The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-07-07

known and best-ioved portion Of The
Bible. II Is a chapter OF comfort
The sick lore Il. for there 10 = music
In its words which sooihes pain and
suffering The dying love IL. for II
has it's revealings OF the life into
which they are passing. The be.
reaved love II, for 1t opens windows
into heaven. and gives them glimpses
OF the blessed life OF those who have
gone 10 be at home In the Father
house.
Christ's friends were in great sor.
row, sorrow which seemed inconsol.
able. Yet their Masters first word
to them was: Let not your heart
be troubled" This seemed a strange
word 10 say TO them that night How
could they help being troubled in
such experiences as theirs? Think oil
all Jesus had grown 10 be TO them
For three years they had been mem
bers OF His personal family, enjoying
the most intimate relations with Him
How much friend can be to us II
our life depends on the friend. II
he has rich, naturally winning per
sonality, power to love deeply, ca
pacity for friendship. the spirit OF
unselfish helpfulness: il He is able
to inspire US to heroism and to wor-
thy living, what He can be to Us is
simply Unreasonable. Think of what
your best, strongest, richest-hearted
human friend Is to you in the way
Of cheer, inspiration, guidance, cour-
age, dependableness, atmosphere.
Think what Jesus Christ, with His
marvellous personality, must have
been as a friend to His disciples.
Then you can understand something
of what His going from them meant
to them.
Then, He was more than a friend
to them. They had believed in Him
as their Messiah, who was to redeem
their nation and lead them to honor
and power. Great hopes rested in
Him. His death, as it seemed to
them, would be the failure of all
these hopes. The announcement
swept away, as they now thought, all
that made life worth while to them.
There are human friends whose
death seems to leave only desolation
in the hearts and lives of those who
have loved them and leaned on them.
But the death of Christ was to His
personal friends and followers the
blotting out of every star of hope and
promise. Their sorrow was over
Yet Jesus looked into
their faces and said: LET not your
hearts be troubled" Jesus is al
ways an encourager, a minister of
cheer. Some people come to us in
trial, thinking to comfort us, but
their words fail to give US any
strength. They weep with us, they
sympathize with us, but they do not
make us any Drawer, any more able
to endure. If we would be comfor-
.ers like our Master, we must inspire
others to endurance. We must bring
hem something which will make
hem stronger. Pity will not do this. |
Mere coincidence will not do it. We |
must nave something to give which |
Will impart strength and courage.
What is there in the Gospel of |
christ that give us authority to say:
Let not your heart be troubled?"
Ehe first thing Jesus babe His dis
,lples do was to believe-"B Believe in |
Sod, believe also in me- Thus far
hey had believed Jesus had taught |
hem a new name for God They
we're to call Him Father. He used
almost no other name for God. The
word father" is a great treasure
louise of love-thoughts. It told the
disciples of the minute thought and
are Of God, extending to the smallest
vents Of their lives. 1t told them
# goodness that never failed. It
vas a great lesson they had been
earning-to think of God as their
'ather. In the shock of the last ter
ible days, however, there was dan
,er that they would lose their faith.
let Jesus said in that dark hour:
Believe in God. Let nothing take
way from you your faith in Cod as
our Father
Then He said further: believe
lso in me- They had accepted
;hrlst as their Messiah They be-
leved that He had come to be the
worlds Redeemer. Now at the an
ouncement that He was to die at
he hands Of His enemies, there was
anger that they should lose their
aith in Him. If He died in defeat
hat would become of His claim and
heir hope that He would redeem His
eople? To save them from this loss
t faith He exhorted them to con-
niue to believe: Believe in God
elieye also in me-"
We are always in our times of
rouble in danger of losing faith
iany people are heard asking such
uestions as How can God be a God
I love, and suffer me to be so he
eft, so stripped of good thingse