SUNDAY READING

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1935, Page 14 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING

Bg th* Rn. J. D. McL. WILSON

CALLINGS AND , ELECTION

WORK FOR ALL MEN TO DO. TRUST AND RESPONSIBILITY. rj, ■ ■■■■ ■ ■ ” 4- WiifertfM* thee i-ithfeh brethren, give l r diligence to make your calling: and elecJ" lion sure; for if. ye do I these things ye shall fail;"—2 Peter, 1-10. . "I iltortforfc the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation therewith ye ate called;— Eph.. 4 “’t (we, R-V.) filust work thfe works of itiffi that s4ht me, while it is > day: the night domrth when no mah cah work. — John, 9-4. Imagine, if you Will; Jesus Christ, not in the customary role of saviour Lord, Master or Friend, but as a herald of God, standing in the fhidsl of time and calling &' the people of every age to hearken the vdifie of Gd 3, and to fulfil His - wise and holy and good purposes in the earth; His message one of goodwill, that Gbd their Father and desireth hot the death hf afty but that all should corrie td Him and have abundant life: •- His Message, one of privilege, that God has called them but of darkness into His marvellous light, and made them to be heirs and joint heirs with the only begotten son bf the Father, full of grace arid truth. His message, one di high trust arid responsibility,. that they bb wbfthy ambassadors of it—perfect Oven aS their Heavenly Father to pferffeftt, arid earnestly and faithfully fulfilling- the W.ill bf Him Who commissioned thferfi to destroy the WdtkA of tire devil and build up a kingdom of righteousness and peace in. the world. .'Now thb high vocation of everyone who counts himself to be a follower of Christ to to hear and obey the voice of God. The Apostles and Paul were insistehi upoii this aspect bf the Christian life. Thb great light btinger to the Gbfthles declares ih his letter to the Philippians that his own chief ambition waS to press on toward the fulfilment of his • thigh calling of God in Christ Jesus. To 'the -Romans add Ephesians he urges that they ever walk worthy of their high vocation. He reminds Timothy on more than one occasion of that to which Christ had called him; and you may recall Peter’s anxiety for his converts in Asia Minot, that they should seal and confirm Within themselves God’s calling and

elSfcti&ft. . 'God’s calling to Christians is a personal cne, and bf the utmost Seriousness ahd solemnity. It concerns their personal sarictificatibh; that to, the suffusing of •their whole personality with Christ’s spirit. , We do hot take OUr religion Seriously enough. With us it to a badge of re-

spectability; a passport to heaven; something external to ourselves, like a group ‘-relationship, or a fresh institutional adjustment, rather than something deep apd intimate in and through the soul . and affecting its every outgoing to Gbd and man. Once we have heard God’s call and definitely committed our way to him, we are no longer our own; and wo dare not merely claim the. privileges bf bur hew aS3ociatioh--salvation, guidance and help. We must also. enter upon our responsibilities, and discipline ourselves to the serious task of moulding our lives upbii the perfect example.

- This is done by prayer, which though so simple in its exercise, is portentous in its results. When we consciously pray to God, and not thoughtlessly .; chatter, in His presence; when we open our hearts to Him. humbly and with searching and honest self-Oxamination His presence fills us, an aura of divine grace suffuses us, wfe are made liker the heavenly image. It is the Sad knowledge of all of us—and it were good that we more often made confession of it before God. and one another—that we are not worthy representatives of Christ, not good advertisements, not fit agents'of Christ in the World. It would be a mortifying revelation to us Christian people were we to know what the people round about think of our Christian character and profession, and did we care. We must aS Christian congregations and as individuals bearing the sacred name get down on our knees, with confession on our lips and penitence in our hearts, and With earnest will to walk more worthily of our high vocation in future days. Only, through our prayers, and our continual consecration to God- shall we grow in the grace, the holiness, the gentleness of Jesus Christ our Lord and pattern. This matter of the Christian life and its calling is not only one of' personal character; it concerns also definite Christian activity and service. We must work the works of Him that sent us while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work. We wonder if you have ever noted the significant change in that verse in St. John’s Gospel, quoted above. In the authorised version it reads: “I” must work the work of Him that sent me, as if Christ-alone were concerned. In the revised version it is “We” must work the works of Him that sent us. The disciples are deliberately associated with Jesus Himself in His mission of reconciling the world to Himself and in the setting up of a kingdom of God in the earth. When I was returning from the south recently, and in conversation with the

