ould live holy, we must live as he lived. We must walk as he walked.
The artist has his ideal before him, and with touches of the brush here
and there upon his drawing he forms a picture in an exact image of the
ideal. The life of Jesus is what we are to imitate. He sets the example
of holy living and calls us to the same holy life. "As he which hath
called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." 1 Pet.
1:15. This text has a better rendering in the Revised Version: "Like as
he which called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of
living." We, as Christians, are God's offspring and as such are like
him.
Holiness in the life of Jesus is found not only in the greater miracles
which he performed, but also in the lesser happenings of his life. The
restoring of life to the dead is no more beautifully holy than the
laying of his hands upon the heads of children and blessing them. His
memorable Sermon on the Mount no more portrays the loveliness of his
character than the conversation with the woman by the wayside well. It
is the little things in every-day life, if attended to and kept in the
meekness and solemnity of the Spirit of Christ, that make life truly
beautiful and holy. It is not the eloquent sermon that makes a life so
sublime; but it is the tender smile, the kind word, the gentle look,
that is given to all. It is the patient manner in which all the little
trying and provoking things of life are met.
You may preach or write ever so forcibly and eloquently, and bring out
the sublime truths of the Bible in great beauty; but if, in the privacy
of your own home, there are little frettings, a little peevishness, a
little crossness, a little levity, a little selfishness, a little
distrust, your life is not as truly holy as it should be. If you desire
God's holy image to be stamped upon your soul, your countenance, and
your life, carefully avoid the little sprigs of lightness, the little
bits of sloth and indolence, touches of forwardness, rudeness,
coarseness, and crossness, and acts of selfishness, etc.
Pure words belong to a holy life. You should use the very choicest
words. Words that are wholly free from vulgarity, slang, and the spirit
of the world. Untidiness, uncleanness, carelessness, and shabbiness are
not at all beautiful ornaments in a holy life. But quietness, modesty,
and reticence are gems which sparkle in a holy life like diamond sets in
a band of gold. Give attention t
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