It is not your work that He wants
most, it is you, J. R. Miller, the glory of the commonplace. Arise, my darling, my beautiful
one, and come with me. Song of Songs 210 He said to
them, Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place. Mark 6 31 G. Campbell Morgan tells of a friend
of his who had a little daughter that he dearly loved. They were
great friends, the father and daughter, and were always together. but there seemed to come an estrangement
on the child's part. The father could not get her
company as formerly. She seemed to shun him. If he
wanted her to walk with him, she always had something else
to do. The father was grieved and could
not understand what the trouble was. His birthday came, and in
the morning, his daughter came to his room, her face radiant
with love, and handed him a present. Opening the parcel, he found
a pair of exquisitely made slippers. The father said, My child, it
was very good of you to buy me such lovely slippers. Oh, father,
she said, I did not buy them, I made them for you. Looking
at her, he said, I think I understand now what long has been a mystery
to me. Is this what you have been doing
for the last three months?" Yes, she said, but how did you know
how long I have been at work on them? He said, because for
three months I have missed your company and your love. I have
wanted you with me, but you have been too busy. These are beautiful
slippers, but next time buy your present, and let me have you
all the days. I would rather have my child
herself than anything she could make for me. Just so, we are
in danger of being so busy in the Lord's work that we cannot
be enough with the Lord in love's fellowship. He may say to us,
I like your works, your toils, your service, but I miss the
love you gave me at first. There is real danger that we
get so busy in striving to be active Christians, so absorbed
in our tasks and duties, our efforts to bring others into
the church, that Christ Himself shall be less loved and shall
miss our communing with Him. Loyalty to Christ means, first
of all, devotion. Has Christ really the highest
place in your heart? It is not your work that He wants
most. It is you. It is beautiful to
do things for Him. It is still more beautiful to
make a home for Him in your heart. A young man, at great cost, brought
from many countries the most beautiful materials he could
find, and built an exquisite little chapel as a memorial to
his dead wife. Only a few men could do anything
so rare, so lovely. but the poorest of us can enthrone
Jesus in our hearts, making a little sanctuary in our hearts for Him. Yet I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first
love. Revelation 2.4