Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1950-12-29

plOuS. lHe peSt FIR F0rPmAn
way to describe it
Is to put the fullest possible mean
ing into the single word CHRIS
lTIAN."
ri Have Been Captured
IN your hymnal you may find
l hymn by the author OF the bet
ter-known 20 Love that wilt not
let me CO." II 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 they2
Not when God is the captorl The
American translation Of Phil. 1912
says, II have been captured by
Jesus Christ" Paulfs word was a
strong one: 1t was the Greek word
used when police or soldiers take
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
de- The other one goes through his
lessons, but his heart is not In 1t.
We need no prophet to tell us
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
tan faith. as the uncaptured
music student may play around
the music school; but his heart
win not be In It.
Name any saint you like In the
whole history Of Christendom,
whether famous like ST. Francis or
Ballington Booth. or known only 10
a 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 II.
"Christ Lives In Me"
THERE is more intimate way
= Of putting this. II 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 II 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
s.hsaL Th~t.tsnss NJ
name and church agree. Catho-
lie or Protestant, conservative
or liberal, our differences evapo-
rate when our hearts are warm.
when we try 20 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: live. yet
not !, but Christ liveth in me.
"Abide"
I'm BlDE in me and In YOU"
"A said Jesus That is COM
nand and a promise, But the COM
mand comes first. Whether we think
Of The Christian as "in" Christ or
Christ as lin" the Christian. II
should be a long story. not a short
one Is the sunshine in tho flower
or the flower in the sunshine? Well.
both Put the flower in the sunshine
and keep II 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 II.
Christ never yet battered his
way into any ones life. To know
him as an occasional visitor IL
doubtless better than never
knowing him of all. But friend.
ship Is far better than acquaint-
ance, and 10 know him best
one must know him always.
But the welcoming heart has him
always for guest What 1861 will
bring. no man can tell; but no
friend Of Christ will be afraid.
tCspyrisht BY the international Conn.
81 n Religious EUucatlon on behalf o.
~ Protestant denominations. Released
~ VIM Fsstusrsj