| Week-Day Religion |
Chapter 10 |
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If we do our secular work thus, it will be acceptable to the Lord as service rendered to him. It may be impossible with each separate act to have the conscious feeling, “I do this for Christ.” As far as possible, we should cultivate the habit of this minute serving. It will give a wondrous inspiration to our lives, and will change even drudgery into service as holy as angels’ ministries. It is not impossible to learn to do even this. But if the great underlying motive of all our life be to serve and honor Christ and bless the world, the whole includes all its parts. And thus the dreariest paths of duty will become bright ways of joy, the commonest drudgeries of life will become clothed in garments of beauty, and all routine work, in home and field, in shop and office, in school and study, will appear sacred and holy because done for the Master.
But amid these common secular duties come countless opportunities of serving in another sense by active ministries to others. This is always pleasing to Christ; indeed, he puts himself behind every one who needs help or comfort, and accepts all deeds of benevolence and true charity as done to himself. And there is not an hour of our waking existence that does not bring us in contact with other lives that need something we have to give. We are not to wait for opportunities to do great things – not to keep watching for some splendid thing which by its conspicuous importance may win for us the applause of men – but are to do always, moment by moment, the thing that comes to our hand. It may be to speak a cheering word to one who is disheartened, to join in a child’s play, to mend a broken toy, to send a few flowers made more fragrant by your love into a sick room, or to write a letter of condolence or sympathy. It is the thing, small or great, which our hand finds at the moment to do.
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