SUNDAY COLUMN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 67, Issue 219, 28 June 1947, Page 3

SUNDAY COLUMN

DEVOTIONAL READING ! (Conducted by the AsnnußTON Ministers’ Association.) TILL THE BEAUTY OF JESUS . . . (By Major Wm. Ozanne, Lurgan). “Always bearing about in the body | the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the j life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” (2 Corinthians iv. 10). An old saint proclaims that, "Iloli- j ness of character is simply the repro-1 duction in human life of the likeness j of Christ, and any feature that is not lovely and winning is not truly Christlike and hence misrepresents Christ.” j Holiness, therefore, is manifesting the character of Jesus in our earthly life. In the text quoted above, Paul , makes it quite plain that we are to j possess this sublime and divine treasure in “earthen vessels,” in “our j body,” in “our mortal flesh.” This means possessing, and then displaying, the Christlike qualities under all circumstances, favourable or adverse. It means maintaining the same calmness when jostled by trouble, as when all is well with us; preserving gentle-1 ness under provocation; revealing the! fortitude in adversity that our Lord j manifested.

t This kind of life can only he pos- i sible when the first and all-important step of complete self-denial has been taken. Paul says, “But have renounced the bidden things of dishonesty . . . by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves in every man’s conscience in the sight of God" (2 Corinthians iv. 2). It is of great interest to note the interpretation of J these words given by an ancient com- j mentator, Guyse: “All secret, dishon-! ourable, and shameful tricks and con- j trivances, that will not bear the j light.” | In the days of His flesh Jesus lived an absolutely upright and transparent life. There was nothing shady or double about Him. His beauty is to be seen in us. i

The next step Is the giving of whole- j hearted devotion to the Father’s will J and possessing a Christlike sensitivity to the pains of mankind. Fie was intensely affectionate toward Flis own followers. Profound concern moved Him to seek and save the lost, the erring one, the forlorn! Love breathed triumphant in His : dying breath as He offered a prayer . of forgiveness for those who brutally crucified Him. What a grand endurance and over- ! coming grace Fie shows throughout j the whole of His earthly career! The! contemplation of so exquisite a char- j acter surely draws from us the prayer, j “Jesus, Thy conquering Spirit give to j me.” A man was once watching a group of slaves slouching and shuffling off to their work, when lie noticed one tall, broad-shouldered fellow stride on with the gait of a man, and bis head erect. “Who is that?” he asked,, with some surprise. “Oh,” was the reply, “he is the son of an African king, and he never forgets who he is.” In our character and bearing the world should see Christ’s likeness in us. There is no better way of glorifying God and winning others for Him. “The secret of such a life is Christ dwelling in you.” Paul cries, “Christ liveth in me” (Galatians ii 20), that means the Spirit of Jesus, within, cleansing, purging, sanctifying, and refining the entire personality, eliminating the ugly strain of self-assertion, the passionate and wilful nature, and fully controlling every faculty and appetite and flooding the whole being with His own sweetness, purity, and beauty. . . God searches for and expects Clinstlikeness in Flis professed followers. Because of their association with the True Vine, Fie expects to see the branches hearing fruit. The dying world scans our daily life: For how will the lost know of Jesus, If they fail to see Jesus in me? Sundar Singh once thoughtfully remarked, “The true Christians are not those who confess the Christ, but those who possess Him.” The wonderful life of Jesus can be our inward, priceless possession, if in the spirit of these words we yield ourselves unreservedly to Christ.