Mere Christianity Quotes (p.64-65)

Which side have you chosen to be on?... Here is another powerful passage from the book Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis:

Another possible objection is this. Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it that He is not strong enough? Well, Christians think He is going to land in force; we do not know when. But we can guess why He is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely. I do not suppose you and I would have thought much of a Frenchman who waited till the Allies were marching into Germany and then announced he was on our side. God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. When it happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else--something it never entered your head to conceive--comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.

Walk Wisely

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15,16)

Here is another meditation from Dr. R. H. Belton from the book of Ephesians about how we should walk with God.

The word translated circumspectly is an adverb which also means strictly, diligently, accurately. It suggests the idea of looking around carefully, not being unwise, that is, being careless and carefree, but being wise and recognizing values.

The Christian life is a life with a purpose. Whatever is done in word or deed is to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus (Col. 3:17), and whether one eats or drinks or whatsoever he does it is to be done to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). The reason for this is that time is to be redeemed because the days are evil (Eph. 5:16). The word redeeming means buying up all opportunities for doing good as diligently as a woman hunts for a bargain.

We are living in evil days and in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, so every opportunity for doing good is to be seized. This is God's will for us stated in language we can understand. Many are wondering what God's will is for their life, referring of course to the specific thing God would have them do for their life's work. For this one must wait on God. But here is revealed God's will for everyone. There need be no searching for this; the statement is clear. We are to seize every opportunity for doing good understanding that this always is the will of God.

O Master, let me walk with Thee

In lowly paths of service free;

Tell me Thy secret; help me bear

The strain of toil, the fret of care.

---Washington Gladden

Walk in Light

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:8,9)

When Christ came, light came. He said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12), and again, "Ye are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).

The matter of walking in the light and being good lights is very practical. It involves goodness, righteousness and truth for Paul wrote that these are the fruit of the Spirit.

Goodness is a kindly consideration of others. In Acts 10:38 it is stated that Jesus went about doing good. The Christian life is not merely a question of being good, but of doing good. Righteousness is the doing of right things. A friend said to me, "I spend hours each day just keeping my business honest." There should be nothing deceptive nor under-handed in the Christian's daily life. All his activities should glorify God. Truth implies the acquiring and practicing of truth. "Thou desirest truth in the inward parts," said the Psalmist (Psalm 51:6).

The outcome will be the approving of that which is acceptable to the Lord, and the reproving of the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:10,11).

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life" (Phil. 2:14-16)

(Dr. R. H. Belton)

Walk in Love

"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love" (Eph. 5:1,2)

Here is another devotional by Dr. R. H. Belton teaching us about how to walk in love.

"Be ye followers of God" can be read, "Be ye mimics of God," or "Be ye imitators of God." How can one mimic God, or be an imitator of Him? By walking in love.

The context explains how the Christian is to walk in love. The last verse of the preceding chapter reads "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Here is the divine standard--we are to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. What condition were we in when we were forgiven and God in His mercy showed kindness to us? Chapter two tells us. Since God forgave us so much when we  were in that wretched condition, can we not be kind and forgiving?

Jesus spoke this same truth, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). The context explains that verse also and refers to our loving and forgiving others.

The Holy Spirit of God is willing and waiting to put out of our lives all bitterness and wrath. He desires to shed abroad God's love in our hearts. He will enable us to walk in love, and to the extent that we do this are we imitators of God.

Never forget the example we have. Our standard for forgiving others is not as they forgave us, but we are to forgive as God in Christ has forgiven us. This is the heavenly life. Are we forgiving others? Are we walking in love?

Walk Worthily

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewithal ye were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:1-2 RV)

The following devotional, or meditation as he calls it, is by Dr. R. H. Belton.

Paul now begins the practical portion of this epistle. In the light of the wonderful truths he has been giving to the Christians he now tells his readers how they should live. Paul proceeds from doctrine to duty. But he never tells the Christians to live a better life without first giving them solid doctrine to build upon.  In this epistle it is the great doctrines of the believer's position in Christ and the formation of the church.

In his gracious way he beseeched his readers to walk so as to reveal three attitudes.

The first attitude is a lowly estimation of self. Walk worthily of the calling with all lowliness. Paul stresses this truth in his Epistle to the Philippians, "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves" (Phil. 2:3). There is no place for arrogance or pride since the Christian's position, his high calling, is solely the result of God's grace. The believer has nothing in which he can boast.

The second attitude is meekness, that is, toward God. The word translated meekness means tamed. The Christian is a tamed person. In one of the Greek plays this word is used of a wild horse which has been brought under the control of the rider. It learned to obey and do the will of its master. Just so is the Christian to do the will of Christ.

The third attitude of the Christian is longsuffering toward others. This is a patient enduring of evil with unruffled temper. It means to put up with those who rub us the wrong way and to do it in love. One of the great faults among Christian people is that they cannot get along with other people.

To maintain this much needed attitude requires the power of the Holy Spirit. We must be "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Col. 1:11). One of the marks of a commendable minister of Christ is longsuffering and patience (2 Cor. 6:3-6).

There are two Greek words in the New Testament translated patience. One, found twelve times, has reference to patience with people. This is the word Paul uses in the text for the day. The other word refers to patience with things. Both are needed by the Christian.

The reason for walking worthily of our calling by manifesting these three attitudes is found in Paul's words, "giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (4:3). The Holy Spirit is never divisive, never cantankerous, and the person in whom the Spirit has control will be very easy to get along with.

Let us ask our hearts, "Am I walking worthily of the great calling which is mine? What is my attitude toward self, do I have a lowly estimation of myself? What is my attitude toward God, is it one of meekness, a willingness to do His will? What is my attitude toward others, is it one of longsuffering and forbearance?" May God search our hearts.

Mere Christianity Quotes (p.64)

Here is another excerpt from the classic book by C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity:

"Here is another thing that used to puzzle me. Is it not frightfully unfair that this new life should be confined to people who have heard of Christ and been able to believe in Him? But the truth is God has not told us what His arrangements about the other people are. We do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him. 

But in the meantime, if you are worried about the people outside, the most unreasonable thing you can do is to remain outside yourself. Christians are Christ's body, the organism through which He works. Every addition to that body enables Him to do more. If you want to help those outside you must add your own little cell to the body of Christ who alone can help them. Cutting off a man's fingers would be an odd way of getting him to do more work."