WALKING IN THE LIGHT
‘He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life.’
The way to ‘follow’ is to have the eye constantly on the pattern. I will lay down three or four leading traits of the life of Christ to aid us a little in the ‘following’ it.
I. It was a life of concentration.—He came for one great end—to glorify His Father in the salvation and holiness of mankind. And in that purpose He never wavered; and from that end He never, for a moment, turned off His eye. It was a life with one grand master idea. It had one high, fixed, ruling point; and it lay strict between a deep resolve and a perfect completion. This is just what every life requires—a purpose, a resolve, a definition, an object worthy of our being.
II. It was a life of humiliation.—From first to last it was a descent, a going lower and lower. Heaven left, our human nature taken, the cradle, the early poor man’s home, the learnt obedience, the pauper’s walk, the misunderstanding, the shame, the cavil, the contempt, the desertion, the betrayal, the outrage, the cross, the desolation, the death, the grave! It was a going down, down, deeper and deeper! yet all the while this humilation was His power. It was the road to a constant ascension. He was always ascending. So it must be with you. The secret of almost all men’s want of peace, and I may say want of influence and power, is that they do not go low enough. ‘Follow’ Christ in that continual self-abasement. Pass on, as He did, the glory of everything you do. Wash feet! Carry crosses! Die to the pride of nature! Be willing to be nothing! Go lower, lower, lower! And go low as you will, the follower will never go as low as his Master!
III. It was a life of labour.—He never played with life. Life was real, hard work, every day. It would be difficult to estimate how far. From early morning till late in the evening, often all the night through, long travels upon foot, little or no time for the ordinary refreshments of life, at a high stretch of mind and heart—onward, continuously, devotedly, intently, in private and in public, physically and mentally, Christ worked!
IV. It was a life of love.—Oh! what love was there—how boundless, how fervid, how unquenchable! What we all have to do is to put more love into life. Not dreamy love; not love that is only felt; not mere silent, inactive love; but love that shows itself; love that sacrifices itself; love that cannot be hid; love in the home; love in the Church; love in the ordinary transactions of business; love in all life; love to the poor; love to the unlovable; love to those who dislike us; love to our bitterest foe! And yet—love as you may—you will never reach the standard, ‘When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’
Walk the path, and you will understand the ‘life.’
Rev. James Vaughan.
Illustration
‘Mr. Moody’s address to the graduates at Northfield once consisted of these two words: “Consecrate and concentrate,” and he added a motto that he saw in England:
Do all the good you can,
To all the people you can,
In all the ways you can,
As long as ever you can.’
(SECOND OUTLINE)
THE FOLLOWERS’ REWARD
We have to consider how the ‘following Christ’ gives ‘the light of life.’ The measure of the ‘light’ we receive will depend on the nearness of the following. There are close followers, and there are distant followers. All who have really set themselves to ‘follow’ Christ—however far off they be—will catch some rays. But it is those who keep very close who may claim the promise in its fullness.
I. Pardon for sin.—A real ‘follower’ of Christ has, and carries with him a joy which is the very rest of a man’s soul. He has the full sense of the pardon of all his sins.
II. The companionship of Christ.—But with this pardon of his sins a follower of Christ has more. He has the constant presence and companionship of his dear Lord, whom he feels very near; and as he walks he has a real and felt converse with Him. Christ is a Brother at his side. It is no imagination; it is a simple fact. It is a greater fact than the substances of the material world which he sees and handles. He hears sweet voices speaking in his soul; and his soul responds.
III. A vision of Christ.—Whatever ‘light’ this world has, it must be a borrowed light from a lighter world. It is rays from heaven which light up the earth. And if only the door of hope be open, those rays are always ready to flow in! But to the ‘follower’ of Christ that door is open. Christ’s own hand has opened it; and the very glories of the unseen are streaming in upon his upward steps. Brighter and brighter, as he nears the top, they grow. He now begins to see the crown. He feels the rest. He already foretastes the light of his blessed home, which he is nearing every morning! well-nigh he hears the echoes of the songs of evening! And sometimes he can behold, unveiled, in faith, the very face of Him he loves made visible! And oh! what ‘light of light’ is in those gleams of the face of that dear countenance!
Illustration
‘The “light” of the rays which are in Christ attract as much as they emit; and draw and compel the “follower,” at the same moment they cheer and vivify him! just as the sun, at the same moment, both illumines the whole tangible system, and draws it to himself. It is at once its magnet and its light. Blessed combination, that we are hurled and forced by the very source from which we derive our “light” of operation!’