Essentials Of The Faith / Midweek Devotional

Hannah Smith

Introduction to the Author
     Hannah Whitall Smith was a Quaker born in Philadelphia in 1832. Her book 'The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life' from which the following excerpts are taken, has become a classic. Published in 1870, it was a beacon of encouragement in the age in which it was written, and continues to inspire men and women to a more joyful life with Christ. It has sold nearly 2 million copies.
     Smith was by no means a dour servant of Christ but rather, her life expressed the joy found in complete surrender. the  'secret' to  a happy life, according to our author, is to trust implicitly in the promises of the Bible. Her goal was not to impress the scholar but to elevate the simple man or woman who longed for a more consecrated way of living.
     Deeply practical, her writings deal directly with the day to day struggles of ordinary people. She weaves her scriptural theology in and out of the stories of people's lives. In the following selection she deals frankly with the problem of feeling burdened by Christian service. What can be done when our work for God has lost its joy? Hannah Whitall Smith offers us excellent counsel.

1. The 'Must I?' of Duty
    There is, perhaps, no part of the Christian experience where a greater change occurs, upon entering into this life hid with Christ in God, than in the matter of service. In all the ordinary forms of Christian life, service is apt to have more or less of bondage in it, that is it is done purely as a matter of duty, and often as a trial and a cross.
     Certain things, which at the first may have been a joy and a delight, become after a while weary tasks, performed faithfully, perhaps, but with much secret disinclination and many confessed or unconfessed wishes that they need not be done at all, or at least they need not be done so often. The soul finds itself saying instead of the  'May I?' of love, the 'Must I?' of duty. The yoke which at first was easy begins to gall and the burden feels heavy instead of light.

2. The Treadmill of Daily Christian Work
     One dear Christian expressed it once to me in this way: 'When I was first converted' she said 'I was so full of joy and love that I was only too glad and thankful to be allowed to do anything for my Lord, and I eagerly entered every open door. But after a while as my earthly joy faded away and my love burned less fervently, I began to wish I had not been quite so eager; for I found myself involved in lines of service that were gradually becoming very distasteful and burdensome to me.'
     'Since I had begun them, I could not very well give them up without exciting great remark and yet I longed to do so increasingly. I was expected to visit the sick, pray beside their beds. I was expected to attend prayer meetings and to speak at them. In short, I was to be always ready for every effort in Christian work and the sense of these expectations bowed me down continually.
     'At last it became so unspeakably burdensome to me to live the sort of Christian life I had entered upon, and was expected to live, that I felt as if any kind of manual labor would have been easier; and I would have infinitely preferred scrubbing all day  on my hands and knees to being compelled to go through the treadmill of my daily Christian work. I envied the servants in the kitchen and the woman at the washtubs.'

3. A Constant Burden
     This may seem like a strong statement; but does it not present a vivid picture of some of your own experiences, dear Christian? Have you never gone to work as a slave to his daily task, believing it to be your duty and that therefore you must do it, but rebounding like a rubber ball back into your real interests and pleasures the moment your work was over?
     You have known of course that this was the wrong way to feel, and you have been thoroughly ashamed of it, but still you have seen no way to help it. You have not LOVED your word and could you have done  so with an easy conscience, you would have been glad to give it up altogether.
     Or if this does not describe your case, perhaps another picture will. You do love your work in the abstract, but in the doing of it you find so many responsibilities and cases connected with it.  You feel so many misgivings and doubts as to your own capacity or fitness, that it becomes a very heavy burden. You go to it bowed down and weary before the labor has even begun.  Then also you are continually distressing yourself about the results of your work. You are greatly troubled if they are not just what you would like and this of itself is a constant burden.

4. The Things We Want to Do
     Now, from all these forms of bondage the soul that enters fully into the blessed life of faith is entirely delivered. IN the first place, service of any sort becomes delightful to it, because having surrendered its will into the keeping of the Lord, He works in it to will and to do His good pleasure, and the soul finds itself really WANTING to do the things God wants it to do.
     It is always very pleasant to do the things we WANT to do, even if they are difficult to accomplish or make our bodies tired. IF our WILL is really set on a thing we view the obstacles that lie in the way of reaching it with a sublime indifference, and we laugh to ourselves at the idea of any opposition or difficulties which might hinder us.
     How many of us have gone gladly to the ends of the world in search of worldly fortunes or to fulfill worldly ambitions and have scorned the thought of any cross connected with it! How many mothers have congratulated themselves and rejoiced over the honor done their sons in seeing them promoted to a place of power and usefulness in their countries service, although it has involved perhaps years of separation and a life of hardship for their dear ones! And yet these same men and these same mothers would have felt and said that they were taking up crosses too heavy almost to be borne, had the service of Christ required the same sacrifice of home, friends and worldly ease.

5. Constraining Us by Love
     It is altogether the way we look at things, whether we think they are crosses or not. And I am ashamed to think that any Christian should ever put on a long face and shed tears over doing a thing for Christ which a worldly person would be only too glad to do for money.
     What we need in the Christian life is to get believers to WANT to do God's will as much as other people want to do their own will.  In describing the new covenant in Hebrews 8:6-13, the author  says that it is no longer the old covenant made on Sinai - that is, a law given from the outside, controlling a man by force, - but it shall be a law written WITHIN, constraining us by love.
    'I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts'. This can mean nothing but that we shall love His law; for anything written in our hearts we must love. 'And putting it into our minds' is surely the same as God working in us to 'will and to do of His good pleasure' and means that we shall will what God wills, and shall obey His sweet command. Not because it is our duty to do so, but because we ourselves want to do what He wants us to do.

6. God's Way of Working
     God's way of working, therefore, is to get possession of the inside of us, to take the control and management of our will and to work it for us.  Then obedience is easy and a delight and service becomes perfect freedom until the Christian is forced to explain 'this happy service! Who could dream earth had such liberty?'

7. Entire Control
     What you need to do, then, dear Christian, if you are in bondage in the matter of service, is to put your will over completely into the hands of your lord, surrendering to Him the entire control of it. Say 'Yes, Lord, Yes!' and trust Him so to work in you to will as to bring your whole wishes and affections into conformity with His own sweet, and lovable and most lovely will.

8. The Lord Is Our Burden-Bearer
     The Master-workmen surely has a right to use any tool He pleases for His own work, and it is plainly not the business of the tool to decide whether it is the right one to be used or not. He knows and if He chooses to use us of course we must be fit. And in truth, if we only knew it, our chief fitness is in our utter helplessness. His strength is made perfect, not in our strength but in our weakness. Our strength is only a hindrance.

Read: Hebrews 8:6-13

Reflection

1. Make a list of all the things you do. Use two headings: 'Things I have to do" and "Things I want to do" What does the length of the lists teach you about yourself?

2. Meditate on Hebrews 8:6-13 sometime this week. Turn your meditation into prayer asking Christ to liberate you from the have to's of duty to the want to's of desire.

3. Rank yourself on a scale of 1 - 10 in the following category: Eagerness to serve others for God. Now ask the following questions: a. Am I serving mainly out of a sense of duty? b. Do I feel inadequate to serve?

4. Allow yourself to be a tool this week. Pay attention to the many way in which God can use you - even with your imperfections.