Believing on Christ, learning of Christ, following Christ,—this is what it is to be a Christian. You must believe on Him that you may learn of Him. You must learn of Him that you may follow Him. But believing is nothing, and learning is less than nothing, if they do not result in faithful following.
The secret of all our dryness, the root of all our weakness, our want of fruit and progress, our dearth and desolation, is, that we do not follow Christ. First, we do not believe that He has any particular care of us, or personal interest in our lives, and then, falling away at that point from His lead, we drop into ourselves, to do a few casual works of duty, in which neither we nor others are greatly blessed.
There are two paths in which the Christian follows Christ in this world,—paths which are always parallel, and which often merge into one,—the path of integrity, and the path of benevolence. In doing right and in doing good the Christian is a follower of Christ.
It sweetens every bit of work to think that I am doing it in humble, far-off, yet real imitation of Jesus.
Get into sympathy with Jesus. Seek His presence, seek His help. And walking through the world in His company, you will be as balm in the bleakest weather, a benediction in the wildest scene.
God never gave a man a thing to do concerning which it were irreverent to ponder how the Son of God would have done it.
