Works and Service
Posted by preachgospelblog.com | Filed under Illustrations of Bible Truths
1. I’ll Take the Job
On a Friday morning an eager young man from Stanford University stood before Louis Janin seeking part-time employment. “All I need right now,” said Janin, “is a typist.” “I’ll take the job,” said the young man, “but I can’t come back until next Tuesday.” On Tuesday he reported for duty. “Why couldn’t you come back before today?” Janin wanted to know. “Because I had to rent a typewriter and learn to use it,” was the unexpected answer. That quickly-prepared typist was Herbert Hoover. Do you know of a place where there is almost no witness for Christ at all? Learn the job that will take you there.
2. No Idler
King Antigonus, when he had not seen Cleanthes, the philosopher, for a long time, said to him, “Do you continue to grind (referring to the occupation by which he supported himself)?” “Yes, sir,” replied the philosopher, “I still grind; that I do to gain my living, and not to depart from philosophy.”
3. Joy in Being Useful
A discouraged young doctor in one of our large cities was visited by his father who came from a rural district. “Well, son,” he asked, “How are you getting along?” “I’m not getting along at all,” was the reply. The old man’s countenance fell, but he spoke courage and patience and hope. Later in the day he went with his son to the free dispensary. He sat in silence while twenty-five poor unfortunates received help. When the door had closed upon the last one, the old man burst out, “I thought you told me you were doing nothing. Why, if I had helped out twenty-five people in a month, I would thank God that my life counted for something.” “There isn’t any money in it, though,” objected the son. “Money!” the old man shouted. “What is money compared with being useful to your fellow men?” How true! Mercifulness carries within it its own reward and joy.
4. The Sympathetic Jewel
A man visited Tiffany’s jewelry store in New York City. He was shown a magnificent diamond with its gleaming yellow light and many other splendid stones. But he observed one stone that was perfectly lusterless and said, “That has no beauty about it at all.” The friend who was with him put the stone in the hollow of his hand and held it there for a few minutes. When he opened it, the man said, “What a surprise! There is not a place on it the size of a pinhead that does not gleam with the splendor of the rainbow. What did you do with it?” His friend answered, “This is an opal. It is what we call the sympathetic jewel. It only needs contact with the human hand to bring out its wonderful beauty.” How many lives there are that need only the warm touch of human sympathy to make them gleam with opalescent splendor.
5. Raising the Bell
The story is told of a heavy bronze bell that had sunk into a river in China. The efforts of various engineers to raise it had been of no avail. At last a clever native priest asked permission to make the attempt on the condition that the bell should be given to his temple. He then had his assistants gather an immense number of bamboo rods. These are hollow, light, and practically unsinkable. They were taken down by divers, one by one, and fastened to the bell. After many thousands of them had been thus fastened, it was noticed that the bell began to move, and, when the last one had been added, the buoyancy of the accumulated rods was so great that they actually lifted the enormous mass of bronze to the surface. You may think your bamboo rod is too small and light to make any difference, but it is necessary in God’s sight to help in lifting souls to God and to lend strength to the others.
6. Seeing through God’s Eyes
On one occasion a prime minister of France summoned an eminent surgeon to perform a very serious operation upon him. “You must not expect to treat me in the same rough manner that you treat the poor miserable wretches at your hospital,” said the prime minister. “Sir,” replied the surgeon with great dignity, “every one of those miserable wretches, as you are pleased to call them, is a prime minister in my eyes.” How important it is for us to realize that the soul of a rich, famous, or highly educated person is not more precious in the sight of God than that of an ignorant beggar. We are all God’s field. There isn’t a soul on earth to whom we ought to give nothing but our best in cultivating it and making it what God originally meant it to be. Let us look upon the whole of humanity as God’s own field deserving our best service.
7. Help Dispel the Darkness
An Australian native preacher went to a little church in the bush to preach. It was dusk when he arrived, the place was without light, and he wondered what to do about it. Presently, he saw twinkling lights moving about through the bush. His congregation was arriving. Each person carried a hurricane lamp, and as they came in they placed their lamps upon a shelf around the chapel wall. Soon the whole place was flooded with light. Each had contributed light that had dispelled the darkness. Your share is needed in a world which desperately needs the illumination of the gospel.
