Missionary Work
193
Now is the time to use means for God. Now is the time to be rich in
good works, laying up in store for ourselves a good foundation against
the time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal life. One soul saved
in the kingdom of God is of more value than all earthly riches. We are
answerable to God for the souls of those with whom we are brought in
contact, and the closer our connections with our fellow men the greater
our responsibility. We are one great brotherhood, and the welfare of
our fellow men should be our great interest. We have not one moment
to lose. If we have been careless in this matter, it is high time we were
now in earnest to redeem the time, lest the blood of souls be found on
our garments. As children of God, none of us are excused from taking
a part in the great work of Christ in the salvation of our fellow men.
It will be a difficult work to overcome prejudice and to convince
the unbelieving that our efforts to help them are disinterested. But this
should not hinder our labor. There is no precept in the word of God
that tells us to do good to those only who appreciate and respond to
our efforts, and to benefit those only who will thank us for it. God has
sent us to work in His vineyard. It is our business to do all we can.
“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine
hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that.”
We have too little faith. We limit the Holy One of Israel. We should
be grateful that God condescends to use any of us as His instruments.
For every earnest prayer put up in faith for anything, answers will be
returned. They may not come just as we have expected; but they will
come, not perhaps as we have devised, but at the very time when we
most need them. But, oh, how sinful is our unbelief! “If ye abide in
Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall
be done unto you.”
Young men who are engaged in this work should not trust too much
to their own abilities. They are inexperienced and should seek to learn
wisdom from those who have had long experience in the work and
who have had opportunities to study character.
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Instead of our ministering brethren laboring among the churches,
God designs that we should spread abroad and our missionary labor be
extended over as much ground as we can possibly occupy to advantage,
going in every direction to raise up new companies. We should ever
leave upon the minds of new disciples an impression of the importance
of our mission. As able men are converted to the truth, they should