The Bible object book : $b A book of object lessons which are different, written in plain English and in common wordsWoolston, C. H. (Clarence Herbert)
Religion
The Bible object book : $b A book of object lessons which are different, written in plain English and in common words
Woolston, C. H. (Clarence Herbert)
Children's sermons
I have often seen folks unlike this old candle. If they cannot be
first in the work they won't help at all. If somebody else is asked
to take part, and they are not, they sulk about it, refuse to join in
and work. If they are asked to do something that some other person
has been asked to do, and refused, they say: "Play second fiddle! I
guess not!" The New Testament tells us of a proud man who loved to
have the prominent place among them. This is not a Christian spirit.
Jesus said, "If any man will be great among you, let him be your
servant." Brighten your corner as a business. This is the business of
the Christian--to shine. The candle can do nothing more than this. It
shines just as it is. It never tries to be an electric light, or to
do the work of electricity, but is content to do its own work, and
that is the work of a candle, just to shine as a business. The
electric light gives ten, fifteen, forty candle-power light. The
electric power turns washing machines, runs vacuum cleaners, heats
irons, and does all sorts of things at the touch of its finger of
power. All the candle can do is to give its small-power light. But
notice how cheerful it is in the midst of darkness. It knows it
cannot do the task of electricity, so it does not fret itself about
it, but just shines and does its best to brighten the little dark
corner; that is its business--just to shine. Watch it shine, and you
will notice it puts its whole life into the business of shining.
Measure it as it shines, and you will discover it grows less and
less, and leaves nothing behind it--gives itself, and all of itself
into the business of shining. It consumes itself in the process of
shining, This is a true light picture of the Christian. Real service
requires the giving of the entire self. David Livingstone, the heart
of Africa missionary, gave all that he had and consumed all his
energies for the good of the Dark Continent. He just let his light
shine out until his body burned out, and when the natives found him
dead kneeling by his bed, they found an old worn-out body burnt out
in the business of shining in Africa's dark corner. But his light
still shines. The natives as they sit by their evening fire talk in
soft tones about the great White Chief. They are watching that White
Candle Chief burn in the jungles of their wild land. He being dead
yet shineth.
[Illustration: A Meeting of Children in the East Baptist Church,
Philadelphia (Where the Author is Pastor), Giving Attention to
Object-lessons Described in This Book]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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