Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to read a few scriptures together, first of all in Numbers chapter 3.
Numbers, Chapter 3.
And the 12TH verse.
And I behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel, instead of all the first born that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be mine, because all the first born are mine. For on the day that I smote all the first born in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the first born in Israel, both man and beast, they shall, mine shall.
Only be I am the Lord.
Now turning over to the 4th chapter.
And the 49th verse.
According to the commandment of the Lord, they were numbered by the hand of Moses, everyone according to his service and according to his burden. Thus were they numbered of him as the Lord commanded Moses.
How could we turn over to Romans chapter 12?
Romans, chapter 12.
Verse one.
I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that she present yourselves a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable or intelligent service, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
For I say, through the grace given to unto me.
To every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
We also turn back to Mark Chapter 13.
Verse 34.
For the Son of Man is, as a man, taking a far journey.
Who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the Porter to watch?
And Galatians chapter 6.
Galatians, chapter 6.
Beginning at the first verse, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, he which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted, bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone.
And not in another, For every man shall bear his own burden.
And just one more passage in Matthew chapter 25.
Matthew chapter 25 and verse 14.
For the Kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto 1 he gave 5 talents to another two, and to another one to every man, according to his several ability, and straightway took his journey.
The 20th verse. And so he that had received 5 talents came, and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, Thou delivers unto me 5 talents, Behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, Thou hast been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
Well, I was thinking this afternoon of the place the Lord has given to each one of us in the body of Christ, a place that He has given us to occupy, and how blessed it is for us to realize and know this and to seek to fulfill that place that God has given to us. Every one of us are different, and God has put each one wisely. Just like the members of our bodies. The eye performs a certain operation, the ear performs a certain operation.
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And every one of us, brother or sister, has a place to fulfill in the body of Christ, just as it was in the old economy with Israel. We find that God had a special place for each one of those Levites who were taken in place of the first born. We're living in a time when a great deal is being said about self esteem and all that kind of thing, but I believe it's very important for us to realize.
Now that God has given us a place not to esteem ourselves, but also in another sense to recognize that there is a special place given to each one of us to fulfill, and God's plan is always best when we fulfill His plan, that there is fruitfulness, there is happiness, and in the end there is reward.
Oh how blessed it is to have such a privilege to be in this world for Christ.
It says, you know, that we have this privilege during the Lord's absence of being in this world as ambassadors for him, as his representatives in this world. What a high and blessed calling we have. The man was chosen to be representative of this country, to represent the United States and some other country. He feels very honored and he also feels very responsible.
And brethren, we are representatives of heaven.
Here in this world, and what a great privilege and what a great responsibility it is.
Going back to what we read in Numbers, we find that the first born had been spared in the land of Egypt. When God brought that judgment. The blood was sprinkled upon the lentil and the side post and every home where the blood was sprinkled. The first born was perfectly safe because he was sheltered by the blood. And if you belong to the Lord Jesus, that is your possession. Through matchless grace you have been.
Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. But what was the result of these people being redeemed? Well, they were represented by the Levites, and the Levites were taken to represent those first born who had been spared. And so you and I have been spared the judgment that we deserved. I deserved. And you deserve to be banished from God's presence forever under his judgment. We deserve to be under that awful judgment.
In the lake of Fire. But instead of this, he has saved us, and brought us to himself. And so he tells us there in that 3rd chapter of Numbers, that the Levites represented them, and they were brought to Aaron, and he appointed to each one of them his service and his burden.
Then it tells us that not only the people themselves, that is, the Levites, but even their possessions, belong to the Lord. For it says You are not your own, ye are bought with a price. I used to wonder why the Lord said to that young man that when he was saved he had to sell out and give to the poor. But you know, I looked on it this way, that before I was saved, everything that I had I thought was my own.
My house, my car, all my possessions. But something happens when you get saved. You not only belong to the Lord yourself, but everything you have belongs to Him. And you'll not be a happy Christian unless you sell out. And you become a responsible person now to use what you have, whether it's ability, whether it's possessions, whether it's within any other thing that you might use it for the one who has redeemed us at so great a cost.
Well, when these Levites then were set apart to be used for the Lord, did each one say, well now this is what I would like to do. I'm going to choose what I will do for the Lord, because I belong to Him. No, they didn't do that. Every one of those men were brought to Aaron and he appointed to each one his service and his burden.
And you know, in Christianity, every believer is in that position, not only the men, but also the women. Now that is you and I, whether man or woman, brother or sister, we have a certain place to fulfill in the body of Christ. And in your natural body, if there's some part that's not fulfilling its proper function, your whole body doesn't function properly.
