| The Golden Gate of Prayer |
Chapter 8 |
Page 8 |
The divine will would set up its throne in our heart and rule there in unquestioned sway. The natural heart resents such intrusion upon its sovereignty, claiming a right to wield the scepter over its own realm. It regards as unreasonable in its demands and restraints the life of holiness and obedience to which it is called. Men imagine, too, that a life of self-will, self-indulgence, earthly pleasure, will bring more happiness that a life surrendered to God. They think that the will of God would make life hard. But really it calls us to the happiest and most beautiful life possible in this world. It is not unreasonable in its demands, for we were made to be God’s children, and the true life of a child is love and obedience to the Father. The indulgences which the divine will calls us to give up, though for the present they may give a kind of pleasure, in the end bring sorrow and bitterness. It is poisoned pleasure which they give at the best. The duties to which it invite us, though not they demand self-denial, in the end yield the sweetest joy and the truest good.
The doing of the will of God leads to blessedness. Every path of providence on which God ever takes us, we may be sure, is a path to something good and beautiful. The life of Jesus, from beginning to end, was in accord with this will. He did always the things that pleased his Father. His obedience was costly, how costly we never can understand, for no human heart can comprehend the mystery of the Redeemer’s sorrows. Yet never in any other heart was there such joy as he experienced, and the end of his experience was infinite and eternal blessedness. Just in the measure in which we follow Christ in doing the will of God shall we share his joy and his blessedness. Disobedience always works hurt and marring, but he who does the will of God is gathering into his life all that is worthy and good and enduring.
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