unreserved consecration, for undivided service. He demands the
heart, the mind, the soul, the strength. Self is not to be cherished.
He who lives to himself is not a Christian.
Love must be the principle of action. Love is the underlying
principle of God’s government in heaven and earth, and it must be
the foundation of the Christian’s character. This alone can make and
keep him steadfast. This alone can enable him to withstand trial and
temptation.
And love will be revealed in sacrifice. The plan of redemption
was laid in sacrifice—a sacrifice so broad and deep and high that it
is immeasurable. Christ gave all for us, and those who receive Christ
will be ready to sacrifice all for the sake of their Redeemer. The
thought of His honor and glory will come before anything else.
If we love Jesus, we shall love to live for Him, to present our thank
offerings to Him, to labor for Him. The very labor will be light. For
His sake we shall covet
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pain and toil and sacrifice. We shall sympathize with His longing for
the salvation of men. We shall feel the same tender craving for souls
that He has felt.
This is the religion of Christ. Anything short of it is a deception.
No mere theory of truth or profession of discipleship will save any
soul. We do not belong to Christ unless we are His wholly. It is
by halfheartedness in the Christian life that men become feeble in
purpose and changeable in desire. The effort to serve both self and
Christ makes one a stony-ground hearer, and he will not endure when
the test comes upon him.
Among Thorns
“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth
the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches,
choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
The gospel seed often falls among thorns and noxious weeds; and
if there is not a moral transformation in the human heart, if old habits
and practices and the former life of sin are not left behind, if the
attributes of Satan are not expelled from the soul, the wheat crop will
be choked. The thorns will come to be the crop, and will kill out the
wheat.
Grace can thrive only in the heart that is being constantly prepared
for the precious seeds of truth. The thorns of sin will grow in any
soil; they need no cultivation; but grace must be carefully cultivated.
The briers and thorns are always ready to spring up, and the work of
purification must advance continually. If the heart is not kept under
the control of God, if the Holy Spirit does not work unceasingly to
refine and ennoble the character, the old habits will reveal themselves
in the life. Men may profess to believe the gospel; but unless they are
sanctified
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by the gospel their profession is of no avail. If they do not gain the
victory over sin, then sin is gaining the victory over them. The thorns
that have been cut off but not uprooted grow apace, until the soul is
overspread with them.
Christ specified the things that are dangerous to the soul.
As recorded by Mark He mentions the cares of this world, the
deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things. Luke specifies
the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life. These are what choke
the word, the growing spiritual seed. The soul ceases to draw
nourishment from Christ, and spirituality dies out of the heart.
“The cares of this world.” No class is free from the temptation to
worldly care. To the poor, toil and deprivation and the fear of want
bring perplexities and burdens. To the rich come fear of loss and
a multitude of anxious cares. Many of Christ’s followers forget the
lesson He has bidden us learn from the flowers of the field. They
do not trust to His constant care. Christ cannot carry their burden,
because they do not cast it upon Him. Therefore the cares of life,
which should drive them to the Saviour for help and comfort, separate
them from Him.
Many who might be fruitful in God’s service become bent on
acquiring wealth. Their whole energy is absorbed in business
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enterprises, and they feel obliged to neglect things of a spiritual
nature. Thus they separate themselves from God. We are enjoined
in the Scriptures to be “not slothful in business.” Romans 12:11. We
are to labor that we may impart to him who needs. Christians must
work, they must engage in business, and they can do this without
committing sin. But many become so absorbed in business that they
have no time for prayer, no time for the study of the Bible, no time
to seek and serve God. At times the longings of the sou
