St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-05-16
Unto Jesus"
AND NOT TO THE APPARENT SUCCESS o
OUR EFFORTS.

unto Jesus"
AND NOT TO THE APPARENT SUCCESS OF
OUR EFFORTS.
Apparent success is, not always the
measure of real success and, besides,
God has not enjOined success upon us,
but only labor. He will ask an account
of our labor, but not of or" success.
Why. then, should we be too much
concerned about it? We must SOW the
seed, God will gather the fruit; It not
to-day it will be tomorrow, if not FOL
us it will be for others. Even if sue
cess were to he granted US, it would al
ways be dangerous to look compliment
" upon it; on the other hand, we are
too prone to slacken our zeal when we
see good results arising from it; that is
at the very time when we ought to put
forth double energy. -r-
To look at our success is to walk by
sight to look unto Jesus, and to per-
severe in following and in serving him
despite all discOuragements, is to walk
by faith. -.. .4-s f.H
a To take the yoke of Christ is also to
be at rest as to all the results of life and
There is with many of us i'll this
struggle with daily duty a brooding APP
prehension as to ultimate success. There
is a Inconsistencies that trammels us.
A dread of shOrt-cOming which pursues
us like spectre. A sense of uncertain
ty and of possible defeat cast a cloud
over the prospect and often prevent
our working at our best. This is not
to have rest to our soul. All this be-
gins to pass away when we take Christ's
yoke upon us. Henceforth we have no
more concern with results. We simply
serve. He directs and uses us. We
have no further care than to do His will,
to follow where He leads, to work
while it is day. The night that ends
our toll, the fruit we shall accomplish,
the time of harvesting-all the events
of life and labor we may leave IN
troubled to His control. This is the
privilege of every one who consecrates
his powers entirely to the Lord. We
sometimes hear it said of such preacher
in some post of regular influence, of
such a Christian man of peculiar gifts
and facilities how great are his re-
sponsibilities how much rests on him.
In one sense this is true, but not in
that sense of oppressive accountability
which men often suppose. To whom
much is given much will be required.
But the requirement is of duty, not of
consequences. 1t is required of the
servant of Christ that he be found faith
full, not that he, of course, succeed. In
this, also, his Master is his example.
He came to do the Fathers will. He
did the work which was given Him to
do. The results were not immediate.
The life of Jesus was not visibly Il sue
cess. Duty and sacrifice filed it to the
end, and from the cross and grave He
assembled to the joy that was set before
Him. His work was finished, but the
kingdom and triumph of the cross were
but begun. SO it has been with His
servants. Many a man has worked for
Christ apparently in vain. He has toll
ed only at the foundations. He has
only sOwn the seed. He has seen no
results. He labored, and other men
entered into his labors. But he was
none the less faithful and true, and his
work was none the less precious in his
Masters eyes. No man who serves
Christ need to know for what his Lord
will use his labor. Enough that he do
it well, that he grow not weary, that
he continue to the end. The result is
in the Masters keeping. And so with
responsibilities which seem most over
whelming, they cease, after all, with
duty done.
He hath done what he could is
the final and supreme commentator.
Nothing better of us can be said than
that, nothing more can add as in the
Masters presence. No one of us need
bear the burden of after consequences.
They ale not ours. They cannot affect
our worth. They will not make us any
more acceptable, any less acceptable in
the sight of Christ. Extract from SER
mon by DR.. W. II. Goodrich.