, it can become a balm.
Blessed are they who, in their mourning, learn to be compassionate of the griefs and the shortcomings of others. To them will flow comforting rivers of the waters of understanding.
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Think on This!
A good conscience and a good confidence go together. Thomas Brooks
Peace of conscience is the echo of pardoning mercy. William Gurnall
When a person says they have a clear conscience, they must be careful to check their memory! Anon
My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Martin Luther.
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BOOK REVIEW
The Eagle Handbook of Bible Prayers
Martin Manser & Mike Beaumont
Every prayer in the Bible is included in this book, and furthermore it presents them in groups which make them relevant to daily living while also providing an overview of their teaching.
Long prayers, short prayers, well known prayers and obscure prayers - they are all contained here.
While giving the Bible verses of the prayers in addition it contains additional references carefully selected from both Testaments to expand our understanding and appreciation of prayer and it adds in prayers drawn from throughout church history.
The book is divided into six user- friendly sections which are thematically arranged.
It is not only inspirational at a personal level but a practical treasury for the reader to help propel their witness into society.
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
The Reward of Prayer
Isaiah 25:9 ‘And it shall be said on that day, lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’
Salvation.
Jubilation.
Exaltation.
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A Closer Look
The Sermon on the Mount – Part 3
Blessed are the Meek – Matthew 5:5
English translations of the Bible which have persisted and become a definite part our language were made principally in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. In the intervening years certain words have somewhat altered their meaning, or at least their emphasis. Thus, it is often illuminating to go back to authors of the time when their translators worked, and find how certain words were then used.
A little-known poet, Thomas Dekker, who died in 1640, employed these words as descriptive of Jesus:
The best of men
That e’er wore earth about him was a sufferer;
A soft, meek, patient, humble, tranquil spirit,
The first true gentleman that ever breathed.
The close association of the words meek and patient in this snatch of verse is very significant. Gentleness, mildness, meekness, and humility are summed up in the characteristic which today is most commonly called patience. There is surely a large measure of blessedness in those who can be truly patient in this bustling, breathless driving world in which we live today. The earth is, and definitely should be, the heritage of those blessed with the ability to be self-possessed, forbearing, and often, long-suffering.
MEEKNESS IS A POSITIVE TRAIT, AND TO BE CULTIVATED
Once again, this is not intended to place emphasis upon a negative characteristic. It takes a very positive, resolute personality to be meek in the best sense of what is meant by Jesus in this Beatitude. One has to be well controlled to be properly submissive. It takes discipline and understanding. It is true that there are forgeries and imitations. One such is indifference. Another is the cowardice that too often makes us fawning, cringing, cowering sycophants and flatterers. Neither are you meek or patient if there is hatred in your heart in place of pity and understanding. By the same token, he who turns his back and hastens away from a situation to which he might contribute is not the patient man who makes brotherhood a constructive force. Once again, it does not encompass those willing to stand aside and let the ruthless, the crass or the barbarous hold away. There can be no compromise, no surrender to evil. Meekness is not helplessness on the one hand, nor avoidance and detachment on the other. It is anchored in remembrance of God’s merciful Providence, trust in His kindly omnipotence, and surrender to His all-wise judgments.
BIBLE MODELS OF MEEKNESS
On which among the many Bible characters was this desirable trait bestowed? Moses displayed a great patience in the face of his rebellious brother and sisters (Num 12:1-9). There was humility and meekness in Abrahams’s attitude towards Lot (Gen. 13:8). Isaac chose the better course, rather than rush into tribal warfare (Gen. 26:20-22). Gideon by gentle words turned away wrath (Judges 8:1-3). Saul, as a young man, brought himself to hold his peace at a critical moment (1 Sam 10:27). David knew how to be meek in the face of wrong-doing (2 Sam. 16:9-14); and even the archangel Michael bore evidence of the heavenly pattern of forbearance which is indicated in Jude 9.
Of what is this characteristic derived? It stems from abiding belief in the sanity and orderliness of the world of which we are a part. The Psalmist says that God guides the path of those of humble heart. He teaches them His ways (Ps 25:9). They shall devour, digest, and come to understand the ways of the Lord and be satisfied (Ps. 22:6).
Thus, it would seem that it was he prevailing belief that the meek were formed and moulded by the Spirit of God, the providential Father, working within them. They were the children of faith, or strong faith in a Father who had created an orderly universe which He was able to regulate and dispose of to our benefit, and in which He was prepared to judge with impartiality and justice for all.
MEEKNESS IN LIFE TODAY
No man among us today is meeker in the natural order than the physical scientist. He develops a deep faith in the laws of the science which he espouses. He knows conclusively what results will follows as naturally as day follows night if certain forces are set in action. Since he is aware that these natural laws are inflexible, he can be patient as to outcomes. The cornerstone of his assured meekness is faith.
