Chapter 229—Revealed by Love
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I
have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men
know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John
13:34, 35
.
The golden chain of love, binding the hearts of the believers in unity,
in bonds of fellowship and love, and in oneness with Christ and the Father,
makes the connection perfect, and bears to the world a testimony of the
power of Christianity that cannot be controverted....
Satan understands the power of such a testimony as a witness to the
world of what grace can do in transforming character.... He will work every
conceivable device to break this golden chain which links heart to heart of
those who believe the truth and binds them up in close connection with the
Father and the Son.
Those who have never experienced the tender, winning love of Christ
cannot lead others to the fountain of life. His love in the heart is a constraining
power, which leads men to reveal Him in the conversation, in the tender,
pitiful spirit, in the uplifting of the lives of those with whom they associate....
In the heart renewed by divine grace, love is the ruling principle of action.
It modifies the character, governs the impulses, controls the passions, and
ennobles the affections. This love, cherished in the soul, sweetens the life,
and sheds a refining influence on all around.
He who loves God supremely and his neighbor as himself will work with
the constant realization that he is a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to
men. Making God’s will his will, he will reveal in his life the transforming
power of the grace of Christ. In all the circumstances of life, he will take
Christ’s example as his guide.
Every true, self-sacrificing worker for God is willing to spend and be
spent for the sake of others.... By earnest, thoughtful efforts to help where
help is needed, the true Christian shows his love for God and for his fellow
beings. He may lose his life in service. But when Christ comes to gather His
jewels to Himself, he will find it again.
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