A Devotional for such a time as this: - from: Wilberforce, W., & Belmonte, K. (2006). 365 Days with Wilberforce (p. 14). Leominster, UK: Day One Publications. _____________ ‘Our peculiar situations’ ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.’ 1 Peter 2:9 SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Psalm 4:1, 3–8 It is not, believe me, to my own imagination, or to any system formed in my closet, that I look for my principles; it is to the Scriptures … All that I contend for is, that we should really make this book the criterion of our opinions and actions, and not read it and then think that we do so of course. But if we do this, we must reckon on not finding ourselves able to comply with all those customs of the world, in which many who call themselves Christians are too apt to indulge without reflection … we must of course be subject to the charge of excess and singularity. But in what will this singularity consist? Not merely in indifferent things; no, in these our Saviour always conformed, and he took occasion to check an unnecessary strictness into which he saw men were led by overstraining a good principle. In what then will these peculiarities appear? Take our great Master’s own words; ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; and thy neighbour as thyself.’ It would be easy to dilate on this text; and I am afraid that we should find at the close of the discourse that the picture was very unlike the men of this world. ‘But who is my neighbour?’ Here, too, our Saviour has instructed us by the parable which follows. It is evident we are to consider our peculiar situations, and in these to do all the good we can. FOR MEDITATION: To be ‘a peculiar people’ is but another way of saying there ought to be things that are distinctive about those who profess the name of Christ. Our love for God, to cite one very important example, should inform the way we love others. Or, as the Scriptures tell us: ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another’ (John 13:35). Are we loving others as we should? In our ‘peculiar situations’, are we doing all the good we can? These are questions we should ask ourselves consistently. REFERENCE: The Life of William Wilberforce (1838) - via Logos 6 #devotionalforsuchatimeasthis #christjesus #theword #studyscripture #god #biblestudy #bible #jesus #faith #dailydevotions #devotional #holyspirit #vineofchristministries
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 02:43:09 +0000
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