The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-04-03
!" Religion a Life .
Text: John Ala
A SERMON BY. C. e. VERMllllA-
THE LIFE EXPLAINED AND
ILLUSTRATED

Text. john Ala, 'lne water tAal l
shall give him shall become in him
a we'll of water springng up unto
eternal life"
Jesus here represents the life OF
the soul which is inspired thru Him,
as being like well of water which as
spring is constantly bubbling forth
and over it's bounds. 1t is a well
which has spring for its supply, or
it might be understood from what we
know of an artesian we'll. Such a
we'll is characterized by freshness,
volume and moving energy; it is liv-
ing water. Something like this says
Christ will be the life which shall
arouse within the soul of those who
will drink at my fountain, life which
is life indeed, a life which, tho
small in its inception still has within
it the forces and power which If con-
served will bear itself on thru this
world with its varied experiences and
stand forth at last made perfect and
beautiful thru it's efforts. Just as the
small stream begun by the flowing
we'll selects and winds its way toward
the river or sea, sometimes bubbling
with seeming delight and sometimes
running deep and calm in apparent
meditation, always makes progress
and ever increases in volume, so the
life of the human soul when started
on it's life evolving course will con-
1inue to grow and increase thru time
and eternity Jesus here makes
much of the life within the man or
better, which is the man, and indi-
eates that in this life is our salvation
and our hope. In this robust, divinely
aroused and informed life, in this life
feeling the tug of the perfect ideal,
and conscious of an upward drawing,
iies the most trustworthy and depend
able thing known to man.
The Life Explained and illustrated
This was no incidental remark
which Jesus made to the woman, it
was one of the fundamental truths
Of His Gospel In fact it was the cen
sral idea of his message and he fire.
Quently, yea, constantly emphasized
the same. 81 am come says He that
they might have life, and that they
might have it more abundantly." 81
am the bread of life" II am the
light of the world, he that followeth
me shall not walk in darkness but
shall have the light of life" He
chat hath the Son hath Life
Then it was said of him: HE is the
tight that lighteth every man that
oometh into the world" These
are written that We may believe that
Jesus is the Christ the Son of God,
and that believing We may have life in
his name" Paul also makes it the
heart of his message. BE We trans
formed by the renewing of your mind"
His emphasis of the fact that nothing
was Of avail but New Creature in
Christ grows out of the same thot.
When Jesus thus spoke to the woman
he was aiming to reveal the true ma
aure of the religious life as he desired
all to understand it.
1t seems like waste Of time to re-
iterate the fact that the religious life
is primarily soul life. We have all
heard this time after time and have
song since come to accept it as a part
Of our faith. There is such thing
I however as holding truth and seeing
only part of its real significance. This
it has seemed to me may be the case
in our thot of the life within. In
fact this has been my own personal
experience. Only in recent years have
come to see what | desire to en-
phasize as necessary con-
clusion of the teaching of Christ in
regard to this Divinely inspired soul
life. wonder if we have not thot
more about it's withinness that of the
real nature of the life itself and it's
meaning Let us nos see if we can
probe the idea a little further, and
find something that will give us hope
and encouragement in our efforts to
realize the Christian ideal from day
4 to day. "A we'll of water within Him
I springing up unto eternal life" what
is the fuller meaning of the same?
We are all familiar with the idea
shat the inner life is the determiner of
eur conduct. Its ideals and it's loves
and aspirations determine the charac-
ter of the individual This is truth
that we must not lose sight of and it is
enc of the reasons why Jesus adj
dressed himself to the culture of the
inner man This however is not the
only significance the inner life should
nave for you and me. The fact that
trere is at the core of every one of us
5fat which is alive and not dead, is a
thing which few of us have ever thot
Of as being important, Judge. Jesus