Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday January 31, 2007

While talking with a friend the other day we locked onto the subject of how to walk when under some sort of attack.

Strangely enough even in a civilized community like the United States, it is possible to be severely attacked by the gossip mongers, in such a way as to even lose employment, and in some cases your life. You never know how deep the depths where spiteful tongues may lead. I thought of the twelve year old child in one of our cities who took her life when 'friends' found her diary and spread the juicier information abroad. I have recently watched as a mean spirited group of saints have used every means possible to drive another saint to suicide. I say this based on hard evidentiary information. I had advised the person under attack to stay close to Christ and in time He would work it out. Well, lo and behold, He is working. A member of the group has repented and is now sharing the inner secrets of the group who in their evil ignorance assumed the world would be better off sans the person against whom they joined in conspiracy. Shocking? Yes, such is the level of churchianity today.

The key to winning this type of battle is simple, we are told in the scriptures to overcome evil with good. This is very easy to say, yet it is the formula taught by Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

The Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius used to talk to himself each morning. This was his instructions to himself:

"Today you will meet all kinds of unpleasant people; they will hurt you, injure you, and insult you; but you cannot live like that; you know better, for you are a man in whom the Spirit of God dwells."

I certainly reject any claim that Marcus Aurelius was a Christian in any sense of the title, but he is an example of a man who understood a basic practical principle of our faith. We who know Christ are assured that Christ lives in us, that we are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and that we are to walk in Him, meaning simply that we walk as He walked and respond to life in the manner of Christ. I have long been amazed at the response of Christ in Pilates Judgment Hall when it is recorded that at one point, "He opened not His mouth."

Years ago Fighting Bob Shuler, long time pastor of Trinity Methodist Church in Los Angeles wrote a book which I read with interest titled, "Some Dogs I Have Known." The dogs in Shuler's book each demonstrated some courageous trait. On of his stories vividly described an English Bulldog strutting along the sidewalk going straight to wherever all the while two tiny Chihuahua's were running alongside doing there dead level best to interfere with the Bulldog's path. He held his head high, eyes fixed on the goal ahead and just kept walking. I still chuckle when I recall the scene Bob painted so grandly. I think of Nehemiah who said to his critics who thought it God's will to stop him at any and all cost, "Why should I come down from wall and fool with you idiots?" (Lilly's translation). So it is that we who are indwelt by the Spirit should walk.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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