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Because part of it is not fulfilling its proper place. And you know if each one of us.
Were before the Lord and seeking to learn of Him what he has for us to do. Oh, how happy our lives would be, how happy our assemblies would be, how happy our service would be. Because the Lord is not a hard taskmaster. All he wanted his people, He told them to know the difference between his service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. He wanted them to know that his service was perfect freedom.
Belonging.
To him and being His servant is a free thing. It's our freedom to do the will of God. The Lord Jesus could say The good pleasure of Thy will, O God, is my delight. So when these Levites were brought to Aaron, he appointed to everyone his service, and to everyone his burden. Notice, brethren, those two things.
I think many of us would like to be appointed to a service, but.
Some of us find it much harder to be appointed to a burden, but isn't it nice when we can accept even our burden in life as from him? I had the privilege of speaking at the funeral of a young lady who was known to many of us, Mary Rusync, and she didn't have a great service, as we might say. She had a burden, but her burden was a testimony for her Lord, the way she accepted that position that she had.
Position of suffering for many years, the way she accepted that from the Lord was in itself a testimony to her Lord and Savior. And so I want to say to everyone here, you have a service and you have a burden. Sometimes if the service seems to be a pleasant one and one that puts us in the public eye, we can get quite feeling important. But you know, it isn't that at all.
It's how we represent Christ that really counts.
Have often said the more our service puts us in the public eye, the more danger there is of doing it for the approval of man. But when our service like the service of epiphyse is a quiet hidden service for his service seemed to be praying for the Saints. Or when it might be like the hidden service of the mother who brought up three children.
Moses and Aaron and Miriam for the Lord.
I've often said to people, do you know the name of Moses and Aaron and Miriam's parents? And I don't very often find anybody that knows the names, the names of the parents of those wonderful children. They're sort of hidden. They're sort of lost, as it were, in the divine record. And why? Well, because their service was in bringing up those children for the Lord.
And isn't it lovely to see?
That those three children that they brought up shone very brightly for the Lord. And a mother here might say, I don't feel I'm doing anything, I'm home. Pots and pans and all kinds of things having to do that's nothing. Well, your service and your burden may be a hidden one, but it's not hidden to the Lord. And what a wonderful reward will be given to.
The mother and father, Hamram and Jochebed, of Moses and Aaron and Miriam.
So let's never forget, figure that our service is unimportant just because it doesn't come into a public position. So I say again, and I'm saying it to myself because I find it a little easier to accept a service and to accept a burden. But both are from the Lord. And it's not hard to accept the burden if we think who has done it, if you're out with some friend that you love very much and that friend hands you a burden.
And says, would you carry this for me? You proudly sail with pleasure, with pleasure. And who is it that binds that burden upon us in life that gives us that? Perhaps a physical suffering, perhaps to be in a little assembly where you don't seem to be accomplishing very much, perhaps in some other way, and the Lord gives you that burden.
Well, may we have grace, brethren, to accept it and accept it as from the Lord.
Lord, so these Levites, each one, when the Tabernacle was to be removed, every man knew what he was to carry, that is every Levite, and some carried the ark. They might have felt more important, but I don't believe there were any more important than the man that carried the pins, providing they were fulfilling what was appointed to them. And they could be very happy in carrying those pins because they could say, well, that was the service.
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That was appointed to me, and I'm just happy to have some part in the removal of the Tabernacle as it goes from place to place. And so each one had his service when the Tabernacle was set up, and each one could have a joy and unhappiness in that service. But now we come over to the New Testament and we find in the book an epistle to the Romans. The apostle brings before us the.
Grace of God that has been manifested to us. Where did God find you and I Well, he found us in a similar position to the children of Israel. They were slaves under Pharaoh in the land of Egypt and we were slaves under the power of sin and Satan. But the Lord has redeemed us at so great a cost, redeemed us with his precious blood and were not our own. And so when we come to that 12TH chapter of Exodus of.
Romans Rather we find that the apostle turns to these Roman believers, and he says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable or intelligent service.
I call attention to the fact that the I believe the correct rendering of the word is your intelligence service, because it's very wonderful in Christianity that the service that we perform is not altogether like the service of the Levites. I don't think the Levites understood what the ark represented. I don't believe that they knew why it was that.
The sacrifices were to be cut in a certain way and washed in a certain way.
It was a service they did because they did it in obedience, but they didn't really understand. But isn't it beautiful? The Lord says, I haven't called you servants, I've called you friends, He said. I'm going to tell you so that when you serve me, you can serve in fellowship with my mind and will. You can know what you're doing and why you're doing it. You can serve me intelligently. Isn't that a great privilege?
