ARE WE LIVING UP TO OUR LIGHT AND PRIVILEGE?
By W. S. Sadler
The privilege of living up to our light is a great one, because it means everything to us in time and in eternity. Without this privilege, without the provision that God has made for us to keep pace with His life, we could not hope to develop characters that would make it consistent for God to take us into heaven. There is another privilege,—that of living up to our privileges when we are walking in the light. There is where Satan deceives many of us. We are willing to keep the Sabbath; to eat the right kind of food, and to dress plainly; and we think we are doing our best to walk in the light, but the enemy cheats us out of the blessings of Christ by getting us to fail to live up to our privileges as Christians. We set a wrong example to the world by going about, as it were, with our heads bowed down all the time. Others wonder why we fail to get peace and joy out of Christianity. They wonder that we get so little out of our religion—out of the great truth we claim to have accepted. Let us begin to-day to get more out of it. Let us get more out of our privileges. In Heb. 6:9 we read: “Beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation.” The first and greatest duty we have to perform is to walk in the light—to live up to the light. Then if we have lived up to the light, we want to live up to our privileges. It is written, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Now when God gives us power to resist the devil, and we have resisted him, let us enter into the joy of knowing that he has fled from us. When God gives us the victory over a thing, let us enter into the joy of knowing that in Christ we have the victory, let us enter into the fruit of that victory, and rejoice in it. Let us get the fruit of the battle of sin, and enjoy the blessedness that comes from victory over it. Ought not the world to expect the very best things of a people that have the light we have? If Paul expected better things of the Hebrews, the world ought to expect the best things of us—a people who have received the light of the Third Angel’s Message. If Paul should write to us, what would he expect? Could he say, “Beloved, we are persuaded better things of you,” in view of the fact that light has come to us that never came to another people? Are we not convinced that it is incumbent upon us to live a life such as no others have ever lived? It is time, brethren and sisters, that we should cease to have trouble among ourselves, and that we should be a solid phalanx of soldiers to fight against sin, for the Lord Jesus. The sun is low in the horizon; are we awake to the responsibility resting upon us, to give to the world this great light that heaven has given us, that it may save the honest in heart, and that our skirts may be clear in the great reckoning day? What Satan will not be able to accomplish by external persecution, trouble, and harassment, he will make a mighty effort to accomplish by internal dissension. He will make a mighty endeavor to bring about strife between brother and brother, sister and sister. The faith that Jesus had is a faith that can keep the commandments of God. We do not get the faith of Jesus by keeping the commandments, but we keep the commandments of God because we have the faith of Jesus. Church trials, family troubles, slothfulness, backsliding, etc., are not good materials to feed our neighbors on. Such things will not make them hungry for the truth we profess. The responsibility of representing Christ before a fallen world rests upon us. We are ambassadors for Christ. Full power has been committed to us to represent the kingdom of heaven on earth. Are we representing it aright? Are we in a compromising attitude? Are we living up to our privilege? Are we exhibiting in our life, faith, trust, hope, and confidence? Are we showing forth the qualities of veracity, honesty, reliability? Are all these things going out as fragrance from our lives to make our neighbors and associates hungry for the truth we have? If not, we are in darkness. Let us make sure, every day, to walk in all the light that has shone upon our pathway. Then in the great hereafter, we shall see the fruits of a life that was lived in tune with the Infinite, if not here, we shall over there. On the other hand, having accepted every ray of light, having taken those things that accompany salvation, having put forth every effort we can to save souls, and apparently failed,—then, when it seems as if our heart would break, let us think of the experience of Jesus and Judas, and remember that three and one-half years of association with Jesus, the light of heaven, did not save Judas. Some may say, “Well, I suppose God is working in it all, and that some good will come out of it;” but there is a great difference between good coming out of it, and your getting good out of it. Do not get discouraged if after you have done all you can, some spurn and reject the truth? Remember Judas. But if the light that is within us be darkness, then how great is that darkness! The duties we have failed to discharge will condemn us. That which would have softened Pharaoh’s heart and saved his soul, hardened his heart when he rejected it. Christ is our only representative to God, and we are Christ’s only representatives to men. Just as Christ is our representative to the Father, we are Christ’s representatives to a fallen world. “As my Father sent me, even so send I you.” How can we stoop to give attention to the light and transient601things of this earth when there has been intrusted to us the work of representing a sinless Saviour to a dying world? As we go to our work each morning, let us be sure that we go with one hand in the hand of Jesus, and the other engaged in kind ministry to a fallen world. By living faith, we may connect with the dynamo of heaven—that source of all power in heaven and earth; and then, if we can only touch a needy soul, that power will flow through us. The Christian’s secret of a happy life is the secret of seeking to help his fellow men. Seek to bring peace, joy, and happiness to other souls, and a refreshing stream will flow through your own. You will never get happiness by seeking it. You may go anywhere you wish; you may have wealth and everything you desire: I may suffer privations and poverty, difficulties and trials; but with the opportunity of working for souls, I shall have more happiness than you. All joy comes from Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Do not detain a single blessing that comes from heaven; pass it on. It is a great experience to be saved, and another great experience to obtain those things that accompany salvation. When you have gained a victory over Satan by grace, be sure that Satan does not get the victory over you by leading you to fail to enter into the fruits of the victory Christ has given you. If we fail to walk in the light of truth, there is great danger that we shall be among those who will some day sell this truth to the highest bidder, and betray the people who love it. Let us to-day look around us as never before to see if there is not some ray of light shining upon us which we are not living up to. Let us be a people who show to the world those things that accompany salvation, and then they will come to us and say, “We will go with you, for we know that God is with you.” May God grant this to be our experience.