Would that men might find such fixed and unshakable faith in the fatherhood of God. Would that they might let themselves be God-moulded and formed to the point where their belief in the goodness of God’s purposes become similarly trusting. Would, too, that we might acquire the patience to permit God to work out His law and His purposes in His own good time – to say, not in resignation, but in sincere resolve, “Thy will be done.” Then, and only then, will we achieve to the meekness and patience which can make this life about us a blessing indeed.
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Think on This!
Beware of false knowledge - it is more dangerous than ignorance. George Bernard Shaw
If you profess Christ and find full satisfaction in the world, your profession is false.
C H Spurgeon
The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender. William Booth
God does nothing except in response to believing prayer. John Wesley
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BOOK REVIEW
The Making of the Popes 1978
Andrew M Greeley
For an understanding of papal politics and indeed an understanding of politics in general, this book should make your reading list.
This is a chronicle of the death of two popes and the election of their successors in the space of just two months.
It has been described as being, “written with the speed and excitement of an Agatha’s Christie thriller” and describes an epic which most of us will not witness again in our lifetime.
While we now have the advantage of knowing what came next, this interpretative reporting is illuminating, readable, and gives more than a glimpse into the workings of the Catholic Church. Above all it shows just how narrow and in-bred the group of men who actually run the Church of Rome from Vatican City are.
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
The Seven Crowns of Christ’s Dying love
Special thoughts on our Saviour’s great love this Easter time.
Romans 5:10: ‘For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.’
The crown of his immortality
The crown of his intention
The crown of his integrity
The crown of his inspiration
The crown of his intervention
The crown of his isolation
The crown of his imputation
“Love of an unexampled kind,
That leaves all thinking far behind,
Where length and breadth, and depth and height,
Are lost in our astonished sight!”
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A Closer Look
Sermon on the Mount Part Four
‘Blessed are they that hunger and thirst.’ Matthew 5:6
Probably nothing in our lives is more fundamental than hunger and thirst. The empty stomach or the parched throat will drive men to great lengths to fill the one and to moisten the other. A child’s first cry stems from these unsatisfied appetites.
As a baby, he demands to be fed every three or four hours around the clock. Slowly, first the night feedings and then others are dropped and his appetite is trained, disciplined and made to conform to adult habits. We do well to remember this. Appetites can be made selective; they can be educated.
Yet a kind Providence seems to have entered into some of the orderings of these basic bodily urges. Experiments have shown that both animals and children, when given free choice, tend to choose foods suitable to their growth and development. Beyond this we have all probably known of animals, acting on instincts, selecting food capable of relieving distress or unhealthy conditions,
On the animal side of our natures, we seem to be well fortified in our appetites. Hunger and thirst are among our most dependable motivations, at least until we run counter to their normal satisfactions. The intake of food or drink which is totally unsuited for our bodily needs is quickly made evident to us. If it is not too virulent, so that it deadens our protective mechanism, our system purges itself. What is unwholesome and may do us harm is thrown off. What a pity there is not some similar involuntary mechanism to purge the mind and heart of poisonous thoughts and ideals liable to be absorbed.
For we must realise that both the mind and the heart have keen appetites which must be satisfied; but necessarily with food suitable to their particular needs. No one who has been associate for long with healthy-minded children but is forced to admit that there is an appetite here, too, in this portion of our beings. Emptiness of mind can be borne for a long time, with postponement of its filling. But it is not necessarily a natural tendency. And when once stimulated, as is the parents’ duty, the mind can ache in quite the same compelling way as does the empty stomach or the shrivelled throat. The lack of food and drink registers itself as a want, and makes the need very, very insistent. The whole being is uncomfortable, and we are stung into action.
Mental lacks, moral lacks, spiritual lacks, the hunger and thirst for justice, are more easily quieted and disposed of. And, unlike the unabashed animal appetites, they can be satisfied without the same certainly that what we feed them is to our advantage and well-being. Their gratification can become much more a matter of unregulated habit than will ever be possible with physical hunger and thirst. We can teach ourselves to crave almost anything. But the stomach has better sense, and can be more selective about what it will consent to receive, than will the head or the heart. Staying alive is much more nearly involuntary and automatic than is the direction we give to the life we are re-training.
THE APPETITE FOR MORAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH
It is an appetite which surely needs to be educated and cultivated. With some there may be an inborn ability to make suitable selections as to quality and quantity in mental and spiritual food; but we cannot be certain and dare not risk its not being present. Like any habit or way of life, it can and should be encouraged in children, and the earlier the better. In this connection, the following deserves consideration.
Some of our soundest educators are now convinced that what once passed for native abilities should perhaps better be attributed to the stimulation which has surrounded the child in his most formative years. Since these come for the most part before he makes that earliest breakaway from the family circle to enter school, it is the influences in the home that play the controlling part in what he may ultimately become. This places a distinct responsibility upon the parents. They alone cannot make or break the child. But they do have an obligation to approach their problem as though the burden was solely theirs. They will have missed a God-given obligation unless they do their level best to see that the child entrusted to them is placed in the way of becoming a true son, or daughter, of the Father above.
