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“Bear Ye One Another’s Burdens”, November 24
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of
you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to
the body; what doth it profit?
James 2:15, 16
.
Any neglect of duty to the needy and to the afflicted is a neglect of
duty to Christ in the person of His saints. When the cases of all come in
review before God, the question What did they profess? is never asked, but,
What have they done? Have they been doers of the Word? Have they lived
for themselves? or have they been exercised in works of benevolence, in
deeds of kindness, in love preferring others before themselves, and denying
themselves that they might bless others? If the record shows that this has
been their life, that their characters have been marked with tenderness,
self-denial, and benevolence, they will receive the blessed assurance and
benediction from Christ, “Well done.” ...
Our spiritual strength and blessing will be proportionate to the labor
of love and good works which we perform. The injunction of the apos-
tle is, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ”
(
Galatians 6:2
). Keeping the commandments of God requires of us good
works, self-denial, self-sacrifice, and devotion for the good of others, not
that our good works alone can save us, but that we surely cannot be saved
without good works. After we have done all that we are capable of doing
we are then to say, We have done no more than our duty, and at best are
unprofitable servants, unworthy of the smallest favor from God. Christ
must be our righteousness....
All around us there are those who have soul hunger and who long for
love expressed in words and deeds. Friendly sympathy and real feelings
of tender interest for others would bring to our souls blessings that we
have never yet experienced, and would bring us into close relation to our
Redeemer, whose advent to the world was for the purpose of doing good,
and whose life we are to copy. What are we doing for Christ
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29
The Review and Herald, July 13, 1886
.
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