_SELF-MADE OR GOD-MADE_
MATTHEW vi. 26-33.
Think of Lot and then think of a lily of the field! Think of the
feverishness of the one and of the serenity of the other, or think of the
ugly selfishness of the one, and of the graceful beauty of the other! Look
upon avarice at its worst, upon a Shylock, and then gaze upon a lily of
the field! How alarming is the contrast! The one is self-made, guided by
vicious impulses; the other is the handiwork of God. The one is rooted in
self-will; the other is rooted in the power of the Divine grace. God has
nothing to do with the one; He has everything to do with the other. So one
becomes "big" and ugly; the other grows in strength and beauty.
Now the wonder is this, that we, too, may be rooted in the power from
which the lily draws its grace. We may draw into our souls the wealth of
the Eternal, even the unsearchable riches of Christ. We may put on "the
beauty of holiness." We may become clothed in the graces of the Spirit.
When we are in the field of the lilies we may appear unto the Lord as
kindred flowers of His own garden.
"He that abideth in Me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit."
"Rooted in Him," we shall "grow up in all things unto Him."