8. A Higher Honor
When an important building was about to be erected, a certain artist begged to be permitted to make one of the doors. If this could not be permitted, he asked that he might make one little panel of one of the doors. Or if this, too, were denied him, he craved that he might at least be permitted to hold the brushes for the artist to whom the honor of doing work should be awarded. If so small a part in a work of earth were esteemed so high a privilege, it is a far higher honor to have even the least share with Christ in His great work of human redemption.
9. Living for Others
If you were to visit Paris, you could see the statues of two men, both named Louis. The first is of Louis XIV , France’s absolute monarch, who is remembered today chiefly for his exclamation, “I am the State.” He represents one of the supreme achievements of greatness through power. His philosophy of life was that the whole nation and the world, insofar as he could compel it, should serve him. A few blocks away is a less pretentious statue. There is no uniform on this figure carved in stone, no badge of office, no sword, no crown. It is a memorial to Louis Pasteur, the servant of humanity and servant of God. His life of unselfish, devoted research conferred immeasurable benefits upon all humanity in the years to come through overcoming disease and suffering. The statue of the monarch is nothing more than a piece of sculpture; the statue of Pasteur is a shrine where pilgrims from all over the world pay grateful homage. It is the uncrowned servant of mankind who wears the real crown of men’s love and honor. As you look back, would you rather be remembered as Louis XIV who became supreme ruler of France and now has just a statue to commemorate him or Louis Pasteur who is now crowned as an apostle of mercy? God’s Word enjoins us not to be affected by the glamor of the moment but rather by the judgment of eternity.
10. Good Service Required
A boy who applied for work was told by the manager he did not think they had enough work to keep another boy employed. The boy said, “But I am sure, sir, that you must have enough work to hire me. You don’t know what a little amount of work it takes to keep me busy.” Many so-called disciples are like this boy. They want to follow Jesus, not to see how much they can do for Him, but how little. To such the Lord never says, “Follow me.” Any who enter Christian service for the sake of having an easy time will be disappointed. Christ is a busy Commander of busy soldiers.
11. Not for Money, for Christ
Is our first interest in life the accumulation of wealth, or are we like that Burmese boatman who, when asked by a missionary whether he was willing to preach the Gospel to his fellow countrymen at only one-fourth of the salary he was now getting, said to the missionary, “I will not go for that small pay, but I will go for Christ.”
12. A Life of Service
A certain family had two sons. The older said he must make a name for his family, so turned his face toward Parliament and fame. The younger decided to give his life to the service of Christ and turned his face toward China and duty. He was Hudson Taylor, the missionary, who died beloved and known on every continent. “But,” someone wrote, “when I looked in the encyclopedia to see what the other son had done, I found these words, ‘the brother of Hudson Taylor.’ ” It may be that some were inclined to ridicule him when he went to the mission field, but in the end, he was respected and admired. His mercifulness had not been in vain, even as far as the world was concerned. But the merciful also receive recognition and reward from God Himself. This takes place both in this world and, in its full measure, in the world to come.
13. Mansion or Cottage
A rich woman dreamed that she went to heaven and saw there a mansion being built. “Who is that for?” she asked of the guide. “For your gardener.” “But he lives in the tiniest cottage on earth with barely room enough for his family. He might live better if he did not give so much to the miserable, poor folk.” Farther on she saw a tiny cottage being built. “And who is that for?” she asked. “That is for you.” “But I have lived in a mansion on earth. I would not know how to live in a cottage.” The words she heard in reply were full of meaning: “The Master Builder is doing His best with the material that is being sent up.”
14. The Master and the Violin
A wealthy Englishman had in his valuable collection a rare violin which Fritz Kreisler, the celebrated virtuoso, greatly longed to possess. When the owner persisted in refusing to part with it, Kreisler begged permission to play it just once. That was granted. With trembling hands the artist tuned the instrument and then played. He played as only genius can play. He poured his heart into his music. The Englishman stood as one transfixed until the playing had ceased, and he did not speak until Kreisler had tenderly returned the instrument to the antique box, as gently a mother puts her baby to bed. “Take the violin,” he burst out. “It is yours. I have no right to keep it. It ought to belong to the man who can play it as you did.” That was odd reasoning, and yet it has something compellingly illustrative of the attitude that Paul wanted to arouse in the Corinthians who were made rich in Christ (1 Cor 1:5). In a sense, ought not an instrument belong to the master who can draw the finest music from it? Ought not your life and mine belong to the Master who can draw the noblest harmonies from them?
