| The Best Things in Life |
Chapter 3 |
Page 5 |
Again, if we would win the honour of being approved by men we must trust God. If the religion of Christ stands for anything in the lives of those who follow him, it stands for faith and confidence. We are to be anxious for nothing. The meaning of this is that we need never doubt nor be afraid. But what is the fact? Are Christians any more trustful in the presence of danger and want, than other people, not Christians, are? Are followers of Christ any more confident and joyful in time of trouble and loss than other people are? Joy is a Christian duty. We are to rejoice always. How is it with most Christians? What comes of the joy when we suffer pain or when we experience loss?
There is a story of song birds being brought over the sea. There were thirty six thousand of them, mostly canaries. At first, after the ship sailed, the sea was calm and the birds were silent. They kept their little heads under their wings, and not a word was heard. But the third day out the ship struck a furious gale. The emigrants were terrified, the children wailed. Then this strange thing happened. As the tempest reached its height, the birds all began to sing, first one, then another, till the whole thirty six thousand were singing as if their little throats would burst. Is that the way we Christians do? When the trouble begins, when the clouds of sorrow gather and break, when the storm rises in its fury – do we then begin to sing? If we fully understand the covenant of our God, and believed his promises, should not our song break forth in tenfold joy when the tempest begins? But instead we get frightened at the smallest troubles; we fret and grow discontented when any hope fails. We chafe at little sufferings, we complain and repine, and the sunshine dies out of our face, and the gladness out of our voice.
No doubt one reason Apelles was called the approved was because he trusted God absolutely. Whatever word he found among the promises he received it as one of God’s words, none of which ever has failed, or ever can fail. If we can convince the people of the world that we have tried and proved the divine words, thousands will want our God too. People who know us will not doubt our sincerity, nor will they doubt the faithfulness and the power of our Christ. When we begin to live thus, believing, trusting, rejoicing, then people will receive our gospel, and we shall become approved.
Are we living so as to commend Christ and his gospel to all who know us and see us, weekdays as well as Sundays? We are always in the eye of the world. A moment’s ill temper, a bit of selfish living, an angry word, a careless act, an unseemly display of pride, of greed, of passion, of resentment, sharpness in driving a bargain, a little impatience, a neglect of duty, the want of obligingness toward others, unlovingness shown even toward the lowliest – there is nothing so trivial that in it we may not either honour or dishonour our Master.
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