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Chapter 40—Help in Daily Living
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There is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of
words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian. What a
man is has more influence than what he says.
The officers who were sent to Jesus came back with the report
that never man spoke as He spoke. But the reason for this was that
never man lived as He lived. Had His life been other than it was,
He could not have spoken as He did. His words bore with them a
convincing power, because they came from a heart pure and holy,
full of love and sympathy, benevolence and truth.
It is our own character and experience that determine our in-
fluence upon others. In order to convince others of the power of
Christ’s grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives.
The gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the gospel by
which our own souls are saved. Only through a living faith in Christ
as a personal Saviour is it possible to make our influence felt in a
skeptical world. If we would draw sinners out of the swift-running
current, our own feet must be firmly set upon the Rock, Christ Jesus.
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The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing
of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man
with God. By the power of His grace manifested in the transfor-
mation of character the world is to be convinced that God has sent
His Son as its Redeemer. No other influence that can surround the
human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish life. The
strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable
Christian.
The Discipline of Trial
To live such a life, to exert such an influence, costs at every step
effort, self-sacrifice, discipline. It is because they do not understand
this that many are so easily discouraged in the Christian life. Many
who sincerely consecrate their lives to God’s service are surprised
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