The Noblest Life, J. R. Miller, Things to Live For,
1896 Let no debt remain outstanding,
except the continuing debt to love one another, Romans 13,
8 Jesus taught that we should live
not to be served, but to serve. This is a lesson that is very
hard to learn. It is easy enough to utter sentimental
platitudes about the nobleness of service, but no one can truly
live after this heavenly pattern until his being is saturated
with divine grace. Serve one another in love. Galatians 5.13. There are countless
opportunities for usefulness and helpfulness open to earnest
Christians. Every day's life is full of occasions
where good may be done by simple deeds or words of kindness. The value of these unpurposed
things is very great. We may live all day and every
day, so that each step of our path may be brightened by loving
service. The world needs our love continually. We meet no one from morning until
night, whom we may not help, in some little way at least.
It is possible for us to make a good deal more than most of
us do of these opportunities for the service of love. Every
individual Christian is the center of a circle whose hearts he may
touch with a blessing of love. He is a custodian of blessing
which He is to impart to others. The noblest life is the one that
is given up most unselfishly to serving. God has so ordered
that we cannot love and serve Him, and not also love and serve
our fellow men. Jesus made this very plain in
his picture of the last judgment, when he said that he is hungry
in every hungry little one of his. that He is sick in every
least one of His who is sick, that in the stranger who comes
to our door, He stands before us waiting for the hospitality
of love. In serving His people, we are
serving Him. In neglecting His people, we
neglect Him. We cannot fulfill our duty of
loving Christ and serving Him while we ignore our fellow men.
He accepts no such service. If we say we love Him, He points
to the needy, the hungry, the sick, the burdened ones, the
suffering all about us, and says, show your love to My people,
I do not need service now, but these need it. serve them in
my name, look at each one of them as if I were myself the
one in pain or need, and do for these, my brethren, just what
you would do for me if I were actually in their condition.
To act selfishly toward a believer is to act selfishly toward Christ. To neglect a believer who needs
our help is to neglect Christ himself. To do good to any in
Christ's name is to serve Christ Himself. We must look upon every
believer as if he were Christ. We dare not pass by anyone carelessly
we know not to whom we may have a duty of love. We are always
safe in assuming that we have an errand of love to everyone
we meet. We need not announce our mission,
and we must never display ostentation in the discharge of our duty
of love. We need only to hold ourselves
in readiness, with all of love's humility, alacrity, and gentleness,
to do whatever heart or hand may find to do in serving Him. Our duty to Him may be nothing
more than the showing of kindness in our manner, the giving of
a hearty greeting, or the inspiration of a cheerful countenance. But
however small the service may be which it is ours to render,
it is a divine ministry. No mere theoretical acknowledgment
of this universal obligation will avail. Lofty sentiment is
not enough. We must get the sentiment into
practical life. We must bring our visions down
out of ethereal mists. into something substantial and
real. We must let the love of our heart
flow out in life, and act, and helpful ministry. In this world,
in which there is so much need, sorrow, and heart hunger, Loving
service has a holy mission everywhere. If we would be Christ-like, we
must, like our Master, go about doing good. I am among you as
the one who serves. Luke 22, 27. We can learn this
divine lesson of service by regarding every person we meet as one to
whom we are sent on an errand of love. This will put an end
to all our supercilious pride and haughtiness. We shall no
more set ourselves up on little pedestals of self-conceit, demanding
homage from others. Rather, like our Master, we shall
stand with basin and towel, ready to wash, the feet of the lowliest.