The Measure of Our Love
By John M. Hopkins
How much do we love the Master and his cause? How much, as compared with earthly interests, do we love things of eternal importance? Certainly the Word of God teaches industry and economy, and that by every honorable and legitimate means we should acquire property. Idleness and slothfulness are most emphatically denounced in the Book of God. But while we are thus instructed, what is the object in view?—Evidently the supply of bodily necessities and the advancement of the higher attainments and conditions of life; and these, not for ourselves only, but for the human family. The great heart of God pulsates with love for all mankind. And when one has become a child of God, should not his interests be identical with those of God? Should he not have the mind of God, of Christ? “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2: 5-8), the most cruel, shameful, terrible death one could die. This was, and is, expressive of the love of God the Father and of Christ for sinners. In all this there was not the least possible vestige of selfishness. And now how is it with us, his professed children and followers? He has abundantly blessed many with landed estates, others with gold or silver. All have some gifts expressive of his goodness. How are we using them? How many there are who, like the rich man, are tearing down and building larger, are adding farm to farm, thousands to thousands, increasing indulgences and luxuries, while Jesus is reaching out his wounded, bleeding hands, pleading for help to save some poor lost soul. Of course God wants us to be clothed and fed and sheltered, to be comfortable and respectable. But there are so many of his creatures, our brothers and sisters in the one common family of humanity, who are absolutely suffering for the barest necessities of life, who know not God, or Christ, or the blessings of the gospel; these are pleading for help. And how wicked and foolish it is, when we know we can not long retain our possessions, to hoard them up for ourselves. “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” at the very longest we can not long keep our possessions. Death will surely overtake us. And how strange it is that so many, even with palsied, trembling hand, clung so tenaciously to their gold. What can it signify to them when decaying in the grave? If a long life of enjoyment were before them, there might then be some little seeming excuse or reason for holding and increasing wealth. But now, when the end of all things earthly is upon us, what sensible, consistent reason have we for so doing? It certainly is right to increase our means all we can properly, but not to set our affections upon riches. The Lord requires us to make every dollar we can honestly, to be a blessing to the world, not an idol that will shut us out from the kingdom. O that God's remnant people were awake to their own best interests! O that their hearts were filled with Christ's holy love and zeal, and they fully identified with him in his cause!