The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-07-21

SSl Affections, how
ever severe, to be
light in comparison. 1t is the place of
close fellowship with God and his son,
Jesus Christ. The place of abiding,
changeless joy, for in his presence
there is fullness of JOY and pleasures
forevermore. Vision, fellowship ans
Joy like that which Christ himself en-
joys belong to the Christian whose
life is hid with Christ in God. 1t is
the place of absolute safety from all
attacks of the evil one. None can
reach Christ hidden in God and none
can reach the Christian hidden with
him. 1t is the place Of safety from
all the allurements of the world. The
Christian walks through them unsee-
ing, having his vision filled with the
unseen. Standing in that place he en-
dures as seeing him who is invisible.
The safety of Christ is not more GER
tain than the safety Of one whose life
is hidden with him in God. All the
Christian has to do to enjoy the things
that Christ enjoys, and to be satisfied
with the satisfaction Christ has, is to
open the eyes and look about in that
wonderful place of satisfaction and
safety which speaks of the Christians
standing. There is no struggle there,
no discord no fear, no fighting; but
peace is there for heart and mind;
harmony is there and rest and quiet
that sootheS and comforts as the be-
lever rests in the God-given place.
"The life that / now live in the
constant, never-ceasing struggle and
strife, but in which may be constant
success and victory. Self, (Which is
but another name for the fiesh), and
Christ, can no more be mixed than oil
and water. "The flesh lusteth against
the spirit and the spirit against the
flesh, and these are contrary the one
to the other" Gal. 5 III. AS long as
the Christian is in the flesh, so long
will there be the struggle. Constantly
will the flesh demand recognition and
unless there be constant vigilance
there will be making provision for the
flesh and consequent defeat. The
flesh cannot be changed by the coming
of the Holy Spirit, however full the
coming may be. Nor can the flesh be
subdued by any set of rigid rules
which might be adopted. 1t will re-
main wholly unchanged, the enemy of
God and Christ, and will continue to
war against the spirit. The only hope
of success and victory is to do as the
Lord directs, and reckon it to be dead.
And dead thing is to be buried and
put out of sight. In spite of its power
and vitality the Christian may, If he
will, have constant victory through
Christ. Each believer may say and
say truly, II can do all things through
Christ" 1t is when the Christian
attempts to secure victory through
1t is hard for the believer to allow
Christ to do it all, but only as he is so
allowed, will freedom and success
for the life lived in the body be real
lied.
II am no more in the world, but
these are in the world" John It'll.
This is the place of service with him.
His promise, 'Lo, am with you al
ways" is given to the servants who
go forth at his command. AS long as
the Christian is in the world he Is in
the place of service as Christ was.
To render acceptable service, and serv-
ice which will bring results In honor
ing the Lord, there must be GER
tain separation from the friendship
and ways of the world. AS the Chris
tan takes the place Of stranger and
foreigner to the world there comes to
him the experience the master had
and he delights to do the will Of God.
He enters into the endeavor of Christ
to show forth the Father and bear the
ambassadors message to the world,
and he enters into a close, warm fell
lowship with Christ in all his service
for the world. The Christians life
in the world is one of constant serv-
ice. Not the servant of the world but
the servant of the Lord. Many seem
to live and work as though they were
servants of the world and therefore
they appear to try to curry favor with
it. But the believer must ever re-
member truly that she who would
be the friend of the world is the enemy
of God" We are not to seek the
friendship either of the good, moral
and religious world, nor of the bad,
immoral and irreligious world. All
alike, until yielded to the demands Of
Christ, are the enemies of God. To
serve acceptably there must be en-
tire separation. Hidden in God the
believers life is in the place of con-
slant safety, in the flesh is the place
of constant struggle, and in the world
70 the place Of constant service.