September 24

“The Lord never promised that I should feel He accepted the sacrifice; He only told me to make it.  So I know He will receive it, and has received it.  Even if He leaves me without any evidence of acceptance for years or always, I will not withdraw my sacrifice from the altar; nor will I doubt that He accepts it.”  Hannah Whitall Smith, God is Enough, 9/15

Hannah wrote this in her diary in 1859.  She concluded, “If it be more for His glory that I should always live a life of simple faith, He will give me strength to do it, and I will trust Him.”  It would be another 26 years before her enduring book, “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life,” would be published.  It was probably because she had lived in simple faith for those 26 years that she was able to write such a powerful book.  God had used her faith to grow her up into a maturity that few Christians attain.  In the process she was richly rewarded--not by having her book published, but by experiencing the fullness of Christ within.  The peace that she had during the hardships that were to come into her life far outweighed any fame she attained here on earth.  I need to remember this as I seek to publish my writings.  It is so easy to fall into the trap of wanting recognition for the gifts God has given us.  If I feel compelled to write, then I should write for God’s sake, not my own.  And if I do, He will grow me up into the example He desires me to be whether I’m ever published or not.  This should always be the fruit that we desire from our relationship with Christ because in that God will be glorified.

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.”  John 15:8