An Officer went to a hard Corps, and after a while found that his
predecessor was sending back to friends for money which his own
Corps much needed. He felt it to be an injustice, and, losing
sight of the Spirit of Jesus, he made a complaint about it, and
the money was returned. But he got lean in his soul. He had
quenched the Spirit. He had broken the law of the Kingdom. He had
not only refused to give his cloak, but had fought for and
secured the return of the coat. He had lost the smile of Jesus,
and his poor heart was sad and heavy within him. He came to me
with anxious inquiry as to what I thought of his action. I had to
admit that the other man had transgressed, and that the money
ought to be returned, but that he should have been more grieved
over the unchristlike spirit of his brother than over the loss of
the five dollars, and that like Sutajeff he should have said,
"Poor fellow! he must be hard up; I will send him five dollars
myself. He has taken my coat, he shall have my cloak too." When I
told him that story, he came to himself very quickly, and was
soon back in the narrow way and rejoicing in the smile of Jesus
once again.
"But will not people walk over us, if we do not stand up for our
rights?" you ask. I do not argue that you are not to stand up for
your rights; but that you are to stand up for your higher rather
than your lower rights, the rights of your heavenly life rather
than your earthly life, and that you are to stand up for your
rights in the way and spirit of Jesus rather than in the way and
spirit of the world.
If men wrong you intentionally, they wrong themselves far worse
than they wrong you; and if you have the spirit of Jesus in your
heart you will pity them more than you pity yourself. They nailed
Jesus to the cross and hung Him up to die; they gave Him gall and
vinegar to drink; they cast votes for His seamless robe, and
divided His garments between them, while the crowd wagged their
heads at Him and mocked Him. Great was the injustice and wrong
they were inflicting upon Him, but He was not filled with anger,
only pity. He thought not of the wrong done Him, but of the wrong
they did themselves, and their sin against His Heavenly Father,
and He prayed not for judgment upon them, but that they might be
forgiven, and He won them, and is winning and will win the world.
Bless God!
"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged," wrote Solomon. "Put up
thy sword into the sheath, "and take mercy and truth for your
weapons, and God will be with you and for you, and great shall be
your victory and joy. Hallelujah!
"HAVE YE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST SINCE YE BELIEVED?"
XX.
VICTORY THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT OVER SUFFERING.
"Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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