Worship is the honor and adoration which are rendered to God by reason of what He is in
Himself, and what He is for those who render it. Worship is the employment of heaven, and thus
it is a blessed and precious privilege for us upon earth. While I would not overlook the possibility
of worship from an isolated individual, it is nevertheless true that worship is an homage rendered
in common, whether by angels or by men. Communion with others in the adoration of God is the
essence of worship, because the blessing is a common blessing. The blessing of others forms part
of the grace to which my heart responds. If I praise not God for it, I am myself incapable of
worship, for to praise God supposes that I am cognizant of His love, and that I love Him in return.

No work of God towards man is worship; nor any testimony respecting Him and His grace.
Preaching the gospel to the unconverted is not worship. It may produce it, as being the means of
communicating that knowledge of God in grace which awakens the spirit of adoration in the heart;
but the preaching itself, properly speaking, is not worship. In like manner, a sermon is not
worship, though it may be the means of producing worship.

Prayers addressed to God in order to obtain that which we need are not worship, properly
speaking. However, they are connected with worship because they attest to one’s knowledge of
God, and manifest one’s confidence in Him. But supplications addressed to God (although founded
upon confidence in Him and thus intimately allied to adoration) do not in themselves constitute
adoration or worship.

Praises and thanksgivings, and the making mention of the attributes of God and oft His acts-
whether of power or in grace_in the attitude of adoration, constitute that which is, properly
speaking, worship. In it we draw near to God and address ourselves to Him. To make mention
of His praises, though not in an address to Himself, is certainly connected with worship, but does
not have the form proper to worship. And this distinction must not be treated as of little
importance. Sweet it is to rehearse to one another the excellencies of Him whom we love; but the
redeemed delight to have God Himself in their thoughts. They delight to address themselves to
Him, to speak to Him, to adore Him personally, to converse with Him, to open the heart to Him,
to tell Him that they love Him. To the Redeemer it is a delight that these communings pass
between God personally and themselves. They delight to testify to Him the sense they have of His
greatness and of His goodness. In this case the communion is between ourselves and God, and
God is more precious to us than are even our brethren. Such is the feeling of our brethren also.
God is the portion of all in common. In short, in the former case, we speak to ourselves, or to one
another, telling each other how worthy God is to be praised; in the latter, we address ourselves
to God personally.

* * * * *

Let us consider our portion as God’s children:(a) We know who God is, and what He has done
for us; (b) we behold Him, without a veil, according to the perfection of His love and of His
holiness; (c) we have been rendered capable of abiding in the light, as He Himself is in the light;
(d) we are the objects of that love which spared not His well-beloved Son, that we might be made

partakers of it; and (e) we have received His Spirit in order that we might comprehend this love,
and thus be enabled to adore Him according to the desires and affections of His heart toward us.
For these and many other reasons, we render Him worship in response to the revelation which He
has made of Himself in love, and by which He will make known, in the ages to come, the
exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

There remains yet another element of our intelligent service:"The true worshipers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him" (John 4:23). To
worship "in spirit" is to worship according to the true nature of God, and in the power of that
communion which the Spirit of God gives. Spiritual worship is thus in contrast with the forms and
ceremonies, and all the religiousness of which the flesh is capable. To worship God "in truth" is
to worship Him according to the revelation which He has given of Himself. The Samaritans
worshiped God neither in spirit nor in truth. The Jews worshiped God in truth, so far as this can
be said of a revelation which was imperfect; but they worshiped Him in no respect in spirit. To
worship God, both are needful.

