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THE
NEW LIFE by
John Marshall
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Chapter
5 • COUNTING
THE COST
What of the tangled web of trouble into which a marriage sometimes
gets? Again there is a tendency to look upon such problems
as purely personal, and of no concern to Jesus. Why do we
make such a terrible mistake? If both partners are the children
of God, they are His concern, and He cares. Is the trouble
one of incompatibility of temperament? Then one or both have
not been keeping their vows of faithfulness to the Father:
have not been yielding to the transformation of character
through the spirit word. Is it not possible to start again,
with eyes wider open not only to the cost, but to the glory?
If the trouble is more serious, prayer, and the help of understanding
brethren and sisters, as early in the developing disagreement
as possible, may help, for as Paul said, "we are members
one of another."
Count the cost. Marriage is more than a union of the flesh:
the husband is the figure of Christ, and the wife is the figure
of the ecclesia. Can Christ and his ecclesia be separated,
even in a figure, without spiritual disaster?
We are all at fault in that in this great issue of loyalty
to the Father and to Jesus, we do not sincerely and deliberately
count the cost, as Jesus did, and as the Apostle Paul did,
who could write: "I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom
I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them
but dung that I may win Christ. . . that I may know him, and
the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings
... if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of
the dead." There is sadness and suffering in sacrifice,
but there is also joy: Jesus is the glory that has come out
of it, and he is our hope of glory in the Kingdom.
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References
Eph 5v22-23, Phil 3v8-11
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Chapter
6 • A DANGEROUS WORLD
THE world is a dangerous place to live and work in, particularly
for young believers. Their eyes, ears and minds are assaulted by
magazine, poster, radio and television advertisements which set
out to stimulate the wrong kind of emotions by making sex, drink
and the different ways of having "a good time" seem attractive
and proper.
Where a young brother or sister has been brought up in a happy home
in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord" the example
of the parents, the friendships formed in ecclesial life and the
strength of character developed as the result of this happy spiritual
environment are usually sufficient to help them to withstand onslaughts
on their moral and spiritual outlook. But there are dangers more
subtle than these openly professed invitations to "good time"
experiences. Young students going to an institute for further education,
to a teacher or other training college, or to a university are suddenly
parted from the security and wise restraints of home life and are
absorbed into a society of young people who, released from school
and home discipline, often express their new-found freedom not only
in style of hair or dress, or rebellion against authority, but in
more dangerous ways.
Each student, in addition to attendance at lectures, is attracted
to social and group activities, and fortunate is the student who
becomes part of a group which is level headed and anxious to make
the most of opportunities for useful discussion and activities.
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References
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