FFF 6:12 (Dec 1960)
Editorial
“I remember,” said a minister of j the Gospel, “being invited to a party held to celebrate a wedding. I arrived late and I knew nobody there but the friend who had invited me. My part was little more than that of a spectator. Every one seemed in high spirits. They danced and sang; laughed and played games. They pranced about in funny paper caps in a state of childish gaiety.
Sitting alone in a corner, I spied a beautiful young woman. She seemed very happy and smiled pleasantly when I caught her eye, but I thought her a bit neglected. To my friend, I whispered, “Who is the young lady?”
“Do you not know? “ He said somewhat startled. “I must introduce you, that is the bride.”
While celebrating His birth, actually the world has little room for Christ. In all the festivities and pageantry of the occasion, few think of the purpose of the incarnation of our blessed Lord. Moreover, there is little understanding of the need for His coming. In the minds of many commercial values have displaced the values of redemption; gaiety has expelled serious thinking; and covetousness has eclipsed the divine generosity that gave a Saviour to the world.
It is wonderful that in the scheme of world affairs, God forces all to acknowledge that He did send His Son. It may be His pleasure to keep secret the exact date, but He does divulge the fact once a year over all the earth throughout every generation.
Furthermore, men indirectly are constantly being reminded of Christ’s coming into the world. Each time the date is used, it is written as being a part of the one-thousand-nine-hundred-and-sixtieth year after the birth of Christ. In Christendom all time is divided into two parts; the first, B.C. (before Christ); the second, A.D. (Anno Domini, the year after our Lord).
These facts impress us with the important place our Lord Jesus holds, in human history. He may be denied by many, and displaced by many others; nevertheless, His place in the annals of time is undisputed. He may be forgotten by the multitude, but of Him they are repeatedly reminded. God sees to it that in all things Christ has the pre-eminence.
A salutary question to raise is, what important place does Christ hold in the individuals life? Has the reader a B.C. and an A.D. in his personal history? In simple language, does the reader recall the acceptance of Christ as Saviour into heart and life? If so, the next important matter is to see that He as Lord occupies the central place in daily experiences.
“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” Is this gift of incalculable worth given the prominent place it merits in the heart, home, business, and assembly?
May we like those of old bow before Him and worship, offering to Him, not material things alone, but also those of greater value, spiritual things; and may we rise from worship to crown Him as Lord to the glory of God. May the enthroned Christ be the power of all outward performance and the source of all inward joy.