Yet this is not all that is presented to us in this passage; in it is found another precious element of
worship. The Father seeks such worshipers. It is grace which makes this possible_grace flowing
forth from love to ourselves. Worship, therefore, is not rendered under a responsibility imposed
by the flames of Mount Sinai, which, while demanding worship in the name of the holy majesty
of the Lord, placed a barrier in the way of access to God which no one could pass, under penalty
of death, and which left the worshiper far off from God. No, love seeks worshipers, but it seeks
them under the gentle name of Father. It places them in a position of freedom before Him as the
children of His love. The Spirit, who acts in them and produces worship, is "the Spirit of
adoption" which cries, "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). It is not that God has lost His majesty, but
that He, whose majesty is far better known, is known also under the more tender and loving
character of Father. The Spirit who leads us to worship the Father leads us also into the
knowledge and enjoyment of all the love of God, who would have us to worship Him as His
children.

The enjoyment of this love and of these privileges, God be thanked, belongs even to the most
simple and the most ignorant among Christians. The Christian, when once he has understood what
the grace of God is, and has received the Spirit of adoption, is entitled to enjoy these privileges
without fully understanding them; it is just as a child knows and loves and enjoys his father before
he can give any account of that which he enjoys. "I write unto you, little children [in Christ],
because ye have known the Father" (1 John 2:13). The feeblest Christian is therefore perfectly
competent for worship. At the same time, it is sweet to be able to comprehend and explain this
relationship we have with God. The more we think of it, the more we examine the Word on the
subject, the more shall we see the importance, the deep blessedness, of it. The simple fact that
God is our Father, and that we possess the enjoyment of such a relationship with Him by the
Spirit, is in itself an immeasurable privilege for creatures such as we are. Every child of God has
this privilege in unquestioned right; but it is in Christ, and with Christ, that we possess it. He is
"the first-born among many brethren." He is gone to His Father and our Father, to His God and
our God. What a sweet and blessed relationship! what a family is that into which we are
introduced! And how are we who were formerly strangers to these affections and to this

love_how are we to learn these things? How are we to learn what the Father is, the knowledge
of whom gives birth to these affections in our hearts? It is the only begotten Son, the first-born
in this new relationship, who reveals Him unto us. It is the eternal Son of the Father, enjoying the
infinite love of Him in whose bosom He dwelt _it is He who reveals Him as He Himself has
known Him.

* * * * *

We have reviewed, at least in principle, the great foundation truths of Christian worship. Perfect
in Christ, united to Him, brought into the presence of God whose love and holiness are manifest
without a veil, as children beloved of the Father, and objects of the same love with Christ the first-
born, we worship together according to the power and affections which the Holy Spirit inspires
within us. We worship the God of glory whose presence is the stay instead of being the terror of
our souls. We worship the God of love, whose will it is that we should be perfectly happy in Him,
that He Himself might enjoy our happiness, Himself finding more joy in it than even we ourselves.
We adore our Father with endearing confidence in His kindness, which blesses us with all spiritual
blessings, and counts the very hairs of our head, while mindful of all our present need. We adore
Him for that which He is to us, the children of His house for eternity. We thus present ourselves
in sweet communion before the same Father_our common Father_as His beloved children; so
that brotherly affections are developed, and, the joy of each being reciprocally the joy of all,
multiplied praises ascend to God.

How delightful to be able thus to adore God! What joy to be able to express one’s
acknowledgments, to render to Him one’s thanksgivings, knowing that they are acceptable to Him!
What a blessing to have His very Spirit, the Spirit of liberty and of adoption, as our power of
worship, as the inspirer of praise, of confidence, and of adoration! What joy thus to worship in
unity, as members of the same family and of the same body, realizing that this joy is a joy
common to all; knowing that those whom we love are infinitely precious and acceptable to the
Lord, and that they all find their pleasure in praising Him who is worthy_the God who is the
source of all our happiness_the Lord who gave Himself for us, in order that He might be our
eternal portion!

(From "On Worship" in Collected Writings, Vol. 7.)

