(Continued from p.272.)

THE FAITHFULNESS OF CHRIST

"Faithful is He that calleth you who also will do it" (1 Thess. 5:24). "But the Lord is faithful who shall stablish you and keep you from evil" (2 Thess. 3:3).

There is not much said in the Gospels about the faithfulness of our dear Lord. It seems that the inspired writers were not led to lay stress upon a quality in Him that is so evident to all who meditate upon His life. The apostle Paul tells us that "He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself" (2 Tim. 2:13). John saw "heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True" (Rev. 19:11). Is not that a beautiful and appropriate name for our Saviour?-Faithful and True!

The author of the epistle to the Hebrews says of Jesus, "Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him" (Heb. 3:2). We who have been redeemed by His precious blood are so glad that He was faithful unto death. He was faithful to the trust committed unto Him. Not once did He turn from it. "And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). He told His disciples, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests, and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day" (Luke 9:22). In speaking to the Father He says in John 17:4, "I have glorified Thee on the earth. I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." With what spirit did He accomplish His work?

With absolute faithfulness to the will and purpose of His Father.

Our heavenly Father, we know from Thy Word that faithfulness is one of the blessed fruits of the Holy Spirit which every believer may have if he is willing to let Thy Spirit rule in his heart. We thank Thee for Jesus, who died to save us. We are glad that we have the record of His life, that we may know Him who is Faithful and True. We are accepted in Him and clothed with His righteousness. Teach us to be faithful, especially in our testimony for Thee. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

THE MEEKNESS OF CHRIST

"For I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:29). There are some attributes of character which cannot be analyzed or explained. We feel the presence of these qualities in certain people. We recognize their beauty and their worth, but it is almost impossible to define or describe them. Meekness is such a virtue. It is found in those who are truly humble and self-effacing. . It is a companion of gentleness and love. It is a rare and unusual quality even in the followers of our Lord. We have so much of self in us that we do not give the meekness of Christ an opportunity to develop in us. Self stunts its beauty and growth.

We must turn to Jesus for an example of perfect meekness,"He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth" (Isa. 53:7). During His trial, He was mocked, railed against, spit upon and, scourged, yet not one impatient word proceeded from Him during His awful torture, and the first words He uttered from the cross were, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).

As we meditate upon His meek and lowly spirit, we bow our heads in reverent worship. Our God could be humble and meek. And what of us? We are proud, self-opinionated and self-exalted. We keep our heads bowed, but now it is in shame! Jesus Christ made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant. He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Gal. 3:13).

In John 6:38 we read these words, "For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." These words fully portray our Saviour's spirit of meekness. Paul beseeches the Corinthians "by the meekness and gentleness of Christ" to walk worthily of Him (2 Cor. 10:1).

We have such a glorious Saviour. Now our feeble tongues can but lisp His praise. How glad are we that we have an endless life in which we may sing to His glorious and worthy Name! In the aeons to come, our greatest joy will be to magnify and exalt Him, who gave Himself for us upon the cross of Calvary!

"Jesus, Thy Name I love,
All other names above,
Jesus, my Lord!
Oh, Thou art all to me,
Nothing to please I see,
Nothing apart from Thee,
Jesus, my Lord!

"Thou blessed Son of God
Hast bought me with Thy blood,
Jesus, my Lord !
Oh, how great is Thy love,
All other loves above,
Love, that I daily prove,
Jesus, my Lord!"

Our holy Redeemer:-We are Thine and Thou art ours. Oh, Thy condescending all-transcending love! We, are chosen and accepted in Thee. Thou hast lifted us from the miry clay and set our feet upon a rock. We love Thee, our Saviour. We love Thee in Thy meekness. May we, too, reveal in our lives this blessed fruit of Thy Spirit. In Thy name we pray. Amen.

THE TEMPERANCE OF CHRIST

Our Lord was temperate in all things. Even those who will not follow Him acknowledge the perfection and lawlessness of His character. His meat was to do the will of His Father (John 4:34). He tells us in John 6:27, "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you." His whole teaching reveals the fact that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17).

Our Lord had a body of human flesh, and He hungered and thirsted as all of us do, but He would not yield even to its normal need when that would be to do another's will instead of the Father's. After fasting forty days, He refused to exercise His divine power to satisfy His hunger. Before they crucified our Saviour, the soldiers offered Him a stupefying drink of wine mingled with myrrh, but He refused it. He said, "The cup which
My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11). "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Blessed Lord, "Thou art worthy for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood" (Rev. 5:9). Hallelujah! What a Saviour is Jesus, our Lord!