but a life devoted and abandoned to the most wonderful thing in the world. What was it—talking about himself and what he had done? A thousand times no! He affirmed that he was what he was through the Gospel of God. To that purpose he gave himself without reserve. He was mastered by a purpose. Yes, with General Booth, the Apostle could say from the heart, "God has had all there is of me.” He was in truth the Lord’s: His slave, His sent one, His separated one! Such was the man ner of that man! What is the word to our hearts? Paul is gone. The responsibility rests upon us who follow in his train. Will we search our own hearts in order to discover the manner of men we are or should be? Let it ever be re membered: Men are God’s method. It is not great talents, great learn ing, great preachers, or anything great that God needs. It is men— men, great in lowliness, great in holiness, great in faith, great in love, great in fidelity, great for God—men who preach by holy sermons in the pulpit and by holy lives out of it. These can mold a generation for God. This is the manner of man!
We will think of ourselves in an other profitable way—as Paul did, as one “called to be an apostle.” There is a deeper meaning in that word apostle than Just the thought of a “sent one.” Many of us glibly pass on to our hearers this “signifi cant light shed by the original,” and then go about the tasks of ministry as if we were running the show. Is this fire kindling (Isa. 50:11) be coming to those under orders? By no means. “Who is among you . that feareth the Lord,.that obeyeth the voice of his servant. .. let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.” Oh, the blessedness of the sent ones who learn to stay themselves upon Him. We have been mastered by a position. Finally, with the Apostle, we will discover that we are “separated unto the gospel of God.” That word sepa rated should interest us. It is the same as our English aphorism, which, according to the best diction ary definitions, amounts to this: “a single sentence with a single thought.” That was Paul’s life in deed! “This one thing I do,” he cried repeatedly. His was not a pur poseless, jangled, confused existence,
epistles. In every place, he identifies himself as the “chief” of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15); “the least of the apostles” (1 Cor. 15:9); and “less than the least of all the saints” (Eph. 3:8). He refuses to think highly of himself or to let others so regard him. The poet Myers expressed it well: “Christ! I am Christ’s! and let that name suffice you; Ay, and for me He greatly hath sufficed; So, with no winning words I would entice you; Paul has no honor and no friend but Christ.” What a lesson for our hearts! What a challenge to self-examination! We have all been tempted to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. This is quite natural in an age of immensity and intemationality. Almost without thinking, we find ourselves evaluating ourselves in similar terms. The “itch for bigness” is everywhere. We are all trying to be somebodies. Unless a servant of Christ is sufficiently “degreed” he does not rate. As a matter of fact, the usual entrance requirement to much of our evangelical ministry is prefaced with these words: “Who are YOU?” As if every instructed believer should not know! Again, if a man is not conducting the largest meetings with the most impressive results, he must consider himself less blessed of God. So on it continues, ad nauseatum. We ask with Samuel of old, “What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears?” Can it be that Isaiah had us in mind when he described certain shepherds as "greedy dogs which can never have enough . .. shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quartet” ? God grant that there be a return to lowliness! May we have an honest re-birth of God-given contrition. If we are not bold enough to sing aloud, then let us speak in secret: “The quickest way up is down, The quickest way up is down; You may climb up high and try and try, But the quickest way up is down.” When that is our conviction, we will be prepared to follow Paul and de clare ourselves as bondslaves of Jesus Christ, too. So long as we cling to the cherished idea that we are important, the thought of being slaves of Jesus Christ will only cramp our style. But when we see ourselves in the light Of all that God has writ ten concerning us, it will be a joy to witness, “I am a slave of Jesus Christ.” That will mean that our life and labor have been mastered by a Person. Instead of exploiting our selves, we will be directing attention
to The Man! MARCH, 1947
Nevada Falls and Liberty Cap, Yosemite National Park, California.
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