© 1976 Mary Snider
© 1976 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
There was a man once who achieved perfection simply by loving God and serving man. He didn’t set out to do great things in the sight of man, only good things in the sight of God.
To most of us it is not given to be great among men, but we can be well content to follow the example of Joshua ben Joseph and strive to do good things in the sight of God. Service is inherently personal, born out of the sincere desire to do something good for the sake of another, But service is also much more. It is the art of giving of oneself, unreservedly and, most of all, imperceptibly. As Jesus passed by, increasing in grace each life he touched, few remembered what precisely he said or did. Some didn’t even remember what he looked like. His secret? He was never motivated by the mere desire to serve, but by a heart full of love for each person he met-the desire to do something good for that person, Sometimes restoring a blind man’s sight, sometimes with a pleasant “Good morning …”
It may well be true that every man is not ready to hear the message of the gospel, but there surely is no doubt that every man is ready to see an act of love-the spirit and the substance of the living gospel.
A lone small candle may tremble with uncertainty amidst the menacing winds of material inconstancy and animal confusion, but faith will shield its flame and each act of love strengthen its light against the shadows of human frailty. And if you are like me, yet just one small candle flickering precariously, think how, together we can light the world.
—Mary Snider