I WAS meditating to myself the other day, and my thoughts resolved themselves into something like the following.
The world may be likened to a huge universal spelling-bee.
If we come to analyze man, we find he is occupied in spelling, in his everyday actions, one word. It forms his sole engrossing occupation. That one word is I. How few are willing to give their time or money, without it being known in the town to which they belong. Dear reader, if you challenge all your actions in your everyday life, you will be astonished to find how things you even took credit for are all centered in self.
If you turn to God’s precious Word, you will find in Luke 12:16-2116And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16‑21) a picture of a man whose sole thoughts were about himself, to the exclusion of everyone else, even of the God who had created him, and given him all that he had. He was a hard-headed prosperous farmer, who left God out of his reckoning altogether. His whole life, strength, and energy were spent for himself, his own gain, and his own pleasure.
My friend, are you like that one? for if so, I would just quote God’s own Word to show you what the end of these things are. You will find the account of the rich farmer in Luke 12:16-2116And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16‑21), in the following words: ― “And he [Jesus] spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. BUT GOD SAID UNTO HIM, THOU FOOL, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
But you may say, Although I do work for myself, I strive also to be rich towards God. I give a tenth of my income away to the poor; I go to church or chapel regularly; I read my Bible; I pray; I strictly observe all the religious ordinances.
My friend, you will find the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-1210Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. (Luke 18:10‑12) did more than you: ― “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all I possess.”
But you find in verses 14, that the poor repentant publican went down to his house justified rather than the proud religious Pharisee.
My friend, whether you spell the religious or the irreligious I, you are on your way to hell, for God’s Word says, “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:2222And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)). But, thanks be to God, it also says in 1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7), “The blood of Jesus Christ his [God’s] son cleanseth us from all sin.”
If you look up once more God’s Word, you will see the ceaseless occupation of the damned in hell. Look at Luke 16:2424And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (Luke 16:24), “And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
What a terrible picture of thousands, who have slipped out of time, where the water of life is offered freely (John 7:38, 4:10), into eternity where not a single drop is to be had!
You might define man as that creature who pre-eminently looks after himself and his own interests; so you might say that the blessed Lord Jesus Christ was that One who pre-eminently looked after others, even to the laying down of his life for his enemies.
What a blessed contrast there is between poor selfish man, whether he spells the religious or the irreligious I, and the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, when we trace His self-denying love down here!
We find Him depicted in Luke 10:30-3530And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. (Luke 10:30‑35) as the Good Samaritan. After the priest and the Levite had passed by the poor half-murdered man lying by the wayside, the Good Samaritan came where he was, went to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, set him on his own beast, brought him to an inn, and took care of him, paid all his expenses, and promised to return. We find the same One in John 4:44And he must needs go through Samaria. (John 4:4), He must needs go through Samaria. He must needs―impelled by the love of His heart―walk under a hot Eastern sun, where a man cannot find his own shadow, all those weary miles, in order to relieve that poor, profligate, sin-stained Samaritan’ woman of all her sorrow. ‘Tis the same Jesus who looked up into the sycamore tree for Zacchæus (Luke 19:55And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. (Luke 19:5)). ‘Tis the same Jesus who melted the heart of the woman, that was a sinner, by. His love (Luke 7). Go where you will through the Gospels, and you will find enough to melt you to tears, but think that that same’ Jesus is speaking to you, seeking the confidence and love of your poor heart.
But, thank God, you need not go on spelling I any longer.
If, through grace, you are led to trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have a sweeter and a happier word to spell in your life down here. Suppose we ask the most eminent Christian there ever was, viz., the apostle Paul, what does his life’s occupation consist of? You will find his answer in Philippians 1:2121For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21), “For to me to live is Christ.” He leaves his old occupation spelling the religious I (see Phil. 3:4-64Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (Philippians 3:4‑6)). But he, through grace, counts those things which were gain to him once as loss for Christ, and counts them as dung that he may win Christ. It is a blessed thing to be an epistle of Christ, known and read of all men (2 Cor. 3:2, 32Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:2‑3)). Suppose you get a letter from a friend, you say, That is my friend’s letter; I know his handwriting. So should Christians be, like letters written by Christ, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Those who spell I in time, will spell it in hell for all eternity with the devil and his angels.
Those who spell Christ in time, through God’s grace will spend eternity in heaven, singing as in Revelation 1:5, 65And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5‑6). “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
My friend, take God at His word, He will not mislead or fail you.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). That God may bless this to the salvation of your never-dying soul, is my earnest prayer. A. J. P.