March 21

Christ’s love expels evil

“Perfect love casteth out fear”  (1 John 4:18).
“If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).

It is quite idle, by force of will, to seek to empty the angry passions out of our life.  Who has not made a thousand resolutions in this direction, only and with unutterable mortification to behold them dashed to pieces with the first temptation?  The soul is to be made sweet not by taking the acidulous fluids out, but the putting something in—a great love, God’s great love.  This is to work a chemical change in them, to renovate and regenerate them, to dissolve them in its own rich fragrant substance.  If a man let this into his life, his cure is complete; if not, it is hopeless.—Henry Drummond.


L. Stevenson tells a story of a young man traveling in Spain, and in a lonely part, finding lodgment in an old castle. In the room he occupied there hung on the wall the picture of a beautiful but sensuous woman. Gradually the woman’s face inflamed his imagination, it became an obsession which he could not shake off.  Even in sleep the face haunted him, awaking within him evil thoughts and poisoning his heart and mind.  Vainly he struggled against it, but without success; the image pursued him wherever he went.  In this castle in which he lived he had only met the senor and his wife, both of noble origin but poor.  One day, passing up the staircase, he met face to face their daughter, of whose existence even he was ignorant.  Young and beautiful, their eyes met, and in that momentary glance, love, fresh and pure, awoke in his heart.  Filled with its strange glow and amazement, he entered his room and looked up at the picture.  Then he found its spell was gone.  Instead of holding him he felt hatred and shame.  The pure affection had done what no mental struggle could do.

Such is the expulsive power of a pure affection.  Victory over sin is not gained by self-effort, but by opening the heart to the love of Christ.  His love rushing in sweeps all foul affections out, and raises the whole being into the heights of peace and victory.—James Burns.

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