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True to Our Name, February 20
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even
as he walked.
1 John 2:6
.
We bear the name of Christian. Let us be true to this name. To be a
Christian means to be Christlike. It means to follow Christ in self-denial,
bearing aloft His banner of love, honoring Him by unselfish words and
deeds. In the life of the true Christian there is nothing of self—self is
dead. There was no selfishness in the life that Christ lived while on this
earth. Bearing our nature, He lived a life wholly devoted to the good of
others.... In word and deed Christ’s followers are to be pure and true. In
this world—a world of iniquity and corruption—Christians are to reveal
the attributes of Christ. All they do and say is to be free from selfishness....
Said the great apostle to the Gentiles, “I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of
the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (
Galatians 2:20
).
By faith Paul appropriated the grace of Christ, and this grace supplied
the necessities of his soul. By faith he received the heavenly gift, and
imparted it to souls longing for light. This is the experience we need....
Pray for this faith. Strive for it. Believe that God will give it to you....
Learn of Him who has said, “I am meek and lowly in heart”
(
Matthew 11:29
). Learning of Him, you will find rest. Day by day
you will gain an experience in the things of God, day by day realize the
greatness of His salvation and the glory of a union with Him. Constantly
you will learn better how to live Christlike, and constantly you will grow
more like the Saviour.
If we will die to self, if we will enlarge our idea of what Christ can
be to us and what we can be to Him, if we will unite with one another in
the bonds of Christian fellowship, God will work through us with mighty
power. Then we shall be sanctified through the truth. We shall indeed
be chosen by God and controlled by His Spirit. Every day of life will
be precious to us, because we shall see in it an opportunity to use our
entrusted gifts for the blessing of others.
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