FEATURE

Christian love is a happy medium between the rigidness and severity of law and the laxness often incident to its absence or non-observance. Although Christ revealed that God is love, his summary of the commandments of the Mosaic law, like the commandments themselves, was in the form of commands - Thou shalt love the Lord thy God; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Matt. 22:37).

Therefore it is incumbent upon us as good children of God and lovers of Christ, although not under the law but under grace, gladly to obey His law of love as a blessed privilege, because God first loved us and gave His Son for our redemption (I John 4:10). Thus we may grow into His likeness, and through His grace and mercy abide with Him in the prepared mansions (John 14:2).

One of the joys of a child of God growing old and having a "second childhood," is the happy recollection of the first childhood in the old home and church, where many Scripture passages and gospel hymns were used and memorized. They are a blessed heritage and a real aid to faith in God and faithfulness in our obligations.

A constructive suggestion to elderly Christians whose tastes and talents run along the line of English composition and writing, is to compile a notebook for private devotions, containing favorite passages of Scripture and Christian hymns. The present writer has used this method for several years, grouping together verses on the same subject and indexing Scripture and hymns separately. This not only facilitates reference, but is an aid to memory; the process too is enjoyable, and conducive to frequent Bible reading and meditation.

The following stanza of a hymn which was a favorite in our childhood is much more meaningful now:

O, if there's only one song I can sing
When in His beauty I see the great king;
This shall my song in eternity be,
O what a wonder that Jesus loves me!

May each of us be included in the heavenly throng which joins in this blessed ascription to our Lord and Saviour.

Reprinted from the Presbyterian Guardian, Volume 22, No 9, September 15, 1953. The OPC Committee for the Historian has made the archives of the Presbyterian Guardian available online!