Christian? Are you ashamed of the marks of the Lord Jesus? Our Saviour has promised, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him w ill I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” '(Matt. 10:52). * * * Make sure your opinion of others does not actually turn out to be their opinion of you. * * * SELF DESTRUCTION One of the most clever tools of Satan is the poison sword of envy which he wields so effectively. No wonder, in the wisdom of the Songof Solomon, we read,“Jealousy is cruel as the grave.” Greek legends tell of a muscu lar giant who was so envious of Theagenes, the prince of wrestlers, that he couldn’t console himself, since he had never defeated him. After Thea genes, the champion, had passed away, a monument was raised in his honor in the public square. And yet, his en vious antagonist, under the cover of darkness, regularly went out to wrestle with the statue itself, for he was still unwilling to admit, even to himself, that, Theagenes had been his superior. One night in a mad rage he success fu lly managed to throw the stone figure, but in the process, it fell upon him, and he was crushed to death. This is exactly the way jealousy works. It is not only unreasoning, but it is also injurious to the body and soul. Both become affected by it. Jealous people are like those who poison their own food and then proceed to eat it. Envy or jealousy aims and shoots at others, but winds up wounding itself. Beware! Envy is the cruel offspring of Satan; it is the first cousin of pride; the father of hate and murder. Kill it, through the power of Christ, before it kills you! * * * Perhaps the Lord will calm your storm, but perhaps, too. He will allow the storm to rage while He calms you. * * * Truly happy people are not those who always get what they want, but rather are happy with what they get. 16
Talk is cheap because the supply is great er than the demand.
THE UGLY FACE What parents heart wouldn’t have been touched with the tragedy which struck a home in New York. A beauti fu l young mother had gone out for a few minutes to buy something at the comer store. As she returned, she was horrified to see her house enveloped in flames. Crazed w ith fear for her tiny baby, asleep inside, she tore from the hands of firemen seeking to hold her back and dashed through the flames. Wrapping her child in a blan ket, she successfully brought her out without even a singe. In doing so, however, she herself sustained serious third degree burns over her face. As a result she was left horribly disfigured for life. The years passed and the daughter grew into a beautiful young woman. Her mother felt compensated for the scars as she watched the child develop. In her teens she was quickly surround ed by friends and youthful admirers. One Saturday afternoon the mother and her daughter went for a river boat excursion. While the mother stayed in side, the daughter walked about the deck. Needless to say, several young men were immediately attracted to her. The mother, coming out to check on her daughter, caught the eye of one of the unthinking and rude youths. He said, “Look at that hideous woman. I wonder who in the world she is.” The g irls answer broke the mother’s heart, as she said, tossing her head carelessly, “Why, I can’t imagine. She’s terribly grotesque, isn’t she?” How ungrateful this seems to be, and yet, isn’t it true that, spiritually speak ing, there is an ingratitude just as base revealed by people in the world every day. This is namely the denial of Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us. Was His countenance defaced? Oh yes, in Isaiah 52:14 we read, “His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.” Do others know you are a
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