Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son… 1. There was an auction one day of the books and furniture of a very celebrated author, and a vain but rich young man, having induced the auctioneer to offer them in one lot, paid several thousand pounds for the books, shelves, carpet, and in fact everything except the room itself. He directed the things to be taken carefully to his house and fitted up in a room, and placed in the same positions as in the author's study. The young man then sat down with reverence on the author's chair, took up the author's pen, dipped it in the author's ink, and bent his head over the paper on the author's table. But nothing came; the paper remained a blank. The genius of the author was in neither his pen nor his surrounding, but in his spirit — the gift of God. We may be unable to create in our spirit the genius of a celebrated man; but we may develop our own faculty; and, if we do this, we shall bless the world exactly as God wishes us to do. The little forget-me-nots which grow in the quiet nook of the steep rock do their work as effectively as the great oaks which grace the park of a king; and as the tiny flower does its best, it is as worthy of praise as the gigantic tree that does no more. 2. But though we cannot obtain the special genius of another man's spirit, we can receive as our own the disposition of the greatest man who ever lived — Christ can be received by all, and the breathings of His Spirit within us shall mould our thoughts, fashion our desires, and develop our lives like His own. If a man would occupy the place in the world for which he has been specially created, it is absolutely needful for him to have the breathings of Christ in his own spirit; and when undertaking any sacred mission for the benefit of our fellow men, our inquiry should not be, Have I bags of money? but, Is my spirit influenced by Christ? Christ direction is the first and most important step in the kingdom of God. 3. One day a young soldier went to visit the tomb of Scandenberg and the sword of the famous warrior was placed in his hand. The soldier lifted it saying, "Is this really Scandenberg's sword? Why there is nothing in it more than mine!" The old clerk exclaimed, "You see only the sword; you should have seen the hand that grasped it!" Likewise, the preacher may be only an ordinary man, he is only an earthen vessel; but in his spirit there should be a power which can move men's hearts and influence their lives — God should breathe within him. 4. Christ and the angels do not look on us as we look on each other. We value a man's surroundings rather than the man himself, An artist whose soul loves beauty does not value a picture by its frame. Seeing the picture to be a gem, he buys it, and does not care twopence for the frame, So, when the Lord looks on you, He does not value your bank book, your dress, your bodily strength and beauty; he values you — your spirit. "A man is measured by his soul!" (W. Birch.) Parallel Verses KJV: For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; |
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