If their child showed no healthy appetite for food, most parents would worry themselves into a decline over this lack. They should also be equally concerned if there is no natural appetite for mental, moral and spiritual understanding. An indifferent attitude toward physical food is usually a sign of lack of bodily health. By the same token, lack of interest in the things of the mind, heart and soul should indicate impaired health in the personality.
How is such interest – such an appetite – displayed? By questions or by actions. Childhood is a period of experiment, of test and of trial, in an attempt to adjust to the adult world about him, into which he hopes to be absorbed. His chief hunger and thirst are to perfect his ways so he will be accepted and considered a mature human being. And his choice of food, drink and cultural nourishment will be largely settled for life by that clear-cut pattern of what a well-rounded person should be which we should have established within him by the time of his first breakaway from the family. Whatever else we may provide from that age on is pretty much in the way of refinement of what has gone before.
What abilities can we encourage in our children that will serve them well and help them to control their hunger and thirst for knowledge throughout their lives? There are four of them. They are the bases of a general education, which, however, must always being in the home. When they are properly developed in us, we have greater hope of becoming the good man or woman, and the good citizen, both of our own country and of the Kingdom of God.
FOUR BASIC NEEDS
The first is to THINK EFFECTIVELY. By this is meant to think logically and develop the ability to draw sound conclusions from what we assume to be true – to extract universal truths from particular cases and, in turn, to infer particulars from general laws. Herein lies the ability to break a problem down into its parts and elements and recombine them so as to reach a satisfactory solution.
The second is COMMUNICATION. It has to do with the ability to properly express one’s thoughts so that they may be readily passed on to and grasped by others. With it goes the complementary ability to hear and to correctly interpret the words of those with whom we come in contact.
Next comes CHOICE AMONG VALUES. This is both a function of effective thinking and also one of its expressions. It requires that we learn not only to differentiate what is good from that which is evil, but also to distinguish what is better and finally what is best. By its use, the young mason constructing his, or her, own character learns to select the building blocks that will result in the most satisfactory and permanent structure.
Then comes the FORMING OF SOUND JUDGMENTS. What is called for is trained ability in gathering knowledge – all that can be gathered – from which to develop ideas that are reliable and right as the basis for our actions. Here the child will need particularly to profit by experience, practice, and the slow formation of appropriate habits of right reasoning.
Teaching – our teaching as parents – will be both by example and encouragement in good judgment. It should hope to encourage in the child a strong inclination toward courage, fair play, self-control, humility, and similar desirable characteristics, rather than their opposites. This we must always remember. Whether we do so consciously and with good purpose, or willy-nilly and without particular design, we will educate our children; for they instinctively look to us as their first models for imitative behaviour. Because this is true and an unavoidable condition, the nature of our responsibility should be manifestly clear.
Proper inculcation of the four fundamental abilities takes most effective thinking and unremitting application. There will be the need to admit of faults and errors and to search always for truth, rather than for catch phrases, sterile cleverness or camouflaged deceit. And let us not overlook the uses of imagination, which often furnishes the ability to break through routine, tradition and sham.
Many of us try to do the best we can by our children in these respects; but at times our best often seems far from adequate. Those who rise to this responsibility also have moments when they feel that they should be overhauling and sharpening up their own similar abilities. But too many seem to have trouble in finding convenient time, or sufficient inclination.
One can be morally and spiritually lazy perhaps even more readily than the animal drives of hunger and thirst will permit in physical respects. We do not hunger and thirst after righteousness as we should; and many do not know how or where to search for such food and drink. But we may be sure that we will not know the contentment of being righteously filled until we make the necessary effort. Again, it is a case of ‘seek and ye shall find’.
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Think on this!
Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus Christ
Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. Martin Luther
A dead Christ I must do everything for - but a living Christ does everything for me! Andrew Murray
The cross only triumphs when our eyes are directed to the power of His Resurrection. John Calvin
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BOOK REVIEW
King William and the Scottish Politicians
P W J Riley
After the revolution of 1688, the nature of Scottish politics and the relationship between Scotland and England was largely determined by the constitutional and religious settlement which came about.
This book examines the making of the revolution settlement.
It seeks to demonstrate that the settlement and King William’s attitude to Scotland combined to misgovern the kingdom until William’s death in 1702.
The proposition of the book is that such matters as Glencoe, the Darien Venture and the maintenance of a standing army were not so much the cause of splits and divisions but were the outcome of them.
When set alongside Anglo-Scottish relations today it certainly deepens our understanding of how history echoes in the future of every nation.
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
The Empty Tomb.
Joseph’s tomb is not only emptied of Christ’s body but it is emptied of our curse.
Christ was delivered because of our offences, He was raised because of our justification.
His death discharged about awful debt, His resurrection is the great receipt that the price has been paid.
The experience of justification in the heart of the believer is a personal corroboration that Christ is risen from the dead.
