Living for the BestMcClure, James G. K. (James Gore King)
Religion
Living for the Best
McClure, James G. K. (James Gore King)
Christian life; Spiritual life
Only a large-hearted life will give its best to God. Small hearts cling
to their best treasures. Achan puts God's name on every object found in
fallen Jericho excepting the most valuable; that he hides in his tent.
Saul devotes to Jehovah all the cattle conquered from the Ammonites but
the best; those he reserves for himself. It was the mark of the
greatness of her nature that when to the widow there came a man of God
asking for food, and her meal was only enough to bake a cake for her son
and herself ere they died, she took that meal, obedient to what she
considered to be a call from God, and made of it, her best, her all, a
cake for the man of God. God honored that gift and paid back into her
own life the blessing of His unfailing provision. He always honors any
such gift. A man like Joseph gives his best and keeps giving his best to
God all his days, and God never suffers Joseph to lose his spiritual
vigor. But if Solomon only gives his best in his early life, and
withholds his best in his later life, that later life becomes weak and
meager.
The proof to which God put Abraham is the most soul-searching proof that
ever comes into human lives. If we answer to it as did Abraham, we are
immediately brought into a new and sweeter relation to God. God
withholds no blessing from him who offers Him his best. God enters into
a dearer and closer fellowship with such an one. He declares to him that
His name is "Jehovah-Jireh," "The Lord will provide," assuring the man
that though he does make great sacrifices for God, God will provide for
him abundantly more than he has thus sacrificed. The young ruler went
away from Christ sorrowful when he declined to give Christ his best, but
no soul ever can be sorrowful that gives its best to Christ. "You shall
have a hundred-fold more in this world and in the world to come life
everlasting." It was because the disciples gave their best to Christ
that they became so efficient in his service. "What things were gain to
me, those I counted loss for Christ." Accordingly Paul became mighty to
the upbuilding of the kingdom of his Master and was always joyous.
Let every one look into his life and find his best. "What is it I prize
most? What is it that gives me largest place among my fellows?" Then let
every one consecrate that best to God. That best may be the enthusiasm
of our youth, or the wisdom of our maturity, or the wealth of our age.
It may be a child in our home, or our hope of advancement, or some
special attractiveness we possess. Whatever our best may be, God asks us
to consecrate it to Him. Whoever so consecrates his best will find God
dearer, life sweeter, and service richer than ever before.
"There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave,
There are souls that are pure and true;
Then give to the world the best you have,
And the best shall come back to you.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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