HE WAS A YOUNG CHRISTIAN, and he meant that he was debarred from the sports and worldly interests that people of the world enjoy. But although a Christian he was not a worker for the Master, and so felt that his life was more or less empty. Are there not many young Christian men and women like him? They are saved, sure of their salvation, perhaps regular attendants at the meetings, yet they do not serve the Lord, and secretly long to go in for the things of the world. Some are gifted, enjoy good health and a fine presence, and have plenty of leisure time. They are like the Dead Sea, with many inlets, but no outlet; they receive but do not give. They are losers here, and will lose when we all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, when the whole life will be passed under review, and rewards given according to faithfulness to Him and His Word.
Perhaps you do not like the way in which so-and-so tries to do Christian work! Well, he is probably far from satisfied himself with the way he does it. But how do you do it? Perhaps you say, ‘Oh, I don’t do it at all’. Well, we like the way so-and-so does it, better than the way you don’t do it! A Christian young lady exclaimed, ‘I cannot get interested in Christian work!’. ‘No, dear’, said her aunt, ‘you can hardly expect to; it is just like getting interest from a bank. You have to put something in first; and the more you put in, in the way of time, money and prayer, the more die interest grows. But something you must put in, or you will never have any interest. Try it and see!’.
Much gift possessed by Christians is used for the world and not for the Lord. The pampered parasite of the pew retards the progress of the Gospel. Beware of becoming a parasite Christian – always getting, but never giving. Make up your mind never to allow pride and laziness to keep you from serving the Lord. Do not wait until you have developed middle-age spread; or worse, that middle-age fatty degeneration of the conscience that permits some comfortably-off religious people to spend more time and money on a day’s meals than they would on the Gospel in a month. Don’t you love the Lord enough to try to do something for Him and His lambs? You have the best thing in the world; will you not in some way bring it to the notice of others who need it, even if they do not want it?
A sense of unfitness is right, but our sufficiency is from Christ, and greater fitness comes with practice. Learning to swim is a nervous business and it involves getting wet; so, too, with serving the Lord. No matter how nervous and apprehensive we may be, we must make a start. If we refuse to do anything for the Lord, the time may come when we shall be unable to do anything for Him at all.
