| Strength and Beauty |
Chapter 14 |
Page 5 |
We should never forget that Jesus Christ is living. He is our personal friend, with us in every battle. Too often this element of faith is wanting in our experience. We look back to the cross for help, while our help is close beside us. Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible. He did not see God – no eye can see him; but it was as if he saw him. His faith made God as real to him as if God were actually visible to his sight. If we have such faith in the living Christ no temptation can ever overmaster us; we shall be more than conquerors through him that loved us.
The trouble with us ofttimes is, however, that we forget Christ, and then we fall. If we would always believe that he is with us, and then always remember it, we should not fall in temptations. When Frederick Arnold was writing the life of F.W. Robertson he went to Brighton to talk with Robertson’s friends, to find incidents for his biography. Among other places, he went to a bookseller’s shop, and learned that the proprietor had been a constant attendant upon Robertson’s ministry and had in his parlor a picture of the great preacher. The bookseller said to Mr. Arnold, “do you see that picture? Whenever I am tempted to do a mean thing I run back here and look at it. Then I cannot do the mean thing. Whenever I feel afraid of some difficulty or some obstacle I come and look into those eyes, and I go out strong for my struggle.”
If the mere picture of the great preacher had such a power over this humble man, how much more power will a vision of the Christ have in helping us to overcome temptation! If always in the moment of danger we would run to Christ and look into his face we could not commit the sin. This is one of the great secrets of meeting and overcoming temptation.
Thus temptation may be so met as to be transformed into a help, so met at least as to be compelled to yield up a blessing to the victor. We are stronger for having overcome. Then the experience of struggle and victory prepares us to be guide, helper, and friend to others in their desert of temptation. But we should never forget that only in Christ can we overcome. He who enters the terrible conflict without the aid of the strong Son of God can only fail and perish on the field.
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