Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-03
The Love-Life.

The boVe-Lttes
First Cor. 10.
A mother died and left a small child.
She was too young to remember anything
about her mother. When she grew older
she began TO wonder what her mother was
like and whether she had blue eyes like
herself and brown curls No picture OF her
mother was anywhere to be found and the
child was left wholly to her own magma
ton to formulate some image Of her sainted
mother when the child was u years Of
age her aunt told her she thought she
could tell her something about her mother
and so read to her the thirteenth chapter Of
First Corinthians. MY dear" said her
aunt, your mother was more like that
than anyone 1 have ever SEEN" The child
was puzzled. She felt IL her mother was
like that she herself was not much like
her mother. 1t saddened her. Could she
ever become like her mother7 She almost
wished she had never been told of the close
parallel between her mothers character
and the character pictured in that beautiful
llove-chapter. The image, however, burned
itself deeply into her youthful mind, she
could not get away from 1t, and by and by
she said, Il will be like that, will be like
mother" Persistently she took UP the
practice Of love; and in time her older &C
qua1tances said, "She is like her mother
in looks and in life"
1t is painful to a believer to reflect on
how little he resembles the picture of this
llove-chapter He instinctvey feels II is
not an image of himself. 1t almost dis
heartens him when he looks upon himself
in comparison with 1t. Can he ever become
like it7
Have you ever seen a composite picture?
1t is " Photographic picture formed by
combining several portrait images so that
their principal points practically coincide"
1t, in reality, is not a picture OF any living
person. 1t is a combination OF several pict-
ures. This thirteenth chapter of First
Corinthians Is not a composite picture of
the whole number of christians in the
world. nor of any portion of them. 1t is a
simple and single portrait OF a model
christian under the sway OF christianity
mightiest motive, love. 1t is not picture
of what the whole mass of believers com
bining might be, but of what any one be-
liever may be.
The picture of our chapter is no vision.
II is an Ideal to be attained. God is love,
and men are to become love, for they are
to become like God. God set his son before
men as love, love at its best, love as love
really is. Paul, in our chapter, has simply
drawn in picture what Jesus was in real
life Incarnated love ever says to men,
follow me, initiate me. be like me. This he
could not have hidden, IL attainment were
impossible
This love-life is not, therefore, an i'm
possible conception, not an impossible at
tainment. The various prominent fea-
lures in the picture may be seen in tens
of thousands of Gods chidren's. Not In
perfection in every case, or in any case,
| It may be; but approximated in perfection
in all. In every believer love has done its
| work in degree. He is coming up more
and moro to the IDEAL The child's ruling
passion was that she might become like
her mother, and In time 1t was said of
her, She is like her mother. He whose
ruling passion is to become like the ideal
of this love-chapter will approximate
nearer to this ideal until those who know
him best will say of him, He is like his
IDEAL
Moreover this love-life is the only life
that bught to be lived 1t is the only life
God recognizes the true life. II God
is love and men are to become love, then
the love-life is the only true life. Any
other kind Of life is a travesty on the true
life. Here is the clue to the purpose and
significance Of our existence. Our life OF
sonship toward God. through the regener-
alton Of the holy spirit and the implanting
OF the filial spirit in our hearts, is thereby
a life of brotherhood toward men. 1t is
William Newton Clarke who says: When
we live according to love towards our fell
lows, we do the thing that ought to be-
and make of life what life ought to be-
! When unselfishness and the highest help
} full affection from one law of living, then
we have struck q chord in the eternal har-
, mony-and all that is dissonant with love
Is discord to the eternal harmony. This
Is the spiritual and practical reality. in
this world and In any other world that