Many times our efforts for others may be disregarded and apparently lost. But this should be no excuse for us to become weary in well-doing. How often has Jesus come to find fruit upon the plants of His care and found nothing but leaves! We may be disappointed as to the result of our best efforts, but this should not lead us to be indifferent to others’ woes and to do nothing. “Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.” How often is Christ disappointed in those who profess to be His children! He has given them unmistakable evidences of His love. He became poor, that through His poverty we might be made rich. He died for us, that we might not perish, but have eternal life. What if Christ had refused to bear our iniquity because He was rejected by many and because so few appreciated His love and the infinite blessings He came to bring them? We need to encourage patient, painstaking efforts. Courage is now wanted, not lazy despondency and fretful murmuring. We are in this world to do work for the Master and not to study our inclination and pleasure, to serve and glorify ourselves. Why, then, should we be inactive and discouraged because we do not see the immediate results we desire? {3T 525.2}

Vore anstrengelser for andre er mange gange blevet ignoreret og tilsyneladende spildt. Men dette burde ikke være nogen undskyldning for os til at blive trætte af gode gerninger. Hvor ofte er Jesus ikke kommet for at finde frugter på omsorgs-planter og ikke fundet andet end blade! Vi kan skuffes over vore bedste anstrengelsers resultater, men det bør ikke forlede os til ligegyldighed over for andres ve og vel og få os til ikke at gøre noget. »Forband«, sagde Herrens engel »Forband Meroz og dem, der bor deri! fordi de ikke kom Herren til hjælp kom Herren til hjælp som helte!« Hvor ofte er Kristus ikke skuffet over dem som bekender sig til at være hans børn! Han har givet dem umiskendelige beviser på sin kærlighed. Han blev fattig og gennem hans fattigdom kunne vi blive gjort rige. Han døde for os, så vi ikke kunne gå fortabt, men have evigt liv. Hvad nu hvis Kristus havde afvist at bære vor syndighed fordi han blev forkastet af så mange og fordi så få værdsatte hans kærlighed og de uendelige velsignelser han kom for at bringe dem? Vi må opelske, tålmodige og smerteudholdende bestræbelser. Nu mangler vi (526) mod, ikke den pacificerende fortvivlelse og irritable knurren. Vi er i denne verden for at arbejde for Mesteren og ikke for at vise hensyn til vore tilbøjeligheder og behag, for tjene og forherlige os selv. Hvorfor skulle vi da være passive og modløse fordi vi ikke ser de umiddelbare resultater vi ønsker?