In the joy of this experience the believer can say with Job, “For I know that my redeemer livery, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (John 19: 25-27)
Thus the evidence of faith confirms the fact of the Resurrection. I believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, because my personal experience of the Saviour tells me it is so!
Now let the heavens be joyful;
Let earth her song begin;
Let the round world keep triumph,
And all that is therein;
Invisible and visible,
Their notes let all things blend,
For Christ the Lord hath risen,
Our joy that hath no end!
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A CLOSER LOOK
Sermon on the Mount – Part Five
Blessed are the Peacemakers - Matthew 5:9
We cannot have come even this far without realising that Jesus’ teachings were aimed squarely at the here and now, rather than at another place and time. Our investiture into the Kingdom is in this life. It begins here on earth, where that Kingdom is to be won or lost. Those who accept the challenge and become members join a continuing society of the blessed, and find their permanent membership in another world to come.
But the beginning must be made here. One is not directed to flee the world in which he has been purposely placed by a beneficent Father. He is not to draw away to some hidden Utopia. The task in which he is to have a part is not resettlement, but reconstruction and regeneration with divine aid. The intent is that we come to make greater and more gratifying use of the wonders of mind, body and spirit given us by a generous and merciful Creator, and which we have not previously fully employed.
While Jesus gave ample assurance of the abundance of a life which lies beyond death, His purpose in coming into the world was to demonstrate and leave a pattern of the more abundant life which could and should be lived here. He came not to draft men to supplement the angels in Heaven; but to teach them His ways, and leave them behind as the leavening influence by which a fuller life might come into being.
Those who would be His followers must realise that it is their own achievements in the here and now by which their service will be measured. Heaven is an ultimate reward; the victory is principally decided in the life which is ours between physical birth and death, not elsewhere. And the enlistment office for the Kingdom is where you are at this very moment.
As you look about you, the view may not be too reassuring. You stand just past the halfway point in a century which has seen more bloodletting than probably any which has gone before. War, which was old when Abraham was called by God, has, in extreme maturity, become total, all-embracing, devastating, and soul-wearying. Whatever satanic thrill men may once have gotten from the clash of sword blade upon sword blade, for spear upon spear, has been replaced with the terrible dread of crunching shells, earth-shaking missiles and appalling catastrophe of nuclear fission, whether the bombs are labelled A or H.
Never since Eden have more men wished more fervently for peace than they do today – for a political and economic peace out of which they hope may come peace of mind and soul.
Being conscientious, they ask what can be done, both in the mass and as individuals, that will be constructive and helpful. One frequently heard solution seems to be to purge the world in some way of a few evil-doers lodged in high places. That done with neatness and dispatch, the hopeful feeling is that most of the world’s ills would soon remedy themselves. But are a few of great evil to be feared more than the many who’s evil, by comparison, seems trivial?
I this connection, and presuming that Jesus was among us on earth today and about to preach the searching sermon which we are examining, would it not be interesting, at the end of His address, to lodge a question with Him on the most certain way to world peace? What might His suggestion be for relief from wars both hot and cold?
But are we, by unfortunately focusing on our problem from the wrong end, perhaps blinding our eyes to an answer to world peace long since given? Might it not profit us to pause and more carefully check our world, and try to determine the source of the forces that are at work within it?
No one at this late date will raise serious objection to the well-reasoned beliefs of science that they physical world of which we are a part is a multiplication of extremely small particles, called atoms. By close observation of many impartial minds, a pattern has been evolved which explains what is taking place not only among particles too small to be seen by the most powerful microscopes, but all the way up through to the universe of widely separated stars and their planets. But the remarkable feature of it all is that the force which ‘makes the world go around’ stems from every least, last one of its endless atomic particles.
PEACE IS AN INDIVIDUAL MATTER
Do not the forces which control the destinies of mankind grouped together in nations also come, in the final analysis from the will of the individuals that make up these groups? It is true that the expression of that ill may be perverted as it falls into the hands of or is grasped by a Hitler, a Mussolini, a Nero or some other strong man. It is equally true that they often mould their followers, and with the most specious promises. We have been persuaded to trade our liberties for messes of pottage, and the evil of our weakness in the face of such political tempters will be upon our children. Such men may enlist dramatic drives to have their way; but too often they are offset only by dramatic weaknesses. Hell is not populated by a small, select group – or else the preaching of the past twenty centuries has been deceiving. The weeds of evil grow in all soil from which they are not painstakingly torn out.
If charity begins at home, so does peace. If there were peace between every man and his brother, the whole world would be at peace – is that not so? As long as there is conflict between individuals, there are both the pattern for and the likelihood of contention between groups of men. The first step toward world-wide peace is the immediate concern for every man, woman and child. And that this first step is the longest and hardest is perhaps the chief reason why we make no greater progress between groups and nations.
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If there were peace between every man and his brother, the whole world would be at peace – is that not so? As long as there is conflict between individuals, there are both the pattern for and the likelihood of contention between groups of men.
