TO THE READING CIRCLE MEMBERS
By Mrs. L. Flora Plummer
Upon whom is the Lord depending to carry on the work of the gospel? — Upon you and me. He calls us His ambassadors, and He has intrusted to us the great ministry of reconciling the world to God through Christ. Every one who has heard the message may repeat it to others. “Let him that heareth say, Come.” The Reading Circle members have spent a number of weeks in carefully “hearing” the message, and the question now is, Are we saying, “Come”? The only essential qualification is that we shall have truly heard. We may not be wise, or rich, or great; we may even be unlearned, poor, and of no esteem in the eyes of men, yet the Master of the vineyard has apportioned us our work. No other servant can take from us the privilege of doing that which He has given us to do, neither can we place our responsibility upon another, and so excuse ourselves. In the Lord’s army of workers there are none who are there as substitutes, and none have been drafted into service. It is God who has given “to every man his work.” And it is God who will “reward every man according to his works.” When it is once settled that “I” am to work, the next question is, Where shall I begin? Much perplexity might be cleared away by remembering what God has said to us upon this point. He does not ask us to do all that we see should be done; for we can see much farther than we can reach. He does say, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” The work our hands can reach is what God would have us do. He has scattered His people, that the knowledge of Him might be revealed to all the world. When I work out in every direction as far as my hands can reach, I shall feel the tips of other fingers in the same blessed ministry; and on and on these outstretched hands will work, in love and unity, until the hands encircle the earth, and the everlasting gospel has been given “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”