It is a Great Thing to be a Christian.
By M. E. Williams
How often we hear this expression, and how much is contained in it. To be a Christian is to be Christ-like. Was Jesus ambitious of worldly distinction and honor? Did he seek the favor and applause of men? Then may we also. Was pride an inmate of his heart? Then may we indulge in pride without sin. Did he exhibit a spirit of careless levity and mirth? Was his conversation interspersed with anecdotes, and jests, to create laughter in his hearers? If so, then may we exhibit the same spirit. Was he fretful and impatient, faithless and murmuring, distrustful of the Father's dealings with him? Then may we be also. No; far different was Jesus' example from this. Had he been desirous of worldly honor, he would have sought to ingratiate himself in the favor of the proud and haughty Pharisee, instead of pronouncing a woe upon him. Had he been proud, he would not have said, Come, learn of me, for I am meek, and lowly in heart. Had he taken pride in his outward appearance, he would not have been attired in the seamless coat and plain garb of a servant, but would, as he might with propriety have done, arrayed himself in royal apparel. But the only ornament that ever decked that sacred head was a crown of thorns. Had he indulged in a spirit of levity, he never would have said, "But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." And that he was neither fretful, impatient, faithless, murmuring, or distrustful, is evident from the record of his life, to which that last great trial, the ignominious death of the cross, bears final and conclusive testimony. Dear brethren and sisters, are we Christ-like, or are we Christians in name only? I see I come far short of the mark, and were it not that Jesus still pleads his precious blood that can wash away all sin, I should give up in despair at once. But he will not always wait for us. The shades of evening are gathering o'er us, the night draweth on apace, and what work we have yet undone, must be done quickly, else it will never be done. Soon the sentence will ring through all the earth, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still." God grant that we may so take heed to our ways that we may by every word and act reflect the lovely image of Jesus, and be found among the holy ones at last.