way, that God is our King, and we as His children, are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. Such a realization im mediately answers any questions or problems about what things are right or wrong for Christians to do. The third aspect that makes up our reputation, or what others see is charity. We are to be an example of the believers in love. Several years ago an enterprizing promotion ex pert ingeniously made up some thou sands of inexpensive lapel buttons which carried two similar messages. On one was emblazened, “I Love Elvis!” The other was the exact an tithesis, “I Hate Elvis!” Reference, of course, was to the popular sing ing sensation of the day. The “I Love” buttons were sold for a dime, while the “I Hate” buttons went for fifteen cents. When asked why the difference in price, since both looked identical except for the one word, the wise merchandiser replied, “It's simply a case of supply and demand. There are more people who want to buy the ‘I Hate’ buttons than the ones with ‘I Love.’ ” What a picture of human nature for it reveals that it is much easier to hate than it is to love. The second grouping of exhorta tions to be examples is headed by “character.” This is what we are on the inside, where only God can see. This first word is spirit which is most interesting. This isn’t the Holy
on earth in the long ago, He brought a scorching pronouncement against the wicked people of His day declar ing, “Ye call me Lord, Lord, and yet ye do not the things that I say.” In other words, today, as then, there is much lip allegiance given but in actuality little or no heart devotion coupled with it. The Lord Jesus said it’s not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what proceeds from him. I t’s not what you eat, but rath er what you say that has an impact on others. “What you do often speaks so loud ly that people can’t hear what you say” is an old adage. Here, the apos tle brings in the term conversation which on the surface may sound like repetition. Today conversation means something entirely different from what it did in the time when these inspired words were translated into Elizabethan English. I t meant “con duct,” “manner of life,” or “be havior.” In other words, what you do becomes a “conversation piece!” Un fortunately, these are days when the world’s moral standards seem to be a very relative situation. In other words, the world regards something as wrong if you get caught at it. How tragic this is! Can others see that you’re a Christian in actuality, not in words only? We live in a world where men and women are in bond age to sin. Let us never forget, as we travel along life’s pilgrim path
Members of the graduating clas of 1967 who have been prepared for the serviceof Christ. Nineteen majors available to the young people atending Biota Colege. 27
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