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Loyal to One Another, June 20
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.
Ephesians 4:31
.
There are those who think more highly of themselves than they ought
to think. They speak evil of their brethren because after a thing is done
they can look back and tell how differently they would have done it, but
their forethought would not have been any better than that of their brethren
had they been in their place....
Keep yourselves off the judgment seat. All judgment is committed
unto the Son of God.... Satan works zealously to cause men to offend on
this point. Those whose tongues are so free to utter words of criticism,
the adroit questioner who draws out expressions and opinions which have
been put into minds by sowing seeds of alienation, are his missionaries.
They may repeat the expressions they draw from others as originating
with the ones they so slyly led on to forbidden ground. These persons
seem always to see something to criticize and condemn.... Their tongues
are ready to exaggerate everything evil. What a great matter a little fire
kindleth!
Never let your tongue and voice be employed in discovering and dilat-
ing upon the defects of your brethren, for the record of heaven identifies
Christ’s interests with those He has purchased with His own blood. “Inas-
much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,” He
says, “ye have done it unto me” (
Matthew 25:40
). We are to learn to be
loyal to one another, to be true as steel in the defense of our brethren.
Look to your own defects. You had better discover one of your own faults
than ten of your brother’s. Remember that Christ has prayed for these,
His brethren, that they all might be one as He is one with the Father. Seek
to the uttermost of your capabilities to be in harmony with your brethren
to the extent of Christ’s measurement, as He is one with the Father....
“Love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous” (
1 Peter 3:8
). True moral
worth does not seek to have a place for itself by evil thinking and evil
speaking, by demeriting others. All envy, all jealousy, all evil speaking,
with all unbelief, must be put away from God’s children.
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