Serving God Without God

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 30, 1913

Serving God Without God

THIS appears at first thought an anomalous condition, and yet it is a possible one, and a condition into which all are in danger of falling. The history of the church affords many illustrations of those who, while engaged in God's service, did so without the power of God in their lives. To this class the service of God appealed in outward form and ceremony and ritualism; in deeds of the flesh. With the heart they failed to serve the Lord God.

This service was the service of the old-covenant relationship, but God's true children pierced the outward form and laid hold upon the spirit and the power. They were not content to possess the law engraven on letters of stone only, but by the quickening Spirit of God they sought to have it inscribed upon their hearts. They were not content to find in the Sabbath of the Lord physical rest alone, but obtained in it that spiritual soul rest, that blessed communion with God, which made it indeed a spiritual rest day.

This lesson is for us who live in this generation. We are in the same danger in our experience of grasping the outward form, but failing to sense and appreciate that for which the outward form stands. Professedly this people are a body of missionary workers. Note our extensive operations in mission lands, in distributing gospel literature, in ministry to the sick. A large number of workers are employed in denominational institutions. Are we endeavoring to serve God and carry forward his work with his divine presence in our own hearts? Is our service a form? Is our faith a theory merely? Is our profession a pretense? We cannot determine this for one another. No man can judge his fellows in these matters, but every soul, with the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, may determine this for himself. Alone with God, opening our hearts to the searching light of his Holy Spirit, we may truly discern the motives and purposes which work in our experience. There is no deception so great as that of self-deception. Let us not permit the enemy to blind our eyes or cloud our minds to our actual relationship to the Lord. God does not want uncertainty in our experience. It is not his purpose that we should go along stumblingly, halting and hesitating as to our acceptance. It is the privilege of every child of God, through faith, to know that his sins are forgiven, that his name is written in heaven, that he is accepted in the Beloved.

Dear reader, do you know this for yourself? Are you a minister of the gospel, a Bible worker, a foreign missionary, a teacher, a nurse? As such do you know that God accepts your work because it is wrought in faith? Let every one ask himself the question as to why he is engaged in God's service. Is he preaching for hire? Is he laboring to build up a name? Is he working for position? Is it a matter of earning a livelihood? These are unworthy motives to possess the worker for Christ. The underlying motive of labor should be that of love—love for God and love for our fellows. We love him and labor for him because he first loved us and gave his life for our redemption. Labor for God with love as the prompting motive,—this is the only service acceptable to the Master.