Now and then a rare soul rises up, one with great power, great inspiration, and we wonder at his great power, his great inspiration, why it is.  When we look deeply enough, however, we will find that one great fact will answer the question every time.  It is living the life that brings the power.  He is living the Christ life, not merely standing afar off and looking at it, admiring it, and saying, Yes, I believe, I believe, and ending it there.  In other words, he has found the kingdom of heaven.  He has found that it is not a place, but a condition; and the song continually arising from his heart is, There is joy, only joy.

The Master, you remember, said:  “Seek ye not for the kingdom of heaven in tabernacles or in houses made with hands.  Know ye not that the kingdom of heaven is within you?” He told in plain words where and how to find it.  He then told how to find all other things, when he said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all these other things shall be added unto you.”  Now, do you wonder at his power, his inspiration, his abundance of all things?  The trouble with so many is that they act as if they do not believe what the Master said.  They do not take him at his word.  They say one thing:  they do another.  Their acts give the lie to their words.  Instead of taking him at his word, and living as if they had faith in him, they prefer to follow a series of old, outgrown, man-made theories, traditions, forms, ceremonies, and seem to be satisfied with the results.  No, to be a Christian is to live the Christ life, the life of him who went about doing good, the life of him who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.

We will find that this mighty principle of love and service is the greatest to live by in this life, and also one of the gates whereby all who would must enter the kingdom of heaven.

Again we have the Master’s words.  In his own and only description of the last judgment, after speaking of the Son of Man coming in all his glory and all the holy angels with him, of his sitting on the throne of his glory with all nations gathered before him, of the separation of this gathered multitude into two parts, the one on his right, the other on his left, he says:  “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  And the King shall answer, and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.