THE GUIDE

The strength of a man consists in finding out the way God is going, and going that way.

“Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)

Two young Americans with high adventure in their hearts arrived in the city of Quito, Ecuador, on their way to the 'Great Amazon Rain Forest' east of the Andes. They were going on a six-week trek and planned to write a book about their experiences… They had been to an army surplus store before they left home and bought everything the salesman told them they would need… What more could they want? There was, it occurred to them when they reached Quito, one thing -- the language -- and when they learned that a jungle missionary was in town, they came to see me…'Just give us a few phrases,' they said… They described their equipment to me with great pride, and I could see that it was not going to be of much use. I wanted to tell them that what they ought to have was a guide…

Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me -- confident and, we think, well-informed and well-equipped. But it has occurred to us that with all our accumulation of stuff something is missing… What we really ought to have is the Guide Himself.

-- Elizabeth Elliot in A Slow and Certain Light


#2227

THE WORD MADE FLESH

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

God became man that men might learn to live in a Godlike way. He took residence on the earth that earth might be more like heaven. He showed us in His own Son that flesh need not be a devilish thing, but full of grace and truth.

This historic event is the symbol of a process. It is ever God's purpose that the Word shall be made flesh, that the physical shall be filled with His glory, that truth shall connect with life, that virtue shall get into action and conduct, that the world shall be a continual incarnation of spiritual forces in human form. God writes His truth not in flaming letters on the sky, nor does He cast them in bronze or chisel them in marble for the guidance of the race. He writes His truth in human life.

-- Cynthia Pearl Maus in Christ and the Fine Arts


#2226

UNION WITH CHRIST

There are many things which a person can do alone, but being a Christian is not one of them. As the Christian life is, above all things, a state of union with Christ, and of union of His followers with one another, love of the brethren is inseparable from love of God. Resentment toward any human being cannot exist in the same heart with love to God. The personal relationship to Christ can only be realized when one has "come to himself" as a member of His Body, the Christian fellowship.

-- William T. Ham


#2225

ALL FOR ONE PURPOSE

“Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:41-42)

People by the thousands became Christians because they saw Simon Peter's commitment to the church. Peter was devoted to the church, and with good reason. There is no institution in the world that serves people better than the church does. There is no institution in the world that helps families more than the church does. There is no institution in the world that redeems lives like the church. There is no institution in the world that teaches love like the church. There is no institution in the world that lifts God up and inspires righteousness like the church does. There is no institution in the world that cultivates goodness like the church does.

But even more than that, the church has Jesus Christ! The world is starving to death for Jesus Christ, and we have Him. We are here to share Jesus Christ with a needy world, and everything we do is for that purpose. We have worship services and Sunday-school classes, Bible-study groups and enrichment groups; we have youth groups, children's groups, singles groups, and mission-work groups; we take trips, put on dramas, play games, and present concerts; we paint houses, build clinics, feed the hungry, and help the needy -- all for one purpose: so that we can share the love of Christ; so that we can tell people about Him.

-- James W. Moore in When You're a Christian, the Whole World is from Missouri


#2224

THE WORLD IS MY PARISH

I look on all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.

-- John Wesley


#2223