What Love Will Do by R. A. Worden

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 6, 1871

What Love Will Do.

By R. A. Worden

“BELOVED, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:7, 8. Love moved the eternal One when he sent his Son to earth to live a pure and holy life, to teach men thus to live, and to die a death so ignominious that darkness, with her sable mantle, veiled the awful scene.

Love stirred the soul of Jesus when he prayed for his tormentors, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” What amazing love is this! that while he was suffering the very agonies of death, while he was receiving the most fiendish mockings and scourgings that wicked men and devils could invent, his heart glowed with love and compassion, and he cried while writhing in agony on the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” This is a glorious example for those who love him, and if we follow it, we may be the children of our Father who is in Heaven. Matt. 5:45.

Let us therefore strive to cultivate this Christian virtue by loving our enemies as well as our friends, “for if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?” Matt. 5:46. Let the love of God so fill our hearts that we may feel its sanctifying influence upon our daily lives, inciting us to good works, showing thereby our love for perishing souls.

Brethren and sisters in the Lord, we believe that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that through his death we might live. We profess to believe that this same Jesus is soon coming to gather his waiting people. We believe the door of mercy will soon close and the awful and solemn benediction be pronounced: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” In view of these things, have we discharged our duty to our fellow-creatures?

Listen to the cry of perishing souls, famishing for the bread of life, mingled with the Macedonian cry of those who have gone to their relief! and answer, Will our garments be clean of their blood if we are idle and inactive in this great work of preparation? I fear not.

We have friends, we have neighbors, who are standing on the brink of ruin. They are almost ready to be swallowed up in the great whirlpool of the enemy; and have we warned them of their danger? Have we plead earnestly with them to seek the Saviour while he may be found? Have we, by our earnest entreaties and agonizing petitions to the throne of grace, showed them that their souls are precious to us? If not, our work is not done, and we are not approved of God.

As we hope for pardon and mercy through Jesus’ blood, let us arouse out of this stupor, out of this lukewarmness, and enter into the work of preparation with all our hearts, making a full surrender of all we have to the Lord, asking his blessing upon us, and he will give us wisdom and strength to do his will. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Abiding in Christ as the branch abideth in the vine, and praying with all prayer and supplication in the spirit.

These, then, are two essential elements of piety, and they who truly walk with God, are they who wrestle with him in prayer. There can be no prevailing prayer without habitual communion with God. Let us therefore walk humbly with Him who has loved us and died for us; and soon the parting clouds will reveal to us the glorious form of the King of kings and Lord of lords; and he will reward us with a crown of glory that fadeth not away. R. A. WORDEN.