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It is at this critical point that the full impact of the teaching of Jesus are brought home to us. The Kingdom of God is not bestowed; it must be worked for, striven for. It is not a garment to be lightly slipped about the shoulders, but must be spun, woven, and carefully fashioned by each person who dons it. It is not a few don’ts to be avoided, a few dos to be carried out leisurely. Instead, it is a strict personal and individual responsibility, plus community action, joint aid and participation. We are to look upon each other as brothers, and beyond that we are called upon to be our brother’s keeper to the very best of our ability.
But before we can influence others for their good, we have need to look into our own hearts; for there is where the peace of the world really begins. The man who is not at peace with God cannot be at peace with himself. And who, not at peace with himself, can be more than indifferently at peace with the members of his own family, with his friends, his acquaintances, and with other human contacts in ever-widening circles?
At this point we are forced to look ourselves straight in the eye, sweeping aside all sham and pretext. Also at this point, we do well to save our mercy and forgiveness for others. The call at this moment is that to our own selves we be true, at least to the extent of being honest in our appraisals. Many a tension is built up within us by our failing to face facts frankly, and then by our failing to come to grips with them and setting to work to make the most of the situation. The man divided against himself is most likely to in some way transfer that condition of division so that he can no longer be at peace with his neighbour.
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Peace – even world-wide peace – beings in the minds and souls of individual men, women and children. We need to face inward first, and make peace there, either by our own efforts or with the aid of others if need be.
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Peace – even world-wide peace – beings in the minds and souls of individual men, women and children. We need to face inward first, and make peace there, either by our own efforts or with the aid of others if need be. Then, and not until then, can we face about and do our best to spread peace and goodwill among all we encounter.
The best way in which to increase peace is for one to have it so abundantly that others catch its spirit and value, and determine to make its ways their own. Study the manner of those who possess it, and thereby perfect your own abilities. Brotherhood is the fellowship of sharing, of spreading life’s blessings as well as its burdens. Peace among men of goodwill is the fire which lights and fuels such fellowship. And those who have and radiate it in greatest abundance are fully deserving to be called ‘the children of God.’
Jesus’ words fell largely upon deaf ears in His own days upon earth. His hearers may well have reasoned, “We have observed the Law. We have done righteously by our brothers according to our interpretation of that Law. Our meekness and our mercy have been shown to strangers. And by the way of return they have clasped brutal hands about our very throats. We have been too humble. The result has been that merciless power in barbarous hands has made us a slave nation. It was by the strong right arm of David that we once found our place in the sun. Let us have a Messiah like unto David, so we may regain it.”
Wherein lies peace – through the sword, or, as the Master taught, through the hearts of men?
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THINK ON THIS
Sufficient for me is that which is not seen of men but felt in the heart, as faithful is he who has promised and who never lies. Saint Patrick.
Whoever will reign with Christ in heaven, must have Christ reigning in him on earth. John Wesley
It is not necessary to hope in order to act, nor to succeed in order to persevere. King William III
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BOOK REVIEW
Revival in Rose Street
Ian L S Balfour
January 2008 was the bicentenary year of Charlotte Baptist Church, Rose Street Edinburgh.
This church was begun by an Edinburgh Businessman in 1808 as a result of evangelistic work he was doing in the Pleasance district of Edinburgh. He had been inspired by reports of the work of William Carey in India and had attempted to join him there to be of practical help but his health did not permit it. So, he began to practice charity at home! His pastoral work continued until 1851 and the church continued to prosper until the early 1900’s when a dearth of joy dragged it low. A new minister, Joseph Kemp, inspired the congregation to prayer and to improving the cleanness and thus the vitality of the chapel. He held evangelistic open-air meetings and in 1906 revival blessed the church and resulted in the conversion of one thousand souls.
Charlotte Chapel uses the letters “CC” to represent its motto – “Conspicuous for Christ”.
Its history is worth reading.
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
The indestructibility of the Bible.
I believe the Bible is the Word of God because it remains, with the passing and injuries of time, a temple unprofaned by the foot of the enemy, a building of God amidst the crumbling ruins of the centuries.
- It has borne the critics test and the scoffer’s jest.
- The Ten Commandments still fulfil the demands of justice.
- Its consolation still makes the wounded whole.
- Sinful souls continue to find healing and redemption from its truth.
• It has endured thus far and it will endure until this world ends.
• It will continue to be assailed on every hand but its foundations will not give way.
Hide it in your heart. Walk in its paths. Hold fast to its consolation.
It will guide you in life and in death and will see you across Jordan and into the land flowing with milk and honey!
