The Tupelo journal., 1904-04-22
USE OF ORDINARY LIVES.
In the Service of God Very CommSn
Talents Accomplish Very I'm
common Results.

Not one of the IL apostles would
have left a trace in history if it had
not been for the companionship of
Christ, the training He gave them, His
Spirit who was in them. says the Bos-
ton Congregationalist. Paul might
have been merely a name, as pupil OF
Gamaliel and rabbi, in the wilderness
of Jewish tradition, II Christ had not
claimed him for His own. Peter calls
himself a messenger, Paul and James
call themselves bond servants, so Who'll
ly do they feel that their claim upon
the attention of the world is that they
represent their Master. These were all
ordinary lives, and all but that OF Paul
unmarked by genius or opportunity un-
til they received the mark and became
the instruments of the extraordinary,
the ideal, the central man, Jesus CHRIST.
Most of us have known such men and
women whose remarkable influence IN
their own circle-or even far beyond
grew out of our which they drew
from faith and experience with CHRIST.
Their confidence was not self-conf-
dence, their power vas given th2m
from above. They were just ordinary
people, of like passions and experiences
with ourselves, but sharing gifts from
above. The secret of their charm and
power is simply this, that Christ makes
use of them and they are glad TO De
with Him and do His will. Such ordl-
nary men and women used for great
boJ. sc show IaEnad thptr life WOnl6
say, mo longer l, but Christ liveth in
me-" Such is the testimony of Flor
ence Nightingale: eff | could give you
information of my.life it would be to
show how a woman of very ordinary
ability has been led by God in strange
and unaccustomed paths to do in His
service what He has done in her. And
if l could tell you all, you would see
how God has done all. and l nothing,
l have worked hard, very hard, that is
all; and l have never refused God any
thing"
These ordinary lives are powerful
with us because they are close to us.
When one speaks from aloft or from
afar his voice grows cold in passage to
us. But the friend, the brother, sister,
mother, who lives at once with Christ
and at our side, proves to our hearts
in warmth of sympathy that Christs
power in plain lives is a living reality.
There is great diversity of callings, but
the work is one, and behind the work
our works He who made apostles
and martyrs out of the peasants and
fishermen and publicans of Galilee.
The conditions which make such a
use of our lives possible are faith and
energy. Faith means the giving over
of our lives to God for such a use as
He shall choose to make of them. En-
ergy finds its opportunity in obedience
and service. 1t is the paradox of the
Christian life that power comes with
surrender. He that loseth his life shall
save it. When we hold our lives for
Christ we hold them at once more
loosely and more powerfully than be-
fore. They may consist of only ordi-
nary powers in humdrum circum-
stances, but Christ will use them. And
we may not Measure the value or the
fruits of His chosen use, any more than
Peter could have foreseen or foretold
the fruits of his life conservation to
the teacher who became his Saviour
and his Lord.