As to prayer and worship, if we address God as God, it includes of course the three Persons. We
do not distinguish them. If, however, we do distinguish them in our address, as Scripture gives
us the fullest liberty, there seems to be no passage which leads us to address the Holy Spirit. In
all the teaching of the Word, He (the Spirit), dwelling in the Christian, directs all the desires and
longings of his heart to the other two Persons_the Father and the Son. His prayers usually,
though not exclusively, are to the Father in the name of the Son. If we think of our weakness and
dependence, we call upon God_the Almighty One. If we think of our blessed relationship as sons,
we call upon Him as our Father. If we think of our service, we call upon our Lord and Master,
Jesus Christ. Thus the character of our address is formed by the thoughts which possess our souls
at the time. In general we may say that the child’s address is to his Father, the servant’s to his
Master.

But it may not be well to make sharp lines for the sacred intercourse between the believer and his
God, his Father, his Saviour and Lord. It is better to have our hearts gradually and_shall we
say?_unconsciously trained by a growing familiarity with the Word of God. We might learn the
various seasons of the year by the scientific method of the almanac, and yet know little of their
differing joys and blessings; but living and growing among them we become formed by them.
They are as natural to us as our very being. So here, definitions, though helpful in a measure, are
never like what we learn in intercourse with God through His Word, and the practical walk with
Him. We have seen Christians who had only recently been set free by Christ, address Him
altogether in their requests and worship. It revealed their infancy and need of growth. Then we
have seen Christians with plenty of knowledge address God or the Father only_never the Son;
it revealed, perhaps, a puffed up mind without much love in the heart. It is refreshing to hear
babes, no matter how little they know, if only they are humble enough as newborn babes to
"desire the sincere milk of the Word" that they may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2). It is edifying to
hear fathers, if they have gathered knowledge in communion with God, and Christ is therefore the
sum and substance of their speech and practice.
(From Help and Food, Vol. 32.)

My Dear Brother:I have had it on my heart to share with you a few thoughts in connection with
the Lord’s Supper_ that solemn and precious remembrance of Christ. First of all, there is great
importance in seeing clearly the object and character of that great central meeting which gives its
character to all other meetings. It is described for us in a simple manner in The Acts, and there
we see the primary object of that meeting:"Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples
came together to break bread" (20:7). It does not say, as we sometimes hear, "to a worship
meeting." Worship, no doubt, they would; but that was not what was present to their minds. It
was their Lord who was before them_Him of whom the bread spoke.

The purpose of coming together should be distinctly before our minds. We must be simple in it.
In two opposite ways this simplicity may be destroyed, and the character of the meeting be
lowered and souls suffer. Let us spend a little time in the consideration of this.

First, when we come together, after six days of warfare in the world (would that were always
spiritual warfare, and that we realized the world as an enemy’s country simply), we are apt to
come full of our spiritual needs, to be refreshed and strengthened. We may not use the term, but
still the idea in the Lord’s Supper to us thus will be that it is a "means of grace." We bring jaded
spirits and unstrung energies to a meeting where we trust the weariness will be dispelled and the
lassitude recovered from. We come to be ministered to and helped. We require the character of
it to be soothing and comforting, speaking much of grace and quieting our overdone nerves for
another week before us, in which we know too surely that we shall go through the same course
exactly, and come back next Lord’s day as weary as before, with the same need and thought of
refreshment. We come with the same self, in fact, as an object, and scarcely Christ at all, or
Christ very much as a means to an end, and not Himself the end.

This is the evil of this state of things:Christ is not in any due sense before our soul, but rather it
is our need, which He is to be the means of supplying. No doubt there is a measure of truth in this
view of the Lord’s Supper. Can we come ever to Him without finding refreshment from the
coming? Does He not, blessed Lord, delight to serve us? Do not the bread and wine speak of
refreshment ministered_"Wine that maketh glad the heart of man … and bread which
strengtheneth man’s heart"?

