p. 75 | THE SERVICE OF GOD by C. H. Foster

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 30, 1877

THE SERVICE OF GOD.

By C. H. Foster

As I look out upon the beauties of nature, on this holy Sabbath day, my heart goes out in love and thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for his loving-kindness toward his erring children. We have many things to be thankful for. The blessings that are showered upon us in this life, but more especially the rich provisions of the gospel, call for gratitude. What a glorious manifestation of the love of God was the gift of his Son to die for us. Cannot we love such a God as this? Let us show our love by obedience to his commandments. This is the test he gives us.

We need the love of God deep down in the soul. We need to draw sap and nourishment from the living Vine continually, in order to grow up into Christ. I like Peter’s rule of addition: “Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance,” etc.

The service of God is delightful. His grace helps us to bear the disappointments and trials of life. We need much of this grace in this sinful age; we need to do much praying and watching. The enemy is on our track. Sin abounds on every hand. Time is short. We have a great work to do. The world is asleep in reference to the near advent of Christ. Honest-hearted men and women, who are living up to what light they have, are breaking one of God’s plain commandments every week. Their minds must be called to the truth. “Who is sufficient for these things?” Oh! what responsibility we assume when we present the truth to others; so much depends upon the way we handle the truth, and the spirit we manifest in presenting it. It requires much heavenly wisdom to win souls to Christ. May God help us to labor earnestly for the salvation of the perishing, and always manifest the spirit of the meek and lowly Jesus.

C. H. FOSTER.