Broken Bread, from an Evangelist's Wallet — John Shaqi
Broken Bread, from an Evangelist's WalletChampness, Thomas
Religion
Broken Bread, from an Evangelist's Wallet
Champness, Thomas
Christian life -- Methodist authors; Meditations
That is one of the messages brought to us by Christmas time, and this is
linked to "glory to God." You cannot glorify God more than by publishing
good-will to one another. There is a special need for this just now.
Political feeling has risen so high that friends, and even families, have
been estranged. Let not another sun go down upon your wrath. Now is the
time to prove that you are a Christian, by giving Jesus the pleasure of
knowing that His birthday was the burial day of strife.
Which side shall be the first to move? Doubtless the noblest; the one
who has most of God in him will hurry to say, "Come, now, let us reason
together." We need not to say that common-place religion cannot afford
to do this. Those who live on old manna cannot rise to such dignity as
to be the first to seek the friendship of those who think themselves
aggrieved. On the other hand, "HE THAT HUMBLETH HIMSELF SHALL BE
EXALTED." Heaven has always been the first to seek reconciliation, and
those who are heavenly-minded shew it by making haste to be friendly.
If you have been the injured one, you have the best chance of succeeding
in healing the wound. It is God, sending a message of peace, that wins
over His foes.
HE DOES NOT WAIT FOR US TO MOVE FIRST.
Who asked Him to offer His Son? If you take the first step, you will be
treading in the footprints of Jesus. He has shown us how to love our
enemies, and to do good to them that despitefully use us. It is true
that you would have to make a sacrifice, to be the first to hold out the
white flag. Yes, and you can afford to do it, if you are the one in the
right. It is the man who is in the wrong who is the easiest offended,
and the last to yield.
Whether we are Conservatives or Liberals, we are Englishmen, and cannot
afford to be divided. Whether we want the Church to be Disestablished or
not, we are Christians. Let us be friends once more, and try to think
the best we can of each other. Whether our side has won or not, we are
certain that Right will prevail in the long run. We can afford to wait,
if we are on God's side, for He wins by losing.
THE LOSS OF HIS SON WAS HIS GREATEST GAIN.
If you can rise to this, how you will enjoy singing--
"Hark! the herald angels sing--
Glory to our new-born King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Is there not wondrous common sense, as well as beauty, in the saying of
St. John--
"BELOVED, IF GOD SO LOVED US, WE OUGHT
ALSO TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
One would have thought it would have been--we ought to love Him. But
then we remember further on, John says,
"HE THAT LOVETH NOT HIS BROTHER, WHOM HE
HATH SEEN, HOW CAN HE LOVE GOD WHOM
HE HATH NOT SEEN?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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