The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1952-01-10

Paui has not only ~
mystic raptures but 4
intellectual penetra. Dr. Foreman
ton which compara-
lively few Christians have shared or
can share; he was . genius. and
most OF US are not geniuses.
But in Jesus first group Of COM
panions there was no St. Paul. They
were the plainest Of plain people.
The first Of them were fishermen.
They were not used to lectures; it
II extremely doubtful whether any
one OF them would have understood
the Epistle to the Ephesians II 1t
had been read to them. But they
understood Jesus at least they
understood what he said. He said.
Follow me-" and they followed
him. It was as simple as that.
-
Surrender
THAT is what Christianity Il, At
4 its heart: saying Yes to Jess.
When those fishermen said their
Eyes" it meant three things, and
those three are always involved
whenever any one sincerely begins
the Christian life. For this was only
the beginning. Of course. There was
a long road ahead. much they would
have to learn and do and suffer;
but even the longest road has its
beginning And the Christians road
begins with this first Yes"
First of all, II means surren-
der. They took him for their
leader, they absorbed his teach
ing, they obeyed his orders.
There is a Christian hymn, MY
Jesus, as Thou Wilt; one hears
II most often at funerals, but ii
Is not intended as a funeral
hymn. II could well be the hymn
sung when young people are
confirmed or join the church; il
could well be the every-morning
song Of every real Christian.
What do l want most? is not a
Christian question. Rather it should
be. What does Christ want most?
Separation
X GAIN, those fishermen's yes"
- meant separation. They left
their nets, their old occupation.
We must not read too much into
this, as if in order TO be Christian
one must leave his wsge-earning
/ business, whatever it is. On the con-
trary. the best place to he Chris
1 tan may be right where we are.
However. no matter what we
may do for a living. 1t II still
true that saying Eyes" to Jesus
/ means saying "No" and Good
bye" to many other things. It
means separation from all that
, IL out Of tune with him; separa-
ton from selfishness, from sin.
+, from trash and rifles. II means
separation from habits that en-
F, slave US, from "recreations"
! that do not re-create but tear
dowr. from places and opportu-
mites Of temptation, from hatred
and prejudice and pride.
+, II man really means yes" to
Jesus, he cannot mean Eyes" to
what is opposite to Jesus. The Chris
tian life is a separated life. It is
not that he is separated from peo-
pie. Isn't it likely that the fisher
men who followed Christ had a far
wider circle of friends as they went
with him than they had ever had
before? But they were being shaken
loose from what had before seemed
to them most important,-yes, even
from themselves.
Service
DUT that is the negative side Of it.
- The Christian life is not only
from" but 1t is "for." That is,
just as these first fishermen followed
Jesus in order to become fishers OF
men, so the Christians yes-saying
always means enlistment for serV-
ice.
A Christians sincerity cannot
be measured in what he says,
n nor even in what he does not DO;
II 10 to be measured in what ne
does.
It is 4 serious and solemn cues
ton: Suppose this is your last day
in life. and all the accounts are IN
Looking back on what you have
been and what you have done. MAJ
your life actually helped what Jesus
Christ is undertaking in this world
or have you hindered him?
| The Christian life is surren
dered. a separated life, but also
life Of service. Yes" can be sai'
with the lips alone-that was Judas
. Yes" to Christ can truly be SAT-
only with life itself
tCePyright 1851 BY me u. cnune
Il Christian Education, kahoha i.
Il Of the Church.s Of Christ Of the enlte
States Of Ameries. Released oy WV
i Features.)