A Loyal Aim.
"That he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."--2 Tim.
ii. 4.
Here is something worth aiming at, worth trying for! The Lord Jesus, the
Captain of our salvation, is He who hath chosen us to be His soldiers and
now, does He only tell us that we may do our duty,--serve, obey, and
fight? No; He tells us something more, gives us a hope and an aim so
bright and pleasant, that it is like sunshine upon everything. He says, we
"may _please_ Him."
Only one who knows what it is to mourn for having grieved the dear
Saviour, can quite understand what a happy word this is! That we, who
have been cold, and careless, and sinful, grieving His love over and over
again, should be told after all that we may _please_ Him! Oh, if we love
Him, our hearts will just leap at the hope of it! Perhaps we thought this
could not be till we reached heaven; but you see His own word says, we
"may please Him" now, while we are soldiers in the very midst of the
fighting. St. Paul tells us one thing in which you may please Him:
"Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto
the Lord." But he prays too that the Colossians "might walk worthy of the
Lord unto _all_ pleasing."
Shall this be your aim and your hope to-day? Will you look up to the Lord
Jesus now, and ask Him first to give you the faith without which "it is
impossible to please Him," and then to show you "how you ought to walk
and to please God," and so to help you to "do those things that are
pleasing in His sight;" that all your ways, even every little step of your
ways, may really and truly "please the Lord" (Prov. xvi. 7).
"True-hearted, whole-hearted, faithful, and loyal,
King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be;
Under Thy standard, exalted and royal,
Strong in Thy strength, we will battle for Thee.
"True-hearted, whole-hearted! Fullest allegiance
Yielding henceforth to our glorious King,
Valiant endeavor and loving obedience,
Freely and joyously now we would bring."