Paul says in Gal. 2:20, "I am Crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Too many times in thinking of, and in talking of the Christian life, it is pictured as being only hazardous, hard and galling. But I believe that we should also look at the beautiful side of it. It seemed to be enough for Paul to say that he was "crucified with Christ," and then he exclaims: "CHRIST LIVETH IN ME." In Rom. 8:9, we are told that if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his. And let us remember, too, that Jesus "went about doing good."

The proverb was that "no good thing can come out of Nazereth"; but Jesus came out of Nazereth, and all agree that He was good. While traveling in the swamps of Ark. and La. a few years ago, I noticed growing up out of the mud, mire and filth of the swamp, many beautiful lilies, blooming in their effulgent beauty and sending out a fragrance that was highly noticeable to one just passing by. And then I thought: Jesus is the. "Lily of the Valley !" And just as that lily towered above the filth of the swamp, even so our Savior towered above the sin and wickedness of his day. Furthermore, if our "life is hid with Christ in God," and we have the spirit of Christ; even so we as Christians, will rise above the mire and filth of this world; transforming our lives and making them like that of the glorious Son of God.

Go into the slums of the city and find the thug: given wholly to sin and wickedness; just as vile and low as you can imagine; then go to the Christian. home and find that highly cultured and refined Christian girl or boy; or maybe, that Godly, sainted mother with her children about her knee; the Bible lying open on the table, (even the decorations on the wall declare that "Christ is the head of this house"). Humble, though that home may be, as she rocks the cradle of her first born. and sings to it for a sweet lullaby: "What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear; what a privilege to carry everything to Him in prayer," and "Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee." I say, just take a look at these two extremes, and you can see what an ennobling influence Christianity will have on a human being! Also, contrast these two characters and you can see the beauties of the Christian life.

I know that there are hardships and persecutions in the path of the Christian; many heartaches and disappointments; but these all come to us in any walk of life. The sinner has these and many other burdens to bear. But the Christian has peace of mind and true happiness which the sinner knows nothing of. When once we see the beautiful rose and smell its fragrance, we forget about the thorns. Even so, the beauties of the Christian life out-shine all the hardships.

One reason that the Christian life is a beautiful life is because it is a busy life. In the service of Christ we are not only to cease to do evil, but we are to "learn to do well ; " brake off our sins by righteousness; and take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, and we are to work while it is day. Good works are those good actions that spring from good motives; are spiritual and have for their object the well-being of mankind. If we fail in these, the object of the Church is not accomplished, and the persons thus neglecting these opportunities become dwarfed and selfish and dead. Good works give life to faith and love. We show our faith by our works.

In the Church of Christ every one has something to do. Singing, praying, paying, and preaching, all have an influence on the individual, and the Christian hand becomes so transformed and accustomed to doing good, that it is easy and inspiring.

Dreamers are failures! They find nothing to do, or no hands to do with, or no time to devote to good works. They dream of good singing, but never learn to sing themselves. They dream of benevolence, if they had the means, but they never give, because they can’t do some big thing. They dream of a happy dying, but never seem to realize that this comes only at the close of a happy life,—a life made happy by obedience to the Lord. They are enraptured with visions of heaven, but seem to have lost sight of the realties of life, which transform us and fit us for the never ending eternity with God. They lament and say "If I had been on earth when Jesus was here, I would have ministered to his wants, never realizing that Jesus says in as much as ye did it to one of the least of my disciples, ye did it unto me." "The little things of life are the ones that count.

One certainly has a good start in the Christian life. We are told in I Peter 2:2, "As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may more grow thereby." Thus to the laughing, chuckling sinless babe on its mother’s knee, the Christian is compared. We also see more beauty in this life which Jesus said was to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." It is of necessity a life of prayer. In Matt. 26:41, Jesus says for us to watch and pray. Let us not forget to pray. In everything we are told to give thanks to God through Christ. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

Another beautiful thing of the Christian life is its fearlessness. Jesus could face the howling mob, and tell them "I am he," knowing that they would kill him. The Apostles could face death with pleasure, at the end of a Christian life.

Perfect love casteth out fear. The Christian does not fear the officer, for he is a law-abiding citizen, he does not fear the gallows nor the electric chair—they are not made for the Christian, but for the lawless. He does not fear death, for it is on the other side of death that we look with longing eyes for our reward.

The obedience of the Christian life is beautiful. We all admire the child that is obedient to its parents. In Heb. 5:9, we are told that Christ became the "author of eternal life to all who obey Him." The Christian shows this obedience in every step of his life. Our life is hid, and the world sees the life of Christ in us. We admire, love, and reverence Him because he was obedient to His Heavenly Father. In obedience to His will, we give God all the glory in the Church, Eph. 3:21. As obedient children, we meet upon the first day of the week to observe the communion service; just as the Lord instituted it—Acts 20 :7, Heb. 10:25, 1 Cor. 11:24-25, and many other passages, show us that we should do this service to Him as an act of obedience. When we all eat of the one loaf, and drink from the one cup, we show the death of Christ, yes we show that he died for us all, for we are all partakers of that one bread and one cup. We also show to the world, to God and to ourselves that we are all one in Christ. Thus the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, all form a beautiful unity in Christ.

Again, this is a beautiful life, in that it is a life of service to others. In Gal. 5:13, Paul says, "By love serve one another." Christ set the example of service. He went about doing good. He came not to be ministered to but to minister to others. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, bound up the broken heart, and set the captive free. The one who only lives to serve and satisfy self, only, surely is not a Christian, and knows nothing about Christianity.

I’d like to make a little child smile, and brush away a tear for it every day; I’d like to help my neighbor with some of his problems; I want to say or do something each day that will cause the boys and girls around me to want to make their lives more useful and pure; I want to pat the strong middle aged man or woman on the back and encourage them on in their useful lives; I want to lend a strong hand to the aged and tottering old grandma, and grandpa, and make life a little easier for them. I have no desire to put these deeds of love and kindness off until tomorrow: I want to do them today—Every day!

Finally, for all cannot be said; the Christian life is beautiful in its triumph. In 2 Cor. 2:14, Paul says "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place." The Christian begins his Christian life in triumph—his past sins blotted out, he is now a new creature. Day by day he overcomes bad habits, he rises above sinful practices; becomes master of himself, to where he can overcome temptations. Finally, when the close of life’s day comes, he can say, with Paul, "I have fought a good fight, kept the faith, and finished my course,—henceforth, the crown of life."

When Christ shall call the sleeping dead to life again, and the righteous come forth in their glorified state; then, as the rose that emerges from winter snow and puts forth its leaves, and then the beautiful rose bursts forth in its effulgent beauty; even so it will be for the soul that has triumphed over every foe. They shall walk the gold paved streets of the new Jerusalem; eat of the tree of life; drink of the river of water of life; and rest in the shade of the evergreen trees; and sing with that unnumbered host in heaven’s chair and dwell forever there, in full realization of the beauties of the Christian life.