What Do Others See in Us?

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Somebody said once that some churches were too much like well-ordered graveyards: people were brought in and buried, and that was the end of it. Of course you cannot expect living people to want to take up their abodes in graveyards. We must have a fold that shows sheep in good condition if we expect outsiders to come into that fold; and if we want to attract others to the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must ourselves be able to show them that it is a satisfying and comfortable salvation. No one wants to add to their earthy discomforts by getting an uncomfortable religion, and it is useless to expect to win outsiders by the sight of our wretchedness.

Surely, if you do not care for yourselves, you cannot fail to care for the dishonor you bring upon your divine Shepherd by your poor and wretched condition. You long to serve Him, and to bring Him glory; and you can do it if you will but show to all the world that He is a Shepherd whom it is safe to trust.


--from The God of All Comfort by Hannah Whitall Smith

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The Tale of Two Pots

I knew a lady who had entered into this life of faith with a great outpouring of the Spirit, and a wonderful flood of light and joy. She supposed, of course, this was a preparation for some great service, and expected to be put forth immediately into the Lord's harvest field. Instead of this, almost at once her husband lost all his money, and she was shut up in her own house, to attend to all sorts of domestic duties, with no time or strength left for any Gospel work at all. She accepted the discipline, and yielded herself up as heartily to sweep, and dust, and bake, and sew, as she would have done to preach, or pray or write for the Lord. And the result was that through this very training He made her into a vessel "meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work."

Another lady, who had entered this life of faith under similar circumstances of wondrous blessing, and who also expected to be sent out to do some great work, was shut up with two peevish invalid nieces, to nurse, and humor, and amuse them all day long. Unlike the first lady, this one did not accept the training, but chafed and fretted, and finally rebelled, lost all her blessing, and went back into a state of sad coldness and misery. She had understood her part of trusting to begin with, but not understanding the divine process of accomplishing that for which she had trusted, she took herself out of the hands of the Heavenly Potter, and the vessel was marred on the wheel.

I believe many a vessel has been similarly marred by a want of understanding these things. The maturity of Christian experience cannot be reached in a moment, but is the result of the work of God's Holy Spirit, who, by His energizing and transforming power, causes us to grow up into Christ in all things. And we cannot hope to reach this maturity in any other way than by yielding ourselves up utterly and willingly to His mighty working. But the sanctification the Scriptures urge as a present experience upon all believers does not consist in maturity of growth, but in purity of heart, and this may be as complete in the babe in Christ as in the veteran believer.

--from The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith

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Gimme! Gimme!

Remember the song "Count Your Blessings"? I used to sing it as a child in church, but it seems as if it has been years since I last heard it. Why is that, I wonder? Is the advice offered in the song no longer valid? Have we become so focused on what we don't have that we have forgotten to be grateful for what God has given us?

Sometimes I feel like a child with my hand always stretched out to God. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! But God has already supplied all that I really need over the years - food, family, shelter, and so much more - and though harder times may come, I have full confidence that He will continue to take care of me. So why do I fret over the creature comforts I don't have instead of enjoying the ones He has already provided for me?

The answer lies in the fact that many of us live in a perpetual state of ingratitude towards God. Oh, we may be very happy that we've been saved, but do we truly take the time to reflect for very long on what that gift cost God? We may enjoy the good things in our lives, but do we ever stop and consider the truth of the statement that all good things come from God in the first place? The very fact that I can write these words and you have the ability to read them is a direct result of God's provision. How long has it been since we have slowed down long enough to sit and meditate on the awe-inspiring truth that the God of the universe loves little you and me so much that He is willing not only to listen to us but to also take care of our needs?

Living with a grateful, contented heart is so much more comforting than living with one's hand always stretched out for more.

The psalmist says, “In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” But I am afraid that among the multitude of our thoughts within us there are far too often many more thoughts of our own discomforts than of God’s comforts. We must think of His comforts if we are to be comforted by them. It might be a good exercise of soul for some of us to analyze our thoughts for a few days, and see how many thoughts we actually do give to God’s comforts, compared with the number we give to our own discomforts. I think the result would amaze us!

--from The God of All Comfort by Hannah Whitall Smith

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