Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-02-26
CHRISTIAN ENDEavoR.

ropic Tor the Week Beginning Marea
2-comIaent by Rev. $. III. Doyle.
Tonic. THE Joy OF service.-Ps. exxvi, 5.
g: Matt xSsv. 1923
The springs Of the Christians joy
sae many He may rejoice chat be has
been redeemed and saved by Jesus
Christ I'VE joy in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have
now received the atonement." He
may rejoice in the salvation OF others.
"There Is Joy among the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth. III the
angels rejoice for such cause, may
the redeemed do SOL He may rejoice
in his assurance of an Inheritance In
heaven. 'In thy presence Is fullness
of 10y. AT thy right hand are pleas
ures foreyermore" But one OF the
chief sources Of the Christians JOY is
in service. The child of God who has
never learned to serve Him has not
tasted of the sweetest of the Christian
JOYS. Service and happiness go hand
in hand in the Christians life, and we
are missing much in life il we have
not learned this secret of happiness
The Joy of service is not inconsistent
with hardships in service. This Is
taught in the One Hundred and Tween
ty-sixth Psalm: ''They that sow IN
tears shall reap In joy. He that goeth
forth and, weeping, bearing precious
seed shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
him. Sowing is difficulty, hard
ship. How much more so in case or
famine, when every seed may be of
great value. But reaping Follows sow
ing. and reaping is joyous. When the
sown seeds have become sheaves,
what cause for rejoicing! Who thinks
then of the hardships of sowing?
Those very hardships only make the
Joy of reaping surer and sweeter.
Service without hardship Is not near
SO 10Y producing as service that has
been accomplished amid tears and sor-
row. Sowing In sorrow produces reap
ing In Joy. Let us not expect the joy
before 1t is due. and then we will not
be disappointed and discouraged.
The joy of service is not limited to
the present life. The joy of the Jesus
In returning to Palestine from Babylon
is typical of the Christian joy in heav-
en-. What a rapturous joy it was! IL
seemed too good to be true. They
were Ike them that dream" They
laughed, they sang. they shouted for
Joy. Such viii be our joy If we are
saved, and it will be greatly in
creased If we have spent life In serv-
ice. Christ Himself teaches this
doctrine. To the faithful servant he
said, well done. enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord" The entrance into
Joy was the fruit of well doing. And
how much sweeter that JOY viii be IL
the well doing has resulted in the sal
walton of others! If we not only enter
into the joy of the Lord. but cause 9th
ers to enter in. If we come bringing as
our shsaves the saved souls of others,
how great indeed our joy Child Of
God. have you ever led lost soul TO
the Lord Jesus Christ? II not, will
you not begin this service for the Lord
at once? 1t will mean joy here and joy
hereafter They that turn many to
righteousness shall shine as the stars
forever and forever"
The temptation to sacrifice the Chris
tian's JOY for the Joy of the world is
sometimes very great. But we should
not yield to it. THE Joy of the world
worketh death. and death ends all its
Joy, but the Christians JOY only really
begins when death comes. Some one
has compared the joy of the sinner to
lightning fash and it is gone-and
the joy of the saint to light. lasting.
healthful healing and beautiful"
Which we should chose Is self evident.
BIBLE READINGS.
Neh. viii. 10; Ps. xvi, II: xxx, 5; Ii.
Il; Eccl. ii. Ill; Isa. xxxv. ITO: Matt.
Kill. 44-46; Luke XIV, II; Acts will, So;
Heb. xii, 1, .; Jas. |, IA; Pet. I. 10.