You
will, I hope, pardon the writer if he repeats too much.
Repetition is sometimes needed that a truth may be
enforced. Sometimes line upon line is needful.
What, in its true sense, is a holy
life? It is the life of Jesus. His whole manner of life
was truly holy. His life is the ideal life. If we would
live holy, we must live as he lived. The artist has his
ideal before him, and with touches of the brush here and
there upon his canvas he forms 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 Peter
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." As
Christians we are God's offspring, and as such are like
him.
Holiness in the life of Jesus is
found not only in the great miracles that 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 does
his 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 the 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, 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, you must carefully avoid the little sprigs of
lightness, the little bits of sloth and indolence, touches
of forwardness, rudeness, selfishness, etc. Pure words
belong to a holy life. You should use the very choicest
words, language that is 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 that sparkle in a holy life like
diamonds set in a band of gold. Give attention to your
words, your thoughts, your tone of voice, your feelings;
to little acts of benevolence, the practice of
self-denial, of promptness, of method and order. These are
auxiliaries of holy living. Are there not many little
things in your home life that you can improve upon ? Seek
God for help and be truly holy.
