Did it ever seem strange to
you that in God’s plan we
must recognize that only
through godliness can we
really have brotherly
kindness? If we accept this
Biblical principle, we are
then face to face with a
problem. Who is my brother?
Jesus answers this in Luke
8:21, “ . . . My mother and
my brethren are these which
hear the word of God, and do
it.” It is quite evident
here that Jesus is not
limiting “brethren” to those
who perfectly obeyed the
Word, but those who were
desiring to obey.
Matthew 12:49 tells us that
as He spoke these words He
was pointing to His
disciples who were a long
way from doing all that the
Word had spoken. Competition
was a continuous problem in
each of them.
The spirit that promotes
competitive thinking is the
spirit of judging. The
spirit of competition and of
judging, from which it
springs, are both of Satan
and can only serve his
purposes. Then, how can we
truly be free from these
hindering factors? Again,
Jesus gives us the answer.
His life was a perfect
demonstration of how we are
to live in relation to our
brothers and sisters. In
chapter three we referred to
the quotation found in
Thoughts from the Mount of
Blessing, p. 71. We will
quote it here again for it
contains the answer to how
Jesus’ life was filled with
brotherly kindness, even to
those who treated Him with
contempt.
[1]
“The Father’s presence
encircled Christ, and
nothing befell Him but that
which infinite love
permitted for the blessing
of the world. Here was His
source of comfort, and it is
for us. He who is imbued
with the Spirit of Christ
abides in Christ. The blow
that is aimed at him falls
upon the Saviour, who
surrounds him with His
presence. Whatever comes to
him comes from Christ. He
has no need to resist evil,
for Christ is his defense.
Nothing can touch him except
by our Lord’s permission,
and ‘all things’ that are
permitted ‘work together for
good to them that love
God.’” Romans 8:28.”
[2]
By Christ accepting
everything that happened in
His life as coming directly
from the Father’s hand, even
though it originated with
Satan, He had true peace. He
was able to accept the worst
abuse it was possible for
any human being to
experience, both mental and
physical, yet treat with
utmost kindness the human
instrument through which it
came. In fact, it was this
that kept Him from seeing
people as responsible for
what they did to Him. He
constantly looked beyond the
human and saw Satan as the
real enemy. This enabled Him
to empathize with even His
persecutors and treat them
with brotherly kindness. He
pitied them instead
of Himself. He
constantly tried to excuse
His followers because of
their ignorance. He knew
that Satan was blinding
them.
We are told that His
source of comfort is also
ours. Can you see what would
happen in God’s family if
His brethren lived by the
same policy He lived by as a
human being here on earth?
Brotherly kindness can come
in no other way. We can not
force ourselves to be kind
and loving. It must be from
inside– from the heart.
Jesus’ plan is the only way
the heart can truly respond
impartially for the eyes are
then no longer focused upon
men or their unkind acts.
The real test is found in
the “all things” of
Romans 8:28. We are quite
ready to apply Christ’s
method in our lives to
some things, but does it
really mean everything?
Yes, there are no
exceptions. He is either
Lord of all or not at all.
God is so careful to protect
us that He will turn every
evil thrust Satan can hurl
at us into a blessing if we
accept the “all things” as a
practical working principle
in our lives.
“The trials of life are
God’s workmen, to remove the
impurities and roughness
from our character. Their
hewing, squaring, and
chiseling, their burnishing
and polishing, is a painful
process; it is hard to be
pressed down to the grinding
wheel. But the stone is
brought forth prepared to
fill its place in the
heavenly temple. Upon no
useless material does the
Master bestow such careful,
thorough work. Only His
precious stones are polished
after the similitude of a
palace.”
[3]
Here is another very
practical reason to believe,
accept, and apply the
Scriptures in daily living.
If the “all things” includes
both the good and the bad
experiences of life, then
Paul’s words in 1
Thessalonians 5:18 “In
everything give thanks: for
this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you”
become very practical to us
in our daily living. Jesus
lived this way and if we are
to be successful in our
Christian life, we must
follow His example. This
does not mean that we must
enjoy everything that
happens to us, but we must
give thanks to God—yes, even
rejoice. Jesus did not enjoy
the mistreatment of men
acting as demons, but He
knew that the world would be
blessed thereby. We will not
enjoy the “all things” that
happen to us, but we can be
thankful! We can thank Him
for seeing something in us
worth working upon. We are
the material that, when
polished, will be fit for
His palace and every stone
will have its place and be
contented therewith. All
competition will be gone
forever, for the spirit of
judging, pride and
selfishness will be
eradicated with their
originator.
Notes
[1]
The Desire of Ages,
p. 87.
[2]
Thoughts from the Mount
of Blessing, p. 71.
[3]
Thoughts from the Mount
of Blessing, p. 10.