15. Tried by Fire
Pompeii in Italy and St. Pierre in Martinique can both teach us a lesson. On both of these, fire caused by a volcano brought unprecedented destruction. The museums that contain relics of these catastrophes display nothing that was made of wood. All that survived the fire were metallic objects. In Pompeii, pitchers, bowls, jewelry, and other ornaments survived the fire because they were composed of gold, silver, and precious stones. But no remains of wood, hay, and stubble have ever been discovered, for these things were completely destroyed in the heat of the catastrophe.
16. A True Servant
Someone asked an elderly Scotswoman what she thought of Robert Murray McCheyne’s preaching. She hesitated for a moment, then replied, “He preaches as if he was adying to have you saved.” Is that our spirit? Those who watch us will know. How appropriate was Spurgeon’s advice to a young minister who complained of the smallness of his congregation: “It is as large a one as you will want to give account for in the Day of Judgment.” The first thing others should discern in us, Paul says, is that we are servants of Christ-subservient, obedient to Him; that He is Master and we listen to what He says and do what He commands.
17. Losing the Bonus
Suppose a wealthy merchant were to charter a ship to go to some distant country and bring back a valuable cargo. To encourage speed and faithfulness, the merchant offers a bonus to officers and crew if they bring the ship home by a certain date with the cargo intact. The ship arrives at the foreign port, and the cargo is placed on board. But unfortunately a quantity of whiskey is also taken on board, and on the way the back the officers and men indulge in it too freely. They drive the ship upon the rocks, with the result that the cargo is lost. They send out an SOS, and men with lifesaving equipment put out from a nearby port and save them. They are thus saved from death, but they have lost the bonus they might have earned. Unrewarded, and with the loss of all their possessions, they return to their home port at the expense of others. Likewise, some souls escape hell by the skin of their teeth, but they have lost their reward.
18. Poor Service
A preacher went to see a dying old man who was very anxious about his soul. After a few visits by the preacher, the truth dawned upon him, and through repentance and faith he experienced the joy of forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. Just before he died, he said to the preacher with obvious regrets, “I feel such a sneak because I’ve served Satan all my life and only now at the end have I yielded my heart to God.” His conscience told him it was a mean, despicable way to accept and serve his Master and Redeemer.
19. In Partnership with God
A gardener expressed his idea of a coworker: “As I work in the garden with the flowers and vegetables I feel that I am having a share in creation.” And when a mother says to a little child who carries some small item into another room for her, “You are helping me,” what stature it gives to that child and what a sense of dignity and place in life’s affairs. This ought to take away any sense of the worthlessness of the countless small tasks you perform day by day. Look beyond the temporal and limited as you work in partnership with God. Your attitude will determine your sense of satisfaction with your task.
20. Singing in the Bishop’s Choir
One day at Perth, England, Bishop Wilkinson noticed a thin-faced boy looking at him intently. He went up to him and asked if the boy wished to speak to him. “No, sir,” said the lad, “only I sing in the same choir as you are in.” The Bishop’s friends laughed at the boy’s idea of his association with the Bishop in the church, but the Bishop didn’t laugh. It was precisely that spirit of partnership in God’s work that he wished to encourage. Similarly what a wonderful sense of satisfaction a Christian has when he can look at an infinite and eternal God and say, “Lord, I am your coworker.” That is the most rewarding and unique privilege we can have.
21. Fellow Laborers
Visit a factory where thousands of persons are employed. There is the manager sitting in his central office where he directs all the operations of the factory. Everyone is doing his or her separate job. But they are all fellow laborers with the manager; they are all necessary. Not one could do without the other. If one does his work badly the whole organization suffers. If one does his work well they all benefit. Some feel they have important work, some less important. But there isn’t one who is unimportant in the eyes of that man who is sitting in the general manager’s office.
22. The Wealthy Partner
A famous journalist abandoned a lucrative position for reasons of conscience. A friend asked, “Can you afford to do this?” “Well,” said the journalist, “you see, I have a very wealthy partner.” “Who is he?” asked the friend in surprise. “God Almighty,” was the reply. A man who is in partnership with God can afford to lose his own independence, to surrender it to the interests of the Kingdom of God, to accept the Divine dictates, because the wisdom and spiritual resources of the heavenly Father are at his disposal.
