| The Way of Victory |
Chapter 2 |
Page 2 |
But the path of the just is not straitened. It grows wider and smoother as it goes on. His life enlarges. He becomes more and more free. Right doing never leads into entanglements. It may not always bring one into easy paths; the way of duty is ofttimes hard and costly; it is not flower-strewn. The good life is one of self-sacrifice and self-effacement. Jesus found it so Himself — His path led Him at last to Calvary. But there is a vast difference between the hardness and roughness of such a road as Jesus trod and that which the sinner chooses. He who does God’s will may find thorns and steep climbing, and his feet may be pierced with nails, but ever the light shines where he walks, and he has the peace of God in his heart. Wisdom’s “ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”
But those who find the ways of wisdom pleasant must not be content with half-hearted choice of wisdom; they must take fast hold of instruction; they must keep her, knowing that she is their life. The picture of the Wise Man is that of a man wrecked in the water. There is a plank, or a mast, floating near him. If he will seize this and cling to it, it will keep him from sinking. He must take fast hold of it, and not let go, for it is his very life, his only hope. We are in the sea of life. God sends the life-boats of divine teaching out over the waves to rescue us. If we lay hold upon them we shall get safe home. But if we do not we shall perish. In a special way those who have become entangled in bad habits are like shipwrecked men in the waves, and their only hope is in seizing the divine words of life which are sent out to rescue them. This is set down as a temperance lesson. The only refuge for one who has been mastered by strong drink is found in accepting Christ and His gospel. He should seize the divine word, as the word of hope and the word of life. He should cling to it, he should keep it, and not let it go.
Page 2
<< Prior Page 1 2 3 4 Next Page >>