Surely all this is true. But true as it is, it is not this that gathers us. Does not "to show the Lord’s
death" have a deeper meaning? His own words, "Do this," are not for the regrouping of your own
strength, but, "in remembrance of Me." Thus this sacramental use of Christ, as I may term it
(common as it really is, alas, among those who think that they have outgrown sacraments)
essentially lowers the whole thought of the Lord’s Supper. The remembrance of Christ is
something more and other than what I get by the remembrance; something more than the
strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the body and blood of Christ If we make ourselves
the object, will that lead to blessing for us? What honor has Christ in all this? And what must be
the character of meetings to which languid and wayworn souls come, seeking a stimulating cordial
to return to what seems only too sadly indicated to be the main business of their lives?

We may have to approach this subject from another side. Let us look now, however, at the other
way in which our souls may be tempted from the simplicity of the remembrance of Christ.

When we look at the worship of heaven, in that picture which so often tempts our eyes in
Revelation 5, it is the simple presence of the Lamb slain that calls out the adoration of those
elders, in whom some of us have learned to recognize our representatives. Worship with them was
no arranged, premeditated thing, but the pouring out of hearts that could not be restrained in the
presence of Him who had redeemed them to God by His blood. And here is the mistake on our
parts when we think we can make worship a matter of prearrangement, while it is, in fact, a thing
dependent upon the true remembrance of the Lord.

There will be blessing on the one hand and worship on the other in proportion as our eyes are
taken off ourselves and fixed upon the object which both ministers the one and calls forth the
other. Blessing there will be; for how can the sight of Him do otherwise than bless? And worship
there will be; for this is the true and spontaneous response of the heart to the sight of One who,
being the Son of God, yet loved us, and gave Himself for us. The great point pressed, therefore,
in Scripture is remembrance:"This do in remembrance of Me." "Ye do show the Lord’s death."

Of course, we are not to forget that while our eyes look back upon the Lamb slain, it is from the
hither side of His resurrection that we contemplate this. "The first day of the week" speaks of
resurrection out of death, and gives Him back to us in all the reality of a living person. While we
remember His death, we do it in the glad knowledge of His resurrection, and with the Lord
Himself in our midst. Who could celebrate the Lord’s death but for this? Who could sound a note
of praise did He not Himself first raise it? He says, "In the midst of the Church will I sing praise
unto Thee" (Heb. 2:12). Death, but death passed, do we celebrate; death which, thus seen, is only
the depths of a living love which we carry with us, unexhausted, inexhaustible, unfathomed and
unfathomable.

"A Lamb as it had been slain" is the object of the elders’ worship. The Living One bears with Him
forever the memorials of His blessed death. The cross is not only atonement effected for us, but
the bright and blessed display of God manifest in Christ, and for us, in every attribute displayed.

(From Letters on Some Practical Points Connected with the Assembly.)

"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup" (1 Cor.
11:28). Do not let these warning words of the apostle keep anyone away from the Lord’s Supper.
It is an occasion for you to fulfill His desire, but also to think while you are fulfilling it of what
you are doing. Do not be light about your attendance at the breaking of bread. Let it be a serious
matter. Be careful of your thoughts and acts.

There is a great need on the Lord’s day to be thinking beforehand of the Lord’s Supper. I am not
referring to that very unwise and improper practice of looking out some scripture to read aloud
on the occasion, or some hymn to be sung. This is feeble and wrong, and tends to quench the
working of the Holy Spirit in the assembly.

What, then, is the proper way to prepare for the Lord’s Supper? What is the theme that will then
be especially before us? The Lord’s death. Who is there that fully understands what the Lord’s
death signifies? No person knows anything of its spiritual import apart from the revelation of
Scripture. The proper preparation for the Lord’s Supper is to store our minds with some of those
numerous passages of Holy Writ relating to that subject, so that we may have right and holy
thoughts about the sacrifice and death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Saturate your mind with the very
words of the Holy Ghost in reference to that death. Never give yourself up to your own thoughts
and ideas on that sacred subject. The person who thinks his own thoughts about the death of Christ
is sure to end in error and delusion. The one who most rightly appreciates the death of Christ is
the one most subject to the Word of God, and who will not trust himself to express views about
that death in terms other than scriptural.

