An Attitude of Servanthood / A Spirit of Hope

In the town of Port Hope, Canada, there is a monument erected, not for the leading citizen who just died, but for a poor, unselfish working man who gave most of his life and energy to help those who could not repay him.

Joseph Scriven was born in Dublin 1820. In his youth, he had the prospect of being a great citizen with high ideals and great aspirations. He was engaged to a beautiful young woman who had promised to share his dreams. But on the eve of their wedding, her body was pulled from a pond into which she had accidentally fallen and drowned. Young Scriven never overcame the shock. Although a college graduate and ready embark on a brilliant career, he began to wander to try to forget his sorrow. His wanderings took him to Canada where he spent the last forty-one of his sixty-years.  He became a very devout Christian. His beliefs led him to do servile labor for poor widows and sick people. He often served for no wages.

It was not known that Mr. Scriven had any poetic gifts until a short time before his death. A friend, who was sitting with him in an illness, discovered a poem he had written to his mother in a time of sorrow; not intending that anyone else should see it.  His poem was later set to music and has become a much loved Gospel song. It is said to be the first song that many missionaries teach their converts. In polls taken to determine the popularity of hymns and Gospel songs, his poem set to music is always near the top. What was his poem?

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear;
All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.

Romans 15:13 says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." But an important sidebar is that the context of this hope is discovered in verses 1-2 of the same chapter: "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." The connection? An attitude of servanthood produces a spirit of hope. They are intertwined. You can't have hope without a willingness to please [our] neighbor for HIS good. Once we become a member of the family, our goal is always the good of others. It should never be "What am I going to get out of it."

So as we close this week looking at the Gospel of Hope, let's endure the difficulties of life, find encouragement from the Word, and seek not to please ourselves, but our neighbor.