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Following Christ

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Sep 17, 1903

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 80, No. 37.

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Following Christ

It is such a simple thing to follow Christ when the heart is really yielded to him. The difficulty arises when we attempt to follow Christ, and yet are not willing to separate from the world. There is nothing in common between Christ and the world. He tells us plainly that his kingdom is not of this world. When we profess to be followers of Christ, but cherish in our hearts a love for the world and the things of the world, there is a constant conflict between the claims of Christ and our worldly projects, and we have no rest of soul. We can settle all these difficulties by cutting every cord which binds us to the world, and giving ourselves unreservedly to Christ and his service. We shall even then have a warfare on our hands, but it will be an open warfare with the enemy of Christ, and we have the assurance of victory. “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” In this warfare we have peace in the soul, and enjoy a foretaste of the fruits of the final victory. But in following Christ we must not attempt to justify our course by an appeal to the wisdom of the world. Even Christ’s own brethren could not account for his course of life, and their advice, which he did not follow, was from the worldly standpoint. In reply the Master said, “The world can not hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” In following the world, we place the material things first; but in following Christ, we must give the first place to the spiritual. In following the world, we seek the honor that is of the world; but in following Christ, we seek the honor which cometh from above. As followers of Christ we identify ourselves with the meek and lowly Nazarene, and our Lord will not rest until we are identified with him in his glory. To each one of us the Master speaks to-day, saying, “Follow me,” and he listens eagerly for the hearty response, “I will follow thee, my Saviour.”