Throughout the Scripture, both the Old Testament and the New, we find the great theme of the
death of the Lord Jesus Christ recurring, and presented to us in various ways. The prayerful study
of such passages prepares our hearts so that when we are together our meditations are kept in
accord with God’s revealed truth about His beloved Son. Let us therefore examine ourselves with
regard to this practice, and so let us eat the bread and drink the cup in the felt presence of the
Lord who died. We are kept by the Word of truth; and we may know that the Spirit of God is
assuredly directing our thoughts when in the assembly He brings before us His own words about
the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

(From The Institution and Observance of the Lord’s Supper.)

In the present day particularly I find that however gifted any may be, the spirit and power of
worship is what is most needed. This, as it is surely the spirit of meekness and lowliness of heart
before God and man, is the great need in all the assemblies, and it is this which is the great
preparative and safeguard of labor of every kind in those that have ability to minister, as well as
of profiting in those ministered to.

Is there not in this respect a great, if not the greatest, shortcoming? Do our assemblies_say on
Lord’s day mornings and at our worship meetings_present to the eye of God groups of saints,
from the grateful heart of each of whom a precious odor of thankfulness and gratitude is seen
ascending up as incense to Jesus as He sits at the Father’s right hand? Are these busy minds, as
we sit in silence before our Father, seen by Him to be feeding upon the Lamb in the midst of the
throne, who was dead but is alive again? Is there not, rather, much of restless occupation with
circumstances:some, it may be, thinking who will speak or pray; others, whether they shall do
so or not? This is all the result of feebleness in the spirit of worship. I am persuaded that if there
were more sitting in silence of worship, and if our subjection to the Spirit in conscious, mutual
subjection were thus more manifested, each heart, each mind the while more busied in communion
with the Father and the Lamb, we should have far more comfort of love, as well as increase in
our fellowship together.

"And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the
children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the
people bowed the head and worshiped" (Exod. 12:26,27). The Lord’s thoughtful care for the
dawning intelligence of the children in the families of His people of old is brought out in these
verses. The Passover was the yearly reminder of His divine interference when their fathers were
slaves in Egypt, and brought before them year after year the great truth of redemption by blood.
It was to be expected that the younger generation, growing up, would look on with wonder, and
sometimes amazement, as the various parts of the Passover ritual were carefully carried out by
their elders. The question would naturally spring to young lips, "What mean ye by this service?"
and the parents were to answer in accordance with the testimony of the Lord. The last Passover
feast that God ever recognized was that celebrated by Jesus Himself, with His disciples, in the
guest chamber at Jerusalem. The typical Passover came to an end that night, but on the same
evening He instituted the great central ordinance of Christianity, the Lord’s Supper, the memorial
of His mighty love and infinite sacrifice. Directions for the keeping of this feast are given clearly
in the New Testament, and older believers, who have gone on in the ways that be in Christ, should
always be able to give a scriptural reason for everything connected with the observance of the
breaking of bread in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ. For now, as of old, the younger
generation is still likely to ask, "What mean ye by this service?" It is my desire, as simply as
possible, to attempt to answer some questions often raised concerning the Lord’s Supper,
particularly for the benefit of those who are young in Christ and who desire to walk in obedience
to His Word.

1. Why do we observe this feast so frequently when, in many places in Christendom, it is but at
rare intervals that what is commonly called "the communion" is celebrated? For answer we reply
that we have, in Scripture, no distinct commandment, as in the case of the Passover, regarding
the particular times this festival is to be observed. The Passover was to be celebrated once a year;
but when the Lord instituted the Supper He implied much more frequent observance when He
said, "As oft as ye do this, do it in remembrance of Me." It is the Lord’s desire that His people
should often show His death in this way, calling to mind frequently His love and sacrifice for
them. In the earliest days of the Church’s history, the Christians broke bread daily; but when the
first days of transition passed and the new dispensation was fully established, we get the scriptural
example in Acts 20:7, "Upon the first day of the week . . . the disciples came together to break
bread."

