| OCR Text |
Show 2 I APPEAR TO BE USELESS. for Jesus-if you wish to be useful-if you desire to do good in your day and generation, you will look for opportunities, and look out in every direction, and if the kind of service you wish does not offer, you will take what does. Yes ; yes, you may be useful if you wish. Yoxi may do good, and perhaps great good. You may comfort the feeble-minded, you may strengthen the weak, you may make the widow's heart sing for joy, you may save souls from death. Do you wish to be useful ? Then make up your mind that you can be. Having done so, go to the Lord as to a Father, and pray right heartily for three things. For (confidence., not in yourself, or in your abilities, but confidence in God's word of promise : in God himself, who works with his people, and through his people, and in your call to work for God. Then pray for power, the power of the Holy Ghost. It is by this we conquer, by this we are made truly useful. I can do nothing effectually of myself, but I can do any thing, I can do every thing, through the power of the Holy Spirit. And then ask for courage; you. need this to look your foes in the face, to meet the difficiilties that you will meet with in your way, and to persevere in your attempts until you have accomplished your work. Confidence will prepare you to commence your work, power will enable you to do your work, and courage will fit you to persevere with your work until it is finished. From God you may receive these three grand requisites to usefulness: and, therefore, if you wish to be useful, seek them at once-seek them m faith-seek them with importunity-and so seeking you will receive them. Having applied to the Lord to prepare you to do his will, begin the work at once; don't |
