John 4:29-30 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?… I. IN THE FACT OF SERVICE. It is no mean satisfaction to a servant of God to feel, "I am here of no private choice or purpose of my own; I have been sent hither by a Divine hand." What a freedom from anxiety and discouragement! The humblest task is made glorious by the authority of the Giver. Many think there is no glory but in independence. But we are so made that we are not sufficient to ourselves, and therefore, the selfish man is wretched. True joy is the joy of sympathy, but no human love can satisfy the soul's demands. In God's favour alone is life. This favour is accorded only to His servants, II. IN THE LAW OF THE SERVICE. God's will. many persons think there is no joy but in doing their own will, and to walk in the plain path of duty is repulsive to them. And merely walking in the path of duty will not bring joy. There is no acceptable obedience that does not spring from love. But there is all joy in that Christ found it so. And this is not wonderful. The will of God is the outcome of His perfections, and therefore that will must be the perfection of blessedness. Can you choose so well for yourself as that will which measures all things. This holds good both with regard to the suffering and the doing of God's will. III. IN THE FIELD OF SERVICE.. Every man has his work Divinely allotted and adjusted. This work is various, and all of it must be accepted as given of God. Then satisfaction will be found in — 1. Doing the work may not have been successful, but if it has been done, we have the satisfaction of having fulfilled our task. There are those who will only work when there is human applause and visible results. 2. The effectual accomplishment of the work, and receiving the glad, "Well done." (J. Riddell.) Parallel Verses KJV: Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?WEB: "Come, see a man who told me everything that I did. Can this be the Christ?" |
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