Friday, November 10, 2017

A Story

A veteran missionary friend of mine told me that some
years ago the missionaries had said to each other that
their own daily lives were not of the sort described in
the New Testament as characteristics of the early
Christians. They did not know what the matter was; they
only knew that they longed for something they did not
have. So they agreed to go apart and lay the matter be-
fore God and ask Him to give them what they didn't
have. They did this. God took them at their word; and
my friend, consecrated Christian missionary and veteran
in the service of His Lord, came back a new man in
Christ, with a new life and with a new Christ.

He told of another missionary, a high spirited, high-tem-
pered young woman, about the whole matter. She saw
the truth, and was enabled of God to claim Christ in His
fulness as her Victory, by faith, in the same way.

A few months after my friend, then at a distance, received
a letter from this woman in which she told him her story.
'I wanted to write you at first, but I scarcely dared to, for I
was afraid it would not last. But it has lasted, and, oh, it is
just wonderful! Why, just as an illustration of what I
mean, do you know that not only for three months I have
not once slammed the door in the face of one of these stu-
pid Indian servants that used to get on my nerves so, but I
haven't even wanted to!'

And that was a miracle. Not keeping from slamming the
door--that is no miracle. Any ordinary, unsaved person
who is halfway decent can keep from slamming the door,
by setting his teeth, using his will, putting his hands be-
hind his back, and determinedly not doing what he feels
like doing. No, that is not a miracle. But to go three months
without once wanting to: without once feeling within your-
self that angry surge of irritation, of temper, that makes you
want to show your feelings...does not your heart tell you
that that indeed would be a miracle in your own life?

I don't know about you, reader, but most of us have people
in our lives who irritate on a regular basis. The story above
is truly remarkable. As the coming of our Lord draws near,
I am finding it more difficult, not less, to be in sweet fellow-
ship with the body of Christ, with my own family. I would
encourage you to go back over previous blogs. To many of
you the information is brand new.



2 comments:

Anne said...

Am I missing something? In my view, the miracle did not go quite deep enough to cause her to “see” the servants differently. She still called them “stupid.” (Matthew 5:22)

Jane said...

I agree and knew someone would be alert, but decided not to change the story that was written. The fact that it was written in a different century makes sense to me, but it does not excuse the world view.