THE LOVE OF CHRIST TO ME.
By T.
“And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Yes, Christ, the Son of God, “loved me.” He loves me still. He loves me, not in a general way, but He loves the individual me. How good and full of assurance is the thought that Jesus thinks of me as an individual, that He does not behold me as one among the great throng that crowds the world, but He actually has His mind on even me. He knows my name, and where I live, and His eye follows me all the day long. And the love He has for me is so genuine and so deep that He “gave Himself for me.” There is something wonderful and very touching in such a love as this. As the Creator of worlds He had infinite resources at His command. Silver and gold He could have supplied in infinite quantities, but this would not do. The only way possible for Him to reach “me” was by giving Himself, and this He heartily and freely did. And this “love wherewith He hath loved us” is not simply for a fitful or fleeting moment, for He says, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.” O, have you learned that He loves you so much? and, furthermore, have you learned to love Him? Such love on His part should draw from us the willing surrender of every power of our being, and once we have sensed His love, and made this surrender, how full of joy is the life devoted to His service! The Lord saw us in this world, all lost in sin, and our helplessness appealed to His tenderest sympathies. The fact that we were here, where there is nothing but selfishness, where the law of every individual is to coldly fight for self, and seeing how we were being trodden underfoot in the strife, heaven, with all its attractions and glories, could not contain Him. He left it all and came to our rescue. And if we are resting in His love, we will in turn surely have a burden for other souls. Like Him, we will be looking around for those who are being borne down, and in the name of the Master will be extending them the helping hand. There is that homeless wanderer. He has no one to say the kind word to him, and to cast the bright ray of loving-kindness across his path. Perhaps he may be ragged and dirty, yes, even loathsome in appearance. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Then with this Christlike spirit, let the helping hand be ever extended. A few days ago a Christian brother found a man in jail. He asked him what he would do when he was out. The prisoner replied, “I don’t know.” It was ascertained that the man had no home or friends. He was about to be turned on the streets again with no place to sleep at night, and not knowing where he would get his next meal. The brother left him his address, and said, “When you are free, come to my house, and I will give you a home till you can find work and get in a position to care for yourself.” This Christian kindness completely overcame the man. Said he, “I can not understand it; I never had a man speak a kind word to me before in all my life.” This person, whom all thought to be a hardened criminal, gave his heart to the Lord, and is now giving promise of making a true and useful man. What a victory for Christ! And, Christian brother or sister, there are hundreds of just such cases all about you. Open your heart wide, and let the love of God, and the gift of His grace, flow through you to them.