WHICH IS THE BETTER? by H. A. St. John

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Jun 21, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 25.

WHICH IS THE BETTER?

By H. A. St. John

BY H. A. ST. JOHN.

WHICH is the better, to do our own will, or the will of our heavenly Father? When we go our own way, and do our own will, is it not true that we make many mistakes? Do we not often do things that we would far better leave undone? And again do we not often will to do things which we are utterly unable to perform? In short, are we not convinced that we are very shortcoming creatures when left to ourselves, lacking in wisdom, lacking in power? Have we not yet learned the truth that it is not in man to order his ways aright? Do we not know that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord? Ps. 37:23.

Is it at all surprising if the will of God often crosses our will, when ours is so uniformly fallible, and His is infallible? If we leave the program of our lives in His hands, we need not give ourselves any concern, for His will of infinite power, infinite wisdom, and infinite love, will ever direct us without mistake in the path of life, the upward path to endless glory.

To be filled with a knowledge of God's will, and to do that will with delight, is the sum total of all true religion, and true service. It is the only path of pleasantness and peace that ends well. What a convincing testimony to the blindness of mortals, that they will ever choose their own way in preference to the way of the Lord. All who thus do are building on the sand, and if they do not change some day, great will be their fall. I have before observed that we are often unable to perform that which we will to do. But if we are living the life of delightful obedience to our heavenly Father's will, the failure can never occur. Possessing omnipotent power, His power can and will supplement whatever lack there is in us to do His will.

On a certain Sabbath day, Jesus attended services in the synagog at Capernaum. There was a man in the audience who had often willed to move and use his hand, but he could not, it was withered and powerless. The Lord Jesus then and there willed for that man to use his hand. The Lord supplied the lacking power, and when He told the man to stretch forth his hand he did so without difficulty, and it was made whole like the other. On another Sabbath day there was a good sister who willed to go to church to hear Jesus, but was unable to go, for she was sick with a great fever. Jesus went to that house after meeting, took this sister by the hand, rebuked the fever, and she arose and ministered to the guests, a thing she could not have done of her own will.

On still another occasion Jesus was in Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. At an early hour, before the time for religious services, He walked out to a water-cure establishment in the city. There He found a man who had not walked for thirty-eight years. He was utterly unable, of his own will, to take a single step, or to stand upon his feet. Jesus supplemented this poor man's will with His own, then commanded him to arise, take up his bed, and walk. He at once obeyed, and went forth doing the Saviour's will with the Saviour's strength, filled with joy. How blessed the thought that our lives may be conformed to the will of the same almighty Saviour!

We note another and a still more remarkable instance of what God's will can do for us, when in a condition the most hopeless that could be imagined: Jesus was in Bethany. Lazarus, whom He loved, because he was cheerfully obedient to the Lord's will, had died. The dead are utterly powerless and helpless. There is the cessation of the action of all the vital functions. They can not hear, see, feel, or move. Who would think of asking the dead to do anything. Jesus stood by the sepulcher of His loving and beloved friend. He has been dead four days. At the order of Jesus some of the living rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher. Now did He order these men to bring out the body of Lazarus from the sepulcher? No, no. His next command is to the dead. Just to think, He tells the dead something to do! Surely He will fail now. Hear Him. He says, "Lazarus, come forth!" The multitude stare at the open door of that death chamber. The dead hear and obey. Lazarus came forth, alive and well. O, how wonderful! And this is He who asks us to walk after the counsel of His sweet will.

Jesus said, "I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." And then He immediately declares that this is the will of Him that sent Him, that of all He had given Him He should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. So we see that it is His will, His good pleasure, that all who do His will, whether they wake or sleep when He comes in glory, shall live together with Him. When the apostle says, "Behold, I show you a mystery," and then tells us how all who have delighted to do the will of God will be changed in a moment to immortality, and then with glorified bodies be taken to Jesus, to ever dwell with Him in glory, He is only revealing the grand consummation of the mystery of the Father's will concerning us. How charmingly beautiful is a life delightfully conformed to the will of God. And how surpassingly glorious its perfect and eternal day.