THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST
‘Be not afraid … for I am with thee.’
The living Christ as the life of His Church is the keynote of the Acts of the Apostles. Such is the glorious truth which lies like a core of gold at the very heart of that book.
‘Be not afraid,’ says the Master to every loyal servant, ‘for I am with thee.’ And what follows?
I. Safety.—As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so Christ is round about His people. God never leaves the work of grace unfinished (Php_1:6).
II. Rest.—‘My Presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest’ (Exodus 33:14). Rest from vexation and doubt, rest from the accusations of conscience and from the power of sin.
III. Happiness.—Heaven is not made by its gates of pearl, and streets of gold, and walls bright with precious stones. ‘ The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel’s land.’ And must I wait for all my heaven in the gloryland? No, if we have the Presence of Christ with us in our hearts and about our daily path our heaven will begin below.
IV. Strength.—He will surely give strength to those who trust in Him; help will come in time of need. Where is your hope? Is it in a dying world, or on the living Christ?
—Rev. F. Harper.
Illustration
‘In Legh Richmond’s sweet story of “The Young Cottager,” in his Annals of the Poor, he tells how, when he visited the dying girl, he said to her: “My child … Where is your hope?’ She lifted up her finger, pointed to heaven, and then directed the same downward to her own heart, saying successively as she did so, ‘Christ there, and Christ here.’ These words, accompanied by the action, spoke her meaning more solemnly than can easily be conceived.” ’