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THE MESSENGERS

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · April 8, 1880

FromThe Review and Herald, Vol. 55, No. 15

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THE MESSENGERS.

By J. E. Green

BY J. E. GREEN.
Brethren and sisters, hold up the hands of the ministers by your sympathy and prayers. Encourage their hearts by word and act, and let them feel that though they have left home and loved ones, they are not entirely away from true friends, although among those who are new and untried. Make them feel at home at your firesides; but do not starve their souls with apologies. Remember they are human beings, with feelings and sympathies like your own; and if they come in unexpectedly, do not thus chill the warmth of your welcome.
“But,” says one, “what shall I do, if the minister comes in and my floor is unswept and morning’s work undone?” I have no doubt he has seen the same thing at his own home many a time; so turn your attention to making him feel that he is welcome, and he will, like any other sensible man, mentally make apologies for you; if he cannot do that, he should choose a more opportune hour for his call. If he has come to stay with you while he presents the truth to your neighbors and friends, let him feel that you esteem it a privilege to share with him the best your house affords, and that you realize that the blessing of God comes with him.
Pray for the ministers, that God may give them all needed wisdom, and may comfort their hearts as they go from their homes to gather in sheaves for the harvest of the Lord. But do not expect perfection in them. If God had meant that we should have perfect messengers, he would have sent us some of the glorified ones who have passed through earth’s conflicts, and are counted worthy of eternal life, like Enoch or Elijah.
Remember, also, to pray for their wives and children. How many lonely hours, how many cares and heartaches, their companions must experience while deprived of the society of their best earthly counselor and friend. And, finally, let us all pray more for one another.