p. 74 | Lovest Thou Me? by Chas. Reynolds

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 9, 1876

Lovest Thou Me?

By Chas. Reynolds

Those we love, we long to be with. We count the hours that separate us. Who that has expected the return of a dear, loved, absent one has not rejoiced at the flight of time? Another day past! One day nearer! Oh! how we long for the coming of the loved! No place so happy, so desirable, as that in which we enjoy their society.

Lovest thou me? Real love to Jesus produces earnest desire for his coming. We long for his appearing, just in proportion as we love him.

Suppose that our dearest, best-beloved one, having gone on a long journey, some one should ask, When will your loved one return; and we should answer, Oh, I don't know; may be not for many years; I have no idea when; but be the time long or short, it is all the same; it does not make any difference when he comes, if we are only ready to receive him! Would any one believe we had any genuine love or regard for the absent one? Would not such an answer betray our indifference, and prove our professions of love, and all the endearing titles we bestowed on the absent one, sheer hypocrisy?

What! love a person dearer than our own life, and yet be utterly indifferent as to when the loved one shall return? Such a state of affairs were impossible if we really loved. No! no! we could not be indifferent; we should be making all diligent inquiry, be anxious to learn of the coming of our beloved one, and oh! how earnestly desire it might be speedy; for however happily situated our joy can never be complete while separated from our beloved.

Lovest thou me? We cannot tell the day and hour of our Lord's coming; but if he is our best beloved, shall we not be anxiously watching the fulfillment of the signs he has given to indicate his return? Shall we not be looking for, and hasting toward, that glad day?

Again, if we expect the return of our beloved, how diligent we become—how careful to make sure all is in readiness. How much pains we take to arrange everything according to the known preferences, and to gratify the taste and wishes of our beloved. How anxious to have removed anything in the least liable to prove offensive. We may be very busy, be very short of means; yet time and means are expended, oh, how cheerfully! to make ready for the return of the dear loved one.

Lovest thou me? How much effort, how much time and pains are we employing in cleansing our hearts, in overcoming our besetments, in putting away our sins? What preparation are we making for the return of the best beloved?

Lovest thou me? We long for His appearing just in proportion as we love him, and we can tell just how much we love him, by the amount of preparation we are making for his reception. Our business is secondary; we do not allow it, for a moment, to stand in the way of our preparation to welcome the returning loved one.

Lovest thou me? Are we, with real self-sacrifice, laboring to promote the joy of our beloved Lord? Do we regard the work of the Lord as first, our worldly affairs secondary? Do we pray, “Thy kingdom come?” Are we proving, by our acts, our desire for his will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven? When we really look, according to his promise, for the new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, it will sever us from the love of the world, give power to come out of self, and induce us to gladly make any and every sacrifice for the cause of our beloved and the salvation of our fellow-creatures.

Lovest thou me? If Christ were in the streets, before our very door, what would we do for him? Do? we would do what we are doing now; neither more nor less.

Lovest thou me? Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest how we have sinned against thy love, how we have lived for self, and cared only for the world, spurned thee and thy love. We may deceive all others, but we cannot deceive our Lord. Yet in wondrous tenderness he still with open arms invites us. He knows all our cruel doubts, all our base ingratitude; yet in pitying compassion, with tenderest undying love, he says, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” Praise God! the way is still open. Still does the Lord reserve mercy for the sinner; still he waits to be gracious; still he invites all to come.

Lovest thou me? May the Lord help us to prove the sincerity of our love by acts, by our willingness to make any and every sacrifice to win others to a knowledge of the truth and obedience to it, thus filling our Beloved's injunction, “Feed my sheep,” that souls may be saved and his name glorified. CHAS. REYNOLDS.