ACCEPTABLE SERVICE by E. B. Saunders

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Feb 19, 1880

ACCEPTABLE SERVICE.

By E. B. Saunders

Service to God, in order to be accepted, must be a service of love. In fact, it is impossible to do a good deed that will be rewarded in the Judgment unless love be the mainspring that prompts us to do it. And this love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

We are but children in the school of Christ, trying to learn how to serve God acceptably, also trying to put away our sins and obtain victory over our faults. But we make little or no progress unless the Spirit of God help our infirmities. We may try for many years to overcome some darling sin and fail again and again, being in bondage, helpless under the iron hand of habit, lust, or appetite, till we get utterly discouraged, and hope dies within us. All this time we may keep up the form of service, may attend church, the prayer meeting occasionally, have family prayer, give for the support of the gospel, and outwardly appear to enjoy religion, but when we candidly ask ourselves if we feel safe, will find our own hearts to condemn us, and the forms we have kept up so long, to be a sort of yoke of bondage which we had no relish for, and attended by no blessing. Also that we are unacquainted and strangers to the "peace of God that passeth understanding" and "joy in the Holy Ghost," and "the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." These seem to be ecstatic joys beyond our reach.

We must have something better than this half asleep, neither cold nor hot, formal worship, which will cause us to be rejected in the Judgment. Our works must be wrought in God. We must have the victory over our besetments before our dear Lord can give us eternal life. We cannot obtain it in our own strength; we must lean on the arm of our beloved Lord or we fall. Now when shall we begin this work? We have professedly believed this work of God, and obeyed the truth these many years, yet are no nearer victory apparently than at first. Satan has beset us on every side with opposition, trouble, discouragement, and trials, till our prayers do not seem to take hold on God; the heavens seem to be brass over our heads, and God seems so far away that we are tempted to doubt his existence. Yet God's arm is not shortened that it cannot save, there is help for us in God. There is hope for you, dear, tempted, tried, discouraged one. You can have help to resist the enemy, and overcome wrong habits. You can stand erect, a noble, confiding, victorious child of God, your face shining with holy consecration, your heart all aglow with fervent love to God, his truth, and his people, and your hands reaching out to help the needy and perishing, and your works also have the stamp of divine acceptance.

The way is plain and simple, but it needs a persevering effort, and as much earnestness as we exhibit in our worldly business. It is to seek God till he accepts, and until we obtain his Holy Spirit, and his love be shed abroad in our hearts. Then we will feel that we are new creatures, old things, habits, and desires having passed away, and the bondage of corruption that so long bowed us down will be lifted off our hearts, and our voice will then break forth in grateful thanks and happy praise to the God of our salvation. God will then seem to be a loving, merciful Father, and the name of Jesus will cause our hearts to leap for joy. The word of God will be sweeter than honey and the honey comb, and these psalms of praise will seem to express the raptures of our heart. Then the strong, yet simple faith we have in God, will be of priceless value, better to us than thousands of gold and silver. Contrition, a broken heart God will not despise. Psa. 34:18; 145:8, 14, 18; 147:3, 6; Isa. 57:15; 61:1, 3. My brother, my sister, unless we have this conversion of the heart we will come short of eternal life. Matt. 18:3.

E. B. SAUNDERS. San Jose, Cal., Feb. 1, 1880.