Arizona sun., 1947-09-12
BY WILLIAM CULBERTSON, d. ID.
OF The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago.

OF The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago
TT IS true that the Christian life
gives offense on occasion. Wher
controversy exists between men
and God, the Christian has no other
course of action than to align him.
self on Gods side. AS he takes
his stand in such cases, he should
do it in love. but nevertheless with
firmneSS.
The Bible nowhere commends a
critical spirit or perverse attitude.
It rather emphasizes the necessity
of firmness in the course of right,
a firmness that loses nothing of its
intensity through being tempered in
the fires of love.
The Christian beyond all others
should give himself to life mani
Testing sympathy, kindness and
charita ableness. Thus he will open
avenues of opportunity, Of wit
ness, and of service in which the
Lord may be greatly magnified.
/. Contributing Factors to the
Marring of Good will prov. $3.50.
81; 22:24, 25; 25:18; 1920, 2D.
VARIANCE and strife mar good
' will (Prov. $3.50, 31l. Notice that
this strife is unoccasioned. When
we strive with men to no purpose;
when men have not harmed us, and
with bitterness of spirit we turn
upon them, we of course forfeit ev-
cry opportunity to influence them
for good.
The man of variance similarly
should be passed by. We are not
to emulate him; we are not to
envy him; we are to choose none
of his ways.
A wrathful spirit also mars good
will prov. 22:24, 25). A man of
anger is not to be followed by the
child of God. This passage enjoins
us to have no friendship with such
individuals, for there is danger
that we shall learn their ways, and
their ways will then be snare to
our souls.
Another way in which we mar
good will is to be the purveyors of
untruth (Prov. 25:18). The false wit
ness is characterized as a large
hammer or a sword or a sharp art
row, for he wounds his neighbor,
often grievously.
The man or the woman who In
gossip has maliciously wounded
another loses all opportunity to
influence him for God. The culti-
walton of good will involves the
speaking of truth.
Let us with all diligence, with
the help Of God, Danish from our
hearts and minds all Of these
attitudes which hurt and mar.
III. Contributing Factors to the
Making of Good will.
IN THE first place, the soft answer
of the controlled spirit will estab.
lish good will (Prov. 1851, 49,. The
| soft answer does turn away wrath
The man who is slow to anger ap'
peases strife.
Let us not confuse soft answer
with an unc0nvincing one, or with
that mealy-mOuthed procedure
that we commonly call double
talk. Happy is that man who
knows how to present the truth
convincingly, who can make men,
despite his opposing standards,
understand that he has their good
at heart. OF course, there is one
absolute requisite to such tes-
timony, and that is life wholly
lived for God.
Another factor in making good will
Is the act of kindness prov.
25:21, 22). This passage, you will
remember, is quoted in Romans IL.
Here is the opportunity for us, in
all matters Of personal injury, to
place our case in the hands of God
rather than to seek revenge. BY
such acts of kindness, as we trust
God, we shall be obeying the Lord;
and who knows but that our enc
mics may thus be turned to him.
A third contributing factor In
making good will is that of making
peace (Matt. SGD. So often this
business of attempting to make
peace is thankless task, but that
thanklessness is only from human
sources. So far as God is con
cerned, he has placed his seal o.
approval upon every child of hi:
who seeks to lead men into peace
with God and to make peace be
tween men.
God speaks of them as being
"called" sons of God. It is ont
thing to be a son of God; it is an
other thing to be acknowledged a;
q son of God.
iii. The Source Of Good vii
(James BID.
THAT wisdom will be character
l. lied by purity, peaceableness,
gentleness, apprOachablenesS,
mercy, and will be without par
tiaIity and without hypocrisy. This
wisdom which is from above is
guaranteed to those who know
L