SUNDAY READING.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11533, 9 January 1932, Page 11

SUNDAY READING.

(By the Rev. James Aitken, M.A.) THE BEST GIFTS. The New Year is util under weigU now Tlie ■ echo ot the N«« greeting.' has pret'y well dud doivn. Wc have all visaed oath othtl Happy New Year: and we wished it for ourselvc.?. Ai u ever else has ueen m our nnnds, w« havo meant a year ot bettor l ; We V ant to see an improvement iu the economic condititon. 1 : nothing wrong with =>uch a Tho present state, of affaiis m to industrial and business world in< ; 11 . hardship and privation tor many ol our fellow citizen*; _it c threat of financial ruin into many office and counting house. Uur inability to sec any way out ot tn chaos or to forecast what the end o it is to he, is a burden on the mmds of us all. There is certaiMy no harm in wishing bettor tunes in this v-ar of »race. But after all that is a very -* strieted wish. It concerns only one aspect of our many-sided me, ana that not the most important. • man’s life eonsisteth not in tie abundance of the things which he possosseth.” Let us wish -or each other—and for ourselves— pi ospenty in things spiritual as well as in things material. We may work tor better times iu the economic spheie and fail. Let us strive after better times iu the spiritual sphere, and wo shall succeed, if we strive with any earnestness at all. Wo may make no progress this year in the acquisition of wealth however Imrd we try. We are sure to make progress m tlio acquisition of character it wo put our minds to it. What is spiritual prosperity? Jl is not something vague and indefinable. It is not something mystic .a'.iu remote, apart from common life, reserved for saintly folk. Not at all: it is a very plain . matter-of-fact, easily understood tiling. I'aul will enlighten us. Ho says: “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” That is °u r Authorised Version translation ol nis words, and they are intelligible enough. But we can make them more intelligible still, or at least we can make them come home to us with more force if we take them in a modern translation. What Paul says is: “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, good-temper, kindliness,’ generosity, fidelity, gentleness, self-control.” Spiritual progress is just progress in characteristics such as those.

Love—that is goodwill. Baron von Hugel says it is “caring,” earing for others, for those about uk, for mankind generally. it is ‘‘looking every one not on his own tilings, but on the things of others,” considering not our own but others’ interests. Joy—that is cheerfulness: ehoerlulnuss in spite of the depression, in spite of all the ups and down of material fortune. Peace—that is absence of strife, avoiding quarrelling, good relations with iriunds and neighbours. Good temper—wc all know what that is, and most of us could aim at cultivating a hlUe more of it with advantage. Kindliness, generosity—-perfectly clear in meaning these words are. Fidelity—trustworthiness, . reliability in things filial 1 as well as great; to be dependable so far as our promises and our responsibilities go, even though the matter concerned is but trifling after all. or seems to be. Gentleness, self-control—not letting our inclinations or our passions run away with us in anything. Wc can all aim at- making some progre* in those virtues, and wish for better times ibis year than last. But how? What shall we do to ensure some success in our striving after those virtues? We arc conscious of having tried before anci failed. How can we do better tilis year? Well, there are what our

lathcrs used to call the “means ol grace.” We have our Bibles which we can read. They will keep u.s in mind of spiritual tilings and even to be reminded from day to day is a belyi. Then there arc our prayers A great many of us suffer—suffer in character—from having given up the practice of prayer. Prayer is not an idle superstition. It is a communion with God, and such an opening of tho heart of God that makes it possible for Him to inspire and encourage and aid us. And there is the Church and its services of worship. To ignore tho Church is to deny ourselves far more than we think. Worship with our fellows week by week guards and stimulates the spiritual side of life as notlung else can do. If we are in earnest in our desire for spiritual progress, for betterment in conduct and character, we shall not neglect the “means of grace.” When we wish for a Happy New Year. then, let us think of more than material prosperity: let us “covet earnestly the best gifts” and strive to obtain them, and we shall not in any wise be disappointed.