Matthew 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. Still there is room for human labour. What would the earth be without it? Suppose that where we see the corn ripening we saw only a barren waste; if the ground had not been ploughed, or the seed not sown, or the plants not tended, could we look on it and say, "Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in Thy sight? " No; we should have to say: "It is not according to God's will; God's goodness has been defeated, and man's badness crowned with triumph." God in the course of providence ordains that our work and effort should be used to produce that on which He has set His heart. When a house is being built, there are different sets of labourers. On a certain day you see the work standing still, and on inquiry as to the cause you find that one set of men were idlers, they had gone holiday-making, and all the others were baffled and could do nothing. Look into the sluggard's garden; the sun is there, and the dew, and they cannot do anything; the showers descend; all God's celestial workers are there; but they cannot do anything because man is idling, has not dug the earth, has not scattered the seed; therefore God's means can do nothing. This is one of the great mysteries of the universe. I wonder that God did not determine to do it all Himself, and not wait for our work, and have His purposes baffled, because we do not do our share of the labour. (C. Vivace.) Parallel Verses KJV: Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. |
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