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T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
January 1932
other words, by doing nothing from motives of personal vanity and show. Every Christian ought to have a settled aversion to anything like an empty-headed and strutting actor on the religious stage. “ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” Jesus, it will be remembered, has a very striking warning against doing righteousness to be seen of men. One can have some respect for pride, but vanity is the emptiest and the most contemptible motive from which a man can act. When one undertakes to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and to live out his Christian life in a temper bf vaingloriousness, he is running dead against the whole current o f the teaching and spirit o f the gospel o f Jesus Christ. Putting the two together, party spirit and vainglory, it may be said that party spirit misuses and wrongs men in order to carry out its own aims, while vainglory mis uses its own possessions and those of the world to glorify its lust for attention. The party spirit presses others down in order to raise itself up, while vainglory becomes hollow and empty and worthless in its efforts to please others and draw out from them tributes of praise. Party spirit, sooner or later, is sure to work destruction to whatever it touches, while vainglory is a butterfly which flits back and forth as long as the sunshine of popular favor lasts, and then folds its wings and dies. Vainglory, like party spirit, must give way to worthy motives and aims if one’s actions are either to help or to exhibit the exalted principles of Christian unity. Third, by manifesting humility o f mind. “ But in lowli ness of mind let each esteem other better than them selves.” This is the direct opposition of the factious spirit and the vainglorious spirit against which we are so earn estly warned. Self-conceit, self-assertion, and self-seeking are all deadly foes, not only to unity of thought and feeling, but also to high efficiency in the service of the Master, and it is only by displacing them with the humility of mind which recognizes ability and merit in others that there can be harmony and progress. We do not become great through the exhibition o f party spirit and personal vanity, but through submission, reverence, and obedience. W e do not advance to high places in the moral world by clamoring and intriguing for them, but by taking our places at the bottom, and by waiting and working there till the call comes to go up higher. If we are humble, God can use us, but if we are opinionated and airy and inclined to think we are made o f a little better clay than the ordinary mortal, though He can still use us, it is very hard for Him to do it effectually, except as examples o f arrogance and folly. Humility conditions more excellencies than we think. Is not this the real characteristic of the Christian, that he does not think highly of himself, but that he is disposed always to put a high estimate on the ability and qualities of others, and to esteem them for their virtues ? Does not the true Christian, in the catholicity of a true Christian spirit, rejoice to see and acknowledge excellencies in those who are about him ? I f we only looked at ourselves with the keen eyes and' searching judgments with which we look at others, and if we weighed our own demerits in the scales in which we weigh the demerits of those who are associated with us in Christian work, it would be less difficult to be humble. Fourth, by consenting to give the interests o f others a fair share o f recognition in our thoughts and aims. “ Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
The plague o f souls, the plague of communities, and the plague o f churches is selfishness. To displace selfishness with love, to get men to be willing to take into consideration the welfare o f others as well as his own interests, would be to insure the personal prosperity of every institution and every organization which has been set up for the good of mankind. Men have to look after their own interests, but if they are Christian men and are acting on a Christian basis, they will look beyond their own interests and con sider carefully and tenderly the bearing of their actions on the interests of their fellows. The keynote, therefore, of unity among the brethren is love. I f there is love enough to keep down the factious spirit, to shame vainglory into the background, to inspire a proper humility, and to make one considerate of the inter ests o f others, there will be little difficulty in securing a working unity of thought, sentiment, aim, and aspiration. These great motives of the comfort in Christ, the consola tion of love, the fellowship of the Spirit, and the tender mercies and compassions which swell hearts in all true Christians will have their way. There will be a splendid exhibition o f union and oneness of soul. How essential is this unity to the success of any church or Christian organization ! How much even the smallest or ganization of God’s people can do if only it is provided with this thought and sentiment of unity ! How little is it pos sible for even the largest organization to do if there be no harmony and sense o f fellowship in the members ! Ambi tions, jealousies, envying, selfishness, whisperings, oppo sition—they are bad enough anywhere, and they are de structive everywhere, but it is a shame to even think o f them in connection with the church o f our Lord and Sav iour Jesus Christ. Love is the life of any church, of any Christian organization ; love is the bond o f union ; love con ditions the prosperity of any body of Christians. The ex hortation is always appropriate, and there is no exhorta tion more appropriate than that we love one another. Do Not Be Unkind A number have tried to apply our editorial in the last K ing ’ s B usiness on “ Love and Humility” to certain indi viduals. This is very unkind. W e mentioned no names in that editorial. They were hypothetical cases. Christian Endeavor Notes Rev. Milo F. Jamison, director of the University Bible Clubs, Inc., has been giving to readers o f T he K ing ’ s B usiness some exceptionally fine material in the depart ment known as Notes on Christian Endeavor. From all parts of the country, as well as from foreign lands, letters of appreciation of his work have been received- We regret exceedingly that his overcrowded program will not permit him to continue his work on the magazine. We are happy to introduce, however, a new and able writer, Mrs. E. S. Goodner, of Hollywood, California, who will contribute regularly to the pages of T he K ing ’ s B usi ness , beginning with the February issue. Mrs. Goodner is a member of the Hollywood Presbyterian Church, a splendid Bible teacher, and a recognized leader o f young people. She will take up the work which is being relin quished by Mr. Jamison. The regular Christian Endeavor topics will be used so far as possible.
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