Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1925-06-11
GODS IMITATORS
(By Rev. CASTOR R. Coyner)

literal rendering OF this verse by
reading, BE We therefore imitators of
God, as beloved children 1t is the
only place in the Bible where that
bold word initiate is applied to the
Christian relation to God. But the
idea underlies the whole teaching of
the New Testament on the subject of
Christian character and conduct. 1t
is our duty, above all things else in
this world, to try to resemble God,
and in the measure which wecome
near to doing it, we come to perfec-
ton
There is only one way in which we
may be like God. We can never, in
our limited knowledge, be like the
perfect wisdom of God. Our holt
ness cannot be like His, for in many
ways our nature and character are
unlike anything in the divine nature.
Then how can we be like Him? We
can be like Him in love. We can re-
semble Him in nothing else, but our
love is Of the same quality and nat
ure as His, no matter how different
it may be in fervor and degree. The
tiniest drop that hangs upon the tip
of thorn will be as perfect sphere
as the sun, and it will have its little
rainbow with all the prismatic colors,
and it will have the same beauty as
when the bow spans the heavens.
The dew-drop may initiate the sun,
and we are to be imitators of God;
knit to Him by that one thing in us
which is kindred to Him-love-th
is the life of God and the perfecting
of man.
Gods love was so great that He
gave Jesus Christ and spared Him
not, that this world might be redeem
ed God loves every man on the
earth, and He gave His only begot-
ten on that all who will believe in
Him might be saved. Then if God
so loved as to do this, we, if we are
to initiate God, must be looking to-
ward our brothers good. We must
surrender our lives to the service of
our fellow men. Perhaps it sounds
hard, but it is not impossible, and is
that which will bring unspeakable joy
to every one that does it.
We may have a lot of sentimental
talk about Christian love, but too Of
ten there is not enough reality and
prose brought into it. Let US put
our talk above love into action, and
then we shall not be so likely to see
the world curling a scornful lip at
the Church's talk about brotherly
love-
A great many who call themselves
Christians and are supposed to be
initiating God by loving their fellow
men have placed their souls in dam
ger by the attitude they take toward
great many of Gods creation.
There are those who would prefer to
go to the dictionary to learn the de-
finition of the word 'neighbor'. In
other words they would want to love
those who may be near or are mem
bers of their own race. Yet many
of these are continually having
trouble with those who live next door
Some American sputter around about
how much they love America and how
much they hate the people of foreign
lands. The sad things about it is
that so many Of them claim to be
childrere of God and His imitators
A lot of such felix's, to be plain about
4 it, have souls that are SO dried up
and shrivelled ard withered that you
could get a full thousand of them on
the point of a surgeons needle
Some of them many mean we'll and
call their hatred for other peoples,
patriotism, yet they would not recog-
nize true patriot if they should
meet one in the middle of the road
in broad daylight. To be Godlike
we must take the whole world into
our love
If our love is like that of God it
will be forgiving love Why should
we be always waiting for the other
fellow to determine our relations to
him, and say that if he does not like
us we are absolved from the duty of
loving him? Why should we leave
/ him to settle the terms upon which
we are to stand? God loves even the
unthankful and the evil as we learn
in the Sermon on the Mount, and
we shall not be initiating His example
unless we have the same spirit to-
ward our fellow men. Persons some
times let the devil get into them and
they have a quarrel with brother.
Then they won't speak to each other,
have no use TO reach other and go
on perhaps long time on the road
that leads to eternal damnation.