Not Judging, but Doing
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brother. Then you can approach him and touch his heart. No one has
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ever been reclaimed from a wrong position by censure and reproach;
but many have thus been driven from Christ and led to seal their hearts
against conviction. A tender spirit, a gentle, winning deportment, may
save the erring and hide a multitude of sins. The revelation of Christ
in your own character will have a transforming power upon all with
whom you come in contact. Let Christ be daily made manifest in you,
and He will reveal through you the creative energy of His word—a
gentle, persuasive, yet mighty influence to re-create other souls in the
beauty of the Lord our God.
“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs.”—Matthew 7:6.
Jesus here refers to a class who have no desire to escape from
the slavery of sin. By indulgence in the corrupt and vile their natures
have become so degraded that they cling to the evil and will not be
separated from it. The servants of Christ should not allow themselves
to be hindered by those who would make the gospel only a matter of
contention and ridicule.
But the Saviour never passed by one soul, however sunken in
sin, who was willing to receive the precious truths of heaven. To
publicans and harlots His words were the beginning of a new life.
Mary Magdalene, out of whom He cast seven devils, was the last at
the Saviour’s tomb and the first whom He greeted in the morning of
His resurrection. It was Saul of Tarsus, one of the most determined
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enemies of the gospel, who became Paul the devoted minister of Christ.
Beneath an appearance of hatred and contempt, even beneath crime
and degradation, may be hidden a soul that the grace of Christ will
rescue to shine as a jewel in the Redeemer’s crown.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you.”—Matthew 7:7.
To leave no chance for unbelief, misunderstanding, or misinter-
pretation of His words, the Lord repeats the thrice-given promise. He
longs to have those who would seek after God believe in Him who is
able to do all things. Therefore He adds, “For everyone that asketh