To think that he's called his friends and made known his father's will to us and his will, so that what we do, we might do in communion and fellowship with him. And it says it's an intelligent service. And then it says, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good.
And acceptable and perfect will of God. What does it mean to be conformed?
To this world, well, we might take it up and talk about a lot of practical things, but I think the important thing in this verse is not so much things themselves as a certain principle. The world operates on a certain principle. And what is it? To set self forward? That's the whole principle. I'm sure that from the time you start school.
They try to get you to realize that you have certain potentials you can make.
Your mark in this world, you can become part of this great world system and be an important person, and they set all this before you. But we're to have an entirely different principle operating in our lives. We're to be transformed. That is, I've sometimes said in the world, you just draw a circle and put yourself in the center, and you operate as being the center of this little system that you set up. But how different it is.
As we've been having in our readings, Christ is to be the center of the Christian's life, not self. And I say again, when you do things, are you doing it to have somebody come and pat you on the back and say that was good, that was wonderful. Or are you and I satisfied just to have the Lord's well done, as we noticed in the last portion that we read? Is that what we're looking for?
Below is misunderstood. The Lord Jesus was misunderstood, as we've had in our.
Chapter but oh, how wonderful to have the Lord's approval to know that what we are doing is done as unto him. So it says, be transformed. And for myself, I used to enjoy that verse while I was employed in the office where I worked. Why there was all worldly principles in operation and you're very likely to get sort of caught in the current of all this sort of thing when you're.
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Working the worldly principles of making the success and all that sort of thing, and then.
Can you come to the Bible reading why your mind is transformed, it's changed. Instead of your work being the most important thing and getting somewhere in this world being the most important thing, why your mind is transformed? And you prove that there is another will that is to be brought into your life and mind, and that is the will of God. And what is the will of God?
The exaltation of His beloved Son and the blessing of others.
And what a what a lovely principle that is. I say again that we might be occupied with the blessing, the glory of God's beloved Son, and then the blessing of his people. When you sit in the meeting and you look around and think, well, can I be your help and a blessing and encouragement to my brethren? Can I be a help also in telling out the gospel so that others might be brought?
My Lord and Savior, well the only way you can prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God is to walk in it. People sometimes in my travels tell me, well there's a good road and if you go over that good Rd. you'll save time and you'll find it's an excellent Rd. But I haven't proved it until I go over it. Then once I've gone over it myself.
I I can say to people, yes, I've been over that road. I know it by experience.
And all dear young people, I'll just repeat a little message that Mister Darby said. He said there are joys in the path of faith only known to those who walk in it.
There are joys in the path of faith only known to those that walk in it. And you may look on and think it's a hard path, but I tell you, if you set out to follow the Lord Jesus and to have him as your object, not to the approval of man, but the Lord Jesus as your object, no, there's a peace and the joy. The Lord Jesus said, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your soul.
Not that you'll find it hard, you'll find rest to your souls. And is there anything sweeter than going on through life with the conscious company of the Lord Jesus, feeling He's right there beside you now when you face those difficult spots that He's right there? Have often said I'd rather go over a rough Rd. in good company than the smoothest one in poor company. And you'll have good company in the path of his choosing.
That she may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Now this third verse, I just wanted to say a little bit about it says, For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
I spoke at the very beginning about how we hear so much in the world about self esteem and really thinking about yourself as being somebody important. But.
You know the Lord Jesus is the important one, but He does give to each one a place to fulfill. Let me put it like this, God appointed that the Kohathites were to carry the ark. If some of the sons of Merari came along and said we're going to take our turn today, we're going to carry the ark today instead of you, would that have been the right thing for them to do? Was that what was appointed to them?
Now, each one was appointed to a particular work and a particular service. And I believe, brethren, that if each one of us realized that God has a place for each of us to fulfill in this world as a testimony for Him in the assembly, in our personal lives. It's not thinking of yourself more highly than you ought to think to discover that.
And we'll see with the Apostle Paul at when he was brought to know the.
Lord Jesus as his Savior, one of his first things was to say after he found out who it was, is what shall I do Lord? What shall I do, Lord? He didn't say I'm going to choose for myself any more than a Levite chose the work he was to do. He asked the Lord what he would have him to do. And you know the Lord can make that known to you.
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And he can encourage you in that path.
I might also say that God has put up a little guard in connection with that, and that is I believe that if we are called into a certain place, the Lord will give others to recognize that as well. When Paul and Barnabas were called to serve the Lord, they didn't go out without the fellowship of their brethren. And it says.
Their brethren laid their hands upon them, that is, they expressed fellowship with.
