Uprightness in Deal
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in the Vine. Supreme love to God, and love to your neighbor equal to
that which you bear to yourself, is the basis of true religion.
Christ inquires of everyone professing His name: “Lovest thou
Me?” If you love Jesus you will love the souls for whom He died. A
man may not bear the most pleasant exterior, he may be deficient in
many respects; but if he has a reputation for straightforward honesty,
he will gain the confidence of others. The love of truth, the dependence
and confidence which men can place in him, will remove or overbear
objectionable features in his character. Trustworthiness in your place
and calling, a willingness to deny self for the purpose of benefiting
others, will bring peace of mind and the favor of God.
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Those who will walk closely in the footsteps of their self-
sacrificing, self-denying Redeemer will have the mind of Christ re-
flected in their minds. Purity and the love of Christ will shine forth in
their daily lives and characters, while meekness and truth will guide
their way. Every fruitful branch is pruned, that it may bring forth more
fruit. Even fruitful branches may display too much foliage and appear
what they really are not. The followers of Christ may be doing some
work for the Master and yet not be doing half what they might do. He
then prunes them, because worldliness, self-indulgence, and pride are
cropping out in their lives. Husbandmen clip off the surplus tendrils of
the vines that are grasping the rubbish of earth, thus making them more
fruitful. These hindering causes must be removed and the defective
overgrowth cut away, to give room for the healing beams of the Sun of
Righteousness.
God purposed through Christ that fallen man should have another
trial. Many misunderstand the object for which they were created.
It was to bless humanity and glorify God, rather than to enjoy and
glorify self. God is constantly pruning His people, cutting off profuse,
spreading branches, that they may bear fruit to His glory and not
produce leaves only. God prunes us with sorrow, with disappointment
and affliction, that the outgrowth of strong, perverse traits of character
may be weakened and that the better traits may have a chance to
develop. Idols must be given up, the conscience must become more
tender, the meditations of the heart must be spiritual, and the entire
character must become symmetrical. Those who really desire to glorify
God will be thankful for the exposure of every idol and every sin, that