III. But now, thirdly, we must advance another step. To “serve God acceptably” WE MUST DO IT WITH REVERENCE. These two words in the text are much mixed up in the various readings, and it is almost impossible to divide the sense between them with accuracy; but yet I think I shall give the whole sense even if I do not allot a due proportion of meaning to each separate word. Acceptable serving or worshipping of God must be done with “reverence.” The word, according to Bishop Hopkins, signifies a holy shamefacedness. The angels veil their faces with their wings when they worship the Most High, and we must veil ours with humility. The angels feel their own littleness when they stand before the presence of the dread Supreme. You and I who are much less than angels, and have sinned, should, when we come before God, be covered with blushes. Our heart should be filled with wonder that we are called to this high privilege, though we are so unworthy of it. Let each one feel “the Lord has made me a king; but what a marvel that this deed should be wrought on me! Oh, that ever I should be called to such a noble estate as this!” If some poor girl were suddenly called away from the milk-pail and lifted from poverty and hard servitude to be the bride of a prince, the very thought of it would bring the crimson to her cheeks. “Can it be!” she would say; and I can imagine that when she was brought to court there would be a noticeable bashfulness and shamefacedness about her. Such holy shame ought to be upon us whenever we stand before the Lord to minister unto him. Is it not said, “Thou shalt be ashamed and confounded, and never open thy mouth anymore?” Not because of a servile dread of God, but out of an overwhelming sense of his unutterable love we blush to be so highly favoured.

This reverence, this shamefacedness, should come upon us when we recollect what we were. When you stand up in a prayer-meeting and pray, dear friends, some of you cannot help recollecting the time when you could swear or sing a questionable song. You are accepted among your brethren and honoured by them, but the time was when you kept very different company: do you not blush as you think of it? You may not only think of what you were but of what you are; because even now, though God favours you by allowing you to do him service, yet you know what evil lurks within you. A very hell of corruption lies within the best saint; and if the grace of God did not restrain it, he would soon be found among the chief of sinners.

Moreover bashfulness should be created not only by the thought of what you might be, but by a sight of your service itself. Perhaps your fellow creatures are saying, “That is well done;” but you will go home and lament to yourself, saying, “Ah, they do not know my faults. They little know what mean motives cropped up even when I was trying to glorify my God.” “That was a fine sermon,” said one to Mr. Bunyan. The good man answered, “You are too late, the devil told me that before I left the pulpit.” The arch-fiend soon suggests to God’s servants some lofty notion, and they are tempted to appropriate to themselves the honour which belongs to God only. Ah, what a fool I am that, even when I seek to be lowest at the feet of my Lord, I find myself satisfied with my humility! Do we not too often rather mimic humility than actually attain to it. Besides, it should always make us blush to think of the dignity of the service to which we are called; for who are we and what is our father’s house that the Lord should have brought us to this? Servants of God! Ye Knights of the Garter, ye princes of the blood royal, what are all your earthly honours when compared with the holy dignity of servants of the Most High? Oh, that in the spirit of lowly gratitude we may always serve the thrice holy One! – Charles Spurgeon