ACCEPTABLE OBEDIENCE by H. A. St. John

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Jul 11, 1906

ACCEPTABLE OBEDIENCE.

By H. A. St. John

ACCEPTABLE obedience to the Gospel of Christ and the law of God will constitute us the sons and daughters of the Almighty, now. There is no higher calling in this world, and it will result in our being called much higher in the world to come. Now, true and acceptable obedience to God must consist of three things, namely, promptness, cheerfulness, and exactness. If either of these characteristics are lacking, the obedience is defective.

No parent ought to be satisfied with the obedience of a child if that obedience is lacking in either of these particulars,—for instance, if a child is told to do a certain thing in a certain way, at a certain time. Now if the child does the thing cheerfully, in the way directed, but fails to do it at the time indicated, then it is not complete obedience, and that feature omitted many times will prove very serious. And if the obedience is promptly on time, but is not performed willingly, or with exactness, in either case it is sadly deficient. True obedience would be to do the right thing cheerfully, at the right time promptly, and in the right way exactly.

The Lord commands the children of men to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work.” To obey this command, the time—the seventh day—is so important that there is no obedience without it. The seventh day—all of it—is to be kept holy.

Man can not make a day holy; and if God has not made it holy, we can not keep it holy. The reader will observe that God does not say, “Remember the Sabbath day to make it holy,” but “to keep it holy.” Now if we knowingly and wilfully make choice of another day that God has never made holy, we are knowingly and wilfully disobedient. If we would obey God, then let us not think to offer Him a substitute for the day He has hallowed and enjoined. And if we would render prompt obedience, we must remember to make the necessary preparation on the sixth day, that we may keep the Sabbath day according to the commandment.

Then we should make the Sabbath a delight. Our obedience should be rendered in love, and with a joyful heart. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous;” 1 John 5:3. If our obedience is grievous to us, then it is defective and not pleasing to God.

And last of all, but not least, we should study to know how to employ the sacred hours with conscientious exactness. They should not be wasted in idleness. To keep the Sabbath in an idle manner is the Sabbath of horses and oxen. To pass it in a jovial, pleasure seeking manner is the Sabbath of the golden calf, when the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose again to play. To keep it in surfeiting and wantonness is the Sabbath of Satan, the devil’s holiday. Jesus said it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath day. Works of necessity, mercy, charity, or love, are proper.

Furthermore, we should delight our souls in the worship of God, and in the earnest study of His Word. Whatever we may do for our spiritual growth, and upbuilding, or for the salvation or edification of our fellow-men, would be to the glory of God, and in harmony with the letter, spirit, and object of His great Sabbath law. And let us remember to do all of God’s commandments in the letter and spirit of truth, for only in this way can we render acceptable obedience to God.

H. A. ST. JOHN.