The Children for Christ by Andrew Murray

were combined in it two elements, the surrender to the work she had to
perform, `Behold the bondmaid of the Lord,’ and the trust that counted
on God to do for her what He had promised, `Be it according to Thy
word.’ In both of these aspects the thanksgiving and joy of the hour of
deliverance, if cultivated and kept up, will be guidance and strength.
`Behold the bondmaid of the Lord.’ The labor of bearing a child is but
the beginning of that labor of love to which God has appointed and set
apart the mother. The whole work of rearing and guarding and training
the child is now to follow. The spirit of thanksgiving is the best
preparation for the altar of consecration. If the mother is indeed to
receive grace for the right and successful fulfillment of this new charge,
it will need on her part a very distinct consciousness and confession of
unfitness, a very definite giving up of herself to be henceforth the
Lord’s willing, loving slave for this holy work. As she looks at how much
there may be that has to be parted with and put away, how much that
she will have to struggle against and overcome, to be the holy mother of
a holy child, entirely consecrated to God, the thought may conic up that
the sacrifice and the strain will be too great, that it is impossible to live
so strictly, so entirely and peculiarly given up to God’s service. We fear
to be too different from others; God could bless us and our children
even though we are not so very holy. Oh, that a mother, if such thoughts
come up, would just pause and think of what God has done! There is the
new life given to herself, and the life of her precious little one, there is
the love and mercy of God, and all the promise of more love and mercy
to be poured out — has the thanksgiving been so unreal, has the joy
been so selfish and earthly, that there can be any hesitation as to whom
these lives shall belong to? God forbid! if the thanksgiving has been
true, it cannot but lead the mother to say that utterly and entirely she
will live for God, that she may have grace to train a child who, too, shall
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