| The Golden Gate of Prayer |
Chapter 3 |
Page 7 |
This revealing suggests also the true glory of the Christian life. We make too little of this — we fail to recognize the dignity of our calling as God’s children. “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God: and such we are.” There is a picture which shows a man dying in a wretched garret on a bed of straw, amid lowliest surroundings. That is the earth side, what human eyes saw. But a closer inspection reveals a vision of angels waiting to receive the dying man’s spirit unto heavenly glory. That is the heaven side of the same picture. That is truly what takes place whenever a Christian dies. “Absent from the body,” in a moment more he is “at home with the Lord.” We should think more of our privileges as God’s children in this world, and should walk worthy of our high and holy calling.
The fatherhood of God also implies the brotherhood of all who are God’s children. All are members of one family, who therefore should dwell together in love. It was said of a good man, “He treated every man as if he were a blood relation.” That is true brotherhood. The strong should help the weak. Those who have plenty should share with those who lack. The joyous should sing their songs of gladness in the ears of the sad. The victorious should help those who are still struggling in life’s battles. The world to-day needs nothing more than the realization of the true spirit of brotherhood among men. All social problems would find easy solution if the love which Christ taught were to become indeed the law of life in all human relations. Society would be regenerated. Wars would no more devastate this fair earth. Business would be made holy, each man thinking of the good of his brothers as much as of his own. Heaven would be brought down to earth, if the great lesson of the brotherhood of all God’s children were only learned and realized in life.
These are but hints of the vast and deep meaning of this wonderful invocation. We have found enough, at least, in it to assure us of welcome whenever we come as children to our Father. We need to strive more and more after the child spirit; for only when we have it can we find our way to the innermost warmth of divine love.
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