“Wherefore God aslo hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9).
Suppose you were to outline your Hall of Fame on a written document. Whom would you put on it? On the left side of the document write down the names of those whom you believe to be the greatest that the human race has produced. If you were born in America you would probably include Washington and Lincoln. If you have studied philosophy you would likely think of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates. If you have studied history you would think of Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, and others. If you have studied religion you would, no doubt, include St. Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther, Calvin, John Wesley. If you have studied sports you would include some of the sports champions.
On the right side of the document write down Jesus Christ. Where would you place Him in relation to all the others? Should Jesus Christ be placed in a column all by Himself? Would you want to measure all other men by Him? Is Jesus Christ the yardstick for all of us?
The world has changed a great deal; people have changed very little. Study the life of Jesus, then write down what you think He was like, the things He stood for and sought to communicate to others. The words to describe Him will include love, intergrity, purity, humility, kindness, mercy, compassion–all values that people need as much today as when He walked the earth.
The world is in a very bad way. What man would you choose to show us the way out? No one should be counted as essential unless he understands our problems and can give us the right answers. Christ is the supreme human being of all who ever lived on earth. The best we can say of any other person is that “he is Christlike.” How many of us want to live like Christ? If we are to change our own lives and the world we live in we must live the kind of life found in Chirst.
The sustaining power in Christ’s life was His faith in the Father. He came to empower us to live by the same kind of faith. Who among us can afford to want anything less than this?
Edward Heppenstall
In touch with God. p. 24
