2 John 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have worked, but that we receive a full reward. I. THE WROUGHT WORK OF OUR SPIRITUAL STATE. (1) The wrought work of God. That we are what we are is due to the working of the Eternal Father in all His providential ruling, and of the Divine Son in His special redemptive work in this world: but more particularly to the working of the Holy Spirit in His direct and immediate action on the heart. If there be lines of beauty, tracings of truth on the tablet of our soul, it is because we bear within the imprint of His gentle but mighty hand. (2) The wrought work of the Christian minister. Probably John wrote, "The things which we have wrought." So far as the truth which is held in their minds, and the convictions which stir their conscience, and the principles which rule their life, are due to the fidelity of the minister of Christ, to that extent their spiritual state is the wrought work of the Christian teacher. (5) The wrought work of the soul itself. Paul speaks (Galatians 6:3) of a man's character as being his "own work." We have thought seriously, felt deeply, prayed earnestly, resolved strenuously, chosen deliberately, wrestled manfully, persisted patiently. Our spiritual condition is the outcome of much expenditure of our own vital energy. II. ITS POSSIBLE EFFACEMENT. Can these lines of heavenly beauty and Divine truth, traced by the finger of God, be so crossed and counter-marked as to present nothing but a mass of senseless hieroglyphs? To this question we give(l) The answer of a very sensible philosophy. In theory it certainly may be so. The waters wear the stones — not only the lashings of the mighty and furious waves of the Atlantic flinging themselves on the rock, but the nearly noiseless drip of a single drop falling on the slab of stone below. And surely the powerful forces of evil companionship, of frivolous or sceptical literature, of unwise self-indulgence, of excessive pleasure-seeking, acting daily, hourly, on the sensitive responsive spirit, will wear the soul and disfigure it. (2) The answer of a too common experience; in fact it often is so. III. OUR PRACTICAL WISDOM IN REGARD TO IT. We had better(1) own to ourselves how disastrous would be the entire loss of it. What other loss will compare with this? (2) Count the cost of a partial loss of it. If we do not heed there will be those who will fail to attain a "full reward." These may be the ministers who will miss something of the blessedness that would be theirs if their converts were presented complete in Him; or they may be our own spirits, for there will be those who will rule over a few cities that might have ruled over many, who will be saved as by fire instead of having the "abundant entrance."(3) Take the most vigorous measures against spiritual loss. (W. Clarkson, B. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. |
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