Taken from G.H.Lang’s Ideas and Realities
It is but of the nature of things that a follower must tread the same path as the guide if he would reach the same goal, that a soldier must brave his captain’s conflicts if he would share his triumph, that a maiden must suffer with a rejected lover-prince if she would share his home and throne.
The ground of the glorifying of the Son of man is His fidelity to His God while in the path of trial and the conflicts of the kingdom on earth: Isa. 53:12, “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great because he poured out his soul unto death”: Phil. 2 : 9, “wherefore also God highly exalted him” because “he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death”: Heb. 2 : 9, “we behold Jesus because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour”: Rev. 5 :9, Worthy art thou . . . for thou wast slain.”
To such words every believing heart says adoringly, Amen! But why does not every believer give an equally ready Amen! to such parallel words as these: Matt. 16:25, Whosoever would save his life (for him self) shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it”: Luke 14.11, “everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted: Rom. 8: 17, “joint-heirs with Messiah if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified with him”: 2 Tim. 2: 11, “if we died with him we shall also live with him; if we endure we shall also reign with him; if we deny him he also will deny us”? This last is as distinctly called a ” faithful saying” as is 1 Tim. 1: 15 ” Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” and it will prove to be so whether the christian faces it or shrinks from it. The love of God imposes no arbitrary conditions, but such only as arise from the nature of the case and are always for our good and possible of fulfilment. Therefore they cannot be waived. And if Jesus on the cross masters the affections, and if Christ on the throne enthralls our gaze, and if His coming kingdom fills the future, then the heart will find joy in sharing His afflictions and will be fortified to endure unto the end.
Thus, but not otherwise, shall be fulfilled, to His joy and to ours, the promise, “He that conquereth, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also conquered, and sat down with my Father in His throne” (Rev. 3:21); thus, but not otherwise, shall His wife make herself ready for the marriage with the Lamb (Rev. 19 : 7, 8); thus – and do thou, my soul, take it personally to thy heart – thus, but not otherwise, shalt thou reach this supreme felicity that:
“He and I in that bright glory
One great joy shall share,
Mine to be for ever with Him,
His that I am there.”
“Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep in the (power of the) blood of the eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus Christ, make you perfect in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. But I beseech you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for it is but in few words that I have written unto you” (Heb. 13: 20-22).