The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1950-12-28

not religious" or
spiritual" or even
''godly," much less Il
''pious." The best M Fo,.m.n
way to describe it
is to put the fullest possible mean
ing into the single word CHRIS
TAN"
81 Have Been Captured"
TN your hymnal you may find q
! hymn by the author OF the bet
ter-known 20 Love that wilt not
let me CO." 1t begins with these
lines:
MAKE me captive, Lord.
And then I shall be free >"
That sounds upside-down. Captive
and free are opposites. aren't they?
Not when God is the captor! The
American translation Of Phil. 3:12
says. Il have been captured by
Jesus Christ" Paups word was a
strong one; It was the Greek word
used when police or soldiers take q
man and tie him and lead him off.
People who have gone far in
music would understand this. Take
two young people. both Of whom
know something about music, may.
be both Of them in the same music
school. One Of them has been cap
tured. so to speak. by music. the
other has not. That is to say. in
palmer language, music has got
hold Of one Of them. There is an
irresistible fascination about music
for him, every day is too short for
the study and practice he wants to
do. The other one goes through his
lessons. but his heart is not in it.
We need no prophet to tell as
which Of the two will make .
good musician. So II Is with
the Christian faith. One who has
never been captured by Christ
may play around with the Chris
tian faith, - the uncaptured
music student may play around
the music school; but his heart
win not be In Il.
Name any saint you like in the
whole history Of Christendom.
whether famous like st. Francis or
Ballington Booth, or known only to
4 few. like one Of your own family
perhaps; you always find that this
person. whose Christianity was
living and powerful thing. called
Christ Master, and meant Il.
"Christ Lives in Me"
THERE is more intimate way
: of putting this. It is true, the
Christian has been captured by
Christ. But this would still leave
him on the outside. Christ lives in
the Christian, as Paul said. For
some people this may seem strange
and mystical. but it can be under.
stood by any one who wants to
know what Christian living can
mean.
Christ in the Christian means
that in every situation. in every
condition, at every turn of the
road, in the everyday choices
and conversations, the Christian
will be as much like Christ as he
possibly can. This Is one point
on which Christians of every
name and church agree. Catho-
lie or Protestant, conservative
or liberal. our differences evapo-
rate when our hearts are warm,
when we try to think what the
ideal Christian life is.
High-level Christians from all
over Christendom would all come
out with the same story that Paul
put into classic words: l live. vet
not l, but Christ liveth in me.
"Abide"
IN BIDE in me and I in you"
- said Jesus. That Is a COM
mand and promise. But the com.
mand comes first. Whether we think
Of the Christian as lin Christ or
Christ as I'm the Christian. il
should be long story, not a short
one. Is the sunshine in the flower
or the flower in the sunshine? Well.
both. Put the flower in the sunshine
and keep It there, and the sunshine
will get into the flower. The sun
makes the flower. not the flower
the sun. Yet unless the flower stays
in the sunshine. the sun can do
nothing for it.
Christ never yet battered his
way into any ones life. To know
him as an occasional visitor is
doubtless better tn an never
knowing him at all. But friend.
ship Ii far better than acquaint
ance. and TO know him best
one must know him always.
But the welcoming heart has MIN
always tor q guest. What 1876, win
bring. no man can tell: bu, no
friend of Christ will be afraid.
tCspyrisht By the international Can.
Ell 81 Religious Edueasiss On behsn 81
g Prstsstant deneminatisns. ReIeassi