Them and usually find when the Lord has called you to do something, that there will be those who will recognize that the Lord has called you into that particular service or that particular work.
So it says here not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. If it's a sister, why she has a place to fulfill, As I've often said, a place that a man can't fulfill. What a tremendous honor to.
The mother of Moses, we find that it seems that she figured more important than even her husband because she was the one that seemed to be so concerned about that little Moses and that ark of bulrushes. And may I say to the mothers here, never think that your service is unimportant in the home. It's a tremendous service that you and you alone can perform.
If I were to say I could perform the the service of a sister in the.
I would be thinking of myself more highly than I ought to think.
Me or fit me for that place and he has fitted each one and he has a place for you.
And it may be that the Lord will show you that he has some other service perhaps, but that is a very important service. So some services are somewhat hidden, some are more in public. But it says to think soberly. And God deals to every man the measure of faith. That is just this thought, I believe. Are you saying to yourself, Oh, I don't think I could do that.
Well, I've often said.
Don't ever ask yourself can I do that? But ask, does the Lord want me to do it?
If you say, well, I've decided I can do that.
Why, you might be filled with very a great deal of pride. Sure, I'm very important and I'm a little better than other people and I can do it. But when the Lord wants you to do it, then he's going to assume the whole responsibility. He's going to take everything into his own hands. That's what it means when it says no man goeth to warfare at his own charges. There was never anybody.
Who enlisted in the Army? Who was told now you've got to provide your own uniform, you've got to provide your own food, you've got to provide your own medical care. And now once you're accepted, you become their charge. And you know, isn't it wonderful? It's a blessed thing. If the Lord calls you to do something, I'll tell you He'll undertake for you all the way.
Or he'll test your faith. Many times he'll test it, but he won't disappoint you.
He'll carry you through.
And so how nice this is, for each one of us to be before the Lord, seeking that wisdom from him. If I were a Levite, I could go to Aaron and I could see a human who would appoint me to my service. But in Christianity, it isn't some man that is chosen to be in that position. Except, shall I say, there is a man, the man in Christ Jesus.
The Lord of glory, the Head of the Body, the Church, the Lord of the harvest, and he has been.
He is in that position and He can show you what He wants you to do. And I believe every person, young and old, should ask the Lord, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do now? He doesn't show us all at once. When Paul asked that question, Saul of Tarsus, he was then he was told to go into Damascus and it would be told him what to do. I've often said if the Lord showed me everything he wanted me to do the day he saved me, I couldn't.
Have taken it, but that isn't the way he does. He shows us step by step and if we're willing to take the step that he gives to us, then he will give us more. He'll show us the path that he has for us.
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Let's turn again to that passage in Galatians.
Chapter 6.
I began at the first verse, although it was more particularly from the the 6th and 4th and 5th verses I was thinking of.
But it's nice the chapter begins in this way because we can see that it's not self that is to be put forward, but rather we're seeking to be a help to our brethren. And if we see someone overtaken in a fault, then with the Lord's help we can go to that person in humility, not considering ourselves any better.
And we can seek to be a help to them.
I just wanted to comment many, many may have noticed this, that in the second verse it says bury one another's burdens, and in the fifth verse it says every man shall bear his own burden. You might possibly think this sounds like a contradiction, but it is not. There are no contradictions in God's Word. There are two different words. In the second verse it's one word for burden. In the fifth verse it's another.
In the second verse, it's the same as it is in Matthew when it speaks about those who bore the burden and heat of the day. And if you see any other Christian and he's in the burden and heat of the day, why it's your privilege and mine to try and help that person. He may get discouraged, he may stumble and you and I can go and bear one another's burdens. Help that person in that particular time of.
Need. But when it comes to this fifth verse, it's a different word. It's the it's the same as in Matthew Chapter 11 where it says.
Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Maybe go back again to what we have in numbers. There we see a certain burden was put on a Levite, a certain service was given to a Levite to perform. And now what he is telling us is that God has given to us a service that every man prove his own work and that every man shall bear his own burden. That is what is appointed to us now in Christianity.
You can't bear my burden.
And I can't bear your burden in connection with what the Lord has laid upon us. I spoke of Mary Rusync, who's now with the Lord. I couldn't take her burden on me, a burden that was given to her, which she bore in a way that she could be a testimony for the Lord Jesus. And if your life has been a lonely 11 of suffering 1 of difficulty, I can't take it on.
I just have to leave you, but you have to bear that burden.
That the Lord is appointed, but I want to tell you he'll help you to do it and He'll help you to be a testimony.
Sometimes it's quite easy to.
