Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chapters I to XIVMaclaren, Alexander
Religion
Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chapters I to XIV
Maclaren, Alexander
Bible. John -- Commentaries
Once more our Lord teaches us here to identify the work of the Church
with His own. What His servants do for Him He does, for from Him they
derive the power to do it, and from Him comes the blessing which makes
it effectual. He works in us, He works with us, He works for us. He
works in us. We have the grace of His Spirit to touch our hearts and
sanctify us for service. He puts it into the wills and desires of His
Church to consecrate themselves to the task. He teaches them sympathy
and self-devotion. He breathes world-wide aspirations into them. He
raises up men to go forth. He works _with_ us, helping our weakness,
enlightening our ignorance, directing our steps, giving power to the
student at his dry task of grammar and dictionary, being mouth and
wisdom to them that speak in His name, touching the hearts of them that
hear. In our basket He puts the seed-corn; the furrows of the field He
makes soft with showers, and when it is sown He blesses the springing
thereof. He works for us, opening doors among the nations, ordering the
courses of providence, and holding His hand around His servants, so
that they are immortal till their work is done; and can ever lift up
thankful voices to Him who leads them joyful captives at His own
triumphal car, as it rolls on its stately march, scattering the sweet
odours of His name wherever the long procession sweeps through the
world. We neither go a warfare at our own charges, nor in our own
might. He will fight with us, and He will pay us liberally at the last.
When we count up our own resources, do not we often leave Christ out of
the reckoning? Do we not measure our strength against the enemies', and
forget that one weak man, plus Christ, is always in the majority? 'It
is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of My Father which speaketh in
you.' 'I laboured, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.'
So helped, so inspired, we are wrong to despond; we are wrong not to
expect great things and attempt great things; we are wrong not to dare,
we are wrong to do the work of the Lord negligently. Let us feel that
Christ's work is ours, and we shall be bowed beneath the solemnity of
the thought, shall accept joyfully the necessity. Let us feel that our
work is Christ's, and we shall rejoice in infirmity that His power may
rest upon us, shall bid adieu to faint-hearted fears, and be sure that
then it must prosper. 'Arise, O Lord! plead Thine own cause.' Not unto
us, O Lord! not unto us, but to Thy name give glory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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