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A CLOSER LOOK
Sermon on the Mount – Part Six
Blessed are they that have suffered for the sake of goodness. Matthew 5:10
Perhaps of all the Beatitudes this last one has seemed the most irrational and impracticable to the unthinking. To be blessed by persecution, to be happy or to be thought fortunate in the face of oppression is apparently a direct contraction in terms. For most of us have at one time or another suffered the slings and arrows of unjust affliction. I tis not infrequently found on the playgrounds where children assemble. When applied with the vehemence of which even small children are capable, such vexation can sometimes drive a child to its own destruction, or mark it in some unfortunate way for life. There is a cruel streak in most of us, and in some it can become a broad black band that throws much of our better nature into shadow.
Even as tiny babies, we are balked in our own wishes, and such frustrations, when there are many of them, can build up into cruel, unsatisfied desires. In trying to gain satisfactions to offset these stored-up disappointments, we often attempt to drain them off by trying to discomfit our associates. Where there are points where we disagree with others, we bore in and do our best to force them to conform to our own ways. Its mildest form is mimicry and nicknames; while the ultimate is physical torture and mental persecution.
THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE
Two other human failings contribute to the practice of torment. One is envy, the discontent and resentment that come from the feeling that others are different, and perhaps, better than we. Another is the fact that we are pretty inert, our actions induced by unalterable patterns. Some of us are even considered to be dead set in our ways, which means we are incapable, or at least most unwilling, to modify our thoughts or acts.
The still, small voice of conscience within us is too often stilled by the voice of the herd, the accepted practices and patterns of thought of the immediate group of which we are a member. And our set ways are no more than our loyalty, sometimes blind and unthinking in conforming to what that group considers right and proper.
Any who think or act differently are looked upon with suspicion; and if their paths cut sharply across those of the group with which they differ, there is conflict. Those former members of the group who have developed new ideas may come to be looked upon as traitors. They have failed to respond to this voice of the herd, and have transferred their loyalty elsewhere. First there may be kindly remonstrance. If this does not produce the hoped for results, more and more pressure is applied and the ultimate is persecution.
If the person who does not think as we do is from outside our own group, he is very liable to be considered a potential danger, depending upon how directly his ideas come in conflict with our own. If he is a minor threat, or at a distance, we can insulate ourselves against him by indifference. But as he comes closer, our protective screen is thrown up higher and higher, even to the point where outright persecution may be resorted to.
Unhappily this vicious activity is found in all phases of our common life, and is perhaps nowhere more vocal and violent than in politics. But religion, too, has suffered, and still continues to sufferer grievously from this gross affliction.
However, there is this factor that must be taken into account as well. Being different is by no means necessarily a virtue. There is much self-righteousness among us. We are indeed so set in our ways that we often lack sufficient open-mindedness to investigate, weigh, and impartially value the differences among us. Our thinking can be highly biased. Because we are reluctant or fear to change, we can cling with a deathlike grip to out-moded ideas and aspirations.
Jesus’ hearers did just that. Five hundred years of ingrown reasoning, of living by set and lifeless rules had made them mentally and spiritually hidebound. They were rigidly self-centred. Concern for the welfare of others had in great measure withered and shrivelled up within them. In their frustration, they were girding themselves to attack the evil of Roman domination, not to fight the powers of evil that has its springs in each human heart.
BEWARE OF SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
Since we influence each other in matters of conduct, it can be that you will have to forego past associates in fitting yourself for the Kingdom. Do not, however, hasten to don the holier-than-thou attitude. It is most unbecoming; and, besides that fact, the real task is both to lift oneself to better things and also others with you by the force of your good example. By all means forego evil; but never forget that the instructions left for us were to overcome evil with good.
You will be called upon to be poor in spirit, to be meek, humble and patient when all around you are quite the contrary. You must be prepared to show mercy toward and to sympathise with the very people who are most vengefully inclined toward you. You will be forced to cleanse your own heart from hatred, and return gentleness and peaceful means in place of strife. And you must do this so that ‘by your own patience and forbearing, you may win your own soul.’
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By all means forego evil; but never forget that the instructions left for us were to overcome evil with good.
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For, once again, persecution aimed at you because you espouse the right, and thus the righteous way, is not a matter of cringing and bearing the blows directed against you. Far, far more than that is required. You will be blessed when men reproach you and persecute you, speaking falsely against you and aiming all manner of evil in your direction, only if from these bitter experiences you gather the strength to persist and let your light shine forth before men. You can, if your course and your guidance are right.
Search the pages of history, secular as well as religious. Be amazed, if you must, by the names of men and women which stand highest in that mighty roster, to find how many of them in their lifetimes were martyrs and even outcasts, persecuted to their deaths by those they dared to oppose in the battle for greater righteousness. The list is too long to attempt here. At its very head is, of course, the Master. In the Bible, the ranks of those who gave their all that others might be helped to find a better way began to gather early, even with Abel (Gen 4:3-8). There were the prophets slain by the order of the ruthless Jezebel (I Kings 18:4,13) Zachariah fell before the stones hurled at the evil king’s bidding (II Chron. 24:20,21) We will see John the Baptist die for pointing out another king’s gross wickedness (Mark 6:18-28) and Stephen perish for espousing the cause of the one true King (Acts 7:58-60). Also there will be James the Apostle, struck down by the sword (Acts 12:2); and we have another apostle’s testimony that many of the prophets of old were martyred for their beliefs (Heb. 11: 32-37)
The church down through the ages has revered those of its staunch followers who were willing, if necessary, to pay the ultimate price for beliefs they held to be right.
