We are considering the Christian method of putting the worst first. This reverses all our advertising: “No down payment,” “Easy terms,” “Cash for the asking,” followed, of course, by wearisome down payments, harder and harder terms, and cash demanded, long and loud.
Is the Christian faith right in facing death first? Yes, for if anything gets into the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, even to separate from that love, it is immediately changed by that love. The love of Christ is the one and only thing which the devil cannot get into, for if he got into it he would cease to be the devil. The devil can get into our doctrines and become orthodoxy, and then make us fight over orthodoxy. He can get into the church and make us proud, exclusive, and egotistical in our church loyalties. He can get into preaching and make the preacher a better preacher to cover up moral delinquency. “I never preached better in my life,” said a minister who had been living in adultery. The devil can get into the sacred precincts of the home and turn everything into bickering and struggle for ascendency, even though the home is religious. He can get into patriotism and turn it into “the first refuge of the scoundrel.” He can get into our good works and twist them into egotistical displays. He can get into everything, literally everything, except one thing—the love of Christ. If he got into the love of Christ, he wouldn’t be the devil. He would be transformed.
If death, the devil’s twin—“sin and death” always go together—if death should get into the love of Christ to separate us, then death would no longer be death—it would be life. The love of Christ has transformed death at the cross into life. Calvary became Easter morning. So death can’t separate from the love of Christ, for death in attempting it would be separated from itself and become life.
THE PRAYER
“O love of God, so pure and changeless”—yet while changeless, it changes everything. O blessed Refuge, O blessed Redemption. If I stay in Thee, O Love of God, nothing can touch me without being transformed. In Christ I am out of reach of everything else. Glory be! Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY
Nothing can get into the love of Christ without being transformed, so I shall remain in that love today.
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