Now this is not a commandment, but it is a word from the Lord, and He has said, "If a man love
Me he will keep My words." A devoted heart does not ask, "How seldom can I do this and yet
have the Lord’s approval?" but "What does His Word show to have been the established order in
early days?" The Book answers, "On the first day of the week," and, therefore, upon that day we
delight to come together to remember Him.

2. Why is there no officiating clergyman to dispense the elements and take charge of the service
as generally in the denominations around us? We answer, Because we cannot find anything like

this in the Book. There is no intimation anywhere, either in the Acts or in any of the Epistles, of
any such officer in the early Church. Believers came together as brethren. The Lord Himself has
said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name there am I in the midst." Faith laid
hold of that and recognized His presence. Wherever two or three are found scripturally gathered,
He is in the midst to take charge by the Holy Spirit, and to lead out the hearts of His people in
their remembrance of Himself. Of old, in that upper room, when the time came to break the loaf
and pass the cup, His own lips pronounced the blessing, and His own hands gave to His disciples.
Any brother going to the table to give thanks and to break the loaf or pass the cup, simply
becomes, for the moment, as hands and lips for the blessed Lord Himself. There is no human
officialism required; the simpler the better. It is Christ with whom we desire to be occupied, and
he who goes to the table does so as acting under Him. If anything more were necessary, any
ordination or official position, the Word of God would somewhere indicate it; but in regard to this
we search its:pages in vain. "One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren."

3. Why is there one unbroken loaf upon the table as the feast begins, and why is it afterwards
broken? Because the one loaf pictures the precious body of our Lord Jesus Christ in its entirety,
and the breaking signifies His death. Also we are told, "We being many are one bread (or literally
one loaf), and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17). As it is passed
from one to the other, after having been blessed and broken, each again breaks for himself, thus
indicating his communion with the body of Christ.

4. What is in the cup, and why do all drink of it? The cup contains the fruit of the vine. It speaks
of the precious blood of Christ, the price of our redemption. "The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?" Just as the rich clusters of grapes are cast into
the wine press and crushed to give forth what Scripture calls the blood of the grape, so Christ
endured the judgment of God for our sins, and when crushed in death His precious atoning blood
flowed forth for our salvation. As we drink in solemn silence we recall, with grateful hearts, the
mighty cost of our redemption.

5. Why is not so sacred and precious a feast open for everyone? Why such care to see that only
those who know what it is to be saved, and who are seeking to walk with God and to confess His
truth, gather together about His table? Because He will be sanctified in them that draw nigh to
Him, This sacred observance is for those who have a common interest in the death of Christ, and
have been saved by His blood. In 1 Cor. 5:9-11 we are distinctly directed to walk in a path of
separation from evildoers, and regarding certain ones, we are told, "With such a one not even to
eat" (JND). This clearly includes the Lord’s Supper, and shows us the importance of care as to
those received.

6. Why is there no previously arranged program as to the order of this service, the hymns to be
sung, the prayers to be offered, and ministry to be given out? Is not time wasted in silence which
might be occupied in teaching or expounding the Scriptures? It is important, first of all, to
understand that we do not come together to pray, nor yet to minister, nor to listen to teaching or
exhortation, and certainly not simply for singing hymns and enjoying one another’s fellowship.
We come together to meet the Lord Himself, and to be occupied with Him, to offer Him the
worship of our hearts, and remember what He passed through for us. Let me put it this way:

