Food for the soul

Table Of Contents

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Heart Unfoldings 7

The Works of the Destroyer Destroyed . . \1

II. Ways of Following Jesus

"Take the name of Jesus ever, As a shield from every snare;

If temptations round you gather, Breathe that holy name in prayer."

Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." We are to follow Him. He is "all and in all."

We are not commanded to follow human leaders, no matter how holy or Christ-like in character they may be; nor creeds, nor isms, nor opinions, nor theories, only as they help us to follow Jesus Christ. Paul thoroughly understood this when he said, "Follow me as I follow Christ."

In taking Jesus as our example it is necessary for us to recognize in Him both the human and divine, and to make a distinction between Jesus as man and Jesus as God, always bearing in mind, however, that in order to follow Him as man it is necessary to be in touch with Him as God.

We are to follow Him —

In Obedience to Cod. Read the prophecies concerning the life of Jesus. Read the gospels. Read what His friends and His enemies say about Him. All of one accord bear Record — and their record is true — that Jesus Christ was perfectly obedient to the will of God. He left die glories and riches of heaven; came to His own and was rejected by them ; was poorer than the birds that have nests and the foxes that have holes; "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;" He went through the garden of Gethsemane and to the cross in obedience to God. What does God want us to do? How does He want us to live? What are his commands to us? Listen to Jesus, "Follow me." We are to follow Him —

In Humility. The humility of Jesus Christ was his exaltation. His humility, more perhaps than any other feature of His life, was the mark by which our Christ was known among men; not a humility produced by external influence nor surroundings, but flowing from His heart and filling His life. We, like our Lord, should be filled with humility; that humbleness of spirit; that purity of soul; that loyalty of motive; that oneness of purpose; that earnestness of desire; that obedience of heart which marked the life of Him who says "Follow Me." And we are to follow Him — >

In Prayer. If ever there was a man who had no need of prayer surely that man was the sinless Son of Man, the only man in all the history of the human race whose life fitted Him for an example for other men to follow, and yet He was pre-eminently a man of prayer.

He prayed everywhere; He prayed always; He prayed for his apostles and for all who should believe on Him through their word; He prayed for His enemies ; He prayed for His murderers; through life and in death Jesus Christ was a man of prayer.

"Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,

Uttered or unexpressed; The motion of a hidden fire

That trembles in the breast.

"Prayer is the burden of a sigh,

The falling of a tear, The upward glancing of an eye,

When none but God is near.

"Prayer is the simplest form of speech

That infant lips can try; Prayer the sublimest strains that reach

The Majesty on high.

"Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice

Returning from his ways; When angels in their songs rejoice

And cry, 'Behold he prays!'

"Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,

The Christian's native air, His watchword at the gates of death;

He enters heaven with prayer.

"O thou, by whom we come to God, The Life, the Truth, the Way;

The path of prayer thyself hast trod; Lord, teach us how to pray!"

"Pray without ceasing." "I will therefore, that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." "I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done." We are to follow Jesus further —

In Faith.

In Love.

In Sympathy.

In Service.

In Forgiveness. Not the forgiveness of sins, as that belongs to the divine realm, but the forgiveness in the sense that when Jesus "was reviled, He reviled not again." And when He was persecuted He gave love in return; and when He was crucified He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do/'

III. Evidences of Following Jesus

"O, the precious name of Jesus!

How it thrills our souls with joy, When his loving arms receive us,

And his songs our tongues employ!"

The witness of the Spirit. "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." This is unmistakable. There is nothing else like it in human experience. God's Spirit bearing witness with man's spirit, assuring him of his high eternal relationship. The evidence is clear. No room for doubt. "We know whom we have believed."

Love for One Another. "We know that we have pasesd from death unto life because we love the brethren." "This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you."

Conscious submission to the Divine Will. Another evidence of following Jesus is a deep abiding soul consciousness of submission to the will of God. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you/* This submission of self is to God, not to our personal opinions or desires, nor to the wills of those about us, even though they may claim divine revelation in matters concerning us. We deal with God. God deals with us. "Thy will, not mine, be done."

Assurance in Prayer. Prayer, real prayer, is holding conversation with God. We pour out our soul's desires to Him and He answers us in his own chosen way, but to our satisfaction ; that is, He assures us that He hears and answers, "For they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him : for they know not the voice of strangers." "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you."

Delight in Fellowship with the Holy Ghost. God is not only with His people in a general sense but as a personal presence and as such He reveals Himself to them in the person of the Holy Ghost. There is fellowship between God and His people.