Week 34—Tuesday 1 Corinthians 10:31-33; 11:1
1 Corinthians 10:31-33; 11:1
THE WORD OF DEMOCRACY
BECOMES FLESH IN LINCOLN
We are looking at the Word become power when the Word becomes flesh. The word of democracy was a poor ghost until it became flesh in Lincoln. It existed in the early documents of our fathers, beautifully stated, but it lacked dynamic—lacked it till Lincoln came.
Then the word of democracy became flesh in a person. It looked out of his compassionate eyes, it touched us with his great rugged redemptive hands, and then it shook the world like a passion. We saw democracy take flesh. More books have been written about Lincoln than any ten Americans—over 8,000. And over 100,000 pamphlets and articles have been written about him. Why? Because we feel that in Lincoln we see democracy; in others we hear it.
And we see it never so clearly as when Lincoln as the victor went into Richmond to take over the seat of the Confederacy. He went into the room where Jefferson Davis had sat at his desk. There alone he stayed so long that when those waiting were wondering what was detaining him and having opened the door a bit they found him seated at the desk with his hands up to his head weeping—weeping for the fallen sons of North and South. There was Democracy personified, bowed in grief. A grateful nation cannot forget that sight.
Paul writes an unforgettable sentence: “That now as always the greatness of Christ will shine out clearly in my person” (Phil. 1:20, NEB). When we think of Paul, the greatness of Christ shines clearly in his person. When we think of Lincoln, the greatness of Democracy shines clearly in his person. One of the greatest eye doctors of India performed over 100,000 operations on the eye. When I asked him how he began it all he said, “As a young doctor I couldn’t get any patients. So I waited in my office for a blind beggar to go by, and I would rush out and pull him into my office and operate on him before he had time to protest. I was mad after eyes.” The greatness of Devotion shines clearly in his person.
O Jesus my Lord, the greatness of the Father shines clearly in your person. When we see you we see the Father. And what a Father we see! We cannot love you without loving God. We love you both and find you One. We are grateful. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: The Word of Victory shall become flesh in me today and look out of compassionate eyes.