Suppose that on a given Lord’s day morning it were known definitely that our Saviour, in Person,
would be present in the meeting room, and that all who were there from say 11:00 to 12:30 would
have the great privilege of looking upon His face. How do you think real Christians would act on
such an occasion? Would we not enter the room with a deep sense of awe pervading our spirits?
Surely there would be no lightness of behavior, no frivolity, no worldly joviality manifested as
we came together. Nor would we be coming to listen to some one preaching or expounding. Our
one desire would be to see Him, to fix our adoring eyes upon His blessed face; and if we spoke
at all it would be to rehearse something of His sufferings for us, and the gratitude and worship that
would fill our hearts as we recalled the agony endured on the cross, and now beheld His glorious
countenance. At such a time one can well understand how all might join in a burst of melody,
singing together some hymn of praise in which His wondrous Person, His past sufferings, and His
present glory were celebrated! But surely anything like mere fleshly formalism would be
altogether out of place, and if one ministered audibly, it would be simply to praise His name, or
to bring to the mind of the believers some portion of the Word that would give a better
understanding and apprehension of His Person or work. No one would have the effrontery to set
Christ, as it were, to one side, by taking the place of a teacher of others at such a time, unless
indeed directly requested by the Lord to minister.

Now, if it be borne in mind that when we thus come together as gathered to His name, Christ is
just as truly present as though our human eyes beheld Him, then we will realize how we ought to
behave in the house of God on such occasions. There will be room for praise, and for reading a
portion or portions of the Word of God which will bring more vividly before our souls the object
for which we gather. But any brother would be decidedly out of place who sought to occupy us
with lengthy expositions of Scripture, or exhortations as to conduct which have no bearing on the
object for which we come together. The sense of awe which comes over the soul consciously in
the Lord’s presence will put a check upon the flesh, and any participating, either in the giving out
of a hymn, or in leading the assembly in vocal thanksgiving, or reading a portion of the Word,
will be very sure that it is the Holy Spirit Himself who thus guides. If there be periods of silence
there will be no wasted time as we all sit gazing with rapt, adoring eyes upon Himself whom we
have come to meet.

If this one thought be clearly fixed in heart and mind that we gather to remember Him, in
subjection to the Holy Spirit, all else will soon be regulated.

What a great loss many Christians are suffering by not heeding the important lesson of these two
women recorded in Luke 10:38-42. Martha-like they seem to think that their service is of immense
importance. So engrossed with it are they, so enamored with their doings, that they have no time,
and what is worse, no inclination to listen to the word of God. They remain ignorant therefore of
what every Christian ought to know, and needs to know, to serve the Lord acceptably. Many do
not even enjoy peace with God, being too busy to let their Saviour pour into their souls that sweet
peace which is the beginning of relations with Him, and which are sweeter than all beside. He
delights to communicate to His own the full extent of the grace of God, and thus fill their souls
to overflowing with praise and worship, but they have no time to lend Him their ear. "We have
a great work to do," they say, "and we must be about it." Is it any wonder if they are restless and
full of disquietude? It is living intercourse with Christ which satisfies the heart and sets it aglow
for praise, worship, and service. A satisfied heart is not restless, whatever its circumstances may
be.

As to Mary, the Lord’s words leave no doubt as to His mind about the object of her attitude and
heart. He characterizes it as "that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Why then
will any of God’s beloved ones rob themselves of that good part which abides forever! Martha was
as truly a child of God as Mary, and as truly loved of Christ as Mary, yet she was missing what
the Lord most approved and loved. Would you, dear reader, do like her?

In the twelfth chapter of John we see blessed fruits of the Lord’s ministry in the same household.
"Martha served" _her valued ministry has no more the impatient, fretful spirit manifested in Luke
10. The Holy Spirit therefore records the service as most acceptable. Lazarus_not heard of in
Luke 10_is here, as a fruit of resurrection, at the table with the Lord. And crowning the precious
scene, Mary pours out upon the Lord the costly perfume expressing the value in which He was
held in her heart.

(From Help and Food, Vol. 32.)