| The Joy of Service |
Chapter 23 |
Page 7 |
We have no promise of dying grace while we are in the midst of healthful, active life. Of what use would such grace be to us then? It would not fit us for the work we have to do, and the battles we have to fight. Not submission, laying down our tasks, folding our arms, saying farewell to our friends – not these are our duties now, but courage, energy, loyal friendship, diligence in business, and faithfulness in witnessing. By and by, when our work is done, and our time to fall asleep has come, we shall receive dying grace in place of grace for living, and shall meet death without fear.
There is a word which warns us against receiving the grace of God in vain. We receive it in vain when we make nothing of it; when we allow it to die in our heart, and yield no strength; when we take God’s comfort, and are not comforted by it; when we hear God’s calls, and do not obey them; when we feel the strivings of the Spirit, and do not submit to them; when the still small voice whispers its Divine inspirations in our soul, and we pay no heed. We receive grace not in vain when it sinks into our heart, like the dew into the bosom of the thirsty rose, and revives our life; when we accept the divine consolations, and are comforted; when we take the strength of God into our life, and grow strong.
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