passenger beside me, he said he had been brought up' in the Sunday School and in Church attendance as a youth, but the growing impression on him was that, the whole tendency was towards a religious selfishness. Christian education and training seemed to stress bnly the first commandment of love to God and personal holiness, and to ignore or neglect the second commandment “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” He was now deliberately putting all his weight into the Good Samaritan half of the business. . Mah is apt to be selfish and individualistic and ofteh in enjoying some privilege he forgets the accompanying responsibility. This is natural, or at least quite customary. For example, nb-one has so much sympathy with the unemployed aS he Who himself is out of work. But give to that one a permanent position and in his own security he is apt to become indifferent to the lot of those still struggling bn. Sb when the poor man through his own striving or by some stroke of fortune becomes rich the not infrequent sequence is that he becomes careless or insensible of those who afb now what he once was. Sb With the Christian toan or Woman. When we have entered into the joy of acceptance with Gbd and feel we have secured eternal life We are prone to forget those still in that Unhappy and unsatisfied condition once our own; Ministry to one bf the original and one bi the permanent elements of the Gospel and Christian discipleship. We must remember Gbd Calls us nbt bnly His dear children and Saints, but also His servants afid slaves, and we are further frankly told that we are commendable in His Sight when we do whatsoever he commands Us. God has appointed a work for us all. There is no need for Us to pray the prophet’s prayer, “Lord, give me some holy task to do.” He has commissioned us to destroy the Works of the devil, and these may be found in UnjUst conditions of living, false education, Oppressive social conventions as Well as ift flagrant breaches of the moral laws. , Let no-one say that there is nb work for him to do; that.he has excuse for standing all the day idle. The vety common round of daily life is full bf occasions bf Christian duty. And to speak tibthing bf the poverty, the ignorance and the wickedness that every hour impinges Upon us, let us ask ourselves, “to, there any person we can influence for gbbd by the graciousness of our Christian life? Is there nb friend drifting down to lower levels and perhaps to ruin? Is there no Child struggling with an evil temper or bad habit you cannot en* courage? Is there nb stricken heart to be consoled by a word of sympathy? Is there no bitterness to be made sweet? No old age to be comforted? No youth Who needs guidance and direction? No home fo sweetened with love end kindness that nothing remains for you to do We fear, despite our self-satisfactions, that We are all unprofitable servants. Urgently Jesus says to us again, “We must work the works of Him that sent us while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work.” There is an intense insistence in. Jesus’ words which we dare not hide. There is Only a .half truth ih the poet’s observation, that “man is immortal till his work is done,” for some’ would while away a very eternity and leave their task then unfinished. The night does come; the days of Opportunity surely pass; and unless we Would burden Christ’s heart with pity and reproach of us we must bestir ourselves and exhibit to Him and to the world that we are servants who need not to be ashamed.

It must have been well with Bunyan for we remember that about half a. century ago there was put up at Bedford town a monument to him. On the pedestal at the base of the statue are still to be read the words taken from the immortal allegory and descriptive of the scene which. Christian Saw in the interpreters house. “It had eyes lifted up to heaven; the best df books in his hand; the Taw of truth.was written upon his lips; the world .was behind his back; it stood, as if it pleaded with men; and a crown of gold did hang over its head.” How true are the words as a description of John Bunyan, the Bedford tinker! How they . reflect the perfect life of Christ Jesus! How they exhibit the life which we are called to live, with eyes ever to God and hand and will always ready to fulfil, the Master’s good purposes in the world! Lord send us forth among Thy fields to work! Shall we' for words and names contending be, • Or lift our garments from the dust we see, And all the noon-day heat and burden shirk? The fields are white for harvest, shall we stay To find a bed of roses fof the night, And watch the far-off cloud that comes' to sight, Lest it should burst in showers upon our way? Fling off my soul, thy grasping self, and view With generous ardour all thy brother’s need; Fling off thy thoughts of golden ease, and weed A corner of thy Master’s vineyard too. The harvest of the world is great indeed, O Jesus! and the labourers are few.