There is a present reward to every man of God called to preach, and that is a consciousness of the privilege of preaching the Gospel. "The tongue's holiest mission is to proclaim the Christ." Standing as an ambassador of the King of kings, between God and men, knowing he has a message and burning in soul until it is delivered, angels, if capable of envy, might envy him. He is not only a preacher, he is a witness: "that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you."
"What we have felt and seen With confidence we felt, And publish to the sons of men, The signs infallible."
Having "tested, and tried it, and proved it, he knows God's promise is true," and "knowing that he knows," he treads like a giant and proclaims boldly his God-given truths. "The preacher is the man Christ left to say His words to men. He is to say the thing Christ would say if he were here." Is this not a privilege? Carnegie gave ten million dollars for a Peace Foundation, and already there is a host of applicants who want to go hither and thither proclaiming disarmament among the nations, peace on earth, and war no more. JESUS left an unfinished work, and trusted men and women called of God, to push the battle. "GO YE" is the command, and with it comes the enabling, aye, more, the very presence of the Commander. The person realizing this will realize a present reward. He will be so in earnest his message will have him. He will know as did that man from the wilderness, "I am the Voice," a voice from Heaven. "As though God did beseech you by us, we beseech you in Christ's stead." Privilege? Aye, the greatest human beings could have, to stand in His stead, give His message, persuading men to be reconciled unto God. Following in the footsteps of the Man of Galilee, seeking to save the lost, and preaching that which prophets failed to apprehend, and angels desired to look into; I pity the man who does not know this is the greatest privilege Heaven could bestow. The men who talk of their "sacrifices" and "what they gave up to enter the ministry," advertise their ignorance of the preacher's present reward, and their unfitness for this work.
If "it is more blessed to give than to receive" -- and no man who has the Spirit of Christ questions this-then it is a privilege to HELP those around us. If the woman rejoiced over the lost piece of money found, if the shepherd rejoiced over the lost sheep brought back to the fold, if the father rejoiced, was merry and glad, because the prodigal came back home, then we ought to esteem it a privilege to help the lost ones back to God, and rejoice in the privilege of finding them for Jesus' sake.
I think I had a foretaste of that which gladdens the heart of Jesus, once, as I stood by a death bed. Esther Nichols was passing away, leaving for home. Disease had done its work in emaciating the form, and sapping the strength, but the mind was clear as ever. The end was not far off, as she turned her great, black eyes toward me and said, "Oh, you have helped me so often." My heart was filled with gratitude to God and my eyes with tears, that I had had the privilege of being helpful to one of God's chosen ones.
