Missions on the Frontline
a ministry of WorldVenture
Rallied by the Command of God
Below is an excerpt from James Stalker's 1889 book, Imago Christi: The Example of Jesus Christ. Stalker was a young Scottish pastor when he wrote this work. His comments are still relevant for today. Rev. Stalker strips away the romanticism of missionary and pastoral ministry and brings us face to face with the command of God and the example of Christ.
Enthusiasm for humanity is a noble passion and sheds a beautiful glow over the first efforts of an unselfish life. But it is hardly stern enough for the uses of the world. There come hours of despair when men seem hardly worth our devotion. They are so base and ungrateful, and our best efforts are able to change them so little, that the temptation is strong to throw up the thankless task. Those for whom we are sacrificing ourselves take all we can do as a matter of course; they pass us by unnoticed, or turn and rend us, as if we were their enemies. Why should we continue to press our gifts on those who do not want them? Worse still is the sickening consciousness that we have but little to give: perhaps we have mistaken our vocation; it is a world out of joint, but were we born to put it right? This is where a sterner motive is needed than love of men; our retreating zeal requires to be rallied by the command of God. It is His work; these souls are His; He has committed them to our care; and at the judgment-seat He will demand an account of them.
All prophets and apostles who have dealt with men for God have been driven on by this impulse, which has recovered them in hours of weakness and enabled them to face the opposition of the world. Most of them have experienced a crisis in which this call has come and clearly determined their life-work.
This was one of the strongest motives of Christ's life also. It gave to it its irresistible momentum; it strengthened Him in the face of opposition; it rescued Him from the dark hour of despair. He was never weary of asserting that the works He did were not His own, but God's; and that so were the words He spoke. His comfort was that every step He took was in fulfillment of the divine will. (Stalker, pp.152-153)
Enthusiasm for humanity is a noble passion and sheds a beautiful glow over the first efforts of an unselfish life. But it is hardly stern enough for the uses of the world. There come hours of despair when men seem hardly worth our devotion. They are so base and ungrateful, and our best efforts are able to change them so little, that the temptation is strong to throw up the thankless task. Those for whom we are sacrificing ourselves take all we can do as a matter of course; they pass us by unnoticed, or turn and rend us, as if we were their enemies. Why should we continue to press our gifts on those who do not want them? Worse still is the sickening consciousness that we have but little to give: perhaps we have mistaken our vocation; it is a world out of joint, but were we born to put it right? This is where a sterner motive is needed than love of men; our retreating zeal requires to be rallied by the command of God. It is His work; these souls are His; He has committed them to our care; and at the judgment-seat He will demand an account of them.
All prophets and apostles who have dealt with men for God have been driven on by this impulse, which has recovered them in hours of weakness and enabled them to face the opposition of the world. Most of them have experienced a crisis in which this call has come and clearly determined their life-work.
This was one of the strongest motives of Christ's life also. It gave to it its irresistible momentum; it strengthened Him in the face of opposition; it rescued Him from the dark hour of despair. He was never weary of asserting that the works He did were not His own, but God's; and that so were the words He spoke. His comfort was that every step He took was in fulfillment of the divine will. (Stalker, pp.152-153)
Comment
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Comment by Becky Waldrup on February 26, 2010 at 4:02pm -
As I get older, I seem to feel more often just what is described above as the ebb of enthusiasm for humanity. I wonder if that is why older people seem to get grumpier! They have just lived around people for too long! But then, I am no different than those other people, either. Because I am thankful that Jesus didn't just finally shrug his shoulders at me, that should be my motivation to still care about others as well. Maybe I need to find an accountability partner to be my "grumpy monitor". No, not Dave!
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