OUR LIFE IS TO ADORN THE GOSPEL.


To adorn is to make attractive, to beautify. We are exhorted by the
apostle Paul to adorn the doctrine of the New Testament by our every-day
life. This thought should be a powerful incentive to close living with God
and assiduously keeping all of his commandments. Who would not take
pleasure in adorning the teachings of Jesus by a pure life? This is the
joy of the Christian's heart. He cares nothing for the adornings of the
world, but oh, that he may so live as to make beautiful the blessed
Bible!--this is happiness enough to him.

In another of the Pauline Epistles we are commanded to "let our manner of
life be as it becometh the gospel of Christ." To become is also to make
attractive or to give a better appearance to. An article of dress is
becoming to us when it gives us a better appearance. We speak of any one's
bad conduct as not being becoming to him. We are to become the gospel of
Christ by holy living. When a life is lived as God designed that life
should be, that life will be an adornment to the Scriptures.

God will beautify his children with the glories of his redeeming grace; he
will adorn them with a meek and quiet spirit, which in his sight is very
precious, that they, in turn, may adorn his commandments. As a bride decks
herself with jewels, so the heavenly Father beautifies his children with
the robe of righteousness.

The life of a Christian is God's special treasure. "They shall be mine,"
says the Lord, "in that day when I make up my jewels," or "special
treasure" as rendered by the margin (see Mal. 3:17). By reading the
context we learn that it is those who fear the Lord that are his jewels.