Making the Most of Life

Alexander was accustomed to say; "Philip of Macedon gave me life, but it was Aristotle who taught me how to make the most of life."

To have the gift of life is a solemn thing. Life is God's most sacred trust. It is not ours to do with as we please; it must be accounted for, every particle, every power, every possibility of it.

These chapters are written with the purpose and hope of stimulating those who may read them to earnest and worthy living. If they seem urgent, if they present continually motives of thoughtfulness, if they dwell almost exclusively on the side of obligation and responsibility, if they make duty ever prominent and call to self-renunciation and self-sacrifice, leaving small space for play, it is because life itself is really most serious, and because we must meet it seriously, recognizing its sacred meaning and girding ourselves for it with all earnestness and energy.

If this book shall teach any how to make the most of the life God has entrusted to them, that will be reward enough for the work of its preparation. To this service it is affectionately dedicated, in the name of Him who made the most of his blessed life by losing it in love's sacrifice, and who calls us also to die to self that we may live unto God.

J. R. M.

PHILADELPHIA.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

I. MAKING THE MOST OF LIFE II. LAID ON GOD'S ALTAR III. CHRIST'S INTEREST IN OUR COMMON LIFE IV. THE POSSIBILITIES OF PRAYER V. GETTING CHRIST'S TOUCH VI. THE BLESSING OF A BURDEN VII. HEART-PEACE BEFORE MINISTRY VIII. MORAL CURVATURES IX. TRANSFIGURED LIVES X. THE INTERPRETATION OF SORROW XI. OTHER PEOPLE XII. THE BLESSING OF FAITHFULNESS XIII. WITHOUT AXE OR HAMMER XIV. DOING THINGS FOR CHRIST XV. HELPING AND OVER-HELPING XVI. THE ONLY ONE XVII. SWIFTNESS IN DUTY XVIII. THE SHADOWS WE CAST XIX. THE MEANING OF OPPORTUNITIES XX. THE SIN OF INGRATITUDE XXI. SOME SECRETS OF HAPPY HOME LIFE XXII. GOD'S WINTER PLANTS XXIII. UNFINISHED LIFE-BUILDING XXIV. IRON SHOES FOR ROUGH ROADS XXV. THE SHUTTING OF DOCKS

MAKING THE MOST OF LIFE.

CHAPTER I.

MAKING THE MOST OF LIFE.

"Measure thy life by loss instead of gain; Not by the wine drunk, but the wine poured forth; For love's strength standeth in love's sacrifice, And whoso suffers most hath most to give." --The Disciples.

According to our Lord's teaching, we can make the most of our life by losing it. He says that losing the life for his sake is saving it. There is a lower self that must be trampled down and trampled to death by the higher self. The alabaster vase must be broken, that the ointment may flow out to fill the house. The grapes must be crushed, that there may be wine to drink. The wheat must be bruised, before it can become bread to feed hunger.

It is so in life. Whole, unbruised, unbroken men are of but little use. True living is really a succession of battles, in which the better triumphs over the worse, the spirit over the flesh. Until we cease to live for self, we have not begun to live at all.

We can never become truly useful and helpful to others until we have learned this lesson. One may live for self and yet do many pleasant things for others; but one's life can never become the great blessing to the world it was meant to be until the law of self-sacrifice has become its heart principle.