Willing Service

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Mar 25, 1915

The service acceptable in the sight of heaven is willing service. God is not dependent upon us. The gold and the silver are his. The cattle upon a thousand hills are the creatures of his hand. He gives to man all that he possesses—life and health and every temporal blessing. He places within his reach the great gift of eternal life, made possible by the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. In return for these innumerable and immeasurable blessings God asks of man a willing service,—a service so weak and feeble and imperfect that compared with God’s beneficence to man, it is of infinitesimal value. Selfishly rendered, this service is abhorrent to the great God, but rendered willingly and lovingly, it becomes a sweet sacrifice.

Anciently, in the building of the sanctuary in the wilderness, Moses was commanded to receive of the people gifts for its construction. The command was: “Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord; whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord.” Overflowing gratitude possessed the hearts of Israel. The record is that they brought gifts of gold and silver and precious stones, and all manner of material, for the construction of the sanctuary and its instruments. The people responded most liberally. Those who had charge of the work reported to Moses: “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.” Ex. 36: 5, 6.

This same spirit possessed the people of God in the early days of the Christian church. “And as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet.”

This spirit of sacrifice and of willing service has been the true spirit of the gospel in every age. That spirit should possess the children of God today. If the Israel of God were as liberal in his service today as in the days of Moses and in the first century of the church, there would be no lack of means with which to carry forward this work. Our tithe funds would be greatly increased: the offerings for missions would be doubled and trebled. As the spirit of consecration rests upon our people, this kind of giving will be seen. Let us pray God for the spirit of consecration, which must precede the spirit of power with which this message will close its work.