No, the Kingdom is not a refuge, but a battleground against evil, on which those who can make an armour and a lance of their faith and beliefs for the sake of justice and righteousness are acclaimed the victors.
In the struggle against evil, the call is not to go on the defensive, but definitely upon the offensive. It is not peace, where wrong-doing is concerned, but the sword (Matt 10:34) And those who can rejoice and exult because they know they fight for righteousness are certain of their reward.
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The good which we can do, if we do it thoroughly enough, lives on far beyond us.
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We must be ever grateful to Paul for recalling for use the Master’s teaching which forms the very keystone of the Beatitudes – ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35). Man, selfishly looks for recompense in the here and now, which is not always possible or forthcoming. Ideas have consequence and can have a hardy persistence if properly fostered. The good which we can do, if we do it thoroughly enough, lives on far beyond us. The reward may be delayed, but is will be there for the benefit of the brotherhood, if not for our own immediate enjoyment.
Abraham Lincoln, President during the years of the American Civil War, may have felt on the night of his assassination when he took his place among the audience in the theatre, that he had perhaps in some ways fallen far short of his hopes and aspirations. Few men in history have stood for higher ideals or suffered more opposition in carrying them out. He had brought to his high office a becoming humility. He had done his best to be sympathetic and understanding of those who did not share his beliefs. He had shown mercy at its best upon many occasions and had hungered and thirsted for a greater degree of justice in himself and between men. He had hoped and prayed for peaceful means to settle differences. He had patiently suffered reproach. He had seemed to falter at times; but he had persevered to the end.
Then came the shot that ended the struggle. Those who had been arrayed against him had their moment of exultation, but it was short-lived. Lincoln had given his all that all men might find a better way. Great powers that had been arrayed against him felt a surge and a mighty tide set in against them. Men across the world had seen a great faith demonstrated, and vindicated. In the memories of his countrymen, this humble and awkward man began to take on new and greater stature.
It took perhaps two generations to bleach out the most extreme bitterness against him, and give him a fixed place in the goodly company of the elect. His place among the immortals now seems fixed. But in his own lifetime it was not so. To his other attributes, he added that most blessed of all the qualities that are required of us – the willingness to give.
Give, and it will be given to you in return; good measure, tightly packed down, full and
Running over … For in that same measure in which you give, it will be given back to you. (Luke 6:38
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The Best of Andrew Murray on Prayer
A daily devotional compiled by Edward A Elliott
September is often a good time of the year to commence a daily devotional book.
The academic year is getting underway for many and for others school is recommencing and timetables begin to dominate households once again. For those untouched by these, Autumn is setting in and it’s a good time to have a devotional refresh.
If that is your quest, look no further than this volume. Thoughtfully chosen insights on prayer from the best of Murray’s 240 books will help you draw closer to God. A daily Scripture selection and a brief prayer will prompt and inspire your own relationship with Christ. There is also journaling space on each page to record your own thoughts and responses.
The aim of conversion is to bring us into daily fellowship with our Good Shepherd - this book certainly will assist you in doing so.
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
Final, fatal, fulfilled.
God’s word is always final.
The final word of God is Jesus Christ his Son!
The arbitration is done, nothing, nor no one else, can satisfy.
The wage for not accepting God’s final choice, is fatal. It is death.
Gods justice has been fulfilled. Gods law has been fulfilled.
Gods promise has been fulfilled.
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A CLOSER LOOK
Sermon on the Mount – Part Seven
The Light of the World. Matthew 5:13-16
There may well have been a long pause when Jesus finished setting forth a picture of the chief characteristics He would require in His leaders, and toward which all who joined His kingdom are obliged to strive Here was a moral environment markedly different from that in which His hearers had been reared.
As the words strange to their ears began to sink in, there may well have been doubt in their faces, and even a stirring toward objections and questioning. The Master, reading their minds, went on to say, “You are the salt of the earth.”
THE SALT OF THE EARTH
The salt of the earth – what did He mean?
There would have been no doubt in the minds of those who heard these ringing words. In that day and age, this assertion was a stunning complement; but still not an idle one, for what was pictured was something needed to live up to.
In our day of modern mechanical refrigeration and other means by which food is preserved from spoilage, this most courteous expression loses much of its potency.
But to Jesus’ listeners, it was quite a different matter. As new born infants, and before their tiny bodies had been wrapped in swaddling clothes, they had been dusted and rubbed with salt (Ezek. 16:4). It was added to the sacrifices upon the altar before which they worshipped on the feast days which took them to Jerusalem (Lev. 2:13). Most solemn covenants were ratified by its use (II Chron. 13:5). It is said that soldiers were even paid in salt at times; as it was an outstanding token of hospitality (Ezra 4:14). In fact, it was held in such high regard that its figurative inclusion in conversation was the mark of wise words (Col. 4:6).
But these men were mostly fishermen, working in a lake set in a semi-tropical climate, where the catch can soon spoil if not properly prepared. As soon as possible after the fish left the water, they had to be split, cleaned, washed and then thoroughly salted before being laid out in the hot sun to dry. Without salt, their profitable fishing business would have been of small consequence. Salt, in their estimation, was one of the earth’s most important products. And here they were being spoken of as salt of the earth. It was indeed praise to win their closest attention. It could mean but one thing. They, too, were to be instruments to preserve the world from corruption.
“But,” cautioned the Master, “when salt loses its saltiness, what good use can you make of it? It is then fit only to be thrown aside and trodden under foot.” This was a clear warning that those who would have a part in the Kingdom were to be members and remain in it only for as long as they continued their good works.
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Quickly Jesus followed up with another promise. Said He, “You are the light of the world.”
Once again, the force of the comparison is largely lost to us today. The light of a candle, or of the tiny oil lamps of that day, seems insignificant beside even an ordinary electric light. To dispel darkness in ancient times was a sizeable task. Means of illumination were highly limited. But those seeking the Kingdom were to be prepared to bring light that would drive away darkness and enable men to find a better, safer way. The Master had already pictured for them the quality of their lives. Here was the pattern of their function. How these words must have thrilled them.
Then came a warning of how their light should shine out in the darkened world about them. A city is set upon a mountain so that it may be seen. Their lives, too, must be set upon a higher plane, so that they might be an example to others. They were not to hide their good works. Men do not cover a light with a basket, but set it upon in a prominent place, so its rays may fill the whole surroundings.
LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE
Be humble, be prepared to show sympathy and understanding, be patient with the faults of others, be merciful, be clean in heart and mind, ready always to take the peaceful course, to seek after righteousness, and to accept persecution if it must come. And be prepared always to do these things openly – not for hollow show, not in a spirit of self-righteousness, but so that men may see that they are the practical, the God-given, the preferable way of meeting life’s problems. Clothe yourself with the light of these better teachings, and then, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father in Heaven.”
This emphasis by the Master was most important. It gives us a clue to an attitude of mind which distinctly needs to be stressed. One might very logically question whether there is such a thing as taking reasonable pride in one’s work. Indeed, it is most essential. Be proud of the cause which you make your own. Take pride in it – but not from it. The difference is considerable, and should be clear to all. Be proud in being a city upon a hill, an unhooded lamp, or salt that has not lost its potency, but still keep your sense of humility, keep away from spiritual snobbery. These things are not an end in themselves, but are the building blocks by which a better society, a more glorious Kingdom, can be constructed. Moreover, give glory to God through whose grace we are what we are.
There was a distinct purpose in and behind all these worlds of the Master, and they are timeless in their import. There are two ways in which we can come to realise their potency – but both require effort.
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Be proud in being a city upon a hill, an unhooded lamp, or salt that has not lost its potency, but still keep your sense of humility, keep away from spiritual snobbery.
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One is to take, for the purpose of argument, a somewhat contrary view of all that has been said so far in this Sermon on the Mount. Take the position that the ideals expressed are very beautiful, but not too well adapted to this highly practical, workaday world. Even admit that by their guidance it would be impossible to survive in the restless struggle which surrounds us. Then, when you are thoroughly disillusioned about them, set to work and draw up your own set of needed personality characteristics. Fit them to human nature and to human needs most carefully; and then be prepared to show how and why your own code of conduct will achieve greater results. The attempt will teach you much real humility.
The second is to look over mankind, of which you are a part, with a critical eye. Look behind many lives and try to discover some truly worthwhile purpose in them. Too often what you will chiefly find is the desire to keep alive with the least effort and inconvenience. The widespread lack of purpose and direction so often encountered is truly appalling. Thirty generations of such lives laid end to end since the time of Christ would, as far as the betterment of mankind is concerned, have fallen far, far short of what has actually been achieved.
HAVE A PURPOSE IN LIFE
To have a purpose in life means to accept obligations, to incur risks. This is a depressing burden to many; but the open road to great adventure to some. Those who can drum up the courage to break out of the inertia, the passivity, which his so much the common lot of mankind, can find great rewards. This is not only so in business affairs, but in non-profit fields as well. In fact, it is perhaps in the latter, where there is no promise of direct, tangible rewards, that the returns are greatest, most lasting and most satisfying. It is a great pity, and truly staggering loss through the ages, that more men and women do not make the initial effort and learn of the abiding compensations that flow from greater service to others.
It was into these well-rewarding endeavours that Jesus was encouraging His followers. And His invitation still stands.
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Think on This
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Winston Churchill