23. Jewels
The Koh-I-Noor diamond, when it came into the Queen of England’s possession, was a misshapen lump. It was necessary to have its corners cut off and its sides reduced to symmetry. No unskillful hand was permitted to touch it. Men of science were summoned to consider its nature and capacities. They examined the form of its crystals and the consistency of its parts. They considered the direction of the grain and the side on which it would bear pressure. With their instructions, the jewel was placed in the hands of an experienced lapidary, and by long, patient, careful labor its sides were ground down to the desired proportions. The gem was hard and needed a heavy pressure. It was precious and needed every precaution that science and skill could suggest to get it cut and polished into shape without cracking it in the process. The effort was successful. The hard diamond was fashioned into forms of beauty and yet sustained no damage by the greatness of the pressure to which it was subjected. “Jewels, bright jewels,” in the form of spiritual children were the heritage God gave to Paul, as a spiritual father. God may permit us to play the same role as spiritual parents to our children, or to the children of God in the Church. Let us recognize in either case that children are unshapely and need to be polished; they are hard and cannot be reduced to symmetry without firm handling; they are brittle, and so liable to be permanently damaged by the wrong kind of pressure; but they are stones of peculiar preciousness and, if they are successfully polished, they will shine as stars for ever and ever, giving off the glory they reflect from the Son of Righteousness.
24. Seek God’s Blessing Daily
When Sir James Thornhill painted the cupola of that world-famous structure, St. Paul’s Cathedral, in London, he was obliged to work while standing on a swinging scaffold far above the pavement. One day, when he had finished a detail on which he had spent days of painstaking effort, he paused to evaluate his work. So well had he succeeded in his task that he was lost in wonder and admiration. As he stood there gazing at the structure, he began to move backward to get a better view, forgetting where he was. Another artist, becoming suddenly aware that one more backward step would mean a fatal fall, made a sweeping stroke across the picture with his brush. The shocked artist rushed forward, crying out in anger and dismay; but when his companion explained his strange action, Thornhill burst into expressions of gratitude.
This is an excellent illustration of how God blesses the material things in our lives and why we should ask Him to bless them. There are two possible outcomes: Either our plans will turn out as we hoped or they will fail. Having asked God to bless, we ask Him to be a partner. Only if that is our attitude shall we have the grace to praise God whatever the outcome may be. If we succeed, we shall give Him all the credit. If we fail, we shall take it that He has something different in mind for us.
25. The Wise Pastor
A man who was greatly troubled came to his pastor because he said in all his good deeds he detected a mixture of selfish motives. “Should I stop doing these things,” he asked in perplexity, “since I find some self-gratification in all of them?” The wise pastor assured him while we are in the flesh we shall always suffer the humiliation of knowing that nothing about us is perfect, even our motives. It is a matter of committing ourselves to God to love and serve Him in all that we do; and if the byproduct of our actions is joy and satisfaction, there is nothing wrong in that.
26. The Two Builders
Paul envisions two builders on the one foundation, Jesus Christ. The one builds a palace, the other a shack. No doubt in Corinth , as in other ancient cities, side by side with the temples shining in marble and brass were the huts of the poor and the slaves, built of flimsy materials such as Paul mentions. He envisions a sudden flame playing around these buildings, the fire of the Lord coming to judgment. The marble gleams whiter, the silver, gold and jewels more resplendently, while the tongues of light leap about the palace. But the straw hut goes up in a flare. The two builders stand before God, the ultimate Paymaster. The one man gets wages for work that lasts; the other gets no pay for what perishes.
27. A Cup of Cold Water
Have you understood what is really involved in the “cup of cold water,” as Matt 10:42 calls it? There is more to it than appears on the surface. In Eastern lands the water is drawn up from a well in the court or fetched from a distance. The housewife brings in a supply in the morning and lets it stand ready for use. As the day goes on the water gets warm. It would be easy for her to give a cup of this water to a thirsty friend or stranger, but a “cup of cold water” implies the kindly thought that would lead her to take the trouble to draw it or fetch it straight from the well, perhaps in the heat of the day. So often we give what amounts to tepid water to save ourselves extra work. But I believe it is the “cup of cold water” that shall in no wise lose its reward. The principle would seem to be that going out of our way, making sacrifices to help the poor, will have a sure reward.
28. Someone Forgot
A hungry, scantily clothed little boy was crying pathetically. “I’m cold, I’m hungry!” he whimpered. A stranger approached him and asked, “Do you believe that God can take care of you?” “Yes,” replied the starving little boy with assurance. “Why, then does He not send someone to bring you warm clothing and some food?” “I know, sir, that He asked someone to do it, but I guess this somebody has forgotten it.”
29. Motive for Work
An Egyptian architect was commissioned by one of the Pharaohs to build a lighthouse at the mouth of the Nile. On a piece of rock that was duly selected, Cnidus, the architect, erected a fine edifice. Engraved upon the cement covering the outside of the lighthouse was the name Pharaoh. In a few years the effect of wind and rain had worn the cement away and Pharaoh’s name had vanished. Then it was discovered that the wily Cnidus had engraved his own name in the masonry beneath. Even Christian work may be done outwardly for the glory of God; but, when the underlying motive is laid bare, our own glory often turns out to be the real aim.
30. Works That Bear Fruit
A farmer was showing his fine orchard to a friend who admired its neat and regular appearance. “But,” said the friend, pointing to a peculiarly shaped tree, “if that were my tree I’d root it up in order to preserve the uniformity of the orchard.” The farmer smiled and said that he was more interested in the fruit than in the form. “This tree,” he said, “has yielded me more fruit than any of those trees that conform to a more regular pattern.” Sometimes Christian workers may become so accustomed to doing things in what they consider the traditional or time-honored way that they forget to evaluate its productiveness.
31. Compassion or Convenience
“Aunt Mary was very kind to stay with you this afternoon,” said a mother to the small convalescent whom she had left in care of a relative, and whose wearied little face an hour later did not speak well for the success of the experiment. “I hope you are not overly tired when she was trying so hard to amuse you.” “She wasn’t; she just wanted to amuse herself reading a book of hers to me when I wanted to play puzzles,” was the truthful reply.
32. Big Salary-Small Job
A brilliant young man with a magnetic personality went out to the mission field. His salary was just a pittance. A large commercial firm was so eager to obtain his services that they offered him ten times his salary, but he refused. They offered to make it even larger if he would accept. “Oh, the salary is big enough,” he told them, “but the job isn’t!”
33. Doing Versus Talking
A converted cowboy put it very well when he said, “Lots of folks that would really like to do right think that serving the Lord only means shouting themselves hoarse praising His name. Now I’ll tell you how I look at that. I am working for Jim here. Now if I would do nothing but sit around the house telling what a good fellow Jim is and singing songs to him, I would not suit Jim. But when I buckle on my straps and hustle among the hills and see that Jim’s herd is all right, not suffering for water and feed, or being driven off the range and branded by cow thieves, then I am serving Jim as he wants to be served.” Let that be our philosophy, too, when the temptation is to talk instead of serving the Lord.
34. Earthly Body Expendable
We thrill to Nathan Hale’s patriotic declaration, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country,” yet all too often we make some slight infirmity of the body our excuse for not serving the Lord. We contemplate with awe the inspiring poems of Martha Snell Nicholson, so crippled by arthritis that she was bedridden for years and seldom drew a pain-free breath. Yet her writings are fragrant with praise of her Savior. Her secret? She “endured, as seeing him who is invisible” (Heb 11:27). Through her poems and example she brought encouragement to thousands.
35. Loyalty Reciprocated
Queen Elizabeth once sent an ambassador far away on important and difficult business. He objected, saying to the queen, “But what will become of my business and my family?” The queen replied, “You take care of my business and I will take care of yours.” He went. In this he showed more faith than Christians who are unwilling to trust God’s care for business and family. How many vacancies on the mission field exist because of such a lack of faith or unwillingness to serve the Lord.
36. First Be Reconciled to Your Brother
There were two brothers who had a quarrel and thereafter refused to speak to each other. The mother did all she could to reconcile them but to no avail. It greatly distressed her and robbed her of peace and happiness. One of the brothers saw how badly his mother felt. Hoping to please her, he brought her a fine gift. She refused it. “I don’t want any gift,” she said, “until you have become reconciled to your brother.”
Leave a Reply
