He Left Us an Example

THERE is great power in an example, either for weal or woe. The

population of heaven will be mightily increased by the fine examples of

Christian living that are being set by noble Christians. On the other hand,

many dear souls are led down to hell by the bad examples which have been

set before them—and sometimes these bad examples have been set by

professing Christians.

How thankful we all should be for the perfect example which was left us

by Jesus Christ! "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also

suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps." (1 Pet.

2:21.) In the trying circumstances of life it is well to ask ourselves this solemn

question: What would Jesus do? Did he set us an example for this particular

situation?

An Example of Humility

Jesus was the very personification of humility. Many of our troubles today

are caused by a lack of genuine and sincere humility. There is too much mock

humility. Some seem to be even "proud" of their humility. "And being found

in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:8.) The humility of Jesus Christ led him

to the cross and to death. "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a

lamb dumb before his shearer, soopened he not his mouth: in his humiliation his judgment was taken away."

(Acts 8:32, 33.)

It will be a happy day for us when we follow this perfect example of

humility. May we follow his steps just here. "He hath shewed thee, O man,

what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to

love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Mic. 6:8.) When the Lord

requires a thing of us, we cannot afford to pass it lightly by. The Lord requires

us to walk humbly with him; in fact, if we are not humble, we cannot walk

with the Lord.

An Example of Patience

And how patient the Christ was! "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not

again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that

judgeth righteously." (1 Pet. 2:23.) We would be infinitely better off if, when

we were reviled, we would not revile again; and when we are made to suffer,

if we would not threaten. Certainly if Jesus could afford to commit himself to

him that judgeth righteously, we should do so.

Too often patience is not sufficiently developed in us. We are to run with

patience the race that is set before us. (Heb. 12:1.) And it will take patience

to run the race. The trying of our faith worketh patience. (James 1:3.) The

Lord wants us to be patient toward all men. (1 These. 5:14.) This patience will

include patience with the members of our family, with the brethren, and with

lost souls. May we patiently walk in the steps of the Master in this virtue.

An Example of Work

When we think of Jesus, we think of work. He knew the value of time.

Too many of us do not. He knew that the time was short in which he had to

work. "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night

cometh, when no man can work." (John 9:4.) Only the dear Lord knows how

soon the night of death may overtake us. We should keep ourwork well done. Nothing brings greater happiness than work well done. After

we have really worked, we can enjoy rest. The daily laborer goes home to rest

at the end of a hard and faithful day of work. The faithful Christian goes home

to rest after his life's work is done. ''Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord

from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours;

and their works do follow them." (Rev. 14:13.)

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast. immovable, always

abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is

not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor. 15:58.) "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have

always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my

absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.'' (Phil. 2:12.)

Our salvation is something that must be worked out, and this life is the time

in which it must be done. May we emulate the Lord in the example of work

which he set.

An Example of Courage

We must not think of the Lord as a compromiser and a weakling. He was

anything but that. He had the courage to stand up to the religious leaders of

his day and denounce in the most scathing terms their hypocrisy. "But woe

unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of

heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that

are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye

devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye

shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees

hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he

is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe

unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise

and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment,

mercy, andfaith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye

blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you,

scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and

of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind

Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside

of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful

outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness, . .

. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of

hell?'' (Matt. 23:13-33.)

Do these words sound like the words of a "sissy."' a compromiser, a

''pussyfooter,'' and a backslapper? And brethren, when you talk about ''the

spirit of Christ," do not forget that he had just as much of the Spirit when he

was denouncing sin and hypocrisy as at other times. And his true disciples

today are not to be railed upon as devoid of the spirit of Christ because there

are some things so corrupt that they cannot help but cry out against these sins.

We need more of this courageous preaching today. We have some in high

places which devour widows' houses, and then for a pretense make long

prayers. Instead of making elders or deacons or preachers out of such, we had

better give them some plain, positive preaching. They are in danger of hell-fire,

and should be warned.

And we have some who compass sea and land to make a proselyte to their

peculiar ideas and dogmas; and after he is made, what have you? Yes, and

some omit the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; but

they are indeed very punctilious about the mint, anise, and cummin! Lord, we

thank thee for the fine example of courage which thou hast left us, and help

us to develop the same trait.