Speak for the Lord when we have our health and strength, but to still be a testimony when there's a heavy burden comes into your life, when something comes upon you that you almost see more than you can bear. To glorify the Lord, to be able to say like Job, the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. O the Lord can give you grace for that.
And that's a triumphant testimony that sometimes means a great deal more.
More than a gospel sermon or a message to Christians is someone who is patiently bearing the burden that the Lord has placed upon them and bearing it in such a way as to honor the Lord.
And then it says in this fourth verse, that every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
I've had people say to me, I just feel as if I'm wasting my life away. I'm not doing anything at all for the Lord. If I could only be a missionary, or if I could leave my work and go out and do something that I felt was for the Lord, I'd feel my life would be worthwhile. But you know, the Lord wants lights in colleges, He wants lights in offices.
And in shops, he wants lights in the home as well as lights in other countries.
Phrase And the important thing for us is to be where the Lord wants us to be. And then as it says here, you can have rejoicing in yourself. Oh, there's a sweet peace that the Lord can give. And brethren, may we seek to have this peace of feeling that where the Lord put me in the assembly that I am the plan that He has for my life, the little service He gave for me to shine in an unconverted home.
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Or to serve him by passing through affliction in a thankful, happy way, so that others can see that I have Christ. I can be happy in that. That's what the apostle is saying. He can have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. May I say, don't wish your life away. There's nobody that can fill the place that God appointed for you so well as you. There's no one that can take the place of your eye.
No member of your body that can take the place of your eye. Your ear can't do it. It's awfully nice to have good hearing, but it doesn't take the place of good eyes. And we need every member of the body of Christ.
We need young people, we need middle age, we meet all people. We need single young people, we need married ones. We need each one to fulfill a certain place, a function, a testimony for the Lord Jesus. A testimony that we can accept the circumstances that he plans for our life as from him that can smile and say this is what the Lord planned for me and if I can be a testimony for him in this position, I can be happy.
Oh, dear brethren, I'm saying this to myself as well as to you. But so often we are complaining, and we're wishing that we're in some other person's shoes, in some other assembly, in some other job. But isn't this lovely? Then shall we have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another? Just to say, Lord, plan my life, and if this is the plan Thou hast for me, I can be happy no matter what.
But it may be just like the Levite who carried the pins and could say I'm happy in my service. I know those sons of Koeth are tearing the ark, but I feel just as happy in doing the part that God gave to me because it's what He wants me to do. He was proving what was that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Oh, how precious it is to see dear Saints of God going on in this way young.
In the assembly, filling a spot that no one can fulfill like themselves, going on in that path that God has marked out for them with a peace and a joy. Oh, it's a a benediction in the assembly. It's a blessing. Every place where we're able to accept our situations and our service as from the Lord. Oh, may the Lord grant us this. Is there going to be a day when all is manifested? Well, that's why I read brethren.
In closing, in the 25th chapter of Matthew. And there you find that some had more talents than others, and one had 10/1 had five, another had two, and other had one. Did the one that had five talents get a better reward than the one who had two? Not at all. They both got the same. And what was the same? Andrew, thou into the joy of the Lord, thy Lord.
That wouldn't be wonderful if someone who perhaps had an affliction.
All his or her life and with such a testimony to the Lord that when that dear one got home to hear the Lord say well done, well done. That's what counts, brethren, that's all that counts. And in that coming day, it isn't how much we accomplished. It was to do the will of God that she may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So God has given each one of us a place he fits you for the place that he wants you to fulfill.
Killed in offices, They have people fitted for different jobs in the office. The Lord fitted every one of us to fulfill a necessary place in the body of Christ, in the assembly, in this world. And if we are before Him and ask Him, He's willing to show us. He's willing to give us peace in that path. And oh, how well recompensed we will be in that day, if in any measure, small though it may be, we hear His well done and don't ever think that.
It's going to be to the person who had the greatest public service. No, dear friends, I think the judgment seat of Christ is going to bring many surprises. I've often said I wouldn't be at all surprised. It'll be some sister that nobody even knew about that God will give the greatest reward. It isn't how much things seem to be in the place of importance. It's just to do the will of God and we can find happiness.
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May I quote that verse again?
Then shall I have rejoicing in Himself alone and not in another? The happiness right down here, the feeling that you're fulfilling the place the Lord wants you and has fitted you to fulfill, whether it's a service or whether it's a burden or whether it's both. Don't want to change places with somebody else. The Lord plans all that, and if you and I can just seek His grace to accept it, we'll find a present joy in that path in submission to.
His will and all, how wonderful if in that day we should hear him say well done, it'll be worth it all.