THE LIVING WORD IS LIGHT AND TRUTH.
By Lilian Otis McPherron
The living Word is living Truth. Truth is the foundation upon which all must build, would they see the face of Him who is full of grace and truth, for through truth the soul is regenerated. Where can we find truth unmixed with error? Jesus said of His Father’s Word, “Thy Word is truth.” Here is truth given by inspiration of God,—literally, “God-breathed,”—and it is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” And yet it is a sad fact that “The Bible has been placed in the background, while the sayings of great men, so-called, have been taken in its stead, the inestimable treasures are in the Bible, and it is like a mine full of precious ore. It is not valued, it is not searched, and its riches are not discovered.” “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” It is the shining forth of Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness. Were these glorious beams of light to be withdrawn from the world, we should be left in the darkness of eternal night. “Jesus spake as never man spake.” He poured out to men the whole treasure of heaven in wisdom and knowledge. He is the “Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Every phase of truth was evident in Him. He is manifest in His Word, which, to the soul following its light, “shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” “As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command, may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings.” Thus when God said to Joshua by the mouth of Moses: “Be strong and of a good courage; for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed;” that word enabled Joshua, through faith, to accomplish what God commanded. These words are for us also. When faith takes hold of them, there is no fear of inability to go up and possess the heavenly Canaan, on whose borders we are; “for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Then when our Father commands us, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee,” we will, in faith, make the effort to arise. When He says, “Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings,” to the heart of faith these words become a living reality. Not alone are we to teach the Word contained in the Bible, but we are to draw rich lessons of faith, love, and knowledge from God’s growing Word,—“the mysteries of the visible universe;” “the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge.” It is said of Adam and Eve that “they held converse with leaf and flower and tree, gathering from each the secrets of its life. With every living creature, from the mighty leviathan that plays among the waters to the insect mote that floats in the sunbeam, Adam was familiar. God’s glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, the ‘balancings of the clouds,’ the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night—all were open to the study of our first parents. On every leaf of the forest, or stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and air and sky, God’s name was written. The order and harmony of creation spoke to them of infinite wisdom and power. They were ever discovering some attraction that filled their hearts with deeper love, and called forth fresh expressions of gratitude.” As man, fallen from this glorious first estate, is brought back into harmony with his Creator, by the working of that incorruptible seed, the Word of God, “his capacity to know God in His created works, to enjoy, and to love, will continually increase, and he will be constantly gaining new treasures of knowledge, discovering fresh springs of happiness, and obtaining